Irenicum to the Lover of Truth and Peace, Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
Heart-diviſions one from another.
WHen they divided from God, then they divided from his people, they would not joyn with his people in the way of his worſhip, only ſuch as ſet their hearts to ſeek the Lord God of Iſrael, went to Ieruſalem to ſacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers, 2 Chr. 11. 16. only thoſe whoſe hearts the Lord touched; but others for their owne carnall ends would not joyn with them, they ſaw trouble attended that way; and having divided themſelves from God & his people, it was Gods curſe upon them that they ſhould be divided one from another; if you be divided from the truth, what can hold you together?foreign. Chryſ. Hom. 3. ad Rom. Truth is a ſingle, ſimple, plain thing, but error is various, and enſnarls it ſelf with infinite contradictions: If people goe out of the plaine path of truth, they wander up and down God knows whither, intangling themſelves in bryars and thornes, ſo as they cannot extricate themſelves: As thoſe ten Tribes which at firſt divided from Iudah only in their ſubjection to the houſe of David, and in their worſhip at Ieruſalem, but after they denied all Scripture but only the 5. books of Moſes: They were exceedingly given, and generally addicted unto ſorcery, magick, and witch-craft, in which they grew more and more notorious till Chriſts time. This is intimated in that blaſphemy of the Jewes againſt our Saviour,Vide Montague Act. & Mon. of the Church cap. 7. p. 473. 474. &c. Thou art a Samaritan, and haſt a Devil, taxing him with the practice of that people, who commonly being Witches, had familiar ſpirits attending on them, for otherwiſe they knew he was no Samaritan, but a Galilean of Nazareth: They were alſo exceedingly divided amongſt themſelves. Epiphanius recites four ſeverall ſects of them, the Oſſens, Sebuaeans, Gorthenians, and Poſitheans; Truth is the bond that keeps to unity, but errour is wilde, you know not where to find it, nor your ſelves if you give way to it: Our preſent times will be a teſtimony of this to all future generations. The wild and unruly diviſions of our times is to be the ſubject of the future diſcourſe. I am not ignorant nor unſenſible of the difficulty, the trouble, the danger there is in medling with ſuch a ſubject at ſuch a time as this. He that meddles with the diviſions of the times, may expect to be divided himſelf, to have his name, his repute, to be cut aſunder and thrown this way and that way: It is an unthankfull work to meddle with a divided people; a man may with as much ſafety put his hand into a neſt of Hornets.Cui uſui reipublicae Chriſtianae & cui bono mihi. A learned man being once asked why he did not write his judgment about the controverſie of his time, anſwered, To what purpoſe? it would not help the cauſe, but much hazard him that ſhould meddle. That which one once ſaid to Luther, when he was about intereſſing himſelf in ſeeking Reformation, ſounds in my ears, when I firſt thought of having to do with this Argument,Abi in Celiam & dic miſerere noſtri. O Luther, rather get you into your Cell, and ſay, Lord have mercy upon us.
It is a great part of the skil of a Miniſter to divide the word aright; but this skill of his will be put to it, when he comes to divide the word amongſt a divided people, to give every part its portion. I ſhould never have ventured to have choſen a Text on purpoſe for ſuch an argument; but ſeeing Providence hath brought it ſo fully into my way, I ſhall now venture upon it, with my heart caſt and fixed upon that promiſe, Pro. 11. 3. The uprightneſſe of the upright ſhall guide him.
I ſhall caſt what I intend into this mould:
1. The cauſes of our Diviſions.
2. The evill of them.
3. Cautions about them, that we may not make an ill uſe of them.
4. Remedies or cures of them.
The cauſes of our Diviſions.
The principal cauſe from without, is the Devil, he ſeeks to keep his own kingdom free from diviſions, but ſeeks nothing more then to cauſe diviſions in the Kingdom of Chriſt. The Mahumetans, who worſhip a curſed impoſtor: The Pagans, who worſhip the Sun, Moon, and Stars: The Aegyptians, who worſhip Onions, Leeks, Cats and Dogs, never had ſuch diviſions amongſt them as the worſhippers of Jeſus Chriſt have had, and have at this day amongſt themſelves; for all the former are the Devils kingdom, which he ſeeks to keep at peace; but he is that envious one who ſows the ſeeds of diviſion in the Kingdom of Chriſt; hence thoſe who foment diviſions amongſt Chriſtians are called Devils, 1 Tim. 3. 11. The wives of Deacons muſt not be ſlanderers:foreign The word may be tranſlated Devils: women are moſt liable to the Devils temptations this way, becauſe they are weak, and are in danger to run away with ſudden apprehenſions without due examination; and what can foment diviſion more then ſlandering, ſo far as any, eſpecially in the Church, hath a hand in cauſing or fomenting diviſion, ſo farre as ſhe is a Devil in Scripture-language, the part of the Devil is acted by them. I remember Cajetan hath a note upon that place in the Goſpel, where the devils being caſt out of the man, who had a legion in him, prayed Chriſt that they might not goe out of that region; why would they not go out of that region? ſays Cajetan; He gives this anſwer, The Devils have certain places to which they divide their work, ſuch Devils to ſuch a place for ſuch a ſervice, and ſuch to another for another ſervice; now theſe Devils were loath to be diſplaced of their region, though they were caſt out of the man, having further work to do in that place: If this be ſo, ſurely the Devills that are appointed to cauſe and foment diviſions and diſſentions above all regions, love to be in the region of Churches, for no where do diviſions ſuch hart as there, and at this time eſpecially; for now the Devils ſee they cannot prevail to get men to their old ſuperſtitious vanities; but ſome reformation there wil be, they now ſeek to mingle a perverſe ſpirit of diviſion amongſt men, hoping they ſhall prevail here, though they could not hold their own in the former. God put enmity between Satan and the Saints, but it is the Devil that puts enmity between Saints and Saints. When we hear fearful thundring, and ſee terrible ſtorms and tempeſts, many people ſay, that ill ſpirits are abroad; ſurely theſe bluſtering ſtorms of contention are raiſed and continued from evill ſpirits: But the truth is, all the Devils in hel could do us no great hurt in dividing us from God or from one another, were it not for the corruption of our own hearts: Wherefore as the Lord ſays to Iſrael, Perditio tua ex te, thy deſtruction is from thy ſelf: So may we now ſay of England, Diviſio tua ex te, thy diviſion is from thy ſelfe.
The cauſes of our diviſions from our ſelves, may be referred to three heads.
1. Dividing principles; ſometimes our diviſions come down from our heads to our hearts.
2. Dividing diſtempers, ſometimes they go up from our hearts to our heads.
3. Dividing practiſes, and theſe come from head and heart, they foment and encreaſe both.
We will begin with dividing principles: Except ſome care be taken of the head, it will be in vaine to meddle with the heart, to cry out againſt our heart-diſtempers; the chief cauſe of many of our diviſions lies here: It is to little purpoſe, to purge or apply any medicine to the lower parts, when the diſeaſe comes from diſtillations from the head.