28. The Sinfulness of Our Divisions.
Chapter Twenty-Eight The Sinfulness of Our Divisions.
T hough there is sin in many things mentioned, we considered them in reference to our good that was hindered. But now let us consider what venom of sin there is in them.
The number 2 has been considered accursed because it was the first that departed from unity. The departure from that unity God would have is a very cursed thing, for it has much sin in it. That which St. Augustine says of original sin, we may well apply to our divisions: They are sin, the punishment of sin, the cause of sin, nothing but a heap of sin.
First, they are against the solemn charge and command of God and of Jesus Christ. 1 John 3:23: This is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another as he gave us commandment. It is not an arbitrary thing that we should love one another, but it is the command of God and a great command joined to that of believing in his Son Jesus Christ. The one is as truly necessary to salvation as the other. Let men talk of faith, of believing on the Son of God, of trusting to free grace in Christ, yet if they have dividing, contending spirits,
no love, no sweetness, no grace of union with the Saints, their faith is a dead faith.
Because God stands much upon this to have his people live together in love, at the beginning of the verse he says it is his commandment; at the end of the verse he says he gave us commandment. It is also observable that he says of the commandment of love that he gave us that commandment. It is a gift, for it is a sweet commandment. We should not only submit to it as being bound by its authority but should open our hearts to it and embrace it joyfully as a gift from God. The commandment of love God gives us as a gift from his love.
The excellency of these commandments is further amplified in verse 24:
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. I do not think you can find in all Scripture any command of God in one verse and a piece of another so inculcated and commended. Again, chap. 4:21:
This commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also. If you think you have any command to love God or to believe in Jesus Christ, know the same authority lays a command upon you to love your brother also. John 15:12: This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you. And verse 17: These things I command you, that ye love one another. Christ, you see, likewise makes a great matter of the Saints loving one another. Surely the sin then must be great that breaks such a great commandment as this, upon which God the Father and Jesus
Christ his Son lay so much weight.
Secondly, these unkind and unloving divisions are against the prayer of Jesus Christ, indeed against that prayer he made for us a little before he died, John 17:21. He prays to his Father that all who did believe and should afterward believe on him might be one, as his Father is in him and he is in
his Father; and that they may be one in the Father and him: as if he should say, Oh Father, I am now going out of the world, and I foresee when I am gone even those whom thou hast given me, who are one in me and in thee, will meet with strong temptations to divide them one from another: but oh
Father I beseech thee, let thy fatherly care be over them to keep their hearts together, that they may be united in the strongest union possible for creatures to be united in. Oh Father, let them be one as thou and I am one.
Would we not be loath to lose the benefit of that heavenly prayer of Christ for us in that 17th chapter of John? Read it over; see what soul-ravishing excellency there is in it since he has expressly said he intended us who live now in it as well as those disciples who then lived with him. Let us prize this prayer as being more to us than ten thousand worlds.
Luther writes a chiding letter to Melanchthon: By those sinful distrustful fears and carking thoughts of yours, says he, you do irritas facere præces nostras—you make void our prayers. How great then is the evil of our divisions? By them we do what lies within us to make void concerning us the prayer—that blessed prayer—of Jesus Christ.
Satan, says Christ to Peter, has desired to winnow you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith fail not. He shall not prevail, says
Christ. Why? Because I have prayed for you. Oh blessed Savior, is not thy prayer against our divisions as strong? Canst thou not prevail with thy
Father as well in this as in that? We know thy Father did and does ever hear thee; some way or other this prayer of Christ is and shall be heard; yet our sin is not the less for it tends to frustrate Christ's prayer.
Satan desires to winnow us in our divisions, but he desires not to have the chaff divided from the wheat; he rather would have the chaff mixed with the wheat. The mixing of the chaff with the wheat causes a great stir
amongst us: But Christ's prayer which helped Peter in his winnowing we hope will help us in ours; only let us not do anything that makes against it.
