a fitt or a convenient time implying that time in that notion is not hidden from God Isa 50.4 God hath given me the tongue of the learned that I might speake a word in season to him that is weary Which some translate thus That I might know the appointed time to the afflicted An afflicted soule must be watched and a season taken these times are not hidden from the Almighty he knoweth the opportunity and therefore can direct him that speakes to a wearyed soule as to speake proper and taking matter so to speake it in a proper and taking time when it shall be as welcome to the soule as raine to the dry and thirsty ground David saith to the Lord Psal 119.23 It is time Lord for thee to worke for they have made voide thy Law that is now is the season and opportunity for thee to work if ever thou wilt shew thy selfe doe it now And when David confessed Psal 31.15 My times are in thy hand He meanes that the seasons of his comforts Per tempora intelligit rerum vicissitudines divitias et pauperiem pacem bellum c. Theodoret and of his sorrowes all the turnings and changes of his life from one condition to another were cast and ordered by the power and wisdome of God Why seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty Doe they that know him not see his dayes Thus Job describes the persons that see not the dayes of God they are such as know him Which character as was shewed before belongs to every Godly man though it be more peculiar to some Hence note First Every Godly man knoweth God And none but the Godly know him indeed many ungodly men professe they know God and they may know him notionally but no ungodly man knoweth him truly experimentally or practically Many ungodly men have a forme of knowledge and of the truth in the Law as the Apostle speakes of the Jewes Rom. 2.20 but no ungodly man feeleth the power of knowledge and of the truth in the Law Pietas est cognitio scientiaque dei Trismeg And therefore the wicked are spoken of in Scripture as not knowing God Jere. 10.25 Powre out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not And when the Prophet describes the wickednesse of the Jewish State he saith Hos 4.1 There is no knowledge of God in the Land Which the Chalde Paraphrast renders thus Neither are there any who walke in the feare of God in the land where there is no knowledge of God there is no feare of God We neyther love nor feare him of whom we have no knowledge nor can we beleeve in or trust him whom we know not Psal 9.10 They that know thy name will put their trust in thee That is the truly godly will trust in thee for they know thy name but they that know thee not how can they trust upon thee and therefore the Prophet calls us to boast in the knowledge of God Jere. 9.23 Thus saith the Lord let not the wise man glory in his wisdome neither let the mighty man glory in his might let not the rich man glory in his riches but let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord whech exercise loving kindnesse judgement and righteousnesse in the earth for in these things I delight saith the Lord. There is nothing in this world worth the boasting in but the holy knowledge of a holy God or such a knowledge of God the fruit whereof is a godly life here and the end whereof is an eternall life hereafter Joh. 17.3 This is eternall life that they may know thee the onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent This knowledge of God doth not floate in the braine but sinkes into the heart and is rooted in the affections Thus the Apostle John argues 1 Epist Chap. 2. v. 3 4 5 6. Hereby we know that we know him if we keepe his Commandements he that sayth he knows him and keepeth not his commandement is a liar and the truth is not in him As if he had sayd The true knowledge of God is an obedientiall knowledge so that if any man sayth he knoweth God while his life is not sutable to what he knoweth this mans profession is vaine and himselfe is a lyar Whosoever keepeth his word in him verily is the love of God perfected that is he loveth God with a perfect or sincere love and the love of God is perfected towards him The scope of his whole discourse there is to shew that the true knowledge of God is the keeping of the word of God Many are so ignorant of God that they know not the word which they should keepe and all they who knowing the word keepe it not will at last be numbered among the ignorant or among those that know not God But their condition will be worse and their punishment greater then theirs who never knew God according to the teachings of his word Their estate will be bad enough who perish for want of the knowledge of God then what will their end be who perish in the neglect or abuse of plentifull knowledge From the second notion of the words they that know him as they intimate a sort of Godly men who have neerer acquaintance with and freer accesse to God then others Observe That as all godly men know God which the wicked doe not so some godly men have such a knowledge of God as many who are godly have not Though the knowledge of all godly men be of the same nature and kinde yet not of the same degree and height We reade of some who in old time were called Seers 1 Sam. 9.9 as if they onely had been endued with sight and all others were blinde in the things of God They were the onely seers yea they were fore-seers because