those who have been judged to be unlearn'd have been in the truth and those who were the learned men of that age were in the errour In the times of Christ and his Apostles the Scribes and Pharisees and the learned Doctours of the Law they were in the errour as you know the Apostle asketh us in the 1 Cor. 1.20 1 Cor. 1.20 Where is the wise where is the Scribe where is the disputer of this world hath not God made foolish the wisdome of the world So in the 1 Cor. 6.7 8. 1 Cor 6.7 8. We speak the wisdome of God in a mystery which none of the Princes of this world knew speaking of the great Doctours of the Jews for had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory So that if you look into those times the learned men were in an errour and on the contrary those who were judged unlearned though they were truly learned in the wisdom of God they were in the truth as you know And indeed in all ages of the Church as it hath been a great advantage unto errour the learning of those who have maintained it so it hath been a great obstacle and prejudice to the truth the unlearnednesse of the maintainers You see in the times of the Gospel it was that which they opposed against Christ Which of the Doctours believe in him And it was that which they had against the Apostles it 's said Act. 4.13 when they saw the boldnesse of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned they marvelled Nay they objected this against Christ himself who was the wisdom of the Father and whose humane nature was filled with all the wisdom of God For in him dwelt all the fulnesse of knowledge nay Col. 1.19 all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge as the Apostle Col. 2.3 Col. 2.3 Yet they said of him when they heard him to teach Joh. 7.15 Joh. 7.15 How knoweth this man letters having never learned They saw he was not brought up as others were in the Schools of the Prophets it might be he worked at his fathers trade till the time that he began his Ministery which was not till he was baptized about the 30th year of his age and they thought seeing he was never taught by man therefore he knew no letters they were ignorant that he had an invisible Tutour the Spirit of God as the Prophet tels us Isa 61.1 Isa 61.1 Isa 42.1 2 3. Isa 42.1 2 3. Isa 50.4 Isa 50.4 The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned that I should know how to speak But ignorant they were that he was the wisdom of God and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge were hid in him they were in him God hath filled the humane nature with all these treasures but they were hid in him as the Apostle saith they were vailed and their eyes could not behold them as you see by them in this place So that you see as it hath been a great advantage to errour so hath it been a great prejudice to truth the learning or want of learning in the maintainers of it And I conceive the ground is this because most men of the world they are led by an implicit faith and believe as others doe and they are great admirers of learning and therefore give up their faith to those whom they apprehend to be learned men and walk by their light submit to their knowledge believe as they believe and there they rest without troubling of themselves any further Tutum est peccare authoribus istis Sic And one would think this a great deal of wisdom As one said of great persons so they say and in naturall wisdom it seems safe * Errare cum doctoribus istis to erre with such learned men why will men say if they know not what is the truth who should How can such poor men as we be able to judge of things so well as those who are the Doctors and Rabbies of the Church And so I finde most men ready to resolve their faith into the opinion of others and give up their judgements to those whom they doe apprehend to be learned they thinke that such must needs be in the truth but for others they apprehend them weak and illiterate and therefore doubtles they are in an errour Now to answer this Question which is of some weight that we may more distinctly proceed and more clearly come to the resolution of it I will in the first place give you the divers acceptations of learning in Scripture and tell you how it may be taken 1. Sometimes I finde it taken in a good sense sometimes in a bad It is taken for truth The knowledge of him who is truth it self Ephes 5.20 Eph. 5.20 And once we read it is taken for errour or erroneous doctrine Rev. 2.24 Rev. 2.24 where St John speaks of the doctrine of Jezabel who had taught that men might eat things sacrificed to Idols and commit fornication without sin as many as have not this doctrine or this learning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the words may be read As many as have not this learning that is this errour or as many as are not carried away with this erroneous doctrine they are all the same But 2. Sometimes we read that learning is taken Divinely Humanely We begin with the first 1. Sometime learning is taken humanely and so sometimes Strictly Largely 1. Strictly and that 1. Either for the knowledge of tongues and so I conceive it is taken 1 Cor. 14.16 1 Cor. 14.16 where the Apostle speaking of the knowledge of tongues which was a miraculous gift and accompanied the first times of the Gospel first given to the Apostles that the Apostles might be able to speak to all men in their own languages as you see in Act. 2. beg Act. 2. beg yet continued for certain time in the Church as you see it there 1 Cor. 14. this the Apostle cals learning and saith when the Church is met together and all speak with tongues and there come in those that are unlearned or unbelievers will they not say that you are madd Where by unlearned in that place he means such as have not the knowledge of tongues and therefore understood not what they spake which I call humane knowledge though at this time divinely given 2. Sometimes learning is taken for the knowledge of Arts and Sciences Act. 7.22 Act. 7 22. And Moses was learned in all the learning of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds And in this sense it is probable they spake when they said the Disciples were unlearned Act. 4.13 Act. 7.13 that is they are not skild in the knowledge of the Arts and Sciences nor were they brought up in the Schools of the Prophets and so instructed as they were 2. Learning is taken largely for the improvement in all kindes
heads but not into their hearts into their understandings and not into their affections will now certainly in this time of temptation foregoe the truth even truths professed truths preached truths contended for formerly The head is no safe casket to hide and lay up truth in it is easily stolen away if lodged in no safer a place But now if you have entertained it with love you will maintaine it too you may as well take away their hearts as take away their truth it is lodged there nay this love hath changed the heart into the nature of it truth doth so where it is received with love And hence it is that Gods people they have a rising of heart against errour when they want an argument against it and they have a love to truth when they cannot maintaine and dispute it As you see the Martyrs in Q Maries dayes they could say they could burne for Christ though they could not dispute they were notable to maintaine the truth with their heads but they could with their lives they could not give them reasons against their errours but they could lay down their blouds As a godly man said once he would desire no other confutation of Arminius but the work of regeneration 〈◊〉 any holy heart there was in every disposition of a gratious heart a reall confutation of all his tenents 3. God would hereby sift your Zealâ— whether or no you will contend for the truth as you have it exprest it Jude 3. Eâ—arnestly contend for the faith which was onâ—â— delivered to the Saints God will now try whether you will contend for the truth Rev. 1.3 or whether you will beare with them that are evill Thus God tried the Church of Pergamus Rev. 2.14 15. and he blames them for their lukewarmenesse that they had no more zeale to oppose those errours which were vented in their times Gods people though they be little when they be to deale with God dust and ashes as deale for God and they will not brooke with errour You see the hot contention between Paul and Barnabas Paul and Peter what zeale and affection Paul did shew for God and all was because they did not walk according to truth as you reade Gal. 2.10 11 12 13 14. As Moses would not yeeld to Pharaoh not in a hoofe the Orthodoxall Christians to the Arrians not in * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a letter an Iota a title nor Paul to the Jewes no not for an houre so the soule who is zealous for God he cannot brooke with errour nor can he yeeld to any thing contrary to the truth of God 4. The fourth grace God would sift is our Stabisity whether or no we are bottom'd and grounded in the truth whether we have that full assurance of understanding Col. â— 2 whether we are established in the truth or whether so unfixed and unstable that we are carried away with every wind of doctrine of such the Apostle speakes of Ephes 4.14 Many Christians that are as 't was said of Râ—uben Gen. 9.4 as unstable as water that are found according to the vessell which doth containe them poore Christians that are up and downe not only weake in knowledge but they are fickle in their understanding like soft wax now receive this impression this stamp but are ready to receive another when ever it is impressed And this doth arise not only from weakenesse of the understanding but want of firmenesse of understanding from inconstancy of spirit Now opinions will try your stedfastnesse see how you are setled how you are bottom'd when a streame comes you know it takes away what ever lies loose upon the banks but those things which are setled trees and such things that are rooted it cannot stirre men that are not rooted in the truth are in danger to be carried away with errours they are like loose things upon the banks but such as are rooted and grounded they abide nothing shall move them from their stedfastnesse But are all those that abide rooted Object No. There are many who are rooted in sin and errour Answ that are not moved men may be fixed in errour as well as firme in the truth their fixednesse as the others unsetlednesse is their sin 5. The fifth grace God would fift and that is your Sincerity your grounds your ends upon what grounds you have entertained truth and for what ends Oh there are many in the world that doe adhere to truth upon easie grounds upon poore reasons low considerations Some that have entertained truth only by tradition they were borne in these places where Religion is established and therefore are of this Religion and if they had been borne in Turkie had they no better principle they would have been of that too Some that have entertained truth meâ—rely for gaine and doe adhere to truth as the Ivie to the tree not because it loves it but because it is nourished by it Others upon other grounds because their Fathers their friends were thus of this mind Others because such Learned men and great ones are of this mind they pâ—â—ne their fâ—â—le 〈◊〉 their sleeves the Jews but this argument which of the â—â—â—lers beleeve in him Others because of other grounds 〈◊〉 John said to the elect Lady whom I love for the truths sake They often love the truth so the Ladiâ—â— sake 〈…〉 other respects Now at such a time as this when errour have been a bread if there be any grounds upon which you have entertained truth but meere love to the truth you will never hold out If you have entertained it upon other grounds or doe close with it upon other ends then such as are sincere you will never hold to it God will try your ends what ends you have in adhering to truth if it hath been for the world it may be as much of the world shall be propounded to you in a way of errour and then you are gone He that will serve God for the world will serve the Devill for the world he that will for bye respects close with truth will for the same respects if they weigh down the other close with errour if they doe but outballance them if more weight be cast in he is gone He that serves God for a little will serve the Devill for more where he can mend his wages he will give his service Errours are great trials of our sincerity what our grounds and what our ends are if you have entertained truth meerely for corrupt grounds its possible you may mend your selves by entertaining of an errour and then you are gone And therefore to discover sincerity God permits errours in the Church as you see it 1 Cor. 11.19 I heare there are divisions among you and I beleeve it for there must be heresies among you that they which are approved may be made manifest and as they try so they doe discover our sincerity to our selves to God to others by which meanes we are approved And this is the
first mercifull end which God hath to his people in permitting errours in the Church to sift his people 2. A second mercifull end which God hath to his own people in the permitting errours viz. to exercise and quicken our graces As God suffers corruptions in our persons to exercise and quicken us he could as easily destroy them as subdue them unbeâ— them as conquer them so he suffers errours in his Churches on purpose to exercise and quicken his own people We had need of quickning rather then God would suffer his people to be dead he suffers the Canaanites to be as thornes in their sides and rather then dead he suffers errours in the Church and if there be any life in you this will quicken this will raise it God hath on purpose permitted in all ages some errour or other on foote to exercise the graces of that generation the Fathers were famous in their times for contending against the errours of their dayes Augustine was famous in his Contests against Pelagius Athanasius in his against Arius Cyrill in his against Nestorius Gregory Nazianzen in his against Macedonius Leo in his against Eutyches Hierom in his against Jovinianus Ruffinus c. Every age hath had its poison and its antidote There was never any generation but as there were some suffering truths in it some truth that perverse generations would not close withall so there were some infecting and poisoning errours in former times the abounding errours were the errours on the left hand and God grant that the spreading errours now be not errours on the right hand The Devill hath been so long beaten at the other that now like a wily serpent he will goe and change weapons he hath long been a prince of darknesse who hath ruled in the children of disobedience and now he would become an Angel of light if possible to seduce the children of the light You have something of that insinuated in the text Deceivers shall come in Christs name and say of your opinions loc here is Christ and this is high deceit It may be God will exercise this generation with more of this kind then others because they have learn'd Christ better they have more knowledge he hath done more for this generation then any other and therefore God may exercise us more then others And this is another end God hath in permitting errours to quicken and to exercise the graces of his people And there are foure graces or gratious dispositions that God chiefely aimes at to exercise in his people by this suffering errours abroad 1. He would exercise their knowledge or rather their conscientious study and search to know the mind of God more fully God would put them on to reade more studie more converse more to search the Scriptures more to examine what is truth and that diligently Many that are too much of Gallios temper now of whom you reade when he heard of those things which Paul preached it is said he cared not for those things This is a prophane temper of spirit and is naught A man may as well reject truth as errour if a man doe not try and examine for ought he knowes he hath rejected a truth instead of errour if he doe not sit down to examine what is truth and search whether it be an errour or a truth how should he be able to close with the one or reject the other There are many that reject the opinions of these dayes for errours because they will not be troubled to search and examine them whether they be truths or no. We are commanded to try all things 2 Thess 5.21 and how should we be grounded and established in the truth or know truth from errour if we doe not search into the mind of God and learne what is his mind and will 1 Joh. 4 1. Beleeve not every spirit but try the spirits whether they be of God anno Many a truth is rejected in these dayes because many an errour is entertained You doe by opinions as you doe by Pamphlets because there be many lies abroad therefore you will not beleeve truth Certainly this is that which God preacheth to you in these times by the multitude of opinions to search what is truth to take more paines to examine and search out the mind of God It is not enough with Pilate to say what is truth and then sit still as many doe aske questions rather for discourse sake then out of desire to be satisfied but you must search the mind of God inquire diligently 2. God would now exercise your zeale of love if you have any love in you shew it to the Lord love is a zealous affection We say the fire burnes the hotter for the cold weather the colder the weather the hotter and more scorching is the fire it is per Antiperistasin so the more errours abroad the hotter will your love and zeale burne to the truth and in the truth As the bellowes blow the fire and intend it so doth this opposition intend our affections the more or love to God to truth to others 3. God doth it to exercise a dependentiall faith upon God that he would not suffer us to be carried away with errour If you have any faith you will now exercise it faith to beleeve promises he hath said we shall be taught of God he hath said he will leade us into the way of all truth c. here is faith exercised to close with promises to sue out promises and to depend on God for the performance of them Oh now the soule gets to a promise finds sweet there and some stay it the midst of his unsetlednesse now he esteemes a promise above a world 4. A fourth grace God would exercise is the grace of prayer Now will the soule goe and improve all his interest in Heaven that God would leade him into the way of all truth that he would not leave them to be carried away in any way of errour Now doth the soule ply the throne of grace indeed tells God of his pliablenesse to entertaine any truth of God truth with penury truth with prison truth with any affliction now he goes and tells him how willing he is to let in any light of God his eyes shall be broad open to receive what God shall reveale now he goes and beggs for the Fathers teaching the Spirits leading into the way of all truth professing the universall willingnesse of his spirit to close with naked truth upon any termes Such dispositions are now drawne forth which perhaps had no occasion to appeare all thy life before and there is comfort in exercise of them the soule is comforted in their actings although he cannot yet find what is the will and mind of God And this is the second mercifull end God hath to his people in the permitting and suffering errours as to sift them so to exercise them 3. A third mercifull end which God hath to his people in suffering errours and that is to
studied to know more of Gods mind 4. Though this were true that our fathers held out some truths and that they did not seeke and enquire after more which yet I cannot grant and hold their condition good yet they did not reject further discoveries if revealed to them this is certaine where any truth is received with love there is a readinesse of spirit to embrace all truths that shall be discovered and revealed For this is an undeceiveable evidence of a man that hath received the truth as he is willing to receive all truths he opens his eyes broad for any communication of God so againe he will not reject any truth which is revealed to him Indeed he may reject a truth held forth to him because as yet he doth not apprehend it to be a truth but he cannot reject a truth discovered to him no bye ends wordly respects shall prevaile with him to reject it if God have discovered it 5. But fifthly thou sayest againe our fathers held out these and sought no further which I have disproved And yet thou sayest they were saved and so shalt thou if thou adhere in those which they have left thee well for this I say thus much Admit that they were saved I will grant that yet it will not be enough to cleere this to thee that thou shalt be saved if thou goe on no further they held out these truths but were willing to receive more sure they rejected none that God revealed Thou holdst out these truths and sayest thou adherest to them but dost not adhere to them thou holdst them forth in thy understanding but they are not wrought into thy heart nor held forth in thy life never a truth which thou sayest thou adherest unto which thou livest answerâ—ble to in thy conversation Againe thou adherest rather in them then to them thou seekest to know no more but they did nay thou rejectest those diâ—coveries of God which are made to thee which they did not They might be saved by that little light if true light when they were true to it when they walked answerable to it when they were willing to receive more when they rejected not that which was discovered But you cannot when you walke not answerable to what you have received when you are not willing to receive more when you reject what is discovered to you c. Men may be saved with many errours if not fuundamentall errours and by a little light if true light when no more is revealed But if those errours be discovered to be errours though not fundamentall errours and more truths be revealed to be truths though not foundation truths if you doe reject the one and embrace the other you cannot then looke for salvation Grace embraceth all truths rejects all errour God would have all saved by comming to the knowledge of the truth The Patriarchs lived in the sin of poligamy marrying many wives and esteemed it no sinne to take to themselves as many wives as they pleased so that they were not the wives of another And notwithstanding this great errour the Patriarchs were saved they knew no better and times of ignorance may plead some indulgence But now we cannot looke for life and yet practise such a sin because God hath revealed the truth in this which was more concealed before as Christ said from the beginning it was not so And if any had cause of two wives then the first man to populate the world but God made them male and female And this shall suffice for answer to that objection Object But is not the same truth saving and the same errour damning in any age and therefore that which saved them will save me Answ The truth which is saving now is saving hereafter but the reason why that truth which saves others will not us it doth not arise from any defect in the object truth but in the subject man if the subject receive some truths but not all if willing to entertaine some but to reject others and so to reject some errours but yet to retaine others though convinced of them then there is no salvation 2. The same truth which saved them will save us if received but if received of them and not of us it cannot save now there is no greater evidence that truth is not received then that you are not willing to entertaine more Truth where it comes where it is received into the heart it holds open the doore to let all its kindred in bids all truth welcome and therefore if thou say thou receivest some truth as truth and thy heart is shut up against other truths revealed thou deceivest thy own soule there is no surer character of received truth then willingnesse and universall willingnesse to embrace all Indeed men that receive truth into the head only doe not embrace all truth they pick and choose but if it be received into the heart then the doores are open to all truth and every truth comes with authority and carnall respects shall not hinder the embracing of them And thus we have done with the first how it may stand with Satans ends to the good we come to the second how it may stand with Satans ends to the bad 2. It may stand with Satans ends to the bad and that both to the 1. Receivers and 2. Promoters 1. It may stand with Satans ends to the receivers or to the bad in generall which we will shew you in five particulars 1. To lessen the credit or if you will beliefe of those things which they doe know Men who are yet of unregenerate life may know many truths of God and though they have not much faith of them yet some credit they give to them which begets awfull thoughts of the truth of God and this generall beliefe of these things doth restraine many from many sinnes and puts them upon many generall duties Now Satan cannot endure this light in them he knowes not what in time it may come too and therefore he sets many errours on foote that if possible he might lessen the beliefe of those things which are reall truths and render all you know which keepes you in some awe by virtue of that power the generall beliefe of them hath upon your spirit I say to render them all but notiones secundae chymeraes meere fancies or pollicies the better to keepe men in awe and under rule and some government And in the time of aboundiug errours he will thus deale with a man you thought that this and that was a truth but you see now it comes to be debated it proves but a shadow and so are other things you beleeve if once they were sifted and debated if understanding men would but deale faithfully and would apply themselves to dispute other things you give credit to they would be discovered to be of the same stamp and as little bottome in them as in these which you have built so much upon And here a poore man he is gone