Thirdly, our divisions are against our own prayers. How often have many who are now estranged from one another previously prayed together, with their hearts seeming to melt into one another, so that one would think it impossible that there could ever be such a distance between them as there is now. How often have we prayed, "Oh, that we might be blessed with the mercy of worshiping God according to His own mind! That we might be delivered from conscience oppression and spiritual bondage! Oh, that we might be delivered from the inventions of men in the service of God, that the Saints might join and serve the Lord with one accord." There were never such hopes that the Saints should enjoy their prayers as there have been of late, and yet never were they so divided as they are now; they now seek to bring one another into bondage.
If five or six years ago, when many of us were praying together, making our moans to God for the oppression we were under, God had then presented us with a vision of times like these, could we have believed it possible that there should be such a distance in our spirits as there is now?
Fourthly, our divisions are very dishonorable to Jesus Christ. Were it only that they darkened our names, it would not be so much; but that which darkens the glory of Jesus Christ should concern us deeply. I have read of Alexander Severus, who, upon seeing two Christians contending with one another, commanded them not to presume to take the name of Christians upon themselves any longer. "For," he says, "you dishonor your Master
Christ, whose disciples you profess to be." It is a dishonor to a general to have his army routed and run into confusion. The Devil seems to prevail against us in these divisions, routing us.
John 17:21, 23 is a notable scripture showing the sinfulness of our divisions in the dishonor they bring upon Christ. It may be as strong an argument against them as any I know in the Book of God. Christ, praying to the Father for the union of His Saints, uses this argument: "O Father, let this be granted, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." And again, verse 23: "Let them be perfect in one, that the world may know that thou hast sent me." If they are not united in love and peace but have a spirit of division ruling among them, what will the world think? Surely, that thou didst not send me; that I, who am their head, teacher, and Lord, never came from thee. For thou art wisdom, holiness, and love; and if I had come from thee, then those who own me to be theirs and whom I own to be mine would reflect in their conversations something of that spirit of holiness, wisdom, and love there is in thee. But when the world does not see this in them but the complete opposite, they will never believe that I came from thee. Those truths that I came into the world to make known as from thee, O
Father, will not be believed but rather persecuted if those who profess them by their divisions and oppositions show forth a spirit of pride, folly, envy, and rebelliousness. Therefore, O Father, let them be one as thou and I are one. If this petition is not granted, how shall I face the world? I shall be contemned in the world. What am I come down from thee for such glorious ends as indeed those were for which I came into the world? And when I should come to attain those ends for which I came, shall there be such behavior in those who profess my Name that by it the world shall persuade themselves that thou didst never send me? O what a grievous evil this would be! Surely any Christian heart must tremble at the thought of having a hand in so great an evil as this.
Fifthly, divisions are sinful because they grieve the Holy Spirit of God.
Ephesians 4:30-31 says: "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." Surely there is no godly heart but will say, "O God forbid that I should do anything to grieve the good Spirit of God." It is the Spirit that has enlightened me and revealed the great mysteries of God, of Christ, and of eternal life unto me. It is that Spirit that has drawn my soul to Jesus Christ and comforted it with consolations more precious than ten thousand worlds. The Spirit has strengthened me, helped me against temptations, carried me through difficulties, and enabled me to rejoice in tribulations. The Spirit is an earnest to assure me of God's electing love; it has sealed me unto the day of redemption. And now shall I be guilty of so great a sin as to grieve this blessed Spirit of the Lord? If I knew wherein I have grieved it, it could not but make my soul bleed within me that I should have such a wretched heart to grieve this Holy Spirit by whom my soul has enjoyed so much good. I hope I should forever hereafter take heed of that thing; I would rather suffer any grief in the world to my own spirit than be any occasion of grief to that blessed Spirit of God.
But would you know what it is that has grieved it and what is likely to grieve it further? Mark what follows in verse 31: "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice."
And would you do that which may rejoice it? Oh! God knows it would be the greatest joy in the world for me to do it. Then verse 32 says: "Be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
Sixtly, these divisions do grieve and offend our brethren, and this should not be a light matter to us. Christ considers it a great evil to offend one of His little ones. We may think it a small matter to give offense to some of
God's people who are poor and humble in the world, as long as we have the support of influential people. But, friend, whatever slight thoughts you have of it, Christ thinks it a significant matter. You may look upon them as beneath you, and the times may favor you more than them; but if you give them cause to go to God and make their complaints to Him about any ill treatment they have received from you, saying, "Lord, You know I was for peace to the utmost that I could, as far as I was able to see Your Word as my guide; but those who were once like brothers to me now have estranged spirits, their hearts are embittered, their words and actions are very grievous, all because I cannot conform to their opinions and ways," certainly this would prove very ill for you, regard it as lightly as you will.
