-- Direct. IX. Let not Sufferings make you sin by passion, or dishonouring authority
them as true Christians and churches, even when they thus drive you from their communion.
It is a most dangerous thing to a young convert, to be ensnared in a sect: it will, before you are aware, possess you with a feverish, sinful zeal, for the opinions and interest of that sect; it will make you bold in bitter invectives and censures, against those that differ from them; it will corrupt your church-communion, and fill your very prayers with partiality and human passions; it will secretly bring malice, under the name of zeal, into your minds and words: in a word, it is a secret, but deadly enemy to Christian love and peace. Let them that are wiser, and more orthodox and godly than others, shew it, as the Holy Ghost directeth them: "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying (or zeal) and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion (or tumult), and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality (or wrangling), and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."
Direct. IX.
Let not Sufferings make you sin by passion, or dishonouring authority Direct. IX. 'Take heed lest any persecution or wrong from others, provoke you to any unwarrantable passions and practices, and deprive you of the charity, meekness, and innocency of a Christian;
or make you go beyond your bounds, in censuring, reviling, or resisting your rulers, who are the officers of God.'
Persecution and wrongs are called temptations in Scripture, because they try you, whether you will hold your integrity. As many fall in such trials, through the fear of men, and the love of the world, and their prosperity; so when you seem most confirmed against any sinful compliance, there is a snare laid for you on the other side, to draw you into passions and practices, that are unwarrantable.
Those that are tainted with pride, uncharitableness, and schism, will itch to be persecuting those that comply not with them in their way: and yet, while they do it, they will most cry out against pride, uncharitableness, and schism themselves. This is, and hath been, and will be too ordinary in the world. You may think that schism should be far from them, that seem to do all for order and unity. But never look to see this generally cured, when you have said and done the best you can: you must, therefore, resolve, not only to fly from church-division yourselves, but also to undergo the persecutions or wrongs of proud or zealous church-dividers. It is great weakness in you, to think such usage strange: do you not know that enmity is put, from the beginning, between the woman's and the serpent's seed?
And do you think the name, or dead profession of Christianity, doth extinguish the enmity in the serpent's seed? Do you think to find more kindness from proud, ungodly Christians, than Abel might have expected from his brother Cain? Do you not know that the Pharisees (by their zeal for their pre-eminence, and traditions, and ceremonies, and the expectation of worldly dignity and rule from the Messiah,) were more zealous enemies of Christ, than the heathens were? and that the carnal members of the church, are oft the greatest persecutors of the spiritual members? "As then he that was born after the flesh, did persecute him that was born after the Spirit, even
so it is now" (and will be). It is enough for you, that you shall have the inheritance, when the sons of the bondwoman shall be cast out. It is your taking the ordinary case of the godly for a strange thing, that makes you so disturbed and passionate, when you suffer: and reason is down, when passion is up. It is by overwhelming reason with passion and discontent, that "oppression maketh" some "wise men madk:" for passion is a short, imperfect madness. You will think in your passion, that you do well, when you do ill; and you will not perceive the force of reason, when it is ever so plain and full against you. Remember, therefore, that the great motive that causeth the devil to persecute you is not to hurt your bodies, but to tempt your souls to impatiency and sin: and if it may be said of you as of Job, "In all this Job sinned not," you have got the victory, and are "more than conquerorsm."
Doth it seem strange to you, that "few rich men are saved," when Christ telleth you it is "so hard," as to be "impossible with men?" Or is it strange, that rich men should be the ordinary rulers of the earth?
Or is it strange, that the wicked should hurt the godly, and the world hate them that are "chosen out of the world?" What of all this should seem strange? Expect it as the common lot of the faithful, and you will be better prepared for it.
See therefore that you "resist not evil" (by any revengeful, irregular violence): "Let every soul be subject to the higher powers, and not resist lest they receive damnationp." Imitate your Lord, that "when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered he threatened not, but committed all to him that judgeth righteously; leaving us an ensample, that we should follow his steps." An angry zeal against those that cross and hurt us is so easily kindled and hardly suppressed, that it appeareth there is more in it of corrupted nature than of God. We are very ready to think that we may "call for fire