THE NATVRE and DANGER OF HERESIES, Opened in a Sermon BEFORE THE HONOURABLE House of COMMONS, Ianuary 27. 1646. at Margarets Westminster, being the day of their solemn Monthly Fast.
By OBADIAH SEDGVVICK, B. D. Minister of Gods Word at Covent-Garden.
But there were false Prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false Teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
Yee therefore beloved, seeing yee know these things before, beware lest yee also being led away with the errour of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastnesse: but grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 2 Pet. 3. 17, 18.
LONDON, Printed by M. F. for SAMUEL GELLIBRAND, at the Brazen serpent in Pauls Church-yard. 1647.
Die Mercurii 27. Januar. 1646.
ORdered by the Commons Assembled in Parliament, that Sir Peter Wentworth doe from this House give thanks unto Mr Sedgewick for the great pains he took in his Sermon preached on this day at Margarets Westminster before the House of Commons, and that he doe desire him to Print his Sermon. Wherein he is to have the like priviledge in printing of it, as others in the like kind usually have had.
I Appoint Samuel Gellibrand to Print this Sermon.
TO THE HONOURABLE The House of COMMONS now assembled in Parliament.
HAving received your commands to preach, that which first presented it selfe unto my thoughts, was the subject of this ensuing Discourse; A Theam (if I doe understand the present posture of these times) both seasonable and necessary. There are some points of difference which are of an inferior consequence, and stand farther off from the foundation; these being but Judicia domestica, I meddle not with: But there are other positions which pull hard at the very foundation, and which doe subvert the faith, dogmata salutis devoratoria, as Tertullian styles them; and Religionis Christianae Carcinomata, as another speaks: against these I held it my duty, as a Christian, as a Minister of Christ, and as your servant to declare my self; And I beseech you before whom was it more fit to open those ulcerous sores, then before your selves (Right Honourable) who under God are our most choice and tender Physitians?
If any Reader should now be so unhappy in his charity as to calumniate this discovery of heresies and blasphemies to be an arrow subtilly designed against holinesse and good men: to such a one, all that I would reply is this; 1. The surest friends to holinesse have been the sharpest enemies to errours; Christ and his Apostles were so. 2. That I never [Page] yet have learned what direct advantage did at any time redound to true sanctity, by a patient endurance of heresie and blasphemy. 3. Nor can I be so uncharitable as to think, that any person sincerely holy, or incending the progresse of holinesse, durst be a friend to such damnable and soule-destroying errours. The design which I would commend to all in this time of Reformation, is this, That truth and holinesse (which are so naturally combined, and so mutually interested) may be conscientiously promoted with equall zeal: encourage holinesse, but contend for the truth too: maintain the truth, but countenance holinesse too: he who pretends holinesse, but regards not truth; and hee who pretends the truth, but regards not holinesse, neither of these is a cordiall friend either to truth or holinesse. For your parts (Right Honourable) be you pleased to goe on (as you have begun) in the strenuous support of them both: Both of them have a necessary respect to Gods glory: both of them have a necessary respect to mans salvation: both of them have a necessary respect to our present Reformation: both of them will prove the Kingdomes safety, your consciences comfort, and the crown of all your long and great labours. For both these you have the prayers of
THE NATURE and DANGER OF HERESIES.
And the Serpent cast out of his mouth water as a Floud after the woman, that he might cause her to bee carried away of the Floud.
And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the Floud which the Dragon cast out of his mouth.
THis Text is a seasonable Text; Seasonable to the times wherein we live, and seasonable to the worke of this day, which should be humbling work, and reforming work; The parts of the text are two: 1 A new Danger, v. 15. 2 A renued Succour, v. 16.
I. The New Danger is set forth in four particulars. The Division of the Text.
1. By the Author of it [And the Serpent] There is a former danger mentioned in v. 12, 13. And that [Page 2] was managed by the wrathfull Dragon: And here is a New danger, which is contrived by the cunning Serpent: Open cruelty is more dreadful, but subtill policy is more pernicious: The cunning Devill is a more mischievous enemy to the Church of Christ, then the raging Devil: Nero and Dioclesian were sore enemies to the Church, but of all, the Emperour Julian is reputed the worst.
2. By the Engine of it, [The Serpent cast out of his mouth] It is a question amongst the School-men, whether peccataoris may not be worse then peccataoperis? Sure I am, that the danger which comes out of the mouth of the Serpent, far exceeds that danger which depends upon the sword of the Dragon.
There is a mouth of truth, and that is Gods mouth: there is a mouth of peace, and that is Christs mouth: there is a mouth of prayer, and that is the good mans mouth: there is a mouth of cursing, and that is the wicked mans mouth: there is a mouth of mischiefe, and that is the Serpents mouth. When the Devil wracked Adam and Eve, then he used the mouth of the Serpent: And when he deceived Ahab, then he became a lying spirit in the mouth of the false Prophets: And when he would deceive the whole world, then he fals into the mouth of the Beast to speak great things: And here intending to destroy the Church, hee useth the mouth of the Serpent.
3. By the Matter of it: [And the Serpent cast out of his mouth water as a floud] It is not said, that he did cast out water onely, (and yet even that dropping out of the mouth of a Serpent had been sufficiently dangerous) but he did cast out water as a floud: Flouds in Scripture are the periphrases of extreamest dangers; when [Page 3] the danger is sudden, high, violent, quick, it is then expressed by the metaphor of a floud: David speaks of flouds of ungodly men, Psal. 18. 4. And the Prophet speaks of the enemies comming in like a floud, Esa. 59. 19.
4. By the scope or intention of it, [That he might cause the woman to be carried away of the floud] There was a floud which did bear up the Ark, but here is a floud to overwhelm and drown the Ark: which way soever the Devil and his Angels attempt against the Church of Christ, not lesse then the utter ruine of it is still the aim and project: when the Devil rageth as a Dragon, then his intent is utterly to wast; and when he acts as a Serpent, then his design is utterly to sink the Church.
II. Thus you see the Churches New Danger: but now behold the Churches Renued Succour: And indeed it is very remarkable, that this Chapter is as full of succours, as it is of dangers; In v. 7. you may read of the Dragon and his Angels appearing in the field and fighting, but then you read of Michael and his Angels succouring even to victory, v. 8, 9. Again, in v. 13. you find the Dragon persecuting the woman which brought forth a man-child; but then also you read, that there was given to the woman two great wings of a great Eagle, that she might flie into the wildernesse, v. 14. And here you see a floud cast out to carry away the woman, but withall you read of a gracious and present succour; [And the earth helped the woman by opening her mouth, and swallowing up the floud which the Dragon cast out of his mouth.]
Thus you have the distribution of the Text. Now I proceed to the Propositions which may be observed from it. The whole state and summe of this Text may [Page 4] be resolved into these three Conclusions.
1. That the mischief which Satan cannot compasse by The Observations from the Text. open cruelty, he will assay against the Church of Christ by subtill policy: when he fails as a Dragon, then he will try what he can doe as a Serpent.
2. That the Serpents floud is the chiefest and the worst of the Churches dangers.
3. That the Lord hath still raised fresh succours for the Church, against the fresh dangers of the Church.
Concerning the first of these, I intended to have demonstrated both the truth of it, and the practise of it in all ages of the Church, as also the severall methods, wiles, stratagems, and designs of Satan upon, and against the Church of Christ: and the reasons of shifting his hand, and making use of his mouth, of desisting from open cruelty, and of falling to his wiles of policy: And then also the wonderfull mischief which hath redounded thereby, that whereas his cruelty hath killed thousands, his policy hath slaine ten thousands: where also might have been discovered, 1. The advantages of policy above cruelty. 2. The generall receptivity or capacity in men to be catched by the policies of this Serpent. 3. The usuall inadvertencies rather under the workings of the Serpent, then of the Dragon. 4. The specious wayes of insinuating his mischief in the ways of policy: But I was taken off from my purpose in the handling of this point (though as to my own opinion, very necessary and excellent) because I should thereby check my self in the handling of the second point, which I desired chiefly to discourse upon this day before this Honourable Auditory: And therfore omitting other things, I addresse my self unto that Proposition which shall be the onely subject of [Page 5] my present pains: The Proposition is this,
That the Serpents floud, is the chiefest and the worst of Doct. the Churches dangers: [The Serpent cast out of his mouth a floud to carry away the woman.]
