Discourse of Mental Errors, Title page – Testimonial letter
ΠΛΑΝΗΛΟΓΙΑ
A SUCCINCT and SEASONABLE DISCOURSE OF THE Occasions, Causes, Nature, Rise, Growth, and Remedies of MENTAL ERRORS.
Written some Months since; and now made publick, both for the healing and prevention of the Sins and Calamities which have broken in this way upon the Churches of Christ, to the great scandal of Religion, hardening of the Wicked; and obstruction of Reformation.
Whereunto are subjoined by way of Appendix:
I. Vindiciarum Vindex: Being a Succinct, but Full Answer to Mr. Philip Cary's weak and impertinent Exceptions to my Vindiciae Legis & Foederis.
II. A Synopsis of Ancient and Modern Antinomian Errors: with Scriptural Arguments and Reasons against them.
III A SERMON composed for the preventing and healing of Rents and Divisions in the Churches of Christ.
By IOHN FLAVELL, Preacher of the Gospel at Dartmouth in Devon.
With an EPISTLE by several Divines, Relating to Dr. CRISP's Works.
LONDON: Printed by R. Roberts, for Tho. Cockerill, at the Three-Leggs in the Poultrey, over-against the Stocks-Market, 1691.
THE Reverend Author of the ensuing Treatises, having in them explained and defended several Gospel-Truths, unto which divers things in the Writings of the Reverend Dr. Crisp deceased, do seem very opposite; Whereas some of us who subscribed a Paper, the design whereof was only to testify, That we believed certain Writings of the Doctor's never before Published, were faithfully transcribed by his Son, the Publisher of them; which Paper is now, by the Bookseller, prefixed to the whole Volume, containing a large Preface, which we never saw till after the publication, together with all the Doctor's former Works that were published many years before; And are hereupon, by some weak People, misunderstood, as if by that Certificate, we intended an Approbation of all that is contained in that Volume. We declare, we had no such intention: As the Paper we subscribed hath no word in it that gives any such intimation: But are well pleased these later Writings are Publish'd (in reference whereto▪ We only certified our belief, which we fixedly retain, of the Publisher's fidelity) as they contain many passages in them, that may in some measure remedy the hard and hurtful construction that many expressions were more liable to in the former; whereof the Doctor seem'd apprehensive himself, when in the beginning of his Discourse, on Tit. 2. 11, 12. he speaks thus: [Beloved, I am jealous of you with an holy jealousy, 1 Cor. 11. 2, 3. Lest after the sweet wooing of you in Christ's Name, that you might be espoused unto him; I say, I am jealous, and fear, lest as the Serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, namely, bewitching her to a presumptuous, licentious adventuring on God's gentleness, while she tasted the forbidden Fruit; so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in him, namely, by presuming too much upon him, and adventuring to continue in Sin, in hope that Grace may abound. For the preventing of which dangerous miscarriage, which hath been the dangerous lot of many Thousands, I thought good to step in with this Text, which I am persuaded will prove a seasonable warning to some at least. And this Pio… caution of the Author …, lest he should be misunderstood, gives us some grounds to believe, that be intended them not in the more exceptionable …. 'Tis best, if any unwary Reader receive hurt, that he receive his healing also from the same hand; and whereas a Paper was Printed upon this occasion soon after the Publication of the Doctor's Works, We willingly adopt so much of it as is requisite to our present purpose, which is to this effect:
Some who Subscribed, this Certificate, saw only the Paper it self, to which subscription was desired; never having perused the Works of Dr. Crisp. The Certificate only concerned the Son, not the Father; and certified only concerning the Son, That they who should subscribe it, believed him in this, to deal truly; that he was not a Falsarius; that he would not say that was his Father's, which was not so; a Paper so sober, so modest, was (taken by it self) scarce refusable by a Friend.
The Son's Preface, some that subscribed this Certificate, saw not, nor had any notice, or the least imagination of its Contents; otherwise the part of a Friend had certainly been done, as well in advising against much of the Preface as in subseribing the Certificate.
