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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39674	Planelogia, a succinct and seasonable discourse of the occasions, causes, nature, rise, growth, and remedies of mental errors written some months since, and now made publick, both for the healing and prevention of the sins and calamities which have broken in this way upon the churches of Christ, to the great scandal of religion, hardening of the wicked, and obstruction of Reformation : whereunto are subjoined by way of appendix : I. Vindiciarum vindex, being a succinct, but full answer to Mr. Philip Cary's weak and impertinent exceptions to my Vindiciæ legis & fæderis, II. a synopsis of ancient and modern Antinomian errors, with scriptural arguments and reasons against them, III. a sermon composed for the preventing and healing of rents and divisions in the churches of Christ / by John Flavell ... ; with an epistle by several divines, relating to Dr. Crisp's works.	Flavel, John, 1630?-1691.	1691 (1691)	Wing F1175; ESTC R21865	194,574	498

and ignorant ZEAL a temper preparing the mind both to propagate furiously and receive easily Erroneous Doctrines and Opinions When there is in the Soul more heat than light when a fervent Spirit is governed by a weak Head such a temper of Spirit Satan desires and singles out as fittest for his purpose especially when the Heart is graceless as well as the Understanding weak A blind Horse of an high mettle will carry the Rider into any Pit and venture over the most dangerous Precipices Such were the Superstitious Iewish Zealots they had a zeal for God but not according to knowledge This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 blind zeal St. Paul charges justly upon the Iewish Bigots Rom. 10. 2. as the proper cause of their dangerous Errors about the great point of Iustification and surely no man understood the evil of it more than he who in his unregenerate state was transported by it to the most furious persecution of the Saints Acts 26. 11. and even to dotage and extreme fondness upon the Erroneous Traditions of his Fathers Gal. 1. 14. Blind Zeal is a Sword in a Mad-man's hand No Persecutor to a Conscientious one whose Erroneous Conscience offers up the blood of the Saints to the glory of God Iob. 16. 2. The blind but zealous Pharisees would compass Sea and Land to make one Proselyte Matth. 23. 15. as our Modern Pharisees the Iesuits have since done who have mingled themselves with the remotest and most barbarous Nations to draw them to the Romish Error Of the same temper were the false Teachers taxed by the Apostle Gal. 4. 17. they zealously affect you but not well yea they would exclude you viz. from our Society and Ordinances that you might affect them And as it is the great Instrument by which Satan propagates Errors so it makes a fit temper in the Souls of the People to receive them For by this means Error gains the possession of the Affections without passing a previous and due test by the Understanding and so gains the Soul by the advantage of a Surprize Every thing by how much the more weak and ignoble it is by so much the more it watcheth upon Surprisals and Advantages Error cares not to endure the due examination and test of Reason and therefore seeks to gain by surprisal what it despairs of ever gaining by a plain and fair tryal There be few Errorists in the World of Alexander's mind who would rather lose the day than steal the Victory Hence it comes to pass that the greatest number of those they lead Captives are silly Women as the Apostle speaks who are the most affectionate but least judicious Sex From this blind Zeal it is that they cunningly wind their Erroneous Opinions into all their Discourses where they have any hope to prevail A rational and modest Contradiction puts them into a flame it breaks the nearest bonds of Friendship and Society Rabshekah in 2 King 18. would not treat with Hezekiah's Counsellors of State but with the common People upon the Wall and Error cares not to treat with sound Reason able to sift it through the Scripture-search but with the Affections as well knowing it is in vain to make war in Reason's Territories without first gaining a party among the Affections The Remedies The best Defensatives against Erroneous Contagions in this case are to be found in the following Particulars Defensative I. Reflect seriously and sadly upon the manifold Mischiefs occasioned every-where and in all Ages of the World by rash Zeal Revolve Church-histories and you shall find that scarce any cruel Persecution hath flamed in the World which hath not been kindled by blind Zeal Turn over all the Records both