Irenicum to the Lover of Truth and Peace, Chapter 34
CHAP. XXXIV.
Joyning Practices.
The firſt the practice of the tongue.
Gentle Language.
A Soft anſwer turneth away wrath, Prov. 15. 1. In your diſputes let your arguments be as hard as you will, but let your words be ſoft. Soft words & hard arguments make a good diſpute. Gentle language gains much upon the hearts of men, 1 Chron. 28. 2. Heare me my brethren, and my people, ſayes David. This was better and tended more to union between King and people, then the rugged churliſh anſwer of Rehoboam, My Father made your yoke heavy, and I will adde to your yoake. But what came on it? Ten tribes were rent from him. As good a man as he could ſay, Heare me my brethren and my people. Good words are as cheap as bad. Gentle courteous language is as eaſie as rough and bitter.Gen. 49. 21. Napthali is ſaid to give goodly words, ſayings of goodlineſſe or faireneſſe; ſo the Hebrew hath it, that is, faire, pleaſing words: this Tribe were faire ſpoken men. Now compare this with Deut. 33. 23. there Naphtali is ſaid to be ſatisfied with favour, and full with the bleſſing of the Lord. Faire, courteous language hath an acceptation among men, and the bleſſing of God is with it.
The ſecond joyning Practice.
Let us humble our ſelves for our diviſions.
THat is a rule, Whatſoever ſinne you have been guilty of, though you have for the time life it, yet if you have not been humbled for it, a hundred to one but you fall into it againe. Yes, ſay ſome, it is fit we ſhould humble our ſelves for our diviſions, we will have dayes of faſts, that we may do it. But take this note with you, In your dayes of faſt, or at other times when you would thus humble your ſelves, let it be principally for your owne guiltineſſe herein. Many in their humiliations make great complaints of others, as the cauſe of diviſions, whom it may be God will own, and acquit; take heed of being too forward in medling with others in your faſts, leſt your faſts prove like thoſe, Iſay 58. 4. Ye faſt for ſtrife and debate, and to ſmite with the fiſt.
The third joyning Practice.
An Amneſtia.
WHere we ſee there hath been miſtakes and differences thorough humane frailty, and a willingneſſe to be otherwiſe ſo far as God gives light, let all former unkindneſſes be forgotten, ſo as never to rip up old things to charge them one upon another: let there he a line of forgetfulneſſe drawn over them; let them be buried in oblivion. This was the Athenians Amneſtia; a Law that was made by Thraſybulus, with the conſent of the people; that former injuries ſhould be forgotten. It was made upon this occaſion. After Lyſander had conquered the Athenians, he ſet thirty Governours over them which tyrannized exceedingly. Thraſybulus, with many others, were baniſhed; but after a while, Thraſybulus gathering together his baniſhed Countreymen, he got up an Army, and by it delivered the Athenians from the yoke of theſe thirty Tyrants: now becauſe when the baniſhed men came home …o their former poſſeſſions, Thraſybulus feared there would be exceeding heartburning amongſt the Athenians, that thoſe who had been baniſhed would be revenged upon thoſe whom they judged the cauſes of it, and the other would be enraged againſt them: therefore Thraſibulus got the people to joyne with him in this Law, which they called Amneſtia, that all former wrongs ſhould be forgotten, & that they ſhould live lovingly and peaceably henceforth one with another, as if ſuch breaches had never been among them. Whenſoever God ſhall deliver theſe Kingdoms from bondage, and ſettle things amongſt us, the addition of ſuch a Law which we may call our Engliſh. Amneſtia will be very neceſſary. Otherwiſe oh the abundance of the fire of malice that will remaine raked up under the aſhes, ready upon any occaſion to burſt out! one will look upon the other with eyes full of revenge, with ſcorn, hatred, and diſdain; one will charge the other as the cauſe of all our miſeries, and curſe him; the other will charge him, and curſe him as deeply. Every time men think what they have ſuffered, their hearts will be enraged. Such now is that extreme bitter exaſperation, and deadly rage of mens hearts one againſt another, that whenſoever peace ſhall be concluded, if it be not made exceeding ſure, our pacification is like to be the foundation of far greater evills to us then yet have befalne us. If this Amneſtia be not ſtrengthned with what is in the wiſdome, power of man to do, and the bleſſing of the almighty alſo with it, we are an undone people.
