Satans Temptations in Three Parts

CHAP. III. Of Satan's improving these Advantages for Error. 1. By deluding the Understanding directly: which he doth (1.) by countenancing Error from Scripture. Of his cunning therein. (2) By specious pretences of Mysteries; and what these are. Of personal flatteries. (3.) By affected Expressions. Reason of their prevalency. (4) By bold Assertions. The Reasons of that Policy. (5) By the excellency of the Persons appearing for it, either for Gifts or Holiness. His method if managing that design. (6.) By pretended Inspiration. (7) By pretended Miracles. His cunning herein. (8) By peace and prosperity in ways of Error. (9) By lies against Truth, and the Professors of it.

WHat are the general Advantages which Satan hath to forward his design of Error we have seen. It now remains, that we take an account of the various ways, by which he improves those Advantages, and those may be referred to two Heads. (1) They are such Stratagems, as more directy work upon the Understanding to delude and blind it. Or (2) they are such as indirectly by the power of the Will and Affections do influence it.

First, Those Stratagems, that more immediately concern the Understanding, are the use of such Arguments, which carry in them a probability to confirm an Error; though indeed they are but Fallacies, Sophisms, or Paralogisms: of which the Apostle speaks, Col. 2. 4. Lest any beguile you, —that is, lest they impose upon you, by false Reasonings. His usual way of proceeding in this case is,

First, when he hath to do with Men that are brought up with profession and belief of Scripture; he is then careful to give an Error some countenance or pretence from Scripture: it is not his course to decry the Scriptures with such Men, but to suppose their Truth and Authority, as the most plausible way to his Design: for by this means he doth not only prevent a great many startling objections, which would otherwise rise up against him, (seeing Men brought up with Scripture, cannot easily be brought to call them false,) but with considerable advantage, he doth thereby authorize and justify his Error: for nothing can give more boldness or confidence to a mistake, then a belief that it is backed with Scripture.

That this is one of his grand Stratagems, may be sufficiently evinced from the infinite number of Errors that pretend to Scripture warrant. Those that are above, or beyond Scripture, (which acknowledge no dependence upon it) are but few, and rare: and indeed, among Christians, Error cannot well thrives without a pretence of Scripture. Men would have enough to do to persuade themselves to such Errors, but it would be impossible to make a Party or persuade others; such Errors would presently be hissed out of the World. Upon this account is it, that Atheism sculks and conceals itself, (except where generally tolerated Profaneness gives it more than ordinary encouragement,) which is not to be ascribed to any shame-faced modesty, that Atheisms can be supposed to nourish; but to the general dislike of others, who so stick to the Authority of the Bible, that they reject all direct contradictions to it with great abhorrency. Hence also it is, that some Erroneous persons are forced to contradictions in their practice against their professed Principles, because they find it impossible to propagate their Errors, without some pretence or other to Scripture. They that would undermine those Sacred Records, are forced to make use of their Authority for proof of what they would say. The Papists have a quarrel at them, and envy them the title of Perfection and Perspicuity, upon design to intoduce Traditions, and to set up the Popes Judicial Authority in matters of Faith; and when they have said all they can, to subject the Scriptures to the Popes Determination, they are forced at last to be beholden to the Scriptures, to prove the Popes Determination: they would prove the Scriptures by the Church; and then the Church by the Scriptures: which is a Circle they have been often told of, and of which, some of the wiser sort among themselves are ashamed. Others also, that will not allow the Scriptures to be a general standing Rule, are yet forced to make it (in some cases) a Rule to themselves, and eagerly plead it to be so to others. They that pretend to be above Ordinances, and decry outward-Teachings as unnecessary, or hurtful: yet, they Teach outwardly, because they see they are not able to enlarge the Empire of Error, without such teaching. Those very Errors that make it their chief business, to render the Scriptures no better than an old Almanac; they yet seek to Scripture to countenance their Blasphemous Assertions; and if they get any scrap or shred of it, that may by their unjust Torture be wrested to speak any such thing, or anything toward it, they think all their follies are thereby patronized; and commonly, such Men either fix upon such places as give warning of the necessary concomitances of the Spirit, and Heart, with the outward Act of service; (and from hence, separating what God hath joined together, they set up Spiritual Sabbaths, Spiritual Baptism, Spiritual Worship, to cry down, and cashier the external Acts of such Ordinances:) or they pretend kindred to Scripture, as prophesying, or foretelling those new Administrations which they are about to set up. Let H. Nicholas be an instance of this, who though he decried the Service of the Law under God the Father, and the Service of the Belief under Christ; and in the room of both these, would set up another Administration, under the Spirit; yet, (that he might be the better believed) he applied several Scriptures to his purpose, as Prophetically foretelling H. Nicholas, and his services; and would have Men imagine, that he was that Angel flying in the midst of Heaven with the Everlasting Gospel, Rev. 14. 6. And that Prophet inquired after by the Jews, Joh. 1. 21. Art thou that Prophet, and that Man ordained to Judge the World? Act. 17. 31. And that the times of his Dispensation, were the times of Perfection, and Glory spoken of in 1 Cor. 13. 9. and Heb. 6. 1. The like pretences for new Administrations had Saltmarsh, and several others.