God did often reveale himselfe and declare to them what he was about to doe in dreames and visions Now as in those times there were some men called seers so in these times some may be called knowers as if none knew any thing of God comparatively to them or as if other godly men were ignorant and understood nothing of him When God 1 Sam. 3. appeared to Samuel in a vision and revealed the doome of Elies house to him the Text sayth at the 7th verse Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord surely Samuel did know the Lord as other godly did in those times though he were but young yea it is said The childe Samuel ministred before the Lord and did not he know the Lord no doubt he did The meaning therefore is Samuel did not yet know the Lord by any speciall intimacy with him or particular revelation from him as afterward he did he became a knower of God at last though then he did not know God in this peculiar sence But God having revealed to him the secret what he would doe to Elies house then he knew God he
but I have hid or layd up the words of his mouth that 's a good reading and so Mâ— Broughton translates More then my daily bread have I layd up the words of his mouth The Vulgar gives another reading In my bosome have I hid the words of his mouth in this following the Septuagint who by the change of a letter in the Originall translate the word which we render More then my necessary or statute food in my bosome But I passe that as a mistake of the text in that word yet in the former part it consents with Mr Broughton I have hid or layd up the words of his mouth more then my daily bread And as this translation holds out a truth in it selfe so the sense meets with ours for as the Originall word doth as properly signifie to hide or lay up as to esteeme so those things are layd up or hidden by us which are of most esteeme And this action of hiding or laying up the word is often spoken of in Scripture both as the practise and as the duty of the Saints Psal 119.11 I have hid thy commandements in my heart And the rule is given by wisedome Prov. 2.1 My sonne if thou wilt receive my words and hide my commandements with thee Wisdome counselleth us not onely to receive but to hide the commandements And Pro. 4.20 21. Wisdome goeth yet further My sonne attend to my words incline thine eare to my sayings let them not depart from thine eyes keepe them in the midst of thy heart The heart as Naturalists say is in the midst or center of the body Holy truths must be kept in the midst of the heart in the midst of the middle that is in the safest place in that most retyred chamber the midst of the heart But why should these words be hidden in the heart which are and ought to be proclaimed in the eare and upon the house-top I answer wee hide things first that we may know where to have them what is throwne at our heeles wee know not where to have Secondly We hide things for safety or from danger as well as to have them ready at hand for use There are enemies who watch their opportunity to steale the word away from us and therefore it is our wisdome as well as our duty to hide it or lay it up safe So that in both notioÌ„s we ought to hide the word of God first that wee may have it at hand for use as it is sayd of the Good house-holder in the Gospel that he layeth up and hath in his treasure things both new and old Secondly that it may be kept out of the hand of the theife who would rob us of that precious treasure Satan and the world are Word-stealers and they steale away the Word not because they desire to make any use of it but lest we should therefore as Gideon Judg. 6.11 threshed wheat by the wine-presse to hide it from the Midianites so seing there are mysticall Midianites who dayly steale away the Word that most necessary and precious wheat from thousands who have heard and received it we should in a holy jelousie and suspition of them hide it out of their reach In conversion God puts the Law in our minde and writes it in our heart And through that grace received and dayly renewed we also are enabled to lay it up there Pectus meum feci Bibliothe cam dei Hieron de Nepotiano A Good man as one of the ancients speaketh makes his heart Gods library there he layeth up whole volumes of holy precepts and of precious promises And looke what precepts or promises he finds in the Bible or written booke of the Word of God the same he finds transcribed into his owne heart and so into his life But I will not insist upon that reading I have laid up the words of his mouth more then my necessary food We render I have esteemed the words of his mouth c. These two rendrings of the word give light to each other That which we esteeme we hide and the more we esteeme a thing the more carefully we hide it No man will lay up that which is worth nothing what we hide is of value at least we judge it to be so Childrens pockets are often full of Bables but to them they are no Bables they esteeme them as men doe gold and silver else they would not take them up much lesse lay them up I have esteemed the words of his mouth Before it was the commandement of his lips some make a distinction between these expounding the commandement of his lips for the preceptive part of the word and the word of his mouth for the promissive part of the word or for the promises which are gracious declarations