2. But the weak Christian either hearkeneth too much to carnal wisdom, which suppresseth his zeal, and maketh him too heavy and dull and indifferent in many of his duties and the concernments of his soul, permitting the world to take up too much of the vigour of his spirit: or else he is confident in mistakes, and verily thinks that he understandeth, better than many wiser men, those things which he never understood at all. He chooseth his party by the zeal that he findeth in them without any judicious trial of the truth of what they hold and teach. He is very earnest for many a supposed truth and duty, which proveth at last to be no truth or duty at all; and he censureth many a wiser Christian than himself, for many a supposed sin which is no sin, but perhaps a duty. For he is always injudicious, and his heat is greater than his light (or else his light is too flashy without heat.) Peremptorily he doth set down some among the number of the most wise and excellent men, for keeping him company in his mistakes; and he boldly numbereth the best and wisest of his teachers with the trangressors, for being of a sounder understanding than himself, and doing those duties which he calleth sins: and hence it is that he is a person apt to be misled by appearances of zeal, and the passions of his teachers prevail more with him than the evidence of truth. He that prayeth and preacheth most fervently is the man that carrieth him away, though none of his arguments be truly cogent. If he hear any hard name against any opinion or manner of worship, he receiveth that prejudice which turneth him more

:

against it than reason could have done so the bugbear name of Heresy, Lutheranism and Calvinism, frighteneth many a well-meaning papist both from the truth and almost from his wits and the names of Popery, Arminianism, Prelacy, Presbyterianism, Independency, &c. do turn away the hearts of many from things which they never tried or understood. If a zealous preacher do but call any opinion or practice antichristian or idolatrous, it is a more effectual terror than the clearest proof. Big and terrible words do move the passions, while the understanding is abused, or a stranger to the cause; and passion is much of their religion. And hence, alas, is much of the calamity of the church.

3. But the seeming Christian is only zealous finally for himself, or zealous about the smaller matters of religion, as the Pharisees were for their ceremonies and traditions; or for his own inventions, or some opinions or ways in which his honour seemeth to be interested, and pride is the bellows of his zeal but as for a holy zeal about the substance and practice of religion, and that for God as the final cause, he is a stranger to it. He may have a zeal of God, and of and for the law and worship of God as the material cause, but not a true zeal for God as the chief final cause.

:

LI. 1. A Christian indeed can bear the infirmities of the weak though he love not their weakness, yet he pitieth it, because he truly loveth their persons. Christ hath taught him not to break the bruised reed,' and to gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead them that

are with young.' If they have diseases and distempers, he seeketh in tenderness to cure them, and not in wrath to hurt and vex them. He turneth not the infants or sick persons from the family, because they cry or are unquiet, unclean, infirm and troublesome but he exerciseth his love and pity upon their weaknesses. If they mistake their way, or are ignorant, and peevish and froward in their mistakes, he seeketh not to undo them, but gently to reduce them. If they censure himself, and call him erroneous, heretical, antichristian, idolatrous, because he concurreth not with them in their mistakes, he beareth it with love and patience, as he would do the peevish chidings of a child, or the frowardness of the sick. He doth not lose his charity, and set his wit against a child, and aggravate the crimes, and being reviled revile again; and say, you are schismatics, hypocrites, obstinate, and fit to be severely dealt with: but he overcometh them with love and patience, which is the conquest of a saint, and the happiest victory both for himself and them. It is a small matter to him to be judged of man.' He is more troubled for the weakness and disease of the censorious, than for his own being wronged by their censures.

2. But the weak Christian is readier to censure others than patiently to bear a censure himself. Either he stormeth against the censurers as if they did him some insufferable wrong, (through the overgreat esteem of himself and his reputation,) or else to escape the fangs of censure, and keep up his repute with them, he complieth with the censorious,

and overruns his judgment and conscience to be well spoken of, and counted a sincere and steadfast

man.

3. But the seeming Christian is so proud and selfish, and wanteth charity and tenderness to the weak, that he is impatient of their provocations; and would cure the diseases of the servants of Christ, by cutting their throats, or ridding the country of them. If a child do but wrangle with him, he crieth, Away with him, he is a troubler of the world: He taketh more notice of one of their infirmities than of all their graces: yea, he can see nothing but obstinacy and hypocrisy in them, if they do but cross him in his opinions or reputation, or worldly ends. Selfishness can turn his hypocrisy into malignity and cruelty, if once he take them to be against his interest. Indeed his interest can make him patient: he can bear with them that he looketh to gain by, but not with them that seem to be against him. The radical enmity against sincerity that was not mortified, but covered in his heart, will easily be again uncovered.

LII. 1. A Christian indeed is a great esteemer of the unity of the church, and greatly averse to all divisions among believers. As there is in the natural body an abhorring of dismembering or separating any part from the whole; so there is in the mystical body of Christ. The members that have life cannot but feel the smart of any distempering attempt; for abscision is destruction: the members die that are separated from the body. And if there be but any obstruction or hinderance of communion,

it will be painful or unuseful. He feeleth in himself the reason of all those strict commands, and earnest exhortations: Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.' Again: If there be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.' Or as the same apostle exhorted the Ephesians: I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling ; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.' He looketh at uncharitableness and divisions with abhorrence than weak Christians do at drunkenness or whoredom, or such other heinous sin. feareth such dreadful warnings, as Acts xx. 29, 30:

more

He