Sermon on Hag. 1.2 3 4. p. 171 c. that as the name of Antiquity hath been the pretence for many errours so novelty hath been the plea which men have used in all ages against the truths discovered in their generations Since God hath broken the Antichristian yoak which lay upon all the world there is scarce any generation which he hath not honoured with some new or fuller discoveries of truth See Iewel to the same Sermon Mark 1.27 Act. 17.19 Antichrist had corrupted all both worship and doctrine and there must be a time of clearing that which he hath corrupted and when that is done he shall fall for he shall be consumed with the breath of Chirsts mouth and God doth honour every age with something he reforms us by parcels and this hath been the prejudice against truth in all generations the novelty of it this hath been the plea that corrupt hearts have had against the truths of their generation they are new things when indeed they are not new in respect of their being but in respect of their observation Nay and from the beginning it hath been the same pretence that careless and Atheisticall hearts have had against the truths of God You see in Christs time and in the Apostles time when they revealed the will of God they judged all to be new What new doctrin is this that we hear they said so of Christs Mark 1.27 and the like of the Apostles Act. 17.19 Let us hear what new doctrine is this you teach And in after ages there was the same spirit in men they adhered to their old customs and their ancient waies and rejected what ever was contrary to them as new It was Augustins complaint a Hic est mos diabolicus ut per antiquitatis traducem commendetur fallacia This is the devils custom to commend errour to us for truth under the notion of Antiquity Custom without verity is the antiquity of errour Again b Si consuetudinem fortassis opponas c. adverterdum est quod Dominus dicit ego sum via veritas vita if you doe oppose custom to truth consider what Christ saith I am the way the truth and the life c NoÌ„ lixit ego â—um consuetudo sed veritas Aug. He doth not say I am custom but I am truth And besides him others have had the same spirits to conflict withall Cyprian tells those of his time Every custom although old and common yet is inferiour to truth and that custom which is contrary to truth is to be abolished Another hath these words d Religionis authoritat non tempore aestimanda est sed numine neque enim quo die sed quid colere caeperis in tueri convenit quod verum est serum non est Arnob. Quod nos agemus novum quod vos priscum The authority of Religion is not to be reckoned by time but by revelation nor art thou to take notice what day this worship began but what this worship is which began at that time that which is truth is not late The same Authour dealing with those which did plead Antiquity against truth he saith That which we say is new and that which you doe is old but what doth this help you or weaken us The authority of truth is not to be measured by time but by revelation And Tertullian dealing with the same spirits in his generation saith f Hereâ—es non tam novitas quam veritaâ— revincit quodcunque contra veritatem sapâ—t haeresis est etiam vetâ—â— consuetudo Tertul. Novelty doth not confute an errour but the truth what ever is contrary to truth doth savour of heresie even though it be the most ancient custom And Bernard tels us of the wicked tongues of men g Qui cum manifestâ—â—â—umen obnubulare noÌ„ queunt de solu novitatis nomine ca villantur Bern. Cons Park de polit ecclesâ—t 2. c. 20 p. 254 who when they are not able to cloud or darken the evident light they cavil at it for a novelty But in vain doe those alledge custom who are convincâ—d with reason reason is to be preferred before custom much more is truth and the authority of God I name these for this end to shew you that it hath been the spirit of corrupt mâ—n in all ages to reject those things which are contrary to their erroneous customs for novelties and new things And it is the same spirit which acts in men to this day they will rather adhere to an old errour then embrace a new truth I say such a truth as is not new in respect of it's being but only in respect of our observing I might instance in many things what if I should single out this one only viz. our Lyturgie It may be you will say this was composed by learn'd and holy men such as were Reformers in their time it was so but there was never any Reformation since defection to Antichristianisme but in time that Reformation hath been discovered to stand in need of further Reformation we know but in part and God doth reveal his will gradually not all at once The Church grows to perfection not all at once but by degrees and it may be they went as farre then as the times would suffer there is something implied to that purpose in the front of it they had a contrary stream to conflict withall being newly come out of Poperie And I know not whether is the greater wonder of these two that they went so farre then at the first jump out of Popery when so many to oppose them or that we never went farther since after so many years preaching of the Gospel to us Certainly they were holy men precious men in their Generation but yet not perfect men thou rejects their holiness and closest with their imperfections thou adherest to their imperfections and makes use of their holiness for no other end but to retain their imperfections such which if they lived in our daies themselves would disclaim They were holy men and I may say of thee as Augustine did to the Donatists who alleadged Cyprian to patronize them in their errour i Quod in Cypriano naevuâ— in vobis fuligo est c. Aug. That which was a spot in Cyprian is Tartarian darkness and smoak in you Or as another answered the Armenians who said they held the same things with the Fathers k Quod in patribâ—â— error in Armenis haeresis est That which was but an errour in the Fathers is a heresie in the Armenians Or as another speaking of the African Fathers l Patres Africani ex ignorantia deâ—epti suere voâ— vero ex malitia peccatis Nobis vero qui admoniti edocti sumus nulla ejusmoâ—â— indulgentia relinquitur Cy The African Fathers were deceived out of ignorance but you sinne out of malice theirs was the impâ—rfection of their knowledge but yours is the perverseness of your wils Or
and offence to other Churches if in all th ngs we come not up to them as they take their own just libertie to consult their own peace so may we We see in part the mischiefs of divisions It is indeed the blazing Comet which portends more evil then all our enemies can bring upon us but when shall we be one Shall we yet be dividing wedges cleaving our selves into splinters and renting our selves into further division We have had some waies of accord but do all waies of accord set us at farther distance Do means of union prove waies of disunion Do reasons for agreement turn to arguments of further difference A sad omen and gives us cause to fear that if yet we will continue two God may finde a third to chastize us both God being as carefull to chastize his peoples wantonnesse as to relieve his peoples wants from the dust he will have means for the one and from the dead he can raise instruments for the other However I fear that both parties will have cause hereafter to repent that they are two though no third party be used which God avert as a means to make us one The foresight of the misery of lengthening out our differences prevailed with me to attempt that which I have done in this Discourse by way of healing and accommodating of them towards which if these weak endeavours may be serviceable or put on some abler pen to attempt the like I have my desires and good men their prayers if not I have given in my vote And as a learned Authour saith in attempts of another nature It will be enough for me L VerulaÌ„ if these weak endeavours may be reckoned among the best sort of wishes And I may be esteemed An earnest breather after truth and peace S. BOLTON Gentle Reader THou wilt finde in the perusall of this Discourse notwithstanding all our care some literall faults these I present to be amended and the other I beg wanting time of further perusuall may be indulged Pag 3. l 5 r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 9. l. 1. mar r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 9. l. 34. for notable r. not able p. 78 l 9 r scrupled p 101. l c. r audire p. 119. l. 22 m. r. novem p. 125. l. ult r obliqui p. 341. l. 33. r. terrours p. 343. l 6. r modiâ—am p. 360 l. 19. r. our l. 31 1. speak I Have with much satisfaction and content perused this Treatise intituled The Arraignment of Errour And finding it to be very solid and judicious pious and exceeding seasonable towards the healing of the present differences of our times I allow it to be printed and published John Downam THE Generall Prospect OF THE ENSVING DISCOVRSE THE generall enducement unto the ensuing Discourse Pag. 1. The coherence of the Text and the division of it p. 2 3. The severall Doctrines contained in it and the main Doctrine propounded viz. Doct. That there shall be many dangerous and erroneous opinions toward the end of the world which shall seduce and carry away many 4 5. This Discourse is carried on in way of resolution to six main Questions 5. Qu. 1. How it may stand with Gods ends with Sataâ—â— ends with a mans own ends that there should be erroneous opinions p. 6. The severall branches of this Question are spoken unto and 1. It is shewed how it may stand with Gods ends ibid. 1. It may stand with Gods ends 1. His mercifull ends to the good 1. To them brought in 2. To them in purpose to call 2. His judiciall ends to the bad ibid. 1. With his mercifull ends viz. to them brought in 1. To fift and try 1. Their conditions 2. Their graces 3. Their grounds 4. Their 〈◊〉 The two first are only spoken unto 1. To sift and try their conditions where six conditions are laid down to which God hath promised direction in truth and preservation from undoing errours p. 7 8. 2. To try their graces vvhere are five graces laid down which God doth especially try by permitting of errours 1. Their knowledge 2. Their love 3. Their zeal 4. Their stability 5. Their sincerity p. 8 9 10 11. A second mercifull end which God hath to his own people is to exercise and quicken their graces this instanced in four graces viz. 1 Their knowledge 2. Their zeal 3. Their faith 4. Prayer p. 12. 10 15. A third mercifull end to make them keep closer 1. To him 2. To his Word p. 55. A fourth mercifull end to commend his love to them p. â—6 A fift to discover to us where our strength is ib. A sixt to make us prize truth more while we live 17 A seventh to make us wary of what we receive 18. to 21 2. It may stand with Gods mercifull ends to them in his purpose to call viz. 1 To awaken them 2 To beat them off their sandy foundations 3 To clear the way of truth to them 21 to 25 2. The permission of errours may stand with Gods judiciall ends to the bad 1. To the promoters 2. To the receivers 1. For the punishment of some former way of sinne where five sins are named wherefore God doth suffer men to be carried away with errours 27 28 2. For the further hardening of their hearts where are divers waies set down of Gods hardening the heart 29 â— The second generall branch of the 1. Question viz. How it may stand with Satans ends 1 To the good 2 To the bad 30 To the good 1 To seduce 31 2 To unsettle 32 3 To shake 33 4 To perplex 34 5 To prejudice entertainment of truth 35 Solutions to some objections made by those who rest in the light of their fore-fathers without seeking further rejecting what ever hath not been of former reception 37. to 40 2 It may stand with Satans ends to the bad 1 Receivers 2 Promoters 41 1 Receivers 1 To lessen the belief of things known 2 To discourage them from doing any thing 3 To suit himself to the tempers of men 42 4 To corrupt and defile them more 43 5 To beget dislike of the waies of God 45 46 2 Promoters 1 To make their conditions more irrecoverable 46 2 To encrease their sin 47 to 4â— 3 To encrease their torments 50. to 52 3 The third generall branch of the first Query viz. How it may stand with mans ends 1 The contrivers 2 The actours Contrivers ' 1 To blast the truth 2 To divide the professours of it 52 Actours to advance their 1 Ambitious 2 Covetous 3 Voluptuous ends 53 54. Qu. 2. What may be the grounds of abounding errours 55 Answ The grounds are four 1 Satan 57 2 Corruption of mens hearts 58 3 Mens readinesse to drinke in every opinion 59. to 64 4 Want of good discipline 64. to 68 Quest 3. What are the grounds that so many are carried away â—8 Answ The generall grounds are 1 Weaknes incident to the godly 1 Weaknes of judgment 68 2 Want
259. 2 ExcommunicatioÌ„ 2 Synodicall Some Objections upon Matth. 28.17 answered 261. to 265 The Synodicall means 265 This branched into four particulars 1 What a Synod is where many cases are resolved 266. to 273 2 That God hath set up such an Ordinance as this is and in what cases needfull 273 3 That this means hath been blessed and succesfull 276 4 What power God hath endued and enabled a Synod withall 279 Divers opinions laid down 280 Our agreements in the negative laid down in six particulars 281 284 The power of a Synod as relating to the Question laid down in these three particulars 285 1 The power they have as relating to erroneous Doctrines laid forth in three particulars and an Objection answered 285-287 2 Their power as relating to erroneous persons laid forth in 4. branches 287-190 3 Their power as relating to erring Churches laid down in six branches 290-295 Object concerning the difference betwixt our Synods and that in Act. 15. answered 295-302 The Quest is concluded in a discourse upon the divers opinions concerning Excommunication of a whole Church and of delivering up to Satan 302-30â— The grants of the Brethren laid out in six particulars concerning the nature and power of Synods 308-311 2 The civil and Magisteriall means 311 This summed up in five particulars q. 1. What power the Magistrate is said not to have this is said forth under four particulars 312-319 q. 2. What the power of the Magistrate is asserted to be as relating to this Quest Severall opinions concerning this whereof two of them extremes one middle 31â—-321 q 3. Whether there be any such power warranted and ordained of God as is asserted ibid. The Query resolved and Objections answered 321-325 q. 4. Whether such a power be needfull to the Church This is answered in four Conclusions 326-329 q. 5. How this power is to be dispenced where six necessary Rules or cautionary advices are laid down in answer to this Question Rule 1. This power is to be dispenced rightly 329 Rule 2. This power is to be dispenced knowingly 331 Rule 3. This power is to be dispenced wisely and prudentially 334 Set down in three things viz. It must be dispenced with distinction of Errours Persons Penalties 1 It is to be dispenced with distinction of errours VVhere are four kindes of errours laid down unsufferable 334-336 2 This power is to be dispenced with distinction of persons 336 VVhere seven rules are laid down serving to discover a man truly conscientious in an errour from one pretending conscience for his errour 337 342 3. This power is to be dispenced with distinction of penalties 342 Some errours are to be healed with patience 343 Rule 4. This power is to be dispenced orderly 344 It is not the only means the first means nor the means to be used alone 346 Ru. 5. This power is to be dispenced piously and religiously upon religious grounds in a religious manner for religious ends 347 Ru. 6. This power is to be dispenced mercifully and châ—ritably 348 The Discourse concluded with some desires motives and waies of Accommodation 349 First It is shewed that this accommodation is possible in respect of God in respect of our differences and in respect of the persons differing 349 2 It is exceeding desirable 1 To Christ 2 In it self 3 To us 4 To all the Churches of Christ Unto these motives some waies are laid down subservient to this Accommodation 355 1 That all would get their hearts in love with peace and union 355 2 Silent all characterizing names ibid. 3 Bury up and forget all bitter and distastefull passages 356 4 Retract unjust charges inconsequentiall and strained deductions fastened upon either 357 5 That there be a truce and cestation from all matters of strife and contention agreed on 358 6 Set up a brotherly and amicable conference where four things are suggested requisite to the well managing thereof ibid. Three main things to be endeavoured by the undertakers of this conference 360 1 All unnecessary controversies are to be avoided ibid. 2 To conclude and establish our agreements 36â— 3 To accommodate our differences 362 And with the earnest desires of a happy Accommodation the work is concluded THE ARRAIGNMENT OF ERROVRS MATTH 24.4 5. And Iesus answered and said unto them Take heede that no man deceive you For many shall come in my Name saying I am Christ and shall deceive many THe multitude of opinions which are in our dayes every one of them stamped with the name of Christ and claiming his authority and the great danger of them hath been the only inducement to me to make choice of this text at this time which God willing shall be the examination of many opinions now on foote Indeed there have many glorious truths been discovered to us which before were hid in the darke but when God is communicating truth then is the time for the Devill to bring forth his ware and vent his errours also And therefore great care there ought to be what we entertaine and how we entertaine opinions Take heed that no man deceive you For many shall come in my name saying I am Christ and shall deceive many The text which I have read to you it is the beginning of Christs propheticall Sermon to his Disciples Where take notice of these two things 1. The Occasion of it 2. The Sermon it selfe 1. The occasion is 1. More remote and that was the Disciples admiration of the building of the Temple vers 1. 2. More neare and that was the Disciples questions which they put forth ver 2. The Questions were three 1. When these things should happen which Christ had spoke off in the 2d verse 2. What should be the signe of his comming 3. When should be the end of the world as you see verse 3d. 2. We have the Sermon it selfe which was upon a double subject 1. Of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple 2. Of his coming to judgement and the end of the world Both which are so interwoven that it is hard to separate them Christ doth not here answer them directly determining the time and yeare when these things should be But he tells them of some foregoing signes of these things 1. There shall be false prophets impostors seducers who shall come and deceive many 2. There shall be warres famines earthquakes pestilences c. And he doth admonish them to beware of the one and not to be troubled at the other My text is a branch of the first of these Take heed that no man deceive you In the former words you shall observe a curious inquisition here in the text we have 1. A necessary admonition Take heed that no man deceive you 2. The ground and reason of it which is three-fold 1. Multi erunt seductores there shall be many seducers 2. Multos seducent they shall deceive many Here was ground to take heed but yet there is a further ground 3. Seductionis periculum the danger
of the seduction Which is set downe in two things 1. They shall come it my name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is read in my name Calvin reades it sub nomine mee under my name they shall use my name as their colour or pretext the better to set off their errours and there is great danger in that they shall come in my name not that Christ sent them not that they had Commission and authority from him as the word is used otherwhere but they shall come under pretence of my sending in my name as if I had sent them and that is danger No greater danger of being deceived then when men come in Christs name 2. They shall say I am Christ Why but what danger of deceiving them in that that was so grosse an errour it was so obvious to them who had received Christ and knew him that there was no danger of being deceived by such impostors But yet here is the danger 1. They shall not say they are Christ personall but Christ doctrinall they shall say their opinions are Christs mind Christs will Christs doctrine If they had said they were Christ personall then how could they come in Christs name they could not say they came in his name and yet say that they were Christ and therefore I conceive that this is spoken of their opinions that they were to hold forth that they shall stamp them with the name and authority of Christ which yet are contrary to Christ And this makes the danger the greater 1. They shall come in his name they shall pretend they have Commission from Christ Christs authority that Christ sent them 2. They shall pretend their opinions are Christs mind his will And when that a deceit is fathered so high when an errour doth claime Christs patronage and comes cloathed with such authority when it is held forth under such colours there is great danger of deceiving those who are simply honest And therefore it hath been the policie of Antichrist and of all who have been the patrons of errour either in doctrine or worship to hold out their opinions and doctrines upon the highest pretences to make men more willingly to close with them and swallow them And opinions so handed to us come with great advantage Well then seeing there shall be many seducers and they shall prevaile to seduce many and seeing there is such danger of seducing others also in regard they come with such specious pretences giving out that I sent them that they have Commission from me and the opinions they hold forth they are my mind and will therefore take heed that no man deceive you Beza in loc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that no man seduce you so the word speaks whence planus in Latin is taken pro impostore It is a word doth properly signifie to be inticed out of the right way into woods and groves in which there is danger As a thiefe doth allure the travellour out of his way into woods and groves that he may rob and kill him so the Devil who is the grand impostor doth indeavour to draw men out of the way of life that he may robbe them of their graces and murther their soules And therefore take heede that no man seduce you for many shall come in my name I have the larger insisted upon this that I might in the laying down the parts of the text convay the meaning of the words to you also Now we come to the Doctrines 1. That there shall be many seducers many erronious opinions before the end of all things 2. That these seducers and seductions these deceivers and deceits shall carry faire pretexts the seducers shall come in Christs name and their seduction shall be given out to be the mind of Christ 3. That many shall be seduced and carried away with them They shall deceive many 4. That the Saints had need themselves to take heed You see the ground many are deceived and the danger they shall come in Christs name and say I am Christ As we use to say we are never deceived but by those whom we trust such as make shew of honesty a knave cannot deceive us for we trust him not But now such who have shew of honesty they may easily deceive because we never mistrusted them we looked for all good from them and thought of no deceit So there is greatest danger of deceit when opinions come with glorious bâ—ites and shewes if men came in their own name and gave them out for their own opinions we should mistrust them for every man is a liar the best know but in part but when they come to us under the authority of Christ and are handed to us for the truths of Christ here is most danger of being deceived And the errours in our time had not prevailed with so many if that the seducers had not been so sacrilegious as to make Christ the patron of them if they had not baited the hooke with such a glorious bait if they had not said they came in Christs name and held out nothing but Christ and the truth of Christ Wolves indeed in sheepes cloathing But I speake not of all God forbid some that say so of whom I shall be tender in the discourse though their opinions may not be received But I will not anticipate my discourse We begin with the first doctrine propounded and it shall be the whole I shall insist on And we will give it in these words That there shall be many dangerous and erronious opinions at the end of the world Doct. which shall seduce and carry away many It was here foretold in prophesie and it is fulfilled in our dayes I need not speake to the truth of it it is plaine enough he that runs may reade it I shall therefore omitting that indeavour to cleere these things 1. I will shew you how this may stand with Gods ends with Satans and with a mans own ends that there should be erronious opinions 2. What are the grounds of so many abounding errours 3. Why so many are carried away 4. Who are those that are in danger 5. What are the Examens touches or trials whereby we may be able in these dayes of dispute to cleare what is errour and what is truth 6. What wayes God hath left in his word for the suppressing of errour and reducing of erronious persons And I shall desire so much from you being a seasonable discourse that you would lend me your attention till I have finished it and then I doubt not but as it may be a check to the greedy entertainment and confident broaching of opinions so it may be a help unto those that are in the darke and in some measure inable them to see their way cleare before them and settle them in these unsetled times and through the like blessing of God those who have been carried away may be reduced out of the wayes of errour into the paths of truth And if that be the
