The Dying Mans Testament to the Church of Scotland, Part 3 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V. How errour may be known to be a judiciall stroke. and why the Lord smiteth with it.
IT may be asked here, 1. How errour may be known to be a judgement or judiciall? And, 2. for what cause most ordinarily the Lord doth send such a judgment?
We cannot insist in every occurring Question; Yet to the first, We say, 1. there is no errour or delusion, but may be well accounted penall and judiciall, either as to the persons who fall therein, and vent the same, or as to others who may be infected therewith, (although it may be but a triall in reference to some) for, blindnesse of mind was a fruit and cons…quent of the fi…st sin, and followeth not only as a sin, but as a punishment upon all the children of Adams house. And therefore as in some respect, all following sins may be accounted punishments of the first, this may be so in a speciall manner. 2. Beside this generall consideration, it is often the punishment of some speciall sins, and in some cases is more judiciall and penall than in other cases, as may be gathered from these Characters. 1. When in the nature of it, it is very absurd and unreasonable, as is said, such as these delusions of the Nicolaitans were, because in such delusions the judgement of God doth especially appear, when they cannot be thought to be consequent in any reasonable way, or, to flow from common infirmity. 2. When the persons that vent it, are, in respect of their conversation, parts, place or profession, someway eminent, as was formerly cleared, because so the tentation seemeth to be armed of the Lord, which usually is not for nought. 3. When it is trysted with such a time and with such circumstances as hath been described; for, such things happen not by chance, but are ruled by providence. 4. When it breaketh in violently, and, it may be, carrieth away some whom men would not have suspected, that is judiciall-like, when, as it were, the Dragon with his tail and subtility, doth bring stars from heaven, and surprise some that thought themselves without the reach of such a tentation. 5. It may be known by the gifts (to speak so) of such as carry on the same; for, as in carrying on the work of the Gospel, the Lord doth furnish His Ministers, with gifts and painfulness, when He hath to do with them; So upon the contrary, when He hath a work of judgment on the wheels, and the devil a design of carrying-on delusion, the instruments are fitted proportionably, to wit, there is a zeal carrying them here and there, So that by all means, as it were, they compasse sea and land to make Proselytes; there is dexterity, quicknesse and nimblnesse in starting of doubts, wresting of Scripture, &c. as is said; and there is a sort of patience in enduring, boldnesse and confidence in attempting, and some successe, as in the case of the false Prophets against Micajah, 1 King. 22. and against Ieremiah, Ier▪ 29. When, I say, corrupt instruments are fitted by these and such like means, it is probable, that the Lord intendeth something by them which they themselves do not minde. 6. It is judiciall-like, when it trysteth on the back of a peoples having the truth, and being unfruitfull under it, because, so it speaketh out the very end of its appearing, especially, if there be in people an itching-new-fanglnesse after novelties, and if there have been needless and affected stirings and questionings about lesser truths, If then greater delusion come, it doth look judiciall-like, as being a stroke for their former unsettlednesse; this is to give men up to heap up teachers to themselves, that have itching ears, 2 Tim. 4. 3. and this is, to give men teachers according to their own hearts, that there may be like people like priests, which is often threatned by the Lord. And thus of old, when the people began to miscarry in the wildernesse, in reference to the second Command, He gave them up to worship the hoast of heaven, and to miscarry in the first, as is mentioned, Acts 7. 41. 7. It appeareth to be judiciall indeed when it doth hurt, either by corrupting of truth, or ma…ing of unity, or wakening of divisions, &c. which a…e consequents of the first four trumpets that bring spiritual plagues, Rev. 8. These and such like characters may sufficiently convince that the Lord is angry.