The fourth joyning Practice.
Never contend but be ſure you underſtand one another what it is you contend for.
I Have read of a quarrell there was between the Eaſtern and Weſterne Churches; the Eaſtern Churches ſaid there were three ſubſiſtences in the Trinity, but not three perſons; the Weſtern ſaid there were three Perſons, but not three ſubſiſtences. Athanaſius comes and reconciles them both. It is true, the contentions among us are more then verball, yet for any thing a great part of the Kindome knowes (even of thoſe whoſe ſpirits are bitter enough) they may be no other then meerly verball. How many ignorant people, women, yong ones, underſtand not where the difference lyes between Presbyterians and thoſe whom they call Independents; and yet they can with much bitterneſſe cry out againſt the one or the other. Perhaps you have ſome Miniſters, or others, come to your Table, they tell you a tale of ſuch and ſuch, your heart is hot preſently, but do you underſtand the matter? You begin to make a ſtirre, but can you give account of it? Be ſilent, forbeare, take heed what you do; meddle not in way of ſtrife, till you underſtand where the controverſie lyes, and that from both parties.
The fifth joyning Practice.
Be ingenious; 1. do not lye at the catch to take advantages, 2. make the beſt interpretation of things you can.
IF God ſhould catch advantages againſt us, what would become of us? This is moſt unſeemly, when men are ſeeking to finde out truth, if then they ſhall piddle about words, catch at phraſes; get hold of expreſſions; and ſeek to make their advantages out of them; and in this ſhall be the greateſt ſtrength of their anſwer, though this may have a ſpecious ſhew before men, who are willing to receive any thing which makes againſt what they would have cruſhed, yet this will not abide before the throne of Chriſt. We reade Matth. 4. Chriſt had a great diſpute with the Devill, in which he had him at great advantage in his quotation of a Scripture, ver. 6. He ſhall give his Angells charge concerning thee, and in their hands they ſhall beare thee up, leſt at any time thou daſh thy foot againſt a ſtoue. This was quoted out of the 91. Pſal. ver. 11. there it is, He ſhall give his Angels charge over thee to keepe thee in all thy wayes. Yet Chriſt did not catch this advantage, he did not ſo much as upbraid him for leaving out that paſſage, which he might juſtly have done, but he anſwers to the thing. Yea Chriſt might have taken a further advantage againſt the Devill, for the words following in the Pſalm are a propheſie of Chriſt deſtroying the power of the Devill, Thou ſhalt tread upon the Lyon and Adder, the young Lyon and the Dragon ſhalt thou trample under thy feet. Chriſt did not▪ take the advantage of this neither, and upbraid him with it, he had enough againſt him in the thing it ſelfe he brought. It is a ſigne that men have leſſe advantage in the matter, when they ſeek ſo much to catch at all the advantages they can in the manner of the expreſſions of thoſe whom they oppoſe.
2. Make the beſt interpretation of things you can. 1 Cor. 13. 5. Love thinkes no evill. It may be if you meet with a man in the ſtreets, if he ſtayes not to talk with you, if he takes not ſpeciall notice of you, you preſently think it is his pride, his ſleighting, diſregarding you, this is the worſt interpretation that can be. Why? is it not poſſible that it may be thorough multitude of buſineſſe in his head that you know not of? May it not be that his eyes and thoughts were another way? he did not take notice of your paſſing by him; is it not thus often with your ſelfe in reſpect of others? Againe, perhaps ſuch a man you find not in his behaviour towards you when you are with him, looking ſo ſmilingly upon you, carrying himſelfe in that familiar affable way as you expected;foreign; &c. Naz. Orat. 20. you preſently think and ſay, Surely it is his pride and ſurlineſſe, whereas it may be it is becauſe his head is fuller then yours, which may afterwards be for your good, if you would be but patient a while; it may be it is from ſome trouble of his ſpirit at that time; it may be it is from the temper of his body, his conſtitution, or ſome weakneſſe in it at that time; if ſuch a faire interpretation may be made, why ſhould not an ingenuous candid ſpirit make it? This very exception I find was taken againſt Baſilius Magnus, and Nazianzen in one of his Orations, in which he highly commends Baſil, anſwers it, and juſtifies him; It is hard to keep unity, love and peace with men who are of exceptious carping diſpoſitions; if God were ſtrict to mark what we doe amiſſe, what would become of us? God is ſtrict to mark what good there is in his Saints; if there be any little good in the midſt of much imperfection, Gods way is to paſſe by the imperfection, and take notice of the good; but our way is often, if there be a little bad, though but through a very pardonable miſtake, in the midſt of much good, to paſſe by all the good, and to ſeize upon the miſtake, to make it the ſeed of contention, to brood over it, and ſo beget the brats of contention from it. Certainly this ought not thus to be.
The ſixt joyning Practice: So farre as Reaſon and Conſcience will give way, yeeld to thoſe whom you contend withall.
THat ſtanding at a diſtance with thoſe that diſſent from us, even to the utmoſt, is the way of many; but certainly it is a falſe way, God is not in it. It may be ſome, yea many will judge this yeelding to be a faire, handſome turning about to the other ſide; take heed of ſuch bold cenſures: Is every difference from that rigid, ſtout ſpirit of thine, a warping from the truth, a ſinfull temporizing for private ends? The Lord judge between you and his ſervants. Some men who have been of yeelding ſpirits in things that God would have them, have ſtood out undauntedly when God hath called them to witneſſe to his truth, when thoſe who have been ſtout and harſh in their owne wayes have baſely betrayed it, when they have beene tryed with greater ſufferings. Ambroſe was a man of a ſweet and moderate ſpirit, witneſſe amongſt other things that notable ſaying of his,Si virtutum fi…is ille ſit maximus qui plurimorum spectat profectum, moderatio omn… um plucherrima… eſt. Ambr. de paenit. l. 1. c. …. If that end of vertues be the greateſt that looks at publique good, Moderation is of all the moſt beautifull. Ay, but I warrant you, Ambroſe was a man who ſaw which way the times went, he was loth to hazard himſelf in ſtanding out againſt men who had power in their hands, this temper of his made him thus plead for moderation. No, Ambroſe was a man of an invincible ſpirit in the wayes of God; In all Eccleſiaſticall Story we read not of a braver ſpirit then his conteſting with men of power in the cauſe of Chriſt. For when Theodoſius the Emperour had been the cauſe of a great ſlaughter in Theſſalonica, though provoked to it by a ſedition there, the Emperour a while after comming to Milan, where Ambroſes charge was, after the uſuall manner he came to the Church, Ambroſe meets him, and forbids him entrance,Ne