Irenicum to the Lover of Truth and Peace, Chapter 33
CHAP. XXXIII.
Joyning graces.
1. Wiſdome.
THe deepeſt Seas are the moſt calme, ſo men of the deepeſt judgements are moſt quiet. A man of underſtanding is of an excellent spirit, Prov. 17. 27. or thus, is of a coole ſpirit, for ſo the word ſignifies; his ſpirit is not heat with paſſion, there is a coole dew of examination and deliberation upon his ſpirit, he weighs the circumſtances, conſequences, and iſſues of things; he orders and diſpoſes of things ſo,foreign. Baſil. Hom. de ira. as jarres, contradictions and oppoſitions are prevented. The wiſdome that is from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, and eaſie to be entreated, Jam. 3. 17. Reaſon and Wiſdome have a majeſty in them, and will force reverence. Let Paſſion reverence the preſence of Reaſon, ſayes Baſil, as children doing things unſeemly are afraid of the preſence of men of worth.
2. Faith.
1. THis unites us to Chriſt and God, and in them to one another.
2. Faith commits all cauſes, all feares, injures to God.
3. Faith layes hold upon, and improves thoſe gracious promiſes that God hath made to his Churches for union. Faith ſues out the Bond.
4. Faith is able to deſcry the iſſue of troubles and afflictions; Though Senſe ſayes, It will not be, Reaſon, It cannot be, yet Faith gets above, and ſayes, It ſhall be, I deſcry land: and thus quiets all in the ſoule; all being quiet there, the turbulent motions that are in our ſpirits one towards another are ſoon quieted.
3. Humility.
COloſſ. 3. 12. Put on as the elect of God, bowels of mercies, kindneſſe, humbleneſſe of minde. Epheſ. 4. 2. With all lowlinoſſe and meekneſſe, and long-ſuffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the ſpirit in the bond of peace. Phil. 2. 3. Let nothing be done through ſtrife or vain-glory, but in lowlineſſe of minde let each eſteeme others better then himſelfe. We may ſay of Humility, as Tertullus, Acts 24▪ ſaid of Felix, By thee we enjoy great quietneſſe. An humble heart looks upon every truth of God as infinitely above it ſelfe, therefore it is willing to receive it from any; a child may lead it, Eſay 11. 6. One Baldaſſar, a German Divine, writing to Oecolampadius, hath this notable expreſſion: Veniat, veniat verbum Domini, & ſubmittemur ei ſexcenta ſi nobis eſſent coll….Let the Word of the Lord come, let it come, and we will put under ſix hundred necks if we had them. Such a diſpoſition as this would make much for peace. Eſay 32. 18, 19. we have a promiſe, that the people of God ſhould dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in quiet reſting places, and the City ſhall be low, in a low place. When the heart lyes loweſt, it is quieteſt.
4. Self-denyall.
THe joynts in the body cannot joyne, but one part muſt be hollow, and give way to the other. Condeſcention of one to another is a principall thing in friendſhip.Maximum eſt in amicitia ſuperiorem parem eſse inferiori. Cic. de amicit. Philip. 2. the example of Chriſt emptying himſelfe, and making himſelfe to be of no reputation, is ſet before us as an argument for our union, that therefore we ſhould doe nothing through ſtrife, be like minded, having the ſame love, and be of one accord, and one minde. It is indifferent to a heart emptyed of Selfe, whether it conquers, or be conquered, ſo Truth may triumph. In other conflicts the Conquerour hath the honour, and the conquered is diſgraced; but in the conflicts for truth, both conquered and conquerour are honourable; the mercy is the greater to him that is conquered; but he muſt have a ſelf-denying heart to make him think ſo.
5. Patience.
THe Olive, the Embleme of Peace, will continue greene, though overflowne by the waters for a long time together. After Noah had been ſo long in the Ark, the Dove brought an Olive leafe in her mouth to him. It may be an Emblem of Patience as well as Peace. Patience and Peaceableneſs are neere akin. Epheſ. 4. 2, 3. Long-ſuffering is amongſt the graces, where the unity of the ſpirit is to be kept in the bond of peace.
There is a notable ſtory I finde in the lives of the German Divines:Per Deum obtestatum ut taceret, & ſe ita gereret quaſi non audiret. One Vitus Theodorus a Divine, ſends to adviſe with Melancthon what he ſhould do when Oſiander preached againſt him; Melancthon writes to him, and beſeeches him for the love of God, yea charges him that he ſhould not anſwer Oſiander again, but that he ſhould hold his peace, and behave himſelf as if he heard nothing. Vitus Theodorus writes back again, This was very hard,Qui neſcit ferre calumnias, convicia, injurias, neſcit vivere. Melchior Adam. in vita Chytraei. yet he would obey. Let not men be too haſty to oppoſe oppoſitions, but let them go on patiently in a conſtant way, reſolving to bear what they meet with, and God at length will make their righteouſneſs break forth as the light. Confute evill reports by thy life. He that knowes not to beare calumnies, reproaches, injuries, he knowes not how to live, ſayes Chytraeus, another German Divine.
