manner the Antinomian advocate for faith excludes good works from his system ; whilst the Moralist, from an ignorant zeal for good works, discards all concern about the faith of Christ. The rigid Predes- tlnarian asserts the sovereignty of God to the subver- sion of man's freedom and responsibility ; while the contender for the freedom and siifficiency of mans will, obliterates the decrees of heaven, and denies his dependence on God.
To enter more minutely into these various heresies would lead us too far from our subject. The point to be illustrated is, How does faith enable us to avoid them ? But previous to this inquiry, it will be proper to shew briefly, that these errors do indeed proceed from Satan as their author; and that they are not unfitly compared to fiery darts.
Nothing can be plainer in the Scriptures than that Satan is the great author of error, not only because he is "the father of liesd," and " the deceiver of the world6," but because the propagators of error are expressly called his children f, and his ministers g; and they who have embraced error, are said to have been " tempted of the tempter11," and to have "turned aside after Satan1;" and to be "of the synagogue of Satan k."
This point will receive additional confirmation, by observing with what propriety his temptations are compared to " fiery darts ;" for how suddenly do they strike the mind ! how deeply also do they pene- trate ! and with what venom do they inflame the soul ! Truly " they set on fire the whole course of nature; and themselves are set on fire of hell1." St. Paul speaks of those who are turned from the truth as being " bewitched"1:" and indeed, when we see what infatuation seizes them, how their under- standings are blinded, their judgments warped, their conscience perverted, and how they are carried away by their own pride and self-sufficiency, without ever
d John viii. 44. e Rev. xii. 0. f Acts xiii. 10.
s 2 Cor. xi. 15. h 1 Thess. iii. 5. j 1 Tim. v. 15.
k Rev. iii. 9. ' Jam. iii. G. ™ Gal. iii. 1.