rorists, whilst the defignis but forming and projecting, he should meet with little to raife his jealoufy. They Ipeak in generals, and guard their difcourfes with political reterves. You fhall not fee, though you feem to fee the tendency of their discourfes. Hence the apostle faith, 2 Pet. ii. 1. apeicažzow, They fball privily Lor covertly] bring in damnable herefies: As the boy in Plutarch, being afked by a stranger, What is that you carry fo closely under your cloak? wittily anfwered, You may well know that, I intend you fhall not know it by my fo carrying it. Obferv. 16. Nothing gives more countenance and increase to error, than a weak and feeble defence of the truth against it *. The ftrength of error lies much in the weakness of the advocates and defendants of truth. Every friend of truth is not fit to make a champion for it. Many love it, and pray for it, that cannot defend and difpute for it. I can die for the truth (faith the martyr) but I cannot difpute for it. Zuinglius blamed Caroloftadius for undertaking the controverfy of that age, because (laid he) non habuit fatis humerorum, his shoulders were too weak for the burthen. It can be faid of few, as Cicero fpeaks of one, Nullam unquam in difputationibus rem defendit, quam non probarit; nullum oppugnavit, quem non everterit: i. e. He undertook no cause in difputation, which he could not defend; he opposed no adverfary, but could overthrow him. Here is a rare and happy difputant, who can clear and carry every point of truth, of which he undertakes the defence. It were happy for the church, if the abilities and prudence of all her friends were commenfurate and equal to their love and zeal. Every little foil, every weak might not be compelled to live holy. Coacta et invita pietas, they mentioned it with diflike; but when grown in power, facti infolentes orthodoxis inferebant, infomuch that Dukitius the tribune was fain to defend the orthodox against them with an army. * Some not being fufficiently inftructed in heavenly knowledge could not answer the oppofers of truth, who abjected, that it is a thing either impoffible or incongruous that God fhould inclofe himself within the womb of a woman, &c. by all which things, when they had not fufficient capacity or learning to defend truth and refute error, (for they had not thorough infight into the import and reafon of fuch things) they were misled from the right way, corrupted heavenly knowledge, and compofed to themselves a new system of doctrine that had no Foot or flability, Lastan. book 4. chap. 30. concerning Herefies, or impertinent answer of a friend to truth, is quickly turned into a weapon to wound it the deeper. Obferv. 17. Errors of judgment are not cured by compulfion and external force, but by rational conviction, and proper Spiritual remedies. Bodily fufferings rather fpread than cure intellectual errors. I deny not but fundamental herefies, breaking forth into open blafphemies against God, and feditions in the civil ftate, ought to be reftrained. It is no way fit men should be permitted to go up and down the world with plague-fores running upon them. Nor do I understand why men should be more cautious to preferve their bodies than their fouls. But I fpeak here of fuch errors as may confist with the foundations of the Christian faith, and are not deftructive of civil government. They take the ready way to spread and perpetuate them, that think to root them out of the world by fuch improper and unwarrantable means as external force and violence. The wind never caufes an earthquake, 'till it be pent in, and reftrained from motion. We neither find, nor can imagine, that those church or state Exorcifts fhould ever be able to effect their end, who think to confine all the fpirits of error within the circle of a fevere uniformity. Fires, prifons, pillories, ftigmatizings, mutilations, whippings, banishments, &c. are the Popish topics to confute errors. It is highly remarkable that the world, long ago, confented for the avoiding of diffent in judgment, to enflave them felves and their pofterity to the moft fatal and deftructive herefy that ever it groaned under. It is a rational and proper obfervation, long fince made by Lactantius, Quis mihi imponat neceffitatem credendi quod nolim, vel non credendi, quod velim? i. e. Who can force me to believe what I will not, or not to believe what I will? The rational and gentle spirit of the gospel, is the only proper and effectual method to cure the difeafes of the mind. Obferv. 18. Erroneous doctrines, producing divifions and fierce contentions amongst Christians, prove a fatal stumbling-block to the world, fix their prejudices, and obftruct their converfion to Chrift |. They diffolve the lovely union of the faints, and thereby fcare off the world from coming into the church. This is evi Many enemies to Chriftianity, from hatred to the Chriftians for their abolishing the Gentile fuperftition, flocked to the Nicene fynod that they might find fome whom they might mock. Say the Cen turifts. deatly implied in that prayer of Chrift, John xvii. That all his people might be one, that the world might believe the Father had fent him. There is, indeed, no juft caufe for any to take offence at the Chriftian reformed religion, because so many errors and herefies fpring up among the profeffors of it, and divide them into fo many fects and parties; for, in all this, we find no more than what was predicted from the beginning, Cor. xi. 18, 19. "I hear there be divifions among you, and I partly "believe it: for there must be alfo herefies among you," &c. And again, Acts xx. 30. " Alfo of your own felves fhall men arife, "speaking perverfe things, to draw away difciples after them "*. The very fame things ftrongly confirm the Chriftian religion, which wicked men improve to the reproach and prejudice of it. When Celfus objected to the Chriftians the variety and contrariety of their opinions: faying, Were we willing to turn Chriftigns, we know not of what party to be, feeing you all pretend to Chrift, and yet differ fo much from one another. Tertullian, the Christian Apologist, made him this wife and pertinent reply, "We are not troubled that herefies are come, feeing it was "predicted that they must come t." These things destroy not the credibility of the Chriftian religion, but increase and confirm it, by evidencing to the world the truth and certainty of Chrift's predictions (which were quite beyond all human forefight) that as foon as his doctrine should be propagated, and a church raised by it, errors and herefies fhould spring up among them, for the trial of their faith and conftancy. : Nevertheless, this no way excufes the finfulness of errors and divifions in the church. Chrift's prediction neither infufes, nor excufes the evil predicted by him for what he elsewhere speaks of fcandals, is as true in this cafe of errors; "These things "must come to pass, but wo be to that man by whom they come." Obferv. 