The Cures of Divisions: Joining Principles
That one text, 1 Thessalonians iv, 9, were enough alone to pierce our hearts through -and through: “As touching brotherly love, ye need not that I write unto you,” saith the apostle; “for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.” O Lord, what, are we in these days such kind of Christians as those were? O that it were so with us, that we had no need to be wrote to, to be preached to, concerning this. Does it appear by our carriage one toward another that we are taught of God to love one another? But that God may teach us this day, attend to what shall be said to you in his name, which I shall cast into joining p?*inciples, consideratiojis, and directions.
I shall not need to be long in these: for take away dividing principles, dividing distempers, dividing practices, and be thoroughly convinced of the evil of divisions, and one would think our hearts should of themselves run into one another. But that I may not seem to leave our wounds open, so that air should get into them; but endeavour the closing of them, and so the healing; I shall speak something to these heads.
1. — Joining principles.
THE FIRST JOINING PRINCIPLE.
In the midst of all differences of ‘judgment, and weaknesses of the saints, it is not impossible but that they may live in peace and love together.
If, notwithstanding the differences from God’s mind, and many weaknesses, there may be peace and love between God and his saints: then surely, notwithstanding these things, the saints may be at love and peace among themselves. Let this be laid for a ground, and let our hearts be much possessed with it; we shall find it very helpful to our closing. Away with that vain conceit which hath been the great disturber of churches in all ages. If men differ in their judgment and practice in matters of religion, though it be in things that are but the weakness of godly men, yet there must needs be heart-burning and division. Let all peaceable men deny this consequence: let us not say, it will be so; and that our words may be made good, afterward indeed make it so. Certainly the connexion of them, if there be any, is rather from the corruption of our hearts, than from the nature of the things.
“There hath been much ado to get us to agree.
We laboured to get our opinions into one, but they will not come together.” It may be in our endeavours for agreement we have begun at the wrong end. Let us try what we can do at the other end: it may be we shall have better success there. Let us labour to join our hearts, to engage our affections one to another. If we cannot be of one mind that we may agree, let us agree that we may be of one mind.
THE SECOND JOINING PRINCIPLE.
That shall never be got by strife that may be had by
love and peace. We would all fain have our wills. Now that which lies uppermost upon many men’s heart’s; that which is the first thing they do, if their wills be crossed, is presently to strive and contend: but this should be the last thing, after all other means are tried; and should never be made use of but in case of pure necessity. We should first think, Is there any way in the world whereby it is possible we may have our desires satisfied with peace? Let us try this, and another way, a third, a fourth, yea, a hundred ways, if they lie between us and the way of strife, before we come to meddle with that.
Among those means, he directs for union
when St. Paul speaks of love: u I will show you,” says he, “a more excellent way;” a way of the highest excellency, beyond any expression. The way of love, of engaging hearts one to another, is the only way to bring persons into unity of judgment; yea, the only way, when all is done, for men to have their wills. I may give you this or the other rule, to bring you to think and do the same thing; but that which hath an excellency in it with an hyperbole, is the way of love. If you could get your minds to agree by other ways, certainly you could not enjoy it with that sweetness and comfort, as you may if you get it this way. Certainly there is no man living but hath cause to repent him that ever he got that by strife and contention that he might have got by love and peace. What hinders why soft and gentle words may not prevail, as well as hard and bitter language? Why may not a loving, winning carriage, do as much as severe, rigid violence? If it may, thou providest ill for thine own peace and comfort, to leave this way and betake thyself to the other. Tell me, were it a sign of valour in a man to draw his sword at every insect that comes near him? yea, at every fly that lights upon him? Were it not folly and madness? Why, he may by putting forth his finger put them off from him. Thy froward, choleric spirit, is ready to draw at everything that thou likest not. This is thy folly; for thou mayest, with less ado, have what thou hast a mind to. If I would put a feather from me, I need not strike violently at it. A soft, gentle breath, will do it better. Why should a man labour and toil till he sweats again, to take up a pin? Have none of you sometimes made a great stir in your families about that which, when the stir is a little over, you plainly see you might have done as well with a word speaking? None but a cruel, harsh, sordid-spirited man, will say, I had rather men should fear me than love me. God prizes most what he hath from us by love.
