Irenicum to the Lover of Truth and Peace, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
The Text opened, and ſutableneſſe of it to our Times, ſhewed.
NO marvail though Iſrael be charged, ver. 1. to be an empty vine, ſeeing their heart is divided. Heart-diviſion will cauſe emptineſſe of good, both in mens ſpirits, and in Church and State. The leaſt dividing of the heart, in any one part from another, if it be but by the prick of a pin, is deadly; a great gaſh in the head is curable. There may be much difference in mens opinions without any great hurt, if this difference gets not to the heart; but if once it gets in there, the danger is great; Now ſhall they be found faulty, Now ſhall they be guilty; or as ſome, Nunc delinquent, Now they will offend; as if Heart-diviſion contracted the greateſt guilt, and by it men were the greateſt Delinquents of any.foreign The word ſignifies alſo to periſh, to be made deſolate, ſo Arius Montanus, Deſolabuntur. Heart-diviſion is a deſolating ſinne, by the judgment of God upon them for it, they ſhall be convinced in their own conſciences, and in the ſight of all men, that they were guilty; that by ſuch a ſin as this, they had bound themſelves over to the juſtice of God, & thoſe deſolating evils that came upon them, were the righteous judgments of God upon them for thoſe diviſions that were amongſt them. Men wil not be convinced of their ſin, till Gods judgement is upon them for it; and then their conſciences will, and others ſhall ſee that God is righteous, and they are vile and ſinfull before him, even in ſuch things that before they pleaded for, or at leaſt could not be brought to own their own guiltineſs in. When thunder and raine came upon the men of Iſrael in their wheat Harveſt, and they were afraid they ſhould dye, 1 Sam. 12. 18, 19. then they could ſay, We have added unto all our ſinnes this evill to aske us a King.
The Lord convince us of, and humble us for the ſinfulneſſe of our diviſions by his word, that deſolating judgments be not upon us to convince and humble us.
Their heart is divided.
This Heart-diviſion is either from God, or from one another.
Their heart is divided between God and their Idols; They would not caſt off the worſhip of God wholly, that was too much; they loved their Idols, but they muſt not have all: to divide between God and them they thought was faire. Their hearts were alſo divided one from another; and juſt it is with God, that thoſe who divide from him, ſhould divide one from another. 2 King. 15. you may ſee what wofull diviſions there were amonſt them, King againſt people, and people againſt King, Civill Wars. Their King comes upon one of their owne Towns, and ſmites it, and rips up all the women that were with Child in it, and all becauſe they opened not to him. O the rage and cruelty of men of proud ſpirits, when they get power into their hands! for then their pride ſwells, being blown up with the flatteries of ſuch as are about them: As if they were ſuch gods upon earth, as they might doe whatſoever they pleaſed, and the lives, eſtates, liberties, comforts of all muſt lie under their feet, and muſt ſubmit to their luſts and humours. You ſhall find further in the whole Chapter, there was nothing but conſpiring, miſchieving, and murthering one another. In their Church State there was nothing but factions and rents one from another; ſome were for the true worſhip, ſome for the falſe. And amongſt the falſe worſhippers there were diviſions too: Some were for the calves that Jeroboam ſet up at Dan and Bethel; ſome were for Baal: great contention there was between theſe. You know the ſtory of Jehu an Idolater, yet deſtroying the worſhippers of Baal and his Idols.
The Jewes of old underſtood this Text of theſe Heart-diviſions amongſt themſelves, as well as of their diviſions from God, which appears by a notable tradition of theirs, St. Jerom in his Comment upon theſe words, relates: whereas (ſays he) the Scripture, 2 King. 17. tells us, that Hoſhea was the laſt King of Iſrael, and in his time Iſrael was carryed captive; yet verſ. 2. It is ſaid, He did not evill in the ſight of the Lord, as the Kings of Iſrael that were before him. Now the Jewes put this Queſtion, Why was not Iſrael carryed captive with their King, when they had the worſt King, but rather when things ſeemed to goe ſomething better then before? God yet chooſes this time.
The Anſwer they give, is, Becauſe in former times the people might pretend, they could not tell how to help what they did amiſſe in the matter of Worſhip; Indeed they worſhipped the Calves, but they were forced to it by the tyranny of their Kings, it ſhould be the loſſe of all they had if they did not: but (ſay they) in the days of Hoſhea there was more liberty given then before. Now thoſe who would, might goe up to Jeruſalem to worſhip, and that they ſay is the reaſon of that expreſſion, that Hoſhea did not evill as other Kings had done; but when they came to have more liberty, they fell to wrangling amongſt themſelves, (which is an uſuall concomitant of liberty) now their diviſion roſe high, ſome would to up to Jeruſalem to worſhip, others would not; thoſe that went up, cryed out of thoſe who went not; and thoſe who went not, vilified thoſe who went. Now their hearts are thus divided, now ſhall they be found guilty. The deſolating judgment muſt now come. This is the time for their captivity. Now he gives them up to the Enemie. God was exceedingly provoked with their contentions one againſt another at this time. What? (ſays God) when I was in ſome way of favour towards them, when I took off (in great part) the yoke of bondage that was upon them, that ſore oppreſſion that was before, none of them (a while ſince) dared goe to Jeruſalem to worſhip, and now their Governours are more moderate, their oppreſſing Courts are downe, there is more liberty in the Land for my true worſhip, and do they now fall out, contemn, divide, wrangle one with another? let them goe into captivity, let the enemy come in upon them, my ſoule takes no delight in ſuch a crooked perverſe Generation as this is.
