46 THE BRr iSED REED excess in one passion, sometimes to excess in another. Bucer was a deep and a moderate divine. Upon long· experience he resolved to refuse none in whom he saw something of Christ. The best Christians, in this state of imperfection, are like gold a little too light, which needs some grains of allowance to make it pass. You must grant the best their allowance. We must supply, out of our love and mercy, that which we see wanting in them. The church of Christ is a common hospital, wherein all are in some measure sick of some spiritual disease or other, that we may all have ground of exercising mutually the spirit of wisdom and meekness. That we may better do this, let us put on the Spirit of Christ : the Spirit of God carrieth a majesty with it. Corruption will hardly yield to corruption. Pride is intolerable to pride. The weapons.of this warfare must not be carnal, Luke xxiv. 49. The great apostles would not set upon the work of the ministry, until they ~ere clothed, as it were, with power from on
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=