"Essays" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bacon Francis)

natural body, a wound, or solution of continuity, is worse than a
corrupt humor; so in the spiritual. So that nothing, doth so much keep
men out of the church and drive men out of the church, as breach of
unity. And therefore, whensoever it cometh to that pass, that one
saith, Ecce in deserto, another saith, Ecce in penetralibus; that
is, when some men seek Christ, in the conventicles of heretics, and
others, in an outward face of a church, that voice had need
continually to sound in men's ears, Nolite exire, -Go not out. The
doctor of the Gentiles (the propriety of whose vocation, drew him to
have a special care of those without) saith, if an heathen come in,
and hear you speak with several tongues, will he not say that you
are mad? And certainly it is little better, when atheists, and profane
persons, do hear of so many discordant, and contrary opinions in
religion; it doth avert them from the church, and maketh them, to
sit down in the chair of the scorners. It is but a light thing, to
be vouched in so serious a matter, but yet it expresseth well the
deformity. There is a master of scoffing, that in his catalogue of
books of a feigned library, sets down this title of a book, The
Morris-Dance of Heretics. For indeed, every sect of them, hath a
diverse posture, or cringe by themselves, which cannot but move
derision in worldlings, and depraved politics, who are apt to
contemn holy things.

As for the fruit towards those that are within; it is peace; which
containeth infinite blessings. It establisheth faith; it kindleth
charity; the outward peace of the church, distilleth into peace of
conscience; and it turneth the labors of writing, and reading of
controversies, into treaties of mortification and devotion.

Concerning the bounds of unity; the true placing of them,
importeth exceedingly. There appear to be two extremes. For to certain
zealants, all speech of pacification is odious. Is it peace, Jehu?
What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. Peace is not the
matter, but following, and party. Contrariwise, certain Laodiceans,
and lukewarm persons, think they may accommodate points of religion,
by middle way, and taking part of both, and witty reconcilements; as
if they would make an arbitrament between God and man. Both these
extremes are to be avoided; which will be done, if the league of
Christians, penned by our Savior himself, were in two cross clauses
thereof, soundly and plainly expounded: He that is not with us, is
against us; and again, He that is not against us, is with us; that is,
if the points fundamental and of substance in religion, were truly
discerned and distinguished, from points not merely of faith, but of
opinion, order, or good intention. This is a thing may seem to many
a matter trivial, and done already. But if it were done less
partially, it would be embraced more generally.

Of this I may give only this advice, according to my small model.
Men ought to take heed, of rending God's church, by two kinds of
controversies. The one is, when the matter of the point