Irenicum to the Lover of Truth and Peace, Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
The evill of dividing between God and any thing elſe.
THis people would give God ſomething, and their idols ſomething, and ſo think to pleaſe both, 2 King. 7. 33. They feared the Lord, and ſerved their Idolls. Thus Judah in the days of Joſiah, Zeph. 1. 5. ſware by the Lord, and by Malcham; Swearing is a part of Gods worſhip, therefore no humane inſtituted Religious ceremony ought to be joyned with it, no more then with the Sacrament, or any other divine worſhip, no creature ſhould ſhare in it, but they joyned Malcham, that is their King. The worſhip and ſervice proper to God hath been too much divided between God and the Kings of the Earth; but here it's probable is meant their Idoll, to which they gave a Kingly power over them, their Idoll Moloch had his name from hence.
I have read of Redwald King of the Eaſt Saxons, the firſt Prince of his Nation that was baptized, in the ſame place worſhipped Chriſt, and ſet up an Altar to worſhip his Idols. Many mens ſpirits lye like that Haven, Acts 26. 12. towards the Southweſt and Northweſt, two oppoſite points: Surely their ſpirits muſt needs be very winding and crooked which lye towards ſuch oppoſites.
This dividing with God is very wicked; what communion hath God with Belial? How can you partake of the Table of the Lord, and the Table of Devills? 1 Cor. 10. 21. And leſt they ſhould thinke it a light thing thus to divide with God, hee adds, verſ. 22. Doe we provoke the Lord to jealouſie? are we ſtronger then he? It is a great provoking of God, and a fighting againſt him, thus to divide in his worſhip. To think that God ſhould accept of ſuch a dividing, is to make him cruel, like that Harlot, 1 King. 3. 26. who was content to have the child divided, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but let it be divided. Gods worſhip is as deare to him as any child can be to the moſt tender-hearted mother in the world. When Darius would have divided with Alexander, No, ſayes Alexander, there can be but one Sun in the Firmament. If we will be dividing with God, he will caſt off all. 2 King. 17. 33. it is ſaid, they feared the Lord, and ſerved their Idolls; but verſ. 34. it is ſaid, they did not feare God, God accounted a divided feare no feare at all. Verſe 16. it is ſaid, They left all the Commandements of the Lord their God, and made them molten Images. If they give any part of Gods honour to molten Images, he acknowledges no honour at all given to him, he accounts all his Commandements to be left. So Jer. 32. 23. They have done nothing of all that thou commandeſt them to doe: and verſ. 30. The children of Iſrael and the children of Judah have onelyonly done evill before me.
God is infinite, and hath all excellency in him, therefore he muſt have the whole heart; Idols doe not challenge ſo much, becauſe they have not an univerſall excellency, a piece of worſhip is enough for them; our hearts, eſtates, liberties, all wee are or have, are more Gods then our owne. Cyrus tooke Babylon by dividing the River: The Devill ſoon ſurprizes us, if he can but divide our hearts.
The reaſon why heathen Rome rejected Chriſt from being of the number of their gods, when ſuch a thing was tendred to their Senate, was, Becauſe (ſay they) if we receive him to be a God, he will ſuffer none of our other gods; if we take in any other new god, we may yet retain ſtill our old ones; but if we take this Jeſus, all our old ones muſt be abandoned. Many at this day reject Chriſt upon this ground.
The Romaniſts ſince thinke they can take in Chriſt for a God, and yet divide between him and other gods; their Religion is made up of diviſions between God and their graven Images; between Chriſt the Mediator, and Saints and Angels; between the Word, and their owne Traditions; between Divine Inſtitutions, and Humane Inventions.
1 King. 18. 21. Why halt ye between two opinions? Wee muſt not be voluntary Cripples to halt between two. Why are you diſmembred in your hearts and your opinions? ſo Joſephus in his Hiſtory mentioning that place. That is obſervable, when the Prophet put that queſtion to them, the Text ſaith, The people held their peace, their mouths were ſtopped, they had not a word to ſay for themſelves. If any thing be pretended for this dividing, it is that trouble may be prevented: exactneſſe in Religion, through Reformation, giving up our ſelves wholly to God and his truth, hath a ſhew of bringing much trouble with it. Hence men winde and ſhift about, and doe what they doe by halves.
