* Ignorant and wicked men, not minding, that the same inrpired writer never ad- vances contrary assertions on one and the same subject ; and regarding only the sound of the words, do overlook the sense and scope of them; and observing that there is a diversify or seeming contrariety in the same scripture expressions, they have apostatized into error, not undcrstanditi!? tlie true meaniu'i of thein.
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condemn this practice, do it as men concerned for tlieir own in- terest, as desirous to monopolize the work to themselves, and as envying the Lord's people : and that Christ hath given them a greater liberty in this case, than those men will allow them. By this means they draw many after them, and fix them in their erroneous ways.
I have no mind at all here to expose the follies and mischiefs in- troduced this way, as neither being willing to grieve the hearts of the sincere on one side, nor gratify scoffing Atheists and profane enemies to religion upon the other side ; only this T will, and must say, that by this means the sacred scriptures are most injuriously wrested, the peace and order of the church disturbed, and a great many mistakes and errors introduced.
The prevention and cure of errors this way introduced, or likely to be introduced into the church, is by pondering and applying the following considerations.
Consideration 1. Let all that encourage others, or undertake by others encouragement such a work as this, for which they are not competently qualified, and unto which they are not regularly called, consider seriously with themselves what danger they cast their own and other men's souls upon.
The apostle tells us, 2 Pet. iii. 16. " That the unlearned and " unstable do wrest the scriptures to their own destruction.'' Dan- ger enough, one would think, to scare them from it, did not the same sin of ignorance which makes them wrest the scriptures, cause them also to slio-ht and overlook the dans^er of so doin^^ *.
Certainly, my friends, it is a great deal safer and more excusa- ble, to put an ignorant rustic into an apothecary's shop to com- pound a medicine of drugs and spirits which he understands not, and confidently administer the same to the bodies of men, than for such persons as are led by ignorance and confidence to intermeddle with the ministerial employment ; the one perhaps, by mistake, may poison men's bodies ; but the other their souls. An ignorant master, or pilot, that never learned the compass, is rather to be trusted among rocks and quicksands than a proud ignorant person with the conduct of souls.
Consideration 2. What daring presumption is it to intrude our- selves into so great and weiglity an employment, without any call or warrant of Christ ? Rom. x. 14. " How shall they call upon him " of whom they have not heard ? and, how shall they hear with-
* Athanasius declares, that the malicious wresting of scripture brings fortli error?. Athajiasius agmmt Appnlinnr,
THE CAUSES AXD CURE OF MENTAL ERROllS. 481
*' out a preacher ; and how sliall they preach except they be "sent?^
These mysteries must be committed to faithful men, who sha). be able to teach others : those abilities must be examined, 1 Tim. iii. X. and the exercise of them warranted by a due and orderly ap- pointment thereunto, 1 Tim. iv. 14. else, (as one well observes) In tarn prcepoatero (liscipUne ru'ma tot es-^ent sensuo^ quot capita ; tot dissensus quot sensus ; Ave shall have as many senses of scripture as we Iiave preachers, &c.
If every Pha3l()n, that thinks himself able, shall undertake to drive the chariot of the sun, no wonder if the world be set on fire. Gifts and abilities of mind are not of themselves sufficient to make a preacher. Some lawyers at the bar may be as skilful as the judge upon the bench, but without a commission they dare not sit there. Consideration 3. The honour you affect, to vent your unsound notions with liberty, is, in scripture-account, your greatest dis- honour.
The scripture reckons fiilse teachers among the basest of the people : Tlte prophet that tcacheth lies, he is the tail, i. e. the basest part of the whole body of the people, Isa. ix. 15. And so far is due gospel-liberty from countenancing such dangerous irregulari- ties, that we find in a clear prophecy of gospel-times, what shame God will pour upon them, Zceli xiii. 4, 5. " They shall be brought *•• with shame enough to confess, I am no prophet, I am an hus- " bandman ; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth."*
Consideration 4. How much more safe, regular and advantage- eous were it for such as you, to fill your own proper places under able and faithful gospel-ministers, and to suck the breasts of fruitful ordinances, than to consume and pine away by sucking your own breasts ? I mean, living upon your own weak and insufficient gifts, in the sinful neglect of Christ's appointments ?
Cause 14. False teachers also propagate their errors by a spirit of Enthusiasm, the usual concomitant of erroneous doctrine; and draw away multitudes after them, by pretending to extraordinary revelations, visions, and voices from heaven, which seem to give great credit to their Avay and party -f.
This was an old trick and practice of deceivers, Deut. xiii. 1. to give signs and wonders in confirmation of their vray, which signs
■f- But some beincr deceived by the predictions of the false prophets, of whom both God aud the true prophets had forewarned them, fell from the word of God, and for- sook liie true tridition ; for all these, being entangled witli the snares of the devil, (which fhuy ouglit to have foreseen and avoided) have profaned the divine Naice and ■worship, through their foolish uess. Lad. book 4. cfiaj)' oO. on Hcic's.
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tlie Lord may permit to fall out to prove his people, ver. % 4, though, for the most part, they are confuted by their unanswerable events.
In the beginning of our irjvrmation by Luther, Calvin, ^'c. there sprang up a generation of men, called Swinkfeldians, great pre- tenders to revelations and visions, who were always speaking of deifications; and an higher strain of language they commonly used among themselves, than other serious Christians understood, and therefore scornfully entitled orthodox and humble Christians, who stuck to the scripture-phrase, and wholesome form of sound words, Grammatists, Vocabulists, Literalists, &;c. " These men (as * " Sculterus in his annals, adannum 1525. observes of them) were '' so entangled in certain enthusiastic snares, that they thought it " the highest impiety to renounce them ; and they had befooled " multitudes with their magnificent words of Illumination, Revela- tion, Deification.