the light that betrayes him 2. Yea more then this he loves darkness vers 19. because his deeds are evil 3. But more then this he not onely grows strange to the light and loves darkness but hates the light as our Saviour there speaks When Jehoshaphat would needs enquire if there were never a Prophet of the Lord to consult with Yes sayes Ahab there is a fellow one Michaiah but I hate him for he never prophesies good to me but evil Ahab was resolved upon his own project to go against Ramoth Gilead and he fears honest Michiaah will cross him in it therefore he not onely avoids but hates him So deal resolved sinners with the light of the word first grow strange to it neglect to read or hear it and after come to hate it He that loves his lusts cannot love the word that reproves them but least the word should correct him he will correct indeed corrupt the word Hence comes it that men Having itching ears after their own lusts they get themselves an heap of teachers 2 Tim. 4.3 suitable to their lusts so the words may be read If a man will prophesie of wine and strong drink he shall be a Prophet for the people Mich. 2.11 That is they being given to voluptuousness love and like and seek out Prophets good fellows like themselves that will indulge them in such courses And they say to their teachers as the messengers sent for Michaiah said to him 2 King 22.13 All the Prophets speak good unto the King with one mouth let thy word I pray thee be like the word of one of them and speak good So these kind of men enquire the judgement of their Ministers concerning some doubtful practice usury gaming fashions c. and they tell them such and such allow it I pray let your word be as one of them And mark the issue If but one or a few men agree with them they shall be believed against thousands that condemne the practise As Tertullian said of the persecutors of the Christians They believe accusations which are not proved nor do they desire to try them Credunt quae non probantur nec quaerunt ne non probantur Apol. least they should not be proved So is it here they easily believe what they would fain have to be true and what they like not they will hardly believe This then is a fourth reason Sinful lusts corrupt the Affections and the Affections corrupt the judgement 5. Sinful lusts do stupifie 5. They silence or stupifie the Conscience by corrupting the truth conscience or silence the clamor of it by corrupting the Truth Hence you hear of some That have made a Covenant with death and with hell are they at agreement Isa 28.15 that is have silenced their fears of death and hell by some lying and false perswasions of peace notwithstanding their sinful practises as the Prophet intimates in the following words For we have made lies our refuge and under falshood have we covered our selves There is in sinful practises a sting of terror and horror of guilt till this be either taken out by repentance and pardon or at least stupified and laid asleep the soul cannot quietly enjoy the pleasure of sinning This cannot well be done in a knowing Christian but by corrupting the Faith Resolved they are not to disease or disquiet conscience by so much as questioning the lawfulness of their practise As the Athenians having shamefully lost Salamis a Town of their jurisdiction made a Law that no man should once name Salamis Aquinas upon 1 Tim. 6. applies it to usurers and such like Many unlawful things sayes he are forbidden by sound doctrine which men are unwilling to forsake and so they find out a new doctrine where they may have some hope to be saved in these courses We need not go far for an instance Hymeneus one of the Apostates mentioned in the text together with Philetus corrupted the Faith in a prime Article of it the Resurrection of the dead 2 Tim. 2.17 18. Their word will eat as a canker of whom is Hymeneus and Philetus who concerning the truth have erred saying that the Resurrection is past already and overthrow the faith of some What was the reason of this corrupting the Faith I will give it you in the words of a judicious Interpreter upon the place Because they could not bear an accusing conscience and the torment thereof they undertake to defend their vices and least they should be vexed with the terror of future judgement they deny any providence and perswade themselves that these things are false which the true Faith and Religion declare concerning the immortality of the soul the Resurrection of the body and the last judgement If their practises will not agree with the word they constrain the word to agree with their practise That 's a fifth Reason 6. The Just judgement of God 6. Lastly It is the just judgement of God upon such sinners when men for the maintenance and allowance of their own lusts will not see the light of truth they shall not see it That he as Austin well who knowing what is right would not do it at length should come to be ignorant what is right we have instances enough both in Jews Gentiles and Christians In Jews Psal 81.8 c. Hear O my people and I will testifie unto thee if thou wilt hearken unto me c. But my people would not hearken unto my voice and Israel would none of me vers 11. What followed So I gave them up to their own hearts lusts and they walked in their own counsels Let them follow their own Imaginations corrupting the truth of God by their corrupt lives and practises In Gentiles Rom. 1.18 The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness How or wherein doth this wrath appear See vers 21 22. Because that when they knew God and glorified him not as God c. they became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened And vers 24. God gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own heart c. even to most unnatural lusts not fit to be named vers 26 27. And for this cause God gave them up to a reprobate minde to do things which are not convenient vers 28. In Christians we have it threatned 2 Thess 2.10 11. abundantly made good upon the followers of Antichrist of whom he sayes Whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders And with all deceiveableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved And for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lie That they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness And thus we have finished the Doctrinal part of our discourse
