The Dying Mans Testament to the Church of Scotland, Part 3 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. How it is that grosse delusions may come to such height, as they often do.
IT may be also questioned, How it cometh that such absurd errours can come to such a height, and prevail so against the Church? Or, what way the devil by corrupt teachers doth so delude Professors?
There are some reasons that are more generall, and others more particular and usefull in the consideration of them for practice; that we may not be ignorant of the devils devices, we shall insist most in these, all of them may be drawn to three heads. 1. The Lords over-ruling, holy, just and wise (though often secret) way of punishing mens ingratitude. 2. There is something in the devils way of carrying on the tentation. 3. There is something in the distemper of Churches and persons to be considered: Which three, being put together, will make it not seem strange that the most grosse and absurd errour prevail. For the first, The Lord hath an over-ruling hand in such a design, which is partly, to try his own, therefore heresies must be, 1 Cor. 11. 19. partly, to punish the generation of ungrate hypocrites, who receive not the love of the truth, as it is, 2 Thess. 2. in both which he is to be glorified, either in his grace, or justice, or both: Now these being the Lords designs, the absurder that the errour be, it attaineth his end the better; and appeareth to be the more judiciallike, as by comparing, Isa. 44. 18, 19. and Rom. 1. 21, 25, 28, &c. and 2 Thes. 2. 10, 11, 12. is clear. All which places speak not only of the most grosse spirituall abominations, but of the Lords judiciall hand therein.
If it be asked, What hand the Lord can have inWhat hand the Lord may have in such a plague. such a plague? Or, how He may be said to send it? Answ. It is not so much to our purpose here, to dispute the Question of Gods providence in such actions; But for clearing of this reason, we may lay down these grounds,
1. There are spiritual plagues, wherewith God justly punisheth the ingratitude and other sins of people, aswell as there are external and corporal plagues; these places cited, Isa. 44. 18, 19, Rom. 1. 21. …2 Thess. 2.&c: 10, 11. Rev. 7, 8, and 9. Chapters, and almost that whole Book doth confirm this: only this would be adverted, that most ordinarily grosse practices, as adultery, murther, uncleannesse of all sorts, are punishments for abusing the light of nature, as may be gathered from Rom. 1. 21. 25. 28. But to be given up to strong delusion, and to believing of lies, is a plague that ordinarily followes the abuse of the light of the Gospel, as we may see from 2 Thess. 2. 9, 10. and this may be one reason, why more commonly such grosse scandals and practices abound, where the Gospel is not, or at least, is in lesse power, and why errour prevaileth most, where the Gospel hath been, or is with more clearnesse, because they are plagues to such respectively. This, I say, it is most generally, though it be not alwayes and universally, especially where there are some other concurting reasons to make a difference.
2. We say, that the Lord is no lesse just, holy and pure in punishing men with such plagues, than when He maketh use of some other rods or judgements, neither is there any thing in this to be attributed to Him, that is unbecoming His absolute purity and holinesse. For, 1. He doth not punish any with this plague, but such as have by their former abuse of light and other miscarriages justly deserved the same. 2. He doth not infuse any maliciousnesse in the heart, nor increase what was, but justly permits what is to break out, and overules the same for His just ends. 3. He doth not strain them to any such course, but doth make use of their own willingnesse thereunto, and of their free choosing to follow such a way for the glory of His justice. 4. He doth not connive at, nor dispense with the sinfull practice of any instrument, but doth really abhor, and will also severely punish the same. So, that as the same act hath a twofold consideration, to wit, …s it is sinfull, and as it is penall, So it is diversly to be ascribed, to wit, in the first respect, to man only; and in the last, to Gods overruling providence, who can bring good out of evil, seing there is nothing so evil, but He can bring some good out of it, and make it subservient to Him, otherwise He that is Omnipotent and only wise, would never suffer it to be.
