Discourse of Mental Errors, Part · Section 31 – Section 33
Cause XV.
Another way in which False Teachers discover their Subtilty with great success, is, in TIMING their Assaults, and nicking the proper Season, when the minds of men are most apt and easy to be drawn away by their fair and specious Pretences.
Such a Season as this, they find about the time of mens first Conversion, or soon after their Implantation into Christ. Now it is that their Affections are most lively and vigorous, though their Judgments be but weak. They have now such strong and deep apprehensions of the Grace and Love of Christ, and such transcendent zeal for him, that they easily embrace any thing whereby they conceive he may be honoured and exalted. They have also such deep Apprehensions and powerful Aversations as to Sin, that they are in danger to fly even from Truth and Duty it felf, when it shall be artificially represented to them as Sin. For not only that which is malum per se, Sin indeed; but that which is male coloratum, painted with Sin's Colours, is apt to scare and fright them.
Besides, These young Converts or Novices have not had time to confirm and root themselves in the Truth; and Trees newly planted are much more easily drawn up, than those that have spread and fastened their Roots in the Earth. 'Tis observable what a swarm of false Teachers troubled the Churches of Corinth, Galatia and Philippi, at, and newly after their first planting: and what danger those young Christians were in, abundantly appears in the Apostle's frequent Cautions and holy Jealousy over them: he bids them beware of Dogs, beware of Evil Workers, beware of the Concision, Phil. 3. 2. I fear lest by any means as the Serpent beguiled Eve through his s…btilty, so your minds be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ, 2 Cor. 11. 3. he was afraid of the Galatians, lest he had bestowed upon them labour in vain, Gal. 4. 11. he would not give place to false Brethren, no not for an hour, Gal. 2. 5. charges the Romans to receive them that were weak in the faith, but not to doubtful Disputations, Rom. 14. 1. All which, and many more Expressions, discover his grounded jealousy, and their extraordinary danger of seduction at their first plantation. A Novice in Christianity is the Person Satan seeks for: strong Believers are not in such apparent danger as little ones in Christ, 1 Iohn 5. 21. Little Children, keep your selves from Idols.
And the reason is, because keen Affections, match'd with weak Judgments, give a mighty advantage to Seducers. Children are apt to be taken with beautiful Appearances, and fine shews; and Erroneous Teachers have the very knack to set a glo…s of extraordinary sanctity upon their dangerous Opinions. Hence those Persons that promoted the Sect of the Nicolaitans, made use of a cunning Woman, who for her skill in painting Errors with the Colours of Truth, got the name of Iezebel, Rev. 2. 20. That Queen was famous for the art of Painting, 1 King. 16. and so was this false Prophetess: indeed there was scarce any eminent Sect of Errorists or Hereticks mentioned in Church-history, but some curious feminine Artist hath been employed to lay the beautiful Colours upon it. So we find Simon Magus had his Helena. Carpocrates his Marcellina. Montanus his Priscilla and Maximilla. And the curious Colours of Holiness, Zeal and Freegrace, artificially laid upon the face of Error, how wrinkled and ugly soever in it self, sets it off temptingly and takingly to weak and injudicious Minds.
Moreover, Erroneous Teachers are great Boasters: they usually give out to the World what extraordinary Comforts they meet with in their way, which proves a strong temptation to young Converts, who have been so lately in the depths of spiritual Trouble, to try at least, if not to embrace it, for the expected Comforts sake.
Ah, how many pious Ministers in England, upon such Grounds and Pretences as these, have had their spiritual Children rent from them as soon as born! they have travailed as in birth for them; and no sooner did they begin to take comfort in the success of their Labours, but to the great grief and discouragement of their hearts, they have been this way bereaved of them. those that have owned them as their spiritual Fathers one month, would scarce vouchsafe to own them, when they have met them in the Streets another month. Many sad Instances I could give of this, and some as remarkable as they are fresh and recent: but I silence particulars. Oh see the advantage Satan and his Instruments gain by nicking such a critical Season as this is.
The Cure, or Remedy.
The Remedies in this case are twofold: the first respects the spiritual Fathers; and the second the spiritual Children: both are concerned in the danger, and the Lord help both to attend to their duty.
Remedy I.
Let all those whose Ministry God blesses with the desirable fruits of Conversion, look carefully after the Souls of young Converts.
No Nurse should be more tender and careful of her Charge, than a Minister should be: and unto the care of a tender Nurse, Paul compareth his care over the young Converts in Thessalonica, 1 Thess. 2. 7. for alas, they lie exposed to all dangers: they are credulous, and Seducers cunning: they want judgment to discern Truth from Error; have not yet attained unto Senses exercised, and Age in Christ to discern Good from Evil: when Errors are made palatable, Children will be hankering after them, and Seducers have the very art to make them so.
