Irenicum, to the lovers of truth and peace heart-divisions opened in the causes and…

CHAP. XIV.

Dividing Distempers, the lusts of mens hearts.

1. 1Hoc disco mea experientia, quod non habeo tam magnam causam timendi extra me, quam intra me. Luther.

Whence are wars? even from your lusts. The Apostle doth not here condemn wars simply, this was the error of the old Manichees, raised up again by some amongst us; especially as the Wars are looked upon under that notion, raised for Religion. They seek to weaken our hands in these wars, by telling young people who have newly given their names to Christ, and therefore desire to be guided by the Word in all they do, whom God hath used under himself to be the strength of these wars, that they have no warrant to fight for Religion. To whom our Answer is, that we have a Civill right to the outward peaceable profession and practice of our Religion; we have the Laws of the Land for it, and for the maintenance of this right we fight. There can be no reason given why our civil right we have to our Religion, may not as well be maintained by the sword, as our civill right to our houses and lands. This answers all objections against the maintenance of Religion by the sword, from the practice of the Christians in the Primitive times, who never sought to maintain Religion thus. We say their case was not the same with ours; they never had any civill right to the profession and practice of Religion in the Countries where they lived, as we have.

Whence are wars? even from your lusts. The Apostle doth not here condemn wars simply, this was the error of the old Manichees, raised up again by some amongst us; especially as the Wars are looked upon under that notion, raised for Religion. They seek to weaken our hands in these wars, by telling young people who have newly given their names to Christ, and therefore desire to be guided by the Word in all they do, whom God hath used under himself to be the strength of these wars, that they have no warrant to fight for Religion. To whom our Answer is, that we have a Civill right to the outward peaceable profession and practice of our Religion; wee have the Laws of the Land for it, and for the maintenance of this right wee fight. There can be no reason given why our civil right we have to our Religion, may not as wel be maintained by the sword, as our civill right to our houses and lands. This answers all objections against the maintenance of Religion by the sword, from the practice of the Christians in the Primitive times, who never sought to maintain Religion thus. We say their case was not the same with ours; they never had any civill right to the profession and practice of Religion in the Countreys where they lived, as we have.

The wars meant in this Text are contentions, jars, divisions amongst Christians; though they did not take up the sword one against another, yet there were many quarrels, jars, and divisions amongst them, these came from their lusts. The lusts of mens hearts are very quarrelsome. Storms and tempests are here below in this impure muddy part of the world, in the higher part all is serene, calm, and clear. 1 Cor. 3. 3. For ye are yet carnal; how do's he prove that? whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal and walk as men? Strifes and divisions do manifest mens hearts to be very carnal.

The wars meant in this Text are contentions, jars, divisions amongst Christians; though they did not take up the sword one against another, yet there were many quarrells, jarrs, and divisions amongst them, these came from their lusts. The lusts of mens hearts are very quarrelsom. Storms and tempests are here below in this impure muddy part of the world, in the higher part all is serene, calm, and clear. 1 Cor. 3. 3. For yee are yet carnall; how do's he prove that? whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnall and walke as men? Strifes and divisions do manifest mens hearts to be very carnall.

August. upon that place, Gen. 15. 10. where God required Abraham to take beasts and birds for sacrifice, the beasts were ⟨p. 104⟩divided,¹ cut asunder, but not the birds: Thus (says he, by way of allusion) carnal brutish men are divided one from another, but not the birds, not those who are more spiritual, more celestial.

August. upon that place, Gen. 15. 10. where God required Abraham to take beasts and birds for sacrifice, the beasts were ⟨p. 104⟩divided,¹ cut asunder, but not the birds: Thus (says he, by way of allusion) carnall brutish men are divided one from another, but not the birds, not those who are more spirituall, more celestiall.

1. 1Carnales inter se dividuntur, spirituals nullo modo Aug. de civit. lib. 16. cap. 14.Carnales inter se dividuntur, spirituales nullo modo Aug. de civit. lib. 16. cap. 14.

