A30587:1106
Irenicum, to the lovers of truth and peace heart-divisions opened in the causes and evils of them : with cautions that we may not be hurt by them, and endeavours to heal them / by Jeremiah Burroughs.Irenicum, to the lovers of truth and peace heart-divisions opened in the causes and evils of them : with cautions that we may not be hurt by them, and endeavours to heal them / by Jeremiah Burroughes.
London: printed for Robert Dawlman, 1653
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
This is a good combat; such striving as this is, God and his blessed Angels look upon, and take much delight in.
THis is a good combate; such striving as this is, God and his blessed Angels looke upon, and take much delight in.
I find a notable story in the life of Alexander the Great, which may put on and encourage Christians in such a combat as this: There was a great King in India, his name was Taxiles, who on a time came to salute Alexander,1 and said unto him, What should we need to fight and make Wars one with another, if thou comest not to take away our water and our necessary commodity to live by, ⟨p. 292⟩for which things men of judgement must needs fight? as for other goods, if I be richer then thee, I am ready to give thee of mine; and if I have less, I will not think scorn to thank thee, if thou wilt give me some of thine. Alexander being pleased to hear him speak thus wisely, embraced him, and said unto him, Thinkest thou that this meeting of ours can be without fight, for all these goodly fair words? No, no, thou hast won nothing by them, for I will fight and contend with thee in honesty and courtesy, because thou shalt not exceed me in bounty and liberality. So Alexander took divers gifts of him, but gave more to him.
I find a notable story in the life of Alexander the Great, which may put on and encourage Christians in such a combat as this: There was a great King in India, his name was Taxiles, who on a time came to salute Alexander,1 and said unto him, What should we need to fight and make Wars one with another, if thou commest not to take away our water and our necessary commodity to live by, ⟨p. 292⟩for which things men of judgement must needs fight? as for other goods, if I be richer then thee, I am ready to give thee of mine; and if I have lesse, I will not think scorn to thank thee, if thou wilt give me some of thine. Alexander being pleased to hear him speak thus wisely, embraced him, and said unto him, Thinkest thou that this meeting of ours can be without fight, for all these goodly fair words? No, no, thou hast won nothing by them, for I will fight and contend with thee in honesty and curtesie, because thou shalt not exceed me in bounty and liberality. So Alexander took divers gifts of him, but gave more to him.
Oh that our contentions were turned into such contentions as these are! Let us rejoice in any opportunity of doing any office of love to those we differ from, yea to those who have wronged us. It was wont to be said of Arch-Bishop Cranmer, If you would be sure to have Cranmer do you a good turn, you must do him some ill one; for though he loved to do good to all, yet especially he would watch for opportunities to do good to such as had wronged him. Had we but a few leading men of such spirits among us, how great a blessing of peace might we enjoy!
Oh that our contentions were turned into such contentions as these are! Let us rejoyce in any opportunity of doing any office of love to those we differ from, yea to those who have wronged us. It was wont to be said of Arch-Bishop Cranmer, If you would be sure to have Cranmer doe you a good turne, you must doe him some ill one; for though he loved to doe good to all, yet especially he would watch for opportunities to doe good to such as had wronged him. Had we but a few leading men of such spirits among us, how great a blessing of peace might we enjoy!
Study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 1 Thess. 4. 11. It is not an arbitrary thing, the command of God lies upon it.
STudy to be quiet, and to doe your owne businesse, and to worke with your owne hands, as we commanded you, 1 Thess. 4. 11. It is not an arbitrary thing, the command of God lyes upon it.
I am verily persuaded that many of our divisions in opinion and otherwise, our hard thoughts one of another, are raised and fomented by such as want employment. Hence they go about from place to place, arguing, disputing, jangling about things they understand not; and yet think themselves to have a deeper insight then ordinary. I would be loath to add to the affliction of those, who by the rage of the enemy have been put out of their employments, and are come for shelter amongst us; God forbid that I should willingly grieve them, their case is to be pitied, we are to succour, comfort, and help them what we can; but yet I desire them withal to take heed of a temptation they may be under, and think not of it, in this their want of employment, now they are here they meet with variety of company, with all sorts of people, and having too ⟨p. 293⟩much time to spare, the Devil may soon and unawares to them prevail to cause an itching desire in them; after this opinion and the other, this and the other way, which having taken their hearts, they carry up and down what they hear, and what apprehensions they have of things, and persons, pleading and arguing for that they have but sleight and sudden apprehensions of, and by arguing, the thing gets down into their spirits, before it be thoroughly examined and understood, and being got down there, then it must needs be maintained, and so a spirit of contention rises in them, and seeds of contention are sown among others.1 It may be some of your callings are low and mean, and that may possibly be your discouragement: but let it not be so, for there may be as much obedience to God in thy faithfulness in that mean calling of thine as in the highest and most honourable employment upon earth, yea thy reward may be as great, for God looks at faithfulness in the work, not the greatness of the work. Let every man know, says Luther, that his work in any godly kind of life is a divine work, because it is the work of a divine call, having Gods command for it.
I am verily perswaded that many of our divisions in opinion and otherwise, our hard thoughts one of another, are raised and fomented by such as want imployment. Hence they go about from place to place, arguing, disputing, jangling about things they understand not; and yet think themselves to have a deeper insight then ordinary. I would be loath to adde to the affliction of those, who by the rage of the enemy have been put out of their imployments, and are come for shelter amongst us; God forbid that I should willingly grieve them, their case is to be pittied, we are to succour, comfort, and helpe them what we can; but yet I desire them withall to take heed of a temptation they may be under, and think not of it, in this their want of imployment, now they are here they meet with variety of company, with all sorts of people, and having too
IT is very observable, when God in the manifestation of his displeasure against the Devil, in the Serpent, cursed him, Then he says cursed be thou; but when he would manifest it against Simeon and Levi, it is not, Cursed be ye, or Cursed be they; but Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their rage, for it was cruel. You may be bitter against mens sin, so be it you show due respect to their persons; by denying that respect you might and ought to give to mens persons, you deprive your self of that liberty which otherwise you might take in opposing their sin, which is the thing you say you aim only at.
IT is very observable, when God in the manifestation of his displeasure against the Devill, in the Serpent, cursed him, Then he sayes cursed be thou; but when he would manifest it against Simeon and Levi, it is not, Cursed be ye, or Cursed be they; but Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their rage, for it was cruell. You may be bitter against mens sinne, so be it you show due respect to their persons; by denying that respect you might and ought to give to mens persons, you deprive your self of that liberty which otherwise you might take in opposing their sinne, which is the thing you say you ayme only at.
IF we found God blessing them to us for good, our hearts will be very moderate towards those that have done them. The over-ruling providence of God turning the wrong that Josephs ⟨p. 294⟩brethren had done him to so much good, took off Josephs spirit from practising any evil against them; but when this good shall come to us by the exercise of our own graces, it will be more prevalent to quiet and moderate our spirits. Philip of Macedon thanked some great men of Athens who had brought up ill reports of him, because both in speech and life he was the better labouring by words and deeds to prove them liars: the best answer to ill reports, is to live contrary to them.
IF we found God blessing them to us for good, our hearts will be very moderate towards those that have done them. The over-ruling providence of God turning the wrong that Josephs ⟨p. 294⟩brethren had done him to so much good, took off Iosephs spirit from practising any evill against them; but when this good shall come to us by the exercise of our own graces, it will be more prevalent to quiet and moderate our spirits. Philip of Macedon thanked some great men of Athens who had brought up ill reports of him, because both in speech and life he was the better labouring by words and deeds to prove them liars: the best answer to ill reports, is to live contrary to them.
