A30587:870
Irenicum, to the lovers of truth and peace heart-divisions opened in the causes and…
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.
It is no new thing for divisions to be in the Church.
The Apostle would not have us think it strange concerning the fiery trial, he means there of persecution. The fiery contentions amongst us, are another fiery trial. We should not think strange of this neither; as if such a thing had befallen us that never yet befell any. I think for all circumstances it is every hard to parallel, but the Church in all ages hath been sorely afflicted with divisions. Act. 15. 39. Paul and Barnabas, two great Apostles, were so divided, that they could not keep company together, but went one from another in anger. The Text says, The contentions were so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from another. 1The word signifies such a sharpness as there is in vinegar. It is used by Physicians to signify the sharpness of the feverish humour when it is acting in a fit. Their dissension put them as it were into the fit of a Fever. You will say, Surely it was some very great matter that should cause such eminent and holy men to be in such a passion one against another, to be so hot as not to company together. Truly no: the matter was not great, it was whether Mark should go with them or no; the one would have him, the other would not have him, & about this the contention arose to this height. Read the Epistle to the Romans, to the Corinthians, to the Galatians, you shall find very great dissentions in these Churches: ⟨p. 233⟩And in after-times especially, when God delivered them from those ten bloody Persecutions, the contentions of the Church were very great. When Constantine came to the Nicene Council,2 divers of the Members of that Council accused one another to the Emperor, and put up Libels one against another, which Libels Constantine caused to be burned. After all the debates of the Council, with the presence of the Emperor, who laboured all he could for peace and union amongst them, making large speeches to that purpose, to them, yet there were five of them dissented from the rest in matters of greater consequence then any amongst us dissent from our Brethren, namely, in that point of Christs being of the same substance with the Father. I find in Eusebius this grievous complaint: