Irenicum to the Lover of Truth and Peace, Chapter 17
CHAP. XVI.
Selfe-love,The 2. dividing diſtemper. the ſecond dividing diſtemper.
THis is neer akin to the former: Phil. 2. 3. Let nothing be done through ſtrife: Ver. 4. Looke not every man on his owne things, but every man alſo on the things of others: This is the cauſe of ſtrife, becauſe men looke ſo much on their owne things. Many will have no peace, except their own party be followed; Jehu-like, What haſt thou to do with peace? follow me. It is not Peace, but Party that they mind. Maxima pars studiorum eſt ſtudium partium: The greateſt part of their ſtudies, is to ſtudy ſides and parts. Luther upon Pſal. 127. hath a notable ſpeech,Ego plane in ea opinione ſum, Monarchias longe diutius duraturas, ſi Monarchae hoc …num Pronomen [Ego] omiſiſſent. I am of that opinion, ſayes he, that Monarchies would continue longer then they doe, were it not for that ſame litte Pronoun [Ego] that ſame [I] (my ſelfe.) Yea certainly could this ſame Selfe be but laid aſide, all governments and ſocieties would not only continue longer, but flouriſh better.
Selfe-love is the cauſe of our diviſions.
Firſt, where this prevails, men love to take in all to themſelves, but let out nothing from themſelves; this muſt needs divide ſocieties in Church and State, for they are Bodies; if one member in the body takes in all to it ſelfe, and lets out nothing from it ſelf to other members; as ſuppoſe the arme or leg takes in all the blood and ſpirits that comes into ſtrengthen it ſelfe, and when it hath got them in there keeps them, and lets out none to another member, how ſoon would the members drop one from another? The whole world is maintained by mutual communication of one creature to another; take away that, and the world diſſolves preſently.
2ly. Thoſe who are acted by ſelf-love, have no common ends to joyn them, therefore they cannot cloſe; if they be imployed in publike ſervice, they quickly warp to their private ends. Take two boards never ſo ſtraight, yet if one be ſeaſoned and the other green, they will lye cloſe a while, but ere long you wil find that the unſeaſoned wil divide from the other by warping, eſpecially when heat coms to it. Thus many at the firſt, Oh who but they for the publike, for the common duplicate page duplicate page their actions, and of his too. Thus the bluſtering winde of pride in mens hearts cauſes them to juſtle one againſt another, and ſo to ſplit themſelves one upon another; as where many ſhips lye together, a violent wind breaking their Anchor-cables, cauſes them to daſh one upon another, and ſo to make ſhipwrack even in the Haven.
9. A proud man oppoſes others, becauſe they have begun ſuch a worke; and others, who are alſo proud, oppoſe him, becauſe he hath begun it. The Senators of Rome could have been content to have admitted Chriſt to have been amongſt the number of their gods, but only upon this, they refuſed becauſe the motion began not with them. Many amongſt us have no other reaſon why they oppoſe good motions, but becauſe they were not firſt in them; They are loth to break the yee, to begin a good work, if they ſee any difficulty in it, and yet the cauſe of God muſt not goe on, Chriſt muſt not be admitted, if they have not been at the beginning: Like two men carrying a long piece of timber in at a narrow paſſage, one man will goe before, and the other man will go before, they can never carry it in, becauſe they cannot agree who ſhall goe formoſt.
10. One proud man is conceited of what he doth, becauſe it is his own way; and another proud man is conceited of what he doth, becauſe it is his own way, and ſo men draw divers ways, and the publique cauſe of God and his people muſt give way to their conceitneſs. Pride makes a man drunk with his own conceits, Hab. 2. 5. The proud man is as he that tranſgreſſeth by wine; and Drunkards you know are quarrelſome. Wonder not at an abſurd thing in a proud man, for pride makes him drunk. Prov. 13. 10. Proud men who cauſe contention,foreign. are oppoſed to the well adviſed, But with the well adviſed (cum conſultis) is wiſdome. The Sept. reads it, The wiſe are ſuch at know themſelves, but the proud do not.
11. Proud men will venture upon things unſeemly, thinking their eſteem and greatneſſe will bear them out; and others who are proud will venture upon the like, upon the ſame ground, for every man is …eady to have high thoughts of himſelf. Pſal. 19. 14. Deliver me from preſumptuous ſins, a ſuperbis, ſo ſome, Ab inſolentibus, ſo others, from proud, from inſolent ſins.Superbus fictor eſt audacia & f…rtitudinis. Pride makes inſolent. A proud man, ſayes the Philoſopher, is a faigner of boldneſſe and valour, and therefore will fooliſhly venture upon any thing.Ariſt. E…h, l. 3. c. 8.
