in the Faith And Fourthly Hereby he causeth them to put private Interpretations upon the Scriptures applying them at their pleasures to particular Times Places and Persons Whereas the Scriptures and divine prophesies as they came not in old time by the will of man but holy men spake at they were moved by the holy Ghost so they are not to be interpreted according to the will of man with any private Interpretation but according to the mind and spirit of God which we can only find out by searching the Scriptures and comparing spiritual things with spiritual A Third way by which Satan bringeth many to a misunderstanding of the Scriptures and a perversion thereof is by keeping them in Ignorance of the present Dispensation they are under hereby causing them in Gospel-Times to walke chiefly by the Rule of the Law and to look for the performance and accomplishment of those things in their Daies which are not to be fulfilled until future Times This Satan doth by making use of Ignorant and unfaithful shepherds who knowing not the Scriptures themselvs or unfaithfully dispencing them somtimes contrary to the Convictions of their own hearts Light and knowledge to maintain their temporal Advantages and to keep up the principles of their artificial and scholastic Theology do impose such Doctrines upon the world that they lay the weight of a mans Justification upon his duties and performances thereby destroying as far as in them lyeth the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ And although in their Doctrines and words they will speak of Justification by Faith yet in their works and practizes they deny it Laying heavy burdens works and duties upon men which neither they nor their forefathers were able to bear And hereby Satan causeth them either to omit or pervert and wrest those Scriptures which hold forth Justification freely by Faith in Christ without the works of the Law Secondly Satan doth by his Seducements and subtile Suggestions cause many to mistake diverse prophetical Scriptures as to Time by perswading them that the accomplishment of those Promises will be in their Daies And this he doth by taking Advantage of an earnest desire which is in many professors to see the fulfilling of those things which are conteined in those Prophesies because they are perswaded that thereby the Lord would be exceedingly glorified And therefore the Saints in these Times should very carefully watch over their Zeale which in most men is rather a passion then a Grace especially if it be fixed upon a wrong Object The Jewes were Zealous of the Law of Moses but being ignorant of the Law of the Gospel of Christ their zeale was dissalowed of by the Apostle saying Rom. 10.2 they have a zeale but not according to knowledge for they being ignorant of the Righteousnesse of God went about to establish their own Righteousnesse And so far did this zeale hurry them that they persecuted the most precious Saints of Jesus Christ Thus Paul persecuted the Church Luk 9.51 to 56. Phil. 3.6 and thus Satan took Advantage against the Disciples working upon their Zeale who were then Ignorant of their present Dispensation and work which Christ was then to do in the world For when Jesus Christ was to go to Jerusalem on a certain time he sent some before him who prepared his lodging in a Town of the Samaritans The Samaritans being professed Enemies to the Jewes finding that Christ intended to go to Jerusalem to worship refused to receive him Whereupon James and John moved with Zeale taking for example Elias the prophet but being at that Time ignorant of the work which their Master then came to do moved the Lord to command fire to come down from heaven to consume the Samaritans But the Lord answered Ye know not of what Spirit ye are of for the Son of Man is not come to destroy mens lives but to save them And assuredly Satan doth work thus in the world taking advantage of a great zeale which is in many Saints who are zealous of the glory of God and tender of his honour who set before them the Examples of many Zealous Saints who were acted by an immediate hand of God and they call for fire Judgements blastings and wrath upon many whom they see do dishonour God and as they conceive do carry on the work of Satan against Christ Not considering that yet we are under the tenders of the Gospel and a door of mercy is open unto all men To all sorts of sinners excepting those who sin against the holy Ghost to whoremongers and Idolaters to drunkards and blasphemers so that he that is a persecuter of Christ and his Saints to day may be a converted Paul to morrow Not considering that the day of wrath vengeance and utter destruction is the Day of the Lord the Day of his next coming and appearing Untill which time his Disciples should be merciful as their father which is in heaven is merciful who maketh his Sun to arise on the evil and good Mat. 5.44 45 46. and sendeth Rain on the Just and unjust Wherefore the Saints in these Daies should watch over their zeale and have a Care that it be bounded with love on the one hand and knowledge on the other and be circumspect that they fix their zeale on a right Object according to that of the Apostle It is good to be zealous or earnest in a good thing Gal. 4.15 16 17 18. We should zealously love when the Lord would have us do good but we should not hate zealously when the Lord would