"having itching ears." Nothing will please them but new notions, and new modes of language, and method, tone, and gefture.

Sound doctrine is the only fubftantial and folid food that nourishes and ftrengthens the heart of the new creature; but vain Sceptics nauseate and despise this as trite, vulgar, cheap, and low. Nothing humours them but novelties and rarities; their unfettled brains muft be wheeled about, διδαχαις ποίκιλαις και ξέναις, with diverfe and ftrange doctrines, Heb. xiii. 9. Novelty and variety are the only propertics that commend doctrines to wanton palates: Hence it is they fo boldly intrude into things they have not feen, Col. ii. 18. Thefe Cyril fitly calls T Toλpenpov uproτnla, the domineerings, or darings of bold fpirits.

The fchoolmen have filled the world with a thoufand ungrounded fancies, as the diftinct offices and orders of angels; and higher flights of fancy than thefe, which feem to be invented for no other end or ufe, but to please the itching ears of the curious.

There is not only a vefana temeritas Genethliacorum, a wild and daring rafhnefs of aftrologers, prefuming to foretel futu rities, and the fates of kingdoms, as well as particular perfons, from the conjunctions and influences of the ftars; but there is alfo found as high a prefumption and boldness among men in matters of religion.

Satan is well aware of this humour in men, and how exceeding ferviceable it is to his defign; and therefore, having the very knack of clawing and pleafing itching ears, with taking novelties, he is never wanting to feed their minds with a pleasing variety, and fresh fucceffion of them; new opinions are fill invented, and minted, in which the dangerous hooks of error are hid: if men were once cured of this fpiritual itch, and their minds reduced to that temper and fobriety, as to be pleased with, and biefs God for the plain revealed truths of the gospel, Satan would drive but a poor trade, and find but, few customers for his erroneous novelties.

The Remedies.

The proper remedies to cure this itch after novelty, or dangerous curiofity of the mind, are,

Remedy 1. Due reflection upon the manifold mischiefs that have entered into the world this way.

It was this curiofity, and defire to know, that overthrew our first parents, Gen. iii. 6. "When the woman faw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eye, and a "tree to be defired to make one wife; fhe took of the fruit

"thereof." The very fame way by which he let in the first error, he hath let thousands into the world fince that day. Nothing is more common in the world, than for an old error to obtain afresh under the name of new light. Satan hath the very art of turning ftale errors after the mode of the prefent times, and make them current and passable as new discoveries, and rare novelties.

Thus he puts off Libertinifin, the old fin of the world, under the title of Chriflian Liberty. What a troop of Pagan idolatrous rites were by this means introduced among the Papifts? A great part of popery is but Ethnicifmus redivivus, Heathenifm revived. The Pagans Pontifex maximus, was revived under the-new title of Pope. The Gentiles Luftrations in the Popish holy water. Their novendiale facrum, or facrifice nine days after the burial of the party, in the Popish Maffes for the dead. Their Alvarium Fratrum, in cloifters of Monks and Friars; their Enchanters, in Popish Exorcifts? their Afyla, in Popish Sanctuaries; with multitudes more of Pagan rites, quite out of date in Chriftendom, introduced again under new names in l'opery; as was intimated, Rev. xi. 2. and Rev. xiii. 15.

Remedy 2. Be fatisfied that God hath not left his people to feek their falvation, or fpiritual fubfiftance among curious, abftrufe, and doubtful notions; but in the great, folid, and plainly revealed truths of the gospel *, John xvii 3. "This is life eter"nal, that they may know thee the only true God, and Jefus "Chrift whom thou haft fent." In facili et abfoluto ftat aternitas: the great concerns of our falvation, are plain and easy to be understood.

Remedy 3. Vain curiofity is a dangerous faare of Satan: By fuch trifles as thefe, he devours our time, eats up our ftrength, and diverts our minds from the neceffary and most important business of religion. Whilft we immerse our thoughts in these pleafing, but barren contemplations, heart-work, closetwork, family-work, lie by neglected. Whilft we are employed in garnishing the dish with flowers, and curious figures, the cunning cheat takes away the meat our fouls fhould fubfift by.

Caufe. 8. Pride and arrogancy of human reafon is another evil difpofition, moulding and preparing the mind for errors.

What we may be ignorant of without a fault, we should not pry into with danger.

When men are once conceited of the ftrength and perfpicacity of their own carnal reafons and apprehenfions, nothing is more ufual than for fuch men to run mad, with reason, into a thou fand mistakes and errors. To this caufe Ecclefiaftical Hiftorians afcribe the errors that ipfeft the church

Reason, indeed, is the highest natural excellency of man; it exalts him above all earthly creatures, and, in its primitive perfection, almost equalized him with angels, Heb. ii. 7. The pleafures which refult from its exercifes and experiments, tranfcend all the delights and pleafures of sense, How common is it for men to dote upon their own intellectual beauty, and glory in their victories over weaker understandings? And though the reason of fallen men is greatly wounded and weakened by fin; yet it conceits itself to be as strong and clear as ever; and with Sampfon when his locks were thorn, goes forth as before time; being neither fenfible of its own weakness, or of the myfterious and unfearchable depths of scripture.

Reafon is our arbiter, and guide, by the inftitution and law of nature, in civil and natural affairs: 'Tis the beam, and standard, at which we weigh them: It is an home born judge, and king in the foul: Faith comes in as a stranger to nature, and fo it is dealt with, even as an intruder into reafon's province, just as the Sodomites dealt with Lot: It refufeth to be an underling to faith. Out of this arrogancy of carnal reason, as from Pandora's Box, fwarms of errors are flown abroad into the world.

