England as unchristian and persecuting was constrained to mention as I have done 3. And in thus doing I imitate a good President St. Paul who names in his writings especially to the Corinthians his own sufferings and from them also For my self I was glad I had such a living to lose for so good a cause and an heart so willing to part with it I in so doing finding the truth of a saying Ministers portion p. 208. in Dr. Sclater Affliction is the best tutor to devotion And such experiences of Gods mercies to me and mine that I was as all who knew me can testifie patient content and cheerful And since my return which is eighty ears I have not shewed the least dislike to those who outed me and therefore now being scarce able to go and shortly to end my pilgrimage I hope I shall cherish no such hellish vermin as malice and desire of revenge in my heart but endeavour to live with such love and peace which are the furtherers to that future love peace and joy which are for ever Should any question why I make so much use of Mr. Ball and some old Non-Conformists of Mr. Bayly and other later Presbyterians most men without my telling may conjecture rightly â—ecause such mens sayings will sooner prevail with those I deal withal than of the Fathers and other Divines As also because men may see the vast difference betwixt them and those whose so lowers they pretend to â—e when in truth they are followers of Mr. Barrow Greenwood â—â—d such of the separation who had Mr. Ball Mr. Brinsly c. old Non-Conformists Mr. Edwards Mr. Bayly c. late Presbyterians their great opposers JAM 1. 16. Do not err my Beloved Brethren THE three last Lords dayes I preached unto you of conscience I shewed you what it is the kinds of it how it is God's Officer what its duty is and what its rule That we are not to take all for conscience which pretends to be so And since conscience is in every one and it will live with us for ever that we should be careful to have our consciences such that we and they may have peace and comfort and that for this end we should endeavour to have our consciences enlightned faithful lively and not blind slothful dead or erroneous therefore I purpose to shew you what it is to err the danger of error and in the words of St. James disswade you from it Do not err c. The Apostle having disswaded from thinking God to be the Author of sin an horrid blasphemy he perswades them Psal 119. 176. Isa 63. 17. not to err or wander a Metaphor taken from sheep going astray Errors are of two sorts 1. In practise going from the Word the Rule of righteousness erring from God's wayes 2. In judgment going off from the Word as the standard and measure of truth which we commonly call error To make way to what I intend I will lay down some few Propositions I. Proposition The first That error is common to man ever since the fall of man It is evident how Adam and Eve erred and how their posterity smart for it is manifest yea how their posterity were polluted with error we see in Cain and in the old world for which the Lord sent the Deluge After which errors so abounded that Languages were confounded Sodom and Gomorrha turned into ashes After the Lord chose Abrahâ—m and his seed to be his peculiar people they soon erred in Egypt in the Wilderness and in Canaan worshipping Calves and Baal yea sacrificing their children to Devils When our Saviour Christ was upon earth how oft doth he check for erring not knowing the Scriptures How oft doth he confute the errors of the Scribes Pharisees and Saduces What warnings and caveats doth he give to us Mat. 7. 15. Mat. 24. 24. Act. 8. 9 13 18. 2 Tim. 2. i7 Rev. 2. 14 15 20. 2 Cor. 11. 13. Gal. 3. 1. Phil. 3. 1. Rom. 16. 17. Eph 4. 14. 1 Tim. 4. 2 2 Tim. 3. 1 2. 2 Tim. 4. 3 to beware of false Prophets in sheeps cloathing and acquaint us with the danger of such After our Saviours ascending into heaven errors did abound notwithstanding the pains and piety of the Apostles Simon Magus bewitched the people Elymas also with Hymineus and Philetus Some in the Asian Churches held the doctrine of Balaam some of the Nicolaitans and some the filthy follies of Jezabel The Corinthians were drawn from the doctrine of the truth by false Apostles The Galâ—tians bewitched from the truth The Philippians in great danger The Romans staggered with such who caused divisions and the Ephesians subject to be carried about with every wind of doctrine The Apostle also foretels of swarms of errors which should be and how men will not endure sound doctrine but after their lusts heap to themselves teachers having itching ears turning their ears from the truth and be turned to fables Since which all ages shew how this was fulfilled for in the first hundred years after Christ many gross errors abounded as the Symoniani of Simon Magus the Hyminei of Hymineus and Philetus The Nazareni so called of the City Nazareth