For the Works of this Reverend Person themselves, as it no way concern'd the subscribing this Certificate, to know what they were; so from the opinion that went of the Author, among many good Men, That he was a Learned, Pious, Good Man, it was supposed they were likely to have in them many good and useful things; to which it was only needful to think them his, not to think them perfect.
We may in some respect judge of Books as of Men, i. e. reckon, that though divers very valuable Men, have had remarkable failings; yet that upon the whole, 'tis better they have lived and been known in the World, than that they should not have lived, or have lived obscure.
The truth is (which we have often considered) that though the great Doctrines of Christian Religion do make a most coherent, comely Scheme, which every one should labour to comprehend and digest in his mind; yet when the Gospel first becomes effectual for the changing mens hearts, 'tis by God's blessing this or that passage which drops; the most discern not the series and connection of Truths at first, and too little afterwards.
VponUpon that view of Dr. Crisp's Writings we have had since the Publication, we find there are many things said in them, with that good savour, quickness, and spirit, as to be very apt to make good impressions upon mens hearts; and do judge, that being greatly affected with the Grace of God to Sinners himself, his Sermons did thereupon run much in that strain. All our minds are little, and incomprehensive; we cannot receive the weight and impression of all necessary things at once, but with some inequality; so that when the Seal goes deeper in some part, 'tis the shallower in some others.
If some parts of Dr. Crisp's Works be more liable to exception, the danger of hurt thereby seems in some measure obviated in some other: As when he says, p. 46 vol. 1. Sanctification of Life, is an inseparable Companion with the Justification of a Person by the Free-Grace of Christ. And Vol. 4. p. 93. That in respect of the Rules of Righteousness, or the Matter of Obedience, we are under the Law still, or else we are Lawless, to live every Man as seems good in his own eyes, which I know no true Christian does so much as think.
In like manner whereas, Vol. 2. Serm. 15. and perhaps elsewhere, the Doctor seems to be against evidencing our Justification and Union to Christ, by our Sanctification and new Obedience; we have the truth of God in this matter plainly deliver'd by him. Vol. 4. p. 36. when he teacheth, that our Obedience is a comfortable evidence of our being in Christ; and on that, as well as on many accounts, necessary.
The difference between him and other good men, seems to lie not so much in the things, which the one or other of them believe, as about their order and reference to one another; where, 'tis true, there may be very material difference: but we reckon, That notwithstanding what is more controversible in these Writings, there are much more material things, wherein they cannot but agree, and would have come much nearer each other, even in these things, if they did take some words or terms which come into use on the one or the other hand, in the same sense; but when one uses a word in one sense, another uses the same word (or understands it, being used) in quite another sense, here seems a vast disagreement, which proves at length to be verbal only, and really none at all: As let by Condition, be meant a deserving Cause, (in which case 'tis well known Civillians are not wont to take it) and the one side would never use it, concerning any good Act that can be done by us, or good Habit that is wrought in us, in order to our present acceptance with God, or final Salvation. Let be meant by it, somewhat, that by the constitution of the Gospel-Covenant, and in the nature of the thing is requisite to our present and eternal well-being, without the least notion of desert, but utmost abhorrence of any such notion in this case, and the other side would as little refuse it. But what need is there for contending at all about a Law-term, about the proper or present use whereof, there is so little agreement between them it seems best to serve, and them it offends. Let it go, and they will well enough understand one another. Again, Let Justification be taken for that which is compleat, entire, and full, as it results at last from all its Causes, and Concurrents, and on the one hand it would never be denied Christ's righteousness justifies us at the Bar of God in the Day of Iudgment, as the only deserving cause; or affirmed that our Faith, Repentance, Sincerity, do justifie us there, as any cause at all. Let Iustification be meant only of being justified in this or that particular respect; As for instance, against this particular Accusation, of never having been a Believer: and the honest mistaken Prefacer would never have said, O horrid! upon its being said, Christ's Righteousness doth not justify us in this case: For he very well knows Christ's Righteousness will justifie no man that never was a Believer; but that which must immediately justifie him against this particular Accusation, must be proving, that he did sincerely believe, which shews his interest in Christ's Righteousness, which then is the only deserving cause of his full entire Iustification.
