The choice of instruments is a principal part of Satan's policy. Every one is not fit to be employed in such a service as this. All are not fit to be of the council of war, who yet take their places of service in the field. A rustic carried out of the field, on board a ship at sea, though he never learned his compass, nor saw a ship before, can, by another's direction, tug lustily at a rope ; but he had need be an expert artist that sits at the helm and steers the course. The w^orst causes need the smoothest orators ; and bad ware, a cunning merchant to put it off*.
Deep-pated men are coveted by Satan, to manage this design : None like an eloquent Tertullus to confront a Paul, Acts xxiv. 1. A subtle Eccius to enter the list, in defence of the Popish cause, against the learned and zealous reformers. When the duke of JBuckingham undertook to plead the bad cause of Richard the third, the Londoners said, Tkerj ne-ver thought it had been j^ossible Jbr any man to deliver so much bad matter^ in such good words and quaint phrases "f*.
The first instrument chosen by Satan to deceive man, was the serpent ; because that creature was more subtle than any beast of the field. There is not a man of eminent parts, but Satan courts and solicits them for his service. St. Austin told an ingenious, but un-
* That the impostures of Montanus were subtle and cunning, and such as might easily impose on some by a fair show, is plain from this, that he admitted almost the whole scripture, and, as Epiphanius writes, taught tlie same things concerning God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, which the church of Christ did teach. Mf^deb. Ce7it. 2. cap. 5. p. 77.
f Continuation of Daniel's History, p, 233.
THE CAUSES AXD CUIIK OF MENTAL EnilORS. 4T3
sanctified scholar, Ciipit abs te ornarl dlaholus. The devil court.s tliy parts to adorn liis cause. He surveys the world, and wherever he finds more than orchnary strength of reason, pregnancy of wit, depth of learning, and elegancy of language, that is the man he looks for.
These are the men that can almost indisccrnably sprinkle their errors among many precious truths, and wrap up tlicir jx)isonous drugs in leaf-gold or sugar. * Maresius notes of Crellius and his accomplices, That by the power of their eloquence, and sophistry of their arguments, they Avere able, artificially, to clothe horrible blasphemies to allure the sim])le.
And, like the Hyaena, they can counterfeit the voice of the shepherds, to deceive and destroy the sheep. There is (saith a late -[- Worthy) an ei'udita nccjiiit'ta, a learned kind of wickedness, a subtle art of deceiving the minds of others. Upon which account the Spirit of God sometimes compares them, 2 Pet. ii. 3. to cun- ning and cheating tradesmen^ who have the very art to set a gloss upon their bad wares with fine words, TXadVo/g '/.oyoi^ -j/xac zij^crooiucoiraiy they buy and sell the people with their ensnaring and feigned words:|:. And sometimes he compares them to cunning gamesters^ that have the art and sleight of hand, to cog the dicy to deceive the unskilful, and win their game, Eph. iv. 14. iv rr, y.uZiia, &;c.
And sometimetimes the Spirit of God compares them to K-'iichcs themselves, Gal. iii. 1. ng -j/za; s«a(rxav.% Foolish Galatlans, nho hath hewitched you 9 How many strange fates have been done upon the bodies of men and women, by zcitchcrqft ? But far more and stranger upon the souls of men, by the magic of' error. Jannes and Jambres, performed wonderful things in the sight of Pharaoh, by which they deceived and hardened him ; and unto these false teach- ers are compared.
Such a man was Elymas the sorcerer, who laboured to seduce the deputy, Sergius Paulus, though a prudent man, Acts xiii. 7, 8, 9, 10. Oh fall of all suhtilty^ and all mischief, thou child of the devil I saith Paul unto him. The art of seduction from the ways of truth and holiness, discovers a man to be both the child and scho- lar of the devil.
♦ With the disguise of painted eloquence, with sophistical arguments taken from scripture, perniciously wrested, and witli false and deceitful argument, the most horrid blaspliemies are artfullj' dressed up to ensnare tlie simple. Prcs. to Hyd. Socin.
f Mr. W. Gurnal, Christian Armour, Part 2. p. 35.
\ There are certain vain talkers and seducers of men's minds, not in reality Chris- tians, but men making a trade and merchandize of Christianity, who so mix the poison of error with some sweetening allurements, as with wine and honey, that he who drinks of that palatable potion, being taken with its sweetness, is unawares betrayed to death, Jgnatius. Ejiiit- to TruUiaii. p. C8.
474 A BLOW AT THE ROOT ; OK,
But as the wise and painful ministers of Christ, who turn many to righteousness, shall ]iave double glory in heaven ; so those subtle and most active agents for the devil, who turn many from the ways of righteousness, will have a double portion of misery in
The proper remedies in this case are principally two.
Remedy 1. Pray fervently, and labour dihgently in the use of all God's appointed means, to get more solidity of judgment, and strength of grace, to establish you in the truth, and secure your souls against the cunning craftiness of men that lie in wait to deceive.
It is the ignorance and weakness of the people, which makes the factors for errors so successful as they are. Consult the scriptures, and you shall find these cunning merchants drive the quickest and gainfullest trade among the weak and injudicious. So speaks the apostle. With good xcords and fair speeches^ they deceive the hearts of the simple ; a/ia>:wv, harmless, weak, easy souls, who have a desire to do well, but want wisdom to discern the subtilties of them that mean ill ; who are void both of fraud in themselves, and suspicion of others. Oh ! what success have the deceivers, yjn'SoKoyia i^ vJ},oyia^ their fair words and sugared speeches, sweet and taking ex- pressions, among such innocent ones !
And who are they among whom Satan's cunning gamesters com- monly win the game, and sweep the stakes, but weak Christians, credulous souls, whom for that reason the apostle calls vn'rudi^ chil- dren ? The word properly signifies an infant, when it is referred to the age ; but unskilful and unlearned, when referred (as it is here) to the mind. So again, 2 Pet. ii. 14. They (that is the false teachers here spoken of) beguile '4'!>%a; a zY^^r/.rnc^ unstable souls, souls that are not confirmed and grounded in the principles of religion. Whence by the way, take notice of the unspeakable advantage, and necessity of being well catechised in your youth ; the more judicious, the more secure.
Remedy 2. Labour to acquaint yourselves with the sleights and artifices Satan's factors and instruments generally make use of, to seduce and draw men from the truth. The knowledge of them is a good defensative against them. Now there are two common artifices of seducers, which is not safe for Christians to be igno- rant of.