tiles, who had both
heard his preaching and seen his practice against the ceremonies of the
Jews. But at Jerusalem Paul had to do with the weak Jews, who had heard
little or no preaching against those ceremonies, and had seen as little
practice contrary unto them. Now Scotland must not be likened to
Jerusalem, no not to Antioch; for Scotland hath been filled both with
preaching and practice contrary to the ceremonies of the Papists, yea,
hath moreover spewed them out openly and solemnly, with a religious and
strict oath never to lick them up again.

CHAPTER VII.

THAT THE CEREMONIES ARE INEXPEDIENT, BECAUSE THEY DISTURB THE PEACE OF THE
CHURCH.

_Sect._ 1. The great evils which have befallen to many famous churches,
through the means of intestine dissensions, should teach us not to admit
the occasions of the like inconveniences among ourselves; for as by
concord _minima crescunt_, so by discord _maxima dilabuntur_.

Now, the ceremonies are the bane of our church's peace, and the unhappy
instruments of lamentable discord among brethren who should dwell together
in unity. I know that the refusers of the ceremonies are blamed, as if
they were the troublers of the peace of the church, and the tumultuating
contentious spirits who make so much ado about matters of rite and
ceremony. But I know also that none have been more ordinarily and commonly
blamed for troubling the peace of the church than they who least deserved
to be blamed for it. So was Elijah himself(339) thought to be he that
troubled Israel, when he contended against the corruptions of the church
in his time, 1 Kings xviii. 17. I will therefore observe four marks
whereby it may be known when contentions are in a church, which side is
reprehensible, and also who are to be blamed as the troublers of our
Israel.

_Sect._ 2. In contentions raised in the church, we are to consider the
motive, the measure, the matter, the manner. And, 1st. Touching the
motive: They who contend in a church reprehensibly, are moved and induced
to the course which they follow, by some worldly respect, Acts xix. 26; 1
Tim. vi. 5. Now, as for those in our church who contend for the
ceremonies, many of them are led by such _argumenta inartificialia_, as
wealth, preferment, &c., and if conscience be at all looked to by them,
yet they only throw and extort an assent and allowance from it, when
worldly respects have made them to propend and incline to