6. Joy in the holy Ghoſt.
ROm. 14. 17. The Kingdome of heaven is righteouſneſs, peace, joy in the holy Ghoſt. This grace in the heart puts a grace upon all a mans converſation; it makes it lovely and amiable. The beames of the Sunne ſhining upon the fire will put it out; The beams of this ſpirituall joy will put out the fire of our paſſions.
7. Meekneſſe, Gentleneſſe.
MIlk quenches wild-fire, Su…vitas ſermonum atque morum condimentum amicitiae; triſtitia & in omni reſeveritas, abſit; habet illa quidem gravitatem, ſed amicitia remiſsior eſſe debet, & liberior, & dulcior, & ad omnem comitatem facilitatem que proclivi…r. Cicer. de Amicio.Oyle (ſayes Luther) quenches Lime, which water ſets on fire. Oppoſition will heat, will fire men, when meekneſſe and gentleneſſe will ſtill and quench all. Cicero ſayes, Sweetneſſe of speech and rarriage is that which ſeaſons friendſhip; ſeverity in every thing and ſadneſſe muſt not be among friends in their converſe; ſuch a kinde of carriage may have a ſeeming gravity, but friendſhip muſt have a remiſneſs, it muſt be more free and ſweet, diſpoſed to all mildneſs and eaſineſs. Epheſ. 4. 2, 3. Meekneſs comes in as a ſpeciall grace for peace and unity, ſo Col. 3. 12.
8. Love.
THat is the ſpeciall uniting grace; Faith indeed hath the preheminence in our union with Chriſt our head, but Love is the grace that unites the members. 1 Cor. 13. the Apoſtle ſhews many of the fruits of this grace, all tending to union and peace; It ſuffers long, it envies not, it is not puffed up, it behaves not it ſelfe unſeemly, it ſeeketh not her owne, it is not eaſily provoked, thinketh no evill, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Bearing all things and enduring all things ſeem to be the ſame. Therefore ſome would have it,foreign. it covereth all things, for ſo the word alſo ſignifies; but there is a greater elegancy in it, in the Tranſlation, beareth all things, it is like the croſſe maine beam in a houſe, ſupporting the whole building: and were it not for ſome who have the love of God and his truth, and the good of the publiqu…, enabling them to undergo what they do, more then any encouragement from men, all things in Church and State would be ready to fall into confuſion, to be nothing but a heap of rubbiſh; but this love enables to beare all things. But if they have no encouragement, but ſee that though they hazard themſelves never ſo much, be of never ſo great uſe, do the greateſt ſervices that can be expected from men, yet when mens turns are ſerved, they are little regarded, but envyed and narrowly watched, to ſpy out any thing that may have ſome ſhew of excepting againſt them, and left to ſhift for themſelves as well as they can, when they might juſtly expect a great reward of their ſervices, yet are diſappointed, their hearts are grieved. But yet becauſe they are acted by a principle of love to God, his cauſe, the publique, they therefore ſtill hold out, go on in their way, labour to be as inſtrumentall as they can for good, commit themſelves and all their endeavours to God, expecting encouragement from him, and ſo they endure all things: ſuch men are worth their weight in gold: here is a heart that hath much of the ſpirit of God in it, God is love, and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. No marvell though theſe men act ſo ſwiftly in their way; no marvell though their motion in publick ſervice be ſo ſpeedy, for their Charet is like that Charet of Salomons, Cant. 3. 10. The middle thereof is paved with love, and this is for the daughters of Jeruſalem. Sive taceas, dilectione taceas; ſive clames, dilectione clames; ſive parcas, dilectione parcas; ſive corrigas, dilectone corrigas; ad diſciplinam ſiant omnia, de charitate procedant radice; dilige, & fa… quod vi…. Aug Joan. Tract. 7.Now the love of God be for ever with theſe his ſervants, the bleſſing of the Almighty and all his Saints, be with them, upon them, in them and theirs for ever.
Where men are acted by love they may do any thing without offence. If you be ſilent and be ſilent out of love; if you cry out, and you do it out of love; if you ſpare, and it be out of love; if you correct, and you correct from love; let all be for amendment for good, all from the root of love; love, and do what you will. Thus Auguſtine in his 7. Tractate upon John.
Theſe with other uniting graces that might be mentioned, are the graces that God expects ſhould be in a ſpecial manner acted in theſe times; and this is in a holy manner foreign, to ſerve the time, as ſome Copies have it, Rom. 12. 11. This is the moſt ſutable work for the times wherein we live. What is more ſeaſonable for divided times then uniting graces?foreign. Clem. Alex. Strom. lib. 2. And that union that comes from the acting of theſe graces, is a ſpirituall, holy, truly Chriſtian union, a raiſed union to a farre higher pitch then any naturall excellencies can raiſe unto. It is an excellent ſaying of Clemens Alexandrinus, If the ſpirituall man be in us, our humanity is fraternity. What then is our fraternity? it is raiſed to that which hath no name to expreſſe it: the union of the Saints in heaven is beyond the unity of fraternity; this which is of grace is of the ſame nature.