It may be that when others behave towards you differently than you expected, you vent your frustrations against them through quarreling, using harsh language, vilifying, and scorning. Your strength runs out in this way; but there is a generation of men who, when wronged, improve their strength in patient bearing and in making their moans to God in the exercise of faith, committing their cause to Him.
In Matthew 18:24-31, you have the story of the servant who had ten thousand talents forgiven him, yet took his fellow servant by the throat who owed him a hundred pence and put him into prison. The text says, when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were sorry and came and told their
Lord what was done. You do not hear them cry out against their fellow servant, "Oh, what a vile base wretch he was to deal thus with his fellow!"
No, but they went and told their Lord. It is not the way of Christians when they perceive wrong done to give harsh language or seek to right themselves or others through bitter provoking expressions; but their hearts being filled with grief, if they must vent it, if quiet debates with their
brethren will not ease them, let them vent themselves by pouring forth their complaints to the Lord.
Seventhly, there is much sin in our divisions because they stir up much corruption on all sides, both in ourselves and others. As if you shake a glass of water that has dirt at the bottom, the dirt spreads itself all over: so does the dirty stuff in our hearts when these divisions cause a commotion in them. That corruption is now discovered that neither we nor others thought was in us. Do not say in your hearts, or perhaps one to another, "Who would have thought it possible that so much filthy stuff should lie so long in such men's hearts undiscovered, which now appears since these unhappy divisions have been among us?" James 3:16 says where there is envying and strife, there is confusion and every evil work.
When snakes are cold, they lie still; but if the heat of fire comes to them, then they hiss and put forth their stings. Thus men's corruptions are heated by the fire of contention kindled among us; they begin to stir, act, and rise very high. The reason some give for the Apostle's prohibition in Ephesians
4—"Let not the sun go down upon your wrath," which Chrysostom also notes—is because when men's wrath is stirred by contending, if it continues in its heat until night, as they lie upon their beds their corruptions will be boiling. They will lie musing and plotting against those who contend with them; their thoughts in the night season will work up their corruptions to a great height. Have you not found it so? When the sun has gone down upon your wrath, you could hardly sleep that night?
William the Conqueror in his first year commanded that every night at eight o'clock a bell should be rung and that all people should then put out their fire, which was called the Curfew Bell. It would be well if some were admonished every night to cover the fire of their passions.
We also stir up the corruptions of others in these our divisions. Do you not see those distempers previously mentioned working and breaking forth in your brethren when you provoke them by contending with them? O pity your brother if you cannot pity yourself. Does it not grieve you that your brother should bring sin upon himself? Would it not be better for you to suffer than for your brother to sin? It is an evil thing to be an occasion of grief to our brethren. The Lord does not willingly grieve the children of men, but being an occasion of sin to them is much worse.
When did you ever meet with your brethren and have your spirits put into any heat? But after your parting, when you began to cool down, you then saw cause to grieve for unbecoming words, actions, and outbursts of passion that were either in you or them. Sometimes in a contentious debate there is more sin committed in one hour than there is otherwise in a whole year between those who live lovingly and sweetly together. Indeed, sometimes such corruptions are stirred by differences and divisions that one would think were not compatible with a saint; namely, rejoicing in the evil of other men, even godly men.
David said his zeal had even consumed him because his enemies had forgotten God's Word; but some men's zeal consumes them because their friends remember God's Word. The more inoffensive they walk, the more they are troubled. It would be endless to mention the uncharitableness, wrongs, malice, injustice, oppression, cruelty, and abundance of other sins caused by our divisions.
Eightly, yet further, as they stir up sin, so they harden in sin. Fire hardens clay into brick: thus are men's hearts hardened in evil by our divisions. Men who previously had tender spirits and whose hearts were ready to relent
upon any brotherly admonition now stand stiffly and behave scornfully. O this fire of contention has baked their lusts and hardened their hearts.
