to have 5. And Lastly Self-Love makes Men unwilling to be taken notice of or known by others to be in an Errour they think it will reflect on them and redound to their Shame and how unwilling are Men through this same Self-Love to bear the shame of having taken up and entertained Errour instead of Truth tho to recede from Errour would more redound to their Honour than the embracement of it redounds to their Dishonour To err is Humane willingly to persist in Errour is Diabolical to acknowledg and relinquish Errour upon due Conviction is truly Christian and how much better is it for and how much greater an Honour to a Man by a free owning and relinquishing of an Errour to approve himself a true Christian than by a wilful persisting therein for the concealing his Frailties and Infirmities as a Man to gain the repute of Devillish But to put a Close to this and having declared the marvellous proneness of Man as in this fallen and corrupted Estate unto Errour and his usual tenaciousness of it when embraced with the Causes of the one and the other I shall now according to assistance given make some Improvement of what hath been said There is it is true another Doctrine obvious in our Text but that I shall take in in the Application Several Uses might be made to point at some few of them 1. Hence we may infer That there is no just Reason why any should stumble or be offended at the Christian Doctrine or at Religion on the account of the variety of Errours and Heresies found among the Professours of it those Errours and Heresies proceed not from the Doctrine it self Truth is uniform and consonant to it self not is there any reason why any should impute the abounding of Errours and Heresies among Christians to the Scriptures themselves as tho either they were defective in the Revelations of Truth or did by their Darkness render the Knowledg of it unattainable by any There is a full Revelation of Truth made in them and the Knowledg of Truth as contained in them is plain to him that understandeth Neither do those Errours and Heresies proceed from any influence the Doctrine of Christianity hath upon the Minds of Men but they proceed from the Pravity of Man's Nature from Satan and the just Wrath and Displeasure of God against Men. Now there are too many that take up a Profession of Religion that are wholly Flesh in an unregenerate Estate and alas there is too much Flesh too much of that Corruption and Pravity of Nature contracted by the Fall yet remaining in those that are Regenerate and as for those that are wholly Unregenerate they are subject to Satan he worketh effectually in them and as for those that are Regenerate Satan has yet too much Power over them and too many advantages against them and besides God is often provoked by Men to send them strong Delusions The abounding of Errours and Heresies in these Lands wherein we dwell is none of the least Evidences of the Wrath and Displeasure of God against them and Professours in them and from all it is no wonder that Errours and Heresies do so much abound It is to be ascribed to the Grace and Goodness of God that they abound no more Let but Errours and Heresies be resolved into and assigned unto their true and proper Causes and they will be sound to be no just ground of stumbling unto any at the Doctrine of Christ or at Religion professed by Christians 2. Hence we may learn how unmeet and unfit Man as in himself is to be entrusted with Truth in the holding of it forth unto others and yet that is a Trust God has reposed in his Church and consequently in every Member thereof according to their disserent Stations and Capacity therein Hence the Church is said to be the Pillar and Ground of Truth 1 Tim. 3.16 and hereby God doth greatly magnify his Church and People but Men no not the best of Men are to be trusted as absolutely considered in themselves and therefore God hath constituted Jesus Christ the Head Shepherd and Bishop of his Church hath entrusted Truth firstly in his Hand and it highly concerns all Christians to walk humbly with and in a continual holy dependance on him to be by him led into and preserved in all Truth that so they may hold it forth unto others otherwise they will fail in the discharge of their Trust they will take up and hold fast Errour instead of Truth 3. Hence we may infer the necessity that Man as in this fallen and depraved Estate lyeth under some extrinsecal Means whereby he may come to the knowledg of be guided into and preserved in the Truth It must be by some Revelation either mediately or immediately from God that Men must come to the knowledg of Truth Man if left to himself not only his natural Inclination unto Errour but the weakness and shallowness of his own Understanding will necessarily subject him to variety of Mistakes and Errours and that in and about those Things the knowledg of which is indispensably necessary to Happiness and Blessedness Man 's own Understanding is no safe Guide for him to follow in the concerns of his Soul and Eternity it will certainly mislead him therefore is that Caution given us by the wisest of Men and he guided by the Spirit of the All-wise God Lean not to thine own Vnderstanding Prov. 3.5 Those that are led by the meer Light of their own Understandings as those who pretend to a Light within in opposition to the Light of the Scriptures or that which is instrumentally communicated by them at best are will infallibly be led into the Pit even the Pit of everlasting Destruction It is only the Light and Truth that is the true Light of God that Light contained in and communicated by the Scriptures that can infallibly lead any of the Sons and Daughters of fallen Adam into his holy Hill scil Heaven Psal 43.4 4. Hence we may infer the Goodness of God to fallen Man in particular to our selves And as the Goodness of God is variously expressed so eminently in the Provision he hath made for our Guidance into and Establishment in the Truth and Preservation from Error What Provision God hath made with the Fulness and Sufficiency thereof shall be taken notice of in the close of this Discourse At present I shall only say that that marvelous proneness unto Errors that is connatural unto all Saints themselves so far as unrenewed not excepted with the strange Influence that it hath on the minds of Men when once imbraced should greatly raise our Esteem of that Provision made fill our Hearts with admiration at the Goodness of God expressed therein and be matter of continual Praise and Thanksgivings unto him Praise ye the Lord Oh Jerusalem praise thy God Oh Zion saith the Psalmist Ps 147.12 and the principal benefit he instances in as calling for Praise is this He sheweth
