Irenicum to the Lover of Truth and Peace, Chapter 15
CHAP. XIV.
Dividing Diſtempers, the luſts of mens hearts.
THeſe divide us not onelyonly from God, but from one another.Hoc diſco mea experientia, quod non habeo tam magnam cauſam timendi extra me, quam intra me. Luther. This I learne, ſayes Luther, from mine owne experience, that I have more cauſe to feare what is within me, then what is without. What ever others do to divide us would prevail little, were it not for the luſts of our hearts within. Vapours that are got within the earth, are the cauſe of all earthquakes, they rend and tear: the winds, ſtorms, and tempeſts without never move it. Ill humours within the body, diſturb more then the ayre without. James 4. 1. Whence are wars and fighting amongſt you? are they not hence, even from your luſts? Whence come they? The anſwer is ſoon made, Do you not ſee plainly that they came from your luſts? Yet were this Queſtion put to ſome of us, Whence are all our diviſions? Some would anſwer, Such kinde of men are the cauſe of them, and others would anſwer, Nay but ſuch men cauſe them. We all put off the cauſe of our diviſions from our ſelves; few would give Saint James his anſwer, They are from hence, even from our luſts. There would not be ſuch evill diſtillations from the head, if it were not for the malignant vapours that ariſe from the ſtomach. The curing the heart will ſooner cure the head, then the curing the head will cure the heart:
Whence are wars? even from your luſts. The Apoſtle doth not here condemn wars ſimply, this was the error of the old Manichees, raiſed up again by ſome amongſt us; eſpecially as the Wars are looked upon under that notion, raiſed for Religion. They ſeek to weaken our hands in theſe wars, by telling young people who have newly given their names to Chriſt, and therefore deſire to be guided by the Word in all they do, whom God hath uſed under himſelf to be the ſtrength of theſe wars, that they have no warrant to fight for Religion. To whom our Anſwer is, that we have a Civill right to the outward peaceable profeſſion and practice of our Religion; wee have the Laws of the Land for it, and for the maintenance of this right wee fight. There can be no reaſon given why our civil right we have to our Religion, may not as wel be maintained by the ſword, as our civill right to our houſes and lands. This anſwers all objections againſt the maintenance of Religion by the ſword, from the practice of the Chriſtians in the Primitive times, who never ſought to maintain Religion thus. We ſay their caſe was not the ſame with ours; they never had any civill right to the profeſſion and practice of Religion in the Countreys where they lived, as we have.
The wars meant in this Text are contentions, jars, diviſions amongſt Chriſtians; though they did not take up the ſword one againſt another, yet there were many quarrells, jarrs, and diviſions amongſt them, theſe came from their luſts. The luſts of mens hearts are very quarrelſom. Storms and tempeſts are here below in this impure muddy part of the world, in the higher part all is ſerene, calm, and clear. 1 Cor. 3. 3. For yee are yet carnall; how do's he prove that? whereas there is among you envying, and ſtrife, and diviſions, are ye not carnall and walke as men? Strifes and diviſions do manifeſt mens hearts to be very carnall.
Auguſt. upon that place, Gen. 15. 10. where God required Abraham to take beaſts and birds for ſacrifice, the beaſts were divided,Carnales inter ſe dividuntur, ſpirituales nullo modo Aug. de civit. lib. 16. cap. 14. cut aſunder, but not the birds: Thus (ſays he, by way of alluſion) carnall brutiſh men are divided one from another, but not the birds, not thoſe who are more ſpirituall, more celeſtiall.
Ye walke as men, ſayes the Apoſtle, yee ſhould not walk as men, ye ſhould walk as it becomes thoſe whoſe condition is raiſed above the condition of men, as it becomes Chriſtians the redeemed ones of the Lord; you ſay, Can fleſh and blood endure this? Can any man living beare this? what if flesſh and blood, what if a man cannot? A Chriſtian may, a member of Jeſus Chriſt who is God-man, may. Chryſoſtome in one of his Sermons to the people of Antioch, brings in Gods gracious dealing with Cain, as an example for them to imitate, in their carriage towards thoſe who carry themſelves ill towards them; He brings them in alſo replying, God indeed was gentle and patient toward Cain, for hee is God, he is above all paſſion, but we are but men; he anſwers them, Therefore did the Son of God come down, that he might make you as near as may be to God.
