The Causes of Divisions: Distempers That Divide
Pride is the greatest master of misrule in the world; it is the great incendiary in the soul of man, in families, in towns, in cities, in all societies, in church and state: this wind causeth tempests to arise. Prov. xiii, 10: “Only by pride cometh contention.” The Holy Ghost singles out pride, as the only cause of all contentions, because it is the chief; though there be many in a riot, the whole is usually laid upon the ringleaders. Pride is the ringleader to all riots, divisions, disturbances among us. Prov. xxi, 24: a Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.” Pride may be well indicated for the great common barrator, or wrangler, in all our towns and cities; it makes woful troubles wherever it comes.
We read in Scripture of the manna that God gave his people; such was the nature of it, that the heat of the sun melted it. You will say, “How would it then endure the heat of the oven? for they baked it in the oven.” Yet, so it was of a strange kind of nature, that it could bear the heat of the oven, and not the heat of the sun. Even of such a temper are our hearts; the heat of the sun of prosperity dissolves us, causes us to run one from another: but the heat of the fire of affliction bakes us, brings us and settles us together; it makes us to be one, it takes away our rawness, it consumes many of our ill humours, and so composes our spirits into one. The stupidness of our hearts is such, that we do not make our brethren’s case our own; but we for the present having some more liberty than formerly, are lifted up, and in the pride of our hearts push at our brethren, and smite our fellow servants: if the troubles be at a little distance from us, though we even hear the cries of our brethren who are in the midst of them, yet we foolishly bless ourselves in our present ease, enjoyments, and hopes, as if our flesh must be spared, our estates and enjoyments continued, yea, raised, whatever becomes of others. O sinful vain spirits, befooled and hardened by their pride!
But what are the several workings of pride that make such a stir in the world?
Answ. A proud man thinks himself too great to be crossed. Shall I bear this? I will make you know what it is to do such things against me! He thinks it a great dishonour to himself to bear anything; therefore he must needs quarrel and contend, if it is but to show what a man of spirit he is, or to show that he is a man of such worth, that whatever others bear, it is not fit for him to bear it. It is but reason that such a man as he should make men, who will presume to cross him, to yield to him, to stoop under him. Now when one proud man thinks it a dishonour to him to put up with wrongs from another, who it may be is as proud as himself, and he thinks it a dishonour for him to put up with wrongs, what peace can there be? Some wrongs must be put up with, but proud men will never agree who shall begin.
Pride makes men swell beyond their bounds: the way to keep all things in union is for every man to keep within his bounds: the swelling beyond tends to the breaking all in pieces. Hab. ii, 5: “He is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlarge th his desire as hell, and cannot be satisfied.” If any humour of the body goeth beyond its bounds, it brings much trouble to it; the health and peace of the body consist in the keeping of every humour within its vessel, and due proportion.
Pride hardens men’s hearts. Dan. v, 10:” His mind is hardened in his pride.5 ‘If you would have things cleave, you must have them soft; two flints will not join: the Spaniard hath a proverb, lime and stone will make a wall; if one be hard, yet if the other be yielding, there may be joining, and good may be done, not else.
Pride causes men to despise the persons, actions, and sufferings, of others; and nothing is more insufferable to a man’s spirit than to be vilified. A proud man despises what others do, and others what he does; every man, next to his person, desires the honour of his actions; if these two be contemned, his sufferings will likewise be contemned by the proud: this also goes very near to a man; one man thinks what another man suffers is nothing, no matter what becomes of him; another thinks his sufferings nothing, and no matter what becomes of him. O at what a distance now are men’s hearts one from another!
Pride causes every man to desire to be taken notice of, to have an eminency in some thing or another; if he cannot be eminent on one side, he will get to the other; he must be taken notice of, one way or other; when he is in a good and peaceable way, God makes some use of him; yet because he is not observed and looked upon as eminent, he will rather turn to some other way, to contend, strive, to oppose, or anything, that he may be taken notice of, to be somebody, that he may not go out of the world without some noise. “What, shall such a man as I, of such parts, such approved abilities, so endued by God to do some eminent service, be laid aside, and nobody regard me? I must set upon some notable work, something that may draw the eye of observance upon me!” I have read of a young man who set Diana’s temple on fire, and being asked the reason, he said, “That he might have a name, that the people might talk of him.” Because he could not be famous for doing good, he would for doing evil. Proud spirits will venture the setting the temple of God, yea, church and state, on fire, that they may have a name; whatever they do or suffer to get a name, they will rather venture, than die in obscurity; that above all things they cannot bear.
