The Cures of Divisions: Considerations
God is love. There is anger and hatred in God as well as love: but God is never said to be anger or hatred; no, not justice itself: but he loves that expression of himself to the children of men, God is love. If God intended that all things among men, either in church or commonwealth, should be carried with strictness of justice, he would rather have governed his church and the world by angels — who have right apprehensions of justice, who are themselves perfect, altogether free from those evils that are to be punished — than by men, whose apprehensions of justice are exceeding weak, unconstant, partial, as often false as true, and have much of that in themselves, that they judge in others.
“When our yielding is through ignorance, cowardice, base fear, and not from a principle of wisdom and understanding; it is not so much out of true love to peace, as a foolish, ignorant, sottish, sordid spirit, of our own: whereas had we had a spirit of wisdom and courage, we might have peace upon more honourable terms. Indeed, many think every kind of yielding baseness; but they are, for the most part, such as are not put to any great trial themselves. But when our conscience tells us, that what we do is what the rule allows us, it is not because we would avoid trouble, but we find, through God’s grace, our hearts in some measure prepared for suffering, if God were pleased to call us to it, in anything wherein he may have glory, and the public may be benefited; but because, all things duly considered, we see that God in such a way shall have more glory, and our brethren generally more good. Therefore, whatever becomes of our particular satisfaction in regard of esteem, or otherwise, we are willing to yield; because in this we find our hearts as much closing with God, enjoying communion with him in all holiness and godly fear; and in other things that go as near to us, we are able to deny ourselves as much as ever. In this we may have comfort, that it is not baseness that makes us yield, but rather the grace of God enabling us to rule over our own spirits. The peace that we thus purchase with the suffering much in our names, and the loss of many comforts, does not cost us too dear.
God hath joined us together as we are men. We are not dogs, not wolves. Then let us not be so to one another. Acts vii, 26, Moses speaks thus to those who strove one with another: “Sirs, ye are brethren; why do you wrong one another?” There is a consideration in this, that ye are men. If there were no more, ye should not strive one with another: but much more considering ye are brethren. If we be men, let us be humane. What is the meaning of humanity, but courteousness, gentleness, and pleasantness, in our carriage one to another? But still the consideration grows higher, as we are the same countrymen, of old acquaintance, in the same employment, of the same family and kindred; but, above all, joined in such a blessed root, the fountain of all love and peace. Ephes. iv, 4, presents this consideration most fully to us. The reason the apostle gives why we must keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, is, because “there is one body, and one Spirit; ye are called in one hope; one Lord, pne faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.” Here you have seven ones together in two or three lines. It is very much that the Spirit of God should join so close together seven ones. Surely it is to be a strong argument for us to unity.
1. One body: the meanest member is in the body. Is it comely for the body of Christ to be rent and torn? Any reference to Christ might persuade unity; but union with Christ as the members with the body, what heart can stand against the strength of this? What can cause one member to tear and rend another, but madness?
2. One spirit: 1 Cor. xii, 11, “that one and the self-same spirit.” He does not only say, the same spirit, but the self-same spirit; and, as if that was not enough, he adds one to the self-same; and that yet not enough, he says that one. The repeating the article hath a great elegancy in it. And is not this one spirit of love and meekness? What does a froward, contentious spirit, do in thee, who professest thyself to be a Christian? What, says Cyprian, does the fierceness of wolves, the madness of dogs, the deadly poison of serpents, the bloody rage of beasts, in a Christian’s breast?
3. Called in one hope, are you not heirs, joint heirs, of the same kingdom? And do you contend as if one belonged to the kingdom of light, and the other to the kingdom of darkness?
4. One Lord. You serve the same Lord and Master. Is it for the credit of a master, that his servants are always wrangling and fighting one with another? Is it not a tedious thing in a family that the servants can never agree? Mark how ill the Lord takes this. Matt, xxiv, 49-51. That evil servant who begins to smite his fellow-servants, provokes his Lord against him, so as to come upon him with such severity as to cut him asunder, and to appoint his portion with the hypocrites; or, as it is in the Greek, he will divide him in two. He by his smiting his fellow-servants makes divisions, but his Lord will divide him. It may be he pretends that his fellow-servants do not do their duty as they ought, as if he were more careful of the honour of his Lord than others. But in the mean while he inveighs against others, smiting them with the tongue, and otherwise, as he is able. He sits at full tables, eats and drinks of the best, with such as are carnal and sensual. But they are great men; to have their countenance is brave. This is extremely suitable to a carnal heart, who yet keeps up a profession of religion, and hath some form of godliness. He is afraid to lose his fleshly contentment, therefore he smites those who stand in his way. Thus divisions and troubles are made in God’s family. The Lord, the Master of it, will reward accordingly. He will divide such, by cutting them asunder, and appointing their portion with the hypocrites.
