Brief Exposition of Galatians and Ephesians, Exposition 2 · Chapter 4 · Verse and explication 14
Vers. 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 craftinesse, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.
HE doth illustrate the forementioned end of the Ministery, next, by shewing one chief fruit of that spirituall edification, unto which the work of the Ministery is subservient, even the removall of, and preservation from, that which is contrary to it, and namely from errour and false Doctrines: the hazard whereof, together with the necessity of guarding against them, is set forth by three similitudes: the first two do expresse the temper of those who are surprized, or in danger to be surprized by errour. First, they are as little children, to wit, for ignorance of what is right, inconstancy in their choise, and simplicity, or easinesse to be deceived, and to credit all. Secondly, they are as ships destitute of skilfull masters, tossed and carried this way and that way with the tide and contrary winds among the waves and rocks, even so are they with the tide and winds of contrary and diverse Doctrines and opinions, sometimes fluctuating and uncertain what to choose, sometimes taken with one opinion, and presently changeing it with another. The third similitude expresseth the way how such are seduced unto errour, to wit, by the pernicious subtility of seducers, set forth, first, more obscurely, by a comparison taken from the fraud or sleight of gamsters, who have devices, by cogging a die, to make it cast up any number they please; So do hereticks, by wresting Scriptures, force them to speak that seemingly which maketh for the defence of their errour, 2 Pet. 3. 16. for, the word, rendered sleight of men, signifieth the crafty deceiving of men. Next, more plainly, while that sleight, or deceiving, is called cunning craftinesse, to wit, in hereticks and seducers: the word signifieth a singular dexterity to do mischief of any kind, acquired by long use and great medling in all affairs. And lastly, he sheweth the end to which this cunning craftinesse doth tend, and that wherein it is exercised most, even in a subtile and compendious way of deceiving the simple and drawing them from truth to errour: for, the words do read in cunning craftinesse, tending to a compendious subtile art of deceiving, or, to deceive by a compendious art. Hence Learn, 1. One singular mean ordained by God for preserving us from the infection of dangerous errours and subtile seducers, is the work of the Ministery; and therefore the work of Ministers is not only to presse holinesse, and to reprove vice, but also to contend for the truth, stop the mouth of gainsayers, and guard the Lords people against infection from dangerous errours: and people ought to cleave unto their faithfull Ministers, as they would be preserved from being made a prey to seducing spirits: for, Paul doth hold this forth as one fruit of the work of the Ministery, mentioned, ver. 12. even that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro with every wind of Doctrine. 2. Spirituall edification, and walking towards perfection in glory, doth call-for not only holinesse of life, but also orthodoxie in point of truth; heresie and errour being as great impediments in that spirituall building, and as palpable deviations from the way to heaven and glory, as profanity and vice, 2 Pet. 2-1-. for, having spoken of that great end of the Ministery, the edification of the body of Christ, ver. 12. as the way to perfection in glory, ver. 13. he doth here speak of infection by errour and heresie, as impediments of that edification, and therefore to be removed; That we henceforth be no …ore children tossed to and fro. 3. The most holy and able Ministers are not more ready to presse the sense of humane frailty, with the necessity of keeping a strict watch against it upon others, than they are to take with it, and to watch over it in themselves: for, even Paul includeth himself, while he saith, that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro: which implyeth an acknowledgement, that, at least, he was once such a childe, and that it was necessary for him, as well as others, to quit that childish temper. 4. As the renewed children of God are once babes in Christ, and weak in all the parts of the new man, even in knowledge, prudence, patience and other graces; so they must not be alwayes such, but are to be growing upwards towards perfection: for, the first of those is implyed, and the other expressed, while he saith, That we henceforth be no more children. 