First, They usually seek to disgrace and blast the reputations of those truths, and ministers set for their defence, which they design afterwards to overthrow and ruin, and to beget credit and repu- tation to those errors which they have a mind to introduce. How
THE CAUSES AND CURE OF MENTAL EllRORS. 47-5
many precious truths of God are this day, and with this design, defamed as legal and carnal doctrines ; and those that defend them, as men of an Old-Testament spirit?
Humiliation for sin, contrition of spirit, &c. fall under disgrace with many, and indeed all qualifications and pre-rcquisites unto coming to* Christ, as things not only needless, but pernicious unto the souls of men, although they have not the least dependence upon them : yea, faith itself, as a pre- requisite unto justification, as no better than a condition pertaining to Adam's covenant.
And so for the persons of orthodox ministers : you see into what contempt the false teachers would have brought both the person and preaching of Paul himself, 2 Cor. x. 10. " His bodily presence (say *' they) is weak, and his speech contemptible.'^
Secondly, Their other common artifice is, to insinuate their false doctrines among many acknowledged and precious truths, which only serve for a convenient vehicle to them ; and besides that, to make their errors as palatable and gustful as they can to the vitiated appetite of corrupt nature. The fore-mentioned worthy* hath judicially observed how artificially Satan hath blended his baneful doses, to please the palate oi carnal reason, spiritual pi'ide, and the desire oijicsldy liberty.
Carnal reason is that great idol which the more intelligent part of the carnal Avorld worships. And are not the Socinian heresies as pleasant to it, as a well mlxt Jidep to ajeverish stomach.
Spiritual pride is another Dia7ia, which obtains greatly in the world ; and no doctrine like the Pelagian, and Semipelagian errors to gratify it. A doctrine that sets fallen nature upon its legs again, and persuades it, it can go alone to Christ ; at least, with a little external h^lp of moral suasion, without any preventing or creating work in the soul. That goes down glib and gratefully.
And then for Jleshl// liberty. How doth those that are fond of it rejoice in that doctrine, or opinion, which looses nature from the yoke of restraint ? How does the poor deluded Papist hug himself, to think he hath liberty by his religion, to let loose the reins of his lust to all sensualities, and quit himself from all that guilt byliuricu- lar confession to the priest once a year ? How doth the Familist smile upon that principle of his, which tells him, the gospel allows more liberty than severe legal teachers think fit to tell them of : they press repentance and faith ; but Christ hath done all this to thy hand.
Cause 12. Having considered the several causes of errors found in the evil dispositions of the seduced, as also the impulsive and instrumental causes, namely, Satan and false teachers emj^loyed by him ; I shall now proceed to discover some special and most successful methods frequently used by them, to draw the minds of
476 A ELOW AT THE ROOT ; OR,
men from the truth. Amongst which, that which comes first to consideration, is the great skill they have in representing the abuses of the ordinances of God and duties of religion, by wicked men to scare tender and weak consciences from the due use of them, and all further attendance upon them.
The abuse of Christ's holy appointments is so cunningly improv- ed to serve this design, that the minds of many well-meaning per- sons receive such deep disgust at them, that they are scarce ever to be reconciled to them again. A strong prejudice is apt to drive men from one extreme upon another, as thinking they can never get far enough off from that which hath been so scaringly represented to them. Thus, making good the old observation, Dum vitant stulti vitia, in contrai-ia cui-runt ; they run from the troublesome smoke of superstition into the fire of an irreligious contempt of God's ordinances, split themselves upon Charybdis to avoid Scylla. Ex. g^\
The Papists having deeply abused the ordinance of Baptism by their corruptive mixtures and additions of the superstitious cross^ chrism^ &c. Part v/hereof is not sufUciently purged to this day by the reformation ; and finding also multitudes of carnal Protestants dangerously resting upon their supposed baptismal regeneration to the great hazard of their salvation ; which mistake is but too much countenanced by some of its administrators : they take from hence such deep offence at the administration of it to any infants at all, (though the seed of God's covenanted people) that they think they can never be sharp enough in their invectives against it ; nor have they patience to hear the most rational defences of that practice.
So, for that scriptural heavenly duty of singing : what more commonly alleged against it than the abuse and ill effects of that precious ordinance ? How often is the nonsense and error of the common translation, the rudeness and dulness of the metre of some Psalms, as Psal. vii. 13. as also the cold formality with which that ordinance is performed by many who do but parrotize ? I say, how often are these things buzzed into the ears of the people to alienatr their hearts from so sweet and beneficial a duty ?
And very often we find it urged to the same end, how unwar- rantable and dangerous a thing it is for carnal and unregenerated persons to appropriate to themselves in singing those praises and experiences which are pecuhar to the saints ; not understanding or considering that the singing of Psalms is an ordinance of Christ ap- pointed for teaching and admonition, as well as praising, Col. iii. 16. '* Teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and " hymns," &c. * Thus Antinomianism took, if not its rise, yet
* The divinity of former ages, saith Mr. Saltmarsh, put but a grain or diacbra of
THE CAUSES AND CURE OF MENTAL ERRORS. 47T
its encouragement from the too rigorous pressing of the law upon convinced sinners.
If Satan can prevail first with wicked men to corrupt and abuse God's ordinances by superstitious mixtures and additions; and then with good men to renounce and slight them for the sake of those abuses ; he fully obtains his design, and gives Christ a double wound at once ; one by the hands of his avowed enemies, the other by the hands of his friends, no less grievous than the first. First, wicked men corrupt Christ's ordinances, and then good men nauseate them.
The proper remedies against errors, insinuated by the abuses of duties are such as follow :
Remedy 1. Let men consider, that there is nothing in religion so great, so sacred and excellent, but some or other have greatly cor- rupted, or vilely abused them.