The Corruption of the Mind, Title page
THE CORRUPTION OF MINDE.
DESCRIBED.
In a Sermon preached at Pauls the 24. day of June. 1655.
By RICHARD VINES Preacher of Gods Word at Laurence-Jury, London.
2 COR. 2. 17.
We are not as many which corrupt the Word of God, but as of ſincerity, but as of God ſpeak we in Chriſt.
LONDON, Printed for Abel Roper at the Sun over againſt St. Dunſtans Church in Fleet-ſtreet.
The Corruption of Minde DESCRIBED.
2 Cor. 11. 3.
But I fear lest by any meanes as the Serpent beguiled Eve by his ſubtilty, ſo your mindes ſhould be corrupted from the ſimplicity that is in Chriſt, or foreign towards Chriſt.
AS the mother of Chriſt truly was, ſo the Church of Chriſt may be truly called foreign (as Clem. Alex. ſaith) a virgin mother.
The fruitfulneſs of her womb to bring forth children unto God.
The fulneſs of her breaſts to bring them up unto God, ſpeak her a mother.
The ſimplicity of the faith, chaſtity of worſhip, ſincerity of love, integrity of life, ſpeak her a virgin.
Chriſt anſwers the type of him the high Prieſt, Levit. 21. 14. A widow or a harlot, he ſhall not take, but he ſhall take a virgin to wife.
And therefore it is the ſcope of the Goſpel-Miniſters whom God ſends (as Abraham did his ſervant with Commiſſion to procure a wife for his ſon) foreign to fit and treat a match to eſpouſe chaſte virgins unto Chriſt, ver. 2.
Which ſcope if we do but carry in our eye, and aime at in our Miniſtery, we ſhould avoid the too much uſed folly, and imbrace the ſucceſsfull fooliſhneſs of Goſpel-preaching. We may juſtly ask the cauſe of our Apoſtle his feare, leſt this Corinthian virgin ſhould become a Thais; for unjuſt ſuſpition is a kind of ſlander to chaſtity: and the queſtion is, how the Apoſtle could ſay, I am jealous; for the virgin was not eſpouſed to him, but Chriſts Miniſters are but the ſpokes-men, the foreign, treating for Chriſt, 2 Cor. 5. 10. they neither ſowe nor mowe for themſelvs, therefore he takes off the doubt in that expreſſion, I am jealous over you foreign, with jealouſie of God.
And he gives the reaſon; The firſt Adams Eve was corrupted from her virgin righteouſneſs, and ſo may the ſecond Adams eſpouſed virgin (the Corinthian Church) be corrupted from the ſimplicity that is in Chriſt. Eve by the Serpent which was Satanae leno, the Devils pander. The Corinthians by ſuch Preachers as he deſcribes to be foreign, 2. Cor. 2 17. Corrupters of the Word, as huckſters by their mixtures do jugulare vinum, adulterate the viginity of good wine.
In theſe words you may conſider two things:
1 The object of the Apoſtle his fear.
2 The inſtance or example, whence he draws a ſimilitude, ſhewing the way and meanes of accompliſhing that he feares.
1 The thing he feares is the corruption and conſtupration of this eſpouſed virgin, which corruption he deſcribes,
1 By the ſeat of it, the minde, foreign leſt your mindes be corrupted, for the foul veſſell corrupts the pureſt liquor, corruption begins in the minde, as they ſay the fiſh begins to ſtink at the head, and we know defluxions from the head corrupt the vitals and lower region.
2 The term a quo is the ſimplicity or chaſtity that is towards Chriſt, which they had before, and which is required in them that are eſpouſed to Chriſt Jeſus, who are then corrupted, when they generate and deviate from their ſimplicity of faith and worſhip; for, we cannot ſay of any of theſe virgins eſpouſed to Chriſt, as was ſaid of that virgin, the mother of our Lord, that before they came together, ſhe was found to be with child by the holy Ghoſt.
2 The inſtance or example made uſe of for deſcribing the way of corrupting the minde from the ſimplicity that is in Chriſt, is the firſt and ancienteſt example in the world, leſt by any meanes as the Serpent beguiled Eve, &c. This part of the Text contains the ſicut and ſic the As, So, and there are foure things in it.
