active, and if the Task were not more envious than hard, many recent inftances might be given to Parallel the former, efpecially of fuch as ha ving justly smarted under the stroke of Ecclefiaftical difcipline, have fought to revenge themselves both on it and the inflicters, by Factions and Tumults; fo making the publick at once cloak the Infamy, and bear the charge of their particular rancors. But this is a Subject neither grateful nor neceffary to be more diftinctly spoken to. One may however in the general fay, that where thefe private Animofities are any thing violent, they usually beat down all Confideration of publick good. Hiftorians obferve of Themistocles, that he always thwarted the Councils of Ariftides, not that he thought it the Interest of the Commonwealth, but his own, to keep down the growing reputation of his Competitor: And I fear that envious artifice has been too often tranfcrib'd, as well in Ecclefiaftick, as in Civil Tranfactions: No detriment is thought fo formidable to a malicious mind, as the profperity of his Adverfary; and publick Ruptures fhall ftill be allowed to widen, till they swallow up the whole, rather than he will clofe with his Antagonist. The History of the Scottish Church gives an appofite Example of this,' in a ruling Presbyter, who being by King James advis'd with about the readmitting Marquefs Huntley, and preft with the prefent exigencies of Church and State, which requir'd it, gave his final answer in these terms. Well Sir, I fee you refolve to take Huntley in favour, if you do, I will opBb 2

pofe

pofe it, chufe whether you will lose him or me, for both you cannot have. Some may think the greatest propriety of this inftance lies to fhew the infolence of that Tribe towards Majefty; but however 'tis not impertinent to the matter in hand alfo; and fhews how light the greatest publick concerns are, when malice is the counterpoize: And indeed the Naturalifts experiment,that flame will not mingle with flame, never juftifies its felf better than when applied to minds thus accended, which however they may meet in mutual flashes, can never unite and incorporate: The fadness of it is, that they should only confpire to common vastation, and make the Church its felfa burnt-offering.

THUS fatal have our feveral forts of prepoffions been to our Religion, for as if that were the common Enemy, our moft diftant contrary Affections, our love and our hate equally annoy it; those brutish parts of us our Paffions, which like the beafts under the Law, were never to be brought into the Temple, but for facrifice, are now found there upon a far differing account, not to be flain, but ador'd; like the Egyptian Ifis and Ofyris, enfhrin'd to receive our Devotions, for that the Zeal we pretend elsewhere is really paid to them, is alas too manifeft.

CHAP.

CHAP. XVII.

A furvey of the Gaufes of Difputes; Fifthly,

Zeal.

T

O these feveral caufes of our diftractions we my add another, which though in its original it may feem more innocent, yet is in its confequents no less pernicious, and that is a miftaken Zeal, which as it is fire to. all about it, fo is it wind to its felf, fans and irritates its own flames, and by a confidence that it does well, gathers ftill fresh vigour to do more. How great the force of fuch an Erroneous perfwafion is, we may collect from our Saviours premonition to his Difciples, when he tells them, that those who kill'd them should think they did God fervice; and if Murder, and that of Apostles too, could by the Magick of blind Zeal be fo transform'd, we must not wonder to find other Grimes fo too. And what Chrift thus foretold was after eminently exemplified in St. Paul, whom the Holy Writ reprefents under all the Phrases that may denote a virulent perfecutor, as breathing out threatnings and laughter, making havock of the Church, and in his own words, Perfecuting that way unto the Death, and being exceedingly mad against them; and all this he did being Zealous towards God, and out of a perfwafion that he ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jefus, as we find Bb 3

in

Chap. 17. in his Apology to his countrey-men and King Agrippa, Act. 22. 2. & 26.9.

AND of the abettors of thofe Novel doctrines which after times produced, we have reason to think many were of this Sort, especially in those Herefies which though they carried Secret venome in them had yet a plausible appearance of Sanctity and Devotion; fuch was that of the Encratites, which feem'd to be founded in the veneration of two great Vertues Continence and Temperance, though by extending them beyond the due limits, they loft that Sobriety they too ftrictly embraced, and became inordinate in their Continence, and exceffive in their Abftinence: Such again were the Euchita or Maffalians, who made the whole business not only of religion but even of life, to confift in praying; and though by it they evacuated all other ends of both, yet having the letter of a Precept, and the pretence of Devotion on their fide, 'twas a proper bait for those who had much Zeal and little Knowledge. In like manner the Novatians Herefie had fo glorious an inscription of Purity as was very apt to attract well meaning Souls; who seeing it bid fuch exprefs defiance to Apoftacy, could not fufpect that it was its felf any defection from the faith; and accordingly fome of that Sect approved their conftancy in times both of Heathen and Arian perfecutions. Nor must we be fo uncharitable to the modern times, as not to believe many, have acted upon the like Principles, and meant truth and piety, even while they actually

promoted

promoted the contrary. But how fincere foever the purposes of such seduced Perfons were, yet 'tis evident the Church has fuffer'd no lefs by them, than by the more crafty defigners: their mif guided piety has made as great and incurable Ruptures, as the most flagitious blafphemies of others. And when a rent is once made, it matters little whether it were done by error or malice; nay perhaps as to the hopes of repairing, the former may be the more defperate: for whereas be that knowingly commits an Ill, has the Upbraidings of his own Confcience towards his reducing; these on the other fide have its Cherishings and Encouragements, to confirm and animate. them. And doubtless they are great advantages which Satan has in all ages made of Such Perfons, whom he feems to have deluded in the fame manner, that Medea is faid to have done the daughters of Peleas, whom the perfwaded to hack their aged Father in pieces, in hope that by her Magick, he fhould not only recover life but youth fo thefe rend and tear their Mother the Church out of a hope, no lefs delufive, of reftoring her pristine beauty and vigor; how far the Event parallels it also, the dying state of Chriftia nity does too fadly teftifie.

NOR has it only been the Heat of Erring perfons that has been thus mifchievous, but fometimes men of right judgments have too much contributed to the breach of Unity, and the intemperate and imprudent Zeal of these hath ferv'd to exafperate the mistaking earnestness of the other: Bb 4

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