Interpreters are carried away with severall conjectures concerning this floud which is cast out to carry away the Church: There is a floud of tears, and a floud of reproaches and slanders: That is a floud wherein we should drown our sinnes; this is a floud wherein men drown our names: And there is a floud of persecution, and a floud of invasion, and a floud of Severall opinions concerning this floud. erroneous opinions: which of these three latter it is, may be questioned. Some, by this floud of waters, understand the floud of bloud let out by the Pagan Praesertim Maxentii & Maximini edicta, rescripta, mandata tabulis insculpta, & passim suffixa de Christianis toto orbe tollendis, extirpandis. Emrors: A red sea was that floud; they endeavoured all they could to drown the Church in its own bloud: But this opinion is not very probable, because the former danger in the practises of the Dragon comprehended this floud, and it seems clearly to be mentioned already in v. 11. where it is said, They loved not their lives unto the death.
Others by this floud, understand the irruption of the Franks and Vandals, Hunnes and Longobards, who about the year 400. brake in upon Asia and Europe like a tempest, and a swelling inundation, and in a sort overwhelmed the Christian world: This I confesse was a floud, but whether that which is implied in the Text, I much doubt, because the Text speaks of a floud cast out of the mouth of the Serpent: But in the irruptions of those fore-mentioned people, there was neither the Serpent, nor the mouth: It was a plain, publike, notorious cruelty, managed by the hand, not a danger managed by secret subtilty, and in the mouth.
[Page 6] Viegas by this floud understands a strange kinde of Antichrist, who shall send out his Army into the wildernesse, and by his Satellites (surely he means some Pursivants or busie Emissaries) should search caves and dens to find out the faithfull, whom the earth (in a literall sense) should swallow up as it did Dathan and Abiram: but this fancy is not worth the confuting, onely this let me subjoyn, that some Interpreters doe fasten this floud upon the true Antichrist of Rome, and questionlesse virtually it will reach him as to the practise; but whether it will reach the Text as to its principall scope, I question.
But not to trouble you with more conjectures, the best Interpreters which I have met with, unanimously David Chytraeus. Bullingerus. Pareus, &c. expound this particular floud of waters, to be those notorious errors, heresies, blasphemies, (dogmatum portenta) and schismes, which Satan by severall instruments did cast out to the infection of the Church, and to the subversion of the faith, immediately under the Christian Emperours: when the Church of Christ obtained a little respite from the cruell sword, and began to enjoy some breathing tranquillity, then on a sudden, there brake out, 1. That floud of the Arian heresie (even in the time of Constantine the great) wherein the Deity of the Son of God was oppugned and blasphemed. And this floud rose so high, and ran so swift, that in a short time it overwhelmed the East, and after that the West, so that (in a manner) the whole world turned Arian. 2. And after that another floud brake out, the Macedonian heresie, opposing the Deity of the holy Ghost: soon after this the Pelagian heresie, against the whole Gospel: And the Nestorian and Eutychian heresie, against the verity of the person of [Page 7] Christ, which flouds continued upon the Church for near 300. years; and what mischiefs did accrew unto the Church of Christ by every one of them, you may abundantly read in Eusebius, Socrates, Euagrius, Sozomen, Theodoret, and others.
So that now we are come (in some good measure) to perceive what this floud cast out of the mouth of the Serpent is: namely, erroneous, false, wicked, hereticall doctrines, cast out of the mouths of corrupt and corrupting seducers; opposing the truth, and endangering the very esse, or beeing of the Church of Christ: Concerning which, favour me with your patience, whiles I shew unto you,
First, the nature of heresies and erroneous doctrines which the Serpent doth cast out of his mouth.
Secondly, the danger of them to the Church of Christ: that they are perillous and hazardous.
Thirdly, the greatnesse of that danger, it is the chiefest and worst.
Fourthly, some pertinent usefull applications of all this to our selves for our present humbling and reforming.
1. Of the Nature of heresie.
To find this out, you may be pleased to know, that the word heresie, admits of a threefold signification and use.
1. Sometimes it is taken for any new and select opinion, contrary to the common and usually received opinions of other men: in which respect the word (heresie) may sometimes bear a good construction, For after that way Acts 24. 14. which the Iews called heresie, did Paul worship the God of his Fathers.
2. Sometimes for any false opinion whatsoever, wherein [Page 8] a person recedes from any divine truth, and thereby foments divisions, sects, contentions: in which respect, dihaereticon with Isidore, is all one with divisivum.
3. But strictly amongst Divines, it is taken for some notorious, false, and perverse opinion, opposing and subverting the faith once delivered to the Saints, as Iude speaks, or overthrowing the forme of wholesome words, as Paul speaks: and it may be thus described:
Heresie is an erroneous or false opinion, repugnant unto Heresie what. and subverting of the doctrine of faith revealed in the Word, as necessary unto salvation: And obstinately maintained, and pertinaciously adhered unto by a professed Christian.
1. Heresie is an erroneous opinion, falsasententia, or falsum dogma; there is a difference 'twixt malum opus and haresim: an evill work is one thing, heresie is another thing: In the work which a man doth, there may be sin, very much sin, but properly there is not heresie: Erratum it may be, but error it is not, unlesse it resides in the understanding: The works of hypocrisie, and of prophanenesse (as murder, injustice, adultery, theft, &c.) have much wickednesse in them, but unlesse these become the objects of opinion as well as of practise, they are not heresies. Indeed, if beside the morall practise of them, any one riseth to an intellectuall opinion, that the practise of them is lawfull, and not repugnant to the Word of God; now such an opinion, erroneous opinion of them may come to an heresie: yea, let me add a little more, though many practicall works be acted conscientia repugnante (as Alfonsus à Castro in this case speaks) yet the works (simply considered as works) are not to be reputed heresies; For then every sin against knowledge should be heresie: [Page 9] no, it is not light shining and working against an action or work, which raiseth it to be an heresie, but it must be light in the Word shining against an opinion, which must denominate it to be heresie.
2. Heresie is an erroneous opinion concerning matters of faith. There are quaestiones [...], and quaestiones [...], as one well distinguisheth: every erroneous Greg. Nazianz. Oral. 14. opinion is not heresie: If the error be of matters praeter fidem, it is not heresie, let the error be what it will; to make the erroneous opinion amount to heresie, two things must concurre.
One, that the errour be circa fidem: although a man doth erre in his own opinion within the proportion of objectum scibile, as against the rules and principles of severall Sciences, (as Geometry, Astronomy, Naturall Philosophy) yet this errour is not heresie: For heresie is an erroneous opinion, not circa scibile, but circa credibile; not about matters of humane Science, but about matters of divine faith; But if the errour be about the matters of faith revealed in the Word, as that Christ is not God, or is not Man, here now the errour will rise to heresie, for here is dogma fidei.
Another is, that the errour be contra fidem: against the faith, as well as about the faith: If it be an opinion contrary to sound doctrine, overthrowing the foundation, this will make the errour to be heresie: An opinion may be contrary, not onely to the Church of Rome, and many particular Traditions, but also to the judgement of some godly men, yet is it not therefore an heresie: but then is it heresie when the opinion is contra fidem Traditam, contrary to the faith, to the doctrine of faith in the Scriptures. Neverthelesse here we must carefully consider, that an opinion may [Page 10] be said to be contrary to the Faith in a double respect, 1. One is, when it is not concordant to every truth whatsoever, which is revealed in the Scriptures. I dare not say, that every error in this respect is heresie, there may be many mistakes, many incauti errores, (as one speaks) perhaps dissonant to the true Chronology, to the exact and full history of some places, yet these presently are not heresies. 2. The other is, when it is repugnant to that truth, or any truth which is necessary to salvation, and here questionlesse, the errour contra fidem will prove to be heresie: Heresie is opinio perversa & adversa: there may be opinions diverse, yet none of them bee heresies: In the Interpretation of the Scriptures there is frequently a variety of opinions, but as long as like the lines of a circumference they doe meet in the Center, as long as every one of them unites and harbours within the analogy of faith, here is no heresie, though some variety: But then it is heresie, when the opinion is adverse, is contrary to, is subversive of the faith revealed as necessary unto salvation: which the opinion may be, either
Explicitely: As when the errour is manifestly fundamentall, it doth expresly pluck up the foundation: It is not a problematicall canvasing of a truth, but a plain Gunpowder-plot, an error which blows up a fundamentall truth: It doth not blow off the tiles of the house, but blows up the bottomes and supports of the house; As when a person denies the Godhead of Christ, redemption by Christ, salvation by Christ.