end of the discourse as it is my end in the undertaking of this discourse both you and I shall have cause to blesse God I that I undertooke it and you that you heard it We will therefore begin with the first thing propounded viz. 1. How this may stand with Gods ends to suffer many abounding errours and opinions in the Churches And 1. I shall shew you how it may stand with Gods ends to the good 2. How it may stand with Gods ends to the bad 1. It may stand with Gods mercifull ends to the good 1. To them brought in 2. To them in his purpose to call 1. To them brought in God suffers errours 1. To sift and try his own people these times are sifting times As times of calamity when misery abounds so times of division when errours abounds they are times of sifting times wherein God will try what mettle you be made of whether you be corne or chaffe whether drosse or gold whether wheate or tares He is said in Amos 9.9 to sift the Nations I will sift the house of Israel as corne is sifted in a sieve yet shall not the least graine fall upon the earth There is your comfort not a graine shall be lost who ever is true graine who ever is sound and sincere they shall never be lost God will preserve them none shall be lost Every man hath his houre of sifting one way or other he hath his houre of temptations and blessed are they which indure temptation blessed are they who hold out the triall James 1.12 A Souldiers valour and courage is not so well known in the Garrison as in the field there he is discovered So a Christian is not known till an houre of temptation comes and then he is discovered Now there are foure things which God puts us on to sift by permitting erronious opinions abroad 1. To sift our Conditions 2. Our Graces 3. Our Grounds 4. Our Ends. I shall speake only to the two first and shall take liberty to speake more largely to tâ— 1. God puts us on hereby to siâ—â— our conditions whether we are in such a condition as may fence us from seduction as may comfortably evidence to us and we may build upon it that we shall not be led away Indeed we cannot be in such a condition here but we may be led aside with some errours we are not perfect in grace nor are we perfect in knowledge here the Apostle tells us we know but in part but we may be and Gods people are in such a condition that they shall never be led away with destroying errours God will preserve them from them he hath promised that his elect shall not be deceived that is in destroying undoing errours this they shall not be Joh. 10.4.5 they shall not heare the voice of a stranger And this now puts us upon the search whether we are in such a condition as thereby we may be perswaded we shall be fenced from undoing errours that such errours shall never prevaile over us Now there are 6. Conditions to which God hath promised direction in truth and preservation from undoing errours and the soule is put on to search whether he be in those conditions 1. Whether we are in covenant with God he promiseth to teach all such Jer. 31.34 He will teach all such 2. Whether we be the children of God there is a promise to that Isa 54.13 And all thy children shall be taught of God So Joh. 6.45 3. Whether we are the friends of God Joh. 15.15 there is a promise to that henceforth I call you no more servants but friends for whatever I have heard of the Father I have made knowne unto you And the secrets of the Lord are with them that feare him as the Psalmist saith 4. Whether we have the Spirit of Christ there is a promise to that Joh. 16.13 He shall leade you into all truth And you have an unction whereby ye know all things by which is meant the Spirit 1 Joh. 2.20 5. Whether we walke humbly and obediently to every truth revealed whether we doe answer Gods ends in truths already made known Psal 25.9 The humble he will teach the meeke he will guide in judgement And Phil. 3.15 16. As many as be perfect let them be thus minded and if any be any otherwise minded God shall reveale it in his due time Neverthelesse whereto we have already attained let us walke by the same rule let us mind the same thing 6. Whether we have received the truth with love of it 2 Thess 2.10 11. Because they received not the truth with love of the truth therefore will God give them up to strong delusions to beleeve lies These are the conditions in the persons whom God will preserve from undoing errours And now this puts us upon the sifting of our selvs and of our conditions Ah saith the soule there are many errours abroad in the world if the Lord fence not my heart against them if I should receive them I am undone but what assurance have I that I shall not be led aside I see others who are men of greater parts of greater appearing graces led aside and what assurance have I that I shall not be carried away Am I in Covenant with God am I one of his children one of his friends have I the Spirit of Christ doe I walk humbly and obediently to every truth revealed have I received former truths with love of them if it be not so I have no assurance to be preserved from seducing errours And thus it puts the soule upon search of his condition And that is the first God suffers errours to sift his people first to put them upon search of their conditions 2. God permits it to sift our graces and this will try you to the back There are 5. Graces God doth now sift in his people 1. Their Knowledge here God tries yâ—â—r knowledge how you have thriven under meanes what knowledge you have to discerne betweene errour and truth light and darknesse God expects after all the meanes you have had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 2. â— that you should not still be children but men in knowledge and that you should be able to discerne betweene light and darknesse As we reade of a full assurance of faith so we reade of a full assurance of knowledge some that are weake in knowledge some stronger God doth by these try what your knowledge is under all the light you haue injoyed 2. God doth now try your Love whether or no you will adhere to his truth whether you will hold close to him and not suffer your selves to be rent away and carried away with every wind of doctrine God expects that we should be rooted and grounded in love Ephes 3. And now he would try your love your love to God your love to Christ your love to truth men that have not received the truth with the love of it that have entertained it into their
make his people keepe more close to him and more close to his word these we put together though they are two things 1. To keepe more close to him for counsell instruction direction who is the Prophet of his Church who hath undertaken to leade and guide his people into the wayes of truth to guide us with his counsells and this makes a soule to keepe close to God to lie at his feet for instruction and direction it brings a man to immediate dependance upon God 2. To keepe us close to the word the written word of God that our faith may not be built and founded on man but God In pictures the further you goe from the originall the moâ—e unlike they grow if you draw a picture by the originall by the person himselfe it may be something like but draw another picture from that picture though it may be like the picture yet it is lesse like the person and the further you goe from the originall the more unlike it is that if at last you come to compare the picture with the person though one picture might resemble another yet the last picture was nothing like the person now there is no way to rectifie this but bring this picture to the person to the originall and there upon comparison with it to mend it We have had too much of this divinity in our times first we have drawne plat formes out of the word then built upon them and drawn deductions and consequences from them and then consequences from those consequences till at last they be nothing agreeable to the originall the word of God Now God suffers errours to arise most of which will be found to be bottom'd upon false deductions and consequences drawne out of the word many opinions built and fastned on them And God suffers this to bring us back to the originall the word of God that there we might rectifie all We have taken up too many things on trust and our faith hath been too much built upon man the judgements writings and opinions of men which are but sandy foundations God whips us from it now by suffering so many errours to arise and all this to bring his people to the word to live upon the word that our faith might be resolved into God and not man Isa 8.20 To the Law and to the testimonies if they speake not according to this word it is because there is no light in them 4. A fourth mercifull end God suffers it to commend his love to them in preserving them from the poison and infection of errour to give you a tast and experience of his goodnesse in keeping of you that you are not carried aside with the wayes of errour And this doth exceedingly take the heart and raise it up to praise him Oh saith the soule Lord others of greater parts and greater abilities thou hast suffered to be led away and carried away with errour how comes it that thou hast preserved me This sets off and commends Gods love and raiseth up the heart in praises 5. A fifth mercifull end to discover to us that it is not by our own strength we stand but by the strength of Christ As we are kept in grace so we are preserv'd in truth and the Apostle tells us We are kept by the mighty power of God through faith When you see errours to abound and see them prevaile with so many others men of greater parts and abilities when you reade that they shall prevaile with them that shall perish oh this makes the soule keep close to Christ and herein doth God discover it is not our strength but his whereby we are preserved in a way of truth and kept from errour 6. A sixth mercifull end to make us prize truth more while we live nothing doth so much inhâ—nch and raise the esteeme of truth then errour It may be before you had low esteemes of the truths of God you did not value them and priâ—e them as you ought you cast them aside but now you take them lay them up hide them in your hearts you value of a truth as your best riches your honour your treasure the comfort in life and support in death When there are many false pearles false stones abroad it will make men gather up the true ones and if he have such to value of them When there is much counterfeit and light gold abroad it will make men to value of good gold you shall see good gold such as hath abidden the touchstone it is all gathered up and preserved at such a time as this is So when errours are abroad truth is then of value oh then every truth is entertained Before truth was looked upon but found little entertainment if it got any it was in our houses in bookes or in our heads only but now it finds welcome and entertainment in the heart Naked truth suffering truth persecuted truth it is now entertained truth is welcome any way And it is now own'd in the authority of it in the Majesty of it as a King to rule and governe us we will not rule it no more but it shall rule us It is own'd in the latitude of it in the extensivenesse of it extend it as farre as you will its welcome in its largenesse it is own'd in the universality of it all truth such as makes against you as well as such as makes for you they make for you in that they make against you for your soules though against your sins If ever truth be valued if ever it appeare worth something it is at those times when errours abound You see how the many false relations abroad doth make men value of a true relation if they can meete with a friend or a booke that speakes true and impartially they value much of it and what 's the reason because of the false relations abroad this heightneth the esteeme of truth So here the many errours abroad is a great meanes to heighten and advance truth and to make that great And therefore God doth permit errour to advance truth that truth may be more glorious in it selfe and more glorious to us 7. A seventh mercifull end which God hath in suffering errours and erronious opinions to abound is to make his people watchfull and wary of what they doe receive There are many glorious truths to be revealed towards the end of the world great things are spoken of the latter dayes for glorious revelations of the truths of God And there is many dangerous and fearfull errours that shall come abroad at that time too as Christ doth here foretell And it is a greater mercy there should be many then if there were but few if there were but few we should take them in with truth but being many divers of all kinds it makes the people of God watchfull and carefull what they entertaine There are so many truths now to be made known at the end of all things that if there should not be many
it may stand with Gods mercifull ends to those who are brought in that there should be many errours II. We are now come to the second how it may stand with Gods mercifull ends to those who are not yet called but in his purpose to call And it may stand with Gods mercifull ends to those yet in his purpose to call or those who are not yet called and brought in 1. To be a meanes to awaken them and put them upon the study and enquiry after truth the aboundance of errours abroad may put men to search and find out what is truth when you see men up in armes as it were in hot contentions to find out what is truth who save only Atheists but will think themselves concern'd in it every one will think surely it is their businesse also and so will fall upon inquisition and search of it If there be any thoughts of eternity in you if you be not Atheists if you doe conceive there is a Heaven and a hell and that errour leades one way and truth the other it cannot be but that aboundance of errours abroad must awaken you and put you on to enquire to heare to reade to confer to endeavour to find out truth It was the multitude of errours which put Luther to search out what was truth if there had not been so many errours it might be he had not enquired and sought out truth the like I may say of Calvin and others and the errours and corruptions in worship imposed did put on us to the triall of the whole and made us more strict to examine the bottomes whereon we stood 2. God suffers it to beate them off their sandy foundations whereon they build As it is a meanes to put you on to search what your foundation is whereon you build the bottome whereon you stand so it is a meanes to beat you off your sandy foundations When a man sees aboundance of opinions abroad one saith this another that sure it will make a man to put the question to himselfe upon what foundation doe I stand what is my bottome And how can he have any rest till he have gotten a better foundation to build on a foundation which none of these opinions can shake and unsettle when he sees so many faire buildings specious structures to fall down and not able to stand out the blast of triall and temptation because they are houses built on the sands It will make a man to enquire after the rock and endeavour to build there that when the wind blowes yet the house may stand firme This is the different working which opinions have upon the good and bad upon such whom God hath a purpose of good unto and upon such that he will not own That the one the multitude of opinions doth draw him away or else Atheist him that he will be nothing The other it doth un-atheist him put him upon the search and examination what is the truth of God One he is now more formall and minds no more but meere formality to goe to Church and say over a prayer and if God will save him with that well and good he will doe no more The other these things doe fire him out of his formality and he can have no rest till he come to some bottome to stand on And that is another end God hath he would awaken and beate us off our sandy foundations 3. God suffers multitude of opinions and out of mercy to them who are not yet brought in to clear the way unto those who are not yet brought into the ways of grace that when they are brought in they may be able to see their way more clearely As we our selves doe receive a great deale of light and benefit by the sufrings and clashings of others If there had not been such clashing and disputing in former ages our way had not been so cleare to us in many glorious truths So here God suffers it that posterities may inherit the benefit that after ages might be able to see more clearely what to doe and what is truth It is a great favour for a man that must goe a way dark and knotty to have one goe before him not only with a light to discover the way but with a weapon too to cut down those cumbrances which are in the way that there may be nothing to hinder the passage oh how sweetly how evenly and quietly a man may goe Such gracious ends hath God to after generations by suffering these multitude of opinions and errours to arise in our age and generation Seldome was any truth discovered and cleared but some errour or other was the occasion to draw it out The point of Free grace in opposition to mans free will in the work of conversion had not been so fully discovered if that Pelagius had not broached that errour that man might be saved if he would that he himselfe might beleeve repent if he would which occasioned Augustines so full debates and cleare setling of the truth The freenesse of Gods grace in the work of justification that it is of meere grace had not been so fully cleered to us if it had not been for the errour of the Papists that it was of works and not of grace So the doctrine of predestination that it is of grace and not of faith and works foreseen the contrary errour brought out this truth and helpt the full birth of it So the doctrine of the Sacraments the stability of Gods Covenant with his people perseverance of the elect All these and many thousand more whose birth hath been helped by the publishing of errours the publishing of errours have been a meanes to the cleering of the most precious truths we have which had not been so cleere to us now if that there had not been a cloud of errours over them before Nay I say since the defection of the Church and the universall corruption by Antichrist and popery there hath scarce any glorious truth been cleared or discovered but by opposite errour Errour hath been a meanes to help on to sift and to find out truth As we bring fire out of flint by striking it so out of these clashings truth Nay you see in Scripture that the publishing of errour was a good meanes or help or gave occasion to the publication of many glorious truths of God Acts 15. you see there the errour which was then broached to the disturbance of the Churches of Antioch was the occasion of the setling and clearer revealing of the opposite truth The Jews errour of being justified by the Law and looking for righteousnesse thereby was an occasion of the publication of the use of the Law the impotencie of it to justifie and save together with those glorious discoveries where and in whom mans righteousnesse did lie Againe The errour that men needed not to looke to their walking and obedience seeing we are justified by faith only gave occasion to the discovery of many precious truths
labour to unsettle us There is indeed a triall that is good and a triall that is bad to try those things that man hath said is good wee are not to beleeve every spirâ—â— but to try all things but to try those things which God hath said is bad those things which God hath said we are commanded to trust to beleeve and then try but those things which men have said we are commanded to try them before we trust them as you see 1 Joh. 3 1. Beleeve not every spirit In the other beleeve here beleeve not what then why you must prove all things try them by the word as the Bereans did But did not the Bereans try what the Apostles said Object and yet commended for it and what they said was infallible and therefore may we try what God hath said as well as what men have said 1. They tried what they said by what they had said Answ and so may we doe or they tried what they said by what was written they tried the word by the word to see how they agreed As Christ bids you search the Scriptures for they testifie of me So they tried what the Apostles said by what was written and such a triall there may be 2. Againe there is a two-fold triall 1. A suspitious triall a triall arising from jealousie and mistrust that the things we have received are unsound and that is bad if it be truth which hath been received 2. There is a confidentiall triall whereby a man is assured of the truth of those things he hath received and rather goes for confirmation in it then out of dubitation or doubt and questioning the things are not true The first triall is bad and that which the Devill aimes at in the multitude of opinions and errours to bring us to a questioning and jealousie and mistrust of those things we have received he would now labour to make us looke upon all Religion as a fancie as a meere notion and all the truths we have received as chimaeras meere notions without foundation he would bring us to entertaine all doubtfully that so we might worke deadly 3. A third end he hath if he cannot seduce us nor unsettle us A third end Satan hath then he labours to shake us though he cannot unsettle us in the beliefe of truth yet he labours to shake us in it you know it is the fruit of the many lying pamphlets abroad it makes men doubt of the very truth it selfe it shakes men in the very confidence and beliefe of those things which are true So the Devill he doth vent his errours and his untruths now that he might shake us in the beliefe of those things are true Object But how doth this shake us Answ 1. You know that all have not attained to the same measure of stedfastnesse all are not so rooted and grounded in truth all have not attained to the same measure of knowledge some are but weake and babes in knowledge though some that are men growne Now the variety of opinions and errours and disputes they are a perplexing a shaking of weake minds though at last they shall but roote firmer for this puts them on search triall prayer and so they shall be firmer yet this may shake them for the present Hence the Apostle Rom. 14.1 Him that is weake in faith receive ye but not unto doubtfull disputations Why so because this was enough to shake and unsettle and trouble a man weake in faith And surely that 's another end why Satan raiseth up doubtfull disputations and sets afoote errours viz. to shake the weake A fourth end which Satan hath 4. A fourth end Satan hath to the godly and that is to perplex them if he cannot seduce them nor unsettle them nor shake them yet if he can but perplex them and trouble them he 's content This is that which God said of him and it is the utmost of his chaine Thou shalt breake his head and he shall bruise thy heele though he cannot breake our head separate us from Christ yet he will bruise our heele though he cannot bring us out of the way of life seduce us from the wayes of truth yet he will doe all he can to perplex and trouble us in them If he cannot seduce us out of the way yet if he can hedge up our way with thornes if he can cast blocks in our way if he can disturbe us in our course which he labours to doe this way he is well content and can afford his labour And this hath been his great designe in all ages of the Church of God to raise up some impostors some notable seducers to perplex and to trouble the Church of God I might carry you down from the Apostles dayes till now you may have enough out of Ecclesiasticall histories how Satan hath still raised up some notable juglers who have troubled the Church of God In the Apostles times you reade of many and afterwards not of a few witnesse the Arrians Manichees Nestorians Pelagians and hundreds more in our dayes the Papists Arminians Socinians with multitudes more both of the right and the left hand by all which he labours to perplex the Church of God and trouble the hearts of the people of God he hath no comfort himselfe and he envies comfort where ever he sees it he hath no peace himselfe he hath all trouble and he is an enemy to peace in us his endeavour is to bruise our heel though in Christ we breake his head 5. A fifth end that Satan hath to the godly and that is A fifth end Satan hath to prejudice the entertainment of further truth Satan knowes full well that towards the end of the world there will be aboundance of truth revealed and made known the knowledge of the Lord shall be as the waters that cover the sea God hath spoken glorious things of the latter dayes every child shall be as David Zach. 12.8 The Sun of righteousnesse the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ it arose in its glory and brightnesse in the first dayes of the Apostles but it was not long before this sun was obnubulated clouded and darkened with the mists of errour and foggs of darknesse which Antichrist and corrupt men raised up which was fore-seen by the Apostle and in his time it began to work although the cloud like Elijahs cloud was no bigger then a mans hand yet the Apostle did then foresee it would span the Heavens and even darken the Sun and shadow the glorious light it selfe as he that hath but looked into the histories of former times may evidently perceive Now towards the end of all things God will scatter these clouds he will cleare the truth and the knowledge of the Lord shall be increased Dan. 12.4 And at this time Satan will vent his errours he will set on foote many dangerous errours to prejudice the hearts of the people of God in the receiving and entertaining of truths to be
2. Some are worldly and covetous 3. Some are profane and luxurious or voluptuous 1. In case a man be a proud and ambitious man it will suite with his temper and his ends to broach erronious opinions to make himselfe a Rabbi one greater in esteeme honour and applause then other men he would be taken notice of for one to see further then others one that hath greater light communicated to him then others have he is a man that desires to be singular and loves no greatnesse but what is gotten by making others little nor no esteeme but what is wrought out of the disesteeme of others he is a man that loves to inrich himselfe by making others poore and to swell himselfe and make himselfe some body by making others no body he cannot be taken notice of in the crowde and therefore he thinks himselfe best seen when he goes alone Of this spirit was Diotrephes who you reade of in Joh. Epist 3. Who because he could not be great enough subordinate to the Apostles for saith the text he loved the preeminence Therefore he endeavoured to blast the Apostles and make himselfe great by making them little among the people he laboured to work up his own esteeme by bringing them into disesteeme Joh. Epist 3. ver 9 10. Diotrephes who loveth to have the preeminence and prated against them with malicious words and not content therwith c. And therefore it is hard for a proud man to find out truth God saith the humble he will teach and Christ saith how can you beleeve when ye seeke honour one of another so how should you discerne of truth when you carry an eye to your own applause and glory and not the glory of God 2. In case a man be worldly and covetous it may stand with his ends too by this meanes to enrich himselfe and fetch maintenance out of the very heart and bowels of truth such men seeke their own not the things of Christ And this is the ground of many errours in the world if you looke into Popery you may râ—solve many of their tenets into this their covetous desires of gaine could they be so simple to hold ouâ— so many childish opinions viz. Purgatory Dirges Prayers for the dead Pennances Pilgrimages Pardons Indulgences c. but that these bring in aboundance of wealth into their coffers all is to be sold at Rome Romae omnia venalia they will sell Christ or any thing for gaine and you see men will pleade for errours they will maintaine these because these maintaine them by this craft saith Demetrius we have all our gaine See 2 Pet. 2.1 2 3. where he speakes of such as make merchandise of mens soules 3. In case a man be profane and voluptuous It will stand with his ends to broach errours that he may more securely sin truth will not prevaile with him to leave his sin and therefore his sinne prevailes with him to leave the truth while he entertain'd the truth it would not suffer him to live quietly in his sins it would be ever checking and reproving of him he could not sin without disturbance and therefore he must either foregoe the truth or his sin but his sin he cannot part withall and he now takes up such an opinion as he may keepe his sin without disturbance he may sin without trouble I have heard of one that went on in a way of sin and would not be reclaimed though conscience held out to him that if he did persist in that way he was sure to perish But for all this he held up sin and therefore he could not long hold up truth it was impossible that these two should stand togther he loved sin and could not leave it and he saw the truth flew in his face which told him that he should perish if he sin'd thereupon he tooke up an opinion which was said to be Origens that after a 1000. yeares torment in hell all men shall be saved and now he sinned with more quiet Others that come to this that none shall be damned God never made his creature to damne his creature These with many others might be named all which are taken up that themselves might sin without check and disturbance And Christians take heed you have some truths some light of God and you walke in wayes of sin notwithstanding all that light If you sin against that light you will sin away that light if the truth will not move you to forsake your sin your sin will prevaile with you to forsake the truth If a man were able to enter into the heart of an old sinner an old worldling he should see what a pack of unsound tenents he hath gotten up what subterfugies and fig-leaves he hath sowed together what a body of base divinity he hath gotten up together and all this that he might sin securely and be secure in sin he that converses with them shall have experience of the truth of all this And as it may stand with the ends of the Contrivers and Actors so with the ends of the Abettors which I might insist upon at large but I choose rather to conclude this first great generall which was propounded viz. how it may stand with Gods ends with Satans with a mans own ends of which I have spoken in each particular for clearer and fuller satisfaction We will now come to the second generall thing propounded viz. The second question Q. 2. What may be the grounds of abounding errours now at the end of the world And indeed the question may well be asked for at the end of the world it is prophesied that there shall be many glorious truths discovered it is said of these times that the knowledge of God shall abound even as the waters that cover the sea And it is prophesied that truths sealed and before hid shall be then manifested and revealed there shall not only be a clearer discovery of things already revealed but a fuller discovery a revelation of those things were not known as in Dan. 12.4 Daniel had prophesied of the latter dayes and he is commanded to shut up the words and to seale the Booke even to the time of the end when many shall run too and fro and knowledge shall be increased And Zechariah tells us that he that is feeble shall be as David Zech 12.8 And to this purpose I have read some that apply that place Rev. 1.13 where Christ is described to walke among the golden Candlesticks Weemes and girt about the paps with a golden girdle In the old Testament they were girt about the middle saith my Authour here about the paps which shewes saith he the Church is growing up nearer and nearer to perfection And without controversie there are glorious things spoken of these latter dayes not only glorious things to be done for God hath reserved most of his visible glory to the end of the world but glorious things to be revealed and made known And
