in the robbing of a glorious Church in the deliberatâ— breaking of so many sacred Oaths and Engagements in the ruine of so many thousand families in the â—nsnaring so many thousand souls by irreligious engagements to maintain these men in their wickedness but must all this be disguised with pretensions of piety and reformation Can they find no other answer for themselves when they are pressed with arguments drawn from Reason Law Scripture but must they father all their wickedness upon God himself â—y deriving it from the direction of his sacred Spirit Mâ—st the Dove of peace and love be entitled to their â— erciless bloody executions Must the Spâ—rit of meekness and condescertion be made the Patron of their Tyrannie and Ambâ—tâ—on The spirit that worketh sorrow and reluctancy for sin be brought to countenance their justification and perseveranâ—e in sin Oh let it never be told in Gath nor published in the streets of Ascalon Let â—ot the unbelieving Jews nor the sons of Mahoâ—er nor the Savage Indians ever come to hear what a generation of vipers and prodigious monsters hath been hatched and fomented under the sunshine of the Gospel How will our Enemies abroad reproach and Blasphemâ— our Religion when these shall be underâ—…ood to be the fruits of it in its faâ—sly pretended puritie and Reformation Whether that Blasphemy which the scribes that came from Ierusalem were guilty of in attributing the dispossession of unclean spirits which they saw our Saviour did by the finger of God to be done by Beelzebub were specifically that irremisâ—ible Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost I will not determine But this I will say That to Attribute the works of the most high God to Beelzebub and to attribute the works of Beelzebub to the most highGod are Blasphemies of the same Parallel if any thing make the difference it s the Quo animo of the iniquity For men to say when they have nothing else to say in defence of their Enormities that what they do they do by the dictate and direction of Gods holy spirit is so bold and fearful a Blasphemy that I am ready to tremble at the naming of it But whether these pretences derive from malice or obstinacy or a dissembled Iustification of what they know to be Guilt of an high nature I cannot possibly determine I shall from hence admire only the power and prevalency of this charm of Infatuation that will neither suffer men to look upwards towards their God nor inwardly upon themselves nor backwards upon their guilty actions but hurries them on with Corah Dathan and Abiram into a Justification of their Rebellion against Moses and Aaron and God himself so long till they are swallowed up quick of Death Desperaâ—ion And therefore my advise shall be the same that Moses gave the rest of the people that were not of that Conspiracy Depart I pray you from the tents of these wicked men and touch nothing of theirs or touch not with them lest yee be Consumed in their sins And let every man that would preserve the life of his Happinesse in the comfort and cleernesse of his conscience say with good old Jacob O mâ— soul come not thou into their secret mine honor be not thou engaged or do not subscribe their engagement lest thou eate of such things as please them and thy mind and thy Conscience be defiled and ensnared to thine inevitable ruin And this I conceive may not be propounded unseasonably unto such as either have twisted with these men without repenting all this time of the error of their doings or such as are at present their secret friends and Agents or such as may hereafter be tempted into a Compliance either for fear of their present power or which is worse for filthy Lucre sake And for our brethren and friends of the Scottish Natâ—on I could wish they would seriously consider of this one thing That the best way to satify the fears and jealousies which are at present upon them and their councelâ— and the best assurance they can give his Majesty of their sincerity unto him in all respects must be taken from the sight and the Sorrow and the humble owning of those errors wherein they were unfortunatly engaged against his Royal Father I shall not hunger after any of their Confessions whether Publike or private nor will I adventure to Censure their intendments Only I hope I may have leave to entertain some fears that they will not set this King upon his Fathers Throne till themselves have set themselves in the stool of repentance on another score then what hath been lately practised in Scotland The best way I can proâ—ound for them to set a Crown of gold on this Kings head is to have their hearts thoroughly pricked with those thornes they platted in his Fathers Crown if they are really ambitious of the honour of restoring the rights of the Crown and revenging the blood of their martyred Soveraign upon his cruel enemies they need not be ashamed in some measure to begin with themselves But if a professed Recantation be too severe a pennance for men that would be thought they cannot err yet let their hearts â—e but affected with such a close and inward sorrow as that The searcher of all hearts may accept of it and let their resolutions for the time to come be such as that the God of Truth and mercy may blesse and prosper them into on ample ripe harvest of true Christian