Our condition ſeems to parallel with theirs very much, we lately were under ſore and cruell bondage, nothing was more dangerous then the worſhipping God in his own way, wee were under hard Task-maſters, oppreſſing, undoing Courts; The Lord hath in a great meaſure delivered us, it is the unthankfulneſs, the ſinfull diſtemper of mens ſpirits that makes them ſay, what is done? it is as ill with us as ever it was; No, we have much eaſe, ſuch liberties, as were our fore-fathers raiſed out of their graves to ſee, they would admire Gods goodneſs, and bleſs him with meltings of heart; but we ſpend that ſtrength in ſiding, wrangling, contending, quarrelling, vexing, oppoſing one another, that we ſhould ſpend in magnifying, bleſſing and praiſing the Name of God for that mercy we enjoy. We are a divided people, whoſe hearts are divided, and heads too, and hands too; peace and unity ſeems to be flown from us, and a ſpirit of contention and diviſion is come upon us: King & Subjects are divided, Parl. is divided, Aſſembly is divided, Armies are divided, Church is divided, & State is divided, City is divided, Country is divided, Towns are divided, Families divided, godly people are divided, Miniſters almoſt every where are divided; yea, and what heart almoſt is there at this time but is divided in it ſelf? the thoughts, the counſels, contrivances, endeavours, ways of men, almoſt of all men, how are they divided? O bleſſed Saviour! are theſe the times thou ſpeakeſt of, wherein five ſhould be in one houſe divided, three againſt two, and two againſt three; the father againſt the ſon, and the ſon againſt the father; the mother againſt the daughter, and the daughter againſt the mother? Oh woe to us! wee find it ſo amongſt us, and yet there is found no healing; we are broken, and there is no binding up: It is with us as it was with Ezek. 2. 6. Briars and thorns are with us, and we dwell among Scorpions. O Lord, what is this thy curſe at this time upon England? Bryers and thornes ſhall it bring forth: We are rending and tearing, and devouring one another, while the adverſary ſtands before us ready to devour us: Ephraim is againſt Manaſſeh, and Manaſſeh againſt Ephraim. A fire is come out from Abimilech, and devours the men of Sechem; and fire comes from the men of Sechem, and devours Abimilech; yea, there is a fire kindled in our owne bowels, it riſes from our ſelves. Ezek. 19. 14. Fire is gone ont of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, ſo that ſhee hath no ſtrong rod to be a Seepter to rule, this is a lamentation, and ſhall be for a lamentation. This is amongſt us at this day, and how long it ſhall continue, God onelyonly knows.
What this people were in their divided condition, that we are; and what does this threaten, but that we ſhould be as they a while after this were? namely, a people given up to the rage and fury of the Enemie, which the Lord forbid.
There is a great out-cry of our diviſions, and while we cry out againſt them, wee ſtill encreaſe them; we are angry with men rather, becauſe they are divided from our ſelves, then becauſe they are divided from the truth; we are angry becauſe every man is not of our own mind, & does not as we do. There was a great deal of doe in Luthers time about the ſeamleſs coat of Chriſt. Granvillian the Emperours Deputy in a Speech he made to the Citizens of Wormes, Sleid. Com. lib. 13.beſeeches them for the death of Chriſt, and for all loves, that they would amend our Lords coate, which is rent and torn on every ſide. When Luther laboured to bring Reformation to the Rule, they bad him take heed that he did not rend the ſeamleſs coat of Chriſt; and becauſe they talked ſo much of the tunica inconſutilis, they were called the Inconſutiliſtae, the ſeameleſſe men: And what a ſtirre hath there been in out-cryes againſt men that would not yeeld to every thing that was enjoyned? O they rent the ſeamleſſe Coat of Chriſt. I remember Muſculus in a Tract he hath De Schiſmate, hath a witty and pious note upon this, The Souldiers (ſaith he) would not divide the ſeameleſſe coat of Chriſt; but what made them to be ſo carefull of it? was it out of reſpect to Chriſt, that they were ſo unwilling it ſhould be divided? No, but out of reſpect to their owne advantage, every one hoping it might fall to his ſhare, therefore ſay they, Let us caſt lots for it; ſo, ſaith he, men would not have Chriſts coat divided, they would have no diviſion in the Church; but what do they aime at? their own advantage, that they might enjoy quietly their owne eaſe, honour, and means, that they might have none to contradict them, but that the ſtreame may run ſmoothly and wholly with them, what a fine brave thing were this? And becauſe they ſee they cannot doe this while their ways are looked into and croſſed, therefore they make ſuch an outcry againſt the dividing the ſeamleſſe coat of Chriſt.
But certainly, till our hearts be otherwiſe then yet they are, all our out-cries wil not ſerve our ends, the ſtilling our diviſings. Did we leſs divide between God and our own ends, our own way…, we ſhould not divide ſo much one from another. Wherefore let us firſt turn our thoughts to conſider a little of this diviſion between God and other things, and the evil of it.