By this means Socinianifm first flarted, and hath fince propagated itfelf. They look upon it as a ridiculous, and unac countable thing to reafon, that the Son fhould be co-equal, and co-eternal with the Father: That God (hould forgive fins freely, and yet forgive none but upon full fatisfaction. That Christ should make that fatisfaction by his fufferings, and yet be pars laefa, the party offended, and fo make fatisfaction to himfelf; with many more of the like ftamp.

Yea Atheism, as well as Socinianifm, are births from this

* Philofophy or the wisdom of human reafon, which always hath done very much hurt to religion, hath produced of itself not a few Herefies; for at that time philofopical ftudies chiefly flourished; and men by their own fubtilities, or (as they thought) demonstrations were fo confirmed in their opinions, that they thought nothing true which differed from their preconceived opinions. Magdeb in. Cent, 2. cap. 5. p. 56.

womb. 'Tis proud and carnal reason, which quarrels at the creation of the world, and feems to triumph in its uncontroulable maxim, Ex nihilo, nihil fit; Out of nothing, comes nothing. It looks upon the doctrine of the refurrection with a deriding fmile, as a thing incredible. It thinks it hard, and harsh, that God fhould command men to turn themfelves to him, and threaten them with damnation, in cafe of refufal; and yet, at the fame time, man should not have in himself a sufficient power, and a free will to do this, without the fupernatural, and preventing grace of God. It thinks it a ridiculous thing for fuch a great and folemn ordinance of God as baptifm is, to pass upon fuch a fubject as an infant of a week old, which is not capable to understand the ends and ufes of it. Hence it is fome over-heated zealots have not stuck to fay, That we have as good warrant, and reason to baptize cats, dogs, and horses, as we have to baptize infants *. Oh the madness of carnal reason! The remedies.

To take down the arrogance, and prevent the mifchief of carnal reasonings, let us be convinced,

Remedy 1. That it is the will of God, that reafon in all believers, thould refign to faith, and all ratiocination fubmit to revelation.

Reason is no better than an ufurper, when it prefumes to arbitrate matters belonging to faith and revelation. Reafon's proper place is to fit at the feet of faith, and instead of search-. ing the fecret grounds and reafons, to adore and admire the great and unfearchable myfteries of the gospel. None of God's works are unreasonable, but many of them are above reason. It was as truly, as ingenioufly faid by one; Never doth reason fhew itself more reafonable, than when it ceafeth to reafon about things that areabove reafon. "Where is the wife? Where is "the Scribe? Where is the difputer of this world? Hath not "God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in "the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God; "it pleased God, by the foolishness of preaching, to fave them "that believe," 1 Cor. i. 20, 21. 'Tis not reafon, but faith that must fave us.

* Mr. Samuel Clerk's Golden Apples. p. 149.

Man having finned by pride, the wifdom of God humbles him at the very root of the tree of knowledge, and makes him deny his own understanding, and fubmit to faith; or elfe for ever to lose his defired felicity. Laud. against Fifher. p. 5.

VOL. IV.

Hh

The wisdom of God in the gospel, is wisdom in a myttery, even hidden wildom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory, 1 Cor. ii. 7. Such wisdom, as the most eagleeyed Rationalifts, and famed Philofophers of the world underftood not. Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have "entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath "prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed

"them to us by his Spirit," ibid. ver. 9, 10.

Remedy 2. Be convinced of the weaknefs and deep corruption of natural reafon; and this will reftrain its arrogance, and make it modeft and wary.

A convinced and renewed foul, is confcious to itself of its own weakness and blindnefs; and therefore dares not pry audaciously into the arcana caeli, nor fummon the great God to its bar: It finds itfelf pofed by the mysteries of nature, and therefore concludes itfelf an incompetent judge of the mysteries of faith.

The arrogancy of reafon, is the reigning fin of the unregenerate; though it be a difeafe with which the regenerate themfelves are infected. When conviction fhall do its work upon the foul, the plumes of spiritual pride quickly fall; and it faith with Job, "Once have I fpoken, but I will fpeak no more; yea, "twice, but I will proceed no further," q. d. I have done, father, I have done; "I have uttered things that I understand not," Job xlii. 3. Spiritual illumination cures this ambition. Remedy 3. Confider the manifold mifchiefs and evils flowing from the pride of reafon.

It doth not only fill the world with errors and distractions, but it alfo invades the rights of heaven, and cafts a vile reflection upon the wifdom, fovereignty, and veracity of God. It lifts up itself against his wifdom, not confidering that "the "foolishnefs of God is wifer than men," I Cor. i. 25. It fpurns at his glorious fovereignty, not confidering that "he giveth no account of his matters," Job xxxiii. 13. It queons his veracity, in faying with Nicodemus, "How can thefe things be?" John iii. 9.

Caufe 9. The laft evil difpofition I fhall here take notice of in the fubject, is rafh and ignorant zeal; a temper preparing the mind both to propagate furiously, and receive eafily, erroneous doctrines and opinions.

When there is in the foul more heat than light, when a fer. vent fpirit is governed by a weak head; fuch a temper of fpirit Satan defires and fingles out as fitteft for his purpose, efpecially when the heart is gracelefs, as well as the understanding.