19. How fpecious and taking foever the pretences of error be, and how long foever they maintain themselves in efteem among men, they are fure to end in the lofs and flame of their authors and abettors at last ‡. Above all things it is proper for us to know that Chrift himself and his amballadors have foretold that many fects and Herefies fhould arife, which would break the peace of his facred body, and have ad. monished us to watch with the greatest prudence, left at any timewe fhould fall into the nets and fnares of that adversary of ours, with whom God requires us to contend. Lactan. book 4. chap. 30. + Herefes non dolemus veniffe, quia novimus effe predictas, ‡ Athanafius writes, that after the fhameful death of Arius, very many Truth is a rock that the waves of error dash against, and evermore return in froth and foam: Yea, they foam out their own fhame, faith the apostle, Jude 13. What Tacitus spake of crafty counfels, I may as truly apply to crafty errors: "They "are pleafant in their beginning, difficult in their manage"ment, and fad in their event and iffue*." Suppose a man have union with Chrift, yet his errors are but fo much hay, wood, straw, stubble, built, or rather endeavoured to be built upon a foundation of gold; this the fiery trial burns up; the author of them fuffers lofs; and though himfelf may be faved, yet fo as by fire, 1 Cor. iii. 12, 13, 14, 15. the meaning is, he makes a narrow escape. As a man that leaps out of an houfe on fire, from a window or battlement, with great difficulty faves his life; just so errorists shall be glad to quit their erroneous opinions, which they have taken so much pains to build, and draw others into and then, oh what a fhame muft it be for a good man to think, how many days and nights have I worfe than wafted to defend and propagate an error, which might have been employed in a closer study of Christ, and mine own heart! Keckerman relates a story of a vocal flatue, which was thirty years a making by a cunning ar tift, which, by the motion of its tongue with little wheels, wires, &c. could articulate the found, and pronounce an entire fentence. This ftatue faluting Aquinas, furprized him, and at one stroke he utterly deftroyed the curious machine, which exceedingly troubled the fond owner of it, and made him fay, with much concernment, "Thou haft at one stroke de"ftroyed the ftudy and labour of thirty years +." Befide, what fhame and trouble, muft it be to the zealous promoters of errors, not only to caft away fo vainly and unprofitably their own time and ftrength, which is bad enough," but also to enfuare and allure the fouls of others into the fame, or worse mischief: for though God may fave and recover you, those that have been misled by you, may perish. Obferv. 20. If ever errors be cured, and the peace and unity of the church established, men must be convinced of, and acquainted with the occafions and caufes both within and without themselves, from whence their errors do proceed; many of those who had been deceived by him returned to foundness in the faith. * Confilia callida prima specie læta, tractatu dura, eventu tristia. + Keck. Phyf. p. 16. Albertus Magnus. Uno ictu opus triginta annorum deftruxifti. and muft both know, and apply the proper rules and remedies for the prevention or cure of them. There is much difference betwixt an occafion, and a proper caufe; these two are heedfully to be diftinguifhed. Critical and exact hiftorians, as Polybius and Tacitus, diftinguish betwixt the px, and the air, the beginning occafions, and the real caufes of a war; and fo we ought, in this cale of errors, carefully to diftinguish them. The most excellent and innocent things in the world, fuch as the Scriptures of truth, the liberty of Chriftians, the tranquillity and peace of the church (as you will hear anon) may, by the fubtilty of Satan working in conjunction with the corruptions of mens hearts, become the occafions, but can never be the proper culpable causes of errors. Accordingly, having made these twenty remarks upon the nature and growth of errors (which cannot fo well be brought within the following rules of method) I fhall, in the next place, proceed in the discovery both of the mere occafion, as also of the proper culpable caufes of errors, together with the proper preventives, and most effectual remedies, placed together in the following order. Divine Per million. The occafion. The holy God, who is a God of truth, Deut. xxxii. 4. and hateth errors, Rev. ii. 6. the God of order, and hates confufions and fchifms in his church, 1 Cor. xiv. 33. is yet pleafed to permit errors and herefies to arife, without whofe permiffion they could never fpring. And this he doth for the trial of his people's faith and conftancy, and for a spiritual punishment upon some men for the abufe of his known truths; and by the permiffion of thefe evils, he advanceth his own glory, and the good of his church and people. Auguftine anfwers that question, Why doth not God, fince he hates errors, fweep them out of the world? Becaufe (faith he) it is an act of greater power to bring good out of evil, than not to fuffer evils to be at all. Satan's defign in errors, is to cloud and darken God's name and precious truths; to deftroy the beauty, strength, and order of the church. But God's ends in permitting and fending errors, are (1.) To plague and punish men for their abuse of light, 2 Theff. ii. 11. "For this caufe God fhall fend them "ftrong delufions," &c. (2.) To prove and try the fincerity and conftancy of our hearts, Deut. xiii. 1, 3. 1 Cor. xi. 19 And laftly, By these things the faints are awakened to a more diligent fearch of the Scriptures, which are the more critically read and examined upon the trial of fpirits and doctrines by them, VOL. IV. E e |