therefore how darknesse should be at that time when such aboundance of light is prophesied of how errour and abounding errour at such a time when truth and abounding truth shall be made known here is a wonder But Christ puts it out of question that this should be at the end of the world when many shall come in his name and say I am Christ And therefore we will enquire what may be the grounds that now in our times which are towards the end of all things that there should be such an aboundance of dangerous and erroneous opinions It is said indeed that at the end of the world Satan shall be loosed and he shall goe and deceive the nations Rev. 20.7 But I conceive that time of binding and loosing is not yet come Satan is not yet bound and therefore he hath yet liberty though the liberty of his chaine only and goes now about so farre as God will give him permission to be a spirit of seduction and delusion in the hearts of men And therefore 1. The first great ground of abounding errours now I conceive to be Satan who is called the god of this world and is the Prince of darknesse and therfore is the patron of errour As all truth is light so all errour is darknesse as God is the Father of light and truth so is Satan the grand-father of darknesse and errour who hath long walked as a Prince of darknesse and hath ruled and raigned in the darkest times and places and in the darknesse of our understanding till at last the glorious truth and light of the Gospel hath discovered him and therefore from a Prince of darknesse he labours now to turne to an Angel of light and so seduce those by a false light which he could not prevaile withall as a Prince of darknesse As he was a Prince of daâ—knesse so he blinded mens eyes lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ should shine unto them as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 4.4 Whom the god of this world hath blinded lest the glorious Gospel of Christ should shine unto them But as he is an Angel of light so he doth not blind but enlighten men with a false light which enlightning is a blinding As the Apostle 2 Cor. 11.13 14 15. where he tels them of false Apostles deceitfull workers transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ And no marvell saith he for Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of light He had long time been successefull with the Gentiles as a Prince of darknesse but he could prevaile in that shape no longer and therfore he comes now to deceive them as an Angel of light In the first he blinds in the second he deceives in the first he is an opposer in this a seducer And here is a great deale in this Satan transforming himselfe into an Angel of light Why how would an Angel of light come to win you to the truth would he tell you that this is a truth of God a glorious truth would he set out the danger of rejecting it the blessednesse of entertaining it would he commend the truth from the effects and operations of it if it were entertained how it would make us wise direct us in service be helpfull to our walking destructive to our lusts Why for ought I know Satan may use all the same arguments and motives to prevaile with us to the entertainment of errour what ever a blessed Angel of light might use as an argument or motive to prevaile with us to close with truth that may Satan use too to perswade with us to entertaine an errour otherwise he could not transforme himselfe into an Angel of light if he did not act and deale with us so as it is not possible by his acting to discerne him from an Angel of light how could he be said to be transformed into an Angel of light if men might say this is the Prince of darknesse And the same you see of those false Apostles and deceitfull workers who yet transformed themselves saith he into the Apostles of Christ 2 Cor. 11.13 that is not barely giving out that they were the Apostles of Christ as Rev. 2.2 you reade of some that said they were Apostles but were found lyers but it was a transforming of themselves into the Apostles of Christ and would preach errour as the Apostles preached truth and might use the same arguments motives perswasions which the Apostles did for the entertainment of truth for the embracing of errour Christ tells us the same here many shall come in my name and say loe here is Christ And this is the first ground of abounding errours at this time the malice of Satan who is the envious man who then loves to sow his tarâ—s when God is sowing wheate who then loves to communicate errours when God is discovering truth and perhaps will use the same arguments and motives to perswade to one which God doth to prevaile to the other nay and how farre he may convey false light as God doth true I know not 2. A second ground of abounding errours may be the corruption of mens hearts Satan is the father a corrupt heart the mother and errour the daughter Satan conveyes the seed the heart is the wombe which being formed and cherished there its full moneths at last the monster is brought forth There is not only seminarium hostis required to the birth of errour but partus cordis not only the suggestion of Satan but the conception of the heart we say seed will never grow in a living body unlesse there be a wombe to nourish it so Satan could not prevaile he could not set afoote his errours if he found not corruption in our hearts to receive and cherish them And therefore as Christ said Quid tibi facturuâ— est tentator te vince victâ—â— est Satan Aug. the Prince of the world commeth but shall find nothing in me Indeed its true he seduced Eve who yet had no sin in her upon which hath been raised many questions how Eve could consent to a sinfull action when yet there was no sin in her consent implies sin the Apostle tels us Satan beguiled her he was too crafty for her he deluded her he got her eare and by that stole into her heart he got her eye and by that worked into her spirit she was good but not immutably good she was wise but knew not all Satan therefore worked into her either making use of her naturals which in themselves were not sinfull making use of her eye her eare her naturall desires after further perfection or else being too hard for her by his sophistry who was the wily serpent and that 's implied Gen. 3.12 and 1 Tim. 2.14 That she tasted of that God had forbidden was her sin but yet there was sin before That she looked on it was sin not simply for she might looke upon all the fruit in the garden but looking upon it in the devils glasse as he discovered
errour 2. And as he abuseth fear so doth he that tendernesse of spirit It would be strange to tell you how Satan doth take occasion to enslave a soule by his very tendernesse if the chaine of sin be broken he labours to make a chaine of our graces if he cannot keep us in bondage by our sins he labours to bring us into bondage by our graces You will think this strange but there is nothing more evident in men of tender spirits at their first bringing in when they are tender of every thing they are tender of such things which indeed is their bondage to be tender of they are tender not only of things indifferent which are of a temporall nature but of things lawfull and commendable A thousand cases there are wherewith Satan doth perplex their soules they can doe nothing now without a temptation and most of temptations are raised upon this ground and helped on by this advantage their tendernesse Though a tender spirit be a blâ—ssed thing the greatest mercy on this side Heaven a true tendernesse to sin and for sin yet this disposition may be a distemper as well as a grace there may be an excesse in it it may fall into nothing but scrupulosities and meere questionings without actings As there is a sin in defect the want of it when men will rush upon actions without warrant so may there be a sin in excesse when men will doe nothing for scruple Satan makes use of this disposition 1. Sometimes to fence out truth they dare not entertaine such a thing for fear it is an errour 2. Sometimes he makes use of it to let in errour they dare not reject such a thing for fear it should be a truth 3. Sometimes he makes use of it to overdoe actions 4. Sometimes to underdoe them 5. Sometimes to scruple the doing of them 6. Nay to neglect the doing of them he will prevaile it may be with a man not to pray because he sins in praying there is so much deadnesse coldnesse c. that he will tell you it is better not pray at all then so to pray or prevaile with a man not to preach because he sins in preaching because there is much pride ostentation hypocrisie in his preaching So not to give almes not to converse with men not to serve God with his talents because so much pride in the exercise of his guifts so much ostentation in his almes c. thus he will labour and sometimes prevailes to bury up a mans talents and make men unserviceable to God or to their brethren You had need to know the wiles of Satan that you may avoid them In vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird saith Solomon so in vain will he attempt this way when you once know his wiles This I insist the longer on knowing it of great use in these times lest otherwise Satan make use either of your tendernesse and fear to fence out truth or to let in errour I see many precious dispositions in many Christians you have had it pressed on you to stand ready for the entertainment of every truth to close with every truth of God it hath taken good eff ct in you many there are of you who are wrought up to a preparednesse to follow Christ in any way And I see this disposition in you and our next care must be to preserve this disposition that this readinesse to follow Christ be not abused to this to follow a stranger instead of Christ Indeed you shall not follow the voice of a stranger in destroying errours in undoing wayes so Christ saith but you may follow the voice of a stranger in sinfull in corrupting errours for a time Gods children are free from damning errours but none are free from defiling errours possibly the best may be misled and the tendernesse of the most tender is in danger of being abused especially when errour comes not only under the notion of truth but under great appearance of truth when it is held forth Loe here is Christ this is Christs mind and Christs will this is a truth of God And therefore you had need to beware take heed that no man deceive you you have good dispositions in you but you had need to get knowledge lest those good dispositions be abused either to the rejecting of truth or to the entertainment of errour either to keep you in the conditions you are without desire to enquire further or to hinder you from embracing any more of Gods mind if it be revealed for feare of being led away with errour or to make you to embrace errour for feare of rejecting a truth It is good to be as soft wax if there were no stamp no impression to be received but Gods and truth but soft wax is dangerous when so many false stamps and corrupt impressions are abroad Oh that God would make us wax to receive every impression of truth but rocks of flint against any impression of errour Oh that he would open our eyes broad to receive and let in any light of God in these knowing times and shut our eyes against any errour or false light Oh that he would give us a preparednesse of spirit to embrace any thing of him and a heart lockt up against any thing which is not of God Oh that he would make us tender of rejecting truth but harden us more against any way of errour that he would make us fearfull to reject truth but valiant also to resist errour in our generation 4. A fourth ground of abounding errour hath been the want of holy discipline and a regular way for the suppressing of errour Certainly such a blessing goes along with the right administration of the government of Christ as to suppresse errours and reforme the erronious Indeed a bad discipline as it doth restrain and suppresse many glorious truths for certainly truth hath but little shadow little shelter from a corrupt discipline I say as it doth suppresse and restraine many a truth so it may be a restraint unto some errours it may restraine some upon pollitick grounds but it can reforme none We have had a bad a corrupt discipline such an one as hath been a mother a nurse to many corrupt and sinfull opinions both in dâ—ctrine and in worship 1. In doctrine witnesse those grosse points of Arminianisme vented with license nay of Popery too as was evidenced in the Ministers Remonstrance and that out of many books put out by publike license viz Auricuâ—ar confession Authoritative absolution Prayers for the dead c. 2. In worship too witnesse all their Altars Crucifixes Adoration toward the East Pictures Images the Table was an Altar the Minister was a Priest the Sacrament was a Sacrifice and there wanted nothing to be added to it but the name of Masse and to call it the Sacrifice of the Masse It hath been a fence indeed against truth but a gap to let in errour a naturall mother to corrupt opinions but
thee on selfe purging but at last he that shall come will come 4. A fourth ground of instability may be the violence and heate of their affections to find out truth which puts them on to an inquisitivâ—nesse a triall a search of all things In which search it may be this appeares a truth and may be another time there seemes a truth in another men are not setled while they are searching they are not fixed while they are inquiring their good affections prompt them on to inquire after truth and during inquiry they are unfixed and unsetled in the truth And so much for the second generall ground why many are carried away viz. want of stability 3. A third ground too much credulity Some men are too slow to beleeve and some are too facile and easie of beliefe to be too slow to beleeve when God speakes is our wickednesse and to be too facile and easie of beliefe what man speakes is weaknesse It is not good to be slow to beleeve a truth and it is evill to be facile to beleeve an errour and yet both these may arise from the same grounds in the spirit A man is slow to beleeve a truth because he doth suspect it an errour and he is facile to beleeve an errour because he doth apprehend it for a truth so that both these may arise from the honesty of a mans spirit in the one he is fearfull to entertaine an errour and therfore slow to beleeve a truth in the other he is fearfull to reject a truth and therfore gives entertainment to an errour Feare is oftentimes made a shooing-horne to draw on an errour and to hold out a truth But this I am not now to deale withall That which I am now upon seemes the contrary to feare viz. too much credulity and easinesse of spirit to beleeve which though it be contrary yet two contrary causes may produce one and the same effect Errour may be the effect of an excessisive feare as well as of an easie faith though indeed it be more properly the effect of too easie faith then of an excessive feare Men that take all upon trust are like to be deceived And it is a maine ground why many are carried away with errour their overmuch credulity their easinesse of beliefe There is too much of this temper even in the godly themselves and I have thought of divers grounds of it 1. This easinesse to beleeve doth arise from the great esteeme of the wisdome and holinesse of those who hold forth an opinion if indeed he were learned and not godly or if he were godly and weake in knowledge it would give some place to jealousie but where these two meete together they have great authority upon the spirits of men and all that proceeds from such men is received as infallible truth men take things upon trust from an honest man but they will examine what a cheater brings if an honest man bring you gold you will scarce try it especially if he say it is weight he hath tried it and he knowes it to be weight but if a dishonest man bring it though he say it is good yet you will try it Men will suspect a truth if a liar tell it and therfore Christ would not own the Devils acknowledgement of him when he said thou art the Sonne of God But they will be ready to beleeve an untruth if an honest faithfull man affirme it When you heare any news of great concernment the first thing you enquire is of what credit is the authour and if he be thus qualified 1. That he be a man of great intelligence one who knowes much of affaires 2. If he be a wise man and an honest man one who is not over credulous that will beleeve all and disperse for truth what ever he heares if he be one who hath seldome failed in his intelligence one that hath often spoken truth you conclude that what ever he brings is truth and yet it is possible for this man to publish a falshood too So if you know one who is a wise learned man a man hath much commerce with Heaven and intelligence thence one who is godly and holy and a man not apt to receive all opinions not overcredulous to take in all nor forward to vent all which he hath heard nay and perhaps hath been one who hath delivered many glorious truths of Christ why such a man you are ready to receive all from him even as Gospell you beleeve all he saith every thing comes with a great deale of authority into your spirits And yet its possible for this man to be mistaken it is possible to erre we know but in part saith the Apostle and who can say he is infallible in his knowledge Indeed there is much to be given to a man thus qualified in points that are of lesse concernment and controverted on all sides and this may be done I conceive without any prejudice to faith I say it may be done and yet not to resolve our faith into the authority of men But when this carries all when opinions are drunke in because they are the judgement of such men or because such men so godly so learned so faithfull doe hold them forth this is to pin our faith upon anothers sleeve this is to resolve our faith into the authority of others and is a shread of that garment whereby Babylon is distinguished it hath much of the Roman doctrine in it I beleeve as the Church beleeves so I beleeve it because such hold it forth And that is the first ground of overmuch credulousnesse in men which we had need to beware of and the more because we are too apt to slide into it and put man in Gods steed to us 2. A second ground of this overmuch credulousnesse is the benigne and faire aspects which an opinion carries It may be you heare of an opinion and it is comely drest it carries such faire and benigne aspects it lookes so lovely that we are ready to receive it and give entertainment to it without any more examination Thus the Devil beguiled Eve at the first the Apostle tells us she was deceived and what deceived her it was the benigne aspects which the fruit carried you reade it Gen. 3.6 And when she saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise here were the benigne aspects the lovely lookes of it and what followes she tooke of the fruit thereof and did eate and did eate her death in it too so here when we looke upon the benigne and faire aspects which an opinion may seeme to carry we are ready to receive it and give entertainment to it without further triall This is to worke upon the understanding by the affections which is a preposterous and a dangerous way because the affections are blinde coecae potentiae and those gain'd they win the understanding to them by
travel over the births of many ages especially if former ages have been as pregnant as our present age is Besides the Apostle tells us Rom. 14.1 Him that is weak in faith do not receive to doubtfull disputation and why so lest you should stagger him unsettle him trouble him and certainly if they are not to be received to doubtfull disputations they are not to go to them if it had been their duty to go it had been the others duty to receive them Indeed we are to search let not any prophane loose carelesse secure atheist think I give indulgence to his lazinesse and security Let not any think I go about to patronize or countenance their carelessenesse You are to search God is revealing glorious things in the world many precious truths come masked to you under the notion of errour and many errours may be handed to you and seem to borrow the name of truth we had need to search we had need to pray we had need of a discerning spirit Only this take the measure of your own strength and put not your selves to difficulties above your measure if you meet with difficulties in these knotty times be not too swift to conclude make not your conclusions before your premisses are framed A man may be too soone in an errour too long out of a truth but that man is in a truth too soon who embraceth it in his affections before it be made evident to his understanding who entertains it before he can in some measure maintain it who concludes before he hath cleared That cannot be good judgement that is passed before evidence is brought in Nor that can be no orderly receiving of truth before which there hath not gone discussion and search But I will proceed no further these are the foure things which I thought to premise before I came to the answer of the query 1. That no man can plead an unerring spirit an immunity from all kinde of error Consul misner de eccl p. 657 c. 2. That the best of men are subject to the worst of errours 3. That though they be subject to them of themselves yet are they secured from them by the grace of Christ 4. That the way Christ doth secure us is in the use of means We now come to the resolution of the Query viz. Who are in danger to be led awâ—y with errour Qu. Who those are that are in danger to be led away with errour 1. All such who have not retained the notions of God in a holy and pure heart A corrupt heart is neither a fit receptacle for the receiving nor fit house for the entertainment of truth A sinfull heart will not long be the house nor truth long a tenant there Indeed where truth comes and abides it comes not as the tenant but as the Landlord the Master of the house that will dispose and order of all according to his own rules Now this no sinfull heart can brook withall he would take in truth to be his servant but not to be his Lord he would close with truth to serve him but not to serve truth he would live on truth but truth shall not live on him to speak plain he would entertaine truth no further then it will maintain him this is a corrupt heart and will not long be the receptacle of truth such a man is in the high way to be carried away with errour He that will not be Gods servant shall be the Devils slave he that will not be a servant to truth shall be a vassal to errour As we say he that will not be under the soveraignty of Christ shall be under the tyranny of sin he that will not be under the command of grace shall be under the power of lust so he that will not be subject to truth shall be enslaved to errour you have something of this expressed in Rom. 1.21 25 26. Rom. 1.21 25 26. Because when they knew God they glorified him not as God c. for this cause God gave them up to vile affections 2. All such who have not entertained the truth with love of it men that take it into their heads to know but not into their hearts to love Truth hath rather a tyranny then a soveraignty over some men it awes many whom it doth not perswade it convinceth their understandings but doth not convert and turne their hearts their heart is up in rebellion against all their light their affections are in armes against all their knowledge and their spirits are not brought into a peaceable subjection to those things revealed And such men truth will quickly be weary of them or they of truth where the heart doth not close with truths reveal'd but still stands up in armes against it this man is in danger to be given up to a way of errour You have this in 2 Thess 2 9 10. 2 Thess 2 9 10. Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved For this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lie and be damned It may be God hath revealed some truths to thee and thou hast entertained them into thy head in notion but not into thy heart with love and affection here is light without heat thou hast no heart to embrace those things revealed may be upon examination thoâ— findest they will not suite with thy greatnes with thy interesâ— with thy hopes thy aimes thy ends and therefore cannot cordially close with them thou cannot deny thy selfe and become a servant to truth Thou art the man who art in danger to be given up to a way of errour 3. All such who have not walked sutable to those truths which God hath revealed to them It may be thou hast had many precious truths revealed to thee and thy corruptions would not suffer thee to walke sutable to them there is light in thy head but darknesse in thy life truth in the understanding but errour and sin in practice and conversation let me tell thee thou art in danger to be given up to errour Men that will not doe what they know shall not know what to doe men that will not follow the guidance of truth shall be led aside with errour Sinne in practice will bring in errour in principle Men of a bad life cannot long be men of a good beliefe 2 Thess 2.12 2 Thess 2.12 the Apostle tels us of such who were carried away with the deceiveablensse of errour who have not believed the truth but have taken pleasure in unrighteousnesse If you know Gods will and will not doe it if God have revealed his minde to you and yet you will not square your lives to it if you will walke in waies that are not good notwithstanding God hath revealed the evil of them you are the men are in danger to be given up to errour 4. All such who have embraced and adhered to former truths out of partiall respects private