Or Reductively: As when the errour overthrows that which being denied and overthrown, the foundation thereupon, and thereby, is by an inevitable necessity also denyed and overthrown; or maintains that [Page 11] which being maintained, a fundamentall truth must necessarily and unavoidably be subverted: As if any person should maintain, humane satisfactions to be sufficient to merit and procure salvation: this error would necessarily subvert mans salvation founded upon the merits of Jesus Christ onely.
3. If the erroneous opinion be against any one particular doctrinall necessary truth, even that particular errour will amount to heresie: Indeed number (if I may so speak) is requisite to apostasie, but any particular necessity of a truth to our salvation (if opposed) is sufficient for heresie: The Apostate turns his back from the whole truth, the Heretique grapples vvith some truth, but denies other truth: And therefore though a person still retaines an assent consonant to many truths, nay to most truths, nay to all except one necessary truth, yet if his erroneous opinion be subversive of that one, his errour will come to heresie.
4. To make the erroneous opinion to be hereticall, it is necessary (as to the person who holds it) that he be a professed Christian, one who is vinculo fidei obstrictus, as some doe word it: It is a question put by Schoolmen and others, whether Infidels, Pagans, and Jews, who hold opinions contrary unto, and subversive of the faith, are to be reputed Heretiques? Unto which it is answered, that one may be styled hereticall, either, 1. Materially, as when his opinion for the matter and substance of it, is contrary to the faith, and subverting of the foundation; 2. Or else formally, as when not only the substance of the opinion is hereticall and opposite to the Christian faith, but also it is maintained by one who hath formerly engaged himself to the profession and maintenance of the faith; In [Page 12] the former consideration, Infidels and Jews may bee reputed Heretiques; but in this latter consideration, onely he is so to be reputed, who was reckoned amongst the number of Christians professing the faith: If the Infidel and Jew deny Jesus Christ to be a Saviour of sinners, though this be a great sin, yet it is not (strictly considered) an heresie, because neither the one nor the other ever embraced or professed the Gospel: But if a Christian professing the Gospel doth this, in him it is heresie.
5. But lastly, to make up heresie, there must be obstinacy or pertinacy joyned with that erroneous opinion which is contrary to the faith: He who is an Heretique must adhere or inhere, he must obstinately adhere or cleave unto his erroneous opinion: I confesse that it is a very quick case, Whether pertinacy be so essentiall to heresie, that the opinion cannot at all be reputed hereticall, unlesse the professing Christian (who holds it) appear obstinate? Concerning which case I will onely deliver my opinion (submitting it to better judgements) that where the erroneous opinion doth ex natura opinionis, appear grosly and notoriously exitious to the rasing of the foundation, it is hereticall; A denying of Jesus Christ to bee the Son of God, or a denying of salvation by him, such an opinion in the very nature of it is pernicious, ruinous, and damnable: yet ad plurimum, and in the ordinary way of discovery and processe with Heretiques, I humbly conceive, that pertinacy must be an ingredient to constitute the person to be heretically erroneous: And therefore in this point of Heresie and Heretiques, Divines doe distinguish inter Infidelem, and dubium in fide, and Haeretico credentem, & Haereticum.
[Page 13] There is Infidelis, one who never entertained or professed the faith, yet is obstinately and most violently carried against it. This man may be a persecutor, but he is not an Heretique, notwithstanding his opinion, and notwithstanding his obstinacy.
Again, there is dubius in fide, one who is doubtfull in the faith: one who is wavering and reeling (anceps & fluctuans) his anchor doth not fasten, he is not quite on, nor quite off, but staggers and totters: the equall apprehensions of truth and falshood doe so poise and ballance the one against the other, that he comes not up fully and determinately any way: Now although some doe affirm, that even dubius in fide is Haereticus, yet I dare not to assert it; Thomas the Apostle did dubitare in fide, he was Incredulus, yet surely not Haereticus; Indeed as Austine speaks, he who doth dubitare doth errare: for the man doth erre who approves falshood for truth, or disallows truth for falshood, or takes uncertain things for certain truths, or certain truths for uncertain conjectures: errour here is, but not heresie.
There is also Haeretico-credens: one who is rowled up, wrigled in, packt up into a dangerous errour: misled, seduced, follows his leader: holds that which really is contrary to the faith, and destructive: yet not out of obstinacy of minde, but upon an imagination of truth: not out of deliberation, but by surreption; he is utterly deceived by taking upon trust: his erroneous opinion is not fortified with pertinacy, but only crept into him by his simplicity; And therefore being candidly dealt with, and being admonished, he contends not, but yeelds, and wheels about to the truth: as the bow when the string is taken off returns to its own posture [Page 14] again, so upon admonition the seduced person quits his errour, and submits to the faith.
But then there is Haereticus, the very Heretique; and he is one who doth not only (malè sentire) erre in his opinion, but also doth (fortiter tenere) obstinately maintain that errour: he doth not onely hold (fidei oppositum) that which is contrary to the faith: but also he doth hold the same (animo opponendi) with a pertinacious spirit: There is in him definiendi temeritas, & tuendi perversitas too; But here now fals in that difficult and knotty question; namely, when a person is to be reputed obstinate or pertinacious in holding an errour contrary to the faith: The Apostle, I think, resolves us in this, where he saith, An Heretique after the first and second admonition, reject. So then, when Titus 3. 10. there is a due proposall of the truth manifestly revealed in the Scriptures, and yet the erroneous person adheres unto his errour our of a very pravity of mind, and will not suffer his understanding to be captivated unto the truth, this person is pertinacious in holding of his erroneous opinion, and is manifestly an Heretique.
Beloved! when an erroneous person maintains his opinion contrary to clear light, so that he must necessarily deny the truth of God or revoke his error: or when he cannot maintain his wicked errour, but he must necessarily overthrow some other article of faith, which yet he would not doe: or when the person cares not to trample down another truth to uphold his error against a former truth, makes one article a footstool to pull down another; or when the person steps from one errour to a more grosse one, cares not what errour he plungeth himself into, so that he may maintain [Page 15] his errour: or when all solid reason is silenced; nay, if reason and conscience might speak, they doe (concurring with the truth against his errour) secretly condemn him, and having nothing to reply, hee fals unto proud scorns, bitter virulencies, miserable shifts; surely such an erroneous person is obstinate and pertinacious in his corrupt opinion.
And thus briefly for the first question, which contains the Nature of Heresies. I now come to handle the second particular, which respects the Danger of Heresies.
2. Of the Danger of Heresies.
That heresies, or erroneous doctrines and opinions are dangerous, cannot be so much as a scruple to any Christian upon the earth, unlesse he be turned into an Heretique or into an Atheist. For,
First, the Scriptures doe in terminis charge sin, and perniciousnesse, and damnation upon them. S. Paul reckons up heresies amongst those workes of the flesh which shut persons out from inheriting the Kingdom of God, Gal. 5. 20, 21. And Saint Peter cals them pernicious and damnable, and such as bring swift destruction: and speaking of the Authors of them, he saith, that their damnation slumbers not, 2 Pet. 2. 1, 2, 3. A mans opinion makes him sinfull, as well as his practise; and a man may be damned for a corrupt opinion, as well as for a corrupt conversation. I will not put it to a dispute, whether a sin against the rule of faith may not (caeteris paribus) be far more sinfull and damnable then the sin which is against the rule of life? But let it (for the present) suffice, that if heresies and heterodoxies be such sins, be such locks as can shut up the gates of heaven against a soul: If they be such bars as can [Page 16] break up the doors of hell, and bring damnation: surely that man is not himself, who doubts whether they be dangerous or no.