of Pagan and Popish Persecutions and you shall still find these two Observations confirmed and verified First That ignorant Zeal hath kindled the fires of Persecution and secondly That the more zealous any have been for the ways of Error and Falshood still the more implacably fierce and cruel they have been to the sincere Servants of God None like a Superstitious Devoto to manage the Devil's work of Persecution throughly and to purpose They 'l rush violently and head-long into the blood of their dearest Relations or most eminent Saints to whose sides the Devil sets this sharp Spur. Superstitious Zeal draws all the strength and power of the Soul into that one Design and wo to him that stands in the way of such a man if God interpose not betwixt him and the stroke It was a rational wish of him that said Liberet me Deus ab homine unius tantùm negotii God deliver me from a man of one only Design Now consider Reader if thy judgment be weak and thy affections warm how much thou liest exposed not only to Errors which may ruine thy self but also to Tongue and Hand-persecution wherein Satan may manage thy zeal for the injury or ruine of those that are better than thy self And withal consider how many dreadful threatnings are found in Scripture against the instruments of Persecution so employed and managed by Satan Certainly Reader it were better for thee to stand with thy naked breast before the mouth of a discharging Cannon than that thy Soul should stand under this guilt before such a Scripture-threatning as that Psal. 7. 13. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death he ordaineth his Arrows against the persecutors And none more likely to become such than those of thine own temper and complexion especially if grace be wanting in the heart whilst Zeal for erroneous Principles eats up the Affections Second Defensative Consider what mischief zeal for an Error will do thine own Soul as well as others It will wholly ingross thy time thoughts and strength so that if there be any gracious principle in thee it shall not be able to thrive and prosper For look as a Fever takes off the natural appetite from Food so will erroneous Zeal take off thy Spiritual Appetite from Meditation Prayer Heart-examination and all other the most necessary and nourishing Duties of Religion by reason whereof thy grace must languish When thy Soul with David's should be filled and feasted as with marrow and fatness by delightful meditations of God upon thy Bed thou wilt be rolling in thy mind thy barren and insipid notions which yield no food or spiritual strength to thy Soul thou wilt lye musing how to dissolve the Arguments and Objections against thine Errors when thou shouldst rather be employed in solving the just and weighty Objections that lye against thy sincerity and interest in Christ which were time far better improved Third Defensative Consider how baneful this inordinate zeal hath been to Christian Society lamentably defacing and almost dissolving it every where to the unspeakable detriment of the Churches We read Mal. 3. 16. of a blessed time when they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a Book of remembrance was written before him for

them that feared the Lord and thought upon his Name Oh happy time Halcion days I my self remember the time when the Zeal of the Saints spent it self in provoking one another to Love and Good Works in joint and fervent Prayer in inward experimental and edifying Communion my Soul hath them still in remembrance and is cast down within me For alas alas how do I see every where Christian Communion turned into vain janglings Churches and Families into meer Cock-pits Mens Discoursings falling as naturally into contentions about trifles as they were wont to do into Heavenly and Experimental Subjects to the unspeakable disgrace and damage of Religion Fourth Defensative That Opinion is justly to be suspected for erroneous which comes in at the Postern-door of the Affections and not openly and fairly ar the right Gate of an enlightned and well-satisfied judgment 'T is a Thief that cometh in at the back-door at least strongly to be suspected for one Truth Courts the Mistriss makes its first and fair Addresses to the Understanding Error bribes the Handmaid and labours first to win the Affections that by their influence it may corrupt the Judgment And thus you see besides the innocent Occasion viz. God's Permission of Errors in the World for the tryal of his people Nine proper Causes of Errors found in the evil dispositions of the minds of Men which prepare them to receive erroneous Doctrines and Impressions viz. 1. A wrangling humour at the pretended Obscurity of Scripture 2. The Abuse of that Christian Liberty purchased by Christ. 