The second enemy that comes forth against the Christian is the lieretic, who is SO much more to he feared than the former, by how mucli it is worse to part with God's truth than our own life ; to be corrupted in our minds than to be tortured in our membei-s ; to have our souls damned by God, than our bodies killed by man. If the martyrs had feared death more than heresy, they would not have leaped into the persecutors' flames, rather than consent unto their doctrine. Now, that thou may be able to lift up this sword of the Spirit (the only weapon to defend thee) with victory against this dangerous enemy, apply thyself in the use of the best means, with thy utmost care, to find out tlie true sense and meaning of the Spirit in his word. This sword in another's hand will not defend thee : no, it must be in thy own, or else thou canst not have the benefit of it. The phrase and outward expression are but the shell, the sense and meaning is the pearl, wliich thou, as a wise merchant, should seek for. To tumble over a chapter, and not to reach the mind of God therein, and to mum- ble over a prayer in an unknown tongue, are both alike. ' He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the cluu-ches,' Rev. ii. 7. We are to listen what tlie Spirit saith in the word as we liear or read it : and he that hath an ear for the Spirit will not have an ear for the seducer.
Section I. — Take heed thoii comest not to the Scriptures with an unholy heart. If ever you know the mind of God in his word, the Spirit must impart it to you. And will he that is so holy take thee by thy foul hand, to lead thee into truth? No, thy doom is set, Dan. xii. 10 : ' The wicked shall not understand.' The angel who took Lot's daughter into the house, smote the Sodomites with blindness, that they might grope for the door, and not find it ; and so are those likely to be served that come with unclean hearts to the word. ' Without are dogs.' Not only without heaven at last, but without the true know- ledge of God on earth. The wicked have the word of God, but the holy soul hath the mind of Christ, 1 Cor. ii. 16. Therefore the apostle exhorts that we * be not conformed to this present world, but be ye transformed by the re- newing of your minds, that ye may prove what is that good, that accept- able and perfect will of God,' Rom. xii. 2. And what amounts this to, but if we will have truth for our guest, and be acquainted with tlie mind and will of God, we must have a holy heart for its lodging ! They connnonly are taken captives by seducers who were before prisoners to their lust, 2 Tim. iii. 6, 7 : ' And lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts.' When David begs understanding in the word, he makes his purpose for a holy life the argument with which he urgeth God : ' Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes, and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understand- ing and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart,' Psa. cxix. 33, 34.
Section II. — Make not thy own reason the rule by which thou measurest scripture truths. Is that fit to try the revelation of the word by, which is puz- zled with so many secrets in nature ? Doth not the word reveal such things to us as are not only above sense, ' for eye hath not seen them, nor ear heard them,' but also above reason? being such as ' never entered into the heart of man,' 1 Cor. ii. 9. Indeed, the whole system of gospel truths speaks in a foreign tongue to reason : it can make no sense of them, except faith be the inter- preter. The Scriptures are like the Red Sea, through which the Israelites by faith passed safely, but the Egyptians attempting to do it, for want of that guide, were drowned. A humble believer passeth through the deep mysteries of the word safely, without plunging into any dangerous mistakes ; whereas those sons of pride, who leave faith, and take reason for their guide, are drowned in many damnable errors, — Arianism, Pelagianism, Socinianisin, &c. The most dangerous errors fathered upon the Scriptures have sprung from this womb. This was the Sadducees' ground on which they went, for their denying the resurrection of the dead. They owned the books of Moses for tlie word of God, and yet denied the resurrection asserted therein, because it
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seemed so impossible to their reason, that our bodies, after so many alterations into slime and dust, should stand up in life : this their reason laughed at ; for so our Saviour's answer shows. Matt. xxii. 29, ' Ye do err, not knowing the Scrip- tures, nor the power of God.'