A proud man makes his will the rule of his actions, and would have it be the rule of other men’s too; and other men being proud, would have their wills the rule of their actions, and of his too. Thus the blustering wind of pride in men’s hearts causes them to jostle one against another, and so to split themselves one upon another; as where many ships lie together, a violent wind breaking their anchor-cables, causes them to dash one upon another, and so to make shipwreck even in the haven.
Proud men will venture upon things unseemly; thinking their esteem and greatness will bear them out; and others who are proud, will venture upon the like, upon the same ground, for every man is ready to high thoughts of himself. Psa. xix, 14: “Deliver me from presumptuous sins,” a superbis, so some, ab insolentihiSy so others, from proud, from insolent sins.
If there is anything to be done that is conceived to be mean and low, a proud man will strive to put it upon others, and others who are proud, will strive 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.
One proud man thinks himself the only worthy man to have his counsel followed, and his desires satisfied; and the other thinks himself the man that should have his counsel followed, and his desires satisfied: and thus men struggle and oppose one another.
Here we see what a make-bate pride is; that which Tertullus said to Felix (Acts xxiv, 2) is true of humility: “By thee we enjoy great quietness;” but the contrary is as true of pride: “By thee are made woful divisions, by thee we suffer miserable disturbances.” Though there be no occasion of quarrel, yet pride will make some; only by pride comes contention, as before. Pro v. xiii, 10.
Now let every man look into his own heart, and see what pride hath been, and still is there, and be humbled before the Lord for this. All you contentious, froward, quarrelsome people, you are charged this day from God with being men and women of proud spirits, and what evil there is in our sad divisions, that pride in your bosom is a great cause of it. St. Paul “did keep under his body, lest after he had preached to others, he should become a castaway,” or a reprobate. Let us all look to it, and especially ministers, lest after all our profession and glorious shows, we at last become reprobates, at least such as God may cast out for destruction, even in this world, taking no delight in making use of; what, in such times as these to have hearts swoln and lifted up with” pride? God is
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now about staying the pride of the earth. How unseasonable and dangerous for a mariner to have his topsails up, and all spread in a violent storm; it is time then to pull down all, lest he sink irrecoverably. The point of a needle will let the wind out of a bladder, and shall not the swords of God, the swords of war, and plague, that have got so deep into our bowels, let out the windy pride of our hearts? “The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord himself will be exalted.” The Lord humbleth us, that he may reconcile us, not only to himself, but to one another.
SELF-LOVE IS ANOTHER DIVIDING DISTEMPER.
Phil, ii, 3: u Let nothing be done through strife.” Verse 4: “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” This is the cause of strife, because men look so much on their own 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; that is, the greatest part of their studies is to study sides and parties. Luther upon Psa. cxxvii hath a notable speech: “I am of that opinion,” says he, “that monarchies would continue longer than they do, were it not for that same little pronoun (Ego) that same (I) myself.” Yea, certainly, could this same self be laid aside, all governments and societies would not only continue longer, but flourish better. “Self-love is the cause of our divisions;” where this prevails, men love to take in all to themselves.
Those who are actuated by self-love, have no common ends to join them, therefore they cannot close; if they be employed in public service, they quickly work to their private ends. Thus many at the first: O who but they for the public, for the common good! But there being a principle of self within, and some difficulty rising, they warped to their own ends, and divided from those they were employed with. Men’s private ends are narrow, they cannot drive on them, but they will meet with one another, and jostle one another, quarrel, contend, and fight for the way, as cartmen do when they meet in narrow streets, and boatmen in narrow passages. If we had public ends, our way would be broad enough, we might go on peaceably and comfortably, without prejudice against one another. If a man lived alone, then he might go on quietly in his own way, only God would meet him in it; but seeing men live in the world among others, they must consider, that if they will drive on their own designs, and work their own ends, other men have designs and ends to drive on and work as well as they: it is therefore impossible but you will cross and be crossed; you will vex and fret at others, and others will vex and fret at you.
