Discourse of Mental Errors, Introduction – Part
The INTRODUCTION.
FINDING by sad Experience what I before justly feared, that Errors would be apt to spring up with Liberty (though the restraint of just Liberty, being a practical Error in Rulers, can never be the cure of Mental Errors in the Subjects;) I judged it necessary at this Season to give a Succinct account of the Rise, Causes, and Remedies of several Mistakes and Errors, under which even the Reformed Churches among us, as well as others, do groan at this Day.
I will not stay my Reader long upon the Etymology and Derivations of the Word. We all know that Etymologies are no Definitions▪ Yet because they cast some light upon the Nature of the thing we enquire after, it will not be lost labour to observe that this word ERROR derives it self from three Roots in the Hebrew Language.
(1.) The Frst word Primitively signifies to deviate or decline from the true Scope or path,foreign Chatta, a Scopo aberravit. as Unskilful Marks-men, or Ignorant and Inadvertent Travellers use to do. The least variation or turning aside from the true Rule and Line, tho it be but an hairs breadth, presently becomes an Error. We read, Iudg. 20. 16. of 700. Benjamites, who could every one sling stones at an hairs breadth, and not miss, foreign Heb. and not err. This by a Metaphor is applied to the Mind or Judgment of man; and denotes the warpings thereof from the Straight, Perfect, Divine Law or Rule, and is usually Translated by the word Sin.
(2.) It is derived from another word also, which signifies to wander in variable and uncertain motions: You find it in the Title of the 7th. Psalm, Shiggaion of David, a wandring Song,foreign Shaga. or a Song of variable Notes and Tunes, higher and lower, sharper and flatter. In both the former Derivations it seems to note simple Error through meer Weakness and Ignorance. But then
(3.) In its Derivation from a third Root, it signifies not only to Err, but to cause others to Err also; and so signifies a Seducer, or one that is active in leading others into a wrong way; and is applied in that sense to the Prophets in Israel, foreign Tagna. in Hiph.who seduced the People, Ezek. 13. 10. The Greek Verb foreign takes in both these senses, both to go astray, and when put Transitively, to lead or cause others to go astray with us. Hence is the word foreign, Planets or wandring Stars; the title given by the Apostle Iude ver. 13. to the false Teachers and Seducers of his time.
An Error then is any departure or deviation in our Opinions or Judgments from the perfect Rule of the Divine Law: And to this all men by nature are not only liable, but inclinable. Indeed man by Nature can do nothing else but Err, Psal. 58. 3. he goeth astray as soon as born; makes not one true step till renewed by Grace, and many false ones after his Renovation. The Life of the Holiest man is a Book with many Errata's; but the whole Edition of a wicked man's Life is but one continued Error; he that thinks he cannot Err, manifestly Errs in so thinking. The Pope's supposed and pretended Infallibility hath made him the great deceiver of the World. A good man may Err, but is willing to know his Error, and will not obstinately maintain it, when he once plainly discerns it.
Error and Heresy among other things differ in this; Heresie is accompanied with pertinacy; and therefore the Heretick is foreign, sels-condemned; his own Conscience condemns him, whilst men labour in vain to convince him. He doth not formally and in terms Condemn himself, but he doth so equivalently, whilst he continues to own and maintain Doctrines and Opinions which he finds himself unable to defend against the evidence of Truth. Humane frailty may lead a man into the first, but Devilish Pride fixes him in the last.
The word of God which is our rule, must therefore be the only Test and Touchstone to try and discover Errors; for Regula est index sui & obliqui. 'Tis not enough to convince a man of Error, that his Judgment differs from other mens; you must bring it to the Word, and try how it agrees or disagrees therewith; else he that charges another with Error, may be found in as great or greater an Error himself. None are more disposed easily to receive and tenaciously to defend Errors, than those who are the Antesignani, Heads or Leaders of Erroneous Sects, especially after they have fought in defence of bad Causes, and deeply engaged their Reputation.
The following Discourse justly entitles it self, A BLOW AT THE ROOT: And though you will here find the Roots of many Errors laid bare and open; which comparatively are of far different degrees of Danger and Malignity; which I here mention together, many of them springing from the same Root: Yet I am far from censuring them alike; nor would I have any that are concerned in lesser Errors be exasperated, because their lesser Mistakes are mentioned with greater and more pernicious ones; this Candor I not only intreat, but justly challenge from my Reader.
And because there are many general and very useful Observations about Errors, which will not so conveniently come under the Laws of that Method which governs the main part of this Discourse, viz. the CAVSES and CVRES of Error: I have therefore sorted them by themselves, and premised them to the following Part in Twenty Observations next ensuing.