Honour and that the world may read the disavowing of their former errors if in no other character yet in the sincerity and gallantry of their future actions and atchievements Having shewed the Nature Causes and Symptomes of Spiritual Infatuation and with a faithful and impartial hand searched this wound unto the bottom shall I now with the Priest and the Levite passe by and leave a soul stript and robbed and wounded unto death and take no care no Compassion upon so sad a spectacle What Is there no Balme in Gilead for this deadly wound Is there no oyl of mercy to be applyed to the obstinate and obdurate sinner Doubtlesse so long as there is life there is Hope and so long as theâ—e is Hope the Physitian cannot fairely desert his Patient And because it is safer erring with too much Charity then with too little Because it is an inconsiderate Temerity to confine the boundlesse Ocean of Gods mercy to the narrow mouthed bottles of our own uncertain fallible Conception I shall open a door of Hope as far as the unerring Oracles of God shall authorize me and the first thing I shall pâ—opound to the Inâ—atuated spirit is That there is a possibility of being Cured I know well there is a Iudâ—cial kind of Hardnesse when God withdrawes the sweet influence of his Grace and delivers a man up unto himself without ever looking more after him That there is a sin unto Death â—hat strikes the Church with Dumbnesse that sâ—e cannot pray for it
5. 6. For till we are clenâ—ed of this filthinesse and this foreskin be taken away the heart of man is abominable and disobedient and to every good work avâ—…se and reprobaâ—e Of this speaks the same Prophet also in another place A new heart will I give you and a new Spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh Eâ—ech 36. 26. So that when God is said to harden any mans heart it is not to be understood of any positive act or operation upon the heart making that haâ—d and impenetrable which before was soft and pliable but according to the Coâ—nsel of hâ—s most just and holy will by way of Nâ—gation or rathâ—r preterition he passeth by the vessels of wrath and leaves them as he found them with their natural hardnesse and drynesse upon them No otherwise then as the earth is somtimes parched and made fruitlesse not by any positive curse buâ— as it was in Eliahs time when the clouds were withheld from pouring their rain upon it Thus we read of Sihon King of the Amorites that when the Israelites would have passed peaceably through his territory paying not only for their meat but for their water and pawning their Deut. 2. 2â— faith only to passe along the high way without turning eâ—ther to the right hand or to the leâ—t It is said that God hardned his Spirit and made his heart obstinate Deut 2. 30. that is he lest him to be ruined by his own natural peevish and unfriendly disposition in opposing that people which he saw God Almighty owned by his visible power and protection God hardned his heart non induâ—endo malitiam sed propter peccata praecedentia subtrahendogratiam saith Aequinas 2. There is a second kind of Obduration which is Casual and Volâ—ntary the work of a mans own wilful and pernicious industry A kind of poison extracted out of many venomous and destructive simples A custom contracted by the iteration and repetition of many vitious and ungodly actions Now though hardnesse be the quality of all iron in general yet there is an apparent difference between the hardness of iron in the Ore and the hardness of iron in the Anvil That in the Ore is hard by nature That in the Anvil is hardned by designe and growes harder every day by a constant multiplication of strokes upon it That in the Ore is malleable and easily broken in pieces That in the Anvil is so obdurate that it resisteth all the strokes that are made upon it Just so is it with a mans heart That which by nature was but Pollution by induâ—gence and improvement becomes poison That which by nature was but a skin about the heart by custom becoms a stone in the heart Humors when they are tough and compacted are purged out of the body with greater difficulty and a complication of sins is not easily dissolved in the soul For as in the Natural Constitution that which is but a slimâ— visious humour in the stomack is by the heat of the body compacted into gravel and by the continual accâ—ssion of this grâ—…e substance is digested into a stone in the reins or in the bladder which grows there to such a magâ—itude that it becomes a disease which is seldome cured but with extreme paine and hazard of the patient Just so is it with the Spiritual Coâ—stitution That which by nature was but a pronesse and propensitie unto evil by the strength of Custom and encouragement of Delight becoms a second nature a Necessitie whereby a man is so far ensnared and fettered with the cords of his own twisting that he becoms prisoner and slave unto himself and his own corrupt affections and without great grace and mâ—rcy is never redeemed into the glorious liberty of the sons of God I shall instance only in that cheap and daring provocation the sin of â—…rsing and swearing which makes up a great part of some mens Language Were it certainly revealed from heaven to the common swearer that the next oath he swore he should incur the sentence