THE THIRD JOINING PRINCIPLE. It is letter to do good than to receive good.
Active good is better than passive. Only God himself, his angels, and saints, do good; but all creatures can receive good. This principle would quickly join us; for if this were in men’s hearts, they would study to do all the good they could to one another, and to gain upon one another’s hearts; and the more good we do to any, the more will our hearts be inclinable to love them. The very communication of goodness, if it be out of a good spirit, carries the heart along with it to the subject this good is communicated to. The more good God doth to any, the more he loves them. So it is with us in our proportion. If you take a poor child from the dunghill, or out of the alms-house, and make him your heir, you do not only this good to him because you love him, but you love more because you look upon him as an object of your goodness — as one raised by you.
THE FOURTH JOINING PRINCIPLE.
The good of other men is my good as well as theirs.
We are all of one body. Whatever good others have, it is the good of the body. It makes them some way able to do that good that we should have done, or at least that we should desire to have done.
Community in the church is more. 1 Cor. iii, 22: “Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours; you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” If you be godly, you have an interest in all the eminently godly men in the world: in all their gifts, graces, and in all they have or do. All that is in the world, that hath any good in it, is yours; yea, what is evil shall be serviceable to you for good. This is brought by the apostle to quiet the jarrings and contentions that were among the Corinthians. One would be for Paul, another for Apollos. Says the apostle, What need this contention who you are for, and who another is for? they are all yours. All the excellency there is in them is the good of every one of you. A special reason why men contend so much is, they think the good that other men have is their evil; therefore they must either get it to themselves, or darken it in those that have it. But such men, acted by such a principle, are poor, low-spirited men. A man of a raised, enlarged spirit, opens his heart that it may be filled with that infinite good in which there is all good. Now if it be that good my soul closeth with, and is satisfied in, then whatever hath any goodness in it, be it where it will, it flows from this infinite ocean of good my soul is launched into, and some way or other flows into this again. Though, through men’s corruptions, there may be windings and turnings in the course of it, yet hither it comes at last: and, therefore, it is mine as really and truly as any I have in mine own hand. My soul then shall rejoice in all the good I see my brethren have, and in all they do. I will bless God for it, and seek the furtherance of it what I can.
Surely this man must needs be a man of peace and love.
THE FIFTH JOINING PRINCIPLE.
My good is more in the public than in myself.
It is because we have such private spirits, that there are such contentions among us. Were we more public-spirited, our contentions would vanish. When I read of what public spirits many of the heathens were, I am ashamed to look upon many Christians. Paulus ^Emilius, hearing of the death of his children, spake with an undaunted courage thus: “That the gods had heard his prayer, which was, that calamities should rather befall his family than the commonwealth.” The publicness of his spirit made it very sweet and lovely. The story says of him, he entreated them gently and graciously whom he had subdued, setting forward their causes, even as if they had been his confederates, very friends, and near kinsmen. Public-spirited men are men of sweet and peaceable spirits.
THE SIXTH JOINING PRINCIPLE.
What I would have others do to me, that will I endeavour to do to them.
Would not I have others bear with me? I then will bear with them. I would have others do offices of kindness to me; I will then do offices of kindness to them. I would have the carriage of others lovely, and amiable to me; mine shall be so to them. I would have others live peaceably with me; I will do so with them. This rule of doing to others as I would be done to, is a law of justice; such justice as keeps the peace.
Chrysostom, in his thirteenth sermon to the people of Antioch, makes use of this principle. Thus after Christ had spoken of many blessednesses, says he, “Those things you would have others to do to you, do you to them. As if he should say, c There needs not many words; let thine own will be thy law. Would you receive benefits? bestow benefits then. Would you have mercy? be merciful then. Would you be loved? then love. Be you the judge yourself, be you the lawgiver of your own life. That which you hate, do not to another. Cannot you endure reproach? do not you reproach others. Cannot you endure to have others envy you? do not you envy others. Cannot you endure to be deceived? do not you deceive others.’”