There is an Expression in Vol. 1. p. 46. That Salvation is not the end of any good work we do, which is like that of another; we are to act from Life, not for Life. Neither of which are to be rigidly taken, as 'tis likely they were never meant in the strict sense. For the former, this Reverent Author gives us himself the handle, for a gentle interpretation, in what he presently subjoyns, where he makes the end of our good works to be the manifestation of our Obedience and Subjection; the setting forth the praise of the glory of the Grace of God; which seems to imply, that he meant the foregoing negation in a comparative, not in an absolute sense; understanding the glory of God to be more principal; and so that by end, he meant the very ultimate end: so for the other 'tis likely it was meant, that we should not act or work for life only, without aiming and endeavouring, that we might come to work from life also.
For it is not with any tolerable charity supposable, that one would deliberately say the one or the other of these in the rigid sense of the words; or that he would not, upon consideration, presently unsay it, being calmly reasoned with. For it were in effect to abandon Humane Nature, and to sin against a very Fundamental Law of our Creation, not to intend our own felicity; it were to make our first and most deeply Fundamental Duty, in one great essential branch of it, our sin, viz. To take the Lord for our God: For to take him for our God most. essentially includes our taking him for our supream good; which we all know, is included in the notion of the last end; it were to make it unlawful to strive against all sin, and particularly against sinful oversion from God; wherein lies the very death of the Soul, or the sum of its misery; or to strive after perfect conformity to God in holiness, and the full fruition of him, wherein its final blessedness doth principally con…ist.
It were to teach us to violate the great Precepts of the Gospel; Repent, that your sins may be blotted out. Strive to enter in at the strait Gate.—Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. To obliterate the Paterns and Precedents set before us in the Gospel. We have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified.—I beat down my body, lest I should be a castaway— That thou mayest save thy self, and them that hear thee
It were to suppose one bound to do more for the salvation of others, than our own salvation. We are required to save others with fear, plucking them out of the fire. Nay, we were not (by this rule, strictly understood) so much as to pray for our own salvation; (which is a doing of somewhat) when no doubt, we are to pray for the success of the Gospel, to this purpose, on behalf of other me….
Twere to make all the threatnings of Eternal Death, and promises of Eternal Life, we find in the Gospel of our Bles…ed Lord, useless, as motives to shun the one, and obtain the other: For they can be motives no way but as the escaping of the former, and the attainment of the other have with us the places and consideration of an end.
It makes what is mentioned in the Scripture, as the Character and commendation of the most eminent Saints; a fault, as of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, &c. That they sought the better and Heavenly Countrey; and declared plainly that they did so: which necessarily implies their making it their end.
But let none be so harsh as to think of any good man, that he intended any thing of all this; if every passage that falls from us be stretch'd and tortured with utmost severity, we shall find little to do besides accusing others, and defending our selves as long as we live.
A Spirit of meekness and love, will do more to our Common Peace, than all the Disputations in the World.
VponUpon the whole, We are so well assured of the peaceful healing temper of the present Author of these Treatises, That we are persuaded he designed such a course of managing the Controversies wherein he hath concerned himself, as not on the one hand to injure the memory of the Dead; and on the other, to prevent hurt or danger to the Living.
Nor do we say thus much of him, as if he sought, or did need any Letters of Recommendation from us; but as counting this Testimony to Truth, and this expression of respect to him, a Debt; to the spontaneous payment whereof, nothing more was requisite besides such a fair occasion as the Providence of God hath now laid before us, inviting us thereunto.
John Howe,
Vin. Alsop,
Nath. Mather,
Increase Mather,
John Turner,
Rich. Bures,
Tho. Powel.