and corrupt ends these are in danger to be led aside with errour Vix queritur Iesus propter Iesum There are many corrupt ends for which most men either embrace or adhere to truth few seeke Christ for Christ so few there are that doe embrace truth for truth Now this is certaine * Qui hoc desiderat propter aliud non hoc desiderat sed aliud he that desires any thing for another thing doth not desire this but the other thing and therefore can as well close with an errour as a truth if it may be serviceable to that end which he desires It would be an endlesse worke to tell you all the corrupt ends which men of corrupt principles have in the embracing of truth Indeed who can do it one man perhaps sees it a way of gaine of honour of preferment and advancement though this hath been very seldome that greatnesse did lie in the way of goodnesse and advancement in the way of truth yet such a time may come and therefore a corrupt heart sides with it or perhaps he sees such and such whom he knows and values this way and therefore he goes the same way with them Men that doe not believe truth nor love truth may side with it for corrupt ends Leo the tenth that monster of men though he had meane thoughts of the Gospell Quantas nobis divitias comparavit haec â—abula Evangelij yet he could side with the Gospell because it brought treasure into his coffers Most men doe entertain truths as you doe servants as I have told you and will examine and know what they can doe for them before they do entertain them or they adhere to truth as the Ivy to the tree which is not because it loves it but because it sucks from it berries and leaves because it nourisheth and succours it By this craft we have our gaine saith Diana's crafts-men As they said of an errour so many say of truth alas how few men that entertain naked truth and that are willing to embrace truth with singlenâ—sse of spirit We say men alwaies worship the rising not the declining Sunne So rising truths advancing truths enriching truths they will owne But who will owne a sinking a declining cause who will close with a persecuted truth an impoverishing truth an imprisoning truth Which is a plain evidence that truth is not entertain'd for truths sake Men will see nothing truth that stands not with their advancements their greatnesse their accommodations when truth comes once to live on us we grow quickly weary of truth And such men as these they are in the high way to errour he that will be of truths side shall not ever be of the rising side And when men cannot finde these things in the waies of truth and do see them in a way of errour they will forsake truth and close with errour 5. All such who are not grounded and established in the truth The house built on the sands stood not long sandy foundations can never hold men unbottom'd can never be firme like the weather-cock they stand but this way for want of a stronger winde many who are of this uncertainty of spirit like water that are formed according to the vessell that holds it so they according to company they converse withall like trees without root they are shaken with every winde with every breath of men It may be they reade this or heare this man and they are full in his thoughts another comes and leaves another impression on their spirits This man is a poore man he is nothing his light is in others he is darknesse his principles are in others he himselfe is nothing but what you will make him he is a man to be argued into errour or truth according to the temper of his companion he is upon a darke stormy sea and steers by the light is held out he hath none within him to guide him and he fastens his boat to the next barge moved by anothers motion for he hath none of his owne This is a man a peece of paste fit to be moulded up in what forme and to what temper you please When the streame or flood comes it cannot move trees and houses but it sweeps away what ever lies loose so here when the streame of errour comes though rooted Christians stand firme yet such who sit loose are apt to be carried away And therefore the Apostle bids us not to be ever children carried away with every winde of doctrine this is to be like weather-cocks which are moved with every blast he bids us to labour to get stablished in the truth even as a house upon a foundation that nothing can shake or unsettle us 6. Such who have rejected truths revealed upon corrupt grounds it may be there are such whom God hath made clear convincing discoveries of truth to them and yet because they could not stand with corrupt aimes and selfish ends therefore they have rejected them as the Jews did Christ how just is it with God to give up such to a spirit of errour It is the observation of Pareus upon the Jewes Act. 5.36 where you reade of many of the Jewes that were seduced he tels us * Iusto judicio Dei seducti multi fueruÌ„t ut crederent impostoribus quia Christo fideÌ„ habere nolucruat Par. It was just with God that they should believe imposters because they would not give credit to the truth It was just with God that they should be punished with embracing a shadow who had rejected the substance with errour who rejected truth Christians you have had many cleare discoveries of truth to you Let not corrupt ends selfish respects come in take heed of rejecting any truth for corrupt ends if you doe you will be in the high way to be led aside with errour 7. All such who have the world for their god men that have the world for their god must embrace such a religion as the world will dictate to them The Apostle tels us The love of money will cause men to erre from the faith it will make men any thing to get the world and any thing to keepe the world Demas is a sad example of this he had the world in his eye and he embraced the world and forsooke Christ The love of the world will make a man shie to acknowledge truth how shie was Nicodemus to acknowledge Christ and it was for feare of the Jewes It will cause a man to balke and decline truth Men that have Court designes will not owne any the Court frowns on they balke them So if men have worldly designes they will never owne those truths the world frowns on Nay it will make a man deny truth yea truths professed truths preached truths contended for upon this ground many of the Jewes renounced Christ because if they should acknowledge him they said the Romans would come and take away their place and Nation Nay the love of the
world will make men embrace errour in stead of truth as you sadly see in Spira There is no cause can be sure of them whom either money or honour can buy out such men they are only this way till they can mend their wages As they say the winde it follows the abundance of exhalations so they follow that way where most abundance of profit He that will serve God for a little will serve the devil for more he will be any way where most wages may be had There are indeed four sorts of men who will never hold to truth or any cause of God 1. Ignorant persons such as know not truth we must first know and prove before we can hold fast the Apostle tels us so Prove all things and hold fast that which is good When men are ignorant and know not what is truth how can they hold to it 2. Unsound hearted persons Apostasie and hypocrisie like the Symbolicall qualities one quickly slides into the other It is an easie matter to make him an Apostate who is first an Hypocrite An Hypocrite is but an Apostate vailed and an Apostate an hypocrite revealed One vertually and in causis the other actually and in effectis 3. A lover of the world The love of money will cause to erre from the faith saith Paul Demas was a sad example of that he forsooke Christ and embraced this present world he went to be an Idol priest at Thessalonica as Dorotheus saith There is no cause can be sure of those whom either money or honour can buy out such men they are only this way till they can mend their wages 4. Cowardly and fearfull spirited men The fear of men will worke a snare Prov. 29.25 And this is one snare it will not only make men shie of truth with Nicodemus but baulk decline suppresse nay fall to errour and forsake truth A fearfull man will never be a faithfull man it s all one to trust a coward and a traitor he that is the first will quickly be made the second Fear will undoe him as it hath done many To conclude this is certaine who ever is under the command of any lust truth hath no command over him he that is given up to any sinne will quickly be given up to errour too And thus you see who those are who are in danger to be carried away with errour And how much this Nation nay every one of us are guilty of these sinnes you will know if you doe but impartially looke over them 1. We have not retained the notions of God in holy hearts 2. Nor received truths with love 3. Nor walked sutable to truths revealed 4. We have adhered to truth for partiall respects 5. We are not grounded in truth 6. We have rejected truth on corrupt grounds 7. We have been servants to the world and how just it is with God thereupon to give us up to wayes of errour I have already shewed you to conclude then if you would be established in these times let it be your care 1. To get into Covenant with God Jer. 31.34 2. Get to be his childe Isa 54.13 3. Get to be his friend Joh. 15.15 4. Get the Spirit of Christ Joh. 16.13 5. Be willing to embrace truth revealed and practise truth received Hos 6.3 Joh. 7.17 6. Be humble Psal 25.11 7. Entertain truth into thy heart 1. Truth 2. All truth 3. As truth 4. And with love of the truth 2 Thess 2.10 And thus much for the fourth Question We are now come to the fift and grand Question Qu. 5. Qu. 5. The grand Question is What may be the Examens of truth and errour I say What are the Examens of opinions or the tryals and discoveries of truth and error In the handling of this in regard it is the main of all I shall take more liberty to be larger And we shall breake this into these foure Quaeries 1. Who are to examine opinions 2. By what rule or by what touch-stone we are to examine 3. Who is to judge of them 4. By what markes or signes may a man be able to distinguish truth from errour and discover errour from truth We shall now begin with the first And that is a maine inquiry viz. 1. Who those are who are to examine And if you aske the judgement of the Papists in this point they will tell you that none are to examine or judge of opinions or controversies but only the Church that is a Synod of Bishops or an Assembly of Roman Prelates This is their tenent that what ever the Prelates doe define in cause of faith that ought to be beleeved and received of all Christians without any examination or doubt Bellarm. hath this passage * Ecclesia non potest errare in explicanda â—octrina fidei Christiani tenentur eam recipere non dubitare an haec ita se habent debet Christianus sine examine recipere doctrinam Ecclesiae the Church cannot erre in unfolding the doctrine of faith and all Christians are bound to receive their determinations without any doubt whether they be true or not A little further he saith Every Christian ought without any examination to receive the doctrine of the Church that is that doctrine those prescriptions and definitions which they shall stablish And he gives one reason because what they doe establish and prescribe to others they doe it not as teachers but as Judges He hath these words It is one thing to interpret the rule after the manner of a teacher another thing to interpret it after the manner of a Judge to the explanation of it after the manner of a teacher there is required only learning and knowledge but to the explanation of it after the manner of a judge there is required authority The doctor doth not propound his sentence as necessary to be followed but as reason doth perswade but the judge propounds it as necessary to be followed Augustine and the rest of the Fathers had but the office of teachers Aliud est interpretari legem more doctoris aliud more judicis c. Bellar. Tum doctrinam ex Dâ—o esse sat is inrelligium cuÌ„ a legitimo pastore proponi eam animad vertimus c. Greg. de Vol. but Councells and Bishops in Convention have the office of Judges thus he So that you see this is their opinion 1. That Christians are to receive all the explanations and definitions of the Church touching doctrine of Faith without any Examination and doubt 2. That the Church doth interpret the Law of God or scripture not after the manner of a Doctor or Teacher but a Judge or a Supreame and absolute Prince who requires obedience not so farre as law and reason perswades but for his authority 3. That this Church to which they give this absolute Empire over Christians is nothing else but an Assembly of Roman Bishops You see he speakes high and yet some goe farther then this One of them hath
off the hearts of Gods people from spirituall and heart-warming truths then any controversie that ever was stirred up in any age of the Church I pray God there be not a temptation in it But to return Admit there be an exact government in the Word of God who shall judge what that is I told you there were the Essentials and Circumstantials of Government If the Question be asked of the first viz. Who shall judge of the Essentials I may say certainly of this point as well as of others there is a publike and a private judgement there is a ministeriall and there is a personall judgement It is the office of a Synod an Assembly to search to debate to determine and declare what they conceive is the minde of Christ in this and it is yours to prove to examine to judge of their results and determinations In which work as I hope they will be tender so I desire you may be humble neither to imbrace things with a blinde judgement nor to reject them with a perverse will And for Circumstantials If the Question be asked who is to judge of them I suppose it is granted on all hands that in those things God hath left us free and hath not determined and restrained us to any thing And where God hath left things indeterminate there is no Question but the Magistrate may determine you and you are to submit to those determinations And this shall suffice for this and for the answer to the Question Thus you see we have finished three of those Queries we propounded We come now to the fourth viz. Qu. 4. What are the Diagnosticks or marks whereby we may discover and discern of errour from truth and truth from errour When false Coyn is abroad if a man get a touch-stone whereby he may be able to try it and the skill in the use of it to distinguish between counterfeit and true he needs not fear being deceived I have told you there is a deal of false Coyn abroad and if you would not be deceived it was your speciall duty to try it I have shewed you the Rule and told you what is the touch-stone whereby you may try opinions And now I am come to give you the marks whereby you may be able in the use of this to discover and distinguish between truth and errour If a man have the touch-stone yet if he want wisdome to distinguish he may be deceived for all this So though you have the Word of God which is the touch-stone to try opinions yet if you want wisdom and skill to distinguish of touches you may be mistaken for all this And there is need of a great deal of skill an errour may give as fair a touch and make a fairer lustre and glitter then truth And therefore it shall be my work at this time through Gods assistance to lay down the marks whereby in this touch and examination you may be able to distinguish between errour and truth Now I must tell you before I enter on this work that as there are many false stones such as doe render errour truth and truth errour So there are many false marks by which if we should be guided we are sure to goe amisse It shall be therefore my chief work in this Discourse to reject the false and to discover to you the true And we will begin with the first of these viz. the rejection of the false marks which I will doe by propounding them in Questions and then giving answers to them and all this that they may have a fair tryall before they be condemned Qu. 1. Whether antiquity or the ancientness of an opinion be not a true Character of truth Answ There is no Question to be made of this but truth is ancient and that which is ancientest is truth Truth was before errour * Id verum quodcunque primum id adulterum quodcunque postremum Tertul. that is truth which is first and that is errour which is last And therefore you see it is Gods direction to us Jer. 6.16 Thus saith the Lord stand you in the waies and see and aske for the old paths where is the good way and walk therein and you shall finde rest for your souls But now in regard that Antiquity hath been the pretence for many errours and that we may not mistake in it there is a necessity of some distinction to be premised before we give the full answer Antiquitas est vel primaria vel secundaria primarâ—a est priâ—ae va cujusque rei oâ—igo haec â—o ta hoâ— tatis perfectionis est Secundaria antiquitas est eorum quae diu ante coeperunt c Et haec antiquitas veritatis nota non est Vid. Parker p. 156. l. 2. Consuetudo sine veritate vetust as erroris est Cypr. 1. Then there is a two-fold Antiquity a primary and secondary Antiquity Or things are said to be ancient in respect of Gods prescription or in respect of mens practice in respect of Gods institution and in respect of mens observation or if you will in respect of Gods command and in respect of mens custome And this will afford us this answer A. If antiquity be taken for Gods prescription for Gods command and institution then there is no Question but it is a certain badge character of truth But if you take antiquity for what men have anciently practised or observed for what hath been the custom of men and not the command of God then may it be an ancient a gray-headed errour That is not truly ancient which men have practised but that is true antiquity which God hath prescribed Antiquity of things is not to be taken from the customs and observations of men but from the commands and institutions of God * Veritas noÌ„ est tempore metiendâ— sed nâ—mine Hoc argumento usa est mulier Samaritana adversus Christum Patres nostri adorârunt in monte hoc nec falso nam referente Carolo Sigonio prius in Zilo quam in Jerusalem invocatum Dei nomen est Morton Apolog pag. 1. lib. 1. cap. 10 11. Truth is not to be measured by time but by revelation not by practice but by prescription not by custom but by command It was the errour of the Jews that they would follow the custom but they would reject the command You may see it in Jer. 44.17 18 19. We will bake cakes and burn incense to the Queen of heaven as our Princes and Fathers have done before us and they have an argument for this custom too for then it was better with us then now then we had plenty of victuals and were well and saw no evil but since we left off to doe this we have wanted all things we have been consumed by the sword and by the famine Just the same argument that men have for their customs now So the woman of Samaria she pleaded custom too against Christ Joh. 4.20 Our Fathers worshipped in
this mountain and you say that in Jerusalem men ought to worship Here she pleads a custom and one more ancient then the other only it wanted prescription which the other had Ancient custom without prescription will not hold The Pharisees they dealt the same way with Christ c. and Christ with them as you see at large Matth. 5. It is well spoken of Cyprian a Non debe mu◠attendere quid aliquis ante nos secerit aut faciendum putaret sed quid qui ante omnes Christus prior secerit Cypr. We are not to consider what others have done before us but what Christ who is before all hath done and commanded Custom without truth is but old errour b Non hominum consuetudinē sed Dei veritatem sequi debemus Cypr. epist 7. p. 156. We are not to follow the custom of men but the truth of God if men plead custome without prescription Antiquity without command we may say with Ignatius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christus nobis antiquitas Christ is our Antiquity He saith of himself that he is the way the truth and the life the truth not the custom c Si consuetudinem fortassis opponas advertendum est quod Dominus dicit Ego sum via veritas vita non dixit Ego sum consuetudo sed Veritas Aug. Veritati nemo praescribere potest non spatium temporum non patrocinta personarum non privilegium nationum ex his enim ferè consuetudo initium ab aliquâ ignorantia aut simplicitate sortita in usum per successionem corroboratur ita adversus veritatem vindicatur Tertul. It is that which learned Jewel urgeth against the Papists from that place Eccles 7.10 Say not thou What is the cause that the former daies are better then these for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this 2. Qu. Whether the newness of an opinion be not a sufficient mark to discover it an errour For the answer of this I must also premise some distinctions 1. Things may be said to be new in respect of Gods prescription or in respect of mans invention 2. Things may be said to be new in respect of institution or in respect of restitution The Commandment of love it was called a new Commandment as Christ saith Joh. 13.34 A new Commandment I give unto you that you love one another This was not new in respect of its institution but in respect of its restitution * Non quia novum mandatum sed quia de novo redintegratum not because it was new but because it was renewed Many things are called new which yet are not so in respect of institution but in respect of restitution 3. Things may be said to be new in respect of Creation or apparition the moon is new not in respect of Creation but in respect of apparition Many things which appear to us to be new which are not new indeed 4. And this brings in a fourth distinction things may be said to be new in respect of being as a childe is said to be new-born because it never had a being in the world before or a thing may be said to be new in respect of observation a thing may be said to be in being before which yet was not observed nor taken notice of before There are many things which are not new in themselves which yet may be new to us many things which are not new in respect of being which yet are new in respect of observation Having premised this we will come to answer the Question Whether the newness of an opinion c. And I will answer this Question in these two Conclusions Conclus 1. The newnesse of opinion is enough to discover it an errour if it be new in respect of institution not if it be new in respect of restitution Institution of truth is only Gods work none is able to institute doctrine or worship but only God If there be no Word of God to clear it no Scripture to countenance an opinion it is to be rejected as a Chimaera a fancy of man But now an opinion may be new in respect of restitution and yet be a truth when the worship of God comes to be restored when doctrine comes to be cleared and setled this is not any new institution of doctrine or worship but the restitution of it it is not worship instituted but worship restored It is that worship which God hath prescribed in his Word already only now freed and cleared from the corruptions and pollutions of it Truth may be old in respect of institution and prescription though new in respect of the restitution and restoring of it as it was in Hezekiah's time and it was the work of Christ in Matth. 5. Conclus 2. The newness of an opinion is enough to discover it an errour if it be new in respect of being but not if it be new in respect of observation Indeed those opinions which are new in respect of being that have no foundation in the Word no being in the Scripture they may be rejected as errours but not such as are new in respect of observation there may be many precious truths which are new to us which yet are not new in themselves they are new in respect of our observation we never took notice of them before they were hid from our eyes yet they are not new in respect of their being Augustins doctrine of conversion that it is of grace and not of free-will was new in it's time though now generally received and then it was not new in respect of being the Scriptures are full for it but new in respect of observation men had not observed they had not taken notice of it before Luthers doctrine of justification that it is of grace and not of works was new also in it's time and he had a world to oppose him and crie it down for novelty but this was not new in it's being what doctrine have we more clear in the Word But it was new in respect of observation Calvins doctrine of predestination that it is of grace and not of faith and works fore-seen this was new in it's time though a clear and ancient truth It was not new in respect of it's being it is clearly revealed in the Word but new in respect of observation it was clouded with errours that men could not discern and take notice of it before This is certain that towards the end of the world as there will be the broachings of many errours so there shall be the discovery of many glorious truths as I have fully cleared to you I speak not this to countenance any errour that our times or after times shall set on foot but to take off prejudice that lies upon any doctrine or truth either newly or more clearly and fully discovered that they reject it not for the newnesse of it I have observed it in all ages Fama miratrix senioris aevi See Iewels