3. Slothfulness in searching the whole Word of God 4. Fickleness and Instability of Judgment 5. Eagerness after Anodines to ease a distressed Conscience 6. An easy Credulity in following the Judgments and Examples of others 7. Vain Curiosity and prying into unrevealed Secrets 8. The Pride and Arrogancy of Human Reason 9. Blind Zeal which spurs on the Soul and runs it upon dangerous precipices We next come to consider the principal Impulsive Cause by which Errors are propagated and disseminated in the World Cause X. Come we next in the proper order to consider the Principal Impulsive Cause of Errors which is SATAN working upon the predisposed matter he finds in the corrupt Nature of Man The Centurists speaking of the strange and sudden growth of Errors and Heresies immediately after the planting of the Gospel by Christ and the Apostles ascribe it to Satan Satan is a Lyar from the beginning and abode not in the Truth He hates it with a deadly hatred and all the Children and Friends of Truth And this hatred he manifesteth sometimes by raising furious storms of persecution against the sincere Professors of it Rev. 3. 10. and sometimes by Clouds of Heresies and Errors with design to darken it In the former he acts as a roaring Lyon in the latter as a subtil Serpent 2 Cor. 11. ● I fear lest as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. He is exceeding skilful and dexterous in citing and wresting the Scriptures to serve his vile designs and purposes and as impudently daring as he is crafty and cunning as appears in the History of Christ's temptation in the desart Matt. 4. 6. where he cites one part of that promise Psal. 91. 11. and suppresseth the rest shows the encouragement viz. He shall give his Angels charge over thee but clips off the limitation of it viz. to keep thee in all thy ways In viis non in praecipitiis In our lawful ways not in rash and dangerous precipices as Bernard well glosseth And 't is worth observation that he introduceth multitudes of Errors into the World under the unsuspected notions of admirable Prophylacticks and approved Preservatives from all mischiefs and dangers from himself Under this notion he hath neatly and covertly slided into the World Holy-water Crossings Reliques of Saints and almost innumerable other superstitious Rites Erroneous Teachers are the Ministers of Satan however they transform themselves into Ministers of Righteousness 2 Cor. 11. 15. and the subtil dangerous Errors they broach are fitly stiled by the Spirit of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the depths of Satan Rev. 2. 24. The corrupt Teachers the Gnosticks c. called them Depths i. e. great mysteries high and marvellous attainments in knowledg but the Spirit of God fits a very proper Epithete to them They are Satanical depths and Mysteries of Iniquity Now the level and design of Satan herein is double First He aims at the ruin and damnation of those that vent and propagate them upon which account the Apostle calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 2. 1. destructive or as we render it damnable Heresies And because God will preserve the Souls of his own from this mortal Contagion therefore Secondly He endeavours by lesser Errors to busy the minds and check the growth of Grace in the Souls of the Saints by employing them about things so foreign to true godliness and the power thereof Heb. 13. 9. The Remedies The Rules for prevention and recovery are these that follow Rule I. Pray earnestly for a thorow change of the state and temper of thy Soul by sound Conversion and Regeneration Conversion turns us from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God Acts 26. 18. They are his own slaves and vassals that are taken captive by him at his will 2 Tim. 2. 16. A Sanctified heart is a Soveraign defensative against Erroneous Doctrines it furnishes the Soul with spiritual eyes judicious ears and a distinguishing taste by which it may discern both good and evil truth and error Heb. 5. 14. yea it puts the Soul at once under the conduct of the Spirit and protection of the Promise Ioh. 16. 13. and though this doth not secure a Man from all lesser mistakes yet it effectually secures him from greater ones which are inconsistent with Christ and Salvation Rule II. Acquaint your selves with the wiles and methods of Satan and be not ignorant of his devices 2 Cor. 2. 11. When once you understand the wash and paint with which he sets off the ugly face of Error you will not easily be enamoured with it Pretences of Devotion upon one side and of Purity Zeal and Reformation upon the other though they be pleasant sounds to both ears yet the wary Soul will examine before it receive and admit Doctrinal Points under these gilded Titles Those that have made their Observations upon the stratagems of Satan will heedfully observe both the tendency of Doctrines and the Lives of their Teachers and if they find looseness pride wantonness in them it is not a glorious title or magnificent name that shall charm them They know Satan can transform himself into an Angel of Light and no wonder if his Ministers also be transformed into Ministers of Righteousness 2 Cor. 11. 14 15. Rule III. Resign your Minds and Judgments in fervent Prayer to the Government of Christ and