Ye walk as men, says the Apostle, ye should not walk as men, ye should walk as it becomes those whose condition is raised above the condition of men, as it becomes Christians the redeemed ones of the Lord; you say, Can flesh and blood endure this? Can any man living bear this? what if flesh and blood, what if a man cannot? A Christian may, a member of Jesus Christ who is God-man, may. Chrysostom in one of his Sermons to the people of Antioch, brings in Gods gracious dealing with Cain, as an example for them to imitate, in their carriage towards those who carry themselves ill towards them; He brings them in also replying, God indeed was gentle and patient toward Cain, for he is God, he is above all passion, but we are but men; he answers them, Therefore did the Son of God come down, that he might make you as near as may be to God.

Ye walke as men, sayes the Apostle, yee should not walk as men, ye should walk as it becomes those whose condition is raised above the condition of men, as it becomes Christians the redeemed ones of the Lord; you say, Can flesh and blood endure this? Can any man living beare this? what if flessh and blood, what if a man cannot? A Christian may, a member of Jesus Christ who is God-man, may. Chrysostome in one of his Sermons to the people of Antioch, brings in Gods gracious dealing with Cain, as an example for them to imitate, in their carriage towards those who carry themselves ill towards them; He brings them in also replying, God indeed was gentle and patient toward Cain, for hee is God, he is above all passion, but we are but men; he answers them, Therefore did the Son of God come down, that he might make you as near as may be to God.

The Scripture says, The Saints are made partakers of the divine nature; therefore do not say, We are but men. You must not walk as men, but as those who are endued with the Divine nature. It is a great charge that the holy Ghost lays upon the Corinthians, that they walked but as men; yet many come short of the lives of men: they rather walk as dogs, as tigers, as wolves. Gal. 5. 20. The fruits of the flesh are hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings. All these are the causes or workings of divisions: Surely our divisions are the fruits of the flesh. We see it in nature, the more spiritual any thing is, the more it unites; and the more gross the substance of any thing is, the less it unites; the beams of the Sun are of a kind of spiritual nature, therefore thousands of them will unite in puncto, but it is not so in other things; spiritual hearts in this are like the Sun beams, though thousands of them live together, they will unite in one so long as they continue spiritual. The three thousand Converts, Act. 2. joined with one accord, with one single heart: We find it now by experience, so long as there be but a few in a Church, they agree well, but usually when they come to be numerous, dissentions rise amongst them; this is an argument that the ⟨p. 105⟩hearts of men are not spiritual, still much flesh remains. Brackish water ascending to the Heavens, is sweetened, it comes down sweet from thence; thus those things which have trouble, which have an aptness to breed divisions, yet spiritual heavenly hearts having to do with them, they turn the nature of them, they work spiritual advantage out of them.

The Scripture sayes, The Saints are made partakers of the divine nature; therefore do not say, We are but men. You must not walk as men, but as those who are endued with the Divine nature. It is a great charge that the holy Ghost layes upon the Corinthians, that they walked but as men; yet many come short of the lives of men: they rather walk as doggs, as tygers, as wolves. Gal. 5. 20. The fruits of the flesh are hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings. All these are the causes or workings of divisions: Surely our divisions are the fruits of the flesh. We see it in nature, the more spiritual any thing is, the more it unites; and the more gross the substance of any thing is, the lesse it unites; the beames of the Sun are of a kind of spirituall nature, therefore thousands of them will unite in puncto, but it is not so in other things; spiritual hearts in this are like the Sun beams, though thousands of them live together, they will unite in one so long as they continue spiritual. The three thousand Converts, Act. 2. joyned with one accord, with one single heart: We find it now by experience, so long as there be but a few in a Church, they agree well, but usually when they come to be numerous, dissentions rise amongst them; this is an argument that the ⟨p. 105⟩hearts of men are not spiritual, still much flesh remains. Brackish water ascending to the Heavens, is sweetned, it comes down sweet from thence; thus those things which have trouble, which have an aptnesse to breed divisions, yet spirituall heavenly hearts having to do with them, they turn the nature of them, they work spirituall advantage out of them.

The higher fire ascends, the more it unites; the flame that is broad at the bottom, as it grows high, unites to be as the point of a needle. When the hearts of Christians keep below, and have a great deal of smoke amongst them, they do not so unite; but when they can get up high, O what close, single-hearted union is there […] a crooked and a right line cannot join,¹ but two right lines will join in every point.