See opus Epiphanii de Haresib Augustin de Haeresib Tom. 8. The Menandriani of Menander Scholar to Magus The Ebionites of Ebion whom St. John confuted The Nicolaitans of Nicholas one of the seven Deacons The Cerinthii of Cerinthus whom St. John called the first-born of Satan The Saturniani of Saturnus The Basilidians of Basilides c. In the second century after Christ there sprung up above thirty several sorts of which number were the Maritae of Marus who called themselves perfect yea more perfect than Peter and Paul They denied Christ's taking humane nature and the resurrection of the flesh About this time also arose the Gnosticks so called because of their excellent knowledge in their own opinions although but vain By others they were called Barbaritae because of their wickedness and filthiness They fancied two souls in each good man one holy of the substance of God the other adventitious which is in man as in other creatures They taught the being of two Gods the one good the other evil That Martyrdom was not to be undertaken for Christ They worshipped the Images of Christ and had images in as great esteem as Pagans their Gods In the third Century there arose about twenty sorts of Heresies of which I will name two The Catharists so called from their sanctity in their own opinion they gloried of merits of their good works they denied repentance to such who fell through infirmity and condemned second marriages as unlawful The Donatists also of Donatus who affirmed the Church of God on earth to be without spot None to be compelled to live well Hereticks not to be repressed by Magistrates That the worthiness of the Sacrament is from the holiness of him who gives it That persons baptized by the Orthodox are to be rebaptized
prophane Schisms of the Brownists and by Mr. Paget from the testimony of the Dutch Church and of the Magistrates of Amsterdam instancing in Studley Whitaker Holder and others yea in Mr. Brown himself who being reproved for beating his Wife said He did not beat his Wife but a curst old Woman Moreover since errors will have the worst at last they cannot hold out truth will prevail and since such who maintain errors shall not find favour with God Jobs friends Job 42. 7. held an error unknown and for zeal to God yet God was angry with them and is with such Mat. 5. 19. Lastly Considering that many errors are damnable mortal Jam. 5. 19 20. deadly a freeing from them being a freeing from death our care should be not to dally with them there being death in them as the way of truth is the way of life so also to draw others from them and so procure their conversion and Act. 4. 12. Joh. 17. 3. pardon for none can be saved without Christ Such who are saved by Christ must know him and believe in him and we must believe in him according to the tenour of Scripture the rule of faith and not err from it Object If we do err ours are but small errors Answ Differences about lesser points of Doctrine of Scripture held up for by ends against conscience may be damnable for then a lesser opinion is in the same rank with a known sin and so an error may be damnable by circumstance a man Joh. 3. 19. walking against light be the error but small the danger is great if a walking against light And gross negligence or not taking pains to know better is equivalent to standing out against the light it arguing a secret fear and suspition of the truth And such men who live and die in less errors about Joh. 3. 20. 2 Pet. 3. 5. 1 Cor. 3. 13. faith and worship being willingly ignorant if they be saved they may expect to be saved with much difficulty by fire as loss of much comfort of much peace being scorched in spirit and kept in dark and doubtful wayes These things thus premised I will shew you what an ererror is what it is to err Error strictly and properly taken is that which men hold or do out of ignorance of the truth It is in practise when we are ignorant of what is better to be done it is in opinion when we are ignorant of what is better for us to believe or hold Error then is an opinion Mat. 22. 29. or action swerving from the Rule of Gods Word when that which is false is believed to be true contrary to the mind of him from whom we say we have received it as if a man should believe idols to be Gods because Scripture calls them so It is an error when a thing which is false is believed to be true because he from whom we received it thinks it is true Should a man think the soul was made of moats because Lucretius thought so and we read it in him It is an error When out of another mans writings some true thing is believed which he who wrote it did not believe as to think an Epicure did place good in continency because he praised it It is an error Error is a wandring or straying Act. 10. 45 from th◠right way it is hardly cured being very prevalent 2 Thes 2. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A scopo aberrare to swerve from the mark Gal. 5. 20. and it is the way to Heresie although it is not Heresie Heresie being an error and more Heresie must be in some fundamental point or truth it takes men off from Christ or from the foundation of saving knowledge It is accompanied with pertinacy and obstinacy after cleer light offered it is possible to have an error about some fundamental point yet be no Heretick Heresie makes men take pleasure and delight in it therefore it is called a work of the Tit. 3. 10. flesh and such are often wounded by themselves although they will not be convinced by others Heresie being an error in judgment a pertinacy in will and a taking delight in it in our affections so an error and more we are the more careful to take heed of it since such like tares are sown amongst Gods wheat yea while the Apostles lived and the causes of it still remains namely ignorance of God pride of heart self-conceitedness want of love to Christ and his truth Satans malice ambition covetousness flattery and Gods permitting such still for trial of his as gold by fire for the cleerer confirming of the truth and for the punishment of the contempt of his truth and careless entertainment of 2 Thes 2. 11. his word It is no wonder then if after a faithful Pastor there comes a Wolf Quest If any doth ask why God permits deceivers to draw men into errors and men to be drawn into them Answ 1. Scripture shews it is for the tryal of his to shew the corruption or sincerity which is in men Deut 13. i 2 3. 1 Cor. 11. 19. Jude 3. 2. To make his to contend for the faith Some are busie to spread errors that others may be busie to withstand them to avoid them A Cut-purse is like another man yet when men are assured such are in the crowd every one will look to his purse So when errors are abroad every one should take more heed to himself 3. God often punisheth one sin by another Men continuing in sins of practise God suffers them often to fall into sinful Ezek. 14. 7. 2 Thes 2. 11. opinions false doctrines are fit plagues for false hearts They who love not the truth are punished with belief of errors and such are sore punishments which are made of sins That we may therefore avoid error (1) Psal 25. 9. Be we humble (2) John 7. 17. Be diligent in obeying the Word (3) Psal 119. 113. Tit. 3. 10. Grow up in love to the affecting of the truth Take heed of Heretical Books and of company with such persons they being infectious take heed of covetousness and ambition which have made many Hereticks and reject those who are such Object You said from Timothy that they are mildly lovingly and tenderly to be dealt withal How then reject Answ They are so whilst there is hopes they may be gained and won for in so doing we imitate God who admonisheth Gal. 6. 1. before he smites He commands also to restore with meekness and by so doing we shew our great love to the offendor and imitate St. Paul who used not the rod so long as meekness would prevail Such places therefore as Rom. 16. 17. 2. Joh. 10. are to be understood after admonitions and good means used for their reclaiming which proving vain they are to be rejected In regard of themselves (1) 1 Thes 5. 5. To work sorrow for their sin (2) 2 Thes 3.
unjustly hurt and vex the godly without cause and good men through love by discipline do justly correct others for their miscarriages The discipline of the Church being as Cyprian saith the preserver of hope the guide to salvation the retainer of faith and cherisher of godliness The correcting voice of discipline oft doth and may do good to such who will not be moved with the sweet voice of intreating St. Augustine saith He who binds a frantick man and awakes him who is in a Lethargy is troublesom to both yet he loveth and helpeth both So to bind men with the cords of justice that they may not wrong themselves and others is a great good it being also far better to weaken some by justice than suffer them to go on to weaken others by faction Object But if I will complain for neglecting Communions and Chatechising why not of swearers and drunkards Answ 1. I hear no oaths I see no drunkards I see absenters from God's Ordinances and I preach against the one and the other 2. Most speak against swearing and drunkenness as gross sins the other go under the notion of goodness 3. Swearers and drunkards deny not our Church to be a true Church they deny not the Ordinances and they might be better wrought upon and reformed was it not for our divisions The other do little less than seek the overthrow of the Church 4. I hope I am a friend to no vice and such an enemy to all that if any will bring me as good evidence and will stand to it that such and such are incorrigible swearers and drunkards as I have that such and such come not to Communions if I then endeavour not their amendment by Church-censures