Confession, slander, and enthusiasm

Meaning

The author calls his theological comparison a public confession of what he holds concerning the articles of Christian religion. He then deplores the slandering of devout Christians who refuse to join another person’s song, an idiom for partisan conformity. Hostile calumniators denounce these Christians as heretics and enthusiasts; those labels are the reported accusations, not the narrator’s verdict upon their targets. “Enthusiast” renders the religious polemic of Schwermer, not ordinary excitement. The passage connects the author’s defensive disclosure with a wider pattern of hostility to Christians, without identifying particular opponents or proving that every accusation described was directed personally at him. He leaves both sides to the highest judge, the touchstone of hearts.