5. One faith. What though we agree not together in some things of lesser moment, yet we agree in one faith. Why should we not then keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace? The agreement in the faith one would think should swallow up all the disagreements. We should rather bless God for keeping men sound in the faith, than contend with them for lesser mistakes. When the Pharisees (Acts xxiii, 9) understood that Paul agreed with them in that great doctrine of the resurrection, they presently overlooked his other differences, saying, “We find no evil in this man.” Our brethren agree with us in more fundamentals than this, and yet we can find evil in them, and aggravate their evil beyond what it is, and improve it all we can against them. This is worse than Pharisaical.
Mr. Calvin, writing to our countrymen at Frankford, (who fled for their lives in witness to the truth, yet miserably jarring and contending one against another there, to the scandal of all the churches of God in those parts) begins his epistle thus: “This doth grievously torment: it is extremely absurd that dissensions should arise among brethren, exiles, fled from their country for the same faith, and for that cause which alone in this your scattering, ought to be to you as a holy band, to keep you fast bound together.” Their contentions were about church worship.
6. One baptism. We are baptized into Christ’s death. And is not that to show that we should be dead to all those things in the world that cause strife and contention among men? Our baptism
is our badge, our livery. It furthers somewhat the unity of servants that they wear all one. livery.
7. One God. Though there be three persons in the divine nature, and every person is God, yet there is but one God. Here is a union infinitely beyond all unions that any creature can be capable of. The mystery of this union is revealed to us, to make us in love with union. Our interest in this one God is such a conjunction, as nothing can be more.
Joseph’s brethren (Gen. 1, 17) looked upon this as having very great power in it to make up all breaches, to heal old grudges. After their father was dead, their consciences misgave them for what they had done to Joseph. They were afraid old matters would break forth, and that Joseph would turn their enemy. Now how do they seek to unite Joseph’s heart to them? “We pray thee,” say they, “forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father.” And the text says, “Joseph wept when they spake unto him.” O this was a heart-breaking speech to Joseph! The servants of the God of my father! Shall my heart ever be estranged from the servants of the God of my father? The Lord forbid! This offence indeed was great; but their God is my God, and he was my father’s God! This argument had more in it to draw Joseph’s
HEART AND CHURCH DIVISIONS. Ill
heart to them, than if they had said we are your brethren, we come from the loins you did. True that is something, but the servants of the God of thy father is much more. Let us look upon all the godly, though they have many weaknesses, and have not carried themselves toward us as they ought; yet they are the servants, yea, the children of our God, and of our father’s God. Let this draw our hearts to them. If they be one with us in their interest in one God, let them be one with us in heart affection, to love, delight, and rejoice in communion with them. One God and Father. Mai. ii, 10; Job xxxi, 15. Is it seemly that one man’s children should be always contending, quarrelling and villifying one another? Do you think this is pleasing to your Father, who is above all and through all? You have enough in your Father to satisfy your souls for ever. Whatever you want other ways, he hath put honour enough upon you that he is your Father. Why will ye contend and quarrel about trifles? “He worketh in all, and is in all.” This scripture is one of the most famous for the union of the saints in one, that we have in all the book of God. You will say, If we could see God in such, if we could see grace and holiness in them, our hearts would unite; but we see not these. Answer. Take heed thou dost not reject any from being thy brother, whom Jesus Christ at the great day will own for his, and God the Father will call his child. Many men are of such spirits, they love to be altogether busied about their brethren’s differences. It is upon these their tongues and pens run; not to heal, but widen them. You shall not hear them speak about their agreements; their strength is not bent to strengthen them. Or, if at any time they do take notice of their union, it is to make them more odious: or to strengthen themselves in what they differ from them. They desire to get in men, and to get from them, only to serve their own turns. This is an evil spirit. Let us consider men’s tempers, spirits, temptations, age, gifts. There must be a due consideration of all these, and we must indulge something to them all. This would allay much strife, as we read Num. xxxi, 21. We must deal with every man according to his temper. Some men are by their complexions of a more harsh and rugged temper than others. Consider what is the best way of dealing with such. In the main they are faithful and useful, will join with and spend their lives for you. If the harshness of their natures cause excrescences, unpleasing carriages; consider their tempers. Though no evil in them is to be justified, yet deal tenderly with them, indulge them what lawfully you may.
