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A95966
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The corruption of minde. Described in a sermon preached at Pauls the 24. day of June, 1655. / By Richard Vines, preacher of Gods word at Laurence-Jury, London.
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Vines, Richard, 1600?-1656.
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1655
(1655)
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Wing V549; ESTC R203881
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10,383
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24
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THE CORRUPTION OF MINDE DESCRIBED In a Sermon preached at Pauls the 24. day of June 1655. By RICHARD VINES Preacher of Gods Word at Laurence-Jury London 2 COR. 2. 17. We are not as many which corrupt the Word of God but as of sincerity but as of God speak we in Christ LONDON Printed for Abel Roper at the Sun over against St. Dunstans Church in Fleet-street The Corruption of Minde DESCRIBED 2 Cor. 11. 3. But I fear lest by any meanes as the Serpent beguiled Eve by his subtilty so your mindes should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 towards Christ AS the mother of Christ truly was so the Church of Christ may be truly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Clem. Alex. saith a virgin mother The fruitfulness of her womb to bring forth children unto God The fulness of her breasts to bring them up unto God speak her a mother The simplicity of the faith chastity of worship sincerity of love integrity of life speak her a virgin Christ answers the type of him the high Priest Levit. 21. 14. A widow or a harlot he shall not take but he shall take a virgin to wife And therefore it is the scope of the Gospel-Ministers whom God sends as Abraham did his servant with Commission to procure a wife for his son 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to fit and treat a match to espouse chaste virgins unto Christ ver 2. Which scope if we do but carry in our eye and aime at in our Ministery we should avoid the too much used folly and imbrace the successfull foolishness of Gospel-preaching We may justly ask the cause of our Apostle his feare lest this Corinthian virgin should become a Thais for unjust suspition is a kind of slander to chastity and the question is how the Apostle could say I am jealous for the virgin was not espoused to him but Christs Ministers are but the spokes-men the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 treating for Christ 2 Cor. 5. 10. they neither sowe nor mowe for themselvs therefore he takes off the doubt in that expression I am jealous over you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with jealousie of God And he gives the reason The first Adams Eve was corrupted from her virgin righteousness and so may the second Adams espoused virgin the Corinthian Church be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ Eve by the Serpent which was Satanae leno the Devils pander The Corinthians by such Preachers as he describes to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Cor. 2 17. Corrupters of the Word as hucksters by their mixtures do jugulare vinum adulterate the viginity of good wine In these words you may consider two things 1 The object of the Apostle his fear 2 The instance or example whence he draws a similitude shewing the way and meanes of accomplishing that he feares 1 The thing he feares is the corruption and constupration of this espoused virgin which corruption he describes 1 By the seat of it the minde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lest your mindes be corrupted for the foul vessell corrupts the purest liquor corruption begins in the minde as they say the fish begins to stink at the head and we know defluxions from the head corrupt the vitals and lower region 2 The term a quo is the simplicity or chastity that is towards Christ which they had before and which is required in them that are espoused to Christ Jesus who are then corrupted when they generate and deviate from their simplicity of faith and worship for we cannot say of any of these virgins espoused to Christ as was said of that virgin the mother of our Lord that before they came together she was found to be with child by the holy Ghost 2 The instance or example made use of for describing the way of corrupting the minde from the simplicity that is in Christ is the first and ancientest example in the world lest by any meanes as the Serpent beguiled Eve c. This part of the Text contains the sicut and sic the As So and there are foure things in it As the Serpent that is Satan in his instrument for the Devil appears not in his own colours the Serpent doth not alwayes weare the same slough or skin the Devil sheaths himself in a fit case for his purpose for he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unsociable with man therefore hath his ministers ver 15. deceitful workers false Apostles and these instruments he puts on he tempts the proud by ye shall be as Gods the sensual by the promise liberty some by ostentation of holiness for there is a Pharisaical a monasticall a superstitious holiness a holiness of mans making he tempts Christ by Peter Come behinde me Satan 2 The Serpent beguiled the woman Eve for the woman by the Serpent the man by the woman the stronger by the weaker vessel the husband by the wife as the Angler takes the small fish by a worm and then that small fish taken doth become a bait for the greater fish so it is said of his agents they lead captive silly women they deceive the hearts of the sipmle Rom. 16. 