11. The Fourth Dividing Principle: Division is the Best Way to Maintain Dominion
Chapter Eleven The Fourth Dividing Principle:
Division is the Best Way to Maintain Dominion T his is Machiavelli's principle: Divide and rule. When division is embedded in a principle not only in its core but also in its expression, directly justifying it rather than indirectly supporting it, then it becomes truly powerful. Who can stand before it? When this is brought down to the people, it is expressed by the proverbial saying, "It is good fishing in troubled waters." The divisions of the times are our advantages. Some people's goals are best served when the Church and State are most divided.
They never had such gains as they do now.
It is true that it may be desired that people in evil things should not agree, so they may be like the witnesses against Christ who could not agree in their testimony. Paul cast a bone of dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees. But when people love division and desire its continuance, first, to maintain what is evil; secondly, to aim at their own ends without regard for public harm as long as their private advantages are served; not caring what house is on fire as long as their eggs are roasted; if they may have some poor, petty private benefit by them; thirdly, not caring what the
divisions are, whether against good or against evil, as long as their turn is served: this is abominable. Cursed is the person who wishes for, rejoices in, or seeks the continuance of divisions for these base ends. Indeed, that person is not worthy to breathe in so good a land as England who would not willingly lay down his life to cure the present divisions and distractions among us; who would not desire with Nazianzen, as formerly Jonah did, to be cast into the sea himself if only all might be calm in the public? Oh cruel, hard-hearted person who for his own private advantage is not sensitive to the woeful miseries of Church and State, and indeed to that dreadful dishonor to the name of God caused today by our sad divisions and miserable distractions! It would be just for such a person to be separated to evil and for his name to be blotted out from under heaven.
But if things were settled in Church and State, some people would not have such liberties as they do now; therefore, they are willing enough for our differences to continue. Their plot is to prolong them.
Answer: First, what you call seeking to prolong divisions may be what God now considers and will one day call seeking after the nearest union with Himself and the firmest union of His saints.
Secondly, the liberties these people seek are either evil or good. If evil, oh how dearly do they buy that which is evil by bringing upon themselves the guilt of all the evil that comes from our divisions! You need not wish any enemy more evil upon his head than this; certainly such a person has enough burden upon him.
But if those liberties they seek are good or even supposed by them to be so, why then should they fear a proper settling of things? Whatever is good can be no enemy to good. That Scripture, Romans 13:3, is enough to keep their hearts from fearing properly ordered authority, especially from fearing
it so much as to be driven by fear into such desperate guilt of wickedness as this is: to desire or endeavor the continuance of such public mischief for their own ends. Rulers, says the text, are not a terror to good works but to evil; will you then not be afraid of their power? Do what is good, and you shall have praise from the same. Surely then the power was as formidable to anything a Christian heart could suppose good as any power we are likely to deal with now.
Thirdly, it is a sign of a very poor, low, unworthy spirit to think that anyone in whom you have any persuasion there is any fear of God or interest in Christ should have no higher thoughts for their support and encouragement in what they conceive good according to the mind of Christ than those raised by hopes or desires for the continuance of such woeful evils in the divisions of Church and State. If they believed that Christ took no more care of them than this and left them to such miserable supports as these are, their condition would indeed be sad.
Fourthly, if such baseness of spirit as this were ruling in them—which contains all the malignity of an evil spirit's dregs—surely you would find it manifesting in them in some other things besides just where they differ from you. For certainly it is impossible for someone so abandoned by God to such dregs of evil not to break out into other vile evils in a short time. It would be strange if such horrid wickedness of a person's heart should break out in nothing else. The Lord therefore be judge between His servants and those men—yes, those men professing godliness—who have such hard thoughts of them; and may the Lord convince them of all their harsh words and writings on this matter.