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
A SEASONABLE WORD OF ADVICE Unto all the SAINTS in ENGLAND Whereby they are exhorted to beware of Satans subtilties and hold fast the words of sound Doctrine By J. B. a lover of the Truth LONDON Printed by T. C. and are to be sold by George Wilford in Little-Brittain neere the Lame-hospitall 1655. To all the Saints in England who desire to acquaint themselves with those Scriptures which do discover the secret waies of Satan by which he doth seek to deceive in these last daies Christian friends WHose welfare I heartily desire do not dispise this friendly Exhortation which was written with much Care and Fear Fear least I should write any thing which should not be the Truth of God Feare least I should omit the writing of any Truth Feare least I should grieve the Spirit of any Saint Feare least I should neglect to acquaint the Saints with the Subtilties of Satan The Lord having put it into my heart to consider them In all Ages the Divil hath sought to deceive the Elect 2 Cor 11 1â—.15 And if in the Apostles daies there were deceitful workers who transformed themselves into the Apostles of Christ if Satan transformed himselfe then into an Angel of light and if his Ministers did then transforme themselves as though they were the Ministers of Righteousnesse we may be assured that in these daies and Ends of the World he will leave no way or meanes unattempted by which he may seduce If they who lived in those last times in which the Apostles were 1 Pet. 〈…〉 even they who were kept by the Power of God through Faith unto salvation had their Faith tried do the Saints now think to escape the like Trial assuredly Friends our faith will be tried even that Faith by which we shal be brought unto that Salvation which is prepared to be shew'n in the last Times that we may be found unto Praise and honour and Glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ 1 Tim. 4.1 In the last daies many will depart from the Faith for many will then give heed to Doctrines of Divils and Spirits of Errours And indeed none will stand and continue in those Daies in the Faith but they who have the Anoynting 1 John 8.18 19 20. the holy Spirit of God in them All others will fall under the Deceptions of that antichristian Spirit which then will be found in the world For they who never were really of God will then depart from him If they had been of him they would have continued with him If these be the last Daies If Satan will now endeavour to deceive those who professe the Lord Jesus If it be a difficult thing to discerne in these Times the Subtilties of Satan If he will leave no way unattempted and if his Rage and Malice will increase the nearer the End of his Kingdom will approach then the more Reason have all those that feare God to be circumspect in all things and to provoke one another not onely to attain unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ but to observe with diligence the cunning practises of Satan For a good souldier wil not only have respect unto that kingdom he fighteth for and to the Commands of his General but will with all Circumspection prudently watch over every motion of his Enemy And that I may move you hereunto I shall desire all the Saints of God to consider this Exhortation of the Apostle 1 Pet. 5.8 Be sober and watch For your Adversary the Divil as a roaring Lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour In which Scripture there are two parts 1. A double Exhortation Be sober and watch 2. The Ground or reason thereof which is likewise two-fold the first is exclusive to the Text and is to be found in the fourth verse being drawne from the Saints glorious appearing with their great Shepherd For thus saith the Apostle When your great Shepherd shall appear you shall receive an incorruptible Crown of Glory And then in the fifth verse he exhorteth them to humility in the seventh verse to cast their Care on the Lord and in the eight verse to be Sober and watch The second Reason which moved the Apostle to exhort to Sobriety and vigilancy is included in the verse and is Because their Adversary the Divil as a roaring Lyon walketh about seeking whom he may devour From the Premises we may safely draw this conclusion that The nearer the time is unto the Appearing of the great Shepherd and the nearer the Kingdom of Satan is to an End the more the Divil will indeavour to ensnare the Saints and manifest his Rage against them First this will appear by what is written in this fift chapter of the first Epistle of Saint Peter where the Apostle from the consideration of the next appearing of Christ and Rage of Satan doth admonish the Elect both the shepherds and the sheepe to Circumspection and Diligence Secondly the Truth of this Doctrine will appeare from that which we finde written by Saint John The Divil is come down unto you and hath great wrath knowing that he hath but a short time Rev. 12.12 for by the Power of Christ who overcame Satan Satan the Accuser of the Brethren who are by him tempted unto sin and by him accused thereof was cast downe v. 10. and his wrath doth increase because he knoweth his time is but short But short in the account of God and in comparison of that eternal weight of Glory which shall be given unto those who overcome his Temptations And if his Rage will increase as his Time will decrease then the Elect who live in the last Daies must expect to be assaulted more fiercely by him then the Saints in former Ages have been But Thirdly The truth hereof is experienced at this Day For although it must be confessed that Satan doth not at this Time move such heavy Persecutions against the Bodies of the Saints as he did in former Ages yet he hath in these daies put on more angelical Formes and shapes to deceive then in any former time These things being considered I will by the Lords assistance declare 1. Two Snares which Satan doth lay in these Times to intrap deceive and delude the Saints 2. Many cunning waits by which he doth attempt this Worke. 3. The End that Satan aimeth at the Advantage he getteth and the Inconveniences the Saints run into when they are deceived And 4. The Remedies which the Lord hath appointed both for the prevention of some that they fall not and the Recovery of others that are falne The first Snare which I shall mention that Satan layeth for those that professe Christianity is To bring them into a wrong understanding of the Scriptures and so in time to wrest and pervert them 2 Pet. 3.16 which he doth First by causing them to hold to the opinions of their Forefathers although they be never so contrary to the Word of God In all Ages men have highly esteemed
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