Satan fixing his Foot upon this Design, and taking advantage of Men's Ignorance, Curiosity, and Pride, &c. it is impossible to tell what he may do; he hath introduced many Heresies already, and none knows what may be behind; many passages of Scripture are dark, to the wisest of Men: a great many more are so to the common sort of Christians. A great many wits are employed by him, as Adventurers for new Discoveries; and a small pretence is ground enough for a bold Undertaker to erect a new Notion upon; and a new Notion in Religion, is like a new Fashion in Apparel, which bewitcheth the unsteady with an itch to be in it, before they well understand what it is: So that 'tis alike impossible to stint the just number of Errors, as to adjust the various pretences from Scripture upon which they may be countenanced. Leaving therefore this task to those that can undertake it, I shall only note a particular or two of Satan's cunning in affixing an Error upon Scripture.

First, In any grand design of Error, he endeavors to lay the Foundation of it as near to Truth as he can; but yet so, that in the tendency of it, it may go as far from it as may be. As some Rivers whose first Fountains are contiguous, have notwithstanding a direct contrary course in their Streams. For instance, in those Errors that tend to overthrow the doctrine of the Gospel, concerning Christ and Ordinances (and these are things which the Devil hath a great spite at) he begins his work with plausible pretences of Love and Admiration of Christ and Grace; he proceeds from thence to the pretence of purer Enjoyments, from thence to a dislike of such Preachers and Preaching, as threaten Sin, and speak out the wrath of God against Iniquity, and these are presently called Legal Preachers, and the doctrine of Duty a Legal Covenant; having them once at this point, they easily come to immediate Assistances, and special Gifts, which they pretend to have above others; being thus set up, they are for free Grace, and the enjoyment of God in Spirit; from thence they come to Christian Liberty, and by degrees Duties are unnecessary, there is no Christ but within them, and being freed from the Law, whatever they do is no Transgression. This is a Path that Satan hath trodden of old, though now and then he may vary in some Circumstances, and be forced to stop before he come to the utmost of his Journey. You may observe this Method in the late Errors of New-England, in the Familists of Germany, and in those of Old-England; in all which at the long-run Men are led as far from Scripture, as Darkness is from Light. Now this is not only to be seen in a progressive multiplication of Errors, but often may we perceive the same subtlety of Satan in a simple Error, as when he takes up part of a Truth which should stand in conjunction with another, and sets it up alone against its own Companion, where we shall have the name and pretence kept up, but the thing quite destroyed. God requires Services of Men, and prescribes to their use, Prayer, Hearing, Sacraments, but because in these God is dishonored when Men only draw near with their Lips, he further tells us, that he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is that Circumcision which is of the Flesh, &c. This part are some Men so fixed upon, that they think they are discharged of the other, and in practice go quite from these duties, and yet still they profess they are for Ordinances and the Worship of God; just so are some Men for Christ, but then 'tis but the name, not the thing; they own Christ they say, but then 'tis Christ in them, and Christ come in their Flesh, but not that Christ that died at Jerusalem, as a Sacrifice for the Sins of Men.

Secondly, Satan takes great care that an Error be (in all the ways of its propagation) clothed with Scripture phrases; and the less the Error can pretend to any plausible ground of Scripture, the more doth he endeavor to adorn it with Scripture Language, (I understand this chiefly of such Errors, as are designed for the Multitude) so that though Scripture be not used to prove the Error, yet are Deceivers taught to express their conceptions by it, and to accomodate the Words and Sentences of it to their purposes; for besides pride and confidence, Scriptural Eloquence is a necessary ingredient to make a powerful Deluder. Observe the Ring-leaders of Errors, and you shall find that ordinarily, such have at first been studious of the Scriptures; and though never able to digest them, yet when they turned their Ears from Truth, they have carried their Scripture Language (which they had before brought themselves unto by long custom) away with them, and still retain it, and express their Opinions by it.