12. If there is any thing to be done that is conceived to be mean and low, a proud man will ſeek to put it upon others, and others who are proud will ſeek to put it upon him, and if it be a work of credit, then he ſeeks it to himſelf, and others ſeek it to themſelves, and hence are jarrings and diviſions.
13. If there be any good ſucceſſe in any thing, then pride makes one man attribute it to himſelfe, and another man attribute it to himſelf; and if the ſucceſſe be ill, then one puts it off from himſelf, and and another from himſelf, and thus quarrels and contentions are raiſed and fomented.
14. One proud man thinks himſelf the only worthy man to have his counſel followed, and his deſires ſatisfied, and the other he thinks himſelf the man that ſhould have his counſell followed, and his deſires ſatisfied, and thus men ſtruggle and oppoſe one another.
Laſtly, one proud man is very diſcerning in the diſcovery of pride in another; and though he entertains it in his owne boſome, yet he hates it in others whereſoever he ſees it: This is a peculiar curſ… upon this ſin, one Drunkard loves another, one whoremaſter another, but one proud man hates another. This is exemplified notably in Boniface the ſecond, Biſhop of Rome, he ſays of Aurelius Biſhop of Carthage, and of the reſt of thoſe who were preſent at the ſixth Councel of Carthage, that through the inſtigation of the Devil, they ſwelled with pride againſt the Roman Church, he means againſt the ſupremacy of it, for it was ſpoken upon the ſubmiſſion of Eulalius Biſhop of Carthage, to the Chair of Rome. Behold the proud Biſhop of Rome, who would have all the preheminence himſelf, ſwells with pride againſt the pride of others.
Here we ſee what a make-bate Pride is; That which Tertullus ſaid to Felix, Act. 24. 2. is true of Humility, By thee we enjoy great quietneſſe; but the contrary is as true of Pride, By thee are made wofull diviſions, by thee we ſuffer miſerable diſturbance. Though there be no occaſion of quarrel, yet pride wil make ſome; only by pride comes contention, as before, Pro. 13. 10. duplicate page duplicate page good; but there being a principle of Selfe within, like the ſap in the board, when they began to feel heat, ſome difficulties riſing, they warp…d to their own ends, and divided from thoſe they were imployed with. Mens private ends are narrow, they cannot drive on them, but they wil meet with one another, & juſtle one another, quarrel, contend, and fight for the way▪ as Car-men doe when they meet in narrow ſtreets, and Boat-men in narrow paſſages. If we had publique ends, our way would be broad enough,Quicquid eſt hujuſmodi in quo non poſſunt plures excellere, in eo plerumque ſit tanta cententio, ut difficillimum ſit ſanctam fervari ſocietatem M. Tul. lib. o…ic. we might to on peaceably and comfortably without, without prejudice to one another. If a man lived alone, then he might goe on quietly in his way, only God would meet him in it; but ſeeing men live in the world amongſt others, they muſt conſider, that if they will drive on their own deſigns, & work their own end, other men have deſigns and ends to drive on and work as well as they: it is therefore impoſſible but you will croſſe and be croſſed, you will vex and fret at others, and others will vex and fret at you. Whatſoever is ſuch, ſayes Tullie, wherein many cannot excell, in that there is for the moſt part ſuch contention, as ſociety can hardly be kept entire.
3ly. Self makes every man judg of things according to wht is in himſelf. I have read of Blackmores, when they paint an Angel, they paint him black like themſelves; and when they paint the Devil, they paint him white, as much different from themſelves as they can: Thus men acted by Selfe, the fouleſt, blackeſt opinon, yet if ſutable to their judgments, they wil ſet out like Angels with the faireſt gloſſes that may be; and that wch is truth, if diſagreeing from them, they will paint it out in the fouleſt manner that can be; they labor ſo to beſmear it, that if it be poſſible it ſhall looke like a Devil. If a ſelfiſh man be conſcious of not having that wch is commendable, he will not believe that others hath it: As Nero being abominably filthy, would not believe there was any chaſt man in the world: whatſoever evil he doth, he thinks all men if they had the like opportunity, would do the ſame; if they have plots to fetch about their own ends, they think every man is plotting too.