intret, cum probibet graviſsime coram f…aequenti …aetu cum objargans, An neſ…is, inquit, Imperator, quae ſit atrocitas à te commiſsi facinoris? aut non me…iniſti alium nobis eſſe Imperatorem te ſuperiorem? quae con…idens impietas ut nihil v…rearis, &c. Vide Magdebu…g. cent. 4. c. 10. pag. 165. quoting Theod. l. 6. c. 18. and Zozomen l. 7. c. 24. reproving him before all the people, Doe you not know, oh Emperour, (ſayes he) the barbarouſneſſe of that vile fact of yours? or doe you not remember we have another Emperour above you? what bold impiety is thi…? doe you not feare to bring thoſe feet of yours, polluted with the blood of innocents, into this holy place? or to ſtretch forth thoſe hands of yours, wet, yea dropping with blood, to take the moſt holy body of the Lord? or to put that mouth of yours, which (forgetting not onelyonly the clemency which belongs to an Emperour, but the juſtice) gave out the ſentence for the killing ſo many innocent men,) to the precious blood of the Lord? Away therefore, will you adde impiety to your ſinne? doe not think much to come under that diſcipline which the Lord commands. Upon this the Emperour goes back to his Palace with ſighing and teares, and ſpent eight moneths in mourning and lamentation, and yet after this he was not received by Ambroſe, till againe being ſharply reprehended, he caſt himſelfe downe in the porch, upon the pavement, bewailing his ſinne, and riſing up he was about to ſit in the Chancel where the Emperours ſeat was, he was required to goe forth into the place of penitents. With the like, yea more boldneſſe he dealt with Ruffinus, a great Courtier, the Maſter of the Emperours Horſe. Here behold a man of a moderate, quiet ſpirit, yeeldable in what he could, yet when he conceived himſelfe intereſſed in the Cauſe of Chriſt, his courage raiſes him above the feares or favours of men.
The ſeventh joyning practice: If you will needs be ſtriving, ſtrive who ſhall doe one another moſt good, who ſhall engage one another in the moſt and greateſt offices of love.
THis is a good combate; ſuch ſtriving as this is, God and his bleſſed Angels looke upon, and take much delight in.
I find a notable ſtory in the life of Alexander the Great, which may put on and encourage Chriſtians in ſuch a combat as this: There was a great King in India, his name was Taxiles, who on a time came to ſalute Alexander,Plutarch in the life of Allexander. and ſaid unto him, What ſhould we need to fight and make Wars one with another, if thou commeſt not to take away our water and our neceſſary commodity to live by, for which things men of judgement muſt needs fight? as for other goods, if I be richer then thee, I am ready to give thee of mine; and if I have leſſe, I will not think ſcorn to thank thee, if thou wilt give me ſome of thine. Alexander being pleaſed to hear him ſpeak thus wiſely, embraced him, and ſaid unto him, Thinkeſt thou that this meeting of ours can be without fight, for all theſe goodly fair words? No, no, thou haſt won nothing by them, for I will fight and contend with thee in honeſty and curteſie, becauſe thou ſhalt not exceed me in bounty and liberality. So Alexander took divers gifts of him, but gave more to him.
Oh that our contentions were turned into ſuch contentions as theſe are! Let us rejoyce in any opportunity of doing any office of love to thoſe we differ from, yea to thoſe who have wronged us. It was wont to be ſaid of Arch-Biſhop Cranmer, If you would be ſure to have Cranmer doe you a good turne, you muſt doe him ſome ill one; for though he loved to doe good to all, yet eſpecially he would watch for opportunities to doe good to ſuch as had wronged him. Had we but a few leading men of ſuch ſpirits among us, how great a bleſſing of peace might we enjoy!
The eighth joyning Practice.
Let every man be diligent in that work that God calls him to.
STudy to be quiet, and to doe your owne buſineſſe, and to worke with your owne hands, as we commanded you, 1 Theſſ. 4. 11. It is not an arbitrary thing, the command of God lyes upon it.
