They dissolve the lovely union of the saints, and thereby scare off the world from coming into the church. This is evidently implied in that prayer of Christ, John xvii. " That all his people might be one, that the world might believe the Father had sent him." There is indeed no just cause for any to take offence at the Chris- tian reformed religion, because so many errors and heresies spring up among the professors of it, and divide them into so many sects and parties ; for, in all this we find no more than what was pre- dicted from the beginning, 1 Cor. xi. 18, 19. "I hear there be di- " visions among you, and I partly believe it : for there must be also " heresies among you,"' &c. And again. Acts xx. 30. '' Also of " your ownselves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw " away disciples after them -f."
The very same things strongly confirm the Christian religion, which wicked men improve to the reproach and prejudice of it. When Celsus objected to the Christians the variety and contrariety of their opinions, saying, Were rce willing to turn Christians, we know not ofwhatpjarty to he, seeing you all pretend to Christ, and yet differ so much from one another. Tertullian, the Christian Apologist, made him this wise and pertinent reply, " We are not " troubled that heresies are come, seeing it was predicted that " they must come J'"* These things destroy not the credibility of the Christian religion, but increase and confirm it, by evidencing to the world the truth and certainty of Christ's predictions (which were quite beyond all human foresight) that as soon as his doctrine should be propagated, and a church raised by it, errors and here-
• Many enemies to Christianity, from hatred to the Christians for their abolishing the Gentile superstition, flocked to the Nicene synod that they might find some whom they might mock. Say the Centurisfi.
\ Above all things it is proper for us to know that Christ himself and his ambassadors have foretold that many sects and heresies should arise, which would break the peace of his sacred body, and have admonished us to watch with the greatest prudence, lest at any time we should fall into the nets and snares of that adversary of ours, with whoia God requires us to contend. Lactan. book 4. cha}}. 50.
\ Hereses -non dokmus venuse, quia novimus esse pnedictas^
THE CAUSES AXD CURE OF MENTAL ERRORS. 441
sles should spring up among them, for the tiial of their faitii and constancy.
Nevertheless, this no way excuses the sinfulness of errors and divisions in the church. Christ's prediction neither infuses nor ex- cuses the evil predicted by him : for what he elsewhere speaks of scandals is as true in this case of errors ; " These things must come " to pass, but wo be to that man by whom they come.""
Observ. 19. How specious aiid talcing soever the pretences of error he^ and how long soever they maintain themselves in esteem among men, they are sure to end in the loss and shame of' their autliors and abettors at last *.
Truth is a rock that the waves of error dash against, and ever- more return in froth and foam : Yea, they foam out their own shame, saith the apostle, Jude 13. What Tacitus spake of crafty counsels I may as truly apply to crafty errors : " They are pleasant " in their begginning, difficult in their management, and sad in " their event and issue -|-."
Suppose a man have union with Christ, yet his errors are but as so 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 suffers loss ; and though himself may be saved, yet so 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 house on fire from a window or battlement, with great difficulty saves 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, O what a shame must it be for a good man to think how many days and nights have I worse than wasted to defend and propagate an error, which might have been employed in a closer study of Christ, and mine own heart ! Keckerman re- lates a story of a vocal statue, which was thirty years a making by a cunning artist, which by the motion of its tongue with little wheels, wires, &c. could articulate the sound, and pronounce an entire sentence. This statue saluting Aquinas, surprized him, and at one stroke he utterly destroyed the curious machine , which ex- ceedingly troubled the fond owner of it, and made him say with much concernment, " Thou hast at one stroke destroyed the study " and labour of thirty years |."
* Athanasius writes, that after the shameful death of Arius, very many of those wh« had been deceived by him returned to soundness in the faith.
f Consilia callida prima sjiecie leeta, tractatu dura, eventu tristia.
^ Keck. Pbys. p. 16. Albertus Magnus. Una ictu opus triginta annoruiu destrur- isti,
442 A BLOW AT THE ROOT ; OR,
Beside, what shame and trouble must it be to the zealous pro- moters of errors, not only to cast away so vainly and unprofitably their own time and strength, which is bad enough, but also to en- snare and allure the souls of others into the same, or worse mis- chief; for though God may save and recover you, those that have been misled by you may perish.
Observ. 20. If ever errors he cured, and the peace and unity of the church established, men must he convinced of, andacquaint- with the occasions and causes hoth within and without them- selves,from whence their errors do proceed j and must hoth hnow and apply the proper rules and remedies for the preven- tion or cure of them.
There is much difference betwixt an occasion and a proper cause ; these two are heedfully to be distinguished. Critical and exact historians, as Polybius and Tacitus, distinguish betwixt the apyji, and the aina, the beginning occasions and the real causes of a war : and so we ought, in this case of errors, carefully to distinguish them. The most excellent and innocent things in the world, such as the Scriptures of truth, the liberty of Christians, the tranquiUity and peace of the church (as you will hear anon) may, by the subtilty of Satan working in conjunction with the cor- ruptions of men's hearts, become the occasions, but can never be the proper culpable causes of errors.
Accordingly, having made these twenty remarks upon the na- ture and growth of errors (which cannot so well be brought with- in the following rules of method) I shall, in the next place, pro- ceed in the discovery both of the mere occasions, as also the proper culpable causes of errors, together with the proper preventives, and the most effectual remedies, placed together in the following order.