4. Selfe makes much ſtir and trouble, for it is a very odious thing; Omne affectatum odioſum: as vermine are odious, becauſe they only take into themſelves, conſume thinge, and are no way uſeful to any thing elſe. When any thing doth but ſmell of Self, it begins to be loathed, let a man have never ſuch excellent parts, do never ſuch excellent things, yet if Self appears, the lovelineſs and glory of all is gone; therefore thoſe men that act ſelfe, they had need be very cunning, to keep in and hide it; herein appears what a vile thing Selfe is, that though in truth it acts all, and receives the incomes of all, yet it dares not appeare, but lies ſculking under all the covers it can; how vile▪ is this ſelfe, for which all muſt be done, which thou makeſt thy God, yet cannot in the leaſt appeare, but is odious and abominable to every one? yea it is conſcious to it ſelf, that it is ſo, and therefore dares not appear; yet the acting of it is very miſchievous to all humane Societies.
Fiftly, There is this wickedneſſe in ſelf-love, that even thoſe things that men acknowledge to be right and good in the generall, yet if in the particular they ſhall not ſute with ſomething they would have, it will put men upon the oppoſing it; and what peace and union can there be amongſt men, if what they will grant and commend to be good, yet when it falls croſſe to them, they will oppoſe and contend againſt? Thus Acts 26. 7. Ʋnto which promiſe our twelve Tribes inſtantly ſerving God night and day hope to come, for which hopes ſake I am accuſed of the Jewes. The twelve Tribes, the whole body of the Jewes conſtantly grant the promiſe of the Reſurrectio…, and yet in malice to me they accuſe me of this; or if not ſo, yet they are willing that I ſhould ſink in this cauſe: Juſt as many Miniſters were wont in their Pulpits to commend highly the wayes of Religion, to exhort men to grow up in godlineſſe, to be carefull of all their wayes; but when ſome of their Pariſhioners did but practice in the particular, what themſelves had commended to them in the generall, they would hate them, and perſecute them for it. God deliver us from ſuch a ſpirit.
Sixtly, Selfe cauſes men who are in publique employment to keepe up their private jarres and grudges, to interrupt the publike, they will croſſe one another in their work for the publike; let that ſuffer, ſo they may let one another feel of their private grudges: In this Chriſtians are beneath Heathens. I have read of Ariſtides and Themiſtocles, who had many jarrings between themſelves, but being both employed in the work of the Common-wealth, in an Embaſſage, as they went over the Mountains, one ſayes thus to the other, Let us lay downe all our private grudges upon theſe mountaines, at leaſt till our buſineſſe be over, and if there ſhall be juſt cauſe when we have done our worke for the Common-wealth, we may then examine them. It were happy with us, if all men in publique employment in this Land would from their hearts ſpeak thus to one another, but men are ſelfiſh and cannot do it: Hence comes ſo many of our breaches and diviſions.
7ly. Selfe cauſes men not to ſee their own evils; or if they do, to indulge themſelves in them, but to be quick-ſighted and ſevere in the diſcovering and oppoſing thoſe evils there are in others, and this cauſes many breaches and fallings out. We may apply that of the Apoſtle, 1 Cor. 13. Love covereth a multitude of faults to ſelfe-love. Selfiſh men ſee little evill in themſelves, al is ever well with them whatſoever others do; and the more they cocker themſelves, the more ſevere they are to others; but Chriſt would have the quite contrary, ſeverity to our ſelves, but indulgence to others; thoſe that are ſo, are the moſt peaceable men. Mat. 18. 8. If thy hand or foote offend thee, cut them off, and …aſt them from thee; or if thine eye offend thee, plucke it out. We muſt deale ſeverely with our ſelves in thoſe things that are as neer and dear to us as our hands and eyes; but Verſ. 15. When Chriſt gives order how we are to deale with our Brethren, he then requires more moderation; If thy Brother offends thee, goe and tell him his fault between thee and him alone; If he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, and ſee what thou ca…ſt doe with him that way; yea, and after that tell the Church, not preſently cut him off, or caſt him away, as you muſt do when your hand or eye offends you; If men have any indulgence, let it be exerciſed towards their Brethren; if they have any ſeverity, let them exerciſe that againſt themſelves. I remember I have read of Pliny, that he ſays of himſelf, That he ſo paſſed by other mens offences, as if himſelfe were the greateſt offender; and hee was ſo …evere againſt himſelf, as if he meant to pardon none. If it were ſo with us, we ſhould live at more peace one with another then we do.
8. Selfiſhneſſe cauſes reſervedneſſe; great ſelf-lovers never care for communion but with ſuch as are either far above them, that ſo they may get from them, and have credit by converſing with them, or with thoſe that are under them, for they will admire them, they may rule amongſt them: In the company of either of theſe, they will let out themſelves fully; but if there be an equality, then you ſhall have little from them, there is nothing to draw forth Selfe, there ſoone growes a ſtrangenes between them and ſuch, union will not hold where communion is not free; if there be but an interruption of the freedome of communion, the union will ſoon break.
