NO marvail though Israel be charged , ver. 1. to be an empty vine , seeing their heart is divided . Heart-division will cause emptinesse of good , both in mens spirits , and in Church and State . The least dividing of the heart , in any one part from another , if it be but by the prick of a pin , is deadly ; a great gash in the head is curable . There may be much difference in mens opinions without any great hurt , if this difference gets not to the heart ; but if once it gets in there , the danger is great ; Now shall they be found faulty , Now shall they be guilty ; or as some , Nunc delinquent , Now they will offend ; as if Heart-division contracted the greatest guilt , and by it men were the greatest Delinquents of any . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word signifies also to perish , to be made desolate , so Arius Montanus , Desolabuntur . Heart-division is a desolating sinne , by the judgment of God upon them for it , they shall be convinced in their own consciences , and in the sight of all men , that they were guilty ; that by such a sin as this , they had bound themselves over to the justice of God , & those desolating evils that came upon them , were the righteous judgments of God upon them for those divisions that were amongst them . Men wil not be convinced of their sin , till Gods judgement is upon them for it ; and then their consciences will , and others shall see that God is righteous , and they are vile and sinfull before him , even in such things that before they pleaded for , or at least could not be brought to own their own guiltiness in . When thunder and raine came upon the men of Israel in their wheat Harvest , and they were afraid they should dye , 1 Sam. 12. 18 , 19. then they could say , We have added unto all our sinnes this evill to aske us a King .

The Lord convince us of , and humble us for the sinfulnesse of our divisions by his word , that desolating judgments be not upon us to convince and humble us .

This Heart-division is either from God , or from one another .

Their heart is divided between God and their Idols ; They would not cast off the worship of God wholly , that was too much ; they loved their Idols , but they must not have all : to divide between God and them they thought was faire . Their hearts were also divided one from another ; and just it is with God , that those who divide from him , should divide one from another . 2 King . 15. you may see what wofull divisions there were amonst them , King against people , and people against King , Civill Wars . Their King comes upon one of their owne Towns , and smites it , and rips up all the women that were with Child in it , and all because they opened not to him . O the rage and cruelty of men of proud spirits , when they get power into their hands ! for then their pride swells , being blown up with the flatteries of such as are about them : As if they were such gods upon earth , as they might doe whatsoever they pleased , and the lives , estates , liberties , comforts of all must lie under their feet , and must submit to their lusts and humours . You shall find further in the whole Chapter , there was nothing but conspiring , mischieving , and murthering one another . In their Church State there was nothing but factions and rents one from another ; some were for the true worship , some for the false . And amongst the false worshippers there were divisions too : Some were for the calves that Jeroboam set up at Dan and Bethel ; some were for Baal : great contention there was between these . You know the story of Jehu an Idolater , yet destroying the worshippers of Baal and his Idols .

The Jewes of old understood this Text of these Heart-divisions amongst themselves , as well as of their divisions from God , which appears by a notable tradition of theirs , St. Jerom in his Comment upon these words , relates : whereas ( says he ) the Scripture , 2 King . 17. tells us , that Hoshea was the last King of Israel , and in his time Israel was carryed captive ; yet vers. 2. It is said , He did not evill in the sight of the Lord , as the Kings of Israel that were before him . Now the Jewes put this Question , Why was not Israel carryed captive with their King , when they had the worst King , but rather when things seemed to goe something better then before ? God yet chooses this time .

The Answer they give , is , Because in former times the people might pretend , they could not tell how to help what they did amisse in the matter of Worship ; Indeed they worshipped the Calves , but they were forced to it by the tyranny of their Kings , it should be the losse of all they had if they did not : but ( say they ) in the days of Hoshea there was more liberty given then before . Now those who would , might goe up to Jerusalem to worship , and that they say is the reason of that expression , that Hoshea did not evill as other Kings had done ; but when they came to have more liberty , they fell to wrangling amongst themselves , ( which is an usuall concomitant of liberty ) now their division rose high , some would to up to Jerusalem to worship , others would not ; those that went up , cryed out of those who went not ; and those who went not , vilified those who went . Now their hearts are thus divided , now shall they be found guilty . The desolating judgment must now come . This is the time for their captivity . Now he gives them up to the Enemie . God was exceedingly provoked with their contentions one against another at this time . What ? ( says God ) when I was in some way of favour towards them , when I took off ( in great part ) the yoke of bondage that was upon them , that sore oppression that was before , none of them ( a while since ) dared goe to Jerusalem to worship , and now their Governours are more moderate , their oppressing Courts are downe , there is more liberty in the Land for my true worship , and do they now fall out , contemn , divide , wrangle one with another ? let them goe into captivity , let the enemy come in upon them , my soule takes no delight in such a crooked perverse Generation as this is .