and manifestations of the love and good will of God to sinfull man Dicta oris distinguo a praeceptis dictum oris est verbum gratiosae nunciationis et promissionis q. d. gratiam annunciatam libentè◠accepi animi fide Coc As if Job in the former words had a respect chiefely to the Law or rule of doing and in this latter to the Gospel or ground of beleeving But though I see not well how these seemes can beare that distinction yet the matter doth yea and seemes to require it for though a godly man esteemes the precepts of God as well as the promises and the commandements are the words of Gods mouth as well as the promises yet the promises are the most feeding fatning and refreshing part of the word and if so surely they were not left out yea possibly were principally inteÌ„ded by Job in this place that he might shew how his Spirit was carried out to the full latitude and compasse of the minde of God both in the Law and in the Gospel And because the promises have so much soule-food in them he doth therefore elegantly preferre them before his necessary food I have esteemed the word of his mouth But how much or at what rate did he esteeme them it follows in the next words More then my necessary food There is yet some variety observable in the reading of these latter words Some give it thus A statuto meo abscondi eloquia oris ejus Mont Ex statuto meo vel more meo ut ab â—nevute aetate assuevi praetermittere quae deus odio habet i. e. plena electione deliberatione fixa apud se non externè tantum et levitèr divinam legem custodire apud se decreverit Cajet Aliqui ad actiones hominis consuetas quas de more facit referunt ut antiquius habuerit legem domini animo recondere ei operam dare quam solita constitua sibi ac usitata facere Merc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 proprie statutum et decretum sonat hinc certam decretam cibi rationem Quicquid advictum vitam fovendam ac tuendam est necessarium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appellatur Merc I
when the ungodly fall and not fall into sin themselves I answer First The righteous rejoyce at the fall of the wicked as blessing God who hath kept their feete from those wayes in which the wicked have fallen As 't is a great mercy to be kept out of those ill wayes to be kept from fiding with those corrupt interests in the pursuit of which we see many broken so 't is a duty to rejoyce that we have not walked in their way whose end we see to be nothing els but destruction Secondly The righteous have cause to rejoyce blesse God when they see the wicked fall because themselves are saved keepe their standing because themselves have escaped the danger and the Lord hath been a banner of protection over them in the day when the wicked fell Moses after the destruction of Amaleck built an Altar and called the name of it Jehova-Nissi Exod. 17.15 that is to say The Lord is my banner And in like cases the joy of the Saints is not properly in the destruction of the wicked but in their owne deliverance through the mighty power good hand of God with them It is the presence of God with them the appearance of God for them which is the gladnes of their hearts Thirdly The righteous then rejoyce because the Church and people of God are in a fayre way to peace when the Lyons are destroyed the sheepe are in safety when the Wolves and the Beares are cut off the flock rests quietly so in this case when men of devouring cruell spirits wicked and ungodly ones are removed the flocke of God the sheepe of his pasture feed quietly none making them afrayd The fall of the enemies of Sion is the establishment of Sion yea in a great measure of mankinde As the Prophet most elegantly sets it forth Isa 14.6 7 8. He who smote the people in wrath with a continuall stroke he that ruled the Nations in anger is persecuted and none hindereth The whole earth is at rest and is quiet they breake forth into singing yea the firre-trees rejoyce at thee and the Cedars of Lebanon saying since thou art layd downe no feller is come up against us How often have wicked men in power felled not onely the Firre-trees and Cedars of the world but the goodly trees of righteousnesse in the Lords plantations have they not therefore reason to sing when such fall seing the Fellers themselves are then felled and fallen Fourthly Joy ariseth to the righteous because God is honoured in the fall of wicked men And that 's their chiefest joy That God is honoured is more joy to the righteous then that themselves are saved how much more then then that the wicked are destroyed There is a threefold honour arising to God when the wicked fall First God is honoured in his justice such a day is the day of the declaration of the righteous judgement of God as the Apostle speakes of the great day of Judgement Rom. 2.5 Thou after thy hardnesse and impenitent heart treasurest up to thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God Some doe even question the justice of God when wicked men prosper but he is vindicated in his justice when wicked men fall It cannot but please righteous men to see the righteous God exalted or God exalted in his righteousnesse They know and beleeve that God is righteous when the wicked prosper Jer. 12.1 But when the wicked are punished they proclaime his righteousnes Then they sing the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lambe