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Essays (1625) |
Sir Francis Bacon |
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REligion being the chiefe Band
of humane Society, it is a
happy thing, when it selfe,
is well contained, within the
true Band of Vnity. The Quarrels, and
Diuisions about Religion, were Euils vnknowne to the Heathen. The Reason
was, because the Religion of the Heathen,
consisted rather in Rites and Ceremonies; then in any constant Beleefe. For
you may imagine, what kinde of Faith
theirs was, when the chiefe Doctors, and
Fathers of their Church, were the Poets.
But the true God hath this Attribute,
That he is a Iealous God; And therefore,
his worship and Religion, will endure no
Mixture, nor Partner. We shall therefore
speake, a few words, concerning the
Vnity of the Church; What are the Fruits
thereof; what the Bounds; And what the
Meanes?
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The Fruits of Vnity ( next vnto the
well Pleasing of God, which is All in All )
are two; The One, towards those, that
are without the Church; The Other, towards those, that are within. For the Former, lt is certaine, that Heresies, and
Schismes, are of all others, the greatest
Scandals; yea more then Corruption of
Manners. For as in the Naturall Body, a
Wound or Solution of Continuity, is
worse then a Corrupt Humor; So in the
Spirituall. So that nothing, doth so much
keepe Men out of the Church, and driue
Men out of the Church, as Breach of Vnity: And therefore, whensoeuer it commeth to that passe, that one saith, | 3 |
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 Labours, of
Writing, and Reading of Controuersies,
into Treaties of Mortification, and Deuotion.
Concerning the Bounds of Vnity; The
true Placing of them, importeth exceedingly. There appeare to be two extremes.
For to certaine Zelants all Speech of Pacification is odious. Is it peace Iehu? What
hast thou to doe with peace? turne thee behinde me. Peace is not the Matter, but Following and Party. Contrariwise, certaine
Laodiceans, and Luke-warme Persons,
thinke they may accommodate Points of
Religion, by Middle Waies, and taking
part of both; And witty Reconcilements;
As if they would make an Arbitrement,
betweene God and Man. Both these Extremes are to be auoyded; which will
be done, if the League of Christians, penned by our Sauiour himselfe, were in the
two crosse Clauses thereof, soundly and
plainly expounded; He that is not with
vs, is against vs: And againe; He that is
not against vs, is with vs: That is, if the
Points Fundamentall and of Substance
in Religion, were truly discerned and distinguished, from Points not meerely of
Faith, but of Opinion, Order, or good Intention. This is a Thing, may seeme to
many, a Matter triuiall, and done already:
But if it were done lesse partially, it would
be embraced more generally.
| 4 |
Of this I may giue onely this Aduice,
according to my small Modell. Men
ought to take heede, of rending Gods
Church, by two kinds of Controuersies.
The one is, when the Matter of the Point
controuerted, is too small and light, not
worth the Heat, and Strife about it, kindled onely by Contradiction. For, as it is
noted by one of the Fathers; Christs Coat,
indeed, had no seame: But the Churches Vesture was of diuers colours; whereupon he
saith, | 5 |
Concerning the Meanes of procuring Vnity; Men must beware, that in the Procuring, or Muniting, of Religious Vnity, they
doe not Dissolue and Deface the Lawes of
Charity, and of humane Society. There
be two Swords amongst Christians; the
Spirituall, and Temporall; And both
haue their due Office, and place, in the
maintenance of Religion. But we may
not take vp the Third sword, which is
Mahomets Sword, or like vnto it; That is,
to propagate Religion, by Warrs, or by Sanguinary Persecutions, to force Consciences; except it be in cases of Ouert
Scandall, Blasphemy, or Intermixture of Practize, against the State; Much lesse to
Nourish Seditions; To Authorize Conspiracies and Rebellions; To put the
Sword into the Peoples Hands; And the
like; Tending to the Subuersion of all
Gouernment, which is the Ordinance of
God. For this is, but to dash the first Table,
against the Second; And so to consider
Men as Christians, as we forget that they
are Men. Lucretius the Poet, when he beheld the Act of Agamemnon, that could endure the Sacrificing of his owne Daughter, exclaimed;
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What would he haue said, if he had
knowne of the Massacre in France, or
the Powder Treason of England? He
would haue beene, Seuen times more
Epicure and Atheist, then he was. For as
the temporall Sword, is to bee drawne,
with great circumspection, in Cases of
Religion; So it is a thing monstrous, to
put it into the hands of the Common
People. Let that bee left vnto the
Anabaptists, and other Furies. It was great
Blasphemy, when the Deuill said; I will
ascend, and be like the Highest; But it is
greater Blasphemy, to personate God, and
bring him in saying; I will descend, and be
like the Prince of Darknesse, And what is it
better, to make the cause of Religion, to
descend, to the cruell and execrable
Actions, of Murthering Princes, Butchery
of People, and Subuersion of States, and
Gouernments? Surely, this is to bring
Downe the Holy Ghost, in stead of the
Liknesse of a Doue, in the Shape of a Vulture, or Rauen: And to set, out of the
Barke of a Christian Church, a Flagge
of a Barque of Pirats, and Assassins.
Therfore it is most necessary, that the
Church by Doctrine and Decree; Princes
by their Sword; And all Learnings, both
Christian and Morall, as by their Mercury
Rod; Doe Damne and send to Hell, for
euer, those Facts and Opinions, tending to
the Support of the same; As hath beene
already in good part done. Surely in
Counsels, Concerning Religion, that
Counsel of the Apostle would be prefixed;
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