In Ezekiel 11, God promises to give His people one heart—a heart of flesh. While the hearts of the saints are united, they are tender; but when they divide, they grow hard. Hence is the reason why brethren who have fallen out find it so hard to convince either party of any ill behavior. They are angry and think they do well to be angry because their hearts are hardened.
Jonah was in a petulant mood; his heart was hardened with it. Let God Himself come now to convince him—he stands firm and will by no means acknowledge himself faulty; no, what he does he will justify—he does well to be angry.
Ninthly, there is much sin in them, for they are a means to keep others from God's ways. If this is their religion, for men to quarrel with one another, I will have none of it. Carnal-hearted men tend to blame Religion for all the failings of its Professors. You know what Saint Paul says in 1
Corinthians 14: If men speak with strange tongues, and there comes in one unlearned, will they not be to him as Barbarians? Will they not say they are mad? Thus, when the men of the world look upon those who profess
Religion and see their strange and divided ways, will they not think them even mad people?
I charge you, says the Church in Song of Solomon 3:5, by the roes and by the hinds, that you do not stir up my Beloved until he pleases. This is interpreted by some as follows: The roes and hinds are shy and fearful creatures, signifying those who observe the ways of the Church and are ready to take offense at anything amiss. Therefore, I charge you, say those who are faithful, to do nothing that may cause disturbance in the Church,
whereby observers of your ways shall be offended. If they see failings in you, they will turn away, and of all failings, none are more offensive to onlookers than wranglings and contentions. When they see this, they will conclude, "Surely this is not the way of Christ."
10. They are a very poor use of our zeal and courage. Zeal and courage have such excellence in them that it's a great pity they should be used only to raise and maintain quarrels and divisions. The Lord has use for every man's zeal and courage; reserve them for Him, for some notable work that God has for you, and do not waste them on things that bring no good. If soldiers near their enemies, having little powder, were to spend what they have on making squibs and fireworks, would they not be condemned for folly, if not treachery, by all? Those with the most zeal and courage have little enough to serve their purpose for the services God requires of them.
Must this be spent on unworthy bickerings, wranglings, and quarrels? A man's body is in poor condition if it has a sore that draws nourishment away from the parts of the body that need it; the sore is fed, but the other parts grow weak and feeble. Thus it is with many men's spirits; they are troubled, and whatever abilities they have are drawn forth to feed those troubles.
What account can be given to God for such use of them?
11. They greatly hinder the Cause of Christ now in hand—the great work of Reformation. Had we joined hand in hand together and set ourselves to serve the Lord with one shoulder, what abundance of service might have been done? How might the honor of Christ have been advanced among us by now? But while one draws one way and another another, one seeks to set up while another labors to pull down; how can the work go on?
You will say that things would indeed progress if those who differ from others would give up their judgments and practices to them—to believe
what they believe and do what they do. But how can this be? You would not have them give up their judgments or practices until they know they are right, and how can that be until they find out through discussion, prayer, reading, and meditation? If some men had certainly found out the right way and others knew certainly that they had done so, then the work would be at an end.
But when we complain of our divisions for hindering the Cause of Christ or the work of Reformation, we do not complain against men because they cannot all understand things alike. But this we complain of:
1. That all men who profess godliness have not joined in opposing what they believe cannot stand with godliness by all the means God has put into their hands.
2. That they have not joined to promote those ways of godliness which they are convinced are right.
3. That they have not joined to study what ways and means may be found to ease each other's hearts and consciences, to bear with one another as far as Christ would have them help and bear with one another. It is this that has caused such a stop in the work of Reformation. A peaceable, humble, and quiet discussion of things furthers the Reformation that Christ would have.
Do you think that Christ would be pleased with a Reformation where the lesser part gives up their consciences and practices to the judgments of the greater? Such a superficial handling of matters might happen quickly, but Christ must have all matters of His worship and doctrine consented to and practiced from a principle of faith. Let us join with all our might in all we know, and with peaceable, quiet, humble spirits seek to know more. In the meantime, let us carry ourselves humbly and peaceably towards those we
differ from, and Christ will not charge us at the Great Day for hindering His Cause—the great work of Reformation in hand.
