profeffion and belief of Scripture; he is then careful to give an Errour fome countenance or pretence from Scripture: it is not his courfe to decry the Scriptures with fuch Men, but to fuppofe their Truth and Authority, as the most plaufible way to his Design: for by this means he doth not only prevent a great many startling objections, which would otherwise rise up against him, (feeing Men brought up with Scripture, cannot easily be brought to call them falfe,) but with confiderable advantage, he doth there by authorize and juftifie his Errour: for nothing can give more boldness or confidence to a miftake, then a belief that it is backed with Scripture.

That this is one of his grand Stratagems, may be fufficiently evinced from the infinite number of Errours that pretend to Scripture warrant. Those that are above, or beyond Scripture, (which acknowledg no dependance upon it) are but few, and rare: and indeed, among Christians, Errour cannot well thrives without a pretence of Scripture. Men would have enough to do to perfwade themselves to fuch Errours, but it would be impoffible to make a Party or perfwade others; fuch Errours would prefently be hiffed out of the World. Upon this account is it, that Atheism fculks and conceals it felf, (except where generally tolerated Prophanenefs gives it more than ordinary encourage ment,) which is not to be ascribed to any fhame-faced modefty that Atheisms can be fuppofed to nourish; but to the general diflike of others, who fo ftick to the Authority of the Bible, that they reject all direct contradictions to it with great abhorrency. Hence also it is, that fome Erroneous perfons are forced to contradictions in their practice against their profeffed Principles, because they find it impoffible to propagate their Errours, without fome pretence or other to Scripture, They that would undermine thofe Sacred Records, are forced to make ufe of their Authority for proof of what they would fay. The Papifts have a quarrel at them,and envy them the title of Perfection and Perfpicuity, upon defign to intoduce Traditions, and to fet up the Popes Judicial Authority in matters of Faith; and when they have laid all they can, to sub. ject the Scriptures to the Popes Determination, they are forced at laft to be beholden to the Scriptures, to prove the Popes Determi nation: they would prove the Scriptures by the Church; and then the Church by the Scriptures: which is a Circle they have been often told of, and of which, fome of the wifer fort among themselves

are

are afhamed. Others alfo, that will not allow the Scriptures to be a general standing Rule, are yet forced to make it (in fome ca fes) a Rule to themselves, and eagerly plead it to be so to others. They that pretend to be above Ordinances, and decry outwardTeachings as unneceffary, or hurtful: yet, they Teach outwardly, because they see they are not able to enlarge the Empire of Errour, without fuch teaching. Thofe very Errours that make it their chief bufinefs, to render the Scriptures no better than an old Almanacks they yet feck to Scripture to countenance their Blafphe-· mous Affertions; and if they get any fcrap or fhread of it, that may by their unjust Torture be wrefted to speak any fuch thing, 2 Pet. 3. 16. or any thing toward it, they think all their follies are thereby p tronized; and commonly, fuch Men either fix upon fuch places as give warning of the neceffary concomitances of the Spirit, and Heart, with the outward 4 of service; (and from hence, fepa rating what God hath joyned together, they fer up Spiritual Sabbaths, Spiritual Baptifm, Spiritual Worship, to cry down, and cafhier the external Aus of fuch Ordinances:) or they pretend kindred to Scripture, as prophefying, or foretelling thofe new Administrations which they are about to set up. Let H. Nicholas be an inftance of this, who though he decryed the Service of the Law under God the Father, and the Service of the Belief under Chrift; and in the room of both thefe, would fet up another. Administration, under the Spirit; yet, (that he might be the better believed) he applyed feveral Scriptures to his purpose, as Prophetically foretelling H. Nicholas, and his fervices; and would have Men imagine, that he was that Angel flying in the midst of Hea ven with the Everlasting Gofpel, Rev. 14. 6. And that Prophet en- quired after by the Jews, Joh. 1. 21. Art thou that Prophet, and that Man ordained to Judg the World? Act. 17.31. And that the times of his Difpenfation, were the times of Perfection, and Glory, fpoken of in 1 Cor. 13. 9, and Heb. 6.1. The like pretençes for new Adminiftrations had Saltmarsh, and feveral others.

Satan fixing his Foot upon this Defign, and taking advantage of Mens Ignorance,Curiofity,and Pride,&c. it is impoffible to tell. what he may do; he hath introduced many Herefies already, and none knows what may be behind; many paffages of Scripture are dark, to the wifeft of Men: a great many more are fo to the common fort of Chriftians. A great many wits are im

ployed. :

ployed by him, as Adventurers for new Difcoveries; and a fmall prerence is ground enough for a bold Undertaker to erect a new Notion upon; and a new Notion in Religion, is like a new Fafhion in Apparel, which bewitcheth the unfteady with an itch to be in it, before they well understand what it is: So that 'tis alike impoffible to ftint the juft number of Errours, as to adjust the vari ous pretences from Scripture upon which they may be countenanced. Leaving therefore this task to thofe that can undertake it, I fhall only note a particular or two of Satans cunning in affixing an Errour upon Scripture.