18 3 The way of the Serpents deceiving the woman was by corrupting of her minde see its the Apostles observation 1 Tim. 2. 14. that not the man but the woman was deceived because she believed that God had enviously set them in a lower Orbe than they might be in if they eate of the fruit of that tree of knowledge 4 This deceiving of the woman was by subtilty as it appears by many respects wherein the serpent prevaricated the words of God and perverted their meaning this subtilty or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cogging of the dice is ascribed to deceivers Eph. 4. 14. The sum is The Gospel-state of the Church is called a new Creation I create a new heavens and a new earth in this new creation God hath set forth another Adam Jesus Christ out of this Adam dying as out of the first sleeping God hath formed a Church this Church is espoused to the Lord Christ as Eve was to the first as a chaste virgin and there are Serpents now as there was one then that attempt the corrupting of the virginity of this Church and therefore saith the Apostle But I fear c. From the first part of the text the thing feared I take up two Doctrines 1 The simplicity that is in Christ is to be holden untainted 2 The corruption of the minde is the cause of deviation or recess from that simplicity I begin with the first The virgin chastity of the soul espoused to Christ Jesus which loves not to be painted with any Fucus of meretricious gaudiness simpleness or simplicity in vulgar speech and sometimes in Scripture sounds towards foolish credulity or want of wit But in the true notion of the word it signifies a freedom from composition and so we call the simplicity of Gods being which is
thus expresses it Eccles 2. 18. being vainly pufft up in his fleshly minde 7 Unsuspitious credulity of others eminent in appearance of holiness doth at unawares enwrap many well meaning men The Novatians would not admit lapsed men to communion The Donatists would not beare with mixture in their Churches as they pretended both these sorts of men did bear a plausible shew of holinesse in their opinions but God doth not approve a holinesse of mans making for that which is indeed holinesse must have upon it Gods superscription Use For the Use of this Doctrine let me bespeak you in the words of S. Peter Epist 2. Cap. 3. Vers penult Take heed lest being led away by the errour of the wicked or of lawlesse men ye fall from your own stedfastnesse This Caveat I might enforce upon you from divers Topicks or places as namely the dangerousnesse of this disease which seizes on the head from whence as saith the Greek Proverb the fish doth first begin to be corrupted as also from the easinesse of being infected and from the difficulty of the cure but having spoke enough of the first of these I will onely use a few words concerning the two latter 1 It 's as easie to be infected as it is for sheep to catch the rot by feeding in rotten pastures and our experience shews us that one that angles with such baits catches more fish in a week than preaching of Christ and the simplicity of him will catch in some yeers for errour hath something in us as he that gave the reason for the faster growth of weeds than sweet herbs said that the soile was naturall mother to the one and but step-mother to the other 2 There is no simplicity of truth a multiplicity of errour the streight line between point and point can be but one the oblique lines many therefore it is easie to hang upon one tenter-hook or other that look so many and even contrary wayes 3 Errour is many times more specious to our shallow proud corrupt reason than the truth of God whose depths and mysteries cannot otherwise be answered then with Tu quis es 4 The mint-masters of errour do usually fashion their doctrines to flesh-pleasing and man-pleasing ye shall not easily finde that false prophets did preach the burdens of the Lord but rather as Peter observes 2 Pet. 2. 19. they promise liberty which is so taking a thing that looking humanely we may wonder that Christ preaching repentance self-deniall the crosse should gain any So much for the easiness of being infected then next a word for the difficulty of the cure 1 The cure is difficult because men are hard to be convinced of the sin and falshood if with zeal open profession they have maintained it therefore they in the Council of Trent as the history relates would hardly be drawn to admit of any recess from their former errours ne viderentur errasse lest they might seem to have erred and so weaken the credit of all they held before as the crack made in Ice useth to runne further then where it is first made But if in punishment upon them that receive not the truth in love God do give men up to efficacy of errour or do otherwise recompence their errour by delivering them up to vile affections and lusts Rom. 1. 