5. Pronenesse to error and easinesse to be carried away with every doctrine, which pretendeth to Truth, is a mark of one who is not grown in grace, and but a babe in Christ, if he be renewed at all: for, he calleth those children, who are tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine. 6. That errors and heresies are not lesse damnable and dangerous than other sins, appeareth from this, that the souls hazard from these is expressed by the hazard of masterlesse ships, tossed by contrary winds among rocks or beds of sand, while he saith, tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine. 7. The spirit of error is alwayes turbulent, and when suffered to walk abroad, doth raise most strange commotions, both in the publick state of the Church, while hereby the lovers of Truth are called publickly to contend for it, Jude ver. 3. and in the hearts of private Christians, chiefly those who are weak and unsetled, and hereby made to fluctuate among the rocks of several opinions, and sometimes at last to split upon some one error or other, Gal. 1. 6. for, so much is implyed, while he compareth heretical doctrines to the boisterous winds which drive the ship of the Church to and fro with every wind of doctrine. 8. There …s no erroneous doctrine so hazardous and damnable, but Satan will find out some active spirits to spread it, and to seduce others unto the imbracing of it: for, those are the men here spoken of, by whose sleight and cunning craftines the winds of false doctrine are made to blow, and carry children to and fro; tossed by the sleight of men. 9. As those whom Satan engageth to carry on a course of error and heresie in a Church, are usually men of parts and gifts, exceeding far in abilities the generality of the Lords People, whom they intend to seduce, and as far as men of age and understanding go beyond simple children and babes; So these, whom Satan thus engageth, do usually prove men void of conscience, and stand not much upon fraud or falshood, providing they may gain their point: for, the Apostle calleth them men in opposition to those whom formerly he called children, and sheweth them to be such men as did make use of sleight and cogging craftinesse, and a subtile compendious art of deceiving, for carrying on their point; by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. 10. Though heretical spirits and seducers of others, are men void of conscience; Yet they make it their great work to hide their knavery, and to appear that which they are not, by their large pretences to conscience and piety, 2 Cor. 11. 15. hereby to deceive the simple, and to carry on their wofull design the more securely under that cover, Rom. 16. 18. for, he compareth them to cunning gamsters, who carry the matter so dexterously, that their fraud and knavery do not appear; by the sleight of men: He alludeth to subtile coggers of dice, as said is. 11. Hereticall spirits, and ringleaders of errour, are usually more than ordinarily assisted in their wofull work, and so as they fall upon dexterous means which they pursue uncessantly, and are attended with marvellous successe oftentimes in so doing; the Lord permitting Satan so to act them, and to act by them for heightening the triall, and making a more speedy and through discovery of the unstability of peoples spirits by those means; for, the expressions here used, do imply their more than ordinary assistance in all those; by the sleight of men, their cunning craftinesse, or singular dexterity to do any mischief, and their lying in wait to deceive, or, their deceiving, by a compendious subtil art. 12. However subtil seducers make a fair shew of Reason, Scripture, Piety, and Humility for procuring credit to their errors, Col. 2. 23. yet the strong and only prop whereupon error leaneth, and wherein its great strength doth lie, is nothing else but vanity, falshood, subtil craftinesse and deceit: for, Paul sheweth that these are the arms of Hereticks whereby they defend their errors, even winds of doctrines, sleight of men, cunning craftinesse, and lying in wait to deceive. 13. That great measure of parts and gifts with which hereticall seducers are frequently indued, their unwearyed diligence in making use of these their deceits, falshood and sleights for gaining their purpose, and the more than ordinary successe which they are attended with in trying times, ought not to discourage the weakest of the Lords people, or make them dispair of standing out against their assaults, but rather incite them to watchfulnesse, to seek after knowledge, a spirit of discerning, solidity in judgement, and stability in truth; that so in the strength of the Lord they may resist their activity and wiles: for, the latter part of the verse hath an indirect argument in it for pressing the duty contained in the former, even that henceforth we be no more children, tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine, and that because they had to do with the sleight of men, the cunning craftinesse of those who lie in wait to deceive.