have us to love nor Curse when he would have us to blesse nor deprecate any when he would have us to pray for all Men. Satan having caught any in this Snare that is blinded their Eyes that they are not able to know the things that belong to their present Dispensation and having wrought upon their zeale and fixed it upon a wrong Object In the first place he doth deprive the Saints who are thus deceived by him of many gospel Comforts which do arise from the apprehension of the Love of God grounded upon free Grace and applied unto us by and in Jesus Christ Secondly hereby that is by altering the nature and property of true zeale which is alwaies attended with love knowledge and humility he increaseth spiritual Pride in them which may be thus discerned when they begin to have low thoughts of all men but of themselves and of such as agree with their Judgements when they seperate themselves from their Brethren supposing them to be Low flat dead backward and lesse zealous in the worke of God then themselves when they will passe a Judgement upon others and say this man is guilty of the sin against the holy Ghost this man is faln from the Faith and his former professions this man is an hypocrite this man is a Persecuter of the Saints this man is not to be pray'd for this man ought to be cut off again by reason of this
Spiritual Pride they bitterly curse and speak against those whom they looke upon to be the Enemies of Christ and such as oppose and as they conceive persecute them Neither can they by reason hereof hear any brotherly admonition although never so lovingly and friendly urged but they fly out into Impatiency Indignation Censuring uncivil gestures and perhaps bitter Expressions against those who cannot Close with their Judgement or do oppose it A fourth way by which Satan doth deceive in these Times causing many to pervert and misunderstand the Scripture is by tempting them and drawing them to put allegorical and mystical as they call them Interpretations upon prophetical and Doctrinal Scriptures This work Satan effecteth by taking Advantage of the Excellency of humane learning in many men By which they do not onely scorne to deliver themselves in their discoursing preaching praying or writing according to Scripture Language but they will finde out quaint Expressions high Rapturs and Notions admired by many which must be called the Dictates of the holy Ghost and an excellent Spirit of Utterance which doth prove in a little Time as this Age hath experienced to be onely carnal and artificiall But they will not content themselves with the abuse of Scripture by unwarrantable words but the whole Scripture and every part thereof must be looked upon as an Allegorie and so they will make of it what they please Hereupon much Confusion hath arisen by reason of many vain disputations and the divulging of phantastical Notions Every one of these men making what they please of God Angels Resurrection heaven the word divine union Anoynting Law and Gospel And hereupon the late King Charles was made God the father the then Parliament God the Son and the Lawes the Holy Spirit in a Book intituled the Leaves of the Tree of Life With many other horrid Blasphemies We should take notice of those Scriptures which the holy Ghost doth take allegorically but we ought not to allegorize any Scripture which the holy Ghost would have us to vnderstand literally Again Satan causeth men to misunderstand the Scriptures by putting a Mist before their Eyes so that they cannot see afar off And this he doth effect by causing them to look no further then their present Dispensation For although they may there discern the Truth yet if they look no further they shall never see all the Truth They look upon all things in Scripture with a Spiritual Eye but see not that those things or many of them which are prophetical shall be really accomplished And hereupon some see no Resurrection but the rising to newnesse of Life no Coming of Christ but by his Spirit no Reign nor Kingdome of Christ but by his Spirit in the heart of his Saints No Canaan but the Kingdome of heaven Satan by bringing many into this Snare although he cannot destroy their Soules yet while they lye under this Cloud he doth trouble them with vain Disputations and contentious Arguings in defence of their present thoughts and Apprehensions of the Scriptures and keepeth them in darknesse and ignorance of many excellent and comfortable Truths But Lastly Satan doth draw many to misunderstand pervert the Scripturs by holding forth the mind of God in unwarrantable Expressions and words which Mans Wisdome teacheth Therefore the Apostle said If any consent not to the wholsom words of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Tim. 6.3 4 5. and to the Doctrine which is according to Godlinesse he is puffed up and knoweth nothing but doteth about Questions and strife of words whereof cometh Envy strife railing evil surmising and vain Disputation of men of corrupt minde and destitute of the Truth And assuredly there is much in that Exhortation of the Apostle unto Timothy 2 Tim. 1.13 keep the true Pattern of the wholsome words which thou hast heard of me in Faith and Love For When Satan hath brought any into this Snare when men will not read the Scriptures that they may be able to understand the language of the holy Ghost then he Satan sendeth them to