The Scripture ſayes, The Saints are made partakers of the divine nature; therefore do not ſay, We are but men. You muſt not walk as men, but as thoſe who are endued with the Divine nature. It is a great charge that the holy Ghoſt layes upon the Corinthians, that they walked but as men; yet many come ſhort of the lives of men: they rather walk as doggs, as tygers, as wolves. Gal. 5. 20. The fruits of the fleſh are hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, ſtrife, ſeditions, hereſies, envyings. All theſe are the cauſes or workings of diviſions: Surely our diviſions are the fruits of the fleſh. We ſee it in nature, the more ſpiritual any thing is, the more it unites; and the more groſs the ſubſtance of any thing is, the leſſe it unites; the beames of the Sun are of a kind of ſpirituall nature, therefore thouſands of them will unite in puncto, but it is not ſo in other things; ſpiritual hearts in this are like the Sun beams, though thouſands of them live together, they will unite in one ſo long as they continue ſpiritual. The three thouſand Converts, Act. 2. joyned with one accord, with one ſingle heart: We find it now by experience, ſo long as there be but a few in a Church, they agree well, but uſually when they come to be numerous, diſſentions riſe amongſt them; this is an argument that the hearts of men are not ſpiritual, ſtill much fleſh remains. Brackiſh water aſcending to the Heavens, is ſweetned, it comes down ſweet from thence; thus thoſe things which have trouble, which have an aptneſſe to breed diviſions, yet ſpirituall heavenly hearts having to do with them, they turn the nature of them, they work ſpirituall advantage out of them.
The higher fire aſcends, the more it unites; the flame that is broad at the bottom, as it growes high, unites to be as the point of a needle. When the hearts of Chriſtians keep below, and have a great deal of ſmoak amongſt them, they do not ſo unite; but when they can get up high, O what cloſe, ſingle-hearted union is there … a crooked and a right line cannot joyn,How many wayes mens luſts cauſe diviſions. but two right lines will joyn in every point.
The luſts of mens hearts cauſe diviſions many wayes:
Firſt, they are mens own, therefore they will contend for them; nothing is a mans own, ſo much as his luſts; man aims wholly at himſelfe in ſatisfying his luſt: A Dog will barke, and bite, and flye in a mans face to preſerve his own whelps.
Secondly, Mens luſts blinde their judgements; Perit judicium cum res tranſit in affectum; when the heart is tainted, the judgement is ſoone blinded; if the beame of the ſcale you weigh by, be not ſtraight, the ſcale that hath the light weight may weigh down the heavier; if our hearts be crooked, warping to any ſinfull luſt, what weight ſoever there be in any arguments to convince, the ſcale will goe according to the warping of the heart, the concluſion will follow the worſer part.
3ly. Mens luſts weaken their ſpirits, ſo as they are not able to heare any thing that comes croſſe to them; women; children,Omne invalidum natura querulum. ſick people, who are weakeſt, fall out moſt with one another; things that are rotten cannot hold together, every little touch breaks them aſunder; that which is ſound hath ſtrength to hold one part to another.
Fourthly, in mens luſts there is confuſion, they cannot be kept in order, therefore they muſt needs cauſe diſturbance, not onelyonly in mens owne ſpirits, but to all that have to deale with men acted by them; where there is confuſion, there cannot be union; when there is right order in an army, though the men be never ſo numerous, never ſo differing in other reſpects, yet if they keep their ranks, they are all but one; but if put to a rout and confuſion, then the bond of unity is broken, and every man divides from another to ſhift for himſelf.
In mens luſts there are contradictions; no vertue is contrary to another, but vices have nothing but contrarieties and contradictions in them. Mens luſts oppoſe and fight againſt one another in mens hearts; no marvail then when there are ſuch ſtirs within, though they break forth into quarrels and contentions without: If a man be quarrelſom in his family, no wonder if when he comes abroad, he quarrels and contends with his neighbours alſo.
Sixtly, In mens luſts there is violence, violence and peace cannot ſtand together. Iſa. 60. 18. God promiſes peace, and there promiſes, that violence ſhould be no more heard in their Land. Mens luſts are boiſterous and unruly, eſpecyally when they have been acting a while; at the firſt venting they ſeem to be fair, but after a while they grow outragious: violent and boiſterous diſpoſitions are unfit for ſociety.
You ſhall find in experience men who ſeem to be of weake ſpirits, of ſoftly tempers, very remiſſe in what they do ordinarily, yet let the luſts of theſe men be engaged in any cauſe, to any ſide, O how violent and impetuous will they be! they care not what they ſay or do, they will divide from God, from the publique, from their deareſt friends, from their neereſt relations, from what themſelves have made profeſſion of heretofore, from their credit, profit, from their own peace, from any thing, and all to ſerve a luſt engaged in ſuch a buſineſſe; it is a dangerous thing to have a mans luſt engaged, nothing can ſtand againſt an engaged luſt, a man runs on head-long, he will break his conſcience, he will deſperately endanger his eternall breaking, to maintain the engagement of his luſt.
7ly. In the luſts of mens hearts there is an antipathy againſt God, againſt his wayes, purity of his Ordinances, his Saints. Gen. 3. 15. I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy ſeed and her ſeed.
In Antipathy the oppoſition is,
1. In the nature of the things, therefore its deeply rooted, it comes not in accidentally; you may find two ſheep fighting upon ſome accident, but the natures are not oppoſite, like the Wolfe and the Sheep.