of Dathan and Abiram and be carried away quick to Hell I perswade my selfe he were not able to forbear so powerful and predominant is the strength of a depraved custom in the soul And truly though custom in some cases may be a good plea in Law yet I am sure 't is a very bad one in Divinity A man that should be arraigned at the bar of Iustice for taking a purse upon the high wey or for picking a pocket at a sermoâ— and should plead at the bar under this form My Lord I pray be good to me 't is a Custom I have gotten and would leave but I cannoâ— Would not all the world cry shame on him away with him to Execution Certainly the case is the same between God and us Are we born down with the strength of custom The more our guilt and shame that to the high dishonour and provocation of a merciful God could be conteâ—t to sin over the same sins for ten twenty thirty yeers together without ever taking notice that we were in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity And truly he that shall favour himself in any wicked way and indulge unto any pleasing transgression with a purpose to persevere therein Does apparently strengthen himself in his wickednesse delivers up the possession of himself to that Devil whose name is Legion and makes Mar. 5 9. way for a third kind of obduration which follows in the next place to be spoken of 3. There is a third kind of Obduration and that is Divine and Iudicial the just reward of the former obstinacy For when the Donor of every good and Ezech. 〈◊〉 16. 17. perfect gift finds his Taleâ—ts abâ—sed his silver and gold and the fair jewels of his mercy made the fuel and matter of more licentious provocation his Grace turned into wantâ—nnesse the motions of his good Spirit vilified and rejected no abatement of sin no improvement in Grace notwithstanding all his stripes and Fatherly Corrections When he sees the heart of a man so wedded unto his own way that with Ahab he sets 1. King 21. 25. himself to work wickednesse in the sight of the Lord And with Absolom is not ashamed to commit a barbarous and horrid wickednesse in the sight of 2. Sam. 16. 22. all Israel and the Sun When a man is grown so strangely habituated unto wickednesse that he can as well forbear to eate or drink or sleep as the contrivance and prosecution of his malicious designs And so desperately resolved as to make a Covenant with Esay 28. 15. Death and to be at an agreement with Hell cannot endure to think of being reformed and therefore declines and hates any thing that may tend to his Conversion Then as a just reward and punishment of this wilfulness God delivers up such a man unto himself withdraws
people expect whilst the goodly pillars of our Land Religion and Iudicature are quite overturned and laid aside Whilst all Law is resolved into the bloody sentence of the sword and all Gospel into the private whisper of a seducing and destructive spirit And all power under the permission of the supreme wheel receives its Commission from Eph. 2. 2. the Prince of the ayr the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience He that in the bâ—ginning seduced the first woman in the form of a Serpent and by that imposture introduced a general inundation of iniquity upon the world is now grown so wise as to transform himself into an Angel of light 2. Cor. 11 14. And in this white and Saintlike disguise has leave from a just God to whisper to the Consciences of wilful and unstable men such strange delusions under the pretence of new lightâ— as fils the Christian world with wonder and amazement 'T were easie to set down a list of these new lightâ— but that I look upon them as too many and indeed too scandâ—lous to be inserted in a Protestant Treatise And therefore to wave a particular Narration of the whimseys and phrensies which the boldnesse and madnesse of these times hath thrust out into the world together with the absurdities defects aâ—d haesitations in prayer which have been pinned upon the Sacred Spirit of God and all by vertue of Excitations Incitations and Inspirations extraordinary as if the same Holy Ghost declared one thing by his pen and suggested the clean contrary by his whisper He that shall take up his stand in his Sanctuary of God and from the pillar of truth established upon the clear word of God shall take a survey of the Doctrines and Principles which have commenced of late yeers together with the general belief and adherence which hath been given unto them The wild and intemperate Zeal of the promoting them and the Bâ—nishment or rather Burial of Meeknesse Patience Peace Charity and all Evangelical graces in the manâ—gery of their designs so full of gloriouâ— pretenses must either resolve aforehand to wink and blind himself by partiality and designe or els be enforced to conclude from the fruits we have reaped that the seed was never taken out of Gods granary but that it hath been tâ—e Businesse and Industry of our envious Adversary to sow his tares to the great encrease of his peculiar harvest whilst we have slept and snorted in our sin and security So that as when God opened the eys of Elishas servant he saw then visibly the protection of that heavenly host which before he was not able to discern so on the contrary would the same God be pleased to do the like Spiritual Cure upon