The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 342

Most of onr schisms have had their origin in pride and emulation ; most of our heresies spring out of our corrupt human nature. It is every way pleasanter to choose among doctrines than to take them as revealed by God. II. THAT THERE MUST, NEVERTIIELESS, BE NO FIGHTINGS AMONGST CHRISTIANS. The armies of Judah were solemnly forbidden to attack those of Jeroboam (eh. xii. 24). Though a host of near two hundred thousand armed men had mllBtered for battle, yet they must" return every man to his house." They were reminded that the children of Israel were their "brethren," and that the division in the kingdom- not that in the Church-was ordained of God. A special messenger is entrusted with a special revelation (ver. 22) to prevent the unseemly spectacle of brethren, the children of the same Father, meeting in the shock of battle. And observe that, though there was undoubtedly war at a later period between the divided branches of the Hebrew family (eh. xiv. 80; xv. 6, 16, &c.; 2 Chron. xiii. 8), yet it is by no means certain that these wara ever had the Divine sanction. Observe, too, that hostility and antagonism, short of actual organized warfare, is here described o.s "war'' (eh. xiv. 80, note). Now may we not justly infer-what, indeed, is certain on other grounds-that, whatever their heresies, there must be no hostilities between the divided sections of the Christian family? There have been " wars and fightings" amongst them, it is true, but this is against the will and prayer of their head (J obn xvii. 21 ; xiii. 85; cf. 1 Cor. i. 11; xi. 18; James iv. 1). For they are " brethren" (Matt. xxiii. 8) by a much closer bond than were the Jews. Spiritual ties are far more real and binding than those of flesh, of mere matter (Matt. xii. 48, 49 ; Rom. xvi. 18 ; Titus i. 4; Philem. 10). And if it was unseemly and unnatural for Jew to lift up hand age.inst Jew, how much more for members of the same body (Eph. v. 80; Rom. xii. 5), professors of the same gospel of love ? And not only the hanil, but the tongue. Thero must be no stabbing and wounding of brethren by words any more than by swords. "There is nothing," says Whichcote, "more un- natural to religion than contentions about it." Christians have fighting enough to clo without falling upon each other. There are the common enemies of the Christian life-the world, the flesh, and the devil. There are the enemies of the faith, the hosts of devilry, and nnoleanness, and unbelief, and indifference. It is well when disputing about " modes of faith" that we should remember that there are untold millions of men still worshipping cows and even demons. It is well, too, tl.tat we should consider that we are none of us infallible, and may easily confound friends and ~oes. It has been justly said that mo.ny of our disputes are like that midnight confl1ct at Syracuse, where each party mistook the watchword of the other, and all was hopeless confusion (Stanloy.) We must "oontencl earnestly for the faith once for all delivered," &c., it is true, but there o,re two ways of doing that. "It is not the actual differences of Christians that do the mischief, but the mismanage- ment of those differences" (P. Henry). "Nous avons eu a.ssez de polemique," said a French ecclesiastic; "il nous reste a avoir un peu d'ire11ique.'' III. THAT THERE MUST BE NO SACRIFICE OF TRUTH OR COMPROMISE OF PitlNCIPLE ron THE SAXE OF CON0ILL\TINO llEUETICS. Asa, like Rehoboe.m, was only too glad  348 THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. [en. xv. 1-24..