solid Scripture-foundation God hath not left his People to seek satisfaction in such uncertain ways as these but hath given them a surer word of Prophecy to which they do well to take heed 2 Pet. 1. 19. He hath tyed us to the standing Rule of the Word forbidding us to give heed to any other Voice or Spirit leading us another way Isa. 8. 19. 2 Thess. 2. 1 2. Gal. 1. 8. Scripture-light is a safe and sure Light a pleasant and sufficient Light The Scripture saith Luther is so full that as for Visions and Revelations nec curo nec desidero I neither regard nor desire them And when he himself had a Vision of Christ after a day of fasting and prayer he cried out Avoid Satan I know no Image of Christ but the Scripture An hankering mind after these things speaks a sickly and distempered state of Soul as longing after Trash in young distempered Persons doth a distempered state or ill habit of Body Mr. William Bridges somewhere tells us of a Religious Lady of the Empresses Bed-chamber whose name was Gregoria who being greatly troubled about her Salvation wrote to Gregory That she would never cease importuning him 'till he had sent her word that he had obtained a Revelation from Heaven that she should be saved to whom he returned this Answer Rem difficilem postulas inutilem Thou requirest of me that which is difficult to me and unprofitable for thee Remedy II. Consider how often the World hath been abused by the Tricks and Cheats of that officious Spirit the Devil in such ways as these What hath propagated Idolatry among Heathens and Christians more than this Hinc fluxerunt multae peregrinationnes Monasteria delubra dies festi alia saith Lavater in Iob 33. Pilgrimages Monasteries Shrines of Saints Holy-days c. have been introduced by this Trick 'T were endless to give Instances of it in the Histories of former Ages We have a notable late Account of it among our selves in a Book entitled A Discovery of the notorious Falsehood and Dissimulation contained in a Book stiled The Gospel-way confirmed by Miracles Licensed and published 1649. wherein is laid open to the World the free Confession of Ann Wells Matthe● Hall c. deluding the People of Whatfield in Suffolk with such pretended Voices Visions Prophecies and Revelations the like have scarcely been heard of in England since the Reformation Multitudes of People were deluded by them At length the Lord extorted from this Woman a full Confession of the notorious falseness of these things by a terrible Vision of Hell her Partizans laboured four days to suppress and stifle it but to no purpose for the Horrors of Conscience prevailed with her to confess the notorious Dissimulations contained in that Book before the People of Whatfield and a Justice of the Peace And thus the Lord out-shot Satan in his own Bow Remedy III. Consider how difficult yea and impossible it is for a man to determine that such a Voice Vision or Revelation is of God and that Satan cannot feign or counterfeit it seeing he hath left no certain marks by which we may distinguish one Spirit from another an albus an ater Sure we are Satan can transform himself into an Angel of Light and therefore abandoning all those unsafe and uncertain ways whereby Swarms of Errors have been conveyed into the World let us cleave inseparably to the sure Word of Prophecy the Rule and Standard of our Faith and Duty Cause XV. Another way in which False Teachers discover their Subtilty with great success is in TIMING their Assaults and nicking the proper Season when the minds of men are most apt and easy to be drawn away by their fair and specious Pretences Such a Season as this they find about the time of mens first Conversion or soon after their Implantation into Christ. Now it is that their Affections are most lively and vigorous though their Judgments be but weak They have now such strong and deep apprehensions of the Grace and Love of Christ and such transcendent zeal for him that they easily embrace any thing whereby they conceive he