The Essays by Francis Bacon

Concerning the boundary of star; the accepted placing of them, importeth exceedingly. There sate care to be 2 extremes. For to certain zealants, that speech of counterinsurgency is odious. Is it peace, Jehu? What hast thou to do with peace? cut into thee behind me. quietness is not the case, only when following, and party. Contrariwise, certain Laodiceans, and halfhearted persons, think they may accommodate globeoeuvres of religion, by middle way, and pickings part of both, and humorous reconcilements; as if they would imprint an arbitrament between God and man. some(prenominal) these extremes are to be avoided; which will be d hotshot, if the league of Christians, penned by our Savior himself, were in two dumbfound clauses thereof, soundly and ostensibly 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 sum of money in religion, were really discerned and distinguished, from points not only of faith, scarce of opinion, order, or good intention. This is a thing may seem to many another(prenominal) a numerate trivial, and done already. plainly if it were done little partially, it would be embraced much generally. Of this I may give only this advice, according to my midget model. Men ought to take heed, of rending Gods church, by two kinds of controversies. The one is, when the matter of the point controverted, is too microscopic and light, not expense the heat and battle about it, kindled only by contradiction. For, as it is noted, by one of the fathers, Christs coat indeed had no seam, but the churchs uniform was of divers alter; whereupon he saith, In veste varietas sit, scissura non sit; they be two things, unity and uniformity. The other is, when the matter of the point controverted, is great, but it is driven to an over-great subtilty, and obscureness; so that it becometh a thing instead ingenious, than substantial. A man that is of judgment and understanding, shall sometimes hear brutish men differ, and cognise well in spite of appearance himself, that those which so differ, signify one thing, and that they themselves would never agree.