while it is only suggested to the Mind or looked upon as anothers Opinion or Practice the Mind may and ordinarily will with more freedom weigh and examine it but when it is actually closed in with that a Man hath espoused it as his own Opinion or as his own Judgment Self-love will greatly hinder from an impartial and through weighing of and searching into it And besides it is vastly more easie to reject an Error before it is actually imbraced than it is to relinquish it afterwards Error once taken hold of is not easily let go again Error ordinarily is held fast and therefore let us be excited to the greater Wariness and Watchfulness against Error When we see how strangely tenacious Men are of Error let that be the Use we make of it think with our selves how careful should we be that we do not take up any Error instead of Truth Oh! how much Prejudice do some good Men receive by the Mistakes and Errors they have unwarily taken up and imbraced and yet how tenacious are they of them let them be warnings unto us It highly concerns us to be very deliberate before we close in with any Doctrine or Practice especially that differs from those Doctrines and Practices that have been generally received and walked in by true Saints and that throughout all Ages Men's especially good Men's over-hasty taking up and imbracing Doctrines and Practices that are proposed to and pressed upon them under the Notion of Truth without a due use of the necessary means to find out whether they are so or no has been one of the great Causes of the abounding of Errors among Professors Men having once imbraced an Error they too commonly are exceeding tenacious of it and besides Conscience enforceth them not only to be tenacious of it themselves but to promote it among others and hence it is that Errors so much abound as they do and therefore I say let us be wary of imbracing Error instead of Truth And to inforce this together with the foregoing use I would offer two things to Consideration 1. The Evil and Sinfulness of Error and consequently the Provocation it is unto God Few Christians apprehend there is such an Evil in Error as there is and that it is so provoking unto God as indeed it is at least that Error as such and consequently every Error is so evil and displeasing unto God And therefore that we may be more sensible of the Evil and Sinfulness of Error let these four things be considered 1. That Error blots and defaces the Image of God in Man the Image of God in Man is Man's Conformity to and Resemblance of God which respects his Understanding as well as his Will and Affections Hence the Image of God in Man is said to consist in Knowledg as well as in Righteousness and true Holiness Col. 3.10 Eph. 4.24 compared together We are renewed saith Davenant according to the Image of God Cum illustrantur sanctificantur omnes Potentiae Inclinationes Animae nostrae All Error supposes a Defect in Knowledg or is an Effect of Ignorance Ye err not knowing the Scriptures saith our Lord Christ Hence through Error Men come short of the Glory of God as well as through any defect in their Sanctification and all Defects or Blots in the Image of God in his People are sinful and displeasing to him 2. Errordefiles the Nature of Men as well as any moral Evil Error it 's true being in the Understanding it primarily defiles the Understanding but as it proceeds from affected or voluntary Ignorance it defiles the Conscience yea it diffuses a Defilement throughout the whole Soul Hence the Apostle having a peculiar respect to erronious Persons tells us They have their Minds and Consciences defiled Tit. 1.15 3. That as Error it self is a Sin and is usually if not always an occasion of some other Sin either of Omission or Commission so both Error it self and those Sins occasioned by it are lived impenitently in Men humble not themselves for such Sins Now Sin tho it be a Sin of Ignorance especially when that Ignorance is voluntary being lived impenitently in may be greater and more provoking unto God then other Sins are that are of a more heinous Nature in themselves that men through the violence of a Temptation or the strong workings of a particular Lust are over-taken with but are not persisted in 4. Errors break that Unity that ought to be and God delights to see among his People God would have his People to be of one Mind and one Judgment Now Error breaks this Unity whence variety of Evils usually issue And let it be observed that though the difference in Mind and Judgment among Christians will not excuse any in whom those Evils occasioned by or arising from them are found yet they will be eminently charged upon those on whose part the Errors lye But Secondly The other thing I would offer to Consideration is this That by how much the greater the Provision God has made is and the more full the Means he has vouchsafed for our coming to the Knowledg and preservation in Truth are by so much the more sinful and provoking are Errors Now consider what Provision God hath made for and what Means he vouchsafes to us in these Lands 1. He has given us his Word and that in our own Language we may daily read in and converse with it 2. He hath constituted a Ministry raises up Men and furnisheth them with Gifts sutable for that Office and that with reference to our Guidance into and Establishment in the Truth Eph. 4.11 12 13 14. 