the eys of our minds We should soon discern those Legions of Infernal Spirits by whose seduction and delusâ—on we have been cheated of the favour of God and abused and ensnared into so much misery and ruine Thus Deus deficit gratiam detrahendo Diabolus afficit maliciam apponendo homo seipsum inficit duritiem contrahendo Nor is this al The Divel has not persected his design when he has instilled his poyson unlesse he give his Opium too and lay the soul asleep upon the pillow of security Those diseases of the body are of greatest danger and of nearest affâ—nity with our dissolutâ—on that take away all sense of pain and anguish as the Palsie Lâ—thaâ—gie c. And the fattâ—st parts of the body are ever observed to be the least sensible as having in them the fewest fibers and nâ—rves which are the instruments of Sensation So that when the Divel is said to make the heart fat he makes it Secure and senslesse of any danger arising from our own sin or Gods Iudgements And indeed the Divel can never call a man his own till he hath him at this lock For so long as there is any sense of sin any touches or twitches of Conscience there is some hopes of recovery a possibility there is he may see with his eys and hear with his ears and understand with his heart and convert and be healed But when a man hath sinned himself out of all sense of sin when there is no Mâ—nitor in the school of the soul no check of Conscieâ—ce to remember him of a Quid feci what have I done against God my neighbour and my oâ—n soul sure such a man is in salva custodia Diaboli there is very litle hope of such a mans recovery The Psalmist speaks very partiâ—ularly to this point where speaking of desperaâ—e rebels and opprâ—ssors he saith They are inclosed in their own fat and therefore their mouth speaketh great swelling words Psal 17. 10. But more of this when I shall speak of the Symptomes of Infatuation In the mean time the Consideration of what hath been delivered on this point may be enough I hope to prompâ— us unto these lessons First To try and examine all spirits and suggestions whatsoever especially in an age so miserably haunted and infested with evil spirits as this wherein we live There is a spirit that difâ—ers very litle from flesh and blood in its corruption and pravity and this spirit the Prophet Ezeâ—hiel calls our own Spirit a blind guide within us There is a perswasion wâ—ich S. Paul gives Caution against a perswasion that cometh not of him that calleth us There is a piece of wisdom which S. Iames calls wisdom mistaken which is not from above for that wisdom is always pure and peaceable c. but a wisdom in contending and quarrelling in managing strife and bitternesse with most advantage to our selves Achitopels wisdom to put difâ—erences our of all possibility of reconciliation and this in whomsoever it is Iam. 3. 15. is earâ—hly sâ—nsual and diâ—ellish It shal be our wisdom to enquire carefully into all these and above all these to be alwayes awake to the danger and deception of our own false heart which is very prone to entertain and swallow what is most pallatable unto flesh aâ—d blood Latet anguis in herba â—he old Serpent lurkes commonly under the fairest flower Secondly having discovered the impostor That we would conceive our Christian reputation very much concerned in bidding defiance to this Enemy Most men are bold only in bragging they have great courage when indeed they have none at all in opposing the enemies of God and their own salvation And let no man think the engagement of his Christian warfare a difficult tedious or unreasonable service There is Armour of proof provided for us from head to foot And the Apostle requires no more of the Christian soâ—ldier but only to keep his station When Eph. 6. Eph. 6. 13. the Israelites having the Sea before them and the Egyptian Army behind them begin to suspect Moses his Conduct and Gods protection Moses requires no more of â—hem but only to stand still and they should see the Salvation of God A man would thâ—nk it no
1 King 18. 19. These factors for the kingdom of darknes are so clearly described by the pen of the holy Ghost and with such particular marks upon them for caution and discovery that notwithstanding all their fine spun arts I should wonder my self into an astonishment to see in a Church where the Prophets Evangelists and Apostles are so often read and preached a people so strangely cosened and ensnared as we have been but that I read that Rebellion is aâ— the sin of witchcraft These must give me leave notwithstanding all their power and influence to do mischief to enter a little into their discovery and though they are very changeable in their shape and complexion yet by the help of that light that searcheth even between the joynts and marrow I shall shew you these wandring stars that so all men thâ—t would not make shipwrack of faith a good conscience may know their danger and lâ—arn at last to fear God and honour their King and to meddle no more with those men who are thus wantonly and desperately given to change Prov. 24 21. And this I take to be no digression at all from the Text since it was the fate of this people to whom the Prophet addresses himself to be ruined by the frauds of their false Prophets who by preaching smooth things unto them laid them fast asleep in their own security and would never suffer them to Ier 14. 