3. We say, although the Lord be not, neither can be accessory to this delusion, as it is sinfull, (for this impossibility belongeth to His infinite and blessed perfection) yet hath He a just hand in the complexed designe, which doth add exceedingly to the strength of the delusion. As, 1. He may justly give the devil way to set on with his tentations, at one time, and on one person, more than at another time, or in reference to an other person, as by proportion we may gather from the case of Iob. 2. He may furnish men with gifts that are of themselves good, and justly permit them to use the same, for the promoving of errour; this hath been often exceedingly instrumentall, in the furthering of Satans design in all ages, wherein he hath made use of some great Schollers, and men of subtile wits to oppose the truth, and to pervert the Scriptures of God, as is clear in all the heresies that ever have been; and this is no lesse just in God, to furnish with parts, an instrument of a spirituall plague, than to give strength and power to some whom he imployeth, in temporall judgements, who also may be found guilty before him, for abusing of the same. Hence it is said, 2 Thess. 2. 2. that there is not only a word and letter to shake the minds of people at such a time, but there is also a Spirit or gift in an eminent degree, and therefore it is called, ver. 10. All deceivablenesse; and, no question, these that called themselves Apostles, 2 Cor. 11. 13. and made Paul's gifts to be accounted weak in respect of theirs, had more than ordinary gifts; and in this respect, sometime the Lord saith, a false Prophet might foretell something that was to come to passe; and so truly have an extraordinary gift, when yet the Lords design is by such, to try the peoples adherence to him, Deut. 13. 1, 2, 3. Thus often promovers of errour may be gifted with ability to reason, make querees, shift arguments and places of Scripture, preach well, pray well with a great deal of eloquence, and liberty of plausible expressions, yea, they may possibly not want, as it were, signs and wonders (as in the place formerly cited) and yet the Lords end be to try, as is said: of this sort are such as are spoken of, 2 Pet. 3. 16. Who wrest or pervert Scripture to their own destruction; it is a strange word, they are unlearned and unstable, (and, it may be, are crying down learning in others) yet, saith he, they have a dexterity to wrest the Scriptures, to coin new interpretations, possibly never heard of before, to the admiration of others. And what is the consequent thereof? It is their own destruction. It had been advantage to many such themselves and others also, that they had never had such a gift. 3. The Lord also may someway arme the devil, as His executioner to carry on this design, by furnishing him with such instruments, giving him time, opportunities and occasions to tempt, and suffering him in many things to prevail: thus, 2 Thes. 2. Satan is said to have a power, and to exercise the same, by bringing forth of lying wonders; and, no question, the devil when he getteth way, may do much, when it is said that he put it in the heart of Iudas to betray his master, who yet was furnished with parts, and admitted into Christs company by Himself; all which was subservient to carry on the devils and the Pharisees design, of betraying the Lord; which, notwithstanding, tended to the greater ruine of his own kingdom.
4. In such a case also, the Lord doth justly deprive men, whom He mindeth to plague with that delusion, of these means, which might be usefull to discern and resist the same. As, 1. he may take away all outward restraints, which usually keep corrupt teachers from open and professed spreading of their errours; and in His providence, give them full way to multiply, and avowedly to pursue their design. This is to pluck up the hedge, Isa. 5. and to suffer the winds to blow, Rev. 7. which are ever great inlets to this judgement of delusion, when, to say so, there is a floud spewed out, and there is no earth to help the woman, and to dry up that floud. 2. He may take away prime lights and guides, which are usefull to keep people right; or, if they continue, he may suffer jealousie, division and other things to interveen so, that thereby their weight and authority is lessened to such persons: in which respect, Ahab becometh jealous of Micajah, whereby the devil hath occasion to make the lies of the false Prophets the more to be commended to him. 3. The Lord may withdraw the light that persons have (and, it may be, some common gifts of the Spirit) and by depriving them of that, they become the more obnoxious to tentation, although it may be they think themselves wiser, and more understanding than they were: thus the Apostle calleth the Galatians foolish and bewitched, Gal. 3. 1, 2. as having fallen from that light which at first they had. 4. He may remove common convictions of the Spirit, and challenges of a naturall conscience, so that they may go on in their delusion without a challenge; yea, (as it is said, Ioh. 16. 2.) think that they do God good service in so doing: this is, to have the conscience feared with an hot iron, 1 Tim. 4. 2. that waiteth upon seducing Spirits; and thus we see, that the most vain and reasonlesse confidence doth often wait upon the foulest errours, as, Isa. 44. 9. unto 20. This is called, Gal. 5. 8. a perswasion in respect of its confidence, which yet cometh not of God. And the Lord may not only justly deprive of such common gifts, but even of ordinary reason and judgment, whereby men become, at least, in the prosecution of their errours, absurd and unreasonable, without all capablnesse of seeing the weight of a reason, or receiving a conviction, or observing their own folly, and to carry without all respect to credit, honesty, good manners, and such things as are even respected among civil men; yea, sometimes without respect to their own estates, or their own persons, as we may see in the prophets of Baal, 1 King. 18. and many others in Antichrists kingdom; these are called by the Apostle, 2 Thess. 3. 2. unreasonable, or absurd beastly men, as if they wanted reason: this is also a companion of delusion, and a piece of Gods judgement, as is clear from that of Isa. 44. The Lord thinking good, for the abuse of light, to deprive men of reason, as he did Nebuchadnezar, whereby the vilest and absurdest tentations have accesse to men, (that otherwayes may be reasonable) to carry them on with greedinesse, and without all reluctance or contradiction.
