The Love that leaves

Today we celebrate the birthday of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, London's greatest ever Baptist preacher by a mile and then some.  

Though his great appeal was to the soul of the ordinary man as well as to the social needs of a great but exploitative city, he was not willing to watch some other clever or compromising Baptists demolish the basis of the faith that has served the Gospel so well.  

However in this key passage at the start of the divisive Downgrade Controversy he demonstrates the reluctant pain with which believers who believe the Bible part company from those who state they believe the Bible (or that they believe the Bible but it doesn't mean what it plainly says).

It now becomes a serious question how far those who abide by the faith once delivered to the saints should fraternise with those who have turned aside to another gospel. Christian love has its claims, and divisions are to be shunned as grievous evils; but how far are we justified in being in confederacy with those who are departing from the truth? It is a difficult question to answer so as to keep the balance of the duties. For the present it behoves believers to be cautious, lest they lend their support and countenance to the betrayers of the Lord. It is one thing to overleap all boundaries of denominational restriction for the truth's sake: this we hope all godly men will do more and more. It is quite another policy which would urge us to subordinate the maintenance of truth to denominational prosperity and unity. Numbers of easy-minded people wink at error so long as it is committed by a clever man and a good-natured brother, who has so many fine points about him. Let each believer judge for himself; but, for our part, we have put on a few fresh bolts to our door, and we have given orders to keep the chain up; for, under colour of begging the friendship of the servant, there are those about who aim at robbing the Master.