It was a notable ſpeech of Calvin to thoſe who were offended with troubles they met with in the work of Reformation, Si di midio Chriſti eſſemus contenti, facile tranſigeremus omnia.If wee could be content with halfe a Chriſt, (ſayes he) our worke would more eaſily goe on, we could ſoone bring about what wee would have, we ſhould not meet with ſo much oppoſition, but nothing but a whole Chriſt will ſerve our turne.
But it is neceſſary that all things be reformed at once?Object. 1.
No:Anſw. Affirmative Precepts doe not binde to all times, but Negative doe; therefore it is neceſſary at all times, that there be no mixture of evill with any good we doe, that our Mediocrity be not Medium participationis, but Medium abnegationis, between two extreams, which are evill, but not partaking of any evill; no good thing is moderated by mixture of evill, but by removing from it ſomething that is evill, that hath already mingled it ſelfe with it.
But muſt God have all our hearts,Object. 2. ſo as we may not let them out at all to any thing elſe?
If wee let out our hearts to any thing but in ſubordination to God,Anſw. then we divide between God and that thing ſinfully; but though we do let out our affections to other things, yet if it be in ſubordination to God, ſo farre as God is in thoſe things, and we may be led nearer to God by them; this is no dividing between God and other things, but an uniting all in God, and enjoying God in all. The Saints are inſtructed in this miſtery of godlineſſe, they know how to give God the whole heart, and yet to enjoy the comforts of wives and children, and eſtates, and callings, as much as any in the world; they have that heavenly skil to unite all in God, and enjoy God in all, God is all in all unto them in their enjoyments of all good whatſoever; but if our hearts be let out to any thing otherwiſe then thus, they go a whoring from God, and will certainly vaniſh in their own folly. This is contrary to that ſingleneſſe, to that oneneſſe of heart promiſed as a bleſſing of the Goſpel. Many of you complaine of barrenneſſe, here is the reaſon your hearts are divided; were the ſtream of your hearts wholly after God, it would runne ſtrongly, and bear down oppoſition before it, you would be fruitfull in all the wayes of holineſſe.
How fruitful and gloriouſly uſefull would men in publike place be, if their hearts were ſingle and one for God; did they only care to honour God in their duty, and leave the care of protection of, and proviſion for themſelves and ſtate to God? Let not mens hearts be cut, be divided with their cares and fears about conſequences and ſucceſſes; their wiſdom ſhould be how to work all about for God, not how handſomely to contrive that God may have part, and themſelves part. The more fully we give up our ſelves, our ends, deſignes to God, the more ſecurely may we ſit under Gods protection, care, and bleſſing. Many of the good Kings of Judah had their hearts for God, but yet they let the high Places ſtand; their politick wiſdom divided their hearts between God, and their fears of diſturbance in the State; If they ſhould raiſe their Reformation ſo high, by this their diviſion, their hearts lay flat, the worke was neglected. But 2 Chron. 17. 6. Jehoſhaphats heart was lift up in the wayes of the Lord, he tooke away the high places and groves, he ſought to the Lord God of his father, and walked in his commandements, not after the doings of Iſrael, verſ. 4. But did he not bring diſturbance to the Kingdome by this his zeale? No, Verſ. 5. Therefore the Lord ſtabliſhed that Kingdome in his hand, and all Judah brought to Jehoſhaphat preſents, and hee had riches and honour in abundance. And verſ 10. The feare of the Lord fell upon all the kingdomes of the lands that were round about Judah, ſo that they made no warre againſt Jehoſhaphat. Verſ. 12. Jehoſhaphat waxed great exceedingly.
Let our hearts be for God alone, for God alone is enough to ſatisfie our hearts, to ſupply all good unto us for ever.
There is infinite reaſon our whole hearts ſhould be for him, he is willing his whole heart ſhould be for us. Jer. 32. 41. Yea I will rejoyce over them to do them good, and I will plant them with my whole heart, and with my whole ſoule.