saying Great and marvailous are thy workes Lord God Almighty just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Who shall not feare thee O Lord and glorifie thy Name c. for thy Judgements are made manifest Rev. 15.3 4. The Lord is alwayes alike Just but it doth not alwayes alike appeare how just he it And as that God is just is the faith and stay of the Saints so the appearances of his justice are their joy and triumph Secondly God is honoured much in the attribute of his truth in the truth of his word in the truth of his threatenings when the wicked are punished God hath spoken bloudy words concerning wicked men not onely in reference to their future estate in the next life but to their present estate in this Say to the wicked it shall be ill with him the reward of his hands shall be given him But what is this reward There are two sorts of rewards First rewards of love and favour according to the good which we have done Secondly rewards of wrath and anger poenal rewards according to the evill which we have done Now when the Lord puts these poenal rewards into the hands of the wicked or powres them upon their heads he is honoured in his truth as well as his justice for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it As the promises are yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 so also are the threatnings unto the glory of God by us But as when David saw his life in danger every day he began to question the truth of God in the promise that he should live to reigne and fit upon the throne of Israel for saith he Psal 116.11 when things went thus with him I said in my hast all men are lyars even Samuel among the rest who assured me of the Kingdome by expresse message from God but surely he also is deceived and hath fed me with vaine hopes Now as these words of David according to our translation of them and the truth of the thing in frequent experiences shew that Godly men are apt to question the truth of the promise when themselves are by seemingly contradicting providences much afflicted so they are apt to question the truth of the threatnings when they see outward providences prospering the wicked Therefore when the threatnings have their actuall yea and Amen that is when they are executed upon the ungodly this also is to the glory of God by us that is God is glorified by all his people who heare of it in the truth of what he hath spoken Againe as God is magnified in the truth of his threatnings when any particular wicked man is punished so when common calamities come upon the wicked the truth of God or God in his truth is magnified two wayes First As such calamities are a fullfilling of many Prophecies secondly As they are the answer or returne of many prayers The vengeance which falls upon the Enemies of the Church of God is drawne out by prayer Luke 18.7 8. And there is nothing wherein God is more honoured then when prayer is answered For as therein he fullfills our wants so his owne word Who hath not said to the seed of Jacob seeke ye mee in vaine Thirdly When the wicked fall the Lord is honoured in the attribute of his power How great is his power who puls downe great power It argues the Almightines
in their fullnesse in their hight and glory When the wicked are not onely eares but heads of the eares of corne when they are at the highest they shall dye and this resemblance holds not onely because some eares are head-eares fuller and higher then others but because all corne is cut when once it comes to a head that is to a perfect fullnes Fourthly To be cut off as the tops of the eares of corne may also signifie that there is a speciall time or season when wicked men are to be cut off For as corne is not alwayes ripe for the sickle so wicked men though they alwayes deserve yet are not alwayes ripe for Judgement Corne is not cut downe when greene or when grown high but when it is ripe fit for the flaile it is cut in its season wicked men shall be cut off in their season And as there is a general season for the harvest of the whole world so for every man in particular Rev 14.15 Thrust in thy sickle and reape for the time is come for thee to reape for the harvest of the earth is ripe God will not command the Angel to put in his sickle till the world be ripe for Judgement as he spake also by the Prophet Joel Ch. 3.13 14. Put in thy sickle for the harvest is ripe come get you downe for the presse is full the fats overflow for their wickednes is great multitudes multitudes in the valley of decision for the day of the Lord is neere in the valley of decision that is in the valley of cutting downe or of cutting off or as we put in the Margin in the valley of concision or threshing When the wicked shall be cut off as the tops of the eares of corne by the sickle of divine wrath and be under dreadfull breakings and threshings for evermore Lastly This cutting off as the tops of the eares of corne shewes that God doth not cut off wicked men when he hath them at an advantage when they are weake when they are low but when they are as the tops of the eares of corne when they are at their best then he doth it the chiefe of the people are called the heads of the people Numb 25.4 hang up the heads of the people before me sayth God by Moses he cut them off who were as the heads of the eares of corne As some Tyrants for feare So