3. God hath given his Spirit to abide with his Church here upon Earth Joh. 14.16 Hence by Prayer we may obtain his Teachings and that is one of the great ends with reference unto which he is given to and left with the Church Joh. 16.13 Yea God gives his Spirit to dwell in every individual Believer and that with reference to the same end But ye saith the Apostle John speaking unto Saints have an Vnction from the holy One and ye know all things that is all Truth necessary to be known 1 Joh. 2.20 The Apostle speaks of them as tho actually knowing all things The Scripture sometimes speaks of that as true de facto which on many accounts either ought to be or may be so as if he should say such an advantage you have by that Vnction you received from the holy One to know all things that it may well be supposed of and expected from you that you do indeed know all things There can hardly be any Error imbraced by a Believer but it must be through his own Default 4. God works providentially with reference unto our Guidance into and Establishment in the Truth The Providences of God as they are designed for so if wisely observed and well improved would highly conduce to our Guidance into and Establishment in the Truth I will guide thee with mine Eyes
Transgressions your Rebellions and more gross Evils but he will not forgive your Sins your Errors or Mistakes and Miscarriages arising from them tho of an inferiour Nature I say had but Christians these Words always sounding in their Ears with a due sense of their Importance upon their Hearts as Jerome had his Surge veni in Judicium which added to the former would make them more efficacious they would be more wary of imbracing any Error and more ready to relinquish it when detected than too commonly they are Christians do not study and labour to acquaint themselves with the infinite Holiness and Jealousy of God get and keep a due sense thereof upon their Hearts as they ought to doe To study and weigh Doctrines and Practices whether only proposed or actually embraced with a right Apprehension of the infinite Holiness and Jealousy of God in the Mind and a due sense of the one and the other upon the Heart would prevent the Embracement of many Errors when proposed and produce the Relinquishment of others when actually taken up and embraced And here let me warn all to take heed of judging of the Holiness and Jealousy of God respective to his own People in especiall respective to themselves by sense 'T is not safe judging of any of the Attributes and Perfections of God by sense which yet Christians are too apt to do and hence not sensibly feeling or discerning of any of the Effects of them in and upon or with reference to themselves they either entertain Mistakes about or else have not a due Sense of what they have the right Notion of upon their Hearts Our Hearts are too commonly affected with what we know of God according as it is verified in sutable Effects upon or with reference to our selves when as God may and often doth manifest and verify his Attributes in Effects that are very secret and hidden at least that fall not in nor correspond with our Expectations or Suppositions and when they are so they are sometimes of most dreadful Consequence unto Men. Thus God may exert and verify his holy Jealousy in suffering Men to fall into and tenaciously hold an Error the Embracement and holding of which is of very dangerous Consequence to them when yet they perceive it not and therefore let us judg of the Holiness and Jealousy of God not by Sense but by Faith according to the Revelations he hath made thereof in his Word and answerably search the Scriptures weigh all Doctrines and Practices whether only proposed or actually embraced with a due Sence holy Awe and Dread of the Holiness and Jealousy of God upon our Hearts 2. The low Enjoyment that Christians generally have of the Communion of the Spirit 'T is one of the glorious Priviledges that our Lord Christ hath purchased and still intercedes for on the behalf of his People and 't is prayed for by the Apostle primarily on the behalf of the Corinthians and secundarily of all Saints 2 Cor. 13.14 yet it is not attained unto and enjoyed but in a lower degree by most of those in whose Hearts he habitually dwells whereby the Life of Grace is maintained in them Christians through their Carnality and Sensuality want of acting their Faith on Jesus Christ for the Spirit and holy Dependance on him for this Communion or through one Miscarriage or another greatly deprive themselves of this Priviledg And pardon me tho I say not to exempt any it is well if those who unadvisedly decry the Jewish Church as a Carnal Church are not themselves found not much exceeding them in Spirituality at least so many of them in most Ages as might justly give to the whole the Denomination of a Spiritual Church Alas we are all too carnal This is certain the more Spiritual any are the more of this Communion of the Spirit they have and the more of this Communion they have the greater is their Security from Error and answerably ordinarily the more free they are from it One of the great Ends of our Lord Christ in purchasing and leaving the Spirit with his Church was its Guidance into and Establishment in all Truth Had we but the Communion of the Spirit in that Fulness attainable even in this Life no sooner should we turn to the Right hand or to the Left but we should as the Prophet speaks hear a Word and that made effectual behind us saying This is the Way walk in it He would not only effectually restrain those