12. These our dissensions are against a great part of the Covenant of Grace which God has made with His people in Christ and those many promises of peace that there is to be in the times of the Gospel. By these actions, we do what tends to make void the Covenant; we act as if saying that Christ is not come in the flesh. 1 John 4:3 states that every spirit that does not confess Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God; this is the spirit of Antichrist. Many men talk much about Antichrist, but those who profess the Gospel yet have unpeaceable, contentious spirits possess the spirit of Antichrist; they do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.
It is an argument used by Jews against Christ: they say if He were come, then that prophecy in Isaiah 11:6 would be fulfilled—"The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the cow and the bear shall feed together," etc. But this is not so; they cite many other places where Peace is prophesied about, such as Isaiah 9:7: "Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end." Those who seek His
Government should also seek His Peace.
Galatinus de Arcanis Catholicæ veritatis spends several chapters answering the Jews' objections against Christ from these and other places, as seen in Lib. 5, Chapters 6, 7, and 8. A special part of the Covenant of Grace is in the promise found in Ezekiel 11:19: "I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God," and in Jeremiah 32:38-39: "They shall be my people, and I will be their God, and I will give them one heart and one way." Many speak much of the Covenant of Grace but manifest little of this part of it in
themselves. If that which is against any command of God is sinful, much more is that which is directly against God's Covenant with His people, which tends to make even the Covenant of Grace ineffective; if it is ineffective in one part, it will be ineffective in the other.
13. By our divisions, we cross the end that God aimed at in the variety of His administrations in the gifts and graces of men. This was not Christ's end in dispensing gifts and graces in different ways, that there might be fuel for contentions and quarrels, but rather to exercise love. We spoke to this before; now only take notice of it as a consideration that sets out the exceeding sinfulness of our divisions.
The Aggravations of the Sinfulness of Our Divisions Firstly, that we who are Christians should be thus divided. It would not be so much if we were heathens; our divisions are against the very character of Christianity: "Hereby shall ye know that ye are my disciples, if ye love one another," says Christ. Love and unity are Christ's badge, the arms of a Christian, whereby he shows of what house he is. But by these divisions of ours, what do we do but rend the very arms that Christ has honored us with and cast them under our feet?
Secondly, that we who were so recently in bondage should, upon the beginning of our deliverance, thus fall out with one another, one from another, one upon another. For us who are newly come out of prison, who still have upon us the very smell of our prison garments, the sores on our necks from those yokes that were recently upon them are not yet healed, and yet we thus presently fight with one another—this is uncomely and very sinful.
Thirdly, the union of our enemies is an aggravation of the sinfulness of our divisions; how great a shame is it that they should join better than we?
Do they have stronger bonds of union than we? In Psalm 83:5-6, we read of ten or eleven sorts of men who could all agree in that which was evil; the text says, "They consulted together with one consent,"* it is in Hebrew,
"with one heart." There was Edom, the Ishmaelites, the Moabites, the Hagarites, Gebal, Ammon, Amalek, the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria is joined with the children of Lot. These were of several opinions and ways in matters of religion and yet could join. I remember
Gregory Nazianzen in one of his orations makes a bitter complaint of this,* "Who is there," says he, "that is of a right mind that does not deplore the present state of things? Who can find expressions to set out this calamity of ours, that thieves and robbers,* tyrants and whoremongers should be at peace among themselves, yet we cannot be at peace?" Revelation 17:13 tells us about ten kings of the earth who are of one mind to give their power to the Beast and to make war with the Lamb; shall not we be of one mind to fight against the Beast for the Lamb?
