faithful servants. Thus he taught Korah, Dathan, and Abirani, to charge Moses and Aaron, ' Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation is holy,' Numb. xvi. 3, 16. They would make the people believe, that it was the pride of their heart to claim a monopoly to themselves, as if none but Aaron and his fraternity were holy enough to offer incense : and by this subtil practice they seduced, for a while, in a manner, the whole congregation to tlieir side. So the lying prophets, that were Satan's knights of the post to Ahab, fell foul on good Micaiah. Om- Saviour himself was no better handled by the Pharisees and their confederates; and Paul, the chief of the apostles, his ministry undermined, and his reputation blasted by false teachers, as if he had been some weak sorry preacher; 2 Cor. x. 10, ' His bodily presence is weak,' say they, ' and his speech contemptible;' and is this your admired man.'
Secondly, In covering their impostures and errors with choice notions and excellent truths. Arius himself, and other dangerous instruments of Satan, were too wise to stuff their discourses with noticing but heterodox matter : precious truths dropped from them, with which they sprinkled their corrupt principles, yet with such art as should not easily be discerned. This, as one observes, our Saviour warns his disciples of, when he bids them 'beware of the leaven of the Pharisees;' that is, of their errors. But why leaven ? For the secret mixture of it with the wholesome bread ; you do not make yoin* bread all of leaven, none would then cat it, but crumble a little into a whole batch, which sours all. Thus Christ doth tell the disciples, that tire Pharisees among many truths mixed their errors, and therefore it behoves them to beware, lest with the truth the error go down also. Again, leaven is very like the dough, of the same grain with it, only difters in age and sourness ; thus Christ intimates the resemblance of their errors to the truth, scraped, as it were, wit of the Scriptures, but soured with their false glosses. This indeed makes it easy for Christ's sheep to be infected with the scab of error, because that weed which breeds the I'ot is so like the grass that nourisheth them.
Thirdly, Their subtilty appears in holding forth such principles as are indulgent to the flesh. This brings in whole shoals of silly souls into their net; the heart of man loves a life to shape a religion according to its own humoiu', and is ready to believe that to be a truth which favours its own inclination. Now thei'e are three lusts that Satan's instruments labour to gratify m their doctrine; carnal reason, pride, and fleshly liberty.
First, Carnal reason. This is the great idol which the more intelligent part of the world worship, making it the very standard of their faith; and from this bitter root have sprung those Arian and Socinian heresies. And truly, he that will go no further than reason will carry him, may hold out in the plain way of the moral law ; but when he comes to the depths of the gospel, must either go back, or be content that faith should help reason over.
Secondly, Another lust that Satan cockers — pride. Man naturally woidd be a god to himself, though by clambering so high he got his fall ; and whatever doctrine nourisheth a good opinion of man in his own eye, this is acceptable to him, and this hath spawned another fry of dangerous errors, — the Pelagian and Semi-pelagian, which set nature upon its own legs, and persuade man he can go alone to Christ, or at least with a little external help of a hand to lead, or argument to excite, without any creating work in the soul. O ! we cannot conceive how glib such stuff goes down. If one workman should tell you that your house is rotten, and must be pulled down and all new materials prepared; and another should say, No such matter; such a beani is good, and such a spar may stand; a little cost will serve the turn : it were no wonder that you should listen to him that would put you to least cost and trouble. The faithful servants of Christ tell sinners from the word, that man in his natural state is corrupt and rotten, that nothing of the old frame will serve, and there must needs be alj new ; but in comes the Arminian, and blows u{) tiie sinner's pride, and tells him he is not so weak or wicked as the other re])resents him ; if thou wilt thou niayest repent and believe ; or at least, by exerting thy natural al)ilities, oblige God to superadd what thou hast not. This is the workman that will please proud men best.
Thirdly, Satan liy his instruments iiourislieth that desire of fleshlv libertv
51. THAT YE MAY BE ABLS TO STAND