15. hear of sword or fâ—mine till they were surprised by these judgements past all recovery We read in Scripture of three sorts of false Prophets there were some whose predictions were very true and yet themselves were false Prophets because their hearts and affections were very false and â—nsincere Such a one was Balaam of whose prophesâ—es we read Num. 24. It s said of him that he heard the words of God and saw the visions of the Almighty v. 4. and by verrue of this illumination he prophefied of Edom Amaleck and the Kenite of the future prosperity of Israel spake partie ularly of Iacobs star which was to rise many hundred yâ—ers after And yet we find this unerring Prophet in his visions brandeâ— by two Apostles S. Iude and S. Peter for loving the wages of unrighteousnâ—ss and was rebuked for his iniquity Iude 2. 2 Pet. 2. 15 16. the dumb Ass speaking with mans voice forbidding the madness of that Prophet Thus Caiphas the Iewish high Priest was a Prophet He prophesied in Ioh. 11. 50 51. the general that it was expedient that one mâ—n should dy for the people and particularly that Jesus should dy for that Nation and this was most true otherwise not â—haâ— Nation only but all the Nations in the world had perished everlastingly And yet the Evangelical history tels us that Caiaphas was notorious conspitator against that innocent Lamâ— of God who was slain for the whole woâ—ld Baâ—…am and Caiphas spake both well but did extremely ill both spake as they were inspired only with this difference between them Balaam knew what he spake but Caiphas did not God opened his mouth as he did the mouth of Balaams Asse which spake true but in the mean time knew not what she spake There is another sort of false Prophets who have been ever employed by the father of lies for the promoting and dispersing of delusions and impostures Thus 400. Prophets are employed and governed by one lying spirit to seduce Ahab to fall at Ramoth Gilead 1 Kin. 22 6. Thus Hananiah prophesied falsly of the Israelites return out of Babylon and strengthned his prophesie by breaking Ier. 28. 10. 11. a yoke from off the prophet Ieremiahs neck and all this for no other purpose but to make the people trust in a ly Jer. 28. 15. And that these Prophets might have the greater credit with the people it was somtimes permitted unto them as unto the Egyptian sorcerers to do miracles to give signes and wonders otherwise that caution of Moses had been in vain Deut. 13. 1 2. If there arise among you a propbet or a dreamer of dreams and giveth thee a signe or a wonder and the sign or wonder come to pass c. by which it appearâ— that the Prophet might be a false Prophet and yet the wonder the sign might have an exact accomplishment only to try the people whether they did love the Lord their God with all their heart and with all their soul Dâ—ut 13. 3. The third sort of false Prophets were such as whether they spake True or false were out of question false Prophets and false in their prophesyings too and that on anoâ—her ground namely Because they intruded themselves into thâ—t Sacred employment without Commission saying thus saith the Lord when the Lord never spake at all by them Of such as these God himself seems to complain of The Prophets prophesie lyes in my name I sent them not neither have I commanded them neither spake unto them they prophesie unto â—ou a false vision and Divination and a thing of nought and the deceit of their heart Jer. 14. 14. These were a kind of over active Prophets that make more hast then good speed They were not sent yet they ran saith another text tâ—ey were not spoken unto yet they prophesied Ier. 23. 21. Of this sort especially are those swarms of Locusts which have so miserably and perniciously invaded our Coasts And therefore to wipe off any scandalous aspersion which may fall upon our Church or Religion by reason of these Boutefeus and firebâ—ands we must professe with S. â—ohn E nobis egressi sunt sed non erant ex nobis These nâ—toâ—…ous Antichrists went out from us 1 Ioh 2. 19. Math. 12 22. and have been seen among us but they were never of us A man may demand of these as of him in the Gospel friend how caâ—nest thou in hither not having a wedding garment So frieâ—ds how came ye into the Church of England without Ordination and Orders Iesus we know Act. 19. 15. and Paul we know and all their lawful successors we know but who ye are we know not We know you pretend to have a Commission from Iesus Christ with so much intemperate boldnesse as if you were the only persons employed and entrusted by him But pretend you what you will we know what Iesus Christ hath concluded of such as you are Ioh. 10. 1. He that entreth not by the dore into the sheepfold but climbeth up some other way the same is a thief and a robber Our Saviour himself was the dore to his Apostles and his Apostles and their Successors the dore to all that ever were admitted shepherds in a regular and Aposto'ique manner The Ministeâ—s of the Gospel are called Stewards 1 Cor. 4. 1 and Ambassadours 2. Cor. 5. 20 Now for an Ambassadour to move in an employment withoâ—t a Commissâ—on is a presumption of so high a nature that I think the Law makes it Treason I' me sure Reason declares it a