if I cannot by perswasions let me be blamed I intend not to create any just offence or real hurt to any mans person for truly I know not the man living or creature breathing to whom I do not heartily wish grace mercy and peace My desire is to endeavour in this place to stop the current of opinionists blown by the spirit of error over many parts of this Land to the dishonour of God and endangering of many a mans salvation and staggering well-meaning people and drawing them to disobedience Schism and Faction And whilst I am so doing when I have done I hope to make it appear that as I never yet did shew the least malice nor discontent to them who formerly sought to ruine me and mine so that now I bear not any ill will either to the party or any other but that I do what I do in love and that if they make tryal they may truly say of me as it became a Proverb concerning Arch-bishop Cranmer Do my Lord of Canterbury a shrewd turn and then you may be sure to have him your friend for your labour whilst you live Thus you and I being men are subject to err and it being dangerous to live in error according to my Office and duty I have declared wherein you err that I may not be guilty of the same by my silence If you can bring me convincing grounds that I thus differing from you in judgment and in thus discharging my duty do err you shall soon perceive and see that I will not be obstinate in error And if what I have said contain convincing arguments to make it clear that you do err then I desire the same of you that you may not obstinately persist in error that so both I and you may follow this blessed counsel of the holy Ghost by the Apostle Saint James speaking to you and me in these words Do not err my beloved brethren Preached October 6 13 20. Certain sayings of Mr. Baxter in his Infant-Church-membership THe main scope of their endeavours in publick and private is to propagate their opinions and if they preach any wholsom doctrine it is usually subservient to their great design that the truth may be as suger to sweeten their errors Pag. 144. that they may be easier swallowed They perswade the people that Ministers are seducers lyars c. judge therefore 16. what good may people expect from Ministers How hath it grieved my spirit to see and hear men professing to be more godly than others to make it the business of their lives to disgrace the Ministers of the Gospel When poor people hear those despise the Ministry that 16. once were constant hearers Sure these men having tryed see some evil in that way c. O how it stumbleth and drives off the poor ignorant people 145. from Religion when they see those that have seemed Religious prove such And when they see us at such difference one with another and when they see so many Sects and Parties that they know not which to turn to They think that all strictness doth tend to this and so that the godly are but a company of giddy proud unsettled singular persons that know not where to step till they are besides themselves O! how are the Papists hardened by this I have spoken with some of them that once began to be moderate who now upon the observation of these Sects are generally confirmed in their way and say Now you may see what it is to depart from the bosom of the Church to make the Scriptures common c. The Episcopal Party are more confirmed in their way by it and say You have mended the matter well c. yea those who were offended at the Prelates cruelty do now think they did well and that which was needful for the quenching of this fire whilst it When to whom was a spark And many who began to stagger at the Kings late Wars are now many thousands of them perswaded of the lawfulness of it from the miscarriages of these men And if report too probable do not lye thousands and And other grounds millions of Papists in all Countreys of Europe where they dwell are confirmed and hardened in their Religion by the odious reports that go of the miscarriages of these men in England These say they are your Reformers And this is your Reformation How many thousand Professors of Religion are quite ruined in their souls and turned into Monsters rather than Saints How many sad distracted divided Congregations What dividing and subdividing and subdividing 149. again and running from Church to Church and from opinion to opinion till some are at such a loss that they affirm Christ hath no Church c. How many distracted Families in England that were wont to worship God in unity and joyfulness One will pray and the other will not pray with him because he is unbaptized 16. and a third saith Family-duties are not commanded in Scripture One will sing praise to God another scorneth it as if it were singing of a Jig and a third will sing Psalms from the dictate of the Spirit only One will be of one Church and another of another Envying and strife hath taken place while