19. The ninth dividing distemper, A spirit of jealousy. The tenth, A spirit of contention. The eleventh, Covetousness. T
Chapter Nineteen The ninth dividing distemper, A spirit of jealousy. The tenth, A spirit of contention. The eleventh, Covetousness. The twelfth, Falseness.
E nvy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 1 Tim. 6:4. Strife and evil surmisings are near akin. 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 is nothing above-board, they will think there may be something underboard; and from thinking there may be something, they will think it is 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 thinks 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.
Suspicion is like some jelly stuff that is got between the joints; if the bone is out of joint, and any jelly is got in, though it be but a little soft stuff, it will hinder the setting of the bone. I confess in these times, because we have been so extremely deceived in those who have been used in public place, in whom we so much confided, there is a great deal of reason that we should be very wary of men and believe (till we have very good grounds of confidence) with trembling.
I remember Melchior Adam in the life of Bucholcerus tells of a witty counsel of his to his friend Hubnerus, who being to go to the Court to teach the Prince Electors' children, at their parting, I will give you, says he, one profitable rule for your whole life: I commend (says he) to you the faith of the Devils. At which Hubnerus wondered, Take heed (says he) how you trust any at the Court; believe their promises but warily, but with fear; you may fear they will never come to anything. But in the meantime while we are thus fearful of one another, while we cannot trust one another, we cannot join one with another.
I have read of Cambyses; he did but dream his brother should be King of Persia, and he put him to death. Many amongst us do but dream of men, with whom our hearts are not, that they have some plots working, and how do our spirits work against them? Groundless jealousies arise from much baseness in our own hearts. Those who have no principle of faithfulness in themselves are suspicious of everyone; but as for those who suffer causelessly, in this thing let them be of good comfort: God will reward them good for what evil they suffer.
We read in Num. 5:28 that if a man were jealous of his wife so that he brought her to the trial by drinking the water of jealousy, if she were clear, she should not only be freed from hurt by that water but she should
conceive seed. If she went barren before, the Lord would recompense her sorrow and trouble she suffered by her husband's suspicion of her. And Paulus Fagius upon the place says, The Jews had a tradition not only that she should conceive but it should be a man-child; if she had any disease, she should be freed; and if she brought forth before with difficulty, she should bring forth now with ease.
Let not men therefore who are of public use, having their consciences clear yet because they are under suspicion throw off all in anger: Such a temptation many lie under; but let them know this temptation cannot prevail but upon the distemper of their hearts, the exceedingly sinful rebelliousness of their spirits; they should trust God with their names, their esteem, their honor, and go on in their work. The only way to deliver themselves from suspicion is their constant industry and faithfulness in all opportunities of service God puts into their hands; and with the more quietness of spirit, with the less noise they go on, the sooner will the suspicions they were under wash off and vanish to nothing; God will make their names break forth as the light; those weeds having no ground to take root will wither and die away.
The tenth dividing distemper, A spirit of contention.
As in some there is a strong inclination, a vehement impetus to whoredom, which the Prophet calls a spirit of whoredom; so there is in others a vehement strong disposition of heart to contention; these have a spirit of contention; these 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 that 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. 26:21:
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 Prov. 26:17: He that meddles with strife belonging not to him is like one that holds a dog by the ears. 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 you have 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 you in contending for the Truth and the Public.
The eleventh distemper, Covetousness.
This is the root of all evil; there is no greater plague to friendship than the desire for money, says Lælius apud Cicero. A covetous man is clever in foreseeing ways of gain, and he is stubborn in holding fast to what may be for his advantage. You know what a stir Demetrius and his fellows made in Ephesus when their profit was endangered; they would rather set all in a tumult than let their gain go. 1 Tim. 4:5. Envy, strife, railings, and perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness. How will some object against men, withdraw from them, and deprive themselves of the benefits of the gifts of God in them, of much good they have previously acknowledged they have received from them, all merely to save their purses, and that in a poor, petty way? What a stir has this Meum and Tuum made in the world? The sweetness of gain among men is like honey cast among bears; they will fight, rend, and tear out one another's throats for it. Those who will be rich fall into temptations and a
snare, and into many hurtful lusts, 1 Tim. 6:9-10. They pierce themselves and others too with many sorrows.
When divisions arose in Germany upon Luther's doctrine, men of base covetous spirits, judging Luther by themselves, thought that Luther made all this stir to get gain. Why then, says one, do you not stop the man's mouth with gold or silver? Another answers, Oh, this German beast cares not for money.
The twelfth dividing distemper, Falseness.
Nothing more firmly unites and holds together the Commonwealth than fidelity, says Cicero. Truth is a girdle. Stand therefore, having your loins girt with truth, Eph. 6:14. Truth binds, and falseness loosens. The Apostle
Eph. 4:25 exhorts to put away lying and for every man to speak truth to his neighbor on this ground because we are members one of another. The Romans esteemed truth so highly for uniting men into societies that they built a temple to it as to a goddess; in this temple all leagues, covenants, truces, and important bargains were made, which were so religiously observed that whoever broke them was held as a cursed, damned creature, unfit for human society. Rom. 1:29. Full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity. A man would be better off being true to false principles than being false to true ones. Those who are false are also mischievous: they care not what mischief they do to any so long as they may uphold themselves and repair that credit which formerly they had but now through their base falseness is cracked; and if they have wronged any by their falseness, they seek to keep such down, if not to ruin them, fearing lest their falseness should hereafter be avenged; and if they cannot get them down by force, they will seek to do it by adding yet more falseness, by flattering those whom their hearts hate and would gladly ruin. That Scripture, Prov. 26:28,
is very remarkable for this: A lying tongue hates those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth works ruin. Psal. 72:14. He shall deliver their soul from deceit and violence. If men who are false cannot accomplish their ends by deceit, they will seek to do it by violence: God has His time to deliver
His saints from both. Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.