When anything cloth 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 self, had need be very cunning to keep in and hide it; herein appears what a vile thing self is, that though in truth it acts all, and receives the incomes of all, yet it dares not appear, but lies skulking under all the covers it can. How vile is this self for which all must be done, which thou makest thy God, yet cannot in the least appear, but is odious and abominable to every one! Yea, it is conscious to itself that it is so, and therefore dares not appear; yet the acting of it is very mischievous to all human societies.
There is this wickedness in self-love, that even those things that men acknowledge to be right and good in the general, yet if they shall not particularly suit with, something they would have, it will put men upon the opposing; and what peace and union can there be among men, if what they will grant, and commend to be good, yet when it falls across to them, they will oppose, and contend against?
Self 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 that are in others, and this causes many breaches and fallings oat. We may apply that of the apostle, 1 Cor. xiii, “Love covereth a multitude of faults,” to self-love. Selfish men see but little evil in themselves — all is ever well with them, whatever others do; and the more they indulge themselves, the more severe they are to others; but Christ would have the quite contrary, severity to ourselves, but indulgence to others; those that are so, are the most peaceable men. Matt, xviii, 8: “If thy hand or foot offend thee, pluck them off, and cast them from thee; or if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee.” We must deal severely with ourselves in those things that are as near and as dear to us as our hands and eyes; but verse 15, when Christ gives orders how we are to deal with our brethren, he then requires more
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moderation: “If thy brother offend thee, go 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 canst do with him in that way; yea, and after that, tell the church; not presently cut him off, and cast him away, as you must do when your hand or eye offends you. If men have any indulgence, let it be toward their brethren; if they have any severity, let them exercise that toward themselves. Pliny says of himself:” “That he so passed by other men’s offences, as if himself were the greatest offender, and he was so severe against himself, as if he meant to pardon none.” If it were so with us, we should live at more peace one with another than we do.
These were wont to be entire friends; how came they to break off? what unkindness hath befallen them? None at all, only that principle of self 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.
Self sets men’s wits on work, in all cunning craftiness, to fetch others about to their own ends, and this goes as much against a man’s spirit as
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anything; when he comes to discern it, no man can bear to be circumvented, to be made serviceable only to another man’s ends. The more cunning there is in it, the more odious and abominable it is to a man’s spirit; when it comes once to be discerned, a man cannot bear it. Crooked windings are the goings of the serpent: but if a man shall not only seek to make use of another to serve his own turn by him, but after he hath done that, then to cast him off to shift for himself; this is so provoking a thing, that it makes breaches irreconcilable.
When one is for self, in his ways, he makes another to be so in his; as a man, by conversing with the fro ward, learns to be fro ward; so many, who have heretofore had plain hearts, full of love and sweetness, yet, by being acquainted much with selfish political men, learn to be so too. I see how he looks to himself in everything, fetches about this way and that way, but still it terminates in self at last; 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 public?
Surely this selfishness 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 than 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.
O foolish heart, that in such a time as this art selfish, when the danger is public! as in a storm, when the ship is in danger, if every mariner should be busy about his own cabin, 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 thyself hereafter, if thou wilt look so much to thyself now. Ezek. xxii, 16: “And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself, 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 ver. 14, 15. Wo to us if God leaves us to ourselves. I have heard of a fool being left in a chamber, and the door locked, and all the people gone, he cries out of the window, “O myself, myself! O myself!” nothing came from him but “O myself.” Such fools have we among us now; nothing but self is in their thoughts, their hearts, and endeavours. The apostle’s
Complaint (Phil, ii, 21) may justly be ours: “All seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s:” their own things; that is, says Chrysostom, their pleasure, and their security, their temporal commodities, their profits, and their honors: 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?
Answ. Yes, and he would own them more, if we owned them less; 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 among the number of his things, and then they would be precious indeed; but by desiring them, using them, rejoicing in them, in reference to ourselves, Christ accounts them not among his things; things of a higher nature are his things; the glory of his Father, the propagation of the gospel, the spiritual good of hi3 people, and the things of eternal life, they are his things; let us make his things ours, and he will make our things his.
ENVY A DIVIDING DISTEMPER.
Envy is a squint-eyed fool. Job v, 2: “Envy slayeth the silly one.” James iii, 14:” If ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts/7
Envy is a bitter thing, and causes strife, and makes that bitter too: so verse 16: “Where envying and strife is.” Gal. v, 20: “Hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings.” 1 Cor. iii, 3: “There is among you envying, strife, and divisions.” Envy made divisions between angels and men; it was the first sin, not the first-born of the devil, but that which turned angels into devils. The first heart division among men was between Cain and Abel, and what caused it but envy? who can stand before envy? she is subtle, undermining, dares not appear at the first; but if she cannot be satisfied with her underworks, then she flings, rends, frets, and fights, uses violence, seeks to raise a contrary faction, falls on anything in the world so mischief may be done, let what will become of God’s glory, of service to the public, of saving souls: rather than that esteem, respect, and honour, that otherwise might be had, should not be obtained, all must come under, all must be serviceable to this base lust: rather than the glory of an envious man must be eclipsed, God himself and his earth must be darkened. O hideous wickedness, and high impudence against the God of heaven! Envy divides in counsels, in instruments, actions, and in all proceedings; she will make use of good to oppose that which is good; if she cannot raise evil men to oppose good, she will seek to get good men to oppose; she would make God contrary to himself, she would strike at God with his own sword. Phil, i, 14: “Some preach Christ out of envy.” As envy makes use of good for evil, so God makes use of this evil for good. Many seek to excel in preaching, or otherwise, by this means, and says St. Paul: “Howsoever I do rejoice, and will rejoice.” When you see a man seeking to rake and gather together all he can of any mistakes, distempers, disorders, miscarriages, by hearsays, letters, or any way, so that by it he may fill up his dung-cart; and for the good, the grace or gifts of God in men, those are laid aside, or passed slightingly over; if at all mentioned, it is with some dirt mingled; surely this is an envious man, fitted for strife and debate, whom God permits to be an affliction to his people in raising up a spirit of strife and contention, and causing divisions among them; like the kite, who passes over fair meadows and pleasant fields, not regarding them, till she meets with a carrion, and then falls and fastens; now she is upon her prey where she would be; how pleasant is it to some men to hear of, or find out, evils in others whom they do not love?
To say no worse, you know it hath been an old practice to seek to get anything by reports, or any other way that might blast the professors of religion; and how glad were they! how did it please them at the heart, if they could meet with anything that might serve their turn!
The Holy Ghost says, that envy is rottenness to the bones; this is applied, by a learned man, to such as are chief in church and commonwealth, who are, as it were, the bones, the strength, the support, of the societies where they are; envy, says he, is often found among them, and it is rottenness to them. This vile sin has caused a rot in many men of eminent abilities and places, who might otherwise have done much service for God and his people in church and state. O it is a mischievous sin! “Take away envy,” says Augustine, “and what you have is mine; take away envy, and what I have is yours.” We read, Acts xi, of Barnabas, that he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost, and he was a man of a cleaving disposition, of a uniting temper: verse 23, “He exhorteth them that with full purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.5’ This man was free from envy: for the text says, “When he had seen the grace of God he was glad;” he rejoiced in, and blessed God for the grace he saw in his saints. “Do you envy for my sake?” says Moses; “I would to God all the people of the Lord did prophesy.” Moses was a fit man for public service, who was so void of envy; no men are so fit for public service as those who can bless God that he is pleased to make use of others as well as them, yea beyond themselves. It was a good spirit of that gracious, holy, old disciple, Mr. Dod, “I would to God,” said he, “I were the worst minister in England;” not wishing himself worse than he was, but all ministers better.
PASSION IS A DIVIDING DISTEMPER.
Those men who, upon every trifle, are all on fire by their passions, and what in them lies, set others on fire, do exceedingly disturb the peace of those places where they live, and those societies of which they are members: their hot passions cause the climate where they live to be like the torrid zone, too hot for any to live near them. Christ is the Prince of peace, and the devil is the prince of division: hence that expression of the Holy Ghost, Eph. iv, 27: “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil.” You are loath to give place to your brother; you will saw, “What, shall I yield to him?” you will not yield to him, but you will yield to him that is worse, to the devil. So you do when you yield to wrath.
Suppose children or servants were wrangling one with another, were not this an argument for them to be quiet, Your father is here? Your master is come? Will not all be hushed presently? God is come among us, we may see the face of God in what he hath done for us, and shall we be quarrelling before his face?