That a corrupt heart makes a corrupt head An unsound heart makes an unsound judgement Let us now proceed to the Application 5. Application Use 1. To shew the Depravation of our Nature 1. Take notice of the miserable and lamentable Depravation of our nature since our first Father affected too much knowledge to be like God knowing good and evil We are now our own worst enemies and our corruptions begins at our selves It is a question yet no great question Whither Adams understanding or his affections were first corrupted This is certain that both wayes now we are subject to corruption Sometimes the head corrupts the heart A corrupt judgement corrupts the affections Without sound knowledge the minde is not good Prov. 19.2 Sometimes the heart affections or conscience corrupt the judgement As it is in nature there is a mutual influx or influence of the head upon the stomack by distillations of ill humors and of the stomack upon the head by ascension of ill somes or vapors and both wayes the health of the body is endangered So is it in the soul a corrupt head or an ill principled judgement corrupts the heart and life evil doctrines as evil words corrupt good manners like Gangrens that eat and fret away the vitals of Religion and the power of Godliness The Apostle was speaking of some that were infected with this cursed principle That there should be no resurrection What influence would this doctrine have upon the heart and life See vers 32. Let us eat and drink for to morrow we dye and there an end of us and all Be not deceived sayes he evil communications evil doctrinal principles corrupt good manners 1 Cor. 15.33 The judgement thus corrupted corrupts the heart and life And contrarily a corrupt heart or life corrupts the head some evil practises sophisticate the judgement and both wayes the health and salvation of the soul is hazarded Use 2. To manifest the Reason of the prevalence of of errors at all times 2. We may cease to wonder for we see the reason why seducers prevail so much upon people and why the Church in all times hath been pestered with so much error and false opinions The hearts and lives of men corrupt their heads and judgements Not to look too far back into the Primitive times see it of latter dayes in the prevalence of Popery upon the world The Apostle foretold it should come to pass in the last dayes 1 Tim. 4.1 The spirit speaketh evidently that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith and shall give heed no errors and doctrines of divels which speak lies through hypocrisie What 's the occasion of it Having their consciences seared with an hote iron Their consciences were scorched and seared with grose sins and then they corrupted the faith to heal them whole again So 2 Thess 2.10 Because they received not the love of the truth therefore God sent them strong delusion that they should believe a lye vers 12. They believed not the truth Why because they had pleasure in unrighteousness We wondered of late times to see so many not simple people onely but learned Clerks and Rabbies to turn Pâ—pists Arminians Cosin-germanes of Papists we needed not if we had considered that their hearts were gone to Rome before and now their heads followed after Were they well examined many of them it would be found they first put away a good conscience before they made shipwrack of the Faith their hearts betrayed their heads Many of them were it s known they were covetous ambitious voluptuous and Popery hath baits of all sorts to catch them that great Harlot and mother of fornications hath a golden cup full of preferments profits pleasures and this made mens heads drunk and giddy to embrace the grossest errors obsurdities for truths Look upon these present times and see what defection from the Faith there is and what sad Apostacy from the old received Truths is to be found amongst us and that not of the common ignorant multitude though they are a daily prâ—y to seducers but of old professors who had not onely knowledge in the word as they thought but also a form of godliness in the worst times Our Church of England I mean the professing party in it seemed to me not long ago as a fair great looking glass wherein was represented one onely Image a sweet unanimity and uniformity in judgement and affections But now Oh pitty it s like the same glass broken into many pieces and every one presenting a several Image in so many sects and factions almost as men What may be the matter Truely I think mens hearts have betrayed their heads They had a form and but a form of Godliness denying the power thereof allowing themselves in some open or secret corruption and now justly delivered over to self-pleasing and self-deceiving errors Have you not seen in Summer time upon a tree an Apple or a Pear red and yellow-ripe afore all its fellows Come next morning and you find it on the ground What was the matter Why there was a worm as opening you find at the Core which