corrupt Principles within inclining us to Error and causing our tenacious holding thereof and actuate that Principle of Love to Truth and Self-Denial wrought in Regeneration but would enlighten our Minds in and subdue our Heats unto an Embracement of Truth and consequently to a ready Relinquishment of Error how contrary unto self soever the one and the other may be 3. Christians ignorance of and unacquaintedness with themselves in especial as to their Proclivity unto Error and excess of Self-Love with the various Influences it hath upon their Minds may be assigned as another Cause concurring to the Evils before mentioned Error ex eo est homini quod sibi est incognitus They see not nor are sensible of these Evils in themselves and hence neither apply themselves to that vigorous Mortification of them nor so diligently watch against their Production of the evil Effects under consideration as they ought to do And this may be added that many if not most Christians seem less apprehensive of their danger in respect of these Evils than of most others that original Concupiscence manifests it self in The former of them is not so usually taken notice of and insisted upon by those who have laboured in the Discovery of the dreadful Corruption and Depravation of human Nature through the Fall of Man as most other Evils flowing therefrom are Hence Christians generally are not so apprehensive of the Infection of their Natures with this Evil nor of the Evil and Sinfulness of it as they are of others neither do the inward workings of these Evils make such sensible Impressions upon the Mind as the Workings of many others do yea as the former carries an Appearance of the Fruit of the Spirit whence many take a strong Inclination after new Notions and strange Doctrines to be the Efforts of Love unto Truth so the latter shrouds it self under the Notion of an inseparable Adjunct or essential Property of humane Nature Did but Christians know and consider their own Propensity unto Error and were more apprehensive of the Influence Self-Love may have upon them they would be more cautious of what Doctrines they embrace and more jealous over themselves lest it should be Error that they have embraced instead of Truth and consequently more willing to attend to Light offered unto them Hence it would be of singular Vse unto Christians to hearken to that Advice tho given by an Heathen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This I shall say would but all that love our Lord
Christ may and probably will if not condemn yet sharply reprove and correct us But of this more hereafter II. That not only the Men of the World but even the People of God themselves may yea are prone to take up and embrace Errour instead of Truth and having taken it up they too commonly are exceeding tenacious of it In the Prosecution of this Doctrine tho I shall have a peculiar respect to Men's Tenaciousness of Errour when embraced by them yet I shall speak somewhat to their Propensity to take it up and embrace it instead of Truth And answerably I shall do these three things First Offer somewhat for the Illustration and Confirmation of it Secondly Shew whence it is that so it is And Thirdly Make some Application For the First And thus the Doctrine may be abundantly proved from various Considerations But to mention some few of them As 1. From the Consideration of the Nature and Quality of Errours that are taken up and tenaciously held by some Men. 2. The slight Ground Men will take up Errours upon with the strange shifts they will use for their own Defence and Justification in their holding of them 3. Their apparent Dissonancy from yea as to some direct Contrariety to plain and express Scripture 4. The utter inconsistency of the Embracement and holding such Errours with Men's own Interests and that both internal and external and consequently their want of any rational Inducements to do the one or the other 5. Men's obstinate refusal of the Means offered for their Information and Conviction These things with others of a like Nature plainly shew how strangely prone Men are to take up and embrace Errour instead of Truth and tenaciously to hold it when once taken up and embraced by them But designing Brevity I shall not insist upon these things but only Illustrate and Confirm what is affirmed by way of Instance and I shall confine my self to these two or three only premissing this That what the Scripture records either of the proneness of any particular Person to embrace Errour instead of Truth or of their Tenaciousness of it when embraced that is not to be understood as tho those Evils were peculiar and proper to those particular Persons but they declare the Case of Men in general as in this depraved and corrupted State respective unto Errour These Instances shew the Nature and Property of Men in general how prone and propense they are unto Errour both to take it up and embrace it instead of Truth and how tenacious usually they are of it when taken up and embraced by them This being premised I shall first instance in the Galatians and they are a strange Instance in special of the proneness of Men yea of such as are truly Regenerate for so undoubtedly many of them were to take up and embrace Errour instead of Truth The Apostle speaks to them on this Account as tho they had been bewitched Gal. 3.1 O Foolish Galatians who bath bewtiched you that you should not obey the Truth c. he had a respect to their strange Infatuation in relinquishing the Truth and their embracing Errour in the stead of it they seemed rather to be bewitched than by ordinary Means and in an ordinary Way to be drawn thereunto It is of no great Concern to know what kind of Witch-craft the Apostle hath reference unto whether that performed by the Eye that performed by uttering hard uncouth and unintelligible Words or that however performed whereby