“To father our wicked divisions upon religion is no other than to bring down the Holy Ghost in the likeness of a dove to be like a vulture or a raven” (Burroughs, Irenicum, p. 313).
Don’t Give the Agenda to Quarrelers
“Our case would be miserable if we were at the mercy of every quarreler, bound to answer whatsoever he please to put forth. But let us tend to our work” (Burroughs, Irenicum, p. 309).
Some Marks of the Covenant of Grace
“A special part of the covenant of grace is in that promise in Ezekiel 11:19:20: ‘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 Jeremiah 32:38-39: ‘They shall be My people, and I will be their …
Baked Lust
“Eight, further, as they stir up sin so they harden in sin. Fire hardens the clay into a brick. Thus are men’s hearts hardened in evil by our divisions. The hearts of men who heretofore had tender spirits were ready to relent upon any brotherly admonition. Now they are stiff; they stand out sturdily, yea, …
Improving Strength
“But there is a generation of men who, being wronged, improve their strength by patiently bearing it, yet in making their moan to God in the exercise of faith, in committing their cause to Him” (Burroughs, Irenicum, p. 293).
How to Hinder
“When God would hinder the work of building Babel, He came down and confounded their tongues so that they could not join together in it. Thus, when the devil would hinder the work of Jerusalem, he knew no way more likely than by dividing the hearts of those who were employed, if he could, that …
Sour Gifts
“Many men have excellent gifts, but they are in such sour, vinegary spirits that they are of little or no use in church and commonwealth” (Burroughs, Irenicum, p. 28).
Muddy Water
“These quarrels hinder men’s judgments. If the water is muddy, we cannot see what lies at the bottom” (Burroughs, Irenicum, p. 276).
The Implacable Hatred of Divines
“Contentions cause much perverseness in men’s tongues, and this causes a breach in their spirits. Your contending costs you dearly. Though it were in nothing else, yet the loss of this sweetness of spirit makes it very costly to you. All the wrong that you would have endured if you had not contended would not …
Men and Bees
“When the bee stings, she leaves her sting behind her and never gathers honey more. Men, but by stinging one another, do not lose their stings, but they lose their honey” (Burroughs, Irenicum, p. 274).