We were not without some fears lest God should leave us in the work, which some years back was begun; but now God speaks aloud to encourage us, he tells us he owns the work. Now what doth this require of us? A little logic will draw the consequence. Hath God declared himself, that he intends to go on in this work he hath begun? then let us all join together to further it to the uttermost we can; let us not exasperate the spirits of one another in ways of strife and opposition, but let every one set his hand and heart to this work, that he may be able to say, O Lord God, thou that knowest the secrets of all hearts, knowest that upon this great mercy of thine, my heart was so moved that whatever I could possibly see to be thy will, for the furtherance of this great work, as far as I was able, I did set myself to do it, and am resolved to spend my strength and life in it. If every one did thus, O what glory might God have from this mercy of his!
When the Lord comes to us with mercies, he expects we should rejoice in them, and sing praise; but how can we sing without harmony? Prayer requires an agreement. Matt, xviii, 18: “If two of you shall agree on earth touching anything they shall ask, it shall be done for them.” Surely praise requires agreement much more. Psalms out of tune are harsh to the ear; disagreement of heart is much more so to the Spirit of God.
Surely when God hath done so much for us, it must be acknowledged to be our duty to study what sacrifice would be best pleasing to him: some sacrifice we must offer. If there be any more acceptable to him than other, surely he deserves it. If a friend had done some real kindness for you, you would be glad to know what might be most grateful to him, wherein you might testify your thankfulness. Is this in your hearts? Do you now say, “O that we did but know the thing that would be most pleasing to God; what sacrifice would be the sweetest in his nostrils! The Lord knows we would offer it freely, whatever it be.” I will tell you: u That we would lay aside our divisions, our frowardness; that we would abandon all contention and strife; that we would put on bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another, forgiving one another, if any have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, even so do ye.” Col. iii, 12. “A meek and quiet spirit is, in the sight of God, of great price.” 1 Pet. iii, 4. “The sacrifice of God,” that which is instead of all sacrifices, “is a broken spirit.” Our hearts have been broken one from another, in our unhappy divisions; O that they could break one toward another, in love and tenderness! Here would be a sacrifice more esteemed of God, than thousands of rams, and ten thousand rivers of oil: “Loving mercy, and walking humbly,” is preferred before such sacrifices. Micah vi, 8.
God shows that he can own us, notwithstanding all our infirmities; why should not we own our brethren, notwithstanding their infirmities? Why should our divisions cause us to cast off one another, seeing our divisions have not provoked God to cast us off? We had need to take heed of breaches, lest God should be provoked to change his administrations toward us.
All those who are of gracious and peaceable spirits, should consider this, and go to all they know to have been at a distance one from another, with whom they have hope to do good, and seek to mollify their spirits, — to know what it is they have one against another; what prejudices, what hard thoughts, have been entertained by them, and strive by all means to remove them; that so, we, loving and delighting in one another, the Lord may love us, and delight in us, and show mercy unto us yet more and more.
RIGIDNESS A DIVIDING DISTEMPER.
Rigid, harsh, sour, crabbed, rough-hewn spirits, are unfit for union; there is no sweetness, no amiableness, no pleasingness in them: they please themselves in a rigid austereness, but are pleasing to none else: in their ways, they will abate nothing of their own, nor yield anything to others. This is against the rule of the apostle: “We must not please ourselves, but let every one please his neighbour, for his good to edification; and this according to the example of Christ, who pleased not himself.” This is the duty, not of weak men only, who had need please others, because they have need of them, but those that are strong ought not to please themselves, but seek to please others. Men who are of austere spirits, affecting gravity which turns to a dull, sullen sternness, think it to be the commendation of the strength of their spirits, that they can carry themselves as they do toward others, seeking altogether content to themselves, without any yieldableness to others; “no, that is but lightness, and weakness in men; they are of a more staid, strong temper, than to do so.” These men by their wisdom do very much sin against the wisdom of the Holy Ghost in the Scripture; yea, and against the example of Jesus Christ, who in his whole course manifested tenderness, gentleness, affableness, amiableness toward weak ones, who were infinitely beneath him: and here is set forth to us one who pleased not himself, and so was far from this rigid, harsh temper: those swords are not of the best-tempered metal which will not bend, but stand stiff; but such as yield and bend with the most ease, and stand straight again: neither are those dispositions best, which are the stiffest; but such as are most flexible, and yet stand straight too. This harsh and rigid spirit makes men’s gifts and graces to be very unuseful. When Plato saw Xenocrates of an austere, rigid temper, he advised him to sacrifice to the graces, that he might have more mildness, fearing that otherwise his parts and learning would be unprofitable. The Jews observe upon Exod. xxv, 3, That no iron was in the stuff of the tabernacle; rigid iron spirits are very unfit for church work. Levit. xvii, 7: “They shall no more sacrifice to devils.” The word translated devils, signifies rough ones; devils had their names from thence; this is the name of a satyr, Isa. xxxiv, 14, the rough one. The spirit of God is a dove-like, sweet spirit; but the spirit of the devil is a rough, harsh spirit, the spirit of a satyr. Pro v. xi, 17: “He that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.” That word here translated cruel, the Septuagint elsewhere translates by a word that signifies rigid, stiff. Men of such tempers are very troublesome to themselves, to their families, to all with whom they converse. If a smith would join two pieces of iron, he must first beat them smooth: if the joiner would join two pieces of wood, he must plain them. Except our spirits be beaten smooth, or plained, they are unfit for joining.
