25. The seventh: Whatsoever personal evil there is in any onewho is in a differing way from others is cast upon all that
Chapter Twenty-Five The seventh: Whatsoever personal evil there is in any onewho is in a differing way from others is cast upon all that are in that way.
T his you know was the practice of former times: whatsoever evil any rebellious professor was guilty of, it was cast upon all. They would say, "They are all like this; do you not see what hypocrites they are?
Whatever their shows may be, yet if they have the opportunity, they will be as vile as any men. Enough may be found against the best of them all if they were narrowly watched. This is their way; they are a company of dissemblers." Such kinds of imputations were cast upon the misconduct of any one, upon all, on purpose to enrage the people against them. We considered this hard dealing in the past; let us not now be guilty of such things ourselves.
Some such practice likely existed among the Corinthians when the foul act of the incestuous person broke forth. Some of them were puffed up, as the Apostle charges them. It is a very strange charge that anyone should be
puffed up upon such a thing as that. What was there in it to occasion puffing up? The answer is this: It is clear there were great divisions in Corinth; some sided one way, some another. Now, one of them who was of such a side fell into this foul and scandalous sin. Upon that, the other side thought they had an advantage against the whole party, and this puffed them up.
"Nay, do you not see what one of them has done? You may by him see what kind of men they are." This made the whole party low in their eyes; they cast the contempt of this one upon all that were associated with him in such a way differing from others. This could not but widen the divisions among them.
It is an evil advantage that many take. If they see some very erroneous in many ways and obnoxious in their lives, yet if these agree but in some one thing with those whom they themselves differ from, all the odium of these errors and loose lives must be cast upon such as they thus agree with in that one thing, though their consciences cannot but tell them that those brethren who are in a differing way from them do abominate such errors and looseness of life as much as themselves.
After God used Luther to bring light into Germany, many sects arose.
Papists say there had grown in the Church after Luther's time, in one hundred years, two hundred and seventy sects, whereas from Christ's time to his, there cannot be reckoned above a hundred eighty-one. Now this was the practice of the Papists: that they might cast an odium upon the Lutheran party, which they looked upon as standing most in their light. Whatever errors were held or misconducts of life appeared in any of these sects, all was cast upon the Lutheran party on this ground: because the Lutherans and these sects agreed in this, that they were all against the Papacy.
There are many among us who contend for several ways: Anabaptists, Antinomians, Socinians, Separatists, those that are for the Congregational way, Seekers, with many others. They all agree in this: that they are against the Prelacy. Do you now think it would be a just thing for the Prelates to gather together all the errors, opinions, and misconducts in life in all these sorts of men and cast the ignominy and odium of all upon our brethren who contend for the Presbytery? If they should say, "Look what vile opinions are held by those who are against Episcopacy; how scandalously many of them live; but they all concur in this: they would have the Prelacy down; they are enemies to Bishops." You would immediately answer, "What though they agree in this one thing? Yet such as are for the Presbytery are as much against the errors and disorders of those who join with them in this one thing as yourselves are."
We read in Jeremiah 29:26 that Shemaiah sent letters to Zephaniah against Jeremiah. Mark the argument he uses why Jeremiah should be dealt with severely. The Lord, says he to Zephaniah, has made you priest instead of Jehoiada. Why, what then? Where lies the force of his argument that Jeremiah must therefore be punished? It lay here: Jehoiada had punished one Matthan, an idolatrous priest; therefore, says Shemaiah, you must do as Jehoiada did; as if he should say, "They are both in one way." This Jeremiah was a priest, and so was Matthan; such kind of men must be looked to; they are all alike. Matthan was odious to the people; they all said he was not to be suffered. And they being in some things alike, therefore all the evil which was found in Matthan, all the odium that was upon him, must be cast upon Jeremiah. Certainly, this is a very sinful, unjust, uncharitable practice of men (especially such as profess godliness) against their brethren: it widens, heightens, and lengthens our divisions very much.
The eighth dividing practice is an inordinate cleaving to some while denying due respect to others.
This was the practice among the Corinthians which caused great divisions among them; some were of Paul, some of Apollos, some of Cephas. No question a man may in his heart more reverence and prize and outwardly show more respect to those whom God makes the greatest instruments of good (ceteris paribus) than to others. David showed more respect to Nathan than to Gad; Nathan was by far more intimate with him. The intimacy was such between them that Nathan thought it a very strange thing that David should do anything about disposing of his crown and not make him acquainted with it. So Valentinian the Emperor on this ground honored
Ambrose above any of the bishops in his time. Such men as God is not pleased to make so instrumental for good as others should not envy this; let them be willing that those should be honored whom God honors. But yet people should take heed that they give not so much honor to one that they deny due respect to others; and ministers and others in public place should not entertain, much less seek for or rejoice in any honor or respect given to them which they see detracts from that esteem and countenance that is due to others.
Peter Martyr upon that place, 1 Corinthians 3:4-5, observes that heathen philosophers were ambitious that their disciples should receive denomination from them: hence some were called Platonici, others
Pythagorici, others Epicurei. But this should be abominated among Christians. Lactantius has a notable speech against this: "Those," says he,
"cease to be Christians who take upon them the names of men and are not called by the name of Christ."
Peter Martyr upon the fore-named place says of Socrates that he was more modest than the rest; he refused to be accounted the author of that learning he taught others but said of himself that he was but as a midwife to be helpful to bringing forth that which was in the minds of men before.
The weakness and folly of people in their excessive giving or denying of respect are often caused, but more commonly encouraged and increased by the pride and vanity of teachers. These teachers seek or at least pleasingly embrace such excessive respect given to them, causing others to suffer. This leads to the formation of factions, resulting in more harm to the public than their honors are worth a thousand times over. This evil often results in reason and truth from one person being little regarded, while error and weakness from another are eagerly embraced and stubbornly maintained. It should be with reason and truth as it is with money: one person's money in a market is as good as another's, so should one person's reason and truth be as good as another's.