Now this is a great advantage to Satan. For First, By this means the ignorant Multitude are often caught without anymore ado; if they hear Scripture Expressions they are apt to think that all is Truth which is spoken by them; and they the rather believe it, because they will imagine such Teachers to be well versed in Scripture, and consequently either so honest, or so knowing that they neither can, nor will delude them. Secondly, There is a Majesty in Scripture which (in some sense) doth stick to the very expressions of it; Men may perceive that generally Hearers are more affected with Scripture Eloquence, than with Play-Book Language; it hath (as it were) a charm in the words, which makes the Ear attentive, more than a quaint discourse, starched up in the dres • of common Rhetoric: One gives us an Observation to that purpose of his own Preaching, and so may many others. While then Men hear such language, they have a reverence to it. And as Physicians cover their Pills with Gold that the Patient might more willingly take them; so do Men often swallow down Error without due consideration, because conveyed to them in a Language which they respect.

Secondly, Satan's second care for the advancement of Error, (after he hath given it all the countenance he can from Scripture) is to gild it over with specious pretences, he sets it off with all the bravery he can, and then urgeth that as an Argument of its Truth. Men are apt to judge that what doth better their Spiritual Condition cannot be a Lye or delusion; and the Argument were the more considerable, if the advantages were such as he pretends them to be: but the very noise and boast of advantages please the unwary, without a due enquiry into their reality. The Apostle in Rom. 16. 18. reduceth all this Policy of the Deceiver to two heads: (1.) Good words, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , words that set out the profit and advantage of the thing. (2.) And fair Speeches 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Speeches that flatter the Condition of the party. His Art, as to the first of these, is to tell them that the Notions offered to them are special Discoveries, rare Mysteries, which have been hidden from others; and thence infers, that it must of necessity conduce much to their happiness, and Spiritual Perfection to know and embrace them. Those that troubled the Church in Paul's days with false Doctrines, used this slight of boasting, as appears by that expression in 1 Tim. 6. 20. Oppositions of Science; it seems they called their opinions (though they were but profane, and vain-babblings) by the name of Science or Knowledge, implying that all others, even the Apostles themselves were in the Dark, and came short of their Illumination. The like we have in Rev. 2. 24. of that abominable Prophetess Jezebel, who recommended her blasphemous filthy Doctrines, under the name of Depths, Profundities, or hidden Knowledge, though the Spirit of God told that Church they were not such; but if Depths, they were depths of Satan, (as 'tis added there by way of Correction) and not of the Spirit of God. We may trace these • oo • steps of Satan in all considerably prevailing Errors: for what hath been more common than to hear Men speak of the designs they have been carrying on, under the specious Titles Of Christ's coming to set up a Righteous Kingdom; The Churches coming out of Babylon, and out of the Wilderness; the dawning of the day of the Lord; the day of Reformation, the time of the Restitution of all things; with abundance of Brags of the same kind. I shall add no particular Instance of this nature; but a few strains of H. Nicholas, with whom such high promising vaunts were ordinary. His Service of Love, he compares to the most Holy, (whereas Johns Doctrine of Repentance was but a preparation to the Holy; and the Service of Christ he allowed to be no more than as the Holy of the Temple) this his Service he calls, the perfection of Life, the completion of Prophecies, the perfect conclusion of the Works of God, the Throne of Christ, the true Rest of the Chosen of God, the last Day, the sure Word of Prophecy, the New Jerusalem, and what not?

If we make further enquiry into the nature of these fair promising Mysteries, we shall find that Satan most frequently pitcheth upon these three. First, He befools Men into a belief, that the Scriptures do under the Vail of their Words and Sentences, contain some hidden Notions, that are of purpose so disguised, that they may be locked up from the generality of Men, at least from learned and wise Men; and that these Rarities cannot be discerned from the usual significations of the Words and Phrases, (as we understand other Books of the same Language) but they fancy these Sacred Writings to be like the Writings of the Egyptians, by which they absconded their Mysteries, especially like that kind of Writing, whereby under words of common known sense, they intended things which the Words themselves could not signify; and that which occasions this imagination is this, that we read frequently of Mysteries in Scriptures, and hidden Wisdom, and the special Revelation of them to God's Children which are very great Truths, but yet not to be so understood, as this Delusion supposeth: for these expressions in Scripture intend no more than this, that the design of God to save Man by Christ is in itself a Mystery, which never would have been found out without a special Revelation; and that though this Mystery is now revealed by the Gospel, yet as to the application of it to the Hearts of Men in Conversion, by the Operation of the Spirit, it is yet a Mystery. But none of these intend any such suggestion, that there are private Notions of Truth or Doctrine that are lying under ground (as it were) in Scripture words, which the words in the common Language will not acquaint us withal; nay, the contrary is expressly affirmed, when we are told that all is plainly laid open to the very simple, so that from the Scriptures they may as well understand the fundamental principles of Religion, as they may understand any other thing which their language doth express to them.

However in this Satan takes advantage of Men's Pride and Curiosity, to make them forward in the acceptation of such offers, especially when such things are represented, as the only saving discoveries which a Man cannot be ignorant of but with hazard of Damnation.