RASHNESS A DIVIDING DISTEMPER.
Acts xix, 36: “Ye ought to be quiet, and do nothing rashly.” Doing things rashly is opposed to quietness.
Rashness makes men engage themselves suddenly in business before they have examined it well. This causes much trouble, for if a man be engaged, he lies under a temptation to go on in it; as 2 Chron. xxv, 9, when the man of God came to Amaziah, to take him off from a business he was engaged in; “O but, says he, what shall I do for the hundred talents I have given out already?” Thus many answer to the truth of God, that would take them off from what they have engaged in, “But what shall I do for my credit that lies engaged?”
Rashness causes men suddenly to provoke others; whereas, did they consider what ill consequences might come of it, they would forbear. Rash men quickly take hold of the sword of justice to hack and hew: they think that what they do is according to reason; but they do not wisely weigh things in the balance of justice. Remember, justice hath a balance, as well as a sword. Pro v. xxix, 11: “A fool uttereth all his mind.” The Septuagint has it, “utters all his anger.” Rash fools, by uttering all their anger, suddenly cause great stir and trouble wherever they go. The Hebrew word that signifies a fool, and that which signifies suddenly, rashly, is from the same root.
When peace sometimes is even concluded, and there is great joy, in hopes of a comfortable agreement, rashness will suddenly break it, without any due consideration.
0 that that promise, Isa. lii, 4, were fulfilled among us: “The heart of the rash shall understand knowledge.” Rash men presently think they understand all that can be known in such a business, and thence presume to make sudden determinations: but as over-hearty digestion causes wind, and brings much trouble to the body; so do over-hasty resolutions to men’s spirits and societies.
WILFULNESS A DIVIDING DISTEMPER.
I think I may say, in most men, will is the axle-tree, lusts and passions are the wheels, whereupon almost all their actions are carried: where there is much will, though the thing be little about which men contend, yet the opposition may be great; as a little stone, thrown with a strong arm, may make deep impression. It is a dangerous thing to have men’s wills engaged in matters of difference: it is easier to deal with twenty men’s reasons, than with one man’s will: a man of a wilful stout spirit, stands as a stake in the midst of a stream, lets all pass by him, but he stands where he was: what hope can there be of union, where there will be no yielding? One man’s will raises another’s; set will to will, they may dash one against another, but are not like to close, to get into one another.
A wilful man thinks it beneath a wise man to alter his way; yea, it may be he thinks it a dishonour to the truth, that both he, his profession, and the honour of God, shall suffer by it. When a stubborn self-willedness is taken for a right constancy and settledness, it is very strong in men: but let us take heed of this, it is no matter though we go back from our former assertions, so long as we go forward to the truth. Luther was called an apostate; “I am so,” says he; “but it is from error to truth.” Many times stoutness of spirit comes from weakness, rather than strength: there is not always the greatest strength of judgment where there is the greatest strength of will. As a man’s judgment that is without prejudice is very strong, so a man’s prejudice that is without judgment is as strong. The dullest horses are not always the most easily reined. “I know, and am persuaded,” says the apostle. Rom. xiv, 14. Many men are persuaded before they know; those who are persuaded before they know, will not be persuaded to know. Men’s wills will not suffer their understandings to consider: if they do consider, they will not suffer them to be convinced: if they be convinced, they will not suffer them to acknowledge that they are convinced.