Our condition seems to parallel with theirs very much , we lately were under sore and cruell bondage , nothing was more dangerous then the worshipping God in his own way , wee were under hard Task-masters , oppressing , undoing Courts ; The Lord hath in a great measure delivered us , it is the unthankfulness , the sinfull distemper of mens spirits that makes them say , what is done ? it is as ill with us as ever it was ; No , we have much ease , such liberties , as were our fore-fathers raised out of their graves to see , they would admire Gods goodness , and bless him with meltings of heart ; but we spend that strength in siding , wrangling , contending , quarrelling , vexing , opposing one another , that we should spend in magnifying , blessing and praising the Name of God for that mercy we enjoy . We are a divided people , whose hearts are divided , and heads too , and hands too ; peace and unity seems to be flown from us , and a spirit of contention and division is come upon us : King & Subjects are divided , Parl. is divided , Assembly is divided , Armies are divided , Church is divided , & State is divided , City is divided , Country is divided , Towns are divided , Families divided , godly people are divided , Ministers almost every where are divided ; yea , and what heart almost is there at this time but is divided in it self ? the thoughts , the counsels , contrivances , endeavours , ways of men , almost of all men , how are they divided ? O blessed Saviour ! are these the times thou speakest of , wherein five should be in one house divided , three against two , and two against three ; the father against the son , and the son against the father ; the mother against the daughter , and the daughter against the mother ? Oh woe to us ! wee find it so amongst us , and yet there is found no healing ; we are broken , and there is no binding up : It is with us as it was with Ezek. 2. 6. Briars and thorns are with us , and we dwell among Scorpions . O Lord , what is this thy curse at this time upon England ? Bryers and thornes shall it bring forth : We are rending and tearing , and devouring one another , while the adversary stands before us ready to devour us : Ephraim is against Manasseh , and Manasseh against Ephraim . A fire is come out from Abimilech , and devours the men of Sechem ; and fire comes from the men of Sechem , and devours Abimilech ; yea , there is a fire kindled in our owne bowels , it rises from our selves . Ezek. 19. 14. Fire is gone on t of a rod of her branches , which hath devoured her fruit , so that shee hath no strong rod to be a Seepter to rule , this is a lamentation , and shall be for a lamentation . This is amongst us at this day , and how long it shall continue , God onely knows .

What this people were in their divided condition , that we are ; and what does this threaten , but that we should be as they a while after this were ? namely , a people given up to the rage and fury of the Enemie , which the Lord forbid .

There is a great out-cry of our divisions , and while we cry out against them , wee still encrease them ; we are angry with men rather , because they are divided from our selves , then because they are divided from the truth ; we are angry because every man is not of our own mind , & does not as we do . There was a great deal of doe in Luthers time about the seamless coat of Christ . Granvillian the Emperours Deputy in a Speech he made to the Citizens of Wormes , Sleid. Com. lib. 13. beseeches them for the death of Christ , and for all loves , that they would amend our Lords coate , which is rent and torn on every side . When Luther laboured to bring Reformation to the Rule , they bad him take heed that he did not rend the seamless coat of Christ ; and because they talked so much of the tunica inconsutilis , they were called the Inconsutilistae , the seamelesse men : And what a stirre hath there been in out-cryes against men that would not yeeld to every thing that was enjoyned ? O they rent the seamlesse Coat of Christ . I remember Musculus in a Tract he hath De Schismate , hath a witty and pious note upon this , The Souldiers ( saith he ) would not divide the seamelesse coat of Christ ; but what made them to be so carefull of it ? was it out of respect to Christ , that they were so unwilling it should be divided ? No , but out of respect to their owne advantage , every one hoping it might fall to his share , therefore say they , Let us cast lots for it ; so , saith he , men would not have Christs coat divided , they would have no division in the Church ; but what do they aime at ? their own advantage , that they might enjoy quietly their owne ease , honour , and means , that they might have none to contradict them , but that the streame may run smoothly and wholly with them , what a fine brave thing were this ? And because they see they cannot doe this while their ways are looked into and crossed , therefore they make such an outcry against the dividing the seamlesse coat of Christ .