I am verily perſwaded that many of our diviſions in opinion and otherwiſe, our hard thoughts one of another, are raiſed and fomented by ſuch as want imployment. Hence they go about from place to place, arguing, diſputing, jangling about things they underſtand not; and yet think themſelves to have a deeper inſight then ordinary. I would be loath to adde to the affliction of thoſe, who by the rage of the enemy have been put out of their imployments, and are come for ſhelter amongſt us; God forbid that I ſhould willingly grieve them, their caſe is to be pittied, we are to ſuccour, comfort, and helpe them what we can; but yet I deſire them withall to take heed of a temptation they may be under, and think not of it, in this their want of imployment, now they are here they meet with variety of company, with all ſorts of people, and having too much time to ſpare, the Devill may ſoon and unawares to them prevaile to cauſe an itching deſire in them; after this opinion and the other, this and the other way, which having taken their hearts, they carry up and down what they heare, and what apprehenſions they have of things, and perſons, pleading and arguing for that they have but ſleight and ſudden apprehenſions of, and by arguing, the thing gets down into their ſpirits, before it be thoroughly examined and underſtood, and being got down there, then it muſt needs be maintained, and ſo a ſpirit of contention riſes in them, and ſeeds of contention are ſowne among others.Unuſquiſque ſciat opus ſuum in quocunque vitae genere divinum eſse opus qui…eſt opus divinae vocationis, habeus mandatnm Dei. Luth. It may be ſome of your callings are low and mean, and that may poſſibly be your diſcouragement: but let it not be ſo, for there may be as much obedience to God in thy faithfulneſs in that mean calling of thine as in the higheſt and moſt honourable imployment upon earth, yea thy reward may be as great, for God looks at faithfulneſſe in the work, not the greatneſſe of the work. Let every man know, ſayes Luther, that his work in any godly kind of life is a divine worke, becauſe it is the worke of a divine call, having Gods command for it.
The ninth.
In all ſtrivings with men have a care that due respect to their perſons be kept as much as may be.
IT is very obſervable, when God in the manifeſtation of his diſpleaſure againſt the Devill, in the Serpent, curſed him, Then he ſayes curſed be thou; but when he would manifeſt it againſt Simeon and Levi, it is not, Curſed be ye, or Curſed be they; but Curſed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their rage, for it was cruell. You may be bitter againſt mens ſinne, ſo be it you ſhow due reſpect to their perſons; by denying that reſpect you might and ought to give to mens perſons, you deprive your ſelf of that liberty which otherwiſe you might take in oppoſing their ſinne, which is the thing you ſay you ayme only at.
The tenth.
Labour to get good by the wrongs that are done us.
IF we found God bleſſing them to us for good, our hearts will be very moderate towards thoſe that have done them. The over-ruling providence of God turning the wrong that Joſephs brethren had done him to ſo much good, took off Ioſephs ſpirit from practiſing any evill againſt them; but when this good ſhall come to us by the exerciſe of our own graces, it will be more prevalent to quiet and moderate our ſpirits. Philip of Macedon thanked ſome great men of Athens who had brought up ill reports of him, becauſe both in ſpeech and life he was the better labouring by words and deeds to prove them liars: the beſt anſwer to ill reports, is to live contrary to them.
The eleventh.
Turne your zeale from working one againſt another to zeale for God.
YOu will ſay, Are workes of zeale any helps to peace and union? who are they that make the greateſt diſturbances in the world, but your fiery zelots? if men were of a cooler temper, we ſhould have more peace.
Anſ. Diſtempered zeale may cauſe diſturbance; but true zeale, the cleare flame of the Spirit of God, making men in their waies zealous not for themſelves, but for God, this has the bleſſing of Gods peace with it. Numb. 25. 12. 13. Phinehas there has the promiſe of the Covenant of peace, becauſe he was zealous for his God.
The twelfth.
In ſeeking to reduce others to good, let it appeare that you ſeek rather to be helpfull to them▪ then to get victory over them.
IT is grievous to a mans nature to be conquered, but not to be helped.Illud ſequendum putavi ut neminem vinci v…llem & omnes vincer…. Ambr. ep. 24. Ambroſe writing to his friend Marcellus about composing ſome breaches between him and his brother and ſiſter, hath amongſt other this excellent expreſſion, I thought that to be the beſt way, I would have none to be conquered, and all to overcome. The like practice is reported of Scipio, when at the taking of New Carthage two Souldiers contended about the Murall Crowne,Plutarch in the life of Scipio. due to him who firſt climbed the walls, ſo that the whole Army was thereupon in danger of diviſion, when he came to Scipio, he decides the matter thus: He told them they both got up the wall together, and ſo gave the ſcaling Crowne to both.
