CONFIRMED CHRISTIAN. 547 before or without judgment. If he be of the most excellent sort of Christians, he bath so large a knowledge of the mysteries of godli- ness, that he seeth the body of sacred truth with its parts, and compages, or joints, as it Were at once. It is all written deeply and methodically in his understanding : he bath by long use his sepses exercised, to discern both good and evil; Heb. v. 14. He presently discerneth where mistaken men go out of the way, and lose the truth by false suppositions, or by false 'definitions, or by confounding things that differ.. And therefore he pitieth. the con- tentious sects and disputers, who raise a dust to blind themselves add others, and make a stir, to the trouble of the church, about things which they never understood ; and in the sight ofthat truth which others obscure 2nd cóntradict, he enjoyeth much content or pleasure in his own mind, though incapable persons zealously re- ject it. Therefore he is steadfast, as knowing on what ground he setteth his foot. And though he be the greatest lover oftruth, and would,with greatest joy receive any addition to his knowledge, yet ordinarily by erroneous zealots he is censured as too stiff and self- conceited, and tenacious of his own opinions, because he will not entertain their errors, and obey them in their self -conceitedness. For he that knoweth that it is a truth which he holdeth, is neither able nor willing to hold the contrary, (unless he imprison the truth in unrighteousness.) But if he be one that bath not attained to such a clear, comprehensive judgment, yet with that measure of judgment which'he bath, he doth guide and regulate his zeal, and maketh it follow after, while understanding goeth before. He treadeth on sure ground, and knoweth it to be duty indeed which he is zealous for, and sin indeed which he is zealous against ; and is not put to excuse all his favor and forwardness after, with a ' Non putarem,' or, ' I had thought it had been otherwise ; " 1 Cor. i. 5. 2 Cor. viii. 7. -Col. iii. 16. iv..12. 2. But the weak Christian either hearkeneth too much to carnal wisdom, which suppresseth his zeal, and maketh him too heavy and dull, and indifferent in many of his duties, and the concern- ments ofhis soul, permitting the world to take up too much of the vigor of his spirit; or else he is confident in his mistakes, and verily thinks that he understandeth, better than many wiser men, those things which he never understood at all. He choosethhis party by the zeal that he-findeth in them, without any judicious trial of the truth of what they, hold and teach. He is very earnest for many a supposed truth and duty, which proveth at last to be no truth or duty at all; and he censureth many a wiser Christian than himself, for many a supposed sin, which is no sin, but per- haps a duty. For he is always injudicious, and his heat is greater than his light, or else his light is too fiasby v:itlrout heat. Peremp- 11 4
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