—Veluti pueris absynthia tetra medentes
Cum dare conantur, prius or as pocula circum
Contingunt dulci Mellis, flavóque liquore.
Shepherds look to your Flocks; imitate the great Shepherd of the Sheep, who gathereth the Lambs with his Arms, and carries them in his Bosome; visit them frequently, exhort and warn them diligently, and use all means to establish them in the present Truths.
Remedy II.
Let young Converts and weak Christians look carefully to themselves by an heedful attendance unto the following Truths.
First, It is not safe to try, nor upon trial likely that you should find Christ in one way, and comfort in another. God doth not usually bless those ways to mens comfort and edification, into which they turn aside from that good way wherein they first met with Christ and Conversion. The same Ministry and Ordinances which are appointed and blessed for the one, are likewise appointed, and commonly blessed for the other, Eph. 4. 11, 12, 13.
Secondly, 'Tis a manifest Snare of the Devil (and you may easily discern it) to take you off from the great Work you are newly engaged in, by entangling your minds in Notions that are for…ign to it. Your hearts are now warm with God, Satan labours this way to cool and quench them: the cunning Cheat labours to steal away the sweet and nutritive Food which is before you, and lay the hard and dry Bones of barren Controversies and insipid Notions in their room. Your business is not to frame Syllogisms, or study Solutions to cunning Arguments about lower and lesser matters, so much as it is by Prayer and Self-examination, to clear your Interest in Christ, and to solve those doubts that lie with weight upon your Spirits, with reference to that great Concern.
Thirdly, 'Tis a sad thing to grieve the hearts of those faithful Ministers that have travelled in pain for us, and rejoyced in our Conversion as the Seal of their Ministry. Oh, serve not your godly Ministers, as the Hen is sometimes served that hath long brooded, brought forth, and with much care and selfdenial nourished up young Partridges, which as soon as fledged, take the wing, and return no more to her.
Cause XVI.
There is yet another Artifice of false Teachers to draw Men into Errors, and that is, by pressing the Consciences of those they have made some impressions upon, unto all HASTE and SPEED, openly to declare their new Opinions, and avow and own them before the World; as knowing that this will rivet and fix them to all intents and purposes.
When they find Men under half Convictions, and strong inclinations to their way, they are sure then to ply them with a thick succession of Motives and Arguments, to joyn themselves by a free and open profession, to that erroneous Party which are headed by themselves.
And the Arguments usually pressed to this purpose are,
1. The danger of delay.
2. The comfort of declaring themselves.
First, They press them with the danger of the least delay, by telling them, That now they must live every day and hour in known sin, and hold the truth of God in unrighteousness, the evil whereof they skilfully aggravate; and the more tender and sensible the Conscience is, the deeper impressions such discourses make, although the Case, indeed, will not bear the weight they lay upon it, as having not that due allowance God gives of time and means of full information in matters of this nature; yea, possibly driving them into as great a snare by precipitation, and too hasty engagements under a Doubting Conscience.
Secondly, They press them to a quick resolution, with the expectations of abundance of comfort, inward peace and joy, which will result from a full engagement of themselves, and open declaration of their Judgment; proseliting to a Party, being the main design they drive at.
This was the very Art and Method by which Satan prevailed with Eve to swallow the bait, Gen. 3. 5. For God doth know, that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil. q. d. The sooner thou tastest, the better; for the first taste will give thee a God-like knowledg, and marvellous advancement of thy understanding; Didst thou but know the benefit that would accrue to thee thereby, thou would'st not delay one moment. And thus by setting before her the speedy and immediate benefits of eating, he prevailed, and drew her into the fatal snare.
In this the Ministers of Satan imitate the Ministers of Christ: As these press Men to make haste to Christ, lest by consulting with flesh and blood, and listening to the temptations of Satan, hopeful inclinations should be blasted in the bud; so the others push Men on to hasty resolutions, lest by hearkening to the voice of God's Spirit and their own Consciences, the design they have so far advanced should be lost and disappointed. The Ministers of Christ urge Men to a speedy change of their Company, and to associate themselves with spiritual and profitable Christians, as well knowing of what great use this will be to confirm and strengthen them in the ways of God. So Errorists in like manner vehemently urge them to associate with their Party, as knowing how one wedges in and fixes another in the ways of Error; for such Causes Satan pushes on half-convictions into hasty resolutions, quick dispatch being his great advantage. This the Apostle intimates, Gal. 1. 6. I marvel (saith he) that ye are so soon removed, &c. foreign, what so soon! yes, if it had not been so soon, it might never have been at all; for Errors (as one ingeniously observes) like Fish, must be eaten fresh and new, or they'I quickly stink.