I may say as another If any of our Predecessours failed out of ignorance or imperfection of knowledge God will pardon that but we that are warned and taught we may suspect that indulgence for us It is that which Jewel hath out of Hillar against the wilfull in his time m Illu in eo quod nesâ—â—unt potest adhuc in tuto esse salus fieredant ribi vero jam omnia aâ—saturem câ—auâ—a suÌ„t que negas quoâ—â—am ignorare non potes Hil. Men may be saved though they hold many errours of ignorance but all waies of life are shut up to thee who denies that which thou cannot be ignorant of unless you will wilfully shut your eyes Chrysostom hath a good expression for it n Qui in luce peccat impudentior est ex suribus enim leges eos gravius puniunt qui interdiu surantur Chrys in â—â—al â— Those are the boldest sinners who will sin in the times of light the Laws doe ever punish those theeves worst that steal in the day and of all sinners those shall have most stripes that sin in the light and oppose the light Certainly those of our Predecessours that have gone before us were learned and holy men in their generation yet as the Apostle saith of himself I may say of any age in the world we know but in part And what Solomon saith of persons I may say of things Prov. 4.18 The path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day There is no age is so excellent but after ages have excelled them o Non ita leviter de Scriptoribus recentioribus â—entiendum quasi Patribus praeponendi non essent Neque adeò de Patribus magnificè censendum quasi Neoâ—ericis post ponendi non vâ—derentur Consul Park de polit eccles lib. 2 cap 14. pag. 233 234 c. We are not to think saith one so lightly of modern and late Writers as if they were not in some things to be preferred before the Fathers nor to think so highly of the Fathers as if they were not short of them that come after them They were all famous in their generations The collection of Weemes upon Rev. 1.13 Consul etiaÌ„ Parker l. 2. c. 14 p. 234. I love not to make comparisons But yet Wickliffe Hus Jerome of Prage Whitaker c. come not short of any I have read an observation of one that Justin Martyr who lived in the second Century had more errours in one Tome then Augustine who lived in the fourth Century had in ten And there seems to be much in the Word to countenance fuller discoveries and clearer revelations of truths to after then former ages Some Divines have gathered it from the Girdle which under the Law was about their loyns now it is about the paps by which they thinke to be shadowed out the greater perfection of the after ages of the Church then the former Some think it to be shadowed forth in * Brightman in locum Quia Pellucidum ab omni humano fermento purum Cons Pâ—rk de polit eccles p. 235 c. Bright in Apoc. 14. c. 14.2 6. c. 15.2 5. c. Park de polit eccle l. 2. c. 14 per totum Revel 14.2 where they say the doctrine of the fathers for the indistinct sound is compared to the noise of many waters which doth strike the ear with an unprofitable sound But the doctrine of the later Writers Revel 14.2 3. to the voice of harps and the harps of God that is the most excellent Rev. 15.2 3. Some again would have it shadowed out by the sea of glasse like crystall Revel 4 6. Revel 15.2 under which say they is shadowed the clearnesse of the worship of God from humane corruptions which shall be in the latter daies for the times wherein the Fathers lived which were in the third and fourth Century chiefly The sea was not then of glasse but it was terrene and bloudy as it is set forth in Revel 8.8 and that by reason of the mountain cast into the sea which was the mountain of Episcopacie and Patriark-ship Much more might be said of it but I shall referre my Reader to the Authours in the margin And thus much shall serve for the first Question and also for the second My admonition to you is this that when you plead antiquitie or ancientnesse of custom take heed of taking mens customs for Gods commands or adhering to mens practices without the prescriptions of God That is not truly ancient which men have long practised but that is true antiquity which God hath prescribed if custom though it be never so ancient be without prescription from God it is but old errour and to be abolished And for the second viz. the Novelty of doctrin my admonition is that you would distinguish between those things which are new in respect of being and such things as are new in respect of observation things may be new to you and yet not new in themselves Take heed of rejecting any doctrine meerly under the notion of new you may so reject truth as well as errour It may be the doctrine is not new in it self though new to you Against this rock many have split themselves wilfully shutting their eyes against the discoveries of their times under the pretence of novelty The most precious truths that are have been in their generations looked upon as new there is nothing which you hold different from Poperie but in their generation when first they were revealed and manifested they have been looked upon and rejected for novelties If your spirits had lived in the times of Luther and Calvin they would have rejected all those things which they discovered under the same notion which you reject truth in these daies though indeed there was nothing which they held was new in respect of being but only new in respect of observation nay there was nothing in which Luther dissented from Popery but it was condemned in all Councels which were before that Antichristian Councel or conventicle of Trent when surely God sealed to the bill of divorce against them But I have done with the first and second Question there are many more which we shall now speak unto in their order The third is this Qu. Whether it be not a sufficient character to evidence an opinion to be erroneous the wickednes of them that maintain it Answ It is with most men that they take up their judgement of an opinion not from the precepts of God but from the practices of those men who are the Authours and receivers the maintainers and entertainers of it if they see a man to walk holily and unblameably in his life and conversation though this a man may doe and yet not be holy in heart and affection they presently conclude that all that comes from such men is truth and hereupon are ready to swallow and entertain as truth without any further debate
holinesse of those who have been the Reformers and Institutours of such things And certainly it is a great advantage to an errour and prejudice to a truth the holinesse and loosnesse of those who are the maintainers and entertainers of it It is that which the Heathens alleadged against Christianity in the first times of the Gospel the sins of those who had received and made profession of it which the Apostle doth so often charge upon them that they caused the crosse of Christ and the Gospel of Christ to be blasphemed by their unworthy walking And it is that which the Turks doe say against the Christians at this day * â—cce quates suâ—t qui ChristuÌ„ colunt si bona discerent boni essent Christum legunt impâ—j sunt Christum oud â—nt inebriaÌ„tur Christum sequuntur iapiunt Sâ—l â—â—â—â— Behold the servants of the crucified God certainly if their way were truth their lives would not be so sinfull Insomuch that we may well say it is a great prejudice to the truth of God the disorderly walking of them that are the professours of it and it is a great advantage to an errour in the mindes of men the sanctity and holinesse of those who walk in it men are more led by practice then by rule by example then by argument by the eye then by the Word and this is their argument See their lives and by that you may judge of their opinions But we will come to the answer of the Question Whether the holinesse of those who are the publishers and receivers of an opinion be not a sufficient discovery that the opinion is a truth Before I answer give me leave in a word to distinguish of errour of truth and of holiness 1. There are fundamentall truths and building truths and so there is fundamentall and damning errours and dangerous and defiling errours all errours are not damning but all are dangerous and defiling 2. There is an appearing holinesse and a reall holinesse and so there is a religious strictnesse and a superstitious strictnesse one commanded of God the other taken up of man Now having laid down these two distinctions we will come to the answer and I will answer the Question in four Conclusions Concl. 1 Conclus 1. The appearing holinesse of those who hold an opinion is not enough to demonstrate it a truth A man may be in a dangerous I had like to have said damning errour and yet to the view of men appearingly holy Many men have put on a form of godlinesse and shew of holinesse till they have gotten strength and power enough to back them in their opinions and then they have discovered the venome of their spirits and let loose their spirits to those corrupt waies which their erroneous understandings did lead them to Arius as they write on him who yet held that damnable opinion against the Deity of Christ that Christ was not God he was a man in all appearance humble and holy insomuch that his holinesse drew many after him and those who received the opinion they were many of them of unblameable life and conversation but yet when they had gotten power on their side they acted their venome The like I might say of Nestorius Maniche c. And Arminius of late who in his time discovered much appearing holinesse and humility yet held dangerous errouâ—s It is the subtilty of Satan and the policy of the first promoters of opinions to difference themselves as much from others in life and conversation as they doe in judgâ—mâ—nt and opinion that so their errours might get more ground and finde better entertainment with others As the Pharisees made long prayers but it was to prey upon and devour widows houses they made the practice of holinesse but the cloak of their hypocrisie and the stalking horse to compasse their own ends So many doe walk in the waies of strictnesse but to set off their own wicked errours and advantage their opinions they know that an ill life will be disadvantagious to the receiving of their opinions and therefore put on a form of godlinesse but deny the power of it that they might the better advantage the reception of their errours But though some I say doe walk in a way of holines to set off those things which they know to be errours they put on a sheeps garment to deceive yet others though they be in an errour may apprehend it for a truth and with honest affections may walk holily to adorn their profession and make their doctrine more receptible in the hearts of others So that I say first the appearing holinesse and strictnesse of the maintainers and entertainers of an opinion is not enough to discover it a truth It is certain a man may be strict in an errour and yet a libertine in a truth though no truth doth make men libertines or countenance them in it yet some errours may make men strict strict I say not a religious strictnesse but a superstitious strictnesse strict not in observing the precepts of God but the traditions and prescriptions of men as the Pharisees were and many of the poor deluded Papists are And therefore no appearing strictnesse or holinesse can evidence an opinion to be truth I say appearing for you can goe no further you cannot difference between false and true between appearing and approved holinesse you know what Christ saith of them who justified themselves before men that is that walked unblameable before men That which is highly esteemed amongst men is an abomination in the sight of God Luk. 16.15 Luk. 16.15 Concl. 2 Conclus 2. That a reall and approved holinesse is a sure note that the errour which they hold is not a damning destroying errour I say though the holines of those men that maintain an opinion be not a sure note that the opinion they maintain is a truth yet it is a certain evidence that it is not an undoing and destructive errour Christ saith That the elect shall not be deceived Mat. 24.24 Mat. 24.24 that is though they may be carried aside with some sinfull yet they shall not be drawn away with undoing errours And we have all the harmony of Scripture for that he tels us That they who doe his will shall know his doctrine Joh. 6.45 Joh. 7.17 Joh. 10.4 5 that we shall all be taught of God that we shall hear his voice and shall not follow the voice of strangers and that we have received an anointing of the holy One wherby we know all things Al which places are to be understood of necessary truths not accessory of truths that are essentiall and fundamentall not circumstantiall and it proves fully to us that God will never give up his holy ones to undoing errours That 's the second answer that holinesse is a sure note that the opinions which they hold though an errour yet it is not a damning and destroying errour Concl. 3 Conclus 3. Reall holinesse in the maintainers and
Apoc praeâ—ect 4. Origen and Tertullian did greatly excell in learning insomuch that the one was esteemed the chief of the Greeks and the other of the Latines yet they fell into many errours and those who held their opinions were judged Heretikes and called Tertullianists and Origenists c. Yet in this I say thus much that so farre as they have learn'd of the Spirit so farre as their learning is implanted so farre it judgeth truly but that which is ours and the improvement of our knowledge by industry and diligence that improved knowledge is subject to errour and mistake The Father may leave his childe a good stock and well gotten but the childe may fail in his improvement of it his additions to it may be faulty The first stock is Gods and that is light in main things he gives his people an unerring an infallible light in essentiall and fundamentall truths or truths necessary to salvation but now the improvement of this stock is ours the additions and accretions to it in accessory and circumstantiall truths and herein we are subject to fail and erre Thus I have answered this Question Whether it be not enough to discover an opinion to be a truth that it is maintained and upheld by learned men c. But least you may think I have been too abstruse that I may speak plain to all take in these three things Learning then I say cannot be a conclusive evidence of truth 1. Because all learned men are not gracious men 2. Because learning without grace is but the forge of errour such men they are for the most part self-conceited part-proud and the pride of the head is a dangerous engine for errour 3. The most learned and the most gracious men may erre as I shewed before I see this spirit in many men that they are great admirers of learning indeed some give too little to it as well as others too much to it some wildly crie down all learning as if it were a prejudice and utterly disserviceable to the finding out of truth in divine things Indeed learning without grace is a forge for errour and an engine against the truth but if you take learning only as we speak it for the improvement of holy reason by the helps of Arts of Sciences tongues and the writings of men there is no Question to be made of it but that learning viz. holy reason thus improved is a great a mighty advantage to the finding out the minde of God and the want of this is the cause why men run headlong into many errours and for ought I see to the contrary that place of St Peter 2 Pet. 3.16 2 Pet. 3.16 where the Apostle speaks of some things hard and difficult in Pauls Epistles Which unlearned and unstable men doe wrest as they doe other Scriptures to their own perdition I say for ought I see to the contrary unlearned in that place may be taken in this latitude which I speak though it 's true those who have not this learning if they have this inward teaching shall never wrest Scriptures to their perdition they shall never erre and continue to erre damnably yet may they erre dangerously And we see this to be true in every daies experience the knowledge of divine things is exceedingly increased Pâ—â—ker de polâ—t ecclâ—â— 2. c 18 p 244. the hidden things of God are revealed truths revealed and confirmed errours discovered and condemned and the perusall of godly and learned men together with the study meditation and debate of things may much improve mens holy reason and strengthen men in the truths fence men against errour the want of which may render men lesse able to stand against the Sopâ—istries of men and more endanger men to be carried away with the stream of errour So that I would not be apprehended to speak against learning under that notion that is the use of any thing which might improve our holy reason and make us able to convince gain-sayers We have to deal with subtill Sophisters and there is need of the utmost of the improvement of reason in divine things But I speak against those who would give too much to it men are all in extreams Is there no middle between too much admiring of it and contemptuous despising of it though it doe not evidence where it is there is truth yet is it of no use to finde out truth Because gold is not good to eat is it not therefore good to buy meat So because learning is not truth is it not therefore serviceable to finde out truth Julian Indeed there are some give too little to it and there are some again which give too much Some that doe not give the least weight to it to cast the balance and others that are ready to resign up their faith and judgement to the learning of others if they see men of learning though they be not able to judge of it they are ready to resign up themselves and yeeld up look and key to them and let them take possession and have full dominion over their faith and consciences Most men are led by blinde obedience and implicite faith in divine things and seeing they will resigne up their understandings they act their reason thus farre that they will resigne up their judgements to those they apprehend most learned they will be of their opinions and of their judgements though they can say no more for it but that such a man saies so it is the opinion of such a learned man I tell you this is as blinde obedience as implicite faith as any is in Rome To conclude this Question there is both danger and folly in this too much admiration of learning 1. There is danger in it you are endangered to resigne up your judgement and faith to them which you are not to doe you are not to make any men the Masters of your faith you see how the Apostle abominaâ—â—d that when he saith 2 Cor. 7. We are not Masters of your faith but helpers of your joy You are not to give up your faith your conscience to the doctrines or opinions of men though the best the holiest the learnedst of men as I have shewed you at large 2. There is great folly in it 1. You are neither able to judge of learning 2. Nor is learning able to judge of truth If you will aske all the learned men in the world out of the Church they will tell you the Gospel is foolishnesse And if you will aske many of them in the Church there are many precious truths which they judge folly and the rest they receive them by tradition or as the received doctrine of the age they live in their knowledge in divine things it is gotten up by industry even as the knowledge in any Art or Science and it is but the improvement of their reason not the revelation of the Spirit If learning alone were a competent Judge of truth and errour and that
learned men were faithfull to their light and would not be byassed or corrupted for a world then one would thinke it some wisdom to resigne up our judgement to such and be of their opinion but first it is not a competent judge Christ tels us there is a learning from which truths are concealed and hid he blessed his Father Who hid these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to babes And secondly learned men are not uninterested men they have corruptions in them and this doth bias them often times to the maintaining of errour and opposing truth and therefore dangerous Nay though there be grace as well as learning yet they are subject to passions they have corruptions in them and how farre those may work in the delivering of truth or opposing errour how farre their fears and hopes their pride may work you know not And therefore though they were learned and holy men yet you are not to resign up your faith and judgements to their opinions 1 Thess 5.21 1 Joh. 1.4 but are to trie all things and prove the spirits whether they be of God or no. And thus much shall serve for the answer to the fifth Question one more and we will conclude the false marks the sixt Question then is this Qu. 6. Whether this be sufficient to discover an opinion erroneous or declare it to be a truth the multitude or the paucity of them who are the divulgers and maintainers of it It is you know the great Argument the Papists have and therefore they set it down as one note of the true Church the multitude of professours And though it was opposed against the Papists yet was it an Episcopall argument against the reformed Churches * Mos totius orbis omniuÌ„ teraporum ecclesiarum potior esse debet eo qui est exigui populi parvi temporis Sarar Cons Park de polit eccles l. 2 c. 35 p. 297. 298. etiam l 2 c 6 7. That which hath been the custom of the whole world and of all times of the Churches ought to be more desirable then such a discipline which is maintained by a few and is but of late standing Again It is most just and equall that seeing the number of the reformed are but few they should yeeld unto the other who are many yea and many of them in authority and office in Church and Common-wealth Another speaks yet plainer a AbsurduÌ„ est Deum velle inspirare unum potius quaÌ„ multos Sutâ—l It is absurd to thinke that God should inspire one man rather then many by which expressions of theirs it may seem too evident that though they opposed this argument of the Papists and b In rebus fidem concerneÌ„tibus judicium unius private hominis praeferenaum est Papae toti Concilio si ille moveatur meltoribus rationibus authoritatibus N V. Testam D. White citing Panormitan against the Papists held it forth to be of no weight when they were to deal with them because the Papists might glory most in multitude yet they esteemed it of some weight against the reformed Churches they being farr lesse in number then they were It shews a cause to be weak when they have recourse to such poor weapons and that surely there is not much to maintain it when such arguments as are taken from number and multitude are made use of But to come to the answer of the Question which I conceive will not require much pains The Question is Whether this be sufficient to discover an opinion erroneous or to declare it to be a truth the multitude or paucity of them who are the divulgers and maintainers of it I shall answer this in brief 1. If by multitude be meant the greater number of mankinde then it is a certain evidence of errour The greatest number of mankinde lies in darknesse and errour as St John saith 1 Joh. 5.19 1 Joh. 5.19 The whole world lies in wickednes If you divide the world into four parts you will finde above three parts to be Pagans Heathens Mahometans Idolaters Atheists how few will be the residue Alas they are but a few in the North-east passages that doe professe and acknowledge a Christ and of those how few 2. If by multitude be meant the greatest number of men in the Church who doe adhere to an opinion neither will this be sufficient to discover it a truth And that upon these two grounds 1. Because the greatest number they are ignorant and so are not able to judge of truth and errour blinde men cannot discern of colours they want knowledge to discern of things that differ they are not able to try nor upon triall are they able to determine 2. Because the greatest number they are corrupt and vicious they are for the most part either Atheisticall or prophane or proud and ambitious men or worldlings covetous hypocrites formall professours If you look upon the multitude they adhere to doctrines 1. Either out of ignorant grounds 2. Or out of corrupt ends 1. Out of ignorant grounds viz. because this was the way of their Fathers and they doe traditionally adhere to it or because such men whom thâ—y respect and honour are in that way or because it is commended to them by the learned or prescribed and commanded by authority Indeed it is an easie matter to make any thing of the multitude they are soft wax in regard of their religion and can receive any impression they are fit for any stamp their superiours will put upon them they are but a body and authority is their soul which moves them which way they pleâ—sâ— in point of Religion truth and errour are all one to them It is an easie matter to make them any thing who are indeed nothing It was a heavie charge was cast upon us by our right hand adversaries that England was converted from Popery to Protestanisme by the blast of one trumpet In Q. Maries daies they were Papists and upon her death within an hour after as soon as Qu. Elizabeth was proclaimed here was a Kingdom of Protestants a nation was converted at once Though this charge is not true in all for after her Coronation besides Commissioners sent unto all parts to deface all the monuments of Idolatry Vid. The most grave and modest confuâ—aâ—ion puâ—lâ—shed by Mâ—st Rathbone p. 10. there were Ministers sent about to preach the Word of God viz. Knox Leave Gilby Sampson Whitingham Goodman who in Q. Maries daies had exercised their Ministery in the best reformed Churches beyond the seas who were now sent out to gather the people to the Lord to discover the errours of Popery to reduce men to the knowledge of the truth And upon the meeting of a Parliament those acts which were formerly made in Qu. Maries daies were repealed and the doctrine of truth again with Religion established And it were well to avoid this charge if Ministers were sent thorow the Kingdom at
loved him not wisely he blamed their ignorance And thus farre it holds men may doe things with honest affections and yet doe them ignorantly And if you grant not this what flesh can be saved There were many of our Fathers that have opposed many things as errours Cons Park de polit eccles l. 2. c. 20. p. 256. which are the received truths of God certainly they opposed them with honesty of heart though not with an understanding heart the fault was not so much in their heart as in their head they did not oppose them out of sinister and corrupt affections but with honesty of heart they walked according to their notion of things and that will serve to demonstrate a man an honest man though not an upright man a good Christian that demonstration must be taken in upon better grounds It was said of Asa That notwithstanding the high places were not removed yet his heart was perfect with the Lord all his daies 1 King 15.14 perfect that is sincere A man may have a perfect heart in this sense that is a sincere heart and yet have many failings in life nay and not only many imperfections in his judgement but some errours too such as are not damnable fundamentall errours but only circumstantiall and lesser but then these errours must a rise from the imperfections of his knowledge not from the corruption of his heart The Apostle seems to imply this Phil. 3.15 16. As many as be perfect let them be thus minded and if any be otherwise minded God shall reveal even that unto them Neverthelesse whereunto you have already at mined let us walk by the same rule let us minde the same things So much for the third 4. Here is another efficacy of errour it will ingage a man to doe much for it a man may doe much service for an errour as well as for a truth a man may preach may write may dispute may be at much pains spare for no cost to advance and promote to an errour I could give you as you all thinke innumerable testimonies and experiences of this It was said of the Pharisees that they would compasse sea and land take much pains to make a Profelyte which when they had done A man was much more the childe of the devil then he was before as Christ saith And what pains will not the Papists take how doe they compasse sea and land What unwearâ—able pains doe they take and all this to Proselyte men to bring them to their Religion Doth it not often fare that a servant of errour will doe much more for it then they who are the children of truth will doe for the truth What drudges are they often to Satan when we are too slack in the service of God and at two times especially the authours and maintainers of errour are active and sedulous viz. either in the rise of it or in the fall of it either when it first appears or when it doth decline then they set themselves with all their strength in the one to advance it in the other to hold it up When the beast was wounded there was great pains to lick him whole again It teacheth us what we are to doe for truth Indeed errour is more beholding to it's servants then truth is to hers Oh that men should doe so much for the devil and so little for God that they should think no pains too much for errour and that we should be at no greater layings out for the truth It is a consideration may humble us all that men should doe more for their sins then others for their graces Micah 6.8 That men should take more pains and be at more cost for errour then we will be at for the truth As men will spend themselves to nothing for a sin to maintain their lusts so will they doe for an errour nay and much more because when men spend themselves for a sin a lust they doe it not without some check of conscience for the doing of it they have inward troubles and stings of conscience in the doing of it they are self-condemned in it and therefore cannot do it without much regreeting but when a man doth any thing for an errour when a deluded man spends himself for his opinion he doth it chearfully he glories in it he looks upon all as set upon Gods score he looks upon what he doth as the evidence of his sincerity and love to God and therefore glories in it triumphs in it and doth it chearfully he is glad he hath been so serviceable to his opinion and looks upon it as being serviceable to God in it as no question many have done and many deluded Papists do and this is a great work of errour 5. As it will engage a man to doe so it will check a mans conscience if he doe not As when a man deals not faithfully with truth if for fear or hope or worldly respects he will either be shie to own it as Nicodemus Christ or if he will suppresse it baulk and decline it if he will detain the truths of God in unrighteousnesse or if he will deny a truth conscience is up in arms against him and flees in his face for it checks him reproves torments him So it may be with an errour if a man have received and entertained an errour and he is perswaded it is a truth though it be an errour if now he have not been faithfull to it if he have for fear favour carnall and worldly respects been either shie to own it in some company if he have baulked it and declined it if he have betrayed it receded from it and denied it conscience is presently up to check to reprove him and torment him for it Indeed a man may close with an errour for base ends and respects and for the same respects may recede from it and yet never be touched for it no checks within him but if a man have closed with an errour with an honest simple heart then if he doe not walk answerable to it if he baulk and decline it he shall hear of conscience If a Papist should be forced from his Religion for fear though his way be an errour yet not forsaking it out of light and conviction that it was an errour but out of fear of punishment his conscience will torment him for it and so in any other opinion if the heart embrace it with honest respects which hath caused some to say that men are neither to be bribed nor threatned out of their opinions but to be convinced and perswaded they are not to be compelled by force nor yet to be seduced allured or bribed by rewards this is to make men sinne against conscience It was Augustines but he retracted it * Fides non est imponenda sed suadenda contra haereticos nihil vi agendum No force is to be used against Heretikes which we shall speak to in the next great Querie Thus you see as errour will
