To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
SEcondly, As peace is necessary for the well being, so for the ve∣ry being of the Church of God, without which it cannot long sub∣sist and continue, but by degrees must needs decay and come to ru∣ine. As in the naturall body, if the humors and qualities should be fighting one with another, the heat with the cold, or the moy∣sture
with the drinesse, each seek∣ing to bee predominant & to sup∣press his contrary: or the members should rent and teare one another, this would not only cause sick∣nesse & much pain, but there must needs follow ere long dissolutio compositi, a dissolution of the whole: so it is in all humane societies, whe∣ther civill or religious, if there be discord and debate betwixt the members, it will not only, breed much trouble and disquiet, but by degrees procure the decay, and dissolution of it. Hence our Savi∣our saith, that a kingdome divided in it self is brought to dissolution, and an house or city divided in it self cannot stand, Mat. 12.25. When there are civill warrs in a common wealth, there is nothing but plun∣dering and spoyling, rapine and robbery, yea killing and murther∣ing, & all things tending to ruine: for as a soure and sharp winter
spoyles all those pleasant fruites which the summer had brought forth, and brings a sordid aspect upon the face of the earth, which before was beautifull and delight∣full, so warre makes desolation where it comes, it causeth goodly houses and habitations, yea whole townes and cities to be laid on ru∣inous heapes, and makes a land, which before was like the garden of Eden, to become like a desolate wil∣dernesse, as the prophet speakes, Joel 2, 3. It defaceth and demolisheth in a few houres, that which was the labour & work of many years, it violates the bonds of all good order and government in humane societies, for, inter arma leges silent.
And thus it is likewise in the Church of God, when debate and discord prevailes, when divided judgements have bred divided af∣fections, what follows but hard surmisings and censurings of each
other, but slanderings and back∣bitings, but sharpe and bitter lan∣guage, and such biting and devour∣ing, as tends to the destroying of each other, according as the A∣postle tells the Galatians, if ye bite and devour one another, take heed least ye be consumed one of another, cap. 5.15. When the Arrian heresie brought division into the Church, what wofull wast was made of many flourishing congregations and Churches? when the orthodox Bishops and pastors were exiled and driven from their congrega∣tions, and their flocks scattered: when the Donatists by their sepa∣ration made a division in the A∣frican Churches: what violences and outrages were exercised a∣gainst faithfull Christians, both pastors and people? when the A∣nabaptists arose in Germany and separated themselves from the rest of the reformed Churches, what
work did this division make? It much obstructed, and was like wholly to have overthrowne the worke of reformation, which Lu∣ther had so happily begun, and successefully carried on for some yeares together. As all things are said concord â crescere to increase by concord, so on the other side by discord, they decay, diminish and by degrees come to nothing. The well known story of the dying fa∣ther agrees well to this purpose: (which though it may be doubt∣full for the action, yet it is most true for the application) This father having three sons calling them to him a little before his death, gave them direction for living lovingly together; and that his counsell might take the better impression upon them, he gave them a bunch of arrowes fast tyed together, bid∣ding them to break them, which each of them trying to do, one af∣ter
another, none of them could do it. Then he bid them draw them out single, & try what they could do; this they did, and then they easily brake them all one after a∣nother: then he applies this to them telling them that so long as they continued conjoyned in a bond of brotherly love & unity, they should be without danger of breaking by any adverse party, but if they once suffered themselves to be divided, this would easily be done.