As the Serpent, that is, Satan in his inſtrument; for the Devil appears not in his own colours, the Serpent doth not alwayes weare the ſame ſlough or skin, the Devil ſheaths himſelf in a fit caſe for his purpoſe, for he is foreign unſociable with man; therefore hath his miniſters, ver. 15. deceitful workers, falſe Apoſtles, and theſe inſtruments he puts on, he tempts the proud by, ye ſhall be as Gods, the ſenſual by the promiſe, liberty, & ſome by oſtentation of holineſs; for, there is a Phariſaical, a monaſticall, a ſuperſtitious holineſs, a holineſs of mans making, he tempts Chriſt by Peter, Come behinde me, Satan.
2 The Serpent beguiled the woman Eve, for the woman by the Serpent, the man by the woman, the ſtronger by the weaker veſſel, the husband by the wife; as the Angler takes the ſmall fiſh by a worm, and then that ſmall fiſh taken doth become a bait for the greater fiſh; ſo it is ſaid of his agents they lead captive ſilly women, they deceive the hearts of the ſipmle, Rom. 16. 18
3 The way of the Serpents deceiving the woman, was by corrupting of her minde, ſee its the Apoſtles obſervation, 1 Tim. 2. 14. that not the man, but the woman was deceived, becauſe ſhe believed that God had enviouſly ſet them in a lower Orbe than they might be in, if they eate of the fruit of that tree of knowledge.
4 This deceiving of the woman was by ſubtilty, as it appears by many reſpects, wherein the ſerpent prevaricated the words of God, and perverted their meaning, this ſubtilty or foreign, Cogging of the dice is aſcribed to deceivers, Eph. 4. 14.
The ſum is,
The Goſpel-ſtate of the Church is called a new Creation: I create a new heavens and a new earth; in this new creation God hath ſet forth another Adam Jeſus Chriſt, out of this Adam dying, as out of the firſt ſleeping, God hath formed a Church, this Church is eſpouſed to the Lord Chriſt, as Eve was to the firſt as a chaſte virgin, and there are Serpents now, as there was one then, that attempt the corrupting of the virginity of this Church; and therefore ſaith the Apoſtle, But I fear, &c.
From the firſt part of the text, the thing feared, I take up two Doctrines.
1 The ſimplicity that is in Chriſt, is to be holden untainted.
2 The corruption of the minde is the cauſe of deviation, or receſs from that ſimplicity.
I begin with the firſt.
The virgin chaſtity of the ſoul eſpouſed to Chriſt Jeſus, which loves not to be painted with any Fucus of meretricious gaudineſs, ſimpleneſs or ſimplicity in vulgar ſpeech, and ſometimes in Scripture ſounds towards fooliſh credulity or want of wit.
But in the true notion of the word it ſignifies a freedom from compoſition, and ſo we call the ſimplicity of Gods being, which is without all compoſition.
Moſt commonly it is a freedom from mixture of heterogeneal things which might adulterate purity. In Doctrine unlearnedneſs, in faith unfainedneſs in love ſincerity, in worſhip chaſtity, in life and converſation integrity, do make up that we call ſimplicity of Chriſt, which I ſhall comdendiate into theſe three.
1 Simplicity of Doctrine.
2 Of Worſhip.
3 Of life.
1 The ſimplicity of Chriſt was perſonal; for being in the form of God, he emptied himſelf, and took on him the form of a ſervant, Phil. 2. 6.
Official, in the acting of offices of his Prieſt, Prophet, and King, in great ſimplicity.
Doctrinal, in the preaching of the Goſpel.
Converſionall, in the deportment of his life.
But now I ſpeak of the ſimplicity of his Doctrine, the Doctrine of the Goſpel which is a miſtery that exceeds in glory, 2 Cor. 3. 9. and which the Angels ſtoop down to pry into, and yet is in contempt as fooliſhneſs with the wiſdom of this world that wch is a quinteſſence above al clementary learning, and tranſcendent above every predicament, hath been entertained with Stand thou here, or ſit under my footſtool; whereas that which the Apoſtle calls vain Philoſophy, and foreign, ſcience falſly ſo called, hath been entertained with Sit thou here in a good place. The Doctrine of which you are born, is called foreign, incorruptible ſad, and which you are nouriſhed by, is called foreign, ſincere milk, which denotes ſimplicity. Chriſt for righteouſneſs, Chriſt for a root on whom the branches do live dependingly, for the root beares them, and derivingly, for the root feeds them is the ſum of this doctrine.
Here is no mixture of Jewiſh rites, as if we would look for Chriſt in that manger wherein he lay when he was a babe; the bird is now hatcht, and the eggſhel lies empty.