for an errour There is nothing which a good heart doth entertain but he entertains it under this notion to maintain it he takes it intâ— his house his heart with a purpose to maintain it wicked men receive opinions to live on them but a good heart receives an opinion that it may live on him a corrupt heart entertains an opinion that it may maintain him but an honest heart that he may maintain it A bad heart takes in an opinion as his servant which he makes to serve him els he will not own it but a good heart entertains it as his Master which shall rule all and dispose of all if it say it must have his pains his estate c. to maintain it to promote it to advance it he is not master of any thing he hath but all must go to serve it And therefore seeing it is thus you had need to look strictly what you take into your heart you had need to know what you give entertainment to seeing you must give maintaining to it also and it may cost all you have I only say thus much all thou hast is not too dear for a truth too good for a truth But there is nothing so little but is too much for an errour And therefore take heed you be not deceived And thus much shall serve for the demonstration of the false marks we shall now come to the sure marks and characters whereby truth and errour may be evidenced You have seen hitherto though some of these which have been laid down may be said to be probable signes yet none of them can be set down for conclusive evidences We are now to deal with such viz. to lay down infallible and undeceiveable evidences of divine truth And this is the first and main Character Divine truth is word-revelation Truth proceeds from God Chara. 1 and is revealed in the Word to us All Scripture saith the Apostle * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 3.16 It is given by inspiration of God and in the 2 Pet. 1.21 The prophecies came not in any time by the will of man Consul Morton Apol. Cath. p. 2. l. 5. c. 9 Rom. 11.4 but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost The Word of God it is the râ—vealer of all divine truth if you would know what is truth your way lies clear enquire not so much what this man saith or what that For all men are lyars but search and enquire what saith the answer of God Non debâ—mus attendere quia alij ante nos sed quid Christus ante omnes dixit We are not to attend what others before us but what Christ before all hath spoken the truth is in Jesus Ephes 4.21 The Word is nothing else but a beam of that eternall Sun but a ray of divine of God-communication It is called the Word of truth nay truth it self Joh. 17.17 Sanctifie them with thy truth thy Word is truth and this makes the lest syllable in the Word to be more firm for a soul to rest on then all the protestations of men or Angels they though true yet they are not infallibly true they are not immutably true but God is and his Word is a beam of this truth a ray proceeding from this Sun and therefore saith the Prophet Isa 40 8. The grasse withereth the flower fadeth Isa 40.8 1 Pet. 1.25 Mat 5.18 but the Word of our God shall stand for ever 1 Pet. 1.25 Nay heaven and earth shall passe away before one iota one title of the Word shall fail Matth. 5.18 It is truth it is immutable it is infallible truth and divine truth is Word-revelation The Scripture is not only the revealer of divine truth but of all divine truth not that there is no more divine truth then what is revealed in the Word but that there is no more for us there is no more to be believed and obeyed then what God hath revealed in his Word It is the boundary of doctrine and the adequate measure of all divine truth Deut. 4.2 and therefore God sends us thither as to the place where we should finde all doctrine to be believed and obeyed and as to the touchstone whereby we should try all Doctrines Isa 8.20 To the Law and to the testimonies if they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no light in them And the Apostle would have you know that Word-revelation is a surer way to evidence truth then a revelation from heaven as hee tells us 2 Pet. 1.16 17 18. where having been speaking of a revelation from heaven and the clearest that ever was revealed in the transfiguration of Christ the Apostles themselves were eye-witnesses thereof and heard that voice from heaven This is my well-beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased yet saith he vers 19. We have a more sure Word of prophecie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 meaning Word-revelation not that this is a more sure revelation then that was but that this is surer to us Word-revelation is more sure to us then a revelation from heaven God would have us to know truth by Word-revelation divine truth is Word-revelation And that is the first Character which yet for fuller and clearer conception I will branch forth into three particular maximes Max. 1 What ever the Word of God doth plainly and evidently hold forth that is infallibly truth the Word of God or God in the Word doth give out all Doctrine to be believed and obeyed and whatever the Word holds forth what ever hath a bottom and firm footing in the Word that is undoubtedly truth All is divinely true which the Word holds forth but all is not morally and practically good All is to be believed which the Word holds forth but all is not to be observed what ever is in the Word is the object of our faith but what ever is in the Word is not to be the rule of our life There are no provisoes to be laid down in point of faith all is truth and we must believe all Fides non eligit objectum faith doth not single â—ut it 's object it doth not pick and chuse but believes all which God hath spoken but there must be some provisoes in matter of practice though all to be believed yet all is not to be observed unlesse 1. It be of common equity and not of peculiar ingagement interest priviledge 2. Unlesse it be of perpetuall right and observance Vniversalis perpetui juris and not temporary and for a time only There were many things which the Word gave out to the Nation of the Jews to be observed which since Christ are as Statutes now repealed they were not of common and generall equity nor were they to be of perpetuall and everlasting observance and therefore are not to be observed by us though believed of us what ever the Word gives out is to be the object of our faith but not
present world Hence Christ saith Joh. 5.44 Joh. 5.44 How can you believe so long as you seek honour one from another and doe not seek that honour which is from God only And the fear of losing the world made the Jews deny Christ and reject him If wee entertain him say they the Romans will come and take away our place and Nation Men that love the world they will doe any thing to get and any thing rather then hazzard and lose that they love so dearly Hence Jam. 4.4 If you love the world the love of the Father is not in you he that will be a friend to the world is an enemy to God and it is upon this ground because if ever God and the world come in competition he will forsake God and cleave to the present world 2. A second byas is popular applause men naturally love to be some body there is no man that would willingly stand as it were for a Cipher Every man with Simon Magus would be given out to be some great one and when men cannot be taken notice on in a crowd they will be singular As this may be a ground why many doe deliver an opinion to difference themselves from others in esteem by differing themselves from others in judgement So it may be a ground why others entertain and receive an opinion to difference themselves from others by their practice to be thought more singular more holy more conscientious they are men only accounted conscientious which differ from others alas they think that others take all upon trust and are of the State-religion and close with any way and therefore thinke they if J will be accounted singular if J will be esteemed indeed conscientious and religious above others I must difference my self from others and oftentimes where there is least holinesse they will be most forward to goe this way to gain an esteem of holinesse men that cannot get an esteem of holinesse by their practice they may labour to get an esteem by their opinion J doe not say any doe so but certainly men may doe so which is a fearfull spirit these make but Religion serviceable to worldly ends Godlinesse advantagious to their own gain which certainly is the worst of spirits and that is the second A third byas which carries many and of which you had need to beware is 3. Compliancies correspondencies or engagements to friends who are this or that way or of this or that opinion And we know by experience that this hath been a strong byas As disaffection to persons hath wrought a distance and dislike of the opinions they hold and the waies they walk in so affection and love to persons hath too much perswaded with many to the entertainment and embracing of their opinions also A man looks upon such and such friends such to whom he stands thus and thus related it may be a father a sonne a brother a husband a wife c. or such to whom he is so and so engaged or such upon whom he hath such and such dependences and they are of this or that opinion and this comes in either as a great motive to close with the same that so they may be rendered more acceptable and gratefull to them or it stands as an obstacle to hinder their closings with what is contrary to them We should not indeed know either father or mother husband or wife sonne or daughter in the cause of God As we are to sleight all interests and relations if they stand not with God if they walk in a way of errour our engagements to God must drown all other engagements our relations to him must swallow up all other relations to the creature though they are dear yet God is dearer so we are to wave all interests and relations in the finding out and entertainment of truth It was Davids spirit Amicus Plato amicus Socrates magis amica veritas Whom have I in heaven but thee and in earth I desire in comparison of thee We are neither to be frighted into errour nor bribed into truth we should take in our opinions by judgement not by affections by revelation from God not by relation to the creature if our interests or relations or engagements and dependencies doe come in while we are in the disquisition and search of truth we shall finde them great byasses either to carry us to the embracing of errour or rejection of truth or if neither of them yet to the blinde reception of truth the Apostle tels us he did not consult with flesh and bloud but was obedient to the heavenly vision implying that if he had consulted with flesh and bloud he had not been obedient so if you consult with your flesh and bloud with your relations friends ingagements either you will not be obedient or you will yeeld a blinde obedience to the heavenly vision a man may entertain an errour honestly and receive truth corruptly he that entertains an errour singly and simply without being byassed with corrupt affections doth entertain it honestly but he that receives a truth being byassed with interests and engagements c. doth receive it corruptly If you would finde out truth beware of being byassed by friends relations dependencies ingagements in the disquisition and search of it let your relations to truth swallow up all other relations otherwise you will sinfully embrace an errour or blindely and corruptly entertain a truth It will be ten thousand times better for him who is honest in an errour then for thee who art corrupt in the truth 4. A fourth great byas which is all the rest in one is self Self is not only the principle which worketh in most men but it is also a byas in working It is a master wheel to set men on work and it is as oyl to the wheels to keep on working it was the great prayer of Augustine A me ipso me libera Domine Good Lord deliver mee from my self and it may well be ours if self interpose you will never finde out errour nor discover truth Self-aims self-ends self-advantages will blinde our eyes from beholding truth or errour if self reign in any man truth shall never command there because the laws of truth and the ends of self are inconsistent one with another if self keep the door it will admit and let in nothing that may be dâ—structive to it It will doe by opinions as men doe at the gates of a City enquire whether they be friends or enemies before they let them in and if upon enquiry they be found to be such as will not correspond with their selfish ends and principles they will do by them as Elisha did by Ahabs messenger shut the door and hold them fast there because they apprehend the sound of the Masters fâ—et behinde they apprehend that the entertainment of such a truth will be destructive to their selfish aims and ends If ever you would finde out truth you must learn to deny
were to joyne in execution of the sentence and willing râ—jection and casting him out Many others might be named but I shall wave them and come to the second 2. As you compare like places with like so unlike places with unlike viz. 6. Ioh. 53. Except ye eat the flesh of the Sonne of man and drink this blood you have no life in you whence the Papists gather a corporall feeding now compare this with the sixth Commandment Thou shalt not kill if it be such a fault to kill much more is it to eat and devour a man as Papists do conclude by their doctrine Hence Aug. saith those words ought to be interpreted figuratively otherwise they had required a horrible sinne of us 7 M. All our expositions should agree with the Analogy of faith which you reade of 12. Rom. 6. Prophesie according to the proportion of faith now the Analogy of faith is nothing else but the constant and perpetuall sentence of Scripture in the cleerest places of it of which sort are the Articles of faith the Lords Prayer the ten Commandements and what ever is repugnant to this is a false exposition now for instance that exposition this is my body by which Papists interpret this bred is changed into my body the Lutherans they say the body of Christ is under this bread both these are false they differ from the Analogy of faith 1. That tells us Christ had a body like ours and such a body as cannot lye under the accidents of bread or be together with it 2. The Analogy of faith saith Christ is in Heaven therefore not in a box with them 3. Consul Whitak Cont. 1. q. 5 c. 9. It saith Christ shall not come from Heaven till judgement therefore not from the box nor can the words of the Priest who stiles himself Creator creatoris sui make him So the Papists say we are justified by works this is also contrary to the Analogy of faith because in the Lords Prayer we begg for pardon which shewes remission an act of grace not debt 8 M. Because we are weak not able to use these means therefore we ought to make use of the best helpes reading hearing meditating conferring together with the comments and expositions of the best and most orthodox Sed videÌ„dum interim ne nimium illis tribuamus néve putemus illorum interpretationes recipiendas esse quia sunt ab illis profectae Whitak ibid. Esek 43.10.11 But in this take heed of tying your faith to men give not too much be content to take in the light of others but doe not shut your own eyes and give up your selves wholly to be guided by them And if you use these meanes impartially plainely without prejudice you shall be inabled to finde out the minde of God so farre as concernes your everlasting peace And that is the first direction 2. Di. Get an humble heart God hath said he reveales his secrets to the humble the humble shall know his wayes God will breake his minde to the broken in heart that is the way to finde out any truth in generall and this or that particular truth in controversy you see this in the 43. Ezek. 10 11. Shew unto the house of Israel that they may be ashamed of their iniquities and then shew them the paterne And God grant we may be an humbled people certainely it is the way to finde out the truth of God in these times of errour 3. Di. Labour to be renewed in the spirit of your minde That is another direction An unrenewed man shall never know the minde of God God will not reveale his will to those who will doe their own This is that the Apostle layes down as a preparation before he did reveale some points to them Rom. 12.2 Rom. 12.2 Be not conformed to the world but be ye renewed in the spirit of your minde that ye may prove what is that good that acceptable and perfect will of God where you see the Apostle layes down this as a necessary antecedent before we can know viz. the change of the heart and the renovation of the minde 4. Get a heart prepared for the entertainment of the truth of God upon any termes A heart that may value more of one truth of God then a world a heart that esteems truth honour truth riches truth friends truth to be all A heart that cannot deny it selfe in these things for truth or a heart byassed and drawne aside by carnall respects c. will never finde out any truth of God Sinne in the affection causeth darknes in the understanding a corrupt heart will breed a corrupt head c. sinne in the affection breeds errour and darknes in the understanding Truth is simple and none but a simple heart is fit to close with it doublenes of spirit will never close with singlenes of truth c. 5. Enquire diligently search to finde out Gods minde in this When men will take paines in searching God will shew mercy in revealing Then shall you know if you follow on to know the Lord saith the prophet Hose 6.3 Hos 6.3 Most men walke in the way of their fathers and never enquire whether it be according to God yea or no. And some men with Pilate they will slightly enquire what is truth but will not take pains to finde it And some there are who with the young man in the Gospel when they heare it they will turne their backs on it either it will not stand with their profits or pleasures and such shall never be professours of truth 6. Walke answerable to those manifestations you have walke in conformity to that measure you have received As it was with talents so here Talents not improved instead of increasing them they were taken away he that will not doe what he knowes shall not in time know what to doe If then God reveale any point of his minde to you in any thing beware lest either carnall feare or carnall respects doe cause you to smother the notions of God or detayne the truth of God in unrighteousnes Let your practice come up to your light let your walking be as large as your knowing And when God sees us faithfull in a little then will he reveale more to us when he sees you walke up to the light which he hath made known then will he reveale his whole minde to you David was a man that God would reveale his will unto and he was a man ready to doe all the will of God Act. 14. And you have a plaine Scripture for this Phil. 3.15 Let us therefore as many as be perfect that is upright be thus minded and if in any thing you be otherwise minded God shall reveale even this unto you neverthelesse whereto we have attained let us walke by the same rule let us minde the same thing And so much shall serve for the fifth great Quaery I have stood long upon it because it is of such main concernment I
consult but they also judged and determined those opinions which had been taught to be disturbing destructive and subverting errours v. 24. 3. They have not only power to enquire and judge but they have power to censure and condemn errours All which is but yet a dâ—gmatiâ—all or doctâ—inall power of declaring and determining of truth or of errour which I conceive will be granted on all hands even by those who are most shie and tender in weighing forth â—ny power unto them And indeed Act. 15. doth make all this evident there they examined they judged they censured the errour which was broached among them And after ages they followed the same patern The first great Councel of Nice as I shewed you did censure and condemn the heresie of Arius The Councel of Ephesus did condemn the heresie of Nestorius the Councel of Constantinople did censure and condemn the heresie of Macedonius Euseb eccl hist l. 6. c. 42. The errour of Montanus was judged and condemned by many Synods in Asia So that this is cleer a Synod hath power to examine to judge to censure and condemn errours Obj. But it will be said Councels may erre That famous Councel of Nice it self had yet it's errours one of which was That heretikes should be rebaptized c. And if Councâ—ls may erre Concilium Nic enum primuâ—â— quod suit omnium nobilissi â—um â—eleber â—â—mum tamen erravit Whit. â—oâ—t 2 c 2. q 6 p 6 8 620. then may they censure and condemn truth as well as errour and that is fearfull Answ This is one of the Scepticall Objections of this age we have too many who themsâ—lves being sure in nothing seek to weaken all determinations what ever as if they because they are subject to errour might not be certain in truth but for answer 1. It 's granted Councels may erre and the best of Councels may erre That famous Councâ—l of Nice had it's errours which Whitaker in respect it was so famous is tender of uncovering But though they may erre doth it follow that they do alwaies erre This is a non sequitur 2. Again though they may erre doth this take away their right of judgement of errour and truth weaknesse and subjection to errour in judgement doth not take away right of judgement God hath allowed this way of judgement to determine of doubtfull doctrines and decide controversies and he hath said Let the spirit of the Prophets be subject to the Prophets 1 Cor. 14.32 A place which Junius applies to this and the errour of some must not nullifie the ordinance of God 3. Though they may erre yet they are not so likely to erre as others an Assembly of godly and learned men met together in Gods way they are under a promise to be led into the way of all truth 4. Though they may erre in some particulars of lesser moment yet points of greater moment are clear and evident 5. In what they erre we are not to follow them Ministeriall judgement is theirs private and practicall judgement is yours and you are not to receive and embrace their determinations further then they shall appear to you to be consonant and agreeable to the Word of truth you are not to obey because they say it but because they say it authoritatively from Gods word Officiall authority they have as a Church of Christ but objective authority they have not so that what they say because they say it is therefore to be closed with Thus the Papists say not we We say that Synods have no peremptoâ—y absolute illimited authority to determine as they please but their power is Ministeriall and limited to the Word of God and we may say for our own practice Tantum valet â—ecretum Conâ—tlâ—j quantum vaâ—et ejus ratio Amâ—s The decrees of Councels are no farther binding then the reasons of them are evident to be of God And so much shall serve for the first generall branch of the power of Synods We come to the second 2. As they have power relating to erroneous doctrines so they hâ—ve power as relating to erroneous persons And this we will lay forth in these branches 1. They have power to conveâ—n them and call them before them if by their writings or otherwise their persons are known Indeed in Act. 15. we doe not reade of any summons of those false teachers nor was there any need for they may be conceived to be personally present and rebuked in the face of the Synod as subverters of souls And if they were not present to whom doth Peter speak vers 10. Now therefore why tempt ye God to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples Certainly it was not to the Apostles and Elders they were not guilty of that fact but those who sought to obtrude the observation of the Mosaick Law upon the Brethren Again who were they that made much disputing in the Synod ver 7. sure it was not the Apostles nor any others besides themselves but had they not been there I thinke there is no question among rationall men but the Apostles and Elders conveened had a power to call them and that it was their duty to come Certainly if we be bound to be ever ready to give to any that asketh us a reason of the hope which is in us much more to such an Assembly as this authorized of God for such ends as these were So that I take the first for granted they have power to call erroneous persons 2. They have power to admonish and rebuke them this is evident also from Act. 15. those disturbers were rebuked in the face of the whole Assembly There is a three-fold rebuke Fraternall Concionall Judiciall the one is done by a brother the second may be done by one single Pastour as is commanded 1 Tim. 4.2 3 4 5. Preach the Word reprove rebuke exhort with all long suffering the last is done by a consociation of Pastours and Elders If one single Pastour hath power to rebuke authoritatively an erring brother how much more a consociation a Synod of Pastours and Elders 3. They have power doctrinally to censure such persons and to condemn them Thus you see in Act. 15. They censured those for lyars troublers subverters of souls And thus may a Synod censure and condemn an erroneous person Thus did the Councel of Nice censure and condemn Arius not only his errour but the person also * Tom. 1. epiâ—t ad ubâ—â—j orthodoxos Act. 1. ult Athanasius desired and vehemently supplicated his fellow-pastours of other Churches to meet together in a Synod to vindicate and redeem the Church from errour and that they would 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by thâ—ir suffrages condemn and reject the authours of such mischiefs There are usually laid down three wayes of censuring and condemning erroneous persons 1. The first is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 politically when an erroneous person is censured by civil censures viz. to be imprisoned or to suffer in his