buy their knowledge at the shop of humane learning and teacheth them this Principle that is That humanity is a helpe to Divinity that Grammer causeth men to write and speake of the things of God congruously that Logick inableth men to finde out the Truths of Divinitie and to reason the more â—blie that Philosophy directeth them to the reason and Cause of things and that by the force of Rhetorick men may more excellently utter and expresse themselves when they speake of Scriptural and divine Mysteries And hereupon they will tell you it was that Isaiah a learned man wrote a more excellent Stile then the rest of the Prophets and Paul who was bred at the feet of Gamaliel was more eloquent and delivered himselfe in better Language then the rest of the Apostles Being brought into this Snare they vilifie and reproach the Scriptures and say that they are darke obscure and imperfect in themselves and therefore it is necessary that men should look upon them by the Candle of humane learning Hereby Satan taketh them off from the study of the Scriptures and setteth them upon the Search of the Knotty schoole-men the contradictory Counsels nay hereby he directeth them to heathen Poets Ethnick Philosophers and fabulous Moralists to finde among their writings what the mind of God should be concerning this or that Scripture Hereupon the world hath been filled with many larg volums of vain and unprofitable Disputations and Controversies Hereby many have been a long time learning but never have come to the knowledge of the Truth And hereby many heresies have arisen and the Scriptures have been wrested into as many formes as there are Notions or varieties of opinions among men to the delusion of some but utter destruction and irreparable and irrecoverable Losse of others And thus much shall suffice to have been written concerning the first Snare which Satan doth lay to intrap and insnare many deluded and onely formal professors of Christianity and if it were possible to deceive the very Elect. For Satan knoweth if the foundation be taken away the building must of necessity fall if the Eye be put out the whole body must be darke and if he can deprive men of light they must walke in darknesse and stumble and fall The second Snare that Satan layeth for those that professe Christianity is by his seducements to cause them to give heed to Dreames and visions And this Satan doth by moving them to apply those Scriptures which promise that men shall Dreame Dreams to their present Generation When men in these Times will desire of the Lord those things which he hath declared shall not come to passe until after Ages it is just with him to give power unto Satan to delude such by Dreames and visions These things are not to be expected in and during the time of the Kingdome of Satan If the Lord denied S. to appear unto his people the
the Traditions of their Forefathers And whether they were such as concerned divine worship or civil manners they alwaies had a reverend esteeme of them imbracing them for their Antiquity It being accounted a great Heresie among the generalitie of men to question the Judgement of their Ancestours concerning any law or Custome approved of or exercised by them as if long continued use or allowance of any thing could make that lawful and good which in it selfe is unlawful and discommendable or that the Judgement of ancient men who lived in former Ages were not to be questioned by succeeding Generations This maketh men so loath to leave off nay even to reason or consider the lawfulnesse of the traditions of their Elders And hereupon it is that most men in the world can give no better an account and Reason of their pinciples upon which they ground their salvation and eternal welfare then this thus my Forefathers did thus they worshiped God and thus they beleeved and so will I. Are we wiser then our Forefathers did not they understand the Scriptures as wel as we were they not as learned as we are Here Satan taketh Advantage And to nourish Ignorance hereby in them he doth suggest many Arguments unto them to strengthen and confirme them in this rediculous Errour Whereas Reason will dictate this that no man ought to allow or approve of any thing implicitly Agreeable hereunto is that inconsiderate Custome among men to pin their opinions upon the Judgements of other men living in their owne Time whom they account learned and juditious The great Designe of Satan in all these things is to hinder men from searching into the Scriptures knowing that they are the onely light to guide us in this dark Age and Touchstone to try the Spirits in our selves and other men For take men off from this from the search of the Scriptures and it is an easie thing to impose any thing upon them as easie as to deceive a blinde man in the choice of Colours Satan having thus deluded any and brought them into this Snare how freely will they receive any colourable Interpretation of Scripture and how apt will they be to wrest and pervert the same according as he shall tempt them thereunto A second way by which Satan bringeth men to a misunderstanding of the Scriptures a perversion of them is by perswading them to consult with their own Reason in finding out the mind of God concerning spirtual things This Satan effecteth by taking Advantage of an Excellency which men suppose they see in natural Reason by which they