Here is no corrival of mans works to ſpoile this ſimplicity, there remains no place for them, as they are meritorious, for that ſets them in the chair of Chriſt; nor as they are motives of God to juſtifie, for that ſets them in the place of freegrace, nor as conditions of the Covenant, for that ſets them in the place of faith, but as they are fruits of holineſs, for that ſets them in their own place, aſſigned to them by this Doctrine.
2 Simplicity of worſhip, which is called ſpirit, and truth Job. 4. 23. not Judaicall and ſhadowiſh, not Samaritan & idolatrous, but ſpiritual and inward.
The Apoſtle calls the Jewiſh types, which were rich, beggarly Elements, we have them in the rich plainneſs of the Goſpel. In matter of worſhip, that of Auſtin is the truth, and Socrates had ſeen it before, colendus eſt quomodo ſe colendum praeceperit, as himſelf hath commanded.
Thoſe that were mint-maſters of worſhip, uſed to feign correſpondence with ſome deity, that under that reputation they might vend off their devices.
God muſt ſtamp that worſhip as ſhall be currant, man is apt to indulge his eye in Gods worſhip; It's the hardeſt thing (ſaith one) to leave our eye and fancie behind us (as Abraham did his ſervants, when we go up into the monnt to ſacrifice.) The ſpiritual part of religion, is the hardeſt part.
If we look into Juſtin Martyr, and ſee how the dreſſe of worſhip was changed, by degrees we ſhal finde, that it became at length quaſi reductus in Eccleſiam Judaiſmus, unbecoming the purity of this virgin.
3 The ſimplicity of life; It was an excellent teſtimoniall ſubſcribed by the Apoſtle his conſcience, 2 Cor. 1. 2. that in ſimplicity and godly ſincerity, we have had our converſation in this world.
The form of godlineſs, is but a Mathematicall body, conſiſting of lineaments onelyonly: Religion is practicall and alwayes married to honeſty and righteouſneſs towards men; religious diſhoneſty is worſe than a Chriſtian married to a Heathen; in the times we live, that ſaying is too true, univerſus mundus exercet hiſtrioniam, all men almoſt diſguiſe and act parts.
Men either make it a ſtalking horſe to their own game, a footſtool to their ends, a covert of gold for their filthy deſignes, or lodge it onelyonly in the cock-loft of a cold brain, and not in the warme room of affections.
And the ſimplicity of Chriſt, is broken into a multiplicity of ſenſes and wayes.
Let this Point for uſe recommend to Miniſters and people both the ſimplicity of Chriſt.
1 To the Miniſtery; for though this be not a place to teach them, yet it is a place to teach you what to ſay, and what to expect of Archippus, videlicet the ſimplicity of Chriſt both in the matter and manner of the delivery of this Doctrine.
1 Simplicity for the matter of the Doctrine, I am not aſhamed of the Goſpel of Chriſt, ſaith he that had ſitten at the feet of Gamaliel; for (though that of Juſtin Martyr be true, foreign, All truth ſpoken by Plato or Ariſtotle is ours, and that which is true in Philoſophy; is true alſo in every place; yet) it is of the ſeed of the Word, quod Chriſtus naſcitur in corde auditorum.
We muſt ſet bread before hungry ſouls, and not be like the School-men, that ſet men upon gnawing hard ſtones.
All learning may be ſpent upon the ſimplicity of the Goſpell.
In breaking down ſtrong holds, meeting with ſubtilty of mens hearts, raiſing up the dejected Spirit proſtrate under ſin, counter-mining the methods and ſtratagems of the Devill, and you will finde that the old Adam in mens hearts is too hard for young Melancthon, and who is ſufficient for theſe things?
2 Simplicity for manner of delivery for painted glaſſe is more gaudy, but cleer glaſs tranſmits more light, the rule is to clothe ſpiritual things with ſpiritual words 1 Cor. 2. 13.
Its vain oile that's ſpent in ſtrong lines, that hang together, as ſand without time, ſtanding together as letters in the Hebrew, one not touching another.
Let a crucified Chriſt be preacht in a crucified Phraſe, and though you preach not with embroidery of ſilver and gold, yet ſurge & ambula, if you make the hearer ariſe and walk, its farre the better.
It is not foreign, to divide the Word a right (a word taken from culling up of the ſacrifices) to ſhred the intrals into mince meat, or to put the text to death and torment, ſo as to make the people eat the fleſh with the blood; Keep the true pattern of wholſom words.