42 OF CHURCH CONTROVERSIES. 



judgment is weak and unripe; and when it groweth 

 to strength and ripeness, by that time it is forestalled 

 with such a number of prejudicate opinions, as it is 

 made unprofitable : so as between these two all 

 truth is corrupted. In the mean while, the honour 

 able names of sincerity, reformation, and discipline 

 are put in the fore-ward : so as contentions and evil 

 zeals cannot be touched, except these holy things be 

 thought first to be violated. But howsoever they 

 shall infer the solicitation for the peace of the Church 

 to proceed from carnal sense, yet I will conclude 

 ever with the apostle Paul, &quot; Cum sit inter vos zelus 

 et content, nonne carnales estis ?&quot; While there is 

 amongst you zeal and contention, are ye not carnal ? 

 And howsoever they esteem the compounding of 

 controversies to savour of man s wisdom and human 

 policy, and think themselves led by the wisdom 

 which is from above, yet I say, with St. James, 

 &quot; Non est ista sapientia de sursum descendens, sed 

 terrena, animalis, diabolica : ubi enim zelus et con- 

 tentio, ibi inconstantia et omne opus pravum.&quot; Of 

 this inconstancy it is said by a learned father, &quot; Pro- 

 cedere volunt non ad perfectionem, sed ad permuta- 

 tionem ;&quot; they seek to go forward still, not to per 

 fection, but to change. 



The third occasion of controversies I observe to 

 be, an extreme and unlimited detestation of some 

 former heresy or corruption of the Church already 

 acknowledged and convicted. This was the cause 

 that produced the heresy of Arius, grounded espe 

 cially upon detestation of Gentilism, lest the Chris- 