Secondly, let us consider unto what dangerous things, heresies and corrupt doctrines are compared in Scripture, and by what dangerous creatures hereticks and false teachers are expressed, by them you may judge whether heresies are dangerous yea or no.
1. For heresies, they are compared in Scriptures sometimes to a Gangrene or canker, 2 Tim. 2. 17. Their word will eat as doth a canker: The canker is an invading ulcer, creeping from joynt to joynt, corrupting one part after another, till at length it eats out the very heart and life. Sometimes to a shipwrack, 1 Tim. 1. 19, 20. Hold faith and a good conscience, which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwrack: In what a condition are the miserable passengers, when their ship is split asunder by the Rock? All their goods are lost, and all their lives too. Christ cals them leaven, Paul cals them a bewitching: Learned writers call them a leprosie, poison, fire, a tempest, our text, a floud.
2. And as for Heretiques, they are expressed by creatures very dangerous and hurtfull; sometimes they are styled foxes, Cant. 2. 15. The foxes which spoil the grapes; sometimes they are called dogs, rending dogs, Phil. 3. 2. Beware of dogs, beware of the concision; sometimes they are styled wolves, grievous wolves which devour the flocks, Acts 20. 29. Sometimes they are in effect called very mountebanks, and cheaters, such as beguile unstable souls, &c.
Thirdly, Jesus Christ, and his Apostles doe give speciall charges and caveats against them, to take [Page 17] heed and beware of them, which they never vvould have done, had they not been dangerous, Mark 8. 15. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, Matth. 7. 15. Beware of false Prophets, Matth. 24. 4, 5. Take heed that no man deceive you, for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many, Phil. 3. 2. Beware of dogs, beware of evill workers, beware of the concision, 2 Pet. 3. 17. Beware lest ye also being led away with the errour of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastnesse: Certainly all these things doe clearly prove that there is a danger in them.
But that is not all: danger is not all, there is yet more then meer danger in them, which will appear in the resolving of the third particular.
3. The greatnesse of danger by Heresies.
Heresies are the greatest and highest of dangers to the Church of Christ: you will imagine that the sword, and prison, and exile, and dispersion, and spoiling, and torments, and tortures, and the most cruell deaths which befell the Church in the Primitive times, were extreamly dangerous, and so they were; but yet not half so dangerous as the flouds of heresies and corrupt opinions are. The Church ever gained by the former, grew more in purity, in unity, in prayer, in zeal and courage: But did it ever get so by heresies and erroneous doctrines? Unlesse by accident, and after much striving, and physicking for recovery.
I will goe no farther then the Text it self, to set out unto you the exceeding mischief & danger which comes by heresies and erroneous doctrines. They are in the Text styled a floud cast out of the mouth of the Serpent: Now seriously consider,
1. They are a corrupting and defiling floud; Any [Page 18] floud is so, it presently defiles the pure waters, spoils the grounds, leaves filth and slime and mud behind it: But surely a floud that comes out of the mouth of a poisonous Serpent is so: And there are 4 precious things, which wicked errors or heresies doe poison, corrupt, and defile.
The first is, the souls of men: And is there a more noble and choice thing in man, or belonging to man then his soul? Our soul is of more value then all the world: But heresies and wicked doctrines corrupt the soul, nay many souls: It was the heavy Indictment against Babylon, that in her were found slaves and souls of men, Rev. 18. 13. Heretiques in one place are called Merchants, (making merchandise of you with fained words, 2 Pet. 2. 3.) In merchandizing there is something bought for a certain price: In this merchandise, the souls of people are bought for fained words, for base metall, onely for a corrupt errour: Every hereticall opinion buyes a soul, or stabs a soul. It stabs the soul of him that maintains it, and still it trades on to murder more souls: It lifts off the soul from the foundation upon which the salvation of souls is built. What will become of an house whose foundation is removed? And what will become of a soul whose bottome for salvation is denyed and rejected? Damnable heresies make us to deny the Lord that bought us, 2 Pet. 2. 1. Oh what is this! what will follow upon this, when a poor sinner comes to deny the Lord Iesus who bought him!
The second is, the leading faculty of the soul: There is more danger to corrupt a Captain, then to corrupt many private Soldiers, and most danger to corrupt a Generall, who leads the whole Army: It is capitall [Page 19] in some places, and at some times, to cast poison into the spring; this will poison all the streams: Heresies corrupt the great leader of the whole soul: The Iudgement of man is the Generall, the Admirall, the Shepherd, the Overseer, the Guide, the Eye, the Primum movens for the rest of the spheres in man; If the light in man be darknesse, how great is that darknesse? If the Iudgment be infected, how dangerous is that infection? Beloved! If there be the darknesse of ignorance from inapprehension in the minde, the soul hereby is in an ill case; If there be the darknesse of misapprehension by errour, it is in a worse case; But when that misguiding errour befals the leading faculty of all the soul, and this errour fals point-blank against a truth necessary unto the mans salvation: and moreover this errour is stifly adhered unto by that leading judgement: it doth mislead, and it will mislead: Oh now in what a desperate condition is the whole soule hereby? If it doth not recover of this error, it dies for it, and it can never be recovered, til the judgment be altered; And when will that judgement be altered, which perversly affronts and rejects the light of truth, which onely can carry it off?
The third is, the most active faculty of the soul; they doe defile and corrupt the conscience: Now this is amazedly dangerous. A wicked errrour is blinding, whiles in the judgement onely: but it is binding when it slips to the conscience also. It is a wrangling Sophister in that, but it is a working Iesuite in this; Diseases falling amongst the vitall spirits, are most quick, and most dangerous; Errours are never more pernicious, then when they drop into the conscience: for whatsoever engageth conscience, the same engageth [Page 20] all, and the utmost of our all: If the conscience of man be made a party against the truth, now all that a man hath, and all that a man can doe, will be made out against the truth too: Now the person will with Paul grow mad, and desperate against Christ: for Paul being engaged by an erroneous conscience, consents to the death of Stephen, yea could he (in that condition) have met with Jesus Christ himself, he would have done the like against him.
The fourth is, The conversations of men: Heresie is seldom or never divided from Impiety; Hymeneus, who 1 Tim. 1. 19. made shipwrack of faith, made shipwrack also of a good conscience: Those whom Paul called dogs, he also cals evill workers. And in another place, speaking of Phil. 3. 2. Tit. 1. 15, 16. some whose mindes were defiled, he adds, and reprobate to every good work. Our Saviour speaking of false Prophets, saith, you may know them by their fruits: The lives of men are consonant to the judgements of men: Truth and goodnesse are reciprocal, and so are falshood and wickednesse: The doctrine of faith is a doctrine of holinesse too: And the doctrine of lies, is the doctrine of prophanenesse too: He who fals from truth to falshood, will quickly fall from piety to wickednesse: Truth is of a reforming vertue, as well as of an informing nature: It salts and seasons heart and life both: but that errour which putrifies the heart, will putrifie the life also: the plague will at length rise and break out into bla [...]es and botches.
They who write the story of the Anabaptists, begin Sleid. &c. it with errour in their judgements, but end it vvith wickednesse in their practises: And Cyprian writing long since of Novatus, (that pestilent Heretique) saith Epist. 49. ad Cornelium. thus of him: That he was (rerum novarum cupidus) [Page 21] one who itched after new notions; (avaritiae inexplebili rapacitate furibundus) and beyond measure covetous, (arrogantia & stupore superbi tumoris inflatus) intolerably proud; (curiosus semper ut prodat) no man so prying, no man so treacherous; (ad hoc adulator ut fallat) he would commend you before your face, but cut your throat behind your back; (nunquam fidelis ut diligat) as false a person as lived; (Fax & ignis ad conflanda seditionis incendia, turbo & tempestas ad fidei facienda naufragia, hostis quietis, tranquillitatis adversarius, pacis inimicus) a very fire-brand, cared not what became of truth or peace, turned the world upside down, so that he might carry on his opinion.