Secondly, In this boast of Mystery, Satan sometimes takes another course somewhat differing from the former, and that is to put Men upon Allegorical reflections and allusions, by which the Historical Passages of Scripture are made (besides the import of the History) resemblances of spiritual Truths; which supposeth the Letter of Scripture to be true, (but still as no better than the first Rudiments to train up Beginners withal,) yet withal, that the spiritual meaning of it raiseth the skillful to a higher Form in Christ's School. At this rate all are turned into Allegories. If they fall upon the first of Genesis, they think they then truly understand it, when they apply the Light and Darkness, and God's separating of them, with such other Passages, to the regeneration of the Soul. The like work make they with the Sufferings of Christ. But then the crafty Adversary at last enticeth them on to let go the History, as if it were nothing but a Parable, not really acted, but only fitted to represent Notions to us. Allegories were a Trap which the Devil had for the Jews, and wherein they wonderfully pleased themselves. How much Origen abused himself and the Scriptures by this humor is known to many; and how the Devil hath prevailed generally by it upon giddy people in later times, I need not tell you.

The pretence that Satan hath for this dealing is raised from some passages of the New Testament, wherein many things of the Old Testament are said to have had a Mystical signification of things expressed or transacted then, and some things are expressly called Allegories. Hence Papists determine the Scripture to have, besides the Grammatical Sence, (which all of us do own) and besides the Tropological sense (which is not divers or distinct from the Grammatical; as when from Histories, we deduce instructions of holy and sober carriage) an Allegorical and Analogical sense: in which dealing men consider not, that the Spirit of God his interpreting a passage or two allegorically, will never justify any Mans boldness in presuming to do the like to any other passage of Scripture; and beside, when any hath tried his skill that way, another may with equal probability carry the same Scripture to a different interpretation, and by this means, the Scripture shall not only become obscure, but altogether uncertain and doubtful, and unable to prove anything; so that this doth extremely dishonor Scripture, by making it little less than ridiculous. Porphyry, and Julian made themselves sport with it, upon the occasion of Origen's allegorizing, and no wonder, seeing that humor (as one calls it) is no better than a learned Foolery. Notwithstanding this, Men are sometime transported with a strange delight in turning all into Allegories, and picking Mysteries out of some by-passages and circumstances of Scripture, where one would least expect them: which I can ascribe to no second cause more, than to the working and power of Fancy, which as it can frame Ideas and Images of things, out of that that affords no real likeness or proportion, (as Men that create to themselves Similitudes and Pictures in the Clouds or in the Fire) so doth it please itself in its own work, and with a kind of natural affection, it doth kiss and hug its own Baby. It hath been my wonder sometimes to see how fond Men have been of their own Fancies, and how extremely they have doted upon a very bauble. I might note you examples of this, even to nauseousness, in all Studies, as well as in this of Religion. Those that affect the sublimities of Chemistry, do usually by a strange boldness stretch all the sacred Mysteries of Scripture (as of the Trinity, of Regeneration, &c.) to represent their Secrets and Processes, as may be seen sufficiently in their Writings: One of them I cannot forbare to name, and that is Glauber; who doth so please himself with some idle whims about Sal and Sol, that at last he falls in with Bernardinus Gomesius, (whom he cites and approves) who in this one word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 (which signifies Salt) finds the Trinity, the Generation of the Son, the two natures of Christ, the calling of the Jews and Gentiles, the procession of the Spirit, and the communications of the Spirit in the Law and Gospel, and all this he gathers from the shapes, strokes and positions of these three Letters: a very subtle invention! Not unlike to this, were some of the dotages of the Jewish Cabala, which they gathered from the different writing of some Letters in the sacred Text, from the transposing of them, and from their Mystical Arithmetic. R. Elias from the letter Aleph, mentioned six times in Gen. 1. 1. collected his Notion of the Worlds continuance for 6000 years, because that letter 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 stands for a thousand in the Hebrew computation. Another Rabbi (mentioned by Lud. Cappellus) hath a profound speculation concerning the first letter of Genesis, which (as he saith) doth therefore begin with Beth, and not with Aleph, to show the unexceptionable verity of God's Word, against which no Mouth can justly open itself, and this he gathers from the manner of the pronunciation of that letter 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , which is performed by the closure of the Lips. It were not possible to imagine, that wise Men should be thus carried away with childish Follies, if there were not some kind of enchantment in Fancy, which makes the hit of a Conceit, (though never so silly) intoxicate them into an apprehension of a rare Discovery. And doubtless this is the very thing that doth so transport the Allegorizers and Inventers of Mysteries, that they are ravished either with the discovery of a New-nothing, or with the rare invention of an Aenigmatical Interpretation.

