You must not only choose men of counsel, but if you would design the unity and peace of the churches, you must choose men of courage to govern them. For as there must be wisdom to bear with some, so there must be courage to correct others; as some must be instructed meekly, so others must be rebuked sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; there must be wisdom to rebuke some with long-suffering and there must be courage to suppress and stop the mouths of others.
The apostle tells Titus of some whose mouths must be stopped, or else they would subvert whole houses (Titus 1:11). Where this courage has been (lacking), not only whole houses, but whole churches have been subverted. And Paul tells the Galatians, that when he saw some endeavor to bring the churches into bondage, that he did not give place to them, no not for an hour (Galatians 2:5). If this course had been taken by the rulers of churches, their peace had not been so often invaded by unruly and vain talkers.
John Bunyan, Exhortation to Unity and Peace.
Tim serves Clearnote Church, Bloomington, Indiana. He and Mary Lee have five children and big lots of grandchildren.
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