Discourse of Mental Errors, Part · Section 9
Fourth Cause.
Besides the slothfulness of the mind, there is found in many Persons another evil Disposition preparing them easily to receive Erroneous Impressions; namely, the INSTABILITY and Fickleness of the Judgment, and Unsetledness of mind about the Truth of the Gospel.
Of this the Apostle warns us, Eph. 4. 14. That we henceforth be no more Children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of Doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in weight to deceive. None are so constant and steddy in the profession of the Truth, as those that are fully convinced of, and well satisfied with the grounds of it. Every Professor, like every Ship at Sea, should have an foreign, a ballast and steddiness of his own, 2 Pet. 3. 17. ready and prepared to render a reason of the hope that is in him, 1 Pet. 3. 15. able upon all occasions to give an account of those inward motives which constrained his assent to the Truth.
He that professeth a Truth ignorantly, cannot be rationally supposed to adhere to it constantly. He that is but half convinced of a truth, when he engages in the profession of it, must needs be foreign, a double-minded Man, as the Apostle calls him, Iam. 1. 8. half the mind hangs one way, and half another, and so it is easily moveable this way or that, with the least breath of temptation. And hence it comes to pass they are so often at a loss about their Duty and their Practise; for Animi volutatio pendentem reddit vitam. A doubtful Mind must needs make a staggering and uncertain Practice.
Erroneous Teachers are called wandring Stars, Jude 13. which keep no certain course as the fixed Stars do, but are sometimes nearer and sometimes remoter one from another. Thus Errorists first imbibe unsetling Opinions, and then discover them in their inconstant Practises. Ber…ius wrote a Book de Apostatià Sanctorum, and soon after turned Papist. The Socinians and Libertines teach, That a Man of any Perswasion in Religion may be saved, so that he walk not contrary to his own Light: such Doctrine directly tends to Sceptecism in Religion.
And this Instability of the Judgment proceeds either from Hypocrisie, or weakne… Sometimes from Hypocris…e All Hypocrites are foreign, double-minded Men: Iam. 4. 8. The double-minded man (that is the Hypocrite) is unstable in all his ways. One of that number was not ashamed to say, Se duas habere animas in eodem corpore, unam Deo dicatam, alteram unicuique illam vellet: That he had two Souls in one Body, one for God, and another for whosoever would have it.
Sometimes Instability of the mind is the effect only of Weakness in the Judgment, proceeding merely from want of age and growth in Christ, not having as yet attained Senses exercised to discern both good and evil, Heb. 5. 14. they are but Children in Christ, and Children are easie and credulous Creatures, Eph. 4. 14. presently taken with a new Toy▪ and as soon weary of it; such a wavering and instable temper invites temptation, and falls an easie prey into its hands.
I confess some Cases may happen, where the Pretences on both sides may be so fair, as to put a judicious Christian to a stand what to chuse; but then their deliberation will be answerable, and then they will not change their Opinions every month, as Scepticks do. Wherever Error finds such a mutable disposition, its work is half done before it make one assault. How many wavering Professors at this day lie in Temptation's way? and how great a harvest have Errorists and Hereticks had among them? There's not a Mountebank comes upon the Stage, but he shall find ten times more Customers for his Druggs, than the most Learned and Experienced Physician. The giddy-headed Multitude have more regard to Novelty, than Truth.