may be honoured and exalted They have also such deep Apprehensions and powerful Aversations as to Sin that they are in danger to fly even from Truth and Duty it felf when it shall be artificially represented to them as Sin For not only that which is malum per se Sin indeed but that which is male coloratum painted with Sin 's Colours is apt to scare and fright them Besides These young Converts or Novices have not had time to confirm and root themselves in the Truth and Trees newly planted are much more easily drawn up than those that have spread and fastened their Roots in the Earth 'T is observable what a swarm of false Teachers troubled the Churches of Corinth Galatia and Philippi at and newly after their first planting and what danger those young Christians were in abundantly appears in the Apostle's frequent Cautions and holy Jealousy over them he bids them beware of Dogs beware of Evil Workers beware of the Concision Phil. 3. 2. I fear lest by any means as the Serpent beguiled Eve through his s●btilty so your minds be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ 2 Cor. 11. 3. he was afraid of the Galatians lest he had bestowed upon them labour in vain Gal. 4. 11. he would not give place to false Brethren no not for an hour Gal. 2. 5. charges the Romans to receive them that were weak in the faith but not to doubtful Disputations Rom. 14. 1. All which and many more Expressions discover his grounded jealousy and their extraordinary danger of seduction at their first plantation A Novice in Christianity is the Person Satan seeks for strong Believers are not in such apparent danger as little ones in Christ 1 Iohn 5. 21. Little Children keep your selves from Idols And the reason is because keen Affections match'd with weak Judgments give a mighty advantage to Seducers Children are apt to be taken with beautiful Appearances and fine shews and Erroneous Teachers have the very knack to set a glo●s of extraordinary sanctity upon their dangerous Opinions Hence those Persons that promoted the Sect of the Nicolaitans made use of a cunning Woman who for her skill in painting Errors with the Colours of Truth got the name of Iezebel Rev. 2. 20. That Queen was famous for the art of Painting 1 King 16. and so was this false Prophetess indeed there was scarce any eminent Sect of Errorists or Hereticks mentioned in Church-history but some curious feminine Artist hath been employed to lay the beautiful Colours upon it So we find Simon Magus had his Helena Carpocrates his Marcellina Montanus his Priscilla and Maximilla And the curious Colours of Holiness Zeal and Free-grace artificially laid upon the face of Error how wrinkled and ugly soever in it self sets it off temptingly and takingly to weak and injudicious Minds Moreover Erroneous Teachers

harmony with the Doctrine of this great and excellent Divine who hath substantially proved the Point I defend against you but 't is enough II. Let us next examine what execution his Reply hath done upon my second Position set up in direct opposition to him namely That God's Covenant with Abraham Gen. 17. unto which Circumcision was annexed is for its substance the self-same Covenant of Grace with that which Gentile-believers and their Infant-seed are now under Here I have abundant cause again to complain that Mr. C. hath so formed his Answers as if he had never read the Book he undertakes a Reply to And I do verily believe the greatest part of his Reply was made at random before ever my printed Book was in his hands For he hath not at all considered the state of the Question as I there gave it him nor kept himself to the just and necessary Rules of Disputation as I earnestly desired he would However 't is not Complaints but confirmation and vindication of my Arguments which is my proper work I shall therefore recite them briefly and vindicate and confirm them strongly contracting all into as few words as can express the sense and Argument of the Point before me Argument I. If Circumcision be a part of the Ceremonial Law and the Ceremonial Law was dedicated by Blood and whatsoever is so dedicated is by you confessed to be no part of the Covenant of Works then Circumcision can be no part of the Covenant of Works even by your own confession But it is so Ergo. To this Mr. Cary returns a Tragical Complaint instead of a Rational Answer Insinuates my falsehood and gross abuse of him Appeals to his Reader Tells him I have taken a liberty to say what I please as if there were no future Iudgment to be regarded And that I can expect no comfort another day without repentance now For those things that have thus passed betwixt him and me shall again be revised and set