think they are able to discern of spiritual Truths But can the Creature who hath all his knowledge conveyed unto him by sence know those things which the sences cannot reach unto How can the Eye discerne that which it hath not seen or the Eare that which it hath not heard or the heart that which never came into it Can Reason tell a man without divine Manifestation what God hath prepared for those that love and fear him these things Reason cannot informe us of neither can the spirit of a man know them but they must be revealed by the same Spirit which was in Jesus Christ By the Spirit which naturally is in us we are capable of knowing those things which belong to our Generation but no more And if a mans Spirit cannot know the things of other Creatures much lesse can it discern the things of God even those Mysteries which were determined by him before the world began For it is a certain Truth that the natural Man knoweth not the things of God 1 Cor. 2.9 10 11. And although the Scriptures are written in no other words then such with which we do usually speake one unto an other yet it is no easie thing to understand the minde of the holy Ghost therein Some words are allegorically others mystically others literally to be understood some all these waies Some expressions are typical others comparative and others prophetical some prophesies hold forth things past some things present and others things to come some all of these Yet there are some and too many such there are when they read a Text of Scripture will take upon them by the consideration of the very words to declare the meaning and purpose of the holy Ghost therein Hereby the world is filled with so many ill begotten opinions Others say look into that Light which is in you meaning the Light of Reason walke by that Light What need say they have men to looke into the Scriptures or to preach the word while they have a light within them When as alas the light of the natural man as Reason knowledge and the like as to the things of God is darknesse Ephes 5.8 untill the Lord by a supernatural worke of Grace do enlighten them and then they are said to be Light in the Lord or as the Apostle in an other place Ye are the children of the Day and not of the night 1 Thess 5.5 that is ye are not now in a natural and unregenerate Condition but new-borne and enlightened by the Spirit of God By ascribing that unto Reason which onely is the worke of the Spirit they force the Creature to depend upon his owne strength they put him upon a worke which he is not able to do they cast their Eyes onely upon self-sufficiency and neglect a dependance upon God by Faith they lay the whole weight of the Duety of a Christian upon the performance of some outward things which consist chiefly in Touch not Taste not Handle not in perishing services and in the Doctrines and commandements of men by which they are deceived because there is in these things a shew of wisdome in voluntary Religion and humblenesse of minde and in not sparing the body Col. 2.21 22 23. Satan having caught any in this Net bringeth them hereby to a neglect of comparing Scripture with Scripture They often read the Word but they judge of it by their own Reason which Reason they call the Light which God hath given them And demand of them why they interpret Scripture thus or thus they will answer that their Reason telleth them so And so by not comparing Scripture with Scripture they remain not onely ignorant of the true meaning thereof but they fill the world with a multitude of heretical Notions perverting the Scriptures when and how they please Secondly hereby Satan maketh them to contemn all Interpretations of Scripture which their Reason will not allow of And if the Truths of God conteyned in the word be declared unto them they are so wedded to their own Judgements that they have neither Patience to hear them nor consider them Thirdly Hereby Satan seeketh to destroy their Faith causing them to remain in unbeliefe of those things which their Reason cannot approve of For if Faith come by hearing then they that stop their Eares against any thing but the dictates of their own carnal Reason must needs remain weak
Jewes because Evils were in the Land shall we who are Gentiles and live in the time of Satans Kingdome and in mystical Babylon where all evil doth abound and is committed with an high hand look for such appearances certainly we should deceive our selves if we do so For the Lord will give unto his people during the Reign of Satan and while such Iniquities are committed Night for a vision and Darknesse for a Divination the Sun shall go down upon their Prophets and the Day shall be darke over them But for full Satisfaction in this thing that is to know the time wherein the Lord will manifest himself unto his people by Dreames and Visions there is one plain Scripture upon which many others are grounded that will direct us herein We shall finde it in the Prophesie of Joel Joel 21. to 28. where the Lord saith He will do great things for his People then the Children of Israel shall rejoyce in their God He will give them the Raine of Righteousnesse then their Barnes shall be full of wheat and the Presses shall abound with wine and oyle and they shall never be ashamed AFTERWARDS the Lord will powre out his spirit upon all flesh and their Sons and their Daughters shall prophesie and their old men shall DREAME DREAMES and their young men shall see VISIONS So that we are not to looke for the powring out of the Spirit as the Prophet hath foretold nor Revelations by dreames and visions until the Promise be fulfilled to the Jewes and the Saints be delivered out of Babylon When the Lord delivered the Jews into the hands of the King of Babel Jer. 27 9. 