UNCONSTANCY A DIVIDING DISTEMPER.
Unconstaricy is evil, and a cause of division. Stoutness is evil, and a cause of division. A man must not be one thing one day, and another another day; not like a weather-cock, carried up and down with every wind: neither must he be wilful and stout; not like a rusty lock that will not be stirred by any key. 1st. True constancy and settledness of spirit are got by much prayer and humiliation before the Lord. “Establish me, Lord, with thy free spirit; unite my heart to fear thy name” — after thy heart-breakings and meltings, and heart-cryings and pourings forth, u Lord, show me what thy will is in this thing; keep me from miscarrying; let me not settle upon any error instead of the truth; but what is thy truth, fasten my soul in it; that whatever temptations come, I may never be taken off from it” Tell God in prayer what the thing is, and what hath persuaded thy heart to embrace it; open thy heart fully to God in all thy aims; and if by this means the heart be fixed, now it is delivered from fickleness, and not fallen into stoutness.
2ndly. Where true constancy is attained, by the Spirit of God, and not by the stoutness of thine own, there is exercise of much grace, and growing up in grace, as faith, humility, love, meekness, patience, &c. 2 Peter iii, 17, 18: “Take heed ye fall not from your steadfastness; but grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” Hearts stout and wilful are dry and sapless. If the more a man hath to do with God, the more settled he is in his way; and when he hath the most full converse and sweetness of communion with God, he is then the most fully settled, satisfied, established in such a truth, which he conceived to be of God — he is safe. Many men are very stiff, and wilfully immoveable. When they have to deal with men they seem then to be the most confident men in the world; but God knows, and their conscience knows, when they solemnly set themselves in the presence of God, and have the most real sight of God, and have to deal most immediately with him, then they have misgiving thoughts; they have fears that things may not prove so sure, as they bore others in hand they apprehended them to be: but if God’s presence, and thy dealings with him, confirm thee in this, thy conscience may give thee an assurance, that as thou art not fickle and wavering, so not stout and wilful.
3dly. When there is a proportion in men’s constancy: if a man be resolute and constant in one thing, but very fickle and easy turned aside in others, there is cause to suspect his constancy is rather from stiffness than from grace; for grace works proportionably through the whole soul, and in the whole course of a man’s life.
4thly. If the more real the presence of death and judgment appear to a man, the more settled he is in that way; this likewise may be a good evidence to him, that his settledness in such a way is right.
A SPIRIT OF JEALOUSY A DIVIDING DISTEMPER.
“Envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings.” 1 Tim. vi, 4. Strife and evil surmisings are near of kin. If contentious men can get nothing against their brethren, they will surmise there is something. If they can find nothing in their actions to judge, they will judge their hearts. If there be nothing above-board, they will think there may be something under-board; and from thinking there may be something, they will think it very likely there is something; and from likely there is, they will conclude there is, “surely there is some plot working.” But this is against the law of love, for it thinketh no evil; all the good that they see in their brethren, is blasted by their suspicion of evil. Love would teach us rather by what appears to judge the best of what appears not, than by what appears not, to judge the worst of what appears.
A SPIRIT OF CONTENTION A DIVIDING DIS-TEMPER.
As in some there is a strong inclination, a vehement impetus, to whoredom, which the prophet calls the spirit of whoredom; so there is in others a vehement, strong disposition of heart to contention. These have a spirit of contention: they are like salamanders, who love, and live in the fire. They thirst after the waters of Massah and Meribah; their temper is such, as if they drank no other drink than what was brewed of those waters, contentions and strifes; so, what are as tedious to other men as death, are their delight. They are most in their element, when they are over head and ears in them. A contentious spirit will always find matter for contention. Prov. xxvi, 21: “As coals to burning coals, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindle strife:” they are ready to put their hands to any strife they meet with; yet, “he that meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that holdeth a dog by the ears.” Prov. xxvi, 17. Many men have no mettle in anything but contentions. Like many jades who are dull in travel, they have mettle only to kick and to play jadish tricks. If thou hast any spirit, any zeal and courage, it is a pity it should be laid out in quarrels: reserve it for the cause of God, to strengthen thee in contending for the truth and the public good.