maintaining of an opinion c. But I passe this 2. Conscience in an errour is able to hold forth some evidence some light out of the Word though mistaken he is able to say something for his opinion conscience is not prevailed withall but by some shew of truth some appearing demonstration from the Word such a man he is able to tell you what that is which doth over-power him in the belief of such Doctrines or opinions he is not led by example nor carried away with a faction nor doth he take up this opinion because others doe nor doe interests and relations prevail with him but it is some shew of reason some evidence of Scripture that hath over-powered him If any thing below this hath wrought him into an opinion certainly the opinion hath not power over his conscience and something below this may bring him out again This is a good discriminative discovery of men if conscience be truly in an errour he can say something for it he can tell you what hath prevailed what hath over-powered his conscience No man can say this is an errour or this is a truth because I am so perswaded but because God hath so revealed To the word and to the testimonies if they speak not according to this truth it is because there is no light in them Isa 8.20 And therefore conscience in an errour can give you some grounds out of the Word it can tell you what hath prevailed with his spirit what hath commanded his soul into the belief of that which he holds for a truth 3. Conscience in an errour is willing to receive to let in and submit to further light if it can be held out to him if any can make out by the Word his opinion to be an errour he is willing to submit to it and fall down at your feet blessing God for it and humbly thanking you for the discovery of it which certainly is the genuine disposition of conscience in an errour as light brought it in the appearance of light so light shall drive it out the evidence of light And he thinks it honour enough to be conquer'd by truth as I told you he would rather be the spoyls of truth then carry away the trophies of errour So willing is he to give up himself to truth and to retract his errours which makes me sometimes wonder at Luther who you know held Consubstantiation and did violently maintain it against many learned Divines of his time yet a little before his death talking with Melancthon whom he had often opposed in it doth ingenuously confesse that in the point of the Sacrament he had gone too farre here was something the acknowledgement of the truth but yet taking counsell of men rather then of God for fear lest if he retracted those opinions the people would have suspected his other doctrines also he would not publish it but left it to others who succeeded him to root it out insensibly which hath been the ground of so many divisions D. Reyn. praelect 4. in l. Apoc. p 53. Col. 1 and so much blood between the Calvinists and Lutherans and is such a breach to this day 4. Conscience in an errour bear with my expression fears no storming There is errour in conscience and conscience in errour when errour is in conscience it hath conscience for its buckler it takes conscience for its shelter and defence it gets into conscience as its strong hold being otherwise afraid of stoâ—ming but when conscience is in errour it holds out errour for its buckler and defence which because he apprehends it to be truth for it is conscience in errour therefore he fears no storming no power or opposition what ever He apprehends it to be a truth and therefore is confident of its strength that it is able to hold out all opposition if it will not he is glad to revoke it and will conclude it an errour because it will not hold out opposition and so will no longer make lies his refuge 5. Conscience in an errour is firm in the truth If you see men to yeeld up truth and yet are stiff in their errour if you see one to wave a truâ—h which is received of â—ll and yet is pertinax in an errour peremptory in an opinion which is opposed by all you may suspect that man Try then if such men have the like firmnesse to truths of common reception and agreement as they have to those things wherein they are singular and differ from others if so certainly here is not conscience truly in an errour 6. Conscience in an errour is uniform conscience truly conscience is uniform and regular in all the acts of conscience We say that temper of body is not good which is hot uniform if it be hot in one place and cold in another nor is that temper of conscience neither see then if there be the like conscience in other things whether he be in all his actions under the power of conscience as he professeth to be in this whether he doe not make conscience of tithing mint and anise and none of the great things of the law or as the Priests who made no conscience of murthering Christ and yet they made conscience as they said of suffering his body to hang upon the crosse because it was the preparation for the Sabbath This was devilish hypocrisie Conscience is uniform and he that is truly under the power of conscience in one thing is also under the power of conscience in all things St James saith He that bridles not his tongue that mans religion is in vain 7. Conscience in an errour will not make use of any sinful unlawfull way to uphold his errour He will not make other truths a stalking horse to hold up that he will not stretch a place of Scripture to serve his ends he will not cast dirt upon another truth to give more lustre to his he will not make use of other truths of greater concernment to serve as a threshold to advance his Indeed where errour is maintained out of faction or a spirit of errour there they will make all to serve their own ends they care not to pull down the very pillars of religion nor what they ruine to raise up a structure for errour he cares not to weaken the power of such Scriptures which afford foundations of comfort to a soul if he may make them serviceable and usefull to him he will give up a place for comfort loosen the foundations of comfort and holinesse if by that he may lay the foundation or strengthen his own fabrick and errour which is a high peece of devilishnesse And I say this age is too guilty of it And now by these rules you may be able to know whether conscience be truly in an errour or whether only errour be in conscience whether it be truly conscience or only a pretence of conscience if it be truly conscience and such a conscience as I have spoken of God
second ground men are carried away with errour the first was incident to the godly this is proper to the wicked only A godly man may entertaine an errour out of weaknesse of head but not out of wickednesse of heart A godly man he entertaines an errour with honest affections and to honest ends and a wicked man entertains a truth with corrupt affections and for corrupt ends He is carried naturally to errour he is nothing else but darknesse and errour but he goes not to truth without a byasse To that which is evil he hath a naturall motion a principle within carries him but to that which is good he is mooved by weights either feares or hopes Naked evil he can close withall but truth must have a baite else he hath no heart to it Godlinesse is no gaine he thinks uâ—lesse he can make a gaine by godlinesse as he will forsake truth to preserve his estate so he will entertaine errour to gaine an estate men will make all serviceable to that which is their God Mammon is his God and therefore all is serviceable to that he will either wave truth or embrace errour upon this ground to advantage himselfe We say all other desires they are serviceable to the great desire Caeterae cupiditates ingenti cupiditati subservient what ever is a mans master-desire all the rest are servants to it as all other lusts they are serviceable to the master-lust c. Now Mammon the world is his master-desire and therefore all other vailes to it and serves it To be short he is a man who mooves not out of himselfe selfe is the spring and principle and selfe is the end of all his motions When he receives a truth he will aske what it can doe for him before he bid it welcome and so when he entertaines an errour here is the difference some truths he will not receive upon any termes and those he doth entertaine they shall bid high and offer largely before they shall be welcome but now errour shall be entertained at low rates even at any hand he will not stick with it it is his friend his flesh and bloud Corrupt men they seldome scruple errours but they scruple entertainment of truth I have heard some to scruple to goe to prayers in their family and they say Where have we a word for it its superstition and will-worship and yet they have never scurpled to drinke to bezzle Some who never scrupled to sweare oathes enough but yet scruple a religious oath The Jews scrupled not to murther Christ but scrupled to have him hang on the crosse because of the preparation to the Sabbath Mens scruples of conscience are oftentimes the punishment of their loosenesse of conscience I shall proceed no farther upon this It would be endlesse to set down the many grounds which corrupt hearts have for the entertainment of errour And because I have spoken already much to this purpose upon a former inquiry I shall therfore shut up this and come to the next question propounded which is the fourth generall laid downe Quest. 4. Who those are that are in danger to be carried away and led aside with errour Before I come to give a full answer to this we will premise three or foure things which may be serviceable to the more cleere and distinct answer 1. There is no man can plead immunity from all kinde of errours there is not a man but is in danger to be led aside with some errour or other as we say of sin â—in atham asher lo jechate there is no man which sins not so we may of errour there is no man who errs not There is no man on earth who hath an unerring priviledge an unerring spirit no not all men on earth together not Fathers Synods Counsells but are subject to errour as is confessed by all and largely proved against the Papists that is the first that no man can pleade an immunity and freedom from any kinde of errour Nemo sine crimine nemo sine errore are alike 2. That even the best men are subject to the worst of errours I say the best men on earth are subject to the worst of errours Subject I say what 's that that is they are incident to them they are liable to them that 's something as our bodies are incident to all sicknesse so our soules to all sin and errour too But that is not all to be subject to errour is not only to be incident to it but be inclinable and that 's more A man may be incident to many sicknesses which yet he is not inclinable unto inclinablenesse doth not only imply a passive capacity in the subject but a prepared disposition As in hard wax there is a passive capacity but in soft wax there is a prepared disposition to receive the impression of the seale And in saying the best of men are in themselves subject to the worst of errours I do not only meane they are incident but inclinable they have not only a passive capacity to be corrupted but they have a prepared disposition as to sin in practice so to errour in judgement yet this inclinablenesse is not alike in all it is capable of degrees not as it is by nature for so all are equally corrupted but as some have improved their corruptions more then other some are more inclinable and some to one errour more then another 3. That though none can pleade immunity from all kinde of errours nay though the best of men may be subject to the worst of errours in themselves yet are the Saints secured from such kinde of errours by the grace of Christ though they are subject to all yet they are secured from some I say by the grace of Christ I have formerly told you from that 1 Cor. 3.10 that there was foundation-truths and building-truths so there are foundation-errours and building-errours damning and defiling errours all errours are defiling but all are not damning all are dangerous but all are not destructive Though the godly are incident to defiling yet Christ hath secured them from damning errours though they may be carried away for a time with sinfull and dangerous errours yet hath Christ fenced them from destructive and undoing errours And this I conceive expressed in these two places Joh. 10.4 5. The sheepe follow him for thâ—y know his voice but a stranger they will not follow for they know not the voice of a stranger This place by all Interpreters is taken for following Christ in doctrinall truths and it must be meant of necessary or fundamentall not of accessary and building-truths It must be meant of such doctrinall points as are essentiall to salvation and the being of godlinesse not to such which are lesse necessary and are only of the welbeing of a Christian for if you looke there even the sheep of Christ have followed the voice of a stranger embraced errour instead of truth as I could instance in all ages which hath arisen
not from the wickednesse of their affections so much as from the weaknesse of their understandings not from their willingnesse to embrace errour but from their weaknesse to discerne of truth The other place is Matth. 24.24 There shall false Christs arise and false Prophets and shall shew signes and wonders that if it were possible they should deceive the very elect by which it is implied that it is not possible for the elect to be deceived they may be led away with dangerous but not with destructive errours with defiling but not damning errour So that 's the third though the best of men are subject to the worst of errours in themselves as men yet they shall be secured from such by the grace of Christ 4. That though Christ hath secured us from damning and undoing-errours yet our security lies in the use of meanes the way whereby he doth secure us is in the use of meanes viz. hearing reading prayer hence doth Christ exhort us caution us and admonish us Take heed that no man deceive you This caution doth not imply that we may be thus deceived for he tells us that it is impossible that the elect should be thus deceived but by this as a meanes Christ preserves us from deceit It is a false collection of the Papists and Arminians from such places as these to infer a possibility of being deceived as in other places Let him that stands take heed lest he fall from thence to infer that it is possible for Gods people to fall Indeed we say it is possible in respect of us but impossible in respect of the promise and grace of Christ Indeed these cautions are used as meanes to preserve us in our standing and keep us from falling but they doe not any way prove that Gods people may fall These things I doe but hint at to set you right in the understanding the meaning of these cautions lest you should make bad collections from them Cautions imply not a possibility in the thing but serve in stead of meanes to prevent it And you see it plaine here in this 24 verse Those whom Christ promiseth to be preserved and saith it is impossible that they should be deceived yet to these he gives these admonitions and cautions which are meanes of their preservation Take heed that no man deceive you Christ doth not promise preservation to our security but to our sedulity not to our neglect but to our use of meanes he that promised Hezekiah should live decreed that Hezekiah should eate He that * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist Rhet. hath ordained to the end hath determined to the meanes too and therefore Hezekiah used physick after God promised to prolong his dayes And this by the way meets with two dangerous errours that are in many both as touching perseverance and seduction 1. Perseverance Oh say they I shall never fall God hath promised to preserve me he hath said I shall not fall c. But you must know the promises of God though they be free in fieri yet are conditionall in facto esse though they are made out of meere grace yet they are performed upon some subservient duty in us especially promises of this kinde There are two sorts of promises 1. There are promises of grace 2. Promises to grace the promises of grace they are absolute and free but the promises to grace they are upon condition of our exercise and improvement of grace As in that place To him that hath shall be given this is not a promise of grace but a promise to grace wherein God ingages himselfe to them who improve either gifts or graces to them of grace shall be given more And the Apostle hath the same adde unto your faith vertue to your vertue patience c. 2 Pet. 2.5 6. for if these things be in you and abound ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitfull in the knowledge of Christ there 's a promise to improvement and that is the first though God promised perseverance in grace yet hath he promised this to the use of means for our preservation or rather he that hath decreed the one hath determined the other as the means whereby we should be preserved There is a second errour into which we are apt to run as touching seduction men reade this that God will lead his people into all truth that they shall not follow the voice of a stranger that it is impossible for his elect to be deceived and thereupon some may grow secure too wanton and adventure too far even runne into dangers of seduction out of a vanity to try all things and rash confidence that God will preserve them from being deceived But you had best take heed of going out of Gods way in confidence to be preserved we ought to try all things but we had need to beware we do not put our selves to trials above our strength of grace received in hope that God will not suffer us to be deceived Some trials may be temptations we pray lead us not into temptation and therefore are not to carry out selves into them It is good for a man to know his own strength I mean the strength of grace received lest you put your selves upon too hard a temptation God hath promised not to suffer us to be tempted above our measure And when God brings us into a temptation he will not suffer us to be tempted above our measure but when we bring our selves into it God may suffer us to fall If a man were unavoidably brought into an Idolatrous Temple or to Masse he might trust in God for strength and grace to preserve him and might look up to God for preservation but when a man shall put himselfe upon such a temptation either out of vanity curiosity or desire to see novelty though it were not unlawfull to afford presence in an Idolatrous worship which yet it is yet doth a man put himselfe upon a greater temptation then he can in Gods way with confidence expect preservation from or deliverance out The same may I say of other things though we are commanded to try all things yet we must take heed of wading above our depth of putting our selves to the scrutiny of those things which are above our reach lest we make this triall a temptation to us Good affections are often carried away with specious words which lead their affections but do not perswade the understanding As a man may be too prophane in his neglect so he may be too curious in his triall This is our comfort truths necessary are truths evident and for opinions I would neither be a Gallio who rejected all cared for nothing nor a Sceptick to examine all some are to be sifted into for edification but others are to be rejected as temptations I speak this the rather because some think they are bound in conscience to hear and reade all c. which yet is burthensome dangerous nay impossible mans life is too short to
this time with Commission to preach and instruct men in waies of worship to reveal to men the truth and prepare mens hearts that so when things come to be setled we might not if possible have any to yeeld to things with implicit faith and blinde obedience It was the practice of good Hezekiah when he restored the worship of God 2 Chron. 29. beg he sent out Posts like to Evangelists to prepare the people and to humble them for their revoltings and to reduce them to the worship of God And if this be not done 2 Chro 29. beg compared with the 2 Chro. 30.6 7. we may fear either great opposition in men or else blinde submission and implicit obedience 2. Or the multitude adheres to doctrines out of corrupt ends As the Ivy adheres to the tree not because it loves the tree but because the tree feeds it with berries and leaves it adheres to it for its own advantage because out of it it may suck berries So doe most men adhere to Religion and doctrine Or as the winde follows the abundance of exhalations So they go where there is the most advantage to be got indeed innumerable are the corrupt ends that corrupt minded men propound to themselves in the entertaining doctrine some out of fear others out of faction a third for repute the most for profit and advantage all speak this language Who will shew us any good It was the great Argument of the Craftsmen of Diana why they adhered to that Idolatry By this craft we have all our gain And it is a great motive to a carnall heart he that hath no principle of motion and life within he either stands still or is moved with the crowd or if he have any motion of his own something without him is the spring of it The multitude is a great body and a dull body and indeed hath no motions of it 's own it is carried about meerly with weights and the great weights are outward things which taken off there is no motion at all they are like the dead sea and cannot stirre So that you see if we goe about to take up our judgement of truth or errour from the multitude of them who adhere to it how dangerous it is to be mistaken 3. If by multitude be meant the greater number of holy and learned men in the Church of God I say then this is a probable signe though no infallible evidence that the opinion held forth is a truth 1. I say it is a probable signe I have told you God doth never desert his people in necessary essentiall truths He hath promised they shall be taught of God and they have an unction of the holy One whereby they know all things that is all things necessary to salvation And for accessory and circumstantiall truths It is a probable signe that the things which upon impartiall search and debate they hold forth are truths though it be not sufficient for us to conclude them so because they have determined so but we are to examine and search whether they be so or no. I say it is a probable signe but we are not to submit to it as their judgement but are to see the judgement of God in them Cons Park l. 2 c. 11. de authoritate PatruÌ„ not to conclude our selves upon the authority of men unlesse we see the authority of God in them 2. Though it be a probable signe yet it is not an infallible evidence We all know that godly and learned men have yet much darknesse in their understanding they doe but know in part none can plead an unerring spirit none are infallible I have shewed you that Synods and Councels may erre What David confessed he spake in haste we may speak upon best deliberation so farre as men All men are liars As the learnedst men have darknesse in their understanding so they have corruption in their hearts there is self and pride and corrupt aims and ends which may creep into the hearts of the best And how farre God may suffer men to be byassed by these things it is not for man to determine how farre corrupt aims and ends may winde themselves into the heart and bribe a mans understanding or blinde his sight it is not for man to judge they who are most acquainted with their hearts doe finde cause enough to be jealous and suspect them yea and upon known experience And therefore though the multitude of godly and learned men concurring in an opinion to be a truth though it may be a probablâ— signe yet can be no infallible evidence that what they hold forth is a truth I say it is no concluding evidence There may be cases wherein one man may be in the truth and yet many godly and learned men may be in an errour * Vnâ—â— Puphnutius toâ—um Concilium Nicaâ—â—um direxit Niceph. l. 8 c. 19. Eliâ—s nuâ—s erat sed totus mundus non erat dignus qui rependeretur ipsi Chr. One Paphnutius was in the truth when the whole Councel of Nice were in an errour they were learned men and it appears they were godly by their humble submitting of themselves to better reason though but one man brought it they were not so partiall as to adhere to their own votes nor were they so proud as not to recede from their opinions and be concquered by truth nor did they stand upon their number when they saw truth against them One naked truth should conquer them and make them throw down their weapons and one man having truth with him should be too big for that great Assembly they did not plead their number their votes and the multitude which adhered to them but as men that came to search out truth not victory they yeelded up themselves to the power and conquest of it A mighty argument of their humility and sincerity Indeed we are not to measure truth by the number of votes but by the authorities of Scripture a Nos numero sen â—enitam noÌ„ metimur Verâ—tas numero non astimatur vel unuâ— qui veritatem habet sufficienter munitur adversus totum mundum Mat. D. White de eccl l. 30 p. 127. Whit. cont 2. q. 5. c. 5. We doe not judge of truth by the number of men though a man be alone yet if he have the truth with him he is sufficiently armed against the whole world One Micheas having the truth with him was too hard for the 400. Prophets who were in an errour 1 King 22.15 Indeed it is not impossible that one man should be in the truth and many in an errour nor is it absurd to prefer the judgment of one man in the truth before many in an errour It was well spoken of Augustine a Si justus es noli numerare sed appende stateram afferaequaÌ„ non dolesaÌ„ Aug. in Ps 39. If thou would passe right judgment of an opinioÌ„ do not number but weigh weigh not in the false