The thirteenth.
Make up breaches as ſoone as may be.
TAke them, if it may be; at the beginning. When good men fall out, onelyonly one of them is uſually faulty at the firſt, but if ſuch ſtrifes continue any time, both of them become guilty. If you deferre the ſetting of a bone broken, it cannot be done without much difficulty, and great paine. Prov. 17. 14. The beginning of ſtrife is as when one lets out water, therefore leave off contention before it be medled with, antequam immiſceat ſe, ſo you may reade it, before it be got into thee, and mingle it ſelfe in thy heart, or between you and your brother. If your houſe be on fire, you doe not ſtay quenching it till it breaks out of the roofe; diviſions that are but ſparks, very little at the firſt, if let alone, grow very high and great in a little time. I have read a ſtory of two ſonnes of the Duke of Florence, Who having been hunting, the one ſaid, My dog killed the Hare, and the other ſaid, Nay but my dog killed it: words multiplyed, they grew into a heat, the one drawes upon the other and kills him; the ſervant ſeeing his maſter killed, draws upon him who had ſlaine him, and kills him. Neglect not beginnings of quarrels, you know not to what they may grow.
The fourteenth.
Let us account thoſe brethren, in whom we ſee godlineſſe, and carry our ſelves towards them accordingly, though they will not account us.
LEt us not be too ready to take the forfeiture of our brethern.Ipſum f…at…rnitatis nomen, u…cunque Donatiſtis faſtidioſum eſt tamen orthodoxis erga ipſos Donatiſtas neceſſarium. Optat. l. 3. init. The learned and godly men who lived in that Age wherein the Donatiſts renounced all Chriſtian communion with other Churches, yea diſclaimed any brotherhood with other Chriſtians, yet ſeeing godlineſſe in many of them, they did account them part of the Church and their brethren; thus they ſought to pluck thoſe to them, who thruſt themſelves from them.
Laſtly, pray much.
PLiny ſayes of the pearles they call Unions,Plin. nat. hiſt. lib. 9. cap. 35. though they be engendred in the ſea, yet they participate more of the heavens then of the ſea. Certainly this precious union, though it be amongſt men yet it hath its luſtre and beauty, yea its very being from the heavens. You muſt look up to heaven therefore for peace, for the preſervation, increaſe, luſtre, beauty of it, if you would have it.
Job 25. 2. God maketh peace in his high places, the Lord can make peace between high and low. Let us carry mens rugged, crooked, perverſe hearts to God in Prayer, who is the great joyner of hearts; it is he that makes men to be of one mind in a houſe, he maketh the wars to ceaſe. Pſal. 122. 6. Pray for the peace of Jeruſalem. In your prayers for the Church this muſt be mentioned as a ſpeciall bleſſing. If praying prevaile not, fighting will not. Thoſe are the moſt peaceable men in Church and Common-wealth, that pray moſt for the peace of them; God hath more prayers for the peace of this Church and State upon the file, of theirs whom ſome of you account hinderers of it, then of yours. You complaine much for want of peace, you inveigh much againſt thoſe whom you are pleaſed to mark out as hinderers of the peace, but doe you pray as much? You have theſe meanes preſented unto you for the furtherance of peace; what other you may meet with any way, make uſe of. 2 Theſ. 3. 16. The Lord of peace give you peace alwayes by all meanes.
And that all may be the better improved, let the exhortation of the Apoſtle,foreign. 1 Theſ. 4. 11. ſink into you, Study to be quiet, the words are, Love the honour of being quiet: There is great excellency in it.
That is the laſt thing.