To the second we may soon answer: And, 1. weWhat causes do most ordinarily procure this plague of delusion. say, that such a plague is not the consequent of common out-breakings and sins of infirmity; Nor, 2. of ingratitude for, and abuse of, common mercies; Nor, 3. ordinarily is it the punishment of grosse sins of the flesh, to speak so; for, this is rather a fruit of that: but it doth follow upon, 1. the abuse of sprituall mercies, such as the light of the truth of the Gospel, sleighted convictions, smothered challenges, broken promises made for further Reformation, and such like, as may be gathered from 2 Thess. 2. 9, 10. 2. It followeth upon spirituall sins, such as spirituall pride, security, hypocrisie and formality, keeping up of the form without the power, having truth but not the love thereof, as in the place formerly cited, and elsewhere. 3. There are some sort of distempers, which especially procure this, beside others. As, 1. an itching humour, that beginneth to loath the simplicity of truth. 2. A hastie partial humour that cannot abide sound Doctrine, if it be not someway curiously drest, especially if it reprove their miscarriages: both which are spoken of, 2 Tim. 4. 3. 3. There is a proud self-conceitednesse, whereof the Apostle speaketh, 2 Tim. 3, 4. when persons are selfie, proud, boasters, &c. such are a ready prey to such tentations. 4. Little respect to faithfull Ministers that preach truth, may procure this plague, to get Pastors according to their own heart, and judgements that are not good, as the Lord threatneth, Ezek. 20. and is threatned by the Lord, Ioh. 5. ver. 43. I have come in my Fathers Name, and ye have not received me; if another shall come in his own name, him will ye receive. 5. It may be procured by lightnesse and unstablnesse, when folks goe vainly beyond their reach to seek or meet a tentation, the Lord justly may smite them with their own sin; and thus reading of corrupt books, hearing of corrupt preachers, conversing with corrupt men, and such like, which the Lord hath cōmanded to eschew, doth not only prove, in Gods righteous judgement, a snare or mids of folks insnaring, but also the procuring deserving cause of being given up to that delusion, which they make themselves obnoxious to, by going without His call, although, at first, possibly there was no positive affection to that way, but, it may be, the contrary; even as suppose one hazarding, contrary to the Command, to go nigh the door of the adulterous womans house, should for that cause be given up to fall in her snare and to enter, although at first he did not intend it, as these places do insinuate, Prov. 5. 8. and 6. 26, 27, 28. where he saith, to this purpose, that a man cannot take fire in his bosome and not be burnt, &c. And it is said, Prov. 22. 14. such as are abhorred of the Lord, shall fall in that pit. 6. There is a jangling questioning strain; this often brings on this ill, when all truths are not received, but folks begin to cast at the lesser truths; this procureth delusion in a greater height, as is said, because every truth is precious, and when men become untender in the smallest truths, (if any may be called so) it is just with God to deprive them of all, even as smaller sins in practice, being connived at, do bring on more grosse outbreakings: and thus the visible Church, by her declining from the truth, in the Primitive times, and becoming more to be taken up with Ceremonies and other unnecessary debates, did draw on upon themselves Antichrists delusion at length: of this sort are ignorance in the fundamentall truths, that doth proceed from negligence, little love to, and delight in, the Word and Ordinances, little bemoaning of the falls and miscarriages of others, when we hear them to be overtaken with such snares; and many such like things might be named, but we will not insist further.
We come then to the second thing proposed, and that is to consider how corrupt Teachers do carry on their design; and what means the devil useth by them to prevail with poor souls, for to cast at the truths of God, and to drink up the most absurd delusions: and although we cannot reach Satans depths, he having much subtiltie, and many wiles, to carry on his designe, as it is, 2 Cor. 11. 3. and it is called, Eph. 4. 14. a cunning craftinesse, whereby they lye in wait to deceive, Yet seing we ought not to be ignorant of his devices, 2 Cor. 2. 11. We shall gather somethings from Scripture, that may be usefull to arm us against the same: and to take up his way the better, we may consider, 1. The instruments which he chooseth. 2. The method that he keepeth in tempting by them. 3. The means which he useth, or common places from which he draweth his arguments. 4. The manner how these are carryed on.