things are represented to the Eye in Forms Shapes or Appearances quite differing from what properly are their own He mighthave reference to any of these kinds of Witchcrafts according to the different derivation of the Word used by him But be the Witchcraft of what kind it will such was their Infatuation that he speaks to them as tho bewtiched And the strangeness of their Infatuation will appear if we consider these three things 1. The Difference between the Truth relinquished on the one hand and the Errour or Errours take it as a single or complicated Errour on the other hand taken up and embraced by them 2. By the Consideration of sundry things peculiarly remarkable in their Case which even according to Principles of Reason should have been engaging unto them to a stedfast Adherence unto the Truth 3. The Consideration of the suddenness and easiness of the false Teachers bringing them over to relinquish the Truth and to embrace the contrary Errour To touch upon these three things a little distinctly yet with what brevity I may 1. Let us consider the Difference between the Truth they had relinquished and the Errour they had embraced The Truth relinquished is contained in the Doctrine of the Gospel preached by the true Apostles the Errour they embraced was contained in the Doctrine of the false Teachers Now let us a little compare these different Doctrines the one with the other As for the Doctrine of the Gospel It is as the Apostle tell us a Doctrine worthy of all Acceptation 1 Tim. 1.15 It is a Doctrine of such Excellency Worth and Benefit unto Men that it puts a Beauty upon the very Feet of the Publishers of it Isa 52.7 In brief we may take this summary Account of it That it is a Doctrine revealing and offering unto all in general and assuring to all those in particular that sincerely Believe Embrace and Practise according to it full and compleat Justification Peace with God and Adoption with suitable Affections and Actings from God the in-dwelling Presence of the Spirit with perfect Sanctification gradually to be wrought by him and at last an Eternal Weight of Glory And all this from the meer Grace Mercy and Love of God through the alone Mediation of Jesus Christ This was the Doctrine which the Galatians had formerly embraced but now relinquished And we may rationally conclude that upon their embracement of it they had tasted of the blessed Effects thereof in the Peace of their Consciences with unspeakable Joy and the Comforts flowing therefrom Hence in part was that Blessedness they gloried in Gal. 4.15 How welcome must such a Doctrine needs be to poor Sinners awakened to a Sense of their Sin and Misery by reason of it According to the Principles of Reason such a Doctrine with the Blessedness enjoyed upon their embracement of it should have so commended it self to their Understandings Wills and Affections as that any Doctrine inconsistent with or contrary unto it should have been rejected with the greatest Abhorrency 2. Let us consider what the Doctrine of the false Teachers was And here it may be observed that their Doctrine did not lie in an absolute and total Contrariety to the Doctrine of the Gospel the Doctrine of the Gospel was only perverted by it Gal. 1.6 7. These false Aposiles did not deny the necessary of Faith in Christ nor did they deny it to be the Duty of his Disciples to obey all his Comands nor did they so far as we read
Truth of the Gospel Now there is scarce any thing if any thing at all conduces more to Mens establishment in any Doctrine Opinion or Practice than to be instructed in and have the ind prepossessed with it 'T is one main Cause of many Men's obstinate Adherence to Popish Doctrines and Practices viz. That they have been primarily instructed and brought up in them And the like may be said of many Mens firm Adherence to the Doctrine and Practice of Protestantism Hence the Preachers of any Doctrine be it true or false lie under no small disadvantage as to Success when they are so to speak to play an after-Game when the Minds of Men are prepossessed with a contrary Belief Opinion or Persuasion The Consideration of this was one Reason of the Apostle's Admiration Gal. 1.6 I marvel saith he that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the Grace of Christ unto another Gospel Not only that they should be so soon removed of which hereafter but that they should ever be removed from him who had called them into the Grace of Christ by him It is true some understand God but I shall rather with Beza and Piscator understand it of Paul himself and take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Into the Grace that is the Doctrine of Grace expressed to Men through Christ and this Sence the Antithesis as Piscator observes seems necessarily to require This made their embracement of that false Doctrine so strange in that they thereby were removed from another Doctrine viz. The true Doctrine of the Gospel that they had before been instructed in and had embraced 2. There was the clearness and plainness of those Reelations made unto them of the Truth of the Gospel They had not the Mysteries of the Gospel held forth in obscure Types and Shadows as the Jews before had but the Vail was now taken off and they had the Mystery of God in Christ plainly revealed they had Christ set forth as crucified before their Eyes with the full End and Design of God in his Mission Humiliation and Sufferings with the Fulness and Redemption in and obtained by him thereby full manifested they had the exceeding Riches of the Grace of God in him plainly declared this the Apostle takes notice of once and again and that as an Aggravation of their Folly So in Chap. 3. 1. and again in Chap. 4. 