Thirdly, The Devil hath yet another way of coining Mysteries, and that is a pretence of a more full discovery of Notions and Ways, which (as he tells those that are willing to believe him,) are but glanced at in the Scripture; and this doth not only contain his boast of unfolding Prophecies, and the dangerous applications of them to Times and Places that are no way concerned, (which hath more than once put Men upon dangerous undertakings) but also his large promise of teaching the Way of the Lord more perfectly, and of leading Men into a full comprehension of those tremendous Mysteries, wherein the Scripture hath as industriously concealed the Reasons, Way, and Manner of their Being, as it hath fully asserted that they are, (such are the Decrees of God, the Trinity, &c.) as also of unfolding and teaching at large those things that the Scripture seems only to hint at. In all which points we have instances enough at hand, which will show us how the Devil hath played his Game, either by making Men bold in things not revealed, or by drawing Men to dislike solid Truths, and by puffing them up with notions, till at last they were prepared for the impression of some grand Delusion. All this while I have only explained the first head of Satan's specious pretences, which consists in the promise of Discoveries and Mysteries.

The next head of pretences, are those that relate to the persons enamored with these supposed Mysteries. With these he strokes their heads, and causeth them to hug themselves in a Dream of an imaginary happiness. For if they have the knowledge of Mysteries which are locked up from other Men, they cannot avoid this Conclusion, That they are the only Favorites of Heaven; that they only have the Spirit, are only taught of God, &c. Such swelling words of vanity have ever accompanied Delusion. And indeed, we shall find the confidence of such Men more strong, and their false embracements more rapturous, than ordinarily the ways of Truth do afford, upon this account; that in such cases, Fancy is elevated, and the delights of a raised Fancy are excessive, and Enthusiastical. 'It is a kind of Spiritual Frenzy, which extends all the Faculties to an extraordinary Activity; the Devil doing all he can to further it, by his utmost Contributions. Joy, delight, hope, love, are all raised to make an hubbub in the heart; whereas on the contrary, Truth is modest, humble, sober, and affords a more silent joy, though more even and lasting.

Here might I set Error before you in its rant, and give you a taste of the high flown strains of it. Montanus (as vile as he was) had the confidence to call himself the Comforter. Novatus and his Brother would be no less than Moses and Aaron. The Gnostics called themselves the Illuminati. The Swinkfieildians assumed the title of the Confessors of the Glory of Christ. The Family of Love had their Evangelium Regni, the Gospel of the Kingdom. The Fratricelli, distinguished themselves from others by the term Spiritual. Muntzer asserted, That all of his Opinion, were God's Elect: and that all the Children of their Religion were to be called the Children of God; and that all others were ungodly, and designed to Damnation. H. Nicholas affirms, That there was no knowledge of Christ nor Scripture, but in his Family. To this purpose most of them speak, that forsake the ways of Truth; and though these swellings are but wind and vapor, yet those heights are very serviceable to the Devils purposes: who by this means confirms those whom he hath already Conquered, and then fits them out with the greater confidence to allure others; and Men are apt enough to be drawn by fair shows, and confident boastings. But I proceed.

The third Stratagem of Satan for promoting Error, is to astonish Men with strange Language, and affected expressions. It was an old device of Satan to coin an unintelligible gibberish as the proper vehicle of strange Enthusiasticks Doctrine, and this he artificially suits to his pretended Mysteries; without this his rare Discoveries would be too flat and dull to gain upon any Man of competent understanding. For if these Dotages were clothed in plain words, they would either appear to be direct non-sense, or ridiculous folly. It concerns him when he hath any feats of Delusion in hand, to set them off with a canting speech, as juglers use their hard words, of Ailif, Casyl, Zaze, Presto, Millat, &c. to put their ignorant Admirers into a belief of some unknown power by which they do their Wonders. And this is in some sort necessary; extraordinary matters are above expression, and such wild expressions put Men into an expectation of things sublime. This knack Satan hath constantly used. Montanus had his strange Speeches. And all along downward to our times, we may observe, That Error hath had this gaudy dress; the Familists especially abound with it, you may read whole Books full of such a kind of speaking, as the Book called Theologia Germanica, or German Divinity; the Books of Jacob Behmen, The bright Morning Star, &c. Neither are the Papists free; one of late hath taken the pains to show them this, and other follies: among them you may find such talk as this, of being beclosed in the mid-head of God, and in his meek-head; of being substantially united to God, of being oned to God; as also of the abstractedness of Life, of passive Unions, of the Deiform fund of the Soul; of a state of introversion: of a Super-essential life, a state of nothingness, &c. Just like the raveings of H. Nicholas, David George, and others, who confidently discourse of being godded with God, of being consubstantiated with the Deity, and of God's being manned with them.