But certainly , till our hearts be otherwise then yet they are , all our out-cries wil not serve our ends , the stilling our divisings . Did we less divide between God and our own ends , our own way● , we should not divide so much one from another . Wherefore let us first turn our thoughts to consider a little of this division between God and other things , and the evil of it .

THis people would give God something , and their idols something , and so think to please both , 2 King . 7. 33. They feared the Lord , and served their Idolls . Thus Judah in the days of Josiah , Zeph. 1. 5. sware by the Lord , and by Malcham ; Swearing is a part of Gods worship , therefore no humane instituted Religious ceremony ought to be joyned with it , no more then with the Sacrament , or any other divine worship , no creature should share in it , but they joyned Malcham , that is their King . The worship and service proper to God hath been too much divided between God and the Kings of the Earth ; but here it 's probable is meant their Idoll , to which they gave a Kingly power over them , their Idoll Moloch had his name from hence .

I have read of Redwald King of the East Saxons , the first Prince of his Nation that was baptized , in the same place worshipped Christ , and set up an Altar to worship his Idols . Many mens spirits lye like that Haven , Acts 26. 12. towards the Southwest and Northwest , two opposite points : Surely their spirits must needs be very winding and crooked which lye towards such opposites .

This dividing with God is very wicked ; what communion hath God with Belial ? How can you partake of the Table of the Lord , and the Table of Devills ? 1 Cor. 10. 21. And lest they should thinke it a light thing thus to divide with God , hee adds , vers. 22. Doe we provoke the Lord to jealousie ? are we stronger then he ? It is a great provoking of God , and a fighting against him , thus to divide in his worship . To think that God should accept of such a dividing , is to make him cruel , like that Harlot , 1 King . 3. 26. who was content to have the child divided , Let it be neither mine nor thine , but let it be divided . Gods worship is as deare to him as any child can be to the most tender-hearted mother in the world . When Darius would have divided with Alexander , No , sayes Alexander , there can be but one Sun in the Firmament . If we will be dividing with God , he will cast off all . 2 King . 17. 33. it is said , they feared the Lord , and served their Idolls ; but vers. 34. it is said , they did not feare God , God accounted a divided feare no feare at all . Verse 16. it is said , They left all the Commandements of the Lord their God , and made them molten Images . If they give any part of Gods honour to molten Images , he acknowledges no honour at all given to him , he accounts all his Commandements to be left . So Jer. 32. 23. They have done nothing of all that thou commandest them to doe : and vers. 30. The children of Israel and the children of Judah have onely done evill before me .

God is infinite , and hath all excellency in him , therefore he must have the whole heart ; Idols doe not challenge so much , because they have not an universall excellency , a piece of worship is enough for them ; our hearts , estates , liberties , all wee are or have , are more Gods then our owne . Cyrus tooke Babylon by dividing the River : The Devill soon surprizes us , if he can but divide our hearts .

The reason why heathen Rome rejected Christ from being of the number of their gods , when such a thing was tendred to their Senate , was , Because ( say they ) if we receive him to be a God , he will suffer none of our other gods ; if we take in any other new god , we may yet retain still our old ones ; but if we take this Jesus , all our old ones must be abandoned . Many at this day reject Christ upon this ground .

The Romanists since thinke they can take in Christ for a God , and yet divide between him and other gods ; their Religion is made up of divisions between God and their graven Images ; between Christ the Mediator , and Saints and Angels ; between the Word , and their owne Traditions ; between Divine Institutions , and Humane Inventions .