Fourthly, that such as God has joined in so many bands of union should so divide as we do—such as old acquaintances, dear friendships from former times, fellow sufferers—that such as are related nearly—brethren, sisters, kinsmen, kinswomen—such as live in the same family or are part of the same society or calling, such as have received much good from one another
—yet now they should be thus divided and thereby cause so much evil to one another. This is a sore and grievous evil.* Luther in an epistle to his friend Spalatinus tells him that if he must perish, he would not want
Emperor Charles to have a hand in it out of respect for him but rather let him perish by those of Rome. For he knows what misery followed
Sigismund the Emperor after the death of John Huss. Although we should desire that we might be no occasion of evil to any, yet if it must be so, better
a thousand times that the evil fall upon wicked men and those who are at the greatest distance from us than upon those who are godly and so near to us.
Fifthly, that such as agree in so many things—yes, in all things necessary to salvation—yes, almost if not in all the doctrinal parts of religion—yet because of some few things of lesser moment there should be such a fearful breach as now there is. This makes the account we are able to give of our breach worse and our sin greater. And this is the evil spirit of some; they wish our divisions were in greater things so they might justify their opposition more.
Sixthly, the sin is great because it is heart-division; if it were headdivision—a difference of judgment—it would be ill but not so ill. Jeremiah
4:18 says their wickedness is bitter because it reaches to the heart. This makes the wickedness of our divisions bitter; the heart commands the head but the head cannot command the heart.
Seventhly, they are worse because they break out as much as they do; wounds that take air grow much worse than those kept closed. It is an ignorant and foolish speech some please themselves with when provoked and vent abundance of choler in bitter wicked language: "When I am angry," say they, "I must vent what I have within; it is better to let it out than to keep it in." Indeed if breaking it out made it less within than before —as corruption from a sore when it breaks out—then there would be some reason in what you say; but it is otherwise. As more you act grace more it increases; so more you act sin more it increases. Besides heart-corruptions when they break forth dishonor God publicly whereas when kept in dishonor to God is only between God and yourselves.
Eighthly, our divisions are in presence of wicked men; we should not reveal our shame before them. Genesis 13:7 says there was strife between Abraham's herdmen and Lot's herdmen while Canaanites and Perizzites dwelt in land.* Their strife was more vile because it was before them. Let us remember when striving that Canaanites and Perizzites dwell in land. It is not safe says Nazianzen to entrust him who hates Christians with hearing anything against Christians.* 9. Our divisions are long-standing, and nothing seems to quiet us, as if they were irreconcilable. There is, says Nazianzen, a satiety in all things among men except in contentions; in food, in drink, in singing, in all things otherwise most delightful, but men never cease in harming one another. We are like cocks, who are easily set to fighting, and once engaged, they will not stop until they kill one another.
10. The recent Covenant that should have been a means to unite us has become a means of widening our divisions. This is due to false interpretations of it, by twisting its meaning to serve personal agendas, and by accusing others of perjury because they do not fully conform to certain expectations. Through this abuse, some seek to turn it into a snare for their brethren.
11. We are thus divided at such an unseasonable time for divisions as this:
First, it is a time of affliction. It was distressing for the Children of Israel when they encountered fiery serpents in the wilderness; similarly, while we are in a state of affliction, we become fiery serpents to one another. The Hebrew word that signifies afflicted also signifies meek, indicating that those who are afflicted should be meek. When a storm approaches, bees flock together to the hive. Jeremiah 50:4 states, "In those days," says the Lord, "the children of Israel shall come, and the children of Judah together,
going and weeping they shall go and seek the Lord their God." Judah and Israel could not agree at other times, but when they are in a weeping condition, then they come together.
Secondly, it is a time of Fasting and Prayer. England has never known such fasting and prayer as it has recently; no nation in the world that we know of has ever experienced the like. Shall we, in such times as these— when we are humbling ourselves before Almighty God and judging ourselves for the pride and rebelliousness of our hearts—contend against one another? Isaiah 58:4 says, "Behold, you fast for strife and debate, and to strike with the fist of wickedness." It is indeed a fist of wickedness that fights during times of fasting. Is this the fast that I have chosen? How do we acknowledge during our fasts our vileness, our unworthiness of the least mercy, our pride, our self-love, our envy, our passions—all those distempers that are dividing distempers—yet still we continue in them, and they break forth into dividing practices? Surely our fasts will rise up in judgment against us to make the sin of our divisions exceedingly sinful.