The Apostle speaking of Antichrist (who is the Antesignanus of all Heretiques) cals him [...], that man of sin; no such sinner as he: Lyranus expounds it, one totally given up to sin; and Theophylact, the ringleader of sin: And truly, it is most just with God to give them up to corrupt lives, who rejecting his truth, have given up themselves to corrupt errors and lies.
2. Heresies are a drowning and overwhelming floud: a floud (you know) is such a collection, such an heightning confluence of waters, as swels the rivers above their bounds, and lays all under water. Now there are three things which heresies doe overwhelm. See 2 Pet. 2. 2. One is, the glory of all glories: the glorious Name of God, the glorious Name of Christ, the glorious Name of the holy Spirit, the glorious name of divine truths, Heresie turns the glory into a lye: It gives God the lye, and Christ the lye, and the holy Ghost the lye; For it gives truth the lye, the Scriptures the lye, which are the glory of God, and Christ and the holy Spirit. [Page 22] He who makes the Word of God a lyer, makes God himself a lyer; O sirs! what is God without truth? and what is all the goodnesse of the Gospel without truth? and what is all the fabrick of mans salvation without truth? Truth is as it were the pin, the clasp, the knot that ties all; pull out that, untie and break that, the excellencies of God, the glories of Christ, the sweetnesse of promises, the souls of men, the salvation of mens souls, all are dashed, are broken, are gone: And such work doth heresie make, it doth dissolve the bond of all glory; yea, it doth resolve God into worse then nothing: No God is better then a false god, there is an open or secret blasphemy in all heresies: No man can contemn the truth of God, but in that he must likewise condemn the God of truth.
The second is, the glory of Religion: Religion is clipt and darkned: It grows low and beggerly, when it is patched with errour: It is a debasing of the gold to marry it with any metall of a courser birth; All Religion is by so much the more excellent, by how much the more of truth it hath; but when once it is adulterated, when once it is tainted and leavened with damnable errours, now the silver is become drosse, the glory is departed from it: when a Religion is like the feet of Nebuchadnezzars image, which were part of clay, and part of iron, now it becomes low and contemptible: If the mixture of humane inventions abates of its glory, what an impairing is the mixture of corrupt, and poisonous, & faith-subverting doctrines?
The third is, not onely the dignity, but also the very vitall entity of a Church: Truth is the soul of that body, and falshood is death unto it: Schismes do it much hurt, but nothing like vile doctrines: Schismes doe [Page 23] only rent the coat, but Heterodoxies do rent the heart: those pluck up the fence, but these pull down the building: those doe tear away the childrens lace, but these doe bereave the children of their bread: those are a turbulent sea, these are a dead sea: those doe scratch, but these doe kill: Men talk much of un-churching, and of Antichrist, and limbes of Antichrist, but a Church is never more near to give up the ghost, then when it is most near to give up the truth: It is never nearer to be un-churched, and to be essentially Antichristed, then when the truth fails, and when abominable heresies and corrupt doctrines swarm in it: Mark seriously that place in 1 Iohn 4. 3. Every spirit that confesseth not that Christ is come in the flesh, is not of God, and this is that spirit of Antichrist: I, this is that spirit of Antichrist. The spirit of errour and false doctrine, this is that spirit of Antichrist.
3. Heresies are a suddenly rising floud: A floud is no sober or quiescent puddle, no grave or slow-paced river; but it is a quick and extemporary collection and inundation: And truly herein lies the greatnesse of the danger unto a people and Church by heresies, that they are quickly conceived, and quickly brought forth: quickly born, and quickly thriving: though truth gets on very slowly, by reason of that incapacity of the judgement for supernaturals, and by reason of that naturall opposition in man to the things of God, and by reason of the subtill interposition of the Prince of darknesse, who blinds the minds of men, lest the light of the glorious Gospel should shine unto them, yet erroneous and false opinions do break out with ease and spread swiftly: they are like the plague which is a flying arrow: there needs no [Page 24] preparation of the ground for nettles; if the seeds doe but drop down, you may soon have a full crop: yet the ground must be prepared again and again to receive good seed: the hearts of men are naturally disposed to suck in errours, as they are to send out wickednesses: the tinder is so prepared to catch the fire, that it is but the striking of the flint, and the work is done; The Scriptures doe compare false doctrines to leaven, O how fast doth a little leaven sowre the lump? Paul wondred that the Galatians were so soon removed to another Gospel, Gal. 1. 6. The good man slept but one night, and the field was sowen all over with tares by the wicked and envious man: How quickly did the world turn Arian? How suddenly did the Anabaptists endanger Germany? The Vines which have been some months in growing, are in very few howres torn down and destroyed by Foxes and wilde Boars. Now if erroneous doctrines be in themselves so highly pernicious, and in their operation so speedily diffusive, then certainly they are of all other things the most dangerous to the Church of Christ: A plague which suddenly infects many families, is therefore the more dangerous: and heresies vvhich can suddenly infect many souls, are therefore the more dangerous evils.
4. Heresies are an increasing and swelling floud: A floud at first makes the river onely to look big, and to run a little thicker and faster: but after a while it causeth the river to be unruly, to break in pieces, to superabound, the waters contribute on every side, and at every corner, to raise and mount it, so that there is no passing: False doctrines at first seem to be modest, they will be but scruples and quaere's, and then they [Page 25] come to be probabilities; and then they come to be Like the spreading Leprosie. tolerable conclusions; and then they rise to be unquestionable tenets: and then fit to be made publique articles: and then necessary to be held; and then the contrary not to be maintained or spoken for, nay to be disdained and reproached.
But this is not all neither: For as false opinions rise thus and encrease in their direct line of particular magnitudes, by way of intention: so doe they likewise enlarge themselves in divers breadths by way of extension: They are like circles in a pond, one circle begets another, so doth one heresie beget another, a lesser begets a greater. As one morall sin is but a staire to step down lower, so this intellectuall sinne of heresie, it is but a staire to help up to higher and worse errors.
If you will consult Historicall Antiquity, it is wonderfull to behold the great flames bred out of small sparks: what monstrous opinions have been built upon errours which seemed but little at the first: how one errour hath hatched a greater: they who write of them can distinctly tell us where the man was first planet-struck, (what his first errour was) but after a while they are non-plussed in the account, the number of errours have doubled & trebled; such a maze and labyrinth is errour; It is like a whirle-pool which first Dato uno absurdo, mille sequuntur. sucks in one part, and then another, and never defists untill it draws in and plungeth the whole body. Besides ancient examples, wee may see this swelling growth of erroneous opinions in the Church of Rome, where one errour still advanced to more errours, and those again to higher errours, and these still running on, until a general corruption ensued from all the particulars: [Page 26] compare the first defections and corruptions with their last and present, how little then, how totall now, how particular then, how universall now, and you will easily acknowledge what encreasing flouds erroneous opinions are; The points at first were rather about private interests of precedency, but they have been so encreased unto all doctrinals, that they are scarce sound in any: Their errours about the Scriptures, and Traditions, and the offices of Christ, and humane satisfactions and merits; and invocation and adoration of Saints; and of justification and faith, and good works, and free-will, and Sacraments, &c. are evident to all the world: I could give unto you an instance also in the Anabaptists in Germany, whose first Author there (saith David Chytraeus in his Dedicatory Epistle to Ericus King of the Swedes) was Nicolaus Pelargus Cygneus about the year 1523. his erroneous doctrines though bad enough, (for they were laid in the contempt of the Ministery of the Word and Sacraments, and rejection of the Civill Magistrate, and in nova ac coelesti luce immediate accensain corde (as my Author expresly relates) yet were not formerly so numerous, but when these opinions descended unto Thomas Munzerus and Andreas Carolostadius, now they began to swell both in the quantity of the opinions, and in the vast number of disciples too.