Some men’s spirits, though upright to God and you, have a fervour in them that is not qualified with that degree of wisdom, meekness, and humility, as they ought. Do not presently take those advantages against them, which they may perhaps give you. Do not fly upon them as if those unjustifiable expressions that drop from them, come from a malignant spirit. You know the men, and the manner of their communication. Then pass by weaknesses.
Some men’s temptations are very strong. It may be their hearts are pressed with disappointments; they may be pierced with the wants of many comforts you enjoy; they have family and personal temptations that you are freed from: you do not know what you might do under the like temptations.
Bless God that you are delivered from them. Do not add to your brethren’s affliction by taking advantage against them; but, according to the rule of the apostle, Gal. vi, 1, consider, some all their days have lived in wicked families, disorderly communities, and never were acquainted with the society of the saints, and that way of godliness that hath the most strictness and power in it.
You must not deal with them the same way you would deal with others, who have a godly education, and early and long acquaintance with the most strict and powerful ways of godliness, but now oppose them. Consider men’s years. Old age looks for respect, and justly too; especially such as have gone through the brunt, and suffered much for your good. Though some infirmities should break forth, that are incident to old age, we must cover and pass by what we can, not forgetting that respect is due to the hoary head found in the way of righteousness. Consider men’s gifts, that may be they are not able to understand what you do. Thank God for your strength, but be not angry with your brother because he is weaker.
What we get by contention will never quit cost. If thou hast so much command of thy spirit, canst so far overcome thy passions, as to get time in cool blood to cast up thy accounts truly, what good thou hast done, or what thou hast got by such contentions; and on the other side, cast up what hurt thou hast done, what sin hath been committed by thee and thy party, what evil hath got into thy spirit; I fear you will have little cause to boast of, or rejoice in, your gains.
To be freed from that expense that comes in by strife, is not a little gain, says Ambrose. In strife you will find there is a very great expense of time, gifts, and learning. Many men, with the good gifts God hath given them, might have proved shining lights in the church; but, by reason of their contentious spirits, prove no other than smoking firebrands. It may be, by all the stir you keep, you will never get your end; if you do, it will not quit cost; the charge you have b,een at, comes to more than it is worth. God deliver me from having my end at such a dear rate!
The strongest have need of the weakest; therefore, let not the hand say it hath no need of the foot, nor the eye that it hath no need of the hand. God hath so tempered the body, that every member hath need of every member. Little nails may be useful where great wedges can do no good: little chips may help to set great logs on fire.
Consider, when men provoke us we are ready to fly upon them, looking no further than the men with whom we are displeased. But take another sight, and perhaps you may see the devil on the other side the hedge, who hath been the chief agent in this business. He prepares his net, Augustine saith, to catch men in: he raises up contentions, and causes much trouble to be in churches and among brethren.
You think all the evil is in the trouble of your contentions. O no; the devil is behind: he intends to bring some of you into some great sin by these things. He hath set his net for you. When you are troubled and vexed by such contentions, the devil sees you fit for a temptation. Now I hope, says he, to get him to do such things, which otherwise I could never have got him to. O that we had hearts, when we find contention stirring, to consider, but is there not a temptation and ruin in them? Consider how the heart of God is set upon making peace with us. He was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. This work hath taken up the thoughts, council, and heart of God, above anything that he ever did. This is the chief master-piece of all his works. There is more of the glory of God in this than in all that he hath done. This is, and shall be, the grand subject of admiration for saints and angels; the matter of their praises to all eternity. God was resolved to have it whatever it cost him, though the price were more than ten thousand worlds were worth. It was no less than the blood of the Son of God, the second person in the Trinity, God blessed for evermore. Col. i, 14. What God hath done for peace )y with us, calls aloud to us to prize peace one with another. It is the apostle’s sentiments. 1 John iii, 16. If it cost Christ his life to make our peace with God, we should be willing to do anything we are able, even to the hazard of our lives, to make peace among the saints. Christ laid down his life for this peace. Also (Eph. ii, 14) Christ reconciles both unto God. But how? It is in one body. Lay this consideration near and warm to your hearts, and it will comfort you, and so preserve and increase peaceable dispositions in you toward one another.