9. While they were in their Heathenism and knew not the true God it was no wonder tho they did Service to Idols that by Nature were not God yea tho they were carried away Prout rapi contigisset as some translate that 1 Cor. 12.2 sometimes to Worship and Serve one Idol sometimes another sometimes to Worship and Serve them one way sometimes another as the Apostle there intimates that they were Yea had they been proselited to the Jewish Church when Christ and the Mystery of Salvation by him was more darkly revealed it had not been so much tho they had been removed from the Doctrine of the Gospel as then held forth into another Doctrine But that now after Christ had been evidently set forth as Crucified before their Eyes and God had been clearly revealed to them and that in the Riches of his Grace and Mercy as the Apostle Gal. 2. 21. and Gal. 5.4 not obscurely intimates that he had been that they should relinquish the Truth and embrace another Doctrine this did greatly aggravate their Folly Quam indignum est in medio Lucis tam turpiter errare saith Calvin 3. There was the Confirmation that the Doctrine of the Gospel had received by the Apostle Paul's working of Miracles amongst them Thus Gal. 3.5 He therefore that ministreth to you the Spirit and worketh Miracles among you doth he it by the Works of the Law or by the Hearing of Faith That is doth he it as a Minister or Preacher of the Law or as a Minister or Preacher of the Doctrine of the Gospel The Interrogation vehemently denies the former and asserts the latter So that the Apostle had not only preached the Gospel to them but had confirmed it with miraculous Works Now the miraculous Works wrought by Jesus Christ himself and by the Apostles were the great Means ordained of God for the evidencing to the World that both their Mission and Doctrine were from himself and they were sufficient for that end and purpose and hence left all Men without Excuse who did reject either Jesus Christ himself his Apostles or the Doctrine preached by them Hence is that of our Lord Christ John 15.22 compared with 24. 4. There was yet this further in their Case That many of them through the Preaching of the Gospel had themselves received the Spirit and that to renew and sanctify their Natures and to dwell in them Whereby not only that Doctrine was further confirmed unto them but they had tasted and experienced the Benefit thereof Gal. 4.2 5. 1. They had the Doctrine preached by the Apostle further confirmed and that in the surest and most infallible way possible And therefore the Apostle puts a peculiar Emphasis upon this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 3.2 as if this Consideration alone were sufficient as indeed it was to evince the Truth of that Doctrine he had preached unto them 'T is true both the Teachers and Embracers of a false Doctrine may do wonderful things such as seem to be miraculous tho really they are not so Satan may by his Agents and Instruments produce wonderful Effects so it is said of the Man of Sin 2 Thess 2.9 that his coming should be after the working of Satan with all Power and Signs and lying Wonders This was one special Means whereby the Kingdom of Antichrist was erected and raised up to that Grandeur it did at last arrive to Hence for any Doctrine to be the Ministration of the Spirit for the regenerating renewing and sanctifying the Natures of Men is a more infallible Evidence of its being from God than the bare working of Wonders by the Preachers or Embracers of it is Now such was the Doctrine of the Gospel preached by the Apostle to the Galatians 2. They had hereby a taste and experience of the Good and Benefit of that Doctrine Next to the Gift of Christ the Spirit is the greatest Gift communicable from God himself unto Men. The Gift of the Spirit includes all Good Matth. 7.11 compared with Luke 11.13 Now for them to reject the Gospel and embrace another Doctrine by which they could not expect the like Benefit argued their strange and dreadful Infatuation 5. There were the Sufferings they had undergone for the true Doctrine of the Gospel which they might easily have foreseen would be in vain and useless to them by their relinquishing that Doctrine and embracing another Men according to the natural Notions they have of God may and do expect much Benefit by any Sufferings they undergo for Conscience sake or for and on the account of any Doctrine they have received as
turned aside into Sin they should see their Sin and answerably apply themselves to them c. And while those Duties are neglected they do indeed however they may flatter themselves lie open to Divine Judgments Now let the Consideration of what hath been said awaken us to this holy Jealousie and answerably make a through and impartial Inquiry into our Ways and Actions But this ungrounded Confidence acted by Men with reference to themselves will prove their ruine and it 's no small Evidence of the Generality of Men's over-acting their Confidence with reference to themselves that so few Cases of Conscience are brought to them whose Lips ought to preserve Knowledg It is a plain Argument People trust too much to their own Understandings were there that Tenderness of Conscience in Professors that becomes Christians accompanied with a holy Jealousie of their own Understandings as more frequent and fervent Requests would be put up unto God that he would teach them what they see not so more Cases of Conscience would be put unto Men and more Industry would be used to find out what is the good and acceptable Will of God and wherein they fail in the doing of it and by means of all Men might and would know both the Plagues of their own Hearts and Evils of their Lives which being found out repented of and reformed they would be safe what Evils or Calamities soever are coming whereby though thousands should fall by their sides and ten thousands at their Right-hand yet it should not come nigh unto them See Psal 93.7 8. But 2. Let us be awakened to a holy Jealousie over our selves lest we