Hence is that blessed caution and rule given us by the apostle John, who lived to see much mischief done in the church by this pretence: 1 Epist. chap. iv. 1-3, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God : because many false pro- phets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God : Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God." A twofold direction doth the apostle here give unto all believers ; the first by the way of caution, that they would not believe every spirit, — that is, not re- ceive or give credit to every doctrine that was proposed unto them a'j of immediate revelation and inspiration of the Spirit. He intends the same with the apostle Paul, Eph. iv. 14, who would not have us "carried about with every wind of doctrine," like vessels at sea without anchors or helms, by the "sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive ;" for the crafts and sleights intended are such as men use when they cast a mist, as it were, be- fore the eyes of others whom they intend to cheat and defraud. So dealt false teachers with their disciples, by their pretences of imme- diate revelations. His next direction informs us how we may ob- serve this caution unto our advantage; and this is, by trying the spirits themselves. This is the duty of all believers on any such pretences. They are to try these spirits, and examine whether they
CHAP. I.] THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS WORK. 33
are of God or no. For the observation of this rule and discharge of this duty, the church of Ephesus is commended by our Lord Jesus Christ: Rev. ii. 2, "Thou hast tried them which say they are apos- tles, and are not, and hast found them liars ;" for those who said they were apostles pretended therewithal to apostolical authority and infallibility, on the account of the immediate inspirations which they received by the Holy Ghost. In trying them, they tried the spirits that came unto them ; and by this warrant may we try the spirit of the church of Rome, which in like manner pretends unto apostolical authority and infallibility.
Unto these two directions the apostle subjoins the reason of the present watchfulness required unto the discharge of this duty: "Be- cause," saith he, "many false prophets are gone out into the world." It is "false teachers," as Peter calls them, "bringing in damnable here- sies," concerning whom he speaks. And he calleth them " false pro- phets," partly in an allusion unto the false prophets under the Old Testament, with whom they are ranked and compared by Peter, and partly because, as they fathered their prejudices on divine reve- lation, so these falsely ascribed their doctrines unto immediate divine inspiration. And on this account also he calleth them spirits : "Try the sp)irits ;" for as they pretended unto the Spirit of God, so indeed for the most part they were acted by a spirit of error, lying, and de- lusion,— that is, the devil himself. And therefore I no way doubt but that mostly those who made use of this plea, that they had their doctrines which they taught by immediate inspiration, did also effect other extraordinary operations or undiscoverable appearances of them, as lying miracles, by the power of that spirit whereby they were acted, as Matt. xxiv. 24. Hence the apostle doth not direct us to try their pretensions unto inspiration by putting them on other extraordinary luorks for their confirmation, for these also they made a show and appearance of, and that in such a manner as that they were not to be detected by the generality of Christians; but he gives unto all a blessed stable rule, which will never fail them in this case who diligently attend unto it; and this is, to try them by the doctrine that they teach, 1 John iv. 2, 3. Let their doctrine be exammed by the Scriptures, and if it be found consonant thereunto, it may be received without danger unto the hearers, whatever corrupt affections the teachers may be influenced by; but if it be not con- sonant thereunto, if it keep not up a harmony in the analogy of faith, whatever inspiration or revelation be pleaded in its justification, it is to be rejected, as they also are by whom it is declared. This rule the apostle Paul confirms by the highest instance imaginable : Gal. i. 8, "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." And
VOL. in. 3
o4< - GENERAL PRINCIPLES CONCERNING [eOOK L
the apostle shows that, for our advantage in this trial we are to make of spirits, it is good to have a dear conviction of, and a constant adherence unto, some fundamental principles, especially such as we have reason to think will be the most cunningly attacked by seducers. Thus, because in those days the principal design of Satan was, to broach strange, false imaginations about the person and mediation of Christ, endeavour- ing thereby to overthrow both the one and the other, the apostle ad- viseth believers to try the spirits by this one fundainental principle of truth, namely, that "Jesus Christ is come in the flesh;" which con- tains a confession both of his person and mediation. This, therefore, believers were to demand of all new teachers and pretenders unto spiritual revelations in the first place, " Do you confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh?" and if they immediately made not this confession, they never stood to consider their other pretences, but turned from them, not bidding them God speed, 2 John 7, 10, 11. And I could easily manifest how many pernicious heresies were ob- viated in those days by this short confession of faith. For some of late (as Grotius, following Socinus and Schlichtingius) interpreting this coming of Christ in the flesh of his outwa.rd mean estate and condition, and not in the pomp and glory of an earthly king, do openly corrupt the text. His coming in the flesh is the same with the "Word's being made flesh," John i. 14; or "God being manifest in the flesh," 1 Tim. iii. 16, — that is, the Son of God being made "partaker of flesh and blood," Heb. ii. 14; or "taking on him the seed of Abraham," verse 16, — that is, his being "made of a woman," Gal. iv. 4; or his being "made of the seed of David according to the flesh," Rom, i. 3 ; or his "being of the fathers as to the flesh," Rom. ix. 5. And this was directly opposed unto those heresies which were then risen, whose broachers contended that Jesus Christ was but a phan- tasy, an appearance, a manifestation of divine love and power, denying that the Son of God was really incarnate, as the ancients generally testify. And well had it been for many in our days had they attended unto such rules as this ; but through a neglect of it, accompanied with an ungrounded boldness and curiosity, they have hearkened in other things to deceiving spirits, and have been en- gaged beyond a recovery before they have considered that by their cogging deceits they have been cheated of all the principal articles of their faith ; by which if at first they had steadily tried and examined them, they might have been preserved from their snares.