sucking up all the moysture hastaned the outward ripening and drew away that very sap that should have preserved it on the tree So is it with many professors that in outward shews outrun many times sincere and honest hearted Coristians making a more glorious shew of knowledge and practise then other of their neighbors the stony ground brought forth fruit immediately the good ground with patience but there 's a worme of some lust within that eats out the heart of Religion hypocrisie hastening on to ripeness of profession and then they fall off from the Faith to error It were easie to instance in almost all the present errors and heterodoxe opinions of the times they are oftentimes entertained upon this very ground because they comply with and favor some open or secret lust The Apostle speaking of some novel opinions of those Primitive times so early they began calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 profane as well as vain bablings 2 Tim. 2.16 and sayes they grow to more ungodliness Mark it they suppose and finde profane and ungodly hearts and make them more profane and ungodly hearts that intertain them Do we not see the open looseness of many formerly professing hypocrites as the event discovers Do we not wonder at such and such zealous professors turned not onely erroneous in their judgements but loose and far more licentious in their lives since they fell to these new opinions Take but some few instances of taking opinions which in their very nature are suitable to some mens corruptions I told you heretofore of Hymeneus and Philetus who fell into a gross error Saying that the Resurrection was past already 2 Tim. 2.17 18. And the doctrine took exceedingly Whose words fretted like a Gangrene and overturned and subverted the faith of some And have not we the same errors revived now of
retaineth her How careful are your merchants of the meanest commodities if but Corn or Coals c. to see them safe shipped in a good ship much more if loaden with precious merchandize Silk and Velvets Silver and Gold and precious stones would any wise man trust these in a rotten leaking Ship The application is easily made Faith is this Jewel your consciences are the Ship if you desire to bring your Treasure safe to land have a care of the Ship your conscience that it be sound and safe If you put away a good conscience you must needs make shipwrack of the Faith this incomparable Jewel That 's the first consideration 2. The Ship it self is next considerable A good ship is long in making 2. The goodness of the ship a good conscience great pains and costs in rearing and rigging of it and the use and comfort of it in a long and hard Seafare is of great concernment as a bad one fills with great fears A good conscience which is here compared to the Ship is a thing long in making and cost much to make it good The blood of Christ to purge it from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9.14 much pains and labor to keep it good Act. 24.16 Herein I exercise my self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to have alwayes a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men And for the use of it in this our Seafare where we meet with storms and pyrates and shelves and rocks c. nothing more safe and comfortable then a good conscience good with the goodness of integrity that will keep it good with the goodness of tranquility A good conscience is a continual feast Prov. 15.15 And our Apostle who was literally in perils by Sea as well as by land 2 Cor. 11.26 and was often tossed with the tempests of persecution from the knowledge of the goodness of his ship could sing in a storm as if he had been in Noahs Ark This is our rejoycing the Testimony of our conscience that in simplicity godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom we have had our conversation in the world 2 Cor. 1.12 The Psalmist sings it out Ps 119.165 Great is the peace which they have who love thy law and nothing shall offend them or they shall have no stumbling blocks as the original bears it Nothing shall offend them is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more is meant then spoken they are much pleased delighted ravished with the peace of a good conscience But who would venture to Sea in a torn crackt weather-beaten ship having neither Sails nor Anchor nor ballast There is no worse hell on earth then an ill conscience especially in troublous and suffering times Witness Judas Spira c. It is reported of some that have run through all the Sects to the very Ranters that they lye under the horrors of hell roaring and crying there is no mercy for them I could wish they that first lead them out of the way might be sensible of this wrong Have a care therefore of this Ship that is of so great concernment 3. The passenger or Pilot of the ship 3. The worth of the passenger the soul is of special consideration to commend yea command the looking well to the Ship who is either sav'd or lost with it If the Ship and Merchandize miscarry the person in it is in danger of perishing with them He that is careless of a good conscience doth not onely loose his Merchandize the Faith but himself also even his own soul That 's a dreadful place 2 Pet. 2.1 3. False teachers shall privily bring in damnable heresies denying the Lord that bought them as some now do and bring upon themselves swift destruction Whose judgement now of a long time lingreth not and their damnation slumbreth not In the next verse to my text there are a couple of Apostates Himeneus and Alexander delivered unto Satan by a censure of excommunication that they might learn not to blaspheme The Church for want of a settled government hath not now this power but God does it immediately or mediately mediately by some Instruments of Satan It 's reported and by some confessed that by sorceries and potions and such like Satan hath really and actually had possession of them immediately God does it by giving men up to their own lusts which is worse then if delivered into the actual possession of Satan That place speaks the very terrors of hell to men that have put away a good conscience 2 Thess 2.10 11 12. Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lye that all they might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness Therefore for the passengers sake your own souls sake look well to the ship to keep a good conscience lose one and lose both 4. The sad examples of shipwrack in others 4. The sad and lamentable examples of shipwracks that are before our eyes and upon record goodly ships and richly laden that have miscarryed in sight of the Haven Here are two in the next verse of whom is Himeneus and Alexander and 2 Tim. 2. Philetus and Demas cap. 4.10 anciently and thousands more upon our own shore lye wreckt and broken to pieces who have not onely split the ship a good conscience but made shipwrack of the Faith and are themselves drowning in the Sea of perdition if God be not the more merciful to them Let these be as so many Seamarks to us all to cry Hold faith and above all if you will hold the Faith get and keep a good conscience But some concern 2. To the Ministers of God 2. The Ministers of God who represent and succeed Timothy in his office as Pilots of the Church It concerns them above others to hold Faith and a good conscience together especially to hold the latter if they intend to hold the former I shall propound but these considerations to perswade to it very briefly 1. The heart is very deceitful 1. How easie a thing it is for our hearts to deceive us if not diligently examined and observed we may strongly believe we have a good conscience when it is clean otherwise Paul himself sometimes was cheated by his own heart I verily thought with my self that I ought to do many things contrary to the Name of Jesus of Nazareth Act. 26.9 He thought it conscience but it was persecution His conscience was mislead to maintain his old way with persecution of the professors of the Gospel There is a way sayes Solomon that seems right unto a man but the end thereof are the wayes of death Prov. 16.25 There are many wayes which may seem to us to be the wayes of Christ which are in a more general notion the wayes of Antichrist There may be coloured covetousness as the Apostle calls it or secret ambition pride 1
like a webb or cataract as they call it that covers the sight of the eye of the soul And therefore the Apostle makes repentance which is the removal of those lusts the way to saving knowledge 2 Tim. 2.25 If at any time God will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the Truth It was well said of a Divine of ours that Repentance is the Ministers best Comment upon his text and the hearers best Comment upon the Sermon So 2 Cor. 3.16 speaking of the Jews When their heart shall be turned to the Lord by true repentance the vail of ignorance and blindness shall be taken away Hence are those promises of knowledge made to the Godly Psal 25.14 The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and he will shew them his Covenant and before that vers 9. The meek will he guide in judgement and the meek will he teach his way And verse 12. What man is he that feareth the Lord him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose So Solomon Eccles 2.26 To him that is good in his sight God giveth wisdom and knowledge And our Saviour himself See Joh. 8.31 32. Joh. 7.17 If any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God or whither I speak of my self If a man resolve to hold the truth unrighteousness Rom. 1.18 2 Tim. 2.6 7. not letting it break out in his practice God will not do that man the honor to let him know the truth we our selves would not impart our skill to such Schollars as we know would not make use of it It was as Chrysostome well observes a strange thing that David so wise a man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys Tom. 1. pag. 697. and a Prophet should go about to hide his sin not onely from men but prehaps from God too He gives the reason of it Though he was a Prophet yet lust had blinded his eyes and darkned his understanding That 's the first 2. They put out Natural and Artificial light 2. Sinful lusts put out natural and artificial light All sin is of an infatuating and darkening nature it either finds or makes men fools It is not for nothing that sinners are so often called fools and sin folly by Solomon and others or that sins are called by the name of ignorances Heb. 9.