Lambertus Danaeus in his Annotations and Explications of Saint Augustines Book De haeresibus & quod vult deum, addes to that account, the many derivations and enlarging propagations of heresies from age to age: shewing exactly the severall heresies flowing from some one capitall and originall heresie, as from Simon See his Arborem Haerescón, as himself styles it. Magus's heresie: and from that of Valentinus, and that [Page 27] of Cardo, and that of Artemon, and that of Novatus, and that of Arius, &c. In which elaborate work of his, you may read of such a strange growth of heresies, that they never left multiplying and breeding, untill they had (as much as in them lay) overthrown and cashiered every person in the Trinity: All the Scriptures, Law and Gospel; every distinct morall commandement, every particular article of faith, every Ordinance of Jesus Christ, Preaching of the Word, Baptisme, Lords Supper, &c. There are 4. generall heads unto which (usually) we reduce Christian Religion: 1. To the Decalogue of the Law. 2. To the symbole of faith. 3. To the Lords Prayer. 4. To the Sacraments. And that learned See him in [...] pusc. indice tertio. p. 142. &c. printed at Geneva M. D. LXXXIII. in folio. Author doth by name instance the severall hereticall and erreonous teachers who have invaded every one of these, and in every particular comprehended in them: By all which, it doth most clearly appear how dangerously mischievous hereticall opinions are to the Church of God.
5. There is one thing more which I would add in the last place, by which it shall be manifested, that these hereticall opinions are more dangerous then any other flouds, and that is a diverse quality in them: other flouds are quickly up, and quickly down: although they grow high and perillous, yet there is a suddain transiency in the height and perill: their principles are unconstant though violent, and being spent, these ordinary flouds sink and famish for want of supply and feeding. But the flouds of false and erroneous doctrines are such, as quickly rise, but do very slowly abate: They are in this respect worse then the great deluge in the days of Noah, which continued many months, but then did slack and sink, and fell quite away. [Page 28] It is not so with hereticall errours, but they are like diseases which come upon us flying, but goe away from us creeping: some erroneous opinions have been kept up for forty years together; nay above 100. years together: some of them 300. years: nay, some of the Antichristian heterodoxies have been kept up above a 1000. years together. O Brethren! men doe extreamly dote upon their own fancies, they are exceedingly pleased with their own brats, especially with the new conceptions of their own minds, they dearly like them, and love them, and foster them: For one Heretique who hath been poysoned in his judicials, you may finde a thousand of others converted and reduced who have onely been stained in their morals: Heresie, or the hereticall opinion is stilted up by all the parts, arguments, shifts, learning of carnall reason; and it is born up by an haughty, and disdainfull, and proud spirit; and it is so fallacious and fraudulent when you come to handle it, & (which is not the least) it is so rammed in with obstinacy and peremptorinesse, that it is almost a miracle to work effectually upon an Heretique.
Every Heretique is odiously proud: All other men who dissent from him, are far below him; and one saith very truly, That no proud man can endure to bee accounted a fool or a knave: So simple as to be deceived, or so base as to deceive: one of which the heretique thinks he must take to his share, if at any time he recants his hereticall and seducing doctrine.
I should now come to shew unto you the reasons why Satan makes use of this dangerous floud against the Church, and why especially at some times more then other: He well knows that there remains in professing [Page 29] Christians many advantages for him as to erroneous opinions, much ignorance, much pride, and self-conceitednesse, much itching vanity, much vain glory, much fraternall envy, much carelesnesse and inadvertency, &c. but I must wave this, and conclude all with some seasonable applications unto our selves.
Are heresies, erroneous and false doctrines such a dangerous Vse 1 and pernicious floud to the Church of God? Is there so much sinfulnesse in them? so much dishonour to Christ? so much injury to the truth of God? so much hazard to the immortall souls of men? O then, what just, what sad, what singular cause have all of us (this day) to enlarge our tears and humiliations? There are many flouds which doe call for our tears: 1. The floud of innocent bloud in Ireland. 2. The floud of cries from poore widows and orphans. 3. The floud of needy and wounded soldiers; and there is yet another floud, a worse floud, the floud of heresies and blasphemies: one deep cals for another, the floud of wicked and ungodly opinions doth call earnestly for a floud of sorrow and lamentation.
We are (by Gods mercy and goodnesse) indifferently rescued from the cruelty of Dragons; O but now we are as much endangered with the floud of the Serpent: the bodies of people are (in some good measure) secured from the edge of the sword: but what of this, whiles the souls of people are hazarded with the poyson of errours? If the danger flies from the body to the soul: if the corporall danger be exchanged into a spirituall danger, where is our happinesse, what is our safety by this?
Beloved! there are 4. notable reasons of our most Note. solemn humiliation for the spirituall wickednesses, for [Page 30] the false and abominable doctrines, which (like a floud) are now overflowing this Nation.
1. The account or height of some of them: They amount to no lesse then execrable blasphemies: to ignominious, contemptuous, disgracefull reproaches of God, and Christ, and the holy Scriptures: Beleeve me, blasphemy is a daring sin: It presseth very close and too sore upon God: He that blasphemeth the Name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death, Lev. 24 16. The words according to the originall are, Hee that strikes through the Name of Jehovah: Blasphemy is that bold sword which is hacking of God himself, which is as it were cleaving of him asunder: The School-men tell us, that blasphemy breaks out 3. ways.
1. Cùm attribuitur Deo, quod ei non convenit, when we affirm that of God, which is unbeseeming of God, which is incompatible with his holy and divine Nature: As to make him a creature, or a lyer, or cruell, unjust, unmercifull, sinfull, or the cause of sin.
2. Cum à Deo removetur, quod ei convenit: when we deny that to God, which indeed belongs to God: It is called blasphemy in the King of Assyria, when he said, that the Lord was not able to deliver Hierusalem out of his hand, 2 Chron. 32. 17.
3. Cum attribuitur creaturae, quod Deo appropriatur: when we put that upon a creature, which is proper to God: Thus when the Israelites had made a molten Calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Aegypt; it is added, and they wrought great provocations, Nehem 9. 18. In the Hebrew it is, and they committed great blasphemies.
Now compare this short discourse of the kindes of blasphemies, with the many expressions let fall in the [Page 31] speeches of some, and set down in the writings of others, and then judge whether some of our moderne errours rise not as high as blasphemy. Viz.
1. That God is the Author of sin: Not onely of the actions unto which sinne doth cleave, but of the very sinfulnesse it self: of the ataxy, pravity, irregularity.
2. That the Saints in this life are fully perfect, as omniscient as God.
3. That the fulnesse of the Godhead doth dwell bodily in every Saint, in the same measure as it did in Christ Iesus, whiles he dwelt here on earth.
4. That when the fulnesse of the Godhead shall be manifested in the Saints, then they shall have more power then Christ had, and doe greater works then he did, and that then they shall have divine honour.
5. And one hath been complained of, for saying, that Jesus Christ was a Bastard.
6. Another, that himself was Iesus Christ, the Messias.
7. That Iesus Christ is not God essentially, but nominally.
8. That his humane nature was defiled with originall sin as well as ours.
9. That he is not of an holier nature then men.
10. That it is as possible for Iesus Christ to sinne, as it is for a childe of God to sin.
11. That there is no such thing as the Trinity of Persons.
12. That the Scriptures are but of an humane invention, a meer shadow, a false History, and ought not to be the foundation of any mans faith, more then the Apocrypha, and other Books, &c.
When Hezekiah heard the blasphemies of Rabshekah, he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sack-cloth, [Page 32] and went into the house of the Lord, and sent to the Prophet Isaiah, saying, This is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: That day of blasphemy was a day of trouble and vexation to him: though the blasphemy was from an Assyrian, yet it was a day of trouble to him; and what should the day be unto us, when it is a day of many blasphemies, and that not from professed Assyrians, but from professing Christians? what Christian can hear, can bear such indignities and reproaches cast upon his God, and his Christ, without a bleeding and rising spirit?
II. The breadth or number of false and erroneous opinions: so many, so grievous, as quis fando temperet à lachrymis? verily they grow so thick, so abundant, that they will leave us neither Church, nor State, neither Ministery, nor Ordinances, neither duties, nor worship. There are some who have printed large Catalogues of them, I will but pick a few of the more notorious of them, and spread them before you this day, viz.
1. The Scriptures of the Old Testament doe not binde us Christians, nor those of the New neither, any farther then the Spirit (for the present) reveals unto us, that such a place is the Word of God.
