The danger of immoderate Zeal against those of another judgment; And how so. [ 1368]
THere is in the Nature of many Men a certain 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,* 1.1 an heat and activeness of spirit, which then principally, when conversant about Objects divine, and matters of Conscience, is wonderfull apt, without a due corrective of Wise∣dome and knowledg, to break forth into intemperate carriage, and to disturb Peace; It was Zeal in the women that persecuted S. Paul,* 1.2 and it was Zeal in S. Paul,* 1.3 who persecuted Christ before he knew him: For as the Historian saith of some Men,* 1.4 that they are sola socordia innocentes, bad enough in themselves, yet do little hurt, by reason of a flegmatique and torpid constitution, indisposing them for action; So on the contrary, men there may be; Nay, without all doubt, some there are,* 1.5 who having devotion like those Honourable Women, not ruled by knowledg; and Zeal, like Quicksilver, not allaied, nor reduced unto usefullnesse by Wisedome and mature learning, may be, as Nazianzene saith, they were in his time, the causes of much unquiet; Insomuch, that Truth it self hath been stretched too far,* 1.6 so that by a vehement dislike of Errour on the one side, Men have run into an Errour on the other, as Dionysius Alexandrinus be∣ing too servent against Sabellius, did lay the grounds of Arrianism, And Chry∣sostome in Zeal against: the Manichees, did too much extoll the power of Na∣ture; And Illiricus out of an hatred of the Papists lessening Originall Sin, ran another extream to make it an essentiall corruption, &c.