Thirdly, it is also a time of great mercies. We are afflicted but not forsaken; mercies should sweeten our spirits. This summer has been a continuous miracle of mercies; if our agreement and love for one another were now beyond the expectation of all men, as God's mercies to us have been beyond all expectation, even such a fruit of mercies would be the greatest mercy of all. But if instead of being sweetened by mercies, we become more embittered against one another, how great is this sin? If we take occasion from our victories at Naseby, Taunton, Bridgewater,
Sherborne, Bristol to seek to drive out of the kingdom thousands of godly men whom God used as instruments of such great mercy to us; will this not be sin unto us? God indeed brought us into a wilderness but has spoken
comfortably to us there; our wilderness is our way to Canaan. It was Joseph's charge to his brethren in Genesis 45:24 when they were going from Egypt to Canaan: "See that you do not fall out by the way." We hope God is leading us to Canaan; oh that we could see Christ looking upon us and charging us, saying, "See that you do not fall out by the way; do not grudge against one another." Let not one say, "You are the cause of our trouble," and another say, "No, but you are the cause of our trouble." Let everyone charge his own heart; let every man fall out with his own sin as much as he will, but let not brethren fall out by the way.
Fourthly, it is a time of Service. God has never put such opportunities for service into our hands as He has now. How many holy men who were equipped with great abilities and enlarged hearts for serving God and His people in former times lived privately and only enjoyed sweet communion between God and their own souls? Oh how they prized opportunities for service! How they thirsted after and eagerly embraced advantages for public work! They were willing to submit to anything their consciences would allow so they might be employed in work for God and His saints.
Though their encouragement from men was small, yet their work was their reward. But in those times, almost all places of public employment were in the hands or at the disposal of evil men. Could they have foreseen that within a few years there would be an open door for all godly men to fully employ their gifts and graces? How would they have rejoiced and longed to see those times and blessed those who should live in them! I am confident it cannot be shown that ever there was a time since the world began when so many godly people in a kingdom have had such a large opportunity for public service as in these last five years in England. Shall this opportunity
be lost with our wranglings and contentions? Oh how unworthy are we to live in such times as these!
When a master sets his servants to work on something of great importance —where losing the opportunity would be a great loss—if these servants waste this opportunity by wrangling with one another about their work or opposing each other in it, will this be a good account to their master? So much time was spent working but so much in quarreling that little work was done. We read of Nehemiah 6:3 when Sanballat and Tobiah—those quarrelsome companions—sent for him to meet them intending to quarrel with him. He answered them, "I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down; why should the work cease?" If we see men set upon strife and contention, we should not meddle with them or spend our time answering what comes from them. Our case would be miserable if we were at the mercy of every quarreller bound to answer whatever he pleases to put forth.
But let us tend to our work; these opportunities for service that we now have are too precious to give way to them—to be spent or lost upon them.
How just would it be with God to take these opportunities from us—to bring us again into such a condition where we would be glad for a day's employment in public service—and then oh how would our consciences trouble us for such poor use of them when we had them!
5. This time is the time of the trial of our spirits. We have never had such a time to test what spirit of love and principles of union are in us as we do now; and shall we now fail? May it not be justly thought that all our seeming love for one another, and our unity in the past, was only for our own ends? Before, we were all under oppression, or at least the fear of it, when we saw ourselves in the same condition, then the trial was not as severe. But now there is some difference in the condition of godly men.
Some have the times smiling upon them more than others; now is the time of trial.
The time of the trial of the spirit of Pharaoh's Butler towards Joseph was when he was out of prison, enjoying his position at the Court, while Joseph remained still in prison. Perhaps while they were fellow prisoners, he might have told Joseph that his heart did close much with him, and if he had any opportunity to be useful to him, oh what happiness he would think it to himself! Surely it should be improved for the good of Joseph to the utmost.
But when he was preferred, when he had respect among great ones, and Joseph still was kept low, then he was not the same man that he was when he was Joseph's fellow sufferer. Now he has other things in his head: Joseph is forgotten by him. Where this evil is, be sure God will find it out: for it is an evil very grievous to His Spirit.
Put these together, and it will appear that it is no time now to contend, whatever we do at other times. I remember I have read of Sir Francis Drake, having a dear friend of his slain by a bullet as he sat with him at supper.