1 King . 18. 21. Why halt ye between two opinions ? Wee must not be voluntary Cripples to halt between two . Why are you dismembred in your hearts and your opinions ? so Josephus in his History mentioning that place . That is observable , when the Prophet put that question to them , the Text saith , The people held their peace , their mouths were stopped , they had not a word to say for themselves . If any thing be pretended for this dividing , it is that trouble may be prevented : exactnesse in Religion , through Reformation , giving up our selves wholly to God and his truth , hath a shew of bringing much trouble with it . Hence men winde and shift about , and doe what they doe by halves .

It was a notable speech of Calvin to those who were offended with troubles they met with in the work of Reformation , Si di midio Christi essemus contenti , facile transigeremus omnia . If wee could be content with halfe a Christ , ( sayes he ) our worke would more easily goe on , we could soone bring about what wee would have , we should not meet with so much opposition , but nothing but a whole Christ will serve our turne .

But it is necessary that all things be reformed at once ? Object. 1.

No : Answ. Affirmative Precepts doe not binde to all times , but Negative doe ; therefore it is necessary at all times , that there be no mixture of evill with any good we doe , that our Mediocrity be not Medium participationis , but Medium abnegationis , between two extreams , which are evill , but not partaking of any evill ; no good thing is moderated by mixture of evill , but by removing from it something that is evill , that hath already mingled it selfe with it .

But must God have all our hearts , Object. 2. so as we may not let them out at all to any thing else ?

WHen they divided from God , then they divided from his people , they would not joyn with his people in the way of his worship , only such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel , went to Ierusalem to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers , 2 Chr. 11. 16. only those whose hearts the Lord touched ; but others for their owne carnall ends would not joyn with them , they saw trouble attended that way ; and having divided themselves from God & his people , it was Gods curse upon them that they should be divided one from another ; if you be divided from the truth , what can hold you together ? 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Chrys. Hom. 3. ad Rom. Truth is a single , simple , plain thing , but error is various , and ensnarls it self with infinite contradictions : If people goe out of the plaine path of truth , they wander up and down God knows whither , intangling themselves in bryars and thornes , so as they cannot extricate themselves : As those ten Tribes which at first divided from Iudah only in their subjection to the house of David , and in their worship at Ierusalem , but after they denied all Scripture but only the 5. books of Moses : They were exceedingly given , and generally addicted unto sorcery , magick , and witch-craft , in which they grew more and more notorious till Christs time . This is intimated in that blasphemy of the Jewes against our Saviour , Vide Montague Act. & Mon. of the Church cap. 7. p. 473. 474. &c. Thou art a Samaritan , and hast a Devil , taxing him with the practice of that people , who commonly being Witches , had familiar spirits attending on them , for otherwise they knew he was no Samaritan , but a Galilean of Nazareth : They were also exceedingly divided amongst themselves . Epiphanius recites four severall sects of them , the Ossens , Sebuaeans , Gorthenians , and Positheans ; Truth is the bond that keeps to unity , but errour is wilde , you know not where to find it , nor your selves if you give way to it : Our present times will be a testimony of this to all future generations . The wild and unruly divisions of our times is to be the subject of the future discourse . I am not ignorant nor unsensible of the difficulty , the trouble , the danger there is in medling with such a subject at such a time as this . He that meddles with the divisions of the times , may expect to be divided himself , to have his name , his repute , to be cut asunder and thrown this way and that way : It is an unthankfull work to meddle with a divided people ; a man may with as much safety put his hand into a nest of Hornets . Cui usui reipublicae Christianae & cui bono mihi . A learned man being once asked why he did not write his judgment about the controversie of his time , answered , To what purpose ? it would not help the cause , but much hazard him that should meddle . That which one once said to Luther , when he was about interessing himself in seeking Reformation , sounds in my ears , when I first thought of having to do with this Argument , Abi in Celiam & dic miserere nostri . O Luther , rather get you into your Cell , and say , Lord have mercy upon us .

It is a great part of the skil of a Minister to divide the word aright ; but this skill of his will be put to it , when he comes to divide the word amongst a divided people , to give every part its portion . I should never have ventured to have chosen a Text on purpose for such an argument ; but seeing Providence hath brought it so fully into my way , I shall now venture upon it , with my heart cast and fixed upon that promise , Pro. 11. 3. The uprightnesse of the upright shall guide him .