27. who shall then pull off that fearfull seal of God that seals them up in stupidity and under a reprobate minde 2 Therein men are great lovers of their own fancies Amat quisque quod a se repertum est no mother but loves her own babe 3 A conceit that errors of minde are not sin as morall sins are but there are diseases of the head as well as seated in other parts And certainly these capitall distempers do great prejudice to practicall holiness being like suckers that bear no fruit but do divert and draw away the sap from the fruit-bearing branches So much for the first part the object of the fear lest the mindes of the Corinthians should be corrupted from the simplicity of Christ the second part is the resemblance of false teachers to the serpent and this manner of beguiling Eve by subtilty lest as the serpent c. From which words the Point is obvious Doct. 2. As Eve was beguiled by the subtilty of the serpent so are mens mindes corrupted by false teachers from the simplicity of Christ False Doctors Satanae lenones saith one they are Satans instruments as the serpent was the Devil his Pandors worsting to the deflowering of Christs espoused Virgins The wisdome of the serpent is commanded and warranted to Gods people the subtilty of the serpent is found in these subverters of the chastity of Doctrine I cannot I may not spend any time in this point for I have no sand left onely observe 1 That the defection the corruption of men principled with pure doctrine is feared Gospel-principles are not so much to be scanned by curiositie of reason as received in simplicity of faith 2 The Apostle alledges the most ancient example of corruption of minde that is in the world that which men call New Light is many times but some exploded errour furbisht up and old wayes are but acted once again There is properly no new truth but there may be new discoveries 3 What a sharp comparison doth he use to resemble false teachers unto the devil his first instrument used by him and therefore let no man temeraciously say they are holy men they aime at more refined degree of holinesse then others for it 's no wonder saith the Apostle that if Satan be transformed into an Angel of light his Ministers also be transformed or disguised as the Ministers of righteousnesse 4 The Serpent took Eve at the beginning and subtilly ravisht her of her integrity we must look to our selves it 's the usual time to set upon us in our infancy of knowledge either to disgrace the truth newly brought to light or to displant it before it do take root 5 That corrupters come with subtilty and have their slights Ephes 4. 14. they come with good words Rom. 16. 17. they beguile with enticing words Col. 2. 4. they speak lies in hypocrisie 1 Tim. 4. 2. they can wear the rough garment and sheeps cloathing Their subtilty may be observed in the Serpentine which they imitate 1 The serpent set upon the weaker sex and the Apostle saith they lead captive silly women 2 They are subtil in being modest at first miâ—â— erroris sunt verecunda Hath God said Gen. 3. saâ— the serpent the deceiver begins with queries rathâ—â— then down-right assertions 3 They will take their rise from Gods Word and rather wrest then deny it as the serpent here perverted those words the knowledge of good and evil to another sense and meaning 4 They promise magnificent and great things they promise them liberty saith Peter 2 Pet. 2. 18. Ye shall be as gods saith the serpent what great bubbles are usually spoken of glory joy familiarity with God c. 5 They comply with mans pride with self c. and fit the bait to the fish They allure through the lusts of the flesh c. 2 Pet. 2. 18. 6 They draw a man from practical obedience unto extrinsecal and meer empty speculations for the theorie is pleasant and easie but the truth is bitter 7 They bring points of faith to thebar test of captious reason God in the prohibition of this tree had shewn much arbitrariness of will to make probation of mans obedience therefore they ought not to have been arraigned coram non Judice as neither the cleer points of faith The time puls me by the eare and therefore for close as deceivers have the Serpents subtilty so get you the Serpents wisdom and if I were to prescribe prophylacticks or preservatives I would exhort you 1 To hold the head and so to fortifie the vitals from this epidemick infection Col. 2. 19. 2 To pursue practicall doctrine solid meat and let alone these sweet meats the tree of knowledge is fair to look on the tree of life better to feed on 3 Affect not things above the Word a holiness a zeal a knowledge above what is written Eve went some what further then Gods Word gave warrant when she replied neither shall ye touch it so there are many will say This is the holier way this is the better not having any Word for it 4. Avoid the house of infection the Fowlers net From such turn away saith the Scripture if the woman will confer with the Serpent you see what comes on it it 's the itch and pride after novelties that exposes us to temptations FINIS