2. That God never loved one man more then another before the world, and that the Decrees are all conditionall.
3. That there is no Originall sin.
4. That the will of man is still free, even to supernaturals.
5. That the Saints may fall totally and finally from grace.
6. That Christ died alike for all: yea, that the [Page 33] salvificall vertue of his death extends to all Reprobates, as well as to the Elect: yea, to the very Devils as well as unto men.
7. That Jesus Christ came into the world not for satisfaction, but for publication: Not to procure for us, and unto us the love of God, but onely to be a glorious publisher of the Gospel.
8. That God is not displeased at all, if his children doe sin; and it is no lesse then blasphemy for a child of God to ask pardon for his sins.
9. That Sanctification is a dirty and dungy qualification.
10. That the doctrine of Repentance is a soul-destroying doctrine.
11. That fastings and humblings are legall and abominable.
12. That the souls of men are not immortall, but mortall.
13. That there is no heaven, (to crown the godly) nor hell (to torment the ungodly.)
14. That Civill Magistracy is Antichristian; and but an usurpation.
15. That the whole Ministery of the Land, as to their present Ordination and standing, is Antichristian.
16. That it is as lawfull to baptize cats and dogs, and horses, (which some have done for some of them, if not for all and more) as it is to baptize the infants of beleevers.
17. That there is no true Ministery, &c. this day in all the world; nor was since the generall Apostasie, which (they say) began since the death of the last of the Apostles.
[Page 34] 18. That there will be none neither untill some Apostles be raised up and sent: and when those Apostles come, then there will be true Evangelists also, and Pastors, and not till then. Hearken O people, and judge O Christians, whether the Serpent hath not cast out his floud amongst us! Judge whether the errours in our times doe not call for more high thoughts, and more deep tears!
III. The length or perill by all these: If the perill were confined onely to the souls of them who are the craftsmen and founders of these opinions, yet even this should move us to lament; but the floud is running, the water is spreading: The plague is not onely begun, but wasting: the contagion grows to be generall: It is got into the City, into the Countrey, got into that (other) chief University: the poison is dropt into the springo: It is got into many leaders of the people, who doe themselves erre, and cause others to erre, It breaths, and walks, & rowls up and down. It is spreading over the whole Kingdome: It surpriseth place after place, infects family after family: The sword of late was not so swift to conquer bodies, as errours now are to poison souls.
Truly Sirs! If blasphemies against God, if reproaches against Christ, if decisions against the holy Ghost; If contempt of the Scriptures, if vilifying of the Ordinances of Christ, if obloquies to our holy profession, If the eternall hazard of souls, if all these cannot affect us, afflict us, I know not what to say unto you.
IV. The speciall engagements which are upon us all, to lay all these things with sorrow to our hearts. Beloved! we are Christians (let others think of us as they please) [Page 35] we are covenanting Christians, (let others deride this as they list) and we are, or should be penitent Christians (let others be what they please) now.
Consider us as Christians, we take our selves to be the children of the true and living God, and professe our selves to be the members of Iesus Christ; The faith of Christ is delivered unto us: we are intrusted with it, we are responsable for it: we are to be zealous for it. How then can we suffer our God, our Christ, our faith, to be thus dishonourably injured and abused, and not be troubled at all!
Consider us as covenanting Christians: so we have every one of us bound our souls to God, (can any mortall creature here release us?) we have lifted up our hands to the most high God (in our severall places) to extirpate heresies and false doctrines.
Yea, consider us as penitent Christians: fasting Christians should be so, they should be mourning Christians: And Christians who penitentially mourn, will mourn for the sins of others, as well as for their own sins. And they will mourn most, when God is dishonoured most: and can God be more dishonoured, then by blasphemies and damnable heresies? Put all these together, and then consider whether these sins of heresies and blasphemies should not wound our soules with grief, which have wounded our God with so much dishonour?
But I passe from this Use of Humiliation, unto a Vse 2 second Use, which shall be for Exhortation; and it is this; Since there is such a floud cast out of the mouth of the Serpent to carry away the woman, let us carefully improve the following words in the Text [And the earth helped the woman, and opened her mouth to [Page 36] swallow up the floud:] Before I distribute my Exhortation, let me premise a distinction or two.
There is a twofold opening of the mouth concerning this floud: One is to speak for damnable errours and opinions and such as vent and maintain them; O that the mouth of any Christian should ever open it selfe in the behalfe of those who dare open their mouths in blasphemy against their God and Christ! Should the welfare of a corrupt and poisonous seducer be dearer to thee, then the glory of thy God, then the truth of thy Saviour? But there is another opening of the mouth, and that is against damnable errours and blasphemies: we can doe nothing against the truth, but for the truth, saith Paul: Contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the Saints, saith Iude: Hold fast the faithful Word, for there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, &c. So the Apostle in Tit. 1. 9, 10, 11.
Again, there is a twofold swallowing up of this floud; one by way of impression and furtherance, of imitation and countenance: as when the fish doth swallow the bait: too many swallow up the floud in this sense: The Prophets prophesie falsly, and my people love to have it so, Jer. 5. 31. There shall be false teachers, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, and many shall follow their pernicious ways, 2 Pet. 2. 1, 2.
Another is by way of hinderance and repression, so as to make the danger of this floud to sink and cease; O bring in your help, bring it in fully, bring it in speedily (thus) to swallow up the floud: Beleeve it, if you doe not carefully swallow up this floud, this floud will ere long swallow you up, and the Kingdome too.
Now there are two sorts of men especially, who [Page 37] may help, and who ought to help to swallow up and suppresse the present floud of heresies and blasphemies.
1. You (Right Honourable!) and the rest who are Christian Magistrates. It was but the scornfull speech of Tiberius, that the gods alone must remedy the injuries offered unto them: O no! you are custodes utriusque tabulae: you are designed to be Nursing Fathers: you have received the sword to be a terrour to the evill. Pious and learned Amesius, speaking to that question, Whether Heretiques are to be punished by the Civil Magistrate? Answers thus, Magistratus locus & officiū postulat ut reprimat improbos turbatores In cas. consc. l. 4. c. 4▪ q. 6. gladio, vel potestate publica & externa si opus fuerit: It is his place and duty to represse them, and restrain them, if they be noxious and turbulent: yea, and hee addes more then every one will be patient to hear: namely, that if also they be manifestly blasphemous and pertinacious, they may be cut off supplicio capitali: according to that in Levit. 24. 15, 16. But I will not fall upon the discussion of that at this time: all that I would humbly suggest unto you, is this, That you may help against this dangerous floud 9. ways.
1. By a peremptory abhorring, and crushing of that floud-begetting maxime, viz. a Catholique liberty and toleration of all opinions: There was a Religion (as one once spake before you) omnium Deorum, of all Gods amongst the old Romans: and there is a Religion omnium Sanctorū, of all Saints now amongst the Papists: and if the Serpent could but wriggle in a Religion omnium opinionum, of all opinions amongst the English, he needs to desire no more: If men can step from one Religion to all, they will soon fall from all Religion to none.
2. By a publique declaration against all heresies and [Page 38] blasphemies, known to be spoken and printed; When Ostorodius and Vaidovius started out their Socinian Heterodoxies in the Low-Countries, the States Generall packt away those seducers with exile, and publickly condemned and committed their pestiferous bookes to the fire.
3. By making some standing Laws against such opinions, which can be proved to be hereticall and blasphemous; Serviunt reges terrae Christo (saith one) etiam leges ferendo pro Christo.
3. By setting up your Church-Discipline with full power, that so it may reach these heresies and blasphemies, which (if any sins) then they doe plainly fall within the Verge of it: If the discipline were fully and generally established, you should not have an heresie or blasphemy, or any erroneous opinion creeping out in any part of the Kingdome, but there would be a timely discovery of it, and likewise a spirituall remedy to recovererring persons, and to prevent their further spreading.