"Ah," says he, "I could grieve for thee, but now is no time for me to let down my spirits." So when anyone shall do such things as might cause contention, speak to your own heart, "Ah, I find my anger stirred; I could contend, but now is no time for me to let my spirits rise in a contending way; these times call for peace and union, not for strife and debate." This is the 11th aggravation: we are divided in such a time as this.
The twelfth is that we are divided, notwithstanding we are all convinced of the evil of divisions. We cry out exceedingly against them: we tell one another that of all the tokens of God's displeasure among us, these are the greatest. Yet scarcely a man does anything or leaves anything undone towards any help against divisions or furtherance of our union. Every man
cries out about the thief, but who stops him? We all say we would have peace, oh peace is an excellent thing! But where is the man who is willing to bear any cost for it, either in putting up any wrong which he conceives is done to himself or bearing with his brother in anything differing from himself? The Lord may justly judge us out of our own mouths.
13. We have complained of others who were in positions of power, being of harsh, cruel dispositions. We have said if they had been of gentle, loving, peaceable dispositions, tendering the glory of God dearly and the good of their brethren as their own, what abundance of good might they have done!
We have thought in those times, "Oh if such men were in place, who were then our dear brethren, whom we conceived to be of holy, humble, sweet, peaceable spirits, very tender-hearted towards any they saw godliness in; had they power in their hands, what safety, peace, rest would the Saints have! How comfortably should they go on in their work! How would they be edified, praising the Lord! What a heaven upon earth should we have!"
And yet we find it otherwise. We may say we looked for light and behold (I will not say darkness) but behold dimness even from them: for brightness but behold obscurity.
Oh how do the actions of these men in some degree justify the harshness, sourness, domineering and cruelty of some of the Prelates! We hope nothing shall ever befall us as to be such a temptation to us as to justify their places.
But some of their persons are so far justified as there is occasion given to think they were not such vile men as heretofore we thought they were. For now we see what a temptation there is in having the times shine upon men, in having power put into men's hands. We see now that men who have other manner of principles than ever they had yet how sadly they miscarry when
they come under similar temptations. How can we answer Christ Jesus for these things?
14. We are still divided though we have seen the woeful evils that divisions have brought upon others; yet we cannot be warned by other men's harms. Those who are acquainted with Ecclesiastical Histories may furnish themselves with volumes in this kind. Who can read that short but sour History of the troubles at Frankford but his heart must needs bleed within him? And of late what evils have almost all the Protestant party in Germany and through the Christian world suffered by divisions! And yet we engage ourselves in them and are every day engaging ourselves more and more. How deep we shall sink the Lord knows.
15. In our very laboring for union we are divided; in our endeavors for peace we are at variance. Nazianzen in his 12th Oration rebuking this strange miscarriage of men has this notable expression: "While we would have charity, we study hatred; while we seek to set up the cornerstone which unites the sides together, we are loosened ourselves; we are for peace and yet we fight one with another." Our ways of late have been little else but doing and undoing; yea we cross ourselves in what we would do by doing what we do. We are full of contradictions in our own spirits and actions and we cry out about others that they are not consistent with their own principles.
Lastly, the sin of our divisions is greater because we make Religion patronize them. We divide from one another and all under a pretense of Religion. Surely this Virgin is forced for there is nothing more contrary to the name or nature of Religion than to cause or further divisions. The name carries union, strong union with it: Religio à Religando, from binding us again to God and to one another after we were divided by our sin. To
attribute our wicked divisions to Religion is no other than to bring down the Holy Ghost from the likeness of a Dove to be like a Vulture or a Raven.
What spirit is it that we profess ourselves to be acted by when we are working for Religion? Is it not the Spirit of God? And is not that a Dovelike spirit? Although we dishonor ourselves by revealing the baseness of our own spirits by our divisions yet let us not put dishonor upon the blessed
Spirit of God; this makes the sin abominable.
Nazianzen in his aforementioned Oration inveighs against this in those in his time: "In our pleadings for the truth," says he, "we belie one another; as if this were the way to maintain truth."