Remember, God hath called us to peace. That case upon which the apostle mentions our calling to peace, is as difficult a case to preserve peace in, as any can fall out in one’s life. It was that of being unequally yoked, one a believer, and the other an infidel; yet being man and wife, he determines that the believer must be content to live with the unbeliever, as it becomes a wife or husband, except he or she of themselves will depart; but they should give them no occasion of departing, but by their holy conversation seek to convert them. This was counted a hard task; but it must be, saith the apostle, and grounds it upon this, God hath called us to peace.
There is another case, almost as difficult as the former, where patience and quietness of spirit are put to trial; that is, when a servant meets with a harsh, rugged, cruel master, that treats him wrongfully. One would think this might be allowed to put the spirit into a rage. No, saith the apostle; such must be the command you must have over your spirits, that you must patiently bear this; and he grounds it upon, for hereunto are ye called. 1 Pet. ii, 21, 22. “But though husbands and wives should live at peace; though they suffer one from another; though servants should put up with wrongs from their masters: yet it follows not that the like patience should be required in us when we are wronged by our equals, by those to whom we have no such band of relation to tie us.” Yes, the argument is strong in this case also. 1 Pet. iii, 8, 9.
Consider the presence of God and of Christ. Our God, Father, Master, and Saviour, stands by, looking on us. It is a most excellent passage that I find in an epistle of Luther to the ministers of Nuringburg. There were great divisions among them, he wrote to pacify their spirits one toward another. “Suppose,” says he, “you saw Jesus Christ standing before you, and by his very eyes speaking thus unto your hearts, What do you, O my dear children, whom I have redeemed with my blood, begotten again by my Spirit, to that end that you might love one another; know that this is the mark of my disciples. Leave this business, cast it wholly upon me. I will look to it, there is no danger that the church should suffer by this, though it should be stilled; yea, though it should die: but there is a great deal of danger if you dissent among yourselves, if you bite one another. Do not thus sadden my Spirit, do not spoil the angels of their joys in heaven; am not I more to you than all matters between you? than all your afflictions and all your offences? “What, can any words of a brother, any unjust trouble, penetrate your hearts, stick so fast in you as my wounds, as my blood, as all that I am to you — your Saviour Jesus Christ?” O that we had such real apprehensions of Christ looking upon, and speaking unto us!
Let every man consider his own weaknesses. You are now ready to take offence from others, and within awhile you are as likely to be as offensive to others. There will then be as much need that they should bear with you, as now there is that you should bear with them. A common law of those who intend to live at peace one with another, is, we desire pardon, and we give pardon.
Now let us consider our mortality. It is but a little time we have to live. Shall the greater part of it, nay, why should any part of it, be spent in contentions and quarrels? Sprinkle upon your hearts the meditations of death, that in a little while this flesh of yours will be turned to dust; let this quiet you.
Consider what account we can give to Jesus Christ, of all our divisions, in the day of judgment.
When Christ shall come, will you stand before him with scratched faces, with black and blue eyes? 1 Thess. iii, 12, 13. It will be a sad thing to be found in our divisions at the coming of Jesus Christ! Matt, xxiv, 50, the coming of Christ is mentioned as a terror to those who shall but begin to smite their fellow-servants.
We may wrangle and stand out one against another in our contentions now, but it will not be so easy to answer Jesus Christ, as it is to answer one to another. In the name of Jesus Christ I now speak unto you; yea, as from him, I beseech and charge you, let no reason move you to contend with, dissent, or separate from, your brethren, but that which you are persuaded in your consciences, and that after deep and serious examination, will hold out before, and will be approved by, Jesus Christ at his coming.