Opinion (as one truly saith) is but reason's projector, and the spy of truth ; it makes, in its fullest discovery, no more than the dawning and twilight of knowledge ; and yet I know not how it comes to pass, but so it is, that this idol of the mind holds such a sv/ay and empire over all we hold, as if it were all the day we had. Matters of mere opinion, are ever}'^ way cried up by some errorists, for mathematical demonstration, and articles of faith written with a sun-beam ; worshipping the fancies and creatures of
THE CAUSES AND CURE OF MENTAL EURORS. 4S8
tlieir own minds, more than God ; and putting more trust in their ill founded opinions, than in the surer word of prophecy. Much hke the Humorist that would not trust day-hght, but kept his can- dle still burning by him ; because, saith he, this is not subject to eclipses, as the sun is.
And what more frequent, when controversies grow fervent, than for those that maintain the error, to boast every silly argu- ment to be a demonstration ; to upbraid and pity the blindness and dulness of their opposers as men that shut their eyes against sun- beams ; yea, sometimes, to draw their presumptuous censures through the very hearts of their opposers, and to insinuate, that they must needs hold the truths of God in unrighteousness, sin against their knowledge, and that nothing keeps them from com- ing over to them, but pride, shame, or some worldly interest? What a complicated evil is here ! Here is a proud exalting of our own opinions, and an immodest imposing on the minds of others, more clear and sound than our own, and a dangerous usurpation of God's prerogative in judging the hearts and ends of our brethren.
Observ. 10. Error being conscious to itself of its own weakness^ and the strong assaults that will be made upon it, evermore labours to defend and secure itself under the wings of antiquity, reason, scripture, and high pretensions to reformation and piety.
Antiquity is a venerable word, but ill used, when made a cloak for error. Truth must needs be elder than error ; as the rule must necessarily be, before the aberration from it. The grey hairs of opinions are then only beauty, and a crown, when found in the way of righteousness. Copper (saith learned Du Moulin) will never become gold by age. A lie will be a lie, let it be never so ancient. We dispute not by years, but by reasons drawn from scripture. That which is now called an ancient opinion, if it be not a true opinion, was once but a new error. When you can tell us how many years are required to turn an error into truth, then we will give more heed to antiquity, when pressed into the service of error^ than we now think due to it.
If antiquity will not do, reason shall be pressed to serve error's turn at a dead-lift ; and, indeed, the pencil of reason can lay cu- rious colours upon rotten timber, and varnish over erroneous principles with fair and plausible pretences. What expert artists have the Socinians proved themselves in this matter ? But because men are bound to submit human authority and reason to Divine revelation, both must give way, and strike sail to the written Word.
434 A BLOW AT THE ROOT ; OR,
Hence it comes to pass, that the great patrons and factors for error, do above all things labour to gain countenance to their er- rors from the written word ; and, to this end, they manifestly wrest and rack the scriptures to make them subservient to their opinions ; not impartially studying the scriptures first, and forming their notions and opinions according to them. But they bring their erroneous opinions to the scriptures, and then, with all ima^ ginable art and sophistry, wire-draw and force the scriptures to countenance and legitimate their opinions *.
But because pretences of piety and reformation -f are the strokes that gave life to the face of this idol, and gave it the nearest re- semblance unto truth, these therefore never fail to be made use of, and zealously professed in the favour of error, though there be little of either many times to be found in their persons, and no- thing at all in the doctrines that lay claim to it.
Observ. 11. God, in all ages, in his tender care for his churches and trutJiS, hath still qualified and excited his servants for the defence of his precious truths, against the errors and heresies that have successively assaulted them.
As Providence is observed in every climate and island of the world to have provided antidotes against the poisonous plants and animals of the country, and the one is never far from the other : So is the care of his providence much more conspicuous in the case now before us. When, or wheresoever, venomous errors, and deadly heresies do arise, he hath his servants at hand with antidotes against them.
When Arius, that cunning and deadly enemy to the Deity of Christ, struck at the very heart of our religion, faith, and com* fort ; a man of subtle parts and blameless life, which made his heresy much the more spreading and taking ; the Lord had his well-furnished Athanasius in a readiness to resist and confound him. And as he had his Athanasius to defend the Deity of Christ, so he wanted not his Basil to defend the doctrine of the Holy Spirit against Macedonius.
So when Pelagius was busily didi\2LYic\ng free-will, into the throne of free-grace, providence wanted not its mallet in learned and in-
* Every heresy has the devil for the parent of its invention, and is obnoxious to the shame of so odious a name. It professes the Saviour's name, which is most ex- cellent and transcends all, and is disguised under scripture expressions. Athaiuisius eigntnst Arius,
f Take heed, saith one, that when zeal for reformation knocks at the door, some new errors step not in with it, which will as much need an after-refor- mation.
THE CAUSES AND CURE OF MENTAL EllRORS. 42o
genious Augustine, to break hlin and his idol to pieces. And it is highly remarkable, (as the learned Dr. Hill observes) that Au- gustine was born in Airica, the same day that Pelagius was born in Britain.
When Gotteschalcus pubhshed his dangerous doctrine about predestination, the Lord drew forth Hincmarus to detect and con- fute that error, by evincing clearly, tliat God's predestination for- ces no man to sin.
So, from the beginning and first rise of Popery, that centre and sink of errors, we have a large catalogue of the learned and famous •witnesses, which, in all ages, have faithfully resisted and opposed it; and, when, notwithstanding all, it had even over-run Europe like a rapid torrent, or rather inundation of the ocean, and Germany was brought to that pass, that if the Pope had but com- manded it, they would have eaten grass or hay, more pecudum ; then did the Lord bring forth invincible Luther, and with him a troop of learned champions, into the field against him ; since which time, the cause of Popery is become desperate.