God in Justice cuts off the heads of the people the chiefe of Familyes Princes and great men This was Elegantly though cruelly Summa papaverum capita decussit ut significaret principes civitatis paulatim esse â—ollendos Flor de Gest Rom cap. 7. expressed by Tarquin the proud the last King of the Romanes who when a Citie was taken or surrendred and application was made to him how he would have the Citizens dealt with he answered onely by a signe calling the Messengers into a garden and having a sticke in his hand he strucke off the heads of the poppyes intimating to them that now the Citizens were in their power they should cut off all the chiefe and leading men among them Thus the Lord cuts off the heads of the eares of corne the chiefe of men or men of greatest power in the greatnesse of their power he cuts them off in love to justice and righteousnesse as tyrants doe in feare and jealousie of their power and greatnesse They are cut off as the tops of the eares of corne Job having at large described the state of wicked men and exemplified many of their wickednesses concludes by way of challenge Vers 25. And if it be not so who will make me a liar and make my speech nothing worth In this verse we have Job triumphing and yet not so much Job triumphing as truth triumphing for how much soever we speake for and defend the truth Non timet veritas falsitatis insidias sed vel pressa tandem triumphat August Ser de Sanct it is not comely that our selves should triumph but the truth onely Job indeed shewes his confidence in the equity of his cause which he affirmes so just and so fully proved to be the minde of God that he dares venture upon the Judgement of any man alive If it be not so now who will make me a liar Brevissime in Hebraeo Etsi non Some make other men lyars by teaching them or encouraging them to tell lyes others make men lyars by proving that they have taught or told lyes This is Jobs meaning when he sayth Who will make me a lyar Wee may suppose Job at the close of his speech rising up and looking about him while he spake thus who will make me a liar Let me see the man stand forth that hath any thing to object against what I have sayd The words are elegant in the Original and if not that is if it be not so as I have asserted concerning the dealeings of God with wicked men that they many times flourish and continue flourishing a long time if it be not so let any man disprove me and make me a liar if he can let him convince me that I am in an errour if he can As if he had sayd I doe not impose my opinion upon you but submit it to the consideration and discussion of all men Hence note First We should freely offer our opinions and assertions to the tryall 'T is too much for a man to looke that what he hath sayd should be consented unto and beleeved because he hath sayd it Onely God himselfe is worthy and may demand to be thus beleeved by man That God saith this or that is enough to perswade yea to require our faith in it and obedience to it When God speakes he that hath eares to heare let him heare Math. 13.9 that is let him beleeve and obey at his perill be it He that is truth cannot but speake truth and therefore is to be beleeved in whatsoever he speaketh Man ought not to say any thing as questioning the verity of what God hath sayd But we ought to consider what men say and not to beleeve beyond what we have tryed And as no man ought to beleeve before he hath tryed so every man ought to present what he hath sayd to the tryall Man hath no dominion over the faith of another Paul professed he had not 2 Cor. 1. 24. and if Paul had not who hath dares any man pretend to a higher priviledge then Paul himselfe did Wee may not bind up the consciences of men to our dictates any further then what we say is grounded upon and answerable to the sayings of God To the Law and to the Testimony if we speake not according to this word ye have leave or may take leave to say as to that saying there is no light in us Is 8.20 We must not teach magisterially but ministerially we must not affect to be called Masters for one is our Master even Christ Mat. 23.10 The Beraeans receaved the
word with all readines of mind yet they did not swallow downe all whole that was sayd to them but searched the Scriptures dayly whether those things ware so Act. 17.11 The Apostles rule is sutable to their practice 1 Thes 5.21 Prove all things hold fast that which is good Now as it is the duty of hearers and learners to hold nothing till they have proved it so it is the duty of Teachers to offer every doctrine to the ballance or tryall which they desire others should hold Secondly While Job doth thus confidently offer his assertion to tryall We learne That Truth is not affrayd to be tryed Truth often lieth in a corner but truth doth not seeke corners truth never hides her head as ashamed to be seene or discussed by men Truth as some have sayd lyeth in a deepe pit it is hard to finde it out it lieth out of sight yet truth doth not hide it selfe but dares stand forth in the face of all the world truth no more feares the triall then pure gold feares the touchstone or then a schollar who hath made good progresse in his learning feares to be examined He that hath truth with him needs not care who appeares against him Thirdly In that he sayth if it be not so now who will make me a liar Note False