in order before me That he is weary of noting my Miscarriages of this kind That there is hardly a Page or Paragraph in my whole Reply but abounds with Transgressions of this nature He begs the Lord to forgive me and wishes he could say Father forgive him for he knows not what he doth as if my Sin were greater than the Sin of those that stoned Stephen or crucified Christ. Either I am guilty or innocent in the matters here charged upon me by Mr. C. If guilty I promise him an ingenuous acknowledgment If innocent as both my Conscience and his own Book will prove me to be then I shall only say he knoweth not what spirit he is of The Case must be tried by his own Book and it will quickly be decided These are the very words in his Solemn Call p. 148. He that is Mr. Sedgwick makes no distinction betwixt the Ceremonial Covenant that was dedicated with blood and the Law written in stones that was not so dedicated How strangely doth he confound and obscure the word and truth of God which ought to have been cleared and distinctly declared to those he had preached or written to With much more p. 149 150 151. where he saith It 's plain that the Law written in Stones and the Book wherein the Statutes and Iudgments were contained were two distinct Covenants and delivered at distinct seasons and in a distinct method the one with the other without a Mediator the one dedicated with blood and sprinkling the other that we read of not so dedicated Now let the Reader judge whether I have deserved such Tragical Complaints and dreadful Charges for inferring from these words That the Ceremonial Law being by him pronounced a distinct Covenant from the Moral Law which he makes all one with Adam's Covenant delivered at a distinct season and in a distinct method the Ceremonial Law with a Mediator the Moral Law without a Mediator the Ceremonial Law dedicated with blood and sprinkling the Moral Law not so dedicated let him judge I say whether I have wronged him in saying that by his own confession Circumcision being a part of this Ceremonial Law it can therefore be no part of the Covenant of Works But Mr. Cary hath two things to say for himself 1. That in the same place he makes the Ceremonial Law no other than a Covenant of Works And the wrong I have done him is by not distinguishing as he did betwixt A Covenant of Works and The Covenant of Works Here it seems lies my guilt upon which this dreadful out-cry against me is made But if I should chance to prove that there never was is or can be any more than one Covenant of Works and that any other Covenant which is distinguished from it as he confesses the Ceremonial Law was by a Mediator and the blood of sprinkling can be no part of that Covenant of Works what then will become of Mr. C's distinction of A Covenant of Works and The Covenant of Works Now the matter is plain and evident That as there never were are or can be more than two common Heads appointed by God namely Adam and Christ 1 Cor. 15. 45 46 47 48. Rom. 5. 15 17 18 19. so it is impossible there should be more than two Covenants under which Mankind stands under these two common Heads And the First Covenant once broken it is utterly impossible that fallen Man should ever attain life that way or that ever God should set it up again with such an intention and scope unless as Mr. Charnock speaks he had reduced man's Body to the dust and his Soul to nothing and framed another man to have governed him by a Covenant of Works but that had not been the same man that had revolted and upon his revolt was stained and disabled If Mr. C. therefore be not able to prove more Covenants of Works with Mankind than one let him rather blush at his silly distinction betwixt a● Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Works For indeed he makes at least four distinct Covenants of Works one with Adam two with Moses one Moral the other Ceremonial and a fourth with Abraham at the institution of Circumcision Gen. 17. 2. If it appear as it clearly doth that as there never was is or can be any more than one Covenant of Works so whatsoever Covenant is distinguished from it by a Mediator and dedication by the sprinkling of blood as he saith the Ceremonial Law was cannot possibly for the Reasons he gives be any part or member of Adam's Covenant of Works then I hope I have done M. C. no wrong in my assumption from his own words for which he so reviles and abuses me But this will appear as plain as the Noon-day-light for a Covenant with a Mediator and dedicated by sprinkling of blood doth and necessarily must essentially difference such a Covenant from that Covenant that had no Mediator nor dedication by blood To deny this were