Grotius Annot. in Matt. xiii. 41, is so full and large upon it, that I must entreat the reader to peruse his own words; where by arguments and authority he vehemently rebuketh the spirit of fury, cruelty, and uncharitableness, which under pretence of government, discipline, and zeal, denieth that liberty and forbearance, even to heretics and offenders, (much more when to the faithful ministers of Christ,) which human frailty hath made necessary, and Christ hath commanded his servants to grant. Concluding, _Ubi solitudinem fecerant, pacem appellabant_ (as Tertul.). _Et his omnibus obtendi solet studium divini nominis; sed plerumque obtendi tantum. Nam Deus dedignatur coacta servitia; nec placere illi potest quod vi humana exprimitur. Reipsa solent qui id faciunt non nomini divino, sed suis honoribus, suis commodis et tranquillitati consulere; quod scit ille qui mentes introspicit. Atque ita fit, ut lolium evellatur cum tritico, innocentes cum nocentibus: immo ut triticum sæpe sumatur pro lolio: non enim tam bene agitur cum rebus humanis, ut semper meliora pluribus aut validioribus placeant: sed ut in grege taurus, ita inter homines, qui viribus est editior, imbecilliorem cædit: et iidem sæpe quæ pati se quærebantur, mox in alios audent.--Lege cætera._
Again, I entreat those that would escape the sin of schism, to read seriously the foresaid Treatises of peacemakers; especially Bishop Hall's "Peacemaker;" Bishop Usher's "Sermon on Ephes. iv. 3;" and Mr. Jeremy Burroughs' "Irenicum:" to which I may add Mr. Stillingfleet's "Irenicum," for the hot contenders about church government; though I believe all the substance of church order to be of divine institution: and Jac. Acontii "Stratag. Satanæ."
And it must be carefully noted, that one way by which Satan tempteth men into church divisions, is by an over-vehement zeal against dividers; and so he would draw the rulers of the world, under pretence of a zeal for unity and peace, to raise persecutions against all that are guilty of any excess of scrupulosity about church communion, or of any principles or practices which a little swerve from true catholicism: and so by the cruelty of their penalties, silencing ministers, and vexing the people, they much increase the divisions which they would heal: for when Satan cannot do his work barefaced and directly, he useth to be the forwardest in seeming to do good, and to take part with Christ, and truth, and godliness; and then his way is to over-do: he will be over-orthodox, and over-godly, and over-peaceable, that he hug the church and truth to death, by his too hard embracements. As in families and neighbourhoods, some cross words must be passed over if we would have peace; and he that for every provoking, unpeaceable word of another, will raise a storm, shall be himself the most unpeaceable: so is it in the church; he that cannot bear with the weaknesses of the younger sort of christians, who are too much inclined by their zeal against sin, to dividing ways, but will presently let fly at them as schismatics, and make them odious, and excommunicate or punish them according to his wrath, shall increase the zeal and the number of dividers, and prove himself the greatest divider.
And by this violence and destroying zeal of orthodox rulers, against the real faults and infirmities of some separating, well meaning men, a far greater number of heterodox rulers are encouraged to persecute the most learned, sober, and peaceable ministers, and the most godly and faithful of their subjects, who dare not conform to all their unrighteous edicts, and ecclesiastical laws, in things forbidden by the law of Christ: and all this is done upon pretence of promoting unity and peace, and suppressing heresy and schism. And so persecution becometh the devil's engine to keep out the gospel and godliness from the infidel world, and to keep them under in the christian world.
_Sed tamen sive illud (Origenis de Redemptione futura diabolorum) error est, ut ego sentio; sive hæresis ut putatur, non solum reprimi non potuit multis animadversionibus sacerdotum, sed nequaquam tam late se potuisset effundere, nisi contentione crevisset_: inquit Posthumianus in Sulp. Severi Dialog. i.
_Sed non fuit animus ibi consistere, ubi recens fraternæ cladis fervebat invidia. Nam etsi fortasse videantur parere episcopis debuisse, non ob hanc tamen causam multitudinem tantam sub Christi confessione viventem, præsertim ab episcopis oportuisset affligi._ Id. ibid. speaking of the bishops provoking the secular power to afflict the monks of Alexandria for defending Origen.