doctrine is a lye Isa 9.15 The antient and the honourable he is the head the Prophet that teacheth lies that is the Prophet that teacheth false doctrine he is the tayle Jer. 9.3 They bend their tongues like their bowes for lies but they are not valiant for the truth on the earth The Prophet as I conceave intends not so much falsehood in discourse which we call telling a lye as falsehood of doctrine which we call teaching of lyes They bend their tongues as bows for lies that is they set themselves to the maintaining of false doctrine to the utmost stretch of their wit and words Againe saith the Lord Jer. 14.14 The Prophets that prophecy lyes in my name I sent them not neither have I commanded them neither spake unto them they prophecy unto you a false divination and a thing of nought and the deceit of their heart The whole doctrine of the man of sin is called a lye Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved therefore God gave them up to strong delusion that they should beleive a lye 2 Thes 2.11 All the faith-devouring and conscience-wasting errors that ever the man of sin vented to the world are wrapt up in this one syllable or word a lye He that receaveth a lye that is told wrongeth others by it but he that receaved a lye that is taught wrongeth himselfe most by it To tell a lye is very sinfull but to teach a lye is much more sinfull The evill of that sin is greatest which spreadeth furthest continueth longest A lye that is told and received sticketh not long in the memory but passeth away for the most part like a tale that is told and it is enough to many a man that telleth a lye if he be beleeved but a little while But a lye that is taught and receaved sticketh long in the understanding and abideth there like a nayle fastned by the Masters of the assemblyes and it is not enough to him that teacheth a lye unlesse it be beleeved for ever Thirdly When Job sayth Who will make me a liar Note The worst thing that can be proved against any man is that he is a lyar To be a lyar is to be as bad as may be For it is to be as bad as the Devill He deceaved the woman both by telling and teaching a lye Gen. 3. He abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him when he speaketh a lye he speaketh of his owne for he is a lyar and the father of it Joh. 6.44 Every sin is of the Devill both by temptation and approbation but onely some sinnes are of the Devill by way of practice and the sin which is chiefely of him by practice is lying Now every sin the more congeniall it is to the Devill the more sinfull abominable it is And therefore among those who shall be without lye-makers are chiefe Rev. 22.15 Without are doggs and sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers and Idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lye The universality of this exclusion is onely expressed upon lyars as if he had sayd to be sure all lyars shall be without He that maketh a lye hath nothing worse to make and he that maketh that is proveth a man to be a lyar hath nothing worse to make of him And make my speech nothing worth The Hebrew is And bring my speech to nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ideÌ„ quod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Graeci bâ—nè interpretantur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verbum è verbo in non as if he had sayd I challenge all men to disprove my reasons or to prove that my reasons are not a proofe of that for which I brought them In briefe let any man refute or confute what I have sayd if he can and then let all that I have sayd goe for nothing or be counted nothing worth Hence note Vnsound doctrine is worthlesse doctrine The speech of a lyar is nothing worth sound doctrine is of great value it is worth thousands David preferr'd the word of God before thousands of Gold and silver every holy truth is the word of God eyther formally or vertually eyther in termes or by consequence The Apostle compares sound doctrine to things of greatest worth even to Gold silver and pretious stones and in the same place 1 Cor. 3.12 he compares unsound doctrine or doctrine unsutable to the foundation which is Jesus Christ alone to wood hay stubble which as they are things in their owne nature unconsiderable worthlesse in comparison of Gold silver and pretious stones so as to the busienes upon which he there treates a suitable building upon Christ they are altogether worthlesse And if those doctrines which because of some errour in them are unsutable to the foundation are to be accounted but wood hay and stubble how worthlesse are those doctrines which being altogether erroneous are inconsistent with and quite overthrow the foundation Such doctrines are worthy of nothing but a dung-hill being themselves nothing but drosse and dung What is that worth to us which is uselesse to us How worthlesse then is that which is destructive to us Every error is a Bable a thing of no use some errors are as poyson deadly in their use The Apostle Peter doth not spare to say as much of them 2 Epist 2.1 2. while he calleth them damnable heresies which bring swift destruction upon the bringers of them in or the broachers of them abroad And if they bring destruction upon those who bring them they that receave them cannot be safe To conclude this poynt and Chapter if erroneous doctrine be nothing worth