5. When men are in the Lords justice thus deprived, and being set upon with the tentation, which he hath letten louse upon them, the Lord may in His providence tryst many things that may be abused, for the carrying on of this judgement, As, 1. he may tryst such a person with such a tentation, to live in such a place, to have such acquaintance, &c. 2. He may tryst such a tentation to fall in such a time, as there is no externall aw-band to restrain; yea, in his wisdom, order it so, as that then there may be many occasions of stumbling among the Professors of the truth, what by scandals in practice, what by division and other distempers, as the way of truth may be ill spoken of by many; and the Ordinances in that resp…ct made vile, as is said in the case of Elie's sons, 1 Sa…. 2. Sometime he may tryst such tentations with some ignora…t, unskilfull▪ in…exterous hands, who may rather … than help any in the removing of their doubts: These and many such like things may the wise and just Lord order in His providence, which may be as snares and stumbling-blocks to proud secure hypocrits, who by their corruption may fall thereon; yea, sometime the very Ordinances and the exercising of them, to wit, the Word, Sacraments and Discipline, may, through mens corruptions, be stumbled at more than if they were not; in this sense, when the Lord reproveth the unfaithfull Prophets an… Priests, Ier. 6, 14. and the peoples not hearkening to his faithfull Prophets, ver. 17. although they keeped the form of Religion, ver. 20. he doth threaten to … stumbling-blocks before them, upon which they should fall, ver. 21. All which and many moe wayes, (as sometimes following of errour hath applause attending it, as, 2 Tim. 4. … Sometimes it hath gain waiting upon it, as, … Pet. 2. 3. 1 Tim. 6. 10. and Gal. 6. 12. Philip. 3. 19) being trvsted in the Lords just providence, have often much influence, through mens corruption, to make delusion the more successefull.
6 Beside these, the Lord hath a judiciall upgiving of proud, corrupt men, u…to the ha…ds of such tentations: so that when as it were, the devil setteth on by such a blast of wind, and seeketh to win…ow such and such persons, the Lord doth as a just judge▪ sentence them to be committed thereto, as to the executioner of His justice; in this sense, he is said to give them up: and in this respect, such defection, as it is a punishment, is judicially permitted and ordered by Him, who willingly and purposly Sentenceth such persons to be so given up, because of former sins, whereas others whom He doth not so Sentence, are not so carried away with that same tentation.
Also the Lord, who is wonderfull in couns…l, and whose wayes and judgements are past finding out, may have many other wonderfull and inconceivable wayes in the carrying on of this judgement; for, if all His judgements be a great depth, much more are His spirituall judgements. It is upon this ground, to wit, the considering of the Lords just severity of concluding all under sin, all in unbelief, of the rejecting of the Jews▪ &c. that the Apostle doth cry out▪ O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements, and his wayes past finding out? Therefore we shall search no further in this. Only, from what is said, we may see, that the Lord hath a just hand in the over ruling of such delusions; and also, that they cannot but be strong and successefull which are guided so, as to be executioners of His justice; this also may make men tremble the more, considering that the opening up of sl…ces, to let in the spait of delusion, is no lesse Gods judgement, and no lesse to be feared, than the sending of Sword or Pestilence, or the opening up the fountains of the great depths, to let in a deluge upon the earth; and were men so looking on it, and affected with it, it might possibly be much more bounded.