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the errors or ignorances of the people They are mutual causes one of another many if not most sins are caused from ignorance Father forgive them they know not what they do and much ignorance is procured from sin Nemo malus nisi stultus enim saperet bonus esse mallet Salv. If men were not foolish they would never venture to sin and if some did not sin so much they should be wiser then they are no man sayes Salvian is evil but a fool for if he were wise he would be good Sins are called darkness and works of darkness because as they proceed from so they end in darkness inward darkness of the mind and outter darkness of death and hell without repentance As the crude and cold darkness of the night thickens the clouds and those clouds thickned increase the darkness of the night So the ignorance of men casts them into lusts and those lusts blind their reason and judgement See it in the Gentiles Rom. 1.21 22. Because when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankful they became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened professing themselves to be wise they became fools Grosse fools against the very light of nature as appears in the next verse They changed the glory of God the incorruptible into an image made like corruptible man and to birds and four footed beasts and creeping things So the Apostle of some others Eph. 4.18 Having their understanding darkened How 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the hardness of their hearts An hard and callous humor grow over their eyes by customary sinning as it follows Being past feeling they gave themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness Our own experience may afford us examples of this kind too many Men of excellent parts of Nature Art Learning besotted and befooled in their Judgements and given over to as vile errors as lusts well therefore called deceitful lusts Eph. 4 2◠or lusts of deceit because they seduce and deceive their owners 3. Sinful lusts if they do not put out the light of reason 3. They corrupt Reason and turn it against the Truth yet they corrupt and bribe it and imploy the strength of it to defend themselves and oppose the truth See that place 1 Tim. 6.4 If any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholesome words c. He is puffed up and dotes so we read it the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is sick and as sick stomacks desire unwholsome food so a sin-sick soul cannot endure sound doctrine as he speaks of others 2 Tim. 4.3 but studious how to plead for his own lusts and errors So the Apostle adds Whence cometh envy strife c. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perverse disputings and wranglings of men of corrupt minds So corrupt that they esteem gain to be godliness How comes this to pass Why they dispute and distinguish themselves into these groses opinions So that lusts not onely corrupt reason but turn the edge of it against the truth to maintain gainful errors and practices study new distinctions and new niceties to qualifie the grossest obsurdities We could hardly believe this did we not see it in experience The Church of Rome first plotted a Religion full of superstitious formalities to uphold their own lusts pride ambition covetousness voluptuousness and then set their best wits on work to maintain it with nice distinctions and Scholastical speculations deceiving their followers so long that at last they deceived themselves and believed their own delusions to be truths So it hath been I fear with some of the Arminian and Socinian party who the better to maintain their own lusts have patronized with much subtilty those Pleagian doctrines of Vniversal Redemption Freewill c. And divers practices formerly condemned by all Divines or the most as usury c. are now studied and upheld by soft distinctions and tender qualifications c. 4. They corrupt the Affections 4. Sinful lusts allowed c. corrupt the affections and they corrupted corrupt the judgement All judgement we use to say is lost when the Affections are trusted with the Resolutions of the case From hence the affections corrupted proceeds First a strangeness to the light He that evil does and loves to do it comes not to the light least his deeds should be reproved Joh. 3.20 or discovered to be evil He that doth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God Can a thief or deceiver love or like
c. They cannot give any reasonable account I my self have known some that were Zealous Anabaptists and the like who could sufficiently finde Language to cry down a Steeple-house and Tythes and raile at the Ministry who were so farre from speaking the Language of Scripture in pâ—ainest principles that they could not speake reason or sense in their common discourse Little do most men thinke or know what desperate ignorance there is to be found in most ordinary people No marvell if Seducers by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple Rom. 16.18 2. Pride if they have gotten any more then ordinary knowledge pride of parts pride of gifts confidence of Spirit nimblenesse of fancy volubility of Tongue c. these puffe up self conceited Novices wâ—th scorn and arrogance that they thinke themselvâ—s abler then their Teachers and wiser then 7 men yea 7 Ministers that are able to render a Reason for what they say or do These young Lapwings runne away with the shell on their head and forget by whom they had their hatching These turn Teachers and Preachers and scorn and disdain those from whom they borrowed their light Nothing so much discovers a light and a vaine head and the Levitie and falsity of their waies as first that pride and scorn manifested to all not of their own way and that railing and reviling of men far better then themselves for wisdome and pietie Truth makes men humble especially to those supposed to be in errour and that meerly out of conscience shewing all meekness to all men for we ourselves were sometime foolish deceived c. Tit. 3.3 But marke St Peters description of those false Teachers who should bring in damnable Heresies 2 Pet. 2.10.12 Presumptuous are they self-willed they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities these speak evil of the things they understand not c. That 's a second Pride 3. Hyprocrisie open or secret corruption of mens hearts doth often betray their heads into errours This is the subject of the following