5. By encouraging and heartning the godly, orthodoxe painfull Ministers of the Gospel, in their assertings and vindicatings of the truths of Christ: and in their oppugning of wicked, dangerous and damnable opinions: Not suffering (therefore) to be snibbed, abused, reviled, scorned, slandered, disturbed, hazarded, because they doe oppose the adversaries of truth, and those Serpents which doe cast out flouds amongst us: why should the Shepherd be discouraged, because he keeps off Wolves from the sheep? or any man bee checked, because he would quench the flying fire?
6. By using your prudent Authority, in a timely causing to be sent forth faithfull and able Ministers, such [Page 39] as are throughly tryed, and well approved to be sound in the faith, and skilfull to convince gain-sayers and seducers; The more you help truth, and the servants of truth, the more help doe you therein contribute against errours, and the enemies of truth: No better help against darknesse, then light.
7. By a tender and watchfull eye unto the Vniversities, one of which is lately fallen into your possession: take care it may not fall into the possession of any seducers: you have heard (I doubt not) of a late Disputation in Oxford; where some body undertook to maintain (besides in private) divers strange and dangerous opinions in publique; I humbly intreat you to take care, that the Serpent gets not in his body, before there be any planted to bruise his head: Truth by right is the first-born, and should first inherit: doe not put the truth to play an after game with errour; Other Garrisons, if lost, may easily be reduced: but that which is surprized fast by errour, is not so easily recovered.
8. By injoyning a solemn day of Humiliation through all the Land, for the dishonours redounding to God, and Christ, and the Truth, by the present errors, heresies, blasphemies; You did so lately for the flouds of rain which endangered the Com: O that it might seem good unto you so to doe, for the floud of errours which endanger souls! This humble request I presume to leave with your pious zeal and prudence.
9. By using you Coercive power with such methods and propertions [...] the reall safety of truth and souls doth require, and the repression of dangerous errors doth need: So managing the distributions thereof, that under the notion of restraining heresie, you by no means injure reall [Page 40] sanctity, nor yet under the pretence of sanctity, you doe not favour the growth of heresie: O what an happy people are they, amongst whom errours are losing, and truths are graining! where piety thrives, and wickednesse blasts! where all who are good can joyn against all that is evill, and in lesser things, whereas yet they cannot (through weaknesse) clasp opinions; yet (for the truth and peace's sake) can clasp hearts and hands to promote Gods glory, and the common salvation of souls!
2. I have a word also to say unto you who are Ministers of the Gospel of Christ: Come you forth from your long silences, neglects, and reserves: and help the Church of Christ, in swallowing up the floud which the Serpent hath cast out of his mouth: when Jesus Christ is blasphemed, it is not a time to fear, but to cry out, so spake Luther to Staupitius; Men will say that you are moderate and discreet, but what will Christ say to you, if at such a time you be silent in his Cause? O my brethren! you are the husbandmen, take heed that none sow tares in the field, whiles you sleep: you are the builders, O bee sure to preserve the foundation safe: you are the Shepherds of the Flock, O beware of the Wolves, lest they break in and destroy the sheep! You are the Vine-dressers, and keepers of the Vineyard, O have an eye to the Foxes, which else will spoil the tender Grapes! You are the Stewards of Christ, O be vigilant on what provision the houshold doth feed! You are the Watchmen, O look out, lest the enemy slip in and surprise the City! You are the Fathers, bee sure that your children have not a stone given to them in stead of bread, or a Serpent in stead of a Fish.
[Page 41] You must help with your most fervent prayers: as Alexander once did, and prevailed against Arius: You must help with your counsels, with your watchings, with your preachings; You must bona docere & mala dedocere, as Austine speaks; You must be defensores, and debellatores, stand for truth, and withstand errours: You are (in a singular manner) intrusted with truth and souls. O watch, O pray, O preach, O doe all that faithfull Ministers should doe, when a floud breaks in: You read of Eliahs zeal against the false Prophets, and of Pauls zeal against false Apostles: You have read of the zeal of Athanasius against the Arians: and of the zeal of Cyprian against the Novatians: and of the zeal of Austine against the Donatists, against the Manichees, against the Pelagians: You have read of the zeal of Hierome, of Chrysostome, of Nazianzen, and many others in ancient times: You have read of the zeal of Luther, and Calvin, and others in later times: You have shewed your zeal to the Kingdome in our dangerous times; I say no more, remember your first works, remember your engagements, and be zealous: If you who are the Angels of Christ, the Ministers of Christ, the Stewards of Christ, if you be drowzie, if you be silent, if you stop your own mouths, when mouths are opened against your Christ, whose mouth can we expect should open it self to swallow up the floud? It was a brave answer which Cyrill gave to Theodosius, that in our private and personall injuries we should hold our peace: but when the truth (or faith) is endangered to be corrupted, we ought to speak, else we must give an account to God of our unseasonable silence.
I have but one use more: Hath the Serpent cast out [Page 42] such a floud of errours and false doctrines amongst us, then
1. Let every one take heed, lest he be caried away with any part of this floud: I say, take heed: For erroneous times, are trying times, and proving times, as well as bloudy and persecuting times: God hath tryed your fidelity to this Kingdome (of late) by a floud of bloud: and God is now trying your fidelity to the Kingdom of his dear Son, by a floud of errours; Take heed lest you be carried away by this floud: There are seven things which are very apt to bee carried away by a floud; 1. Light things. 2. Loose things. 3. Weak things. 4. Low things. 5. Rotten things. 6. Tottering things. 7. Venturous things. O take heed,
1. That you be not light or proud Christians: errours are most apt to breed in a proud brain and a gracelesse heart: and no man is more likely to bee overturned by errour, then he who hath overturned himself by pride; the proud and blasphemers are joyned together, 2 Tim. 3. 2. The proud man is exposed to most temptations, to most fals, and to most errors: 'Tis the proud man who consents not to wholesome words of Christ, but dotes about questions, 1 Tim. 6. 3, 4.
2. That you be not loose Christians: If ungodlines be in the heart, it will not be hard for errour to get into the head: A loose heart can best comply with loose principles: Truth is searching and reforming, but errour is more quiet and gratifying: 'tis grace which settles the minde, and stablisheth the heart.
3. That you be not weak Christians: weake stomachs are most longing: A Christian whose faith is implicit, and leaning on man, doth often trust out his judgement and soul: The weaker light you have [Page 43] of truth, the more easily may you be cheated with errours in stead of truth.
4. That you bee not low Christians: a worldly heart is a very low heart: It is of all other the cheapest, it will be bought and sold upon every turn to serve its own turn: The truth can never be sure in that chest, which any errour with a little golden key can pick. If thou be the servant of truth for gain, thou wilt be a slave to errour for more gain.
5. That you be not rotten or hypocriticall Christians: they were given up to beleeve lies who did not receive the truth in the love of it: How just is it with God, that he should fall into reall errour, whose heart did never love reall truth? that the deceitfull heart should at length be a deceived heart? Is it difficult to set him against the faith, who never had a sound faith?
6. Take heed that you be not tottering and unstable Christians: when the judgement is not ballanced and solidly fixed upon the truths of Christ, but reeling and wavering, and like them in Eliahs time, halting between two opinions; it is usually in danger to bee poised with errour: He whose mind is but indifferent about a truth, is more then half on his way to errour.
7. That you be not venturous and soul-tempting Christians: Julian sipt in his Apostasie by going to hear Libanius: The Devill is ready enough to tempt you, be not you found to tempt him: Eve lost all by hearing one Sermon from the mouth of the Serpent: If you will be trading amongst cheaters, it is no wonder if you be cheated: we are sure to goe by the worst, when we venture upon our own strength: the man who will expose himself to hear new truths, doth [Page 44] oft times come back with old errours newly dressed.
2. Let every one strengthen his soul, that he may stand and withstand, and not be carried away, &c. The house built upon the Rock stood when the floud came: Take all in a word; a judgement solidly principled: an heart sincerely renued: a faith truly bottomed: Truth and love of it cordially matched: profession and practise well joyned: a fear of our selves and dependance on God still maintained: Gods Ordinances and the society of humble and growing Christians still frequented: watchfulnesse and prayer still continued, are the best directives (that I can deliver) to keep us in the truth, and the best preservatives (that I doe know) to keep us from errours.