Obs. 2. Once more, it is little for the honour of Christ that his body is crumbled into small bits and portions. He prayed, ' Let them be one, that the world may know that thou hast sent me,' implying that our divisions and breaking into sects would breed suspicion of the gospel in the hearts of men, as if that great mystery of redemp- tion by him were but a well-devised fable. Yet again, this running into parties and sects is our great hindrance and disadvantage ; partly in spiritual things, for all duties of spiritual commerce and commu- nion are forborn. It is said here, ' These separate themselves,' but, beloved, do ye ' edify one another in your holy faith ; ' implying that though others withdraw and omit all duty in this kind, those that continue in the body will contribute their mutual help and care to con-
328 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [VeR. 19.
firm and build up one another. A draft of wine is best preserved in the hogshead, and Christians in their societies ; coals lying together keep in the heat ; apostasy began in forsaking the assemblies, Heb. X. 23-25, and 1 John ii. 19. Partly as to our outward peace and welfare : separation sets others against us, and us against them ; it exulcerateth men's minds against you when you give out as if you were more pure and holy than others : Isa. Ixv. 5, ' Stand by thyself ; come not near me, for I am holier than thou.' Gracious singularity is many times envied and hated, but certainly peevish singularity draweth a just scorn upon itself. Audit setteth j^ou against others; men seldom separate but their hearts are much estranged from those from whom they separate ; for religious ties, being once broken, are hardly made up again. Civil ruptures are not carried on with such vehemency, and are sooner closed again ; but religion, being the highest bond and ligament, when it is once violated, the breach is the more irreconcileable.
Thus you see the evils of schism or separation ; but because this is many times perversely charged, we must look a little more into the nature of it : the spouse had her veil rent, and Grod's own people have been burdened with the imputation of schism and faction. It will concern us to state what separation is sinful. In general, such as dis8olveth that union and love which should be among Christians, or an unnecessary, unjust, or rash departure from fellowship and commu- nion with one another in the ordinances of Christ. This separation —
1. Supposeth that there was once a union. We cannot be said to separate from the world of infidels, as Pagans, Turks, Jews, with whom we were never united ; as water, when the ice is dissolved, cannot be said to be separated, in the sense we now take it, from bodies heterogeneal, as straws, wood, &c., because never united with them but by accident ; aggregation there is, but not properly a separation. Separation is a dissolution of union, as when one church separateth from another who are united in the same body as parts of the church universal, or one or more persons from the same particular congregations of which they are members. I only add to this propo- sition, that this union is to be understood not only of what it is, de facto^ but what ought to be, dejure. Thus persons that ought to join themselves, but out of schismatical principles do not, nor never did, join themselves to the churches of Christ, may be guilty of this sinful separation, because there is a union required.
2. The fault and crime of the schism is not always in those that do actually separate and withdraw, but in those that cause it. A man threateneth death to his wife, hereupon she separateth ; not she, but lie maketh the separation. Kome obstinately continuing her corruptions, and threatening death to those that warn her, the cause of separation is in Kome, not in us. Strings in tune must not be brought down to strings out of tune, but the other set up to them : 'Go not thou to them (saithGod to the prophet), but let them return to thee.'
3. Though those that separate be the fewer, yet that nothing varietli the case. Noah and eight persons went into the ark, and left the world in infidelity ; Lot got out of Sodom with one family ; Elijah was left alone to contest with Baal's priests. Not the greater, but the
VeR. 19.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JUDE. 329
better part is to be regarded. Jacob's family was fewer than the Canaanites, and Israel less than the rest of the world. God's witnesses at the first may be but a very handful.
4. A separation from corruptions, and a separation from those that are corrupt, are two distinct things. A separation from corruptions is always enjoined, but not always from those that are corrupted. Those scriptures, Isa. lii. 11, and 2 Cor. vi. 17, speak of a fellowship with men in evil works ; but now a separation from men that are cor- rupt is sometimes lawful : Kev. xviii. 4, ' Come out of her, my people,' &c. ; and Jer. li. 9, ' She would not be healed,' &c. We may separate from such as separate from Christ, and continue obstinate in their corruptions. And sometimes it is not lawful, as when a church is reforming and purging out these corruptions, or they are not of such moment as that such a desperate remedy should be used. A limb is not to be cut off as soon as it acheth, but when it is rotten and likely to endanger the whole body ; when evils are incurable, deadly, and contagious, and we can no longer maintain communion without sin. At first it is good to try all things.