You will ſay, Theſe were wont to be very entire friends, how came they to break? what hath either of them done? what unkindneſſe hath befalne them?
None at all, onelyonly that principle of Selfe was not ſo fully fed as it would be; upon that they began to be reſerved, and ſo ſtrange, and at laſt quite fell off from one another, from former love and friendſhip, and then every little thing cauſed grudgings between them.
Ninthly, Self ſets mens wits on work in all cunning craftineſſe, to fetch others about to their own ends, and this goes as much againſt a mans ſpirit as any thing: When he comes to diſcern it, no man can abide to be circumvented, to be as it were rid upon, to be made ſerviceable only to another mans ends: the more cunning there is in it, the more odious and abominable it is to a mans ſpirit, when it comes once to be perceived, a man cannot bear it. Crooked windings are the goings of the Serpent: But if a man ſhall not onelyonly ſeek to make uſe of another to ſerve his own turne by him, but after he hath done that, then to caſt him off to ſhift for himſelfe; this is ſo provoking a thing, as it make breaches irreconciable.
10. When one is for Self in his wayes, he teaches another to be ſo in his; As a man by converſing with the froward, learns to be froward: ſo many who have heretofore had plain hearts, full of love & ſweetnes, yet by being acquainted much with ſelfiſh politique men, learn to be ſo too; I ſee how he hooks in himſelfe in every thing, fetches about this way and that way, but ſtill gets it to come to ſelfe; I perceived it not at my firſt acquaintance with him, and then my heart was let out to him fully, but now I ſee every man is for himſelf, and why ſhould not I be ſo too? and what then is like to become of the publique?
Surely this ſelfiſhneſſe is very vile in the eyes of God; God hath made us members of a community, the Univerſe is maintained by union, therefore the creatures will venture the deſtroying themſelves in going contrary to their natures, rather then there ſhould not be union in the world; that which they do in a natural way, we ſhould do by the ſtrength of reaſon, much more by grace. Philoſophers ſay there cannot be a vacuity in the world; The world could not ſtand, but would be diſſolved, if every part were not filled, becauſe Nature ſubſiſts by being one; if there were the leaſt vacuity, then all things ſhould not be joyned in one, there would not be a contiguity of one part with another. This is the reaſon that water will aſcend when the ayre is drawn out of a pipe, to fill it; this is to prevent diviſion in nature; O that we had but ſo much naturalneſſe in us, that when we ſee there is like to be any breach of union, we would be willing to lay down our ſelf-ends, to venture our ſelves, to be any thing in the world that is not ſin, that we may help to a joyning: O fooliſh heart, that in ſuch a time as this art ſelfiſh, when the danger is publike! As in a ſtorm, when the Ship is in danger, if every Mariner ſhould be buſie about his own Cabbin, dreſſing and painting that, what infinite ſottiſh folly were it? and is it not our caſe? It were juſt with God to leave thee to thy ſelf hereafter, if thou wilt look ſo much to thy ſelfe now. Ezek. 22. 16. And thou ſhalt take thine inheritance in thy ſelfe in the ſight of the Heathen, and thou ſhalt know that I am the Lord: This is in a way of threat, as appears if you compare it with verſ. 14, 15. Woe to us if God leaves us to our ſelves. I have heard of a ſtory of a fool being left in a chamber, and the door locked, and all the people gone, he cries out at the window, Oh my ſelfe, my ſelfe, O my ſelfe, nothing elſe came from him but O my ſelf. Such fools have we amongſt us now, nothing but Selfe is in their thoughts, their hearts and endeavourt. The Apoſtles complaint, Phil. 2. 21. may juſtly be ours, All ſeeke their own, not the things which are Ieſus Chriſts: Their own things,foreign. that is, ſays Chryſoſtome, their pleaſure and their ſecurity, their temporal commodities, their profits, their honours: So others, why are not the comforts, the ſafeties, the honours of the Saints the things of Chriſt, doth not Chriſt own them? Are they not under his protection and care?
Anſ. Yes, and he would own them more, if we owned them leſſe; the more we deny them, the more hath he a care of them: we may by our giving them up to the honour of Chriſt, make them to be amongſt the number of his things, and then they would be precious indeed: but by deſiring them, uſing them, rejoycing in them, in reference to our ſelves, Chriſt accounts them not amongſt his things, things of a higher nature are his things, the glory of his Father, the propagation of the Goſpel, the ſpiritual good of his people, and the things of eternall life, they are his things; let us make his things ours, and he will make our things his.