I have oft considered, what reason might be given for the takeingness of such expressions, and have been forced to satisfy my self with these: First, Many mistake the knowledge of words, for the knowledge of things. And well may poor ignorant Men believe, they have attained, no man knows what, by this device; when among Learned Men, the Knowledge of words is esteemed so great a pitch of Learning, and they nourish a great many Controversies that are only verbal. Secondly, Some are pleased to be accounted Understanders by others, and rest in such high words, as a badge of Knowledge. Thirdly, Some are delighted with such an hard Language upon an hope, That it will lead them to the knowledge of the things at last: they think strange expressions, are a sign of deep Mysteries. I knew one, that set himself to the reading of Jacob Behmens Books, (though at present he confessed, he was scarce able to make common sense of three lines together,) upon a secret enticement that he had from the Language, to come to some excellent discovery, by much pains and reading. Fourthly, Some that have their Fancies heated, have by this means broken confused impressions of strange things in their imaginations, and conceive themselves to know things beyond what common Language can express: as if with Paul, wrapped up into the third Heaven, they hear, and see Wonders unutterable. But what reason soever prevails with Men to take up such a way of speaking, Satan makes them believe, that it contains a rich Mine or Treasury, not of common Truths, but of extraordinary Profundities.

Fourthly, Instead of Argument to confirm an Error, sometimes we have only bold Assertions, that it is Truth, and a confident condemning the contrary as an Error; urging the danger of Men's rejecting it, backed with threatening of Hell and Damnation: and all this in the words of Scripture. To be sure they are right, and all other Men are wrong. This kind of confidence and fierceness hath been still the complexion of any remarkable way of Delusion; for that commonly confines their Charity to their own Party, (which is a great token of an Error) not only may you observe in such extraordinary Proclamations of Wrath against those that will not believe them: (a practice used by the Mad Fanatics of Munster; who, (as our Quakers were wont to do) go up and down the streets, crying, Woe, woe; Repent, repent; come out of Babylon; the heavy Wrath of God; the Axe is laid to the root of the Tree.) But in their more settled Teaching, they pronounce all to be Antichrist, and of the carnal Church, that do oppose them. Take for this H. Nicholas his words, all Knowledge (besides his) is but witchery and blindness, and all other Teachers, and Learners, are a false Christianity, and the Devils Synagogue; a nest of Devils, and wicked Spirits; a false Being, the Antichrist, the Kingdom of Hell, the Majesty of the Devil, &c. This piece of Art, not only our Quakers, (to whom nothing is more familiar, than to say to any opposer, Thou art Damn'd, thou art in the Gall of bitterness, the Lake of fire and brimstone is prepared for thee, &c.) but also the Papists commonly practice, who shut all out of Heaven that are not of their Church; and when they would affright any from Protestanism, they make not nice to tell him, That there is no possibility of Salvation, but in their way.

The Reasons of this Policy are these, (1) The Heart is apt to be startled with threatenings, and moved by commands; especially, those that are of a more tender and frightful Spirit: and though they know nothing by themselves, yet these beget fears, which may secretly betray Reason, and make Men leave the right way because of affrightment. (2) The confidence of the Assertors of such things, hath also its prevalency: for Men are apt to think that they would not speak so, if they were not very certain, and had not real experience of what they said: and thus are Men threaped out of their own Perswasions. (3) The native Majesty of Scripture, in a business of so great hazard, adds an inexpressible force to such threatenings: and though (being misapplied) they are no more Scripture Threatenings; yet, because God hath spoken his displeasure in those words, Men are apt to revere them: as Men cannot avoid to fear a Serpent or Toad, (though they know the Sting and Poison were taken out) because Nature did furnish them with a Sting or Venom.

Fifthly, 'It is an usual trick of Satan to derive a credit and honor to Error, from the excellencies (supposed, or real) of the Persons that more eminently appear for it. So that it fetcheth no small strength from the qualities of those that propagate it. The Vulgar (that do not usually dive deep into the Natures of Things) content themselves with the most Superficial Arguments, and are sooner won to a good conceit of any Opinion, by the respects they carry to the Author, than by the strongest Demonstration.