The higher fire ascends, the more it unites; the flame that is broad at the bottom, as it growes high, unites to be as the point of a needle. When the hearts of Christians keep below, and have a great deal of smoak amongst them, they do not so unite; but when they can get up high, O what close, single-hearted union is there 〈…〉 a crooked and a right line cannot joyn,¹ but two right lines will joyn in every point.

1. 1How many ways mens lusts cause divisions.How many wayes mens lusts cause divisions.

The lusts of mens hearts cause divisions many ways:

The lusts of mens hearts cause divisions many wayes:

First, they are mens own, therefore they will contend for §1them; nothing is a mans own, so much as his lusts; man aims wholly at himself in satisfying his lust: A Dog will bark, and bite, and fly in a mans face to preserve his own whelps.

First, they are mens own, therefore they will contend for §1them; nothing is a mans own, so much as his lusts; man aims wholly at himselfe in satisfying his lust: A Dog will barke, and bite, and flye in a mans face to preserve his own whelps.

Secondly, Mens lusts blind their judgements; Perit judicium §2cum res transit in affectum; when the heart is tainted, the judgement is soon blinded; if the beam of the scale you weigh by, be not straight, the scale that hath the light weight may weigh down the heavier; if our hearts be crooked, warping to any sinful lust, what weight soever there be in any arguments to convince, the scale will go according to the warping of the heart, the conclusion will follow the worser part.

Secondly, Mens lusts blinde their judgements; Perit judicium §2cum res transit in affectum; when the heart is tainted, the judgement is soone blinded; if the beame of the scale you weigh by, be not straight, the scale that hath the light weight may weigh down the heavier; if our hearts be crooked, warping to any sinfull lust, what weight soever there be in any arguments to convince, the scale will goe according to the warping of the heart, the conclusion will follow the worser part.

3ly. Mens lusts weaken their spirits, so as they are not able §3to hear any thing that comes cross to them; women; children,¹ sick people, who are weakest, fall out most with one another; things that are rotten cannot hold together, every little touch breaks them asunder; that which is sound hath strength to hold one part to another.

3ly. Mens lusts weaken their spirits, so as they are not able §3to heare any thing that comes crosse to them; women; children,¹ sick people, who are weakest, fall out most with one another; things that are rotten cannot hold together, every little touch breaks them asunder; that which is sound hath strength to hold one part to another.

1. 1Omne invalidum natura querulum.

Fourthly, in mens lusts there is confusion, they cannot §4be kept in order, therefore they must needs cause disturbance, not only in mens own spirits, but to all that have to deal with men acted by them; where there is confusion, there cannot be union; when there is right order in an army, though ⟨p. 106⟩the men be never so numerous, never so differing in other respects, yet if they keep their ranks, they are all but one; but if put to a rout and confusion, then the bond of unity is broken, and every man divides from another to shift for himself.

Fourthly, in mens lusts there is confusion, they cannot §4be kept in order, therefore they must needs cause disturbance, not onely in mens owne spirits, but to all that have to deale with men acted by them; where there is confusion, there cannot be union; when there is right order in an army, though ⟨p. 106⟩the men be never so numerous, never so differing in other respects, yet if they keep their ranks, they are all but one; but if put to a rout and confusion, then the bond of unity is broken, and every man divides from another to shift for himself.

In mens lusts there are contradictions; no virtue is contrary to another, but vices have nothing but contrarieties and contradictions in them. Mens lusts oppose and fight against one another in mens hearts; no marvel then when there are such stirs within, though they break forth into quarrels and contentions without: If a man be quarrelsome in his family, no wonder if when he comes abroad, he quarrels and contends with his neighbours also.

In mens lusts there are contradictions; no vertue is contrary to another, but vices have nothing but contrarieties and contradictions in them. Mens lusts oppose and fight against one another in mens hearts; no marvail then when there are such stirs within, though they break forth into quarrels and contentions without: If a man be quarrelsom in his family, no wonder if when he comes abroad, he quarrels and contends with his neighbours also.