96 THE TENTH SERMON. [2 ThES. II. 12.
2 Peter ii. 1, ' Some shall bring in damnable heresies.' Now, this may be either froiu the matter or manner of holding them : —
[1.] From the matter, if destructive of the way of salvation by Christ. tSome are utterly inconsistent with salvation and eternal life, as errors in the fundamentals in religion. As sui)pose that a man should reject or refuse Christ after a sufficient proposal of the gospel to him, there is no question but this is damning unbelief : John iii. 19, ' And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.' But yet we are not to say that alone damueth. There are other things necessary to salvation contained under that general truth. The scripture saith, John xvii. 3, ' And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.' There is the sum of what is necessary to salvation : that God is to be known, loved, obeyed, worshipped, and enjoyed ; and the Lord Jesus to be owned as our Kedeemer and Saviour, to bring us home to God, and to procure for us the gifts of pardon and life, and this life to be begun here, and perfected in heaven. Other things are of moment to clear these necessary truths, but they may be all reduced thereunto. The truth is, the question about the matter to be believed is not what divine revelations are necessary to be believed or rejected, when sufficiently proposed, for all points, without exception, are so ; but what are simply and absolutely necessary to eternal life, and these are points of faith, and practice, and obedience. The points of faith are a knowledge of God in Christ ; and practice, that we be regenerated: John iii. 5, ' Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.' And live a holy life : Heb. xii. 14, ' Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.'
[2.] From the manner. (1.) When men profess what they believe not, and voluntarily choose error lor worldly ends, though it be a less error against the scripture, and consistent with the main tenor of salvation, yet, if taken up against conscience, for by-ends, it is a matter of sad consequence ; for this is living in a known sin. Some may be blinded for a time, out of terror and compassion, and their case is sad till they express solemn repentance ; but when there is a reluctation against clear light, and an ol)stinacy in that reluctation, this man is condemned in himself : Titus iii. 11, ' Such a man is subverted and sinneth, being condemned of himself.' There cannot be a greater argument of a will unsubdued to God, than to stand out against conviction out of secular respects. This is to love darkness more than light, and argueth such pravity of heart as is inconsistent with faith and salvation. Some ignorant souls may hold dangerous errors, and which to others would be damnable ; yet they may not actually damn them, because they do not rebel against tlie light ; and may be retracted by a general repent- ance or seeking of pardon for all their known or unknown sins: Ps. xix. 12, 13, ' Who can imderstand his errors ? cleanse thou me from secret faults : keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins ; let them not have dominion over me: then shall i be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.'
{•2.) When they are vented by some professor of Christianity, to
2 ThES. IL 12.] THE TENTH SERMON. 97
the seducing of others, and rending of the church, and drawing disciples after them, this addeth a new guilt to their errors, and maketh them the more damnable: Acts xx. 30, 'Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.' These are properly heretics and ringleaders of sects ; therefore heresies are reckoned among the works of the flesh : Gal. v. 20, ' Emulation, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies;' increasing their own doom and judgment. These, under a Christian name, seduce and lead away the church from Christ ; they pervert the holy ways of God, and draw his people from serving him in spirit and truth.
(3.) When, though they should not err fundamentally, they so far debauch Christianity, as that God giveth them up to believe a lie, and to take- pleasure in unrighteousness, that is, to defend and maintain apparent corruptions of Christian doctrine and worship. Of doctrine, for it is here said they believe a lie, and they believe not the truth. Of worship, for it is said they take pleasure in unrighteousness. A party thus given up by God we should shun, as we would shun a plague or come out of Bedlam ; for these men have lost their spiritual wits, and see not that which the common light of Christianity doth disprove, however they retain the name of Christians, and make a cry of the church ! the church ! as the Jews did of the temple of the Lord, and retain some truth among them ; for such a party is here described.