rmities, which they oftner
inherit then their vertues; as appeares in the _Lutherans_ and the
Jewes, that would sacrifice their children to _Molech_, in imitation of
_Abraham_: In these the Divell becomes an Angell of light, and playeth
that Dragon, Revel. 12. powring out flouds of persecution against the
Church, causing devout men and women, to raise tragedies, breath out
threatnings, and persecute without measure; then these the Divell hath
no better soldiers: but when their scales fall from their eyes, and they
come into Gods tents; God hath none like unto them. The cure of this
divinely is forelayd by Christ also, to buy eye-salve of him; Angells
have eyes as well as wings to guide their flight: when the ship is under
saile, and hath the freshest way; it hath most neede to looke to the
sterage, keep the watch, have an eye to the Compasse and land-marks.
The third kinde is turbulent zeale, called by _James_ bitter zeale, a
kinde of wilde-fire transporting men beyond all bounds and compasse of
moderation; proceeding sometime of a weaknesse of nature in men, that
have no stay of their passion, like to Clockes whose springs are broken,
and Cities whose walls are down. Zeale is a good servant, but an ill
master: mettle is dangerous in a head-strong horse. And so the Poets
(which were the Heathens Prophets) shadowed out the cure of this, in
_Minerva's_ golden bridle, wherewith she menaged her winged _Pegasus_.
There is too much of this bitter zeale, of this _Hierapicra_ in all our
bookes of controversies: but especially there hath been too much in our
domesticall warrs; some sonns of _Bichri_ have blowen the trumpet of
contention, trumpets of anger; the Churches of God should have no such
custome: Oh that our Churches understood that saying.
[Sidenote: Rom. 14. 10.]
In quarrells of this nature _Paul_ spends his zeale, not in partaking
but in parting the fray, beating downe the weapons on both sides: Who
art thou that judgest? who art thou that condemnest thy brother? as if
hee should say, The matters are not _Tanti_, wee have made the Divell
too much sport already; who threw in these bones to set us together by
the eares, whilst hee lets in the common Enemy upon us. _Charitie,
Charitie_, is the builder of Churches: Strife about trifles, hath wasted
many famous ones, and placed the temples of _Mahomet_, where the golden
candle-sticke was wont to stand. Wee pitty the former ages, contending
about leavened and unleavene
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