The excellencies that usually move them, are either their gifts or their holiness. If the Seedsmen of an Error be Learned, or Eloquent and Affectionate in his speaking, Men are apt to subscribe to anything he shall say, from a blind devotional admiration of the Parts wherewith he is endowed. And often, where there is no Learning, or where Learning is decried, (as savouring too much of Man) if there be Natural fluency of speech, with a sufficient measure of confidence, it raiseth them so much the higher in the esteem of the common sort, who therefore judge him to be immediately taught of God, and divinely furnished with gifts. At this point began the Divisions of the Church of Corinth, they had several Officers severally gifted; some were taken with one Mans gift, others with another Mans; some are for Paul, as being profound, and nervous in his Discourses; others for Apollo, as Eloquent, a third sort were for Cephas, as (suppose) an Affectionate Preacher: thus upon personal respects were they divided into Parties. And if these several Teachers were of different Opinions, their adherents embraced them upon an affectionate conceit of their Excellencies. And generally Satan hath wrought much by such considerations as these. This he urgeth against Christ himself, when he set up the wisdom and learning of the Rulers and Pharisees, as an argument of Truth in their way of rejecting such a Messias; Joh. 7. 48. Have any of the Rulers, or of the Pharisees believed on him? There is no insinuation more frequent than this; these are learned, excellent, able Men, and therefore what they say, or teach, is not to be disbelieved; and though this be but Argumentum stultum, a foolish Argument, yet some that would be accounted wise, do make very great use of it. The crack of Learned Doctors among the Papists, is one Topic of persuasion to Popery, and so to other Errors, as appears by this, That all Errors abound with large declamations of the praises of their Founders and Teachers: and the most illiterate Errors usually magnify the excellent inspirements, and gifts of utterance of their Leaders.

But the other excellency of Holiness in the Teachers of Error, is more generally and more advantageously improved by Satan, to persuade Men, that all is true Doctrine which such Men profess. Of this Delusion Christ forewarned us, They shall come in Sheeps clothing; that is, under the mask of seeming holiness; (at least at first;) notwithstanding, beware of them, Math. 7. 15. Those complained of by Paul, 2 Cor. 11. 15. though they were Satan's Ministers, yet that they and their Doctrine might be more plausibly entertained, they were transformed as the Ministers of Righteousness: this cunning we may espy in Heretics of all ages. The Scribes and Pharisees used a pretence of Sanctity as a main piece of Art, to draw others to their way; their Alms, Fastings, long Prayers, strict Observations, &c. were all designed as a Net to catch the Multitude withal. The lying Doctrines of Antichrist were foretold by Paul, to have their success from this stratagem; all that Idolatry and Heathenism which he is to introduce, must be, (and hath been) through the hypocrisy of a painted holiness; and where he intends most to play the Dragon, he there most artificially counterfeits the innocence and simplicity of the Lamb. Arch-heretics have been Arch-pretenders to Sanctity. And such pretences have great influence upon Men: for Holiness and Truth are so near of kin, that they will not readily believe that it can be a false Doctrine which an holy Man Teacheth; they think that God that hath given a Teacher Holiness, will not deny him Truth: Nay, this is an easy and plausible measure, which they have for Truth and Error. To inquire into the intricacies and depths of a Disputation, is too burdensome and difficult for ordinary Men, and therefore they satisfy themselves with this consideration, (which hath little toil in it, and as little certainly) That surely God will not leave holy Men to a delusion. It would be endless to give all the instances that are at hand in this Matter; I shall only add a few things of Satan's method in managing this Argument, as

First, When he hath a Design of common, or prevailing Delusion, he mainly endeavors to corrupt some person of a more strict serious, and religious carriage, to be the Captain and Ringleader; such Men were Pelagius, Arius, Socinus, &c. He mainly endeavors to have fit instruments. If he be upon that design of blemishing Religion, and to bring Truth into a dis-esteem; then (as one observes) he persuades such into the Ministry, as he fore-sees are likely to be idle, careless, profane, and scandalous; or doth endeavor to promote such Ministers into more conspicuous places, and provokes them to miscarriage, that so their Example may be an Objection against Truth, while in the mean time, he is willing, that the Opposers of Truth should continue their smooth carriage; and then he puts a Two-edged Sword into the hands of the unstable: can that be Truth where there is so much Wickedness? and can this be Error, where there is so much Holiness?

Secondly, in Prosecution of this Design, he usually puts Men upon some more than ordinary strictness, that the pretence of holiness may be the more augmented; in this case a course of ordinary Sanctity is not enough, they must be above the common Practice; some singular Additions of severity and exactness above what is written, are commonly affected to make them the more remarkable. Christ notes this in the Pharisees, concerning all their Devotions, and the ways of expressing them; their Phylacteries spoken of, Mat. 23. 5. (as some think) were not intended by that Text of Deut. 6. 8. but only that they should remember the Law, and endeavor not to forget it; as they do that tie a thread, or such like thing about their Finger for a Remembrancer; according to Prov. 3. 3. Bind them about thy neck, write them upon the Table of thine heart. However, if they were literally enjoined, they would have them (as Christ tells them) broader than others, as an evidence of their greater care. The Cathari boasted of Sanctity and good Works, and rejected second Marriages; the Apostolici were so called, from a pretended stricter imitation of the singular holiness of the Apostles. The Valesians made themselves Eunuchs (according to the Letter) for the Kingdom of God. The Donatists accounted that no true Church, where any spot or infirmity was found. The Messalians or Euchytae were for constant praying. The Nudipedales for going bare-foot, &c. The Papists urge Canonical Hours, Whippings, Pennances, Pilgrimages, voluntary Poverty, abstinence from Meats, and Marriage in their Priests and Votaries. In a word, all noted Sects have something of special singularity, whereby they would difference themselves from others, as a peculiar character of their greater strictness; and for want of better stuff, they sometimes take up affected gestures, devotional looks, and outward garbs; all which have this note, That what they most stand upon, God hath least, or not at all required at their hands; their voluntary Humility, or neglecting of the Body, being but will-worship, and a self-devised piece of Religion.