should have taken up and imbraced any Error or Deceit respecting our selves It is possible that a Man that hath a clear and distinct Knowledg of the Doctrine of Regeneration and is able to give an exact Description of it to shew wherein it doth consist and what a frame and disposition of Heart is produced by it may have his own Heart wrought to such a Frame as bears so great a likeness to the Frame of Heart produced by Regeneration that he may conclude himself to be truly regenerate when yet indeed and in truth he is not so Now such a Frame of Heart deceives a Man's own Understanding He thinketh himself to be something when he is nothing he is deluded by the Counterfeit of what he hath a true Notion of in his Mind So a Man may put forth such Acts and perform such Actions as carry so great an Appearance of being true Grace and truly gracious as that the he has a notional Knowledg of the nature of Grace and all the Requisites to truly gracious Actions yet is himself deceived by them he supposes them to be in reality what they carry an Appearance of when indeed they are but the Counterfeits thereof A good Nature may be so polished by Education and Industry with the superaddition of some common Gifts and Operations of the Spirit that it may seem to be truly renewed and its Productions may look so much like the Fruits of the Spirit that a Man tho he has a clear Notion of that Change made by the renovation of the Spirit and of the Fruits of the Spirit flowing therefrom yet verily thinks himself to be renewed and to bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit when indeed it is otherwise Thus in respect of those Divines usually call close or secret Hypocrites a Man may be an Hypocrite and yet not know it himself the Shews and Appearances of Grace and Godliness deceive Men's own Understandings It is often found that Men of great Knowledg and Orthodox Judgments are yet deceived in their own Acts and Actions every Orthodox Divine is not a sound Christian Let us then be awakened to a Jealousie over our selves it 's dreadful to have Lamps in our Hands with a considence of having Oil in them till the time to obtain it is over But to hasten Let the Consideration of Men's proneness to Error awaken us all to a holy Jealousie over our selves lest we should have taken up Error instead of Truth and that as Error and Deceits respect Truth as contained in the Scriptures or as it respects our selves and answerably make a through Inquiry whether indeed we have not so done And if any shall say Seeing there is such a Proneness in Man unto Error and consequently all Men are in danger to mistake and take up Error instead of Truth then it is possible we may lie under some Error or Deceit after the utmost Inquiry we can make In answer It must be granted that it is possible it may be so let me therefore advise to three things 1. Labour to interest Jesus Christ in the Care of our Souls Labour to get under his Care that the prevention of our Ruine or any Damage we may sustain by Errors may be his Concern as well as our own But you will say How shall we do that Answ 1. By committing our selves to him as the Shepherd and Bishop of Souls The Poor committeth himself to the Lord Psal 10.14 by humble Supplication that he will undertake the Work for us See the Psalmist Psal 139. ult 2. Be not satisfied without the Approbation of God himself Content not our selves without the sealings of the Spirit nor without his bearing Witness with our Consciences to the Sincerity Uprightness and Acceptableness of our Ways and Actions unto him Take not up with any thing short of what the Apostle had attained unto a Cor. 1.12 3. Take the Comfort of what Grounds of hope we have that through the free Grace of God we are delivered from Errors and Deceits yet maintaining a holy Jealousie over our selves lest it should be otherwise and answerably be still making a more full and through search whether we are not deceived and have not taken up Errour instead of Truth 2. Another Use I would more especially make of the Doctrine is to caution all against Errour for the future Take heed our own Understandings do not deceive us and lead us into Errour be very wary we are not imposed upon either by Satan or Men. Our own Understandings are not only dark and weak subject to variety of Mistakes and False-reasonings but there is an Inclination and strange Proclivity unto Error connatural unto them and Satan is continually endeavouring to deceive us and Men have their Slights and cunning Craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive Eph. 4.14 Hence great Care and Diligence is indispensably necessary unto our Preservation from Error Hence all Notions and Sentiments arising up in or suggested to our Minds as well as all Doctrines or Practices proposed to and pressed upon us by Men ought to be carefully weighed and duly examined before they are imbraced and complied with and let it be remembred that any Notion Doctrine or Practice may be weighed and examined with more Impartiality and Sincerity before it be imbraced and actually closed with then it can after
