suspect no harm. It is said, Prov. xiv. 15. " The simple be- " lieveth every word."" Through this sluice, or flood-gate, what a multitude of errors in Popery have overflowed the people ! They are told, they are not able to judge for themselves, but must take the matters of their salvation upon trust from their spiritual guides ; and so the silly people are easily seduced, and made easily receptive of the grossest absurdities their ignorant leaders please to impose upon them.
And it were to be wished, that those two points, viz. Minlstrorum muta qfficia^ et popidi cceca obsequia^ the dumb services of their mi- nisters, and the blind obedience of the people had staid within the Popish confines. But, alas ! how many simple Protestants be there, who may be said to carry their brains in other men's heads ; and like silly sheep, follow the next in the track before them ; espe- cially if their leaders have but wit and art enough to hide their errors under specious and plausible pretensions. How many poison- ous drugs hath Satan put ofl* under the gilded titles of antiqinty^ zeal for God, higher attainments in godliness, neic lights, S^c. How- natural is it for men to follow in the track, and be tenacious of the principles and practices of their progenitors ? Multitudes seem to hold their opinions jure hcereditario, by an hereditary right, as if their faith descended to them the same way their estates do.
Tlie emperor of Morocco told King John's ambassador, that he had lately read St. Paul's epistles ; ' And truly (said he) were I now
* to chuse my religion, I would embrace Christianity before any
* religion in the world ; but every man ought to die in that religion
* he received from his ancestors.'
]\Iany honest, well-meaning, but weak Christians, are also easily beguiled by specious pretences of new light, and higher attainments in reformation. This makes the weaker sort of Christians pliable to many dangerous errors, cunningly insinuated under such taking titles. What are most of the erroneous opinions now vogued in the world but old errors under new names and titles .f^
The remedies and preventions in this case, are such as follow: Remedy 1. It is beneath a man to profess any opinion to be his own, whilst the grounds and reasons of it are in other men's keep- ing and wholly unknown to himself.
If a man may tell gold after his father, then sure he may, and ought to try and examine doctrines and points of faith after him. AVe are commanded to be ready to give an account of the hope that is in us, and not to sav. This or that is my judgment or opinion, but let others give an account of the ground and reason of it.
THE CAUSES AXD CURE OF MENTAL ERRORS. 461
I confess, if he that leads me into an error were alone exposed to the hazard, and I quit and free, whatever become of him, it were quite another thing : but when our Saviour tells us, Mat. XV. 14. that both (that is, the follower as well as the leader) ^/^ i7ito the ditch ; at my peril be it, if I follow without eyes of my own : that is but a weak building that is shored up by a prop from a neighbour's wall. How many men have ruined their estates by suretiship for others ? but of all suretiship, none so dangerous as spiritual suretiship. ' We neither ought (as a late Worthy speaks) ' defy the judgment of the weakest, nor yet, on the other side, * to deify the judgment of tlie strongest Christian."' He that pins his faith upon another man's sleeve, knows not whither he will carry it.
Remedy 2. As you ought not to abuse your Christian privilege and liberty, to try all things, 1 Thes. v. 21. so neither on the other side to undervalue or part with it. See the things that so much concern your eternal peace with your own eyes.
I shewed you before, that this liberty is abused by extending it too far ; and under the notion of improving all things, many em- bolden themselves to innovate and entertain any thing ? yet, beware of bartering such a precious privilege for the fairest promises others can make in lieu of it. I would not slight nor undervalue the piety and learning of others, nor yet put out my own eyes to see by theirs.
Remedy 3. Before you adventure to espouse the opinions of o- thers, diligently observe and mark the fruits and consequences of those opinions in the lives of the zealous abettors and propagators of them : By their fruits (saith Christ) ye shall know them.
When the opinion or doctrine naturally tends to looseness, or when it sucks and draws away all a man's zeal, to maintain and diffuse it, and practical religion thereby visibly languishes in their conversations, it is time for you to make a pause, before you ad- vance one step farther towards it.
Cause 7. The next evil disposition that I shall note in the sub- ject, is a vain CURIOSITY of mind, or an itching desire to pry into things unrevealed, at least, above our ability to search out and discover.
It is an observation, as true as ancient, Pruritus aurium, scabies ecclesice, itching ears come to a scab upon the face of the church. The itch of novelty produceth the scab of error. Of this disease the apostle warns us, 2 Tim. iv. 3. " For the time will come, " when they will not endure sound doctrine ; but after their own ** lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching
462 A BLOW AT THE ROOT ; Oil,
" ears." Nothing mil please them but new notions, and new modes of language, method, tone and gesture.
Sound doctrine is the only substantial and solid food that nour- ishes and strengthens the heart of the new creature ; but vain Scep- tics nauseate and despise this as trite, vulgar, cheap, and low. No- thing humours them but novelties and rarities; their unsettled brains must be wheeled about, hbayjtig cro/x/Xa/g -^ ^ivaig, with diverse and strange doctrines, Heb. xiii. 9. Novelty and variety are the only properties that commend doctrines to wanton palates : Hence it is they so boldly intrude into things they have not seen. Col. ii. 18. These Cyril fitly calls rwv ToXfiri^ov zv^torr^a, the domineerings, or dai-ings of bold spirits.
The schoolmen have filled the world with a thousand unground- ed fancies, as the distinct offices and orders of angels ; and higher flights of fancy than these, which seem to be invented for no other end or use, but to please the itching ears of the curious.
There is not only a vesana temeritas Genethliacorum, a wild and daring rashness of astrologers, presuming to foretel futurities, and the fates of kingdoms, as well as particular persons, from the con- junctions and influences of the stars ; but there is also found as high a presumption and boldness among men in matters of religion.