28.8 he told them that they should be subject to him Seventy years yet there were some who did promise great things unto them before that time but the Lord said Heare not your Prophets nor your Soothsayers nor your DREAMERS nor your Inchanters nor your Sorcerers which say unto you you shall not serve the King of Babel Let not your Prophets and Soothsayers which are among you deceive you neither give Eare to your Dreames which you Dreame for they Prophesie a Lye in my Name I have not sent them So I may say the people and Sheep of the Lord are now in mystical Babylon where the Lord hath appointed they shall remain and continue in a scattered Condition until their Shepherd come and gather them and whosoever they are that pretend that the Lord hath by DREAMES and visions made known unto them that those things which he hath foreshewn by the Scriptures should not come to passe until the next Coming of Christ shall be accomplished before that time in our Age and Generation they are not to be beleeved For by such means Satan seduceth the world that is he doth reveal unto many by Dreames and visions those things which the Lord by his Prophets hath spoken should come to passe that they who waite for such Promises may the more easily be deceived But this is his Design he deceiveth them in a Circumstance of Time Places and Persons and by such Dreames and visions keepeth them from searching the Scripture that thereby they may acquaint themselves with the Lords Time This worke Satan doth effect by taking Advantage of a Disposition which is in the Saints and which is naturally in all men viz to give Credit and easie beleefe unto any who will promise those things which they desire and would have come to passe And by this meanes Satan deceiveth both the Dreamers and those that give Credit unto them This was not the practice of the Apostle Saint Paul for he spake not as they who Please men 1 Thes 2.4 5. but God Neither did he use flattering words Another Policy of Satan is to reveale by Dreames and visions many things which have and will come to passe For when any can say I had such and such a thing discovered unto me by a Dreame or a vision and I spake of it long before it was fulfilled and afterwards accordingly it came to passe this doth perswade those that hear of such Dreames that all other things which they afterwards Dreame of will undoubtedly come to passe This is a way by which Satan hath wrought in these Times I will instance in one Foster who was reported of by those who very well knew him to be a great Professor a man of able Gifts upon whom it pleased the Lord to let Satan loose and in January 1650. Satan assaulted him thus I am the Lord of Hosts the holy one of Israel I am come unto thee Then many visions were shewed unto him which since came to passe As the dissolving the Parliaments and other things But Satan deceived him as to times and Persons Many times he was cast into Rapturs and Trances during which Time he sang Hallalujahs and Praises prophetically repeating many things which are written in the Scriptures of the coming of Christ and the Destruction of his Enemies The vanities of these and many other his visions Time hath already discovered Therefore we should be wary how we give Credit unto such Spirits although they foreshew such things as do accordingly come to passe The wayes by which Satan doth effect this that is by which he draweth men in this Age to give heed unto Dreams and visions is first by taking men off from the Rule of the Word perswading them or Rather by his cunning Suggestions tempting them to try the Word by the Spirit of these Dreamers but not to try their Spirits by the Rule of the Word Job 1.6 2.1 Secondly by causing them when they Pray to pray amisse For it is certain that the Saints do never solemnly set themselves apart to Pray but Satan is at their Right-hand He is an invisible Enemy and therefore my beloved friends take it not ill if I acquaint you with his Deceivings Nay if the Sons of God do but assemble together he will be among them The Sons of God whether Angels or Saints for both are the Sons of God And Satan will be among them you may be assured not as an Idle Spectator but as an accuser Rev. 12.10 The time of prayer is the time of Satans Temptation especially when the Saints at extraordinary times meet to Pray together We finde it was thus with Jehosua for when he stood before the Angel of the Lord most probably when he prayed to Christ for the Church and the welfare of the Saints Satan stood at his right hand to resist him Zach. 3.1 Thirdly Satan doth seeke to insnare the Saints when he doth indeavour to perswade them to look upon these Dreamers as infallible Guides And thus Satan doth stir them up to Reason with themselves some things they have dreamed which have come to passe which things are declared in the word therefore they are of God they who Dream these Dreames are People that fear God they have eminent Gifts they could not do such things if they were not acted