2. The cauſe of this oppoſition is ſecret; wicked men have their ſpirits riſe againſt the godly, but they are not able to ſay why: The husband loved his wife while ſhe was carnall, now God hath turned her heart ſhe is more obedient then ever, ſhe ſeeks to give him content in all things more then before, ſhe is more uſefull to him in all occaſions, more faithfull, every way more lovely then before, only ſhe is godly now, and was not ſo before; but his heart is now quite off from her, he dares not ſay that it is for her godlineſſe, if he hath any conviction himſelf, but ſo it is that now he looks upon her with an evil eye, & an eſtranged heart: So a wicked Father or Mother, who loved their child exceedingly, before God was pleaſed to work upon him, yet now the child is more dutiful then he was, but the heart of the father or mother is taken off from him, can hardly endure him, ready to take any exception againſt him, their countenances are lowring and ſadd towards him, they can give no reaſon for this their change, but as they were wont to ſay of Chriſtians, Such a man is a good man, but he is a Chriſtian. Bonus vir Caius Seius ſed Chriſtianus, non amo te, I love you not, but I can give no reaſon; Hoc tantum poſſum dicere, Non amo te, all that I can ſay is this, that I do not love you.
3. It is a ſetled, conſtant oppoſition: This hath been in all generations the great cauſe of diviſion between the men of the world, and the Saints, and ſtill it continues the ſame; you may ſee the ſame ſpirit of the old oppoſers of godlineſſe and godly men, working in our days; the names of things may be changed, but the ſame kind of men for the ſame things are oppoſed and hated now in the ſame manner as in former generations.
4. It is very ſtrong, ungodly men are exceedingly imbittered againſt the Saints. Ezek. 26. 6. Becauſe thou haſt clapped thine hands, and ſtamped with the feet, and rejoyced in heart, with all thy deſpight againſt the Land of Iſrael: This ſpirit of bitterneſſe and indignation that was in them againſt the people of God, is ſeminally at leaſt in all wicked men.
5ly. The enmity of Antipathy is incurable, it can never be taken away, except one ceaſes to be in its nature what it was; there can be no compounding things that are ſo contrary, one of them muſt ceaſe to be, or turned into another nature, or elſe the …ppoſition will be everlaſting.
The great diviſions amongſt us are thoſe that are between the ſeed of the woman, and the ſeed of the Serpent; ſome diviſion▪ there are between thoſe who are the ſeed of Chriſt, but the great ſtirs in the Kingdom come from the evill ſpirit there is in the ſeed of the Serpent againſt the godly in the Land. In the beginning of the Parliament, when mens liberties and eſtates being involved in one, there was good agreement, all men rejoyced, generally the countenances of thoſe who were not Popiſh and Prelaticall, were ſerene, they had comfortable aſpects one upon another; but when thoſe whoſe ſpirits were oppoſite to the power of godlineſſe, ſaw how the godly amongſt them rejoyced, how their heads were lifted up, how their hearts were filled with hopes of good dayes, wherein Religion ſhould be countenanced and honoured; that Antipathy that was in their hearts againſt the ways of God, boy-led in them; though they were glad that they ſhould be freed from ſome burdens, yet to ſee thoſe whom they hated in their hearts, to rejoyce ſo much, they could not beare, but their ſpirit roſe againſt them, and in oppoſition to them they have raiſed theſe ſtirs, they have made theſe woful diſtractions that are amongſt us.
Laſtly, the luſts of mens hearts are the cauſe of our diviſions,Gravius perſequitur filius pa…rem male vi vendo, quam pater filium caſtigando. Grav…. Ancil…a Saram pe…ſequuta eſt per iniquam ſuperbiam, quameam Sara per debitun diſciplinaun Aug. de unitat. e…cl. c. 18. becauſe God requires every man according to his place to make oppoſition againſt them; the cauſe of the ſtrife lyes not in thoſe who oppoſe them, they do but their duty; but in in thoſe who nouriſh ſuch luſts within them; yet we finde it ordinarily, that thoſe who are moſt corrupt will cry out againſt thoſe who oppoſe them in their wicked wayes, as the cauſe of ſtrife and diviſions, as if they were the troublers of Iſrael, whereas indeed themſelves, the wicked luſts of their own hearts are the troublers of Iſrael, thoſe who oppoſe their luſts deſire all good to their perſons. I remember Auguſtine in his Book about the unity of the Church hath this paſſage, The Son doth more grievouſly perſecute his father by living naughtily, then the father him by chaſtiſing him duely. Sarahs Maid did more trouble her by her wicked pride, then ſhee her Maid by her deſerved correction. Thoſe men who are moſt faulty, are the men who are to be charged to be the greateſt troublers in Church and State.
Thus in the generall, mens luſts are the cauſe of diviſions; but let us enquire into the particular luſts of men, which wee may alſo charge: Wee ſhall find theſe dividing diſtempers to be as many as the dividing Principles: As the Philoſopher ſpeaks of four Cardinall vertues, ſo the firſt four that I ſhall name I may call the four Cardinall vices, theſe are Pride, Self-love, Envy, Paſſion or Frowardneſſe; All the other diſtempers that cauſe diviſions, have the poyſon of theſe four at the root of them. Theſe are the Chariot wheels of the Furies, or the four horſes that drawes them up and down hurrying from place to place.