THE SEVENTH JOINING PRINCIPLE.
It is as great an honour to have my will by yielding, as by overcoming.
Many men in their anger will say, I will be even with him, I will tell you a way how you may be above him: forgive him. By yielding, pardoning, putting up the wrong, you show you have power over yourself, and this is a greater thing than to have power over another. Numb, xiv, 17: “Now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great.” “Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people.” Verse 19. By this thou may est honourably prevail with thy brother. Hereby shalt thou heap coals of fire upon his head.
If a man offend me merely through weakness, this is his affliction. In this he is neither an enemy to himself nor me. He mourns for it, and I will pity him in his mourning. He is more troubled for what he hath done, than I have cause to be for what I have suffered. If he offend willingly and purposely, he is his own enemy more than mine. When Latimer was cozened in buying a commodity, his friends telling him how he was cheated of his money, he fell to mourning for him that had cheated him. “He hath the worst of it,” said he. If my heart rise against a man in this, and I seek to oppose him in his way, it may very well be interpreted to be out of love to him; for my heart rises against his enemy. I oppose his enemy, even himself; but an enemy to himself more than to me. He hath hurt me a little, but himself more. I am troubled a little for the wrong I suffer, but more for the evil he hath done. If his ways be enmity to God, I will oppose him, because I love God, and no further than wherein I may manifest my love to God, rather than hatred of him. When Servetus condemned Zuinglius for his harshness, he answered, “In other things I will be mild, but not so in blasphemies against God.” Let us keep our enmity within these bounds, and the peace of God will not be broke.
If, when others wrong you, you care not what you do to right yourself, this is your folly and madness. Such a one hurt me, and I will therefore mischief myself: he hath pricked me with a pin, and I will therefore in anger run my knife into my side. If in all we suffer, we be sure to keep from righting ourselves by any ways of sin, there will not be much peace broke. Such a one is thine enemy; and wilt thou of one enemy make two? Wilt thou also be an enemy to thyself? Yea, a greater enemy than he or any man living can be to thee? For all the men in the world cannot make thee sin, except thou wilt thyself.
A father hath not so much power over his child, as to provoke him. Col. iii, 21: “Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath.” Surely if a man hath not this power over his child, he hath it not over his friend, his neighbour, much less his superior. Yet how many take delight in this, “Such a thing I know will anger him, and he shall be sure to have it!” O wicked heart! dost thou see that this will be a temptation to thy brother, and wilt thou lay it before him? Dost thou not pray for thyself and for him, “Lord, lead us not into temptation?” “We should account it the greatest evil to us of all the evil of afflictions, to be any occasion of sin to our brother; but what an evil should this be to us, to provoke our brother to sin? If we will needs be provoking, then let the apostle’s exhortation prevail with us, Heb. x, 24: “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works.” Let us not consider one another in a way of curiosity and emulation, to envy, or find fault with one another, from whence frowardness, pride, hatred, dissentions, factions, may arise, saith Hyperius upon the place; but consider one another, so as we may further the
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good of one another, so as to make one another quick and active in that which is good.
But how will this join us one to another?
A?zsw. Very much; both as it holds forth the goodness of peace with all men, and as it carries the heart strongly to the making and keeping peace with God and a man’s own conscience. This peace with God and a man’s own conscience will so sweeten the heart, that it cannot but be sweet toward every one. A man who hath satisfaction enough within, can easily bear affliction and troubles that come without. When Saul had made great breaches between God and his soul, and in his own conscience, then he grew to be of a very froward spirit toward every man. Before his apostacy he was of a very meek and quiet spirit, but this soured his spirit, and made it grow harsh, rugged, and cruel. This is the cause of the frowardness of many men and women in their families, and with their neighbours; there are secret breaches between God and their own consciences.