Sermon I must not here Anticipate my own discourse Only let me tell you my owne and others observation It is too well known that many I will not say most of them who have left the old truths for new and the old waies for others are sensibly grown far more loose and remisse in the practicall parts of Religion then they were before they departed from us even some of those who pretend to the purest way of Religion and strictest way of Church Government are become more carelesse of themselves and Famâ—liâ—s in secret and private duties Men and women that once durst not omit reading praying catechizing their families now can neglect all Holding it some of them a profanation for to teach their Chidren any Catechism or forme of Prayer or to speake of Scripture But generally which is observable all the Sests cry down the morality of the Sabbath make every day that is no day a Sabbath can make it a day of recreation or ease and neglect the Assemblies most of them except the Quakers who cry down pride and fashions upon another Monkish designe are as fashionable in their haire and habits as any the most vaine and garist amongst us and call it a part of their Christian Liberty what may be the cause of these Defections in opinion and practise I feare some secret lust or corruption of their hearts which accounted the former strictness and precisenesse of the way of Religion their burden and now is discovered by some Doctrines of Liberty Hence it is that they generally fly and forsake their old Teachers who know their lives and touch their lusts and seek out such as preach novell and high speculations with swelling words of vanity which never stoop so low as to touch their pride and wantonesse Covetousnesse and worldly mindedness c. But these things are more fully prosecuted in the following Sermon and I feare I have held you too long from it I commend it to your Honourable perusall and to the Blessing of God upon all that shall vouchsafe to reade it In him I am Right Honourable Your humble Servant for your furtherance in the truth Daniel Cawdry From my study July 23. 1655. A late Great SHIPWRACK OF FAITH Occasioned by the VVrack of Conscience 1 TIM 1.19 Which good Conscience some having put away concerning the Faith have made shipwrack AS the life of a Christian man in generall 1. The coherence in regard of the miseries of it So the life of a Man of God a Minister in speciall is compared to a wayfare to a warrefare to a Sea-fare To a wayfare and so the Minister is called a Guide Rom. 2.19 a Guide of the blinde To a warrefare and here he is called a Captaine or Leader Heb. 13.17 obey 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your Leaders To a Seafare in the metaphor of the text and then he may be called the Pilot of the ship the Church 2 Tim. 2.5 The Apostle makes use of two of these Metaphors in the former and this present verse there he bids him Warre a good warrefare as a chief Commander according to the prophesies which went before upon him Here he bids him as a Pilot take heed of a Shipwrack by the example of others that have miscarryed and prescribes the meanes for both Holding faith and a good conscience c. 2. The explication of the words to Faith taken For the explication of the words we shall enquire 1. What is meant here by Faith Faith is taken either Objectively for the Doctrine of Faith quam credimus which we do beleeve or Subjectively for the habit of Faith and that 1. 1. Objectively 2. Subjectively for the habit 1. Actively 2. Passively for Fidelity Actively Quâ credimus Deo whereby we beleeve in God 2. Passively Ob quam creditur nobis for which others believe and trust us that is Fidelity or faithfulness and so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is taken Gal. 5.22 The fruits of the Spirit are Love and Faith where it is taken not for justifying faith but for fidelity and faithfulness to others It is taken here in the first sense objectively for the Doctrine of Faith or Truth of the Gospel as the parrallel place manifests 2 Tim. 2.18 1 Tim. 6.21 Tit. 1.9 Faithful word speaking of Hymeneus one of the Apostates there and Philetus he sayes They have erred concerning the Truth as here they are said To have made shipwrack concerning the Faith 2. Good conscience two wayes 1. Of Tranquility 2. Of Integrity 2. What is meant by good conscience Conscience is nothing but a reflect Act of the soul upon it self applying Science or knowledge to a mans self and so approving or disproving accusing or excusing The goodness of the conscience is either the goodness of Tranquility a peaceable conscience or the goodness of integrity or sincerity a practical conscience walking according to its knowledge So Paul speaks
Church There must be heresies that these that are approved may be known The men that shall be discovered are largely described 2 Tim. 3.1 Lovers of themselves covetous boasters proud c. lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God Yet vers 5. Having a form or figure of godliness but denying the power thereof There are many already faln away to believe lies and strong delusions upon those corrupt practises and assure your selves you that are such will not be long after them if God put not a stop to the seducers of the times Let no man say Am I a dogge that I should fall to such gross opinions such horrid blasphemies such Ranting practises Assure thy self thy corrupt heart will easily corrupt thy head If men be openly vitious or secretly hypocritical and withhold the truth in unrighteousness it is not more ordinary 2 Thess 2.11 12. then just with God to give them up to believe a lie that all they may be damned that believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness And they that cannot endure sound doctrine the old wholesome truths because it suites not with their lusts 2 Tim. 4.3 4. it is just with God that as they turn their ears from the truth so they shall be given unto fables That any secret or open hypocrites are not yet seduced they may thank the providence of God that hath preserved them from the opportunities of Temptations Heb. 3.12 and not their own strength An evil heart of unbelief will cause men to depart from the living God Look to it Christians that you be sincere and keep a good conscience if not these are winnowing and discovering times you will ere long I dare be your Prophet you will ere long make shipwrack of the faith Avolent quantum volent paleae istae levis fidei c. I le say no more of this but in Tertullians words Let the chaff flye away as much as it will the wheat will be the more in the floor of God and we shall be the fitter for a Reformation Use 4. A caution to people whom they trust in matters of Religion Mat. 7.16 4. This may serve for Caution a fair warning to people to take heed whom they trust in matters of Faith and Religion Beloved sayes Saint John 1 Joh. 4.1 believe not every spirit but try the spirits whither they are of God for many false spirits are gone out into the world How shall we try them By their fruits you shall know them Take heed of crediting too much those men those Teachers whom you see loose and corrupt in their lives and given over to Liberty or rather licentiousness It s twenty to one they are or will be unsound in their Judgements who are unsound in their practise at least in that particular wherein they allow themselves Will any man ask the advice or rest upon the Judgement of a Covetous man concerning Vsury Or of a voluptuous man concerning Temperance and chastity Or of a Libertine concerning strictness of conversation c. Nay it is just with God when Teachers are corrupted in their lives in any one of those or the like lusts to give them up to errors in judgement to blind their own eyes and so let them be blind leaders of the blind It s true indeed sometimes false Prophets come in sheeps clothing the greatest seducers and Hereticks have been men visible of very strict lives that its hard for people to discover them without very serious observation Yet a diligent watchful eye may do much The Scribes and Pharisees had a very devout and Saint-like profession But yet our Saviour both discerned and discovered them by a more spiritual sin if I may so call it that is by their pride They prayed fasted gave alms devoutly frequently charitably but all to be seen of men pride and popularity was their lust and corruption And this was very visible in the Ancient Hereticks very proud and scornful Thus they say Augustine the Monke that was sent over into England was discovered by the advice of an holy Hermite not to be a man of God And this vice is visible to half an eye in many of our new Teachers and many of their followers they are a proud and scornful generation undervaluing and trampling upon the reputation of the most not onely learned but pious and Godly Ministers of the former and present times I say no more By their fruits you shall know them Take heed whom you trust 5. The last Use shall be for Exhortation to all Use 5. Exhortation to all both Ministers and people To be careful to hearken to the Apostles charge to Timothy To hold Faith and a good Conscience together and as we desire or intend not to make shipwrack of the Faith so to see that we keep a good Conscience As you tender the preservation of the Jewel look well to the Cabinet the better heart the better head For the more profitable pressing home of this Doctrine give me leave to enlarge my self a little First by a more particular d scovery of some special corruptiâ—ns which experimentally Shipwrack the Faith Secondly by urging some special motives to people and Ministers Thirdly by prescribing some directions to preserve from Apostacy 1. The special corruptions By discovering some special corruptions as 1. Covetousness that most endanger the Faith to corrupt our Judgements are these 1. Covetousness nothing worse to corrupt the Faith then an heart exercised with covetousness as the Apostle Peter speaks and notes it for one of the vices of false Teachers 2 Pet. 2.1 3. Through covetousness shall they with fained words make merchandize of you with 14 15. Which forsaking the right way have gone astray following the way of Balaam which loved the wages of unrighteousness So Saint Paul expresly The love of money is the root of all evil which while some have lusted after they have erred concerning the Faith 1 Tâ—m 6.10 So he describes those Cretian seducers Tit. 1.10 11. There are many disobedient and vain talkers and deceivers which subvert whole houses teaching things which they ought not for filthy lucre sake And therefore he prescribed this as one necessary qualification both of his Bishop or Presbyter for both are one vers 5. with 7. and also of his Deacon that they be not given to filthy lucre not covetous 1 Tim. 2.3 to this end that he may hold fast the faithful word Tit. 1.9 Implying that if he be such he would soon corrupt the Faith The holding of the Faith may cost him the loss of all his estate Will a covetous heart suffer that The Prophet Jeremy saw the experience of this in his time Jer. 6.13 14. For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness and from the Prophet to the Priest every one dealeth falsly Wherein In the Faith so it follows They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people