4. No pretences whatsoever, nor seeming colour, should coun- tenance men dissenting from what is established, to revile, traduce, deride, or otherwise expose to \ailgar contempt, by words or actions, the way owned by authority (if not evidently fallen off from Jehovah to Baal), or fasten bitter, uncharitable appellations on those who act according to that way; that is, the public ministers and ministry, acknowledged, owned, and maintained by the supreme magistrate, where they both are. Here, by the way, I cannot but complain of want of ingeimity and candid charity in those men who, having a comfortable maintenance arising another way, do yet, " ad faciendum populum," continually, in pulpits and other public places, inveigh against that way of maintenance which is allowed by the magi- strate, and set apart for those that labour in the word and doc- trine; unto whom I wish no farther evil, but only forced patience when their neighbouring tradesmen shall have persuaded the people about them that preachers of the gospel ought to live by the work
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of their hands, and so the contribution for their maintenance be subducted.
Such men as these do show of what spirit they are, and what they would do if they were Kons; seeing they bark so much, being but snarling dogs. And therefore, truly, if some severe course were used for the restraint of those who in our days strive to get themselves a name, and to build up their repute, by slighting, undervaluing, and, by all uncharitable, malicious ways, rendering odious those from whom they dissent, I should not much intercede for them : these are evil works, fruits of the flesh, e\ident to all. Now these, and such things as these, are acknowledged by all even-spirited men. Some few I shall now add, I hope not unlike them. As, —
5. That it is a most difficult undertakmg to judge of heresies and heretics, — no easy thing to show what heresy is in general ; — whether this or that particular error be a heresy or no, — whether it be a heresy in this or that man ; especially if such things as stubbonmess, and pertinacy upon conviction, with the like, be required to make a man a heretic, — for such things cannot be evidenced or made out, but only (for the most part) by most obscure conjectures, and svich as will scarcely satisfy a charitable judgment. Papists, indeed, who have laid it down for a principle, that a contradiction of the doctrine of the church, known to be so, and continued in after admonition, doth infallibly make a man a heretic, are very clear, uniform, and settled in that which they have made the ground, warrant, and foundation of slaying millions of men professing the name of Christ : but for all other Christians, who acknowledge an infallibility in the rule, but no infallibility in any for the discovery of the truth of that rule (though exceeding clear and perspicuous in things necessary), — for them, I say, understanding and keeping close to their own prin- ciples, it is a most difficult thing to determine of heresy, with an assurance that they are so out of danger of eiring in that determina- tion as to make it a ground of rigorous proceedmgs against those of whom they have so concluded. Some things, indeed, ai's so clearly in the Scripture laid down and determined, that to question or deny them bespeaks a sjiirit self-condemned in that which he doth pro- fess. That twice two makes four, that he that runjieth moveth, are not things more evident to reason than many things in the Scrip ture are to every captivated understanding; — a wilful deviation in such, merits no charity. But generally, errors are about things hard to be vmderstood, not so clearly appearing, and concerning which it is very difficult to pass the sentence of heresy. No judge of heresy since the apostles' days, but hath been obnoxious to en-or in that judgment; and tho.se who have been forwardest to assume a judi- cature and power of discerning between tnith and error, so as to
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have others regulated thereby, have erred most foully. Of old it was generally conceived to be in councils. Now, I should acknow- ledge myself obliged to any man that would direct me to a council — since that Acts xv. — which I may not be forced from the word to assert that it, in some thing or other, went astray.
Luther feared not to affirm of the first and best of general synods, that he " understood not the Holy Ghost to speak in it;" and that the canons thereof were but plain hay and stubble;^ — yea, and Beza, that such was the " folly, ignorance, ambition, wickedness of many bishops in the best times, that you would suppose the devil to have been president in their assemblies;"^ insomuch as Nazianzen com- plained that he never saw a^ good end of any, and affirmed that he was resolved never to come at them more. And in truth, the fight- ings and brawls, diabolical arts of defamation and accusing one an- other, abominable pride, ambition, and affectation of pre-eminence, which appeared in most of them, did so far prevail, that in the issue they became (as one was entitled) dens of thieves, rather than con- ventions of humble and meek disciples of Jesus Christ, until at length, the holy dove being departed, an ominous owl overlooked the Lateran fathers ; and though with much clamour they destroyed the appearing fowl, yet the foul spirit of darkness and eiTor wrought as effectually in them as ever. But to close this discourse. Ignorance of men's invincible prejudices, of their convictions, strong persuasions, desires, aims, hopes, fears, inducements, — sensibleness of our own in- firmities, failings, misapprehensions, darkness, knowing but in part, — should work in us a charitable opinion of poor erring creatures, that do it perhaps with as upright, sincere hearts and affections as some enjoy truth. Austin* tells the Manichees, the most paganish heretics that ever were, that they only raged and were high against them who knew not what it was to seek the truth and escape error. With what ardent prayers the knowledge of truth is obtained ! And how tender is Salvian^ in his judgment of the Arians ! " They are," saith he, " heretics, but know it not, — heretics to us, but not to themselves ; nay, they think themselves so catholic that they judge us to be he- retics: what they are to us, that are we to them. They err, but