Firft, In any grand defign of Error, he endeavours to lay the Foundation of it as near to Truth as he can; but yet fo, that in the tendency of it, it may go as far from it as inay be. As fome Rivers whole first Fountains are contiguous, havé notwithstanding a direct contrary courfe in their Streams. For inftance,in those Errors that tend to overthrow the doctrine of the Gofpel, concerning Christ and Ordinances (and thefe are things which the Devil hath a great fpite at) he begins his work with plaufible pretences of Love and Admiration of Chrift and Grace; he proceeds from thence to the pretence of purer Enjoyments, from thence to a diflike of fuch Preachers and Preaching, as threaten Sin, and fpeak out the wrath of God againti Iniquity, and these are presently called Legal Preachers, and the doctrine of Dutya Legal Covenant having them once at this point, they easily come to immediate Affiftances, and fpecial Gifts, which they pretend to have above others; being thus fet up, they are for free Grace, and the enjoyment of God in Spirit from thence they come to Chriftian Liberty, and by degrees Duties are unneceffary, there is no Chrift but within them, and being freed from the Law, whatever they do is no Tranfgreffion. This is a Path that Satan hath trodden of old, though now and then he may vary in fome Circumstances, and be forced to ftop before he come to the utmost of his Journey. You may obferve this Method in the late Errors of New-England, in the Familifts of Germany, and in those called Wonder of Old-England; in all which at the long-run Men are led as far Working Pro-from Scripture, as Darknefs is from Light. Now this is not onvidence for ly to be seen in a progressive multiplication of Errors, but often may New-England. we perceive the fame fubtilty of Satan in a fimple Error, as when -he takes up part of a Truth which fhould ftand in conjunction with another, and fets it up alone against its own Companion, where we -fhall have the name and pretence kept up, but the thing quite de

See the Book

Stroyed.

ftroyed. God requires Services of Men, and prescribes to their use, Prayer, Hearing, Sacraments, but because in these God is difhonoured when Men only draw near with their Lips,he further tells us, that be is not a Few which is one outwardly, neither is that Circumcifion which is of the Flesh, &c. This part are fome Men so fixed upon, that they think they are discharged of the other, and in practice go quite from thefe duties, and yet ftill they profefs they are for Ordinances and the Worship of God; juft fo are fome Men for Chrift, but then 'tis but the name, not the thing; they own Chrift they fay, but then 'tis Chrift in them, and Christ come in their Flesh, but not that Chrift that died at Jerufalem, as a Sacrifice for the Sins of Men.

"Secondly, Satan takes great care that an Errour be (in all the ways of its propagation) cloathed with Scripture phrases; and the leß the Errour can pretend to any plaufible ground of Scripture,the more doth he endeavour to adorn it with Scripture Language, (I understand this chiefly of fuch Errors, as are defigned for the Multitude) fo that though Scripture be not used to prove the Errour, yet are Deceivers taught to expreß their conceptions by it, and to accomodate the Words and Sentences of it to their purposes; for befides pride and confidence, Scriptural Eloquence is a neceffary ingredient to make a powerful Deluder. Obferve the Ring-leaders of Errors, and you fhall find that ordinarily, fuch have at first been Studious of the Scriptures; and though never able to digeft them,yet when they turned their Ears from Truth, they have carried their Scripture Language (which they had before brought themselves unto by long cuftom) away with them, and still retain it, and exprefs their Opinions by it.

Now this is a great advantage to Satan. For First, By this means the ignorant Multitude are often caught without any more ado; if they hear Scripture Expreffions they are apt to think that all is Truth which is spoken by them; and they the rather believe it, because they will imagine fuch Teachers to be well verfed in Scripture, and confequently either fo boneft, or fo knowing that they neither can, nor will delude them. Secondly, There is a Majefty in Scripture which (in fome fence) doth flick to the very expreffions of its Men may perceive that generally Hearers are more affected with Scripture Eloquence, than with Play-Book Language; it hath (as it were) a charm in the words, which makes the Ear attentive, more than a quaint difcourfe, ftarched up in the dress

G&

of

Savonarola

of common Rhetorick: One gives us an Observation to that purpofe of his own Preaching, and fo may many others. While then triumph. Cru- Men hear fuch language, they have a reverence to it. And as Phycis. lib. 2.6.2. fitians cover their Pills with Gold that the Patient might more willingly take them; fo do Men often fwallow down Errour with-out due confideration, because conveyed to them in a Language which they refpect..

Secondly, Satans fecond care for the advancement of Errour, (after he hath given it all the countenance he can from Scripture) is to gild it over with fpecious pretences, he fets it off with all the bravery he can,and then urgeth that as an Argument of its Truth. Men are apt to judg that what doth better their Spiritual Condition cannot be a Lye or delufion; and the Argument were the more confiderable, if the advantages were fuch as he pretends them to be: but the very noise and boaft of advantages pleafe the unwary, without a due enquiry into their reality. The Apoftle in Rom. 16.18. reduceth all this Policy of the Deceiver to two heads: (1.) Good words, xpusoλogias, words that fet out the profit and advantage of the thing. (2.) And fair Speeches Evλoglas, Speeches that fatter the Condition of the party. His Art,as to the first of these, is to tell them that the Notions offered to them are special Difcoveries, rare Myfteries, which have been hidden from others; and thence infers, that it muft of neceffity conduce much to their happineß, and Spiritual Perfection to know and embrace them. Thofe that troubled the Church in Pauls days with falfe Doctrines, used this flight of boafting, as appears by that expreffion in 1 Tim. 6.20. Oppofitions of Science; it seems they called their opinions (though they were but prophane, and vain-bablings) by the name of Science or Knowledg, implying that all others, even the Apostles themfelves were in the Dark, and came fhort of their Illumination. The like we have in Rev. 2. 24. of that abominable Prophetess Jexe-. bel, who recommended her blafphemous filthy Doctrines, under, the name of Depths, Profundities, or hidden Knowledg, though the Spirit of God told that Church they were not fuch; but if Depths, they were depths of Satan, (as'tis added there by way of Correction) and not of the Spirit of God. We may trace these footsteps of Satan in all confiderably prevailing Errors: for what hath been more common than to hear Men fpeak of the designs they have been carrying on, under the fpecious Titles Of Christ's coming to Set up a Righteous Kingdom; The Churches coming out of Baby

lon,