Abraham but this Covenant was made with Abraham himself and that within 40 Years after the very first Transactions of God with him in a Covenant-way 5. The Scripture in express Terms affirms that the old Covenant was not made with either Abraham Isaac or Jacob. And Lastly The Apostle expresly declares that it was this Covenant mentioned Gen. 17.7 that was confirmed of God in Christ which all must and will confess was the Covenant of Grace Now then having thus demonstrated the Truth of this second Proposition both negatively and positively by so many express Scriptures it seems utterly unnecessary that I should add any thing more in the confirmation of it And the Truth is those that after so much plain Scripture will deny this to be the Covenant of Grace and affirm it to be the old Covenant seem to be Persons rather to be pitied and prayed for as under the highest efficacy of Errro than to be disputed with They will remain Instances to succeeding Generations of Mens tenaciousness of Error when once taken upon and entertained by them Neither can it be judged unreasonable tho I should dismiss them with a like answer with that of Abraham's to Dives They have Moses and Paul they have the Old and New Testament let them hear them But yet that I may give our Opponents full Measure heaped up and running over I shall add one Argument more to prove that that Covenant is the Covenant of Grace and it is this Arg. That Covenant the being under or taking hold of which gave Persons a Membership or a right to Membership in the Jewish Church or the Church of Israel after the Flesh was the Covenant of Grace but it was the Covenant of Circumcision or that Covenant established with Abraham that the being under or taking hold of which gave Persons a Membership or a Right to Membership in that Church therefore that Covenant was the Covenant of Grace The Minor Proposition I judg will meet with no Opposition Mr. C. expresly affirms \That Circumcision was the entrance into and boundary of Communion in the Jewish Church so pag. 12. Hence it will and must necessarily be granted that all that had a Right to Circumcision which all that were under or did take hold of that Covenant had had a Membership or a Right to Membership in that Church and therefore not to spend time in the Proof of that which neither can nor will be denied 't is the Major Proposition that only needs Proof ' That then which I am to prove is this viz. That that Covenant the being under or taking hold of which did give Membership or a Right to Membership in the Jewish Church was the Covenant of Grace And for the Proof of this take these Arguments 1. By the Covenant as under or taking hold of which Persons had a Membership or Right of Membership in the Jewish Church Jesus Christ and they came to have and had a mutual Interest and Propriety in each other but it was by the Covenant of Grace that Jesus Christ and any of the Children of Men came to have or have had a mutual Interest or Propriety in each other therefore that Covenant must needs be the Covenant of Grace For the Major Proposition that is evident past all rational Contradiction by a twofold Consideration 1. That Jesus Christ and all those that had a Membership or Right of Membership in the Jewish Church had a mutual Interest and Propriety in each other This is expresly declared Cant. 2.16 My Beloved is mine and I am his They are the Words of the Church speaking of her self in a collective Notion as the Spouse of Christ Now whether we take this Song of Solomon's as a Prophetical History or an Historical Prophesy and so apply the several Passages passing between Christ and his Church to different periods of Time or take it as applicable in the whole of it to the Church indefinitely in all periods of Time we must necessarily understand the Jewish Church or Church under the first Testament consisting of the natural Posterity of Abraham speaking here unto Christ under the notion of a single Person as his Spouse Some that take this Song as a Prophetical History understand this as spoken by the Spouse in Nehemiah's time however the Church under the First-Testament-Administration cannot be excluded Now saith she My Beloved is mine and I am his Here was a mutual Interest and Propriety that Christ and that Church had one in the other and what the Church here speaks of this mutual Interest and Propriety that Jesus Christ and she had in each other may be spoken of or by every particular Member So that whosoever by being under or taking hold of the Covenant were Members of the Jewish Church Christ and they had a mutual Interest and Propriety in each other Christ was theirs and they were his Whosoever were indeed and in truth under or had indeed and in truth taken hold of the Covenant Christ and they had a mutual Interest and Propriety in each other in Foro Dei so whosoever were visibly under or did visibly take hold of the Covenant Christ and they had a mutual Interest and Propriety in each other in Foro Ecclesiae 2. That it was by that Covenant as under or as taking hold of which Persons had a Membership or a Right of Membership in the Jewish Church that Christ and they came to have a mutual Interest and Propriety in each other This is evident seeing it must be by some Covenant that Jesus Christ and the Jewish Church collectively taken and consequently the particular Members of it came to have that mutual Interest and Propriety in each other and what Covenant can it possibly be imagined to be but that as under or taking hold of which they came to be a Church or to have a Membership therein So that the Major Proposition stands firm 2. For the Minor viz. That it was by the Covenant of Grace that Jesus Christ and they came to have a mutual Interest and Propriety in each other This is so plain throughout the Scriptures that it 's hardly to be supposed it should be gainsaid by any that own the Scriptures to be of Divine Original It must either be by the old Covenant or the Covenant of Grace but it could not be by the old Covenant and that for a double Reason 1. Because the very Design of the old Covenant was only to lead Men unto Christ It was as the Apostle expresly declares Gal. 3.24 A Schoolmaster to bring Men unto Christ By it none ever had nor could have an Interest and Propriety in him 2. Because could Christ and Men come to have had a mutual Interest and Propriety in each other by the Law or by the old Covenant the Covenant of Grace had been unnecessary So much the Apostle plainly implies Heb. 8. v. 7. compared with 10. Hence it must necessarily be by the Covenant of Grace Now both the Propositions being true