Thirdly, When once Men are set in the way of exercising severities, Satan endeavors (by working upon their fancies) to press them on further to a delight and satisfaction in these ways of strictness, so that the practiser themselves are not only confirmed in these usages, and the opinions that are concomitant with them; but others are the more easily drawn to like and profess the same things. Any serious temper under any Profession of Religion, easily comes to be devout, and readily complies with opportunities of evincing its Devotion by strictness. And therefore we shall find among Heathens, a great devotional severity, and such as far exceeds all of that kind, which the Papists do usually brag of, the Magi abstained from Wine, eat not the flesh of living Creatures, and professed Virginity. The Indian Brachmans did the like, and besides used themselves to incredible hardship; they laid upon skins, sustained the violence of the Sun, and Storms, and exercised themselves therewith; some spending Thirty seven years in this course, others more. We read strange things of this nature concerning the Egyptian Priests, and others. The Mohammedans are not without their Religious Orders, which pretend a more holy and austere Life than others; and though of some (as of the Torlachs and Dervizes) several private Villanies are reported, yet of others, (as of the Order of Calender) we are assured from History, That they profess Virginity, and expose themselves to Hardship, and a stricter Devotion in their way; and generally 'tis said, of all of them, That they go meanly clad, or half naked; some abstinent in Eating, and Drinking, professing Poverty, renouncing the World: some can endure cutting and slashing, as if they were insensible; some profess perpetual Silence, though urged with Injuries, and Tortures; others have Chains about their Necks and Arms, to show, that they are bound up from the World, &c. If such things may be found among Heathens, no wonder that Error boasts of them, for in both there is the same reason of Men's pleasing themselves in such hardships (which is from a Natural Devotion, assisted by Satan's cunning,) and the same Design driven on by it; for the Devil doth confirm Heathens and Mohammedans in their false Worship, by the reverence and respect they carry to such practices.

Fourthly, Because Religious Holiness hath a beauty in it, and is very lovely; he doth all he can to affect Men with the highest revernce for these pretences of Religious strictness: so that they that will not be at pains to practice them, can bestow an excessive respect and admiration upon those that are grown famous in the use of such things; and by that means, being almost adored, they are without doubt persuaded, that all they teach or do is right, and in a doting fondness they multiply Superstitious Errors. Idolatry is supposed to have a great part of its rise from this: While Men endeavored to express their thankful and admiring remembrances of some excellent Persons, by setting up their Pictures, their Posterity began to worship them as God's: Pilgramages were first set on foot by the respects that Men gave to places that were made famous by Persons and Actions of more than ordinary Holiness: and because the Devil found Men so very apt to please themselves in paying such Devotional Reverences, he wrought upon their Superstitious humor to multiply to themselves the occasions thereof, and by fabulous Traditions sent them to places no otherwise made memorable than by Dreams and Impostures. Much of this you might see if you would accompany a Caravan from Cairo to Mecca and Medina, where you would see the zealous Pilgrims with a great many Orisons and Prayers compassing Abraham's house; kissing a Stone, which (they are told) fell from Heaven, blessing themselves with a relique of the old Vesture of Abraham's House; washing themselves in the Pond, which (as their Tradition goes) the Angel shown to Hagar; saluting the Mountain of Pardons; throwing Stones in defiances of the Devil, as (their Legend tells them) Ishmael did; their Prayers on the Mountain of Health; their visit to the Prophets Tomb at Medina, &c. The like might you observe among the Papists, in their Pilgrimages to Jerusalem and the Sepulcher, to the Lady of Loretto's Chapel and other places. By such devices as these the unobservant people are transported with a pleasure, insomuch that they not only persuade themselves they are very devout in these Reverences, but they also become unalterably fixed to these Errors that do support these delightful Practices, or as consequences do issue from them.

Sixthly, A more plausible Argument for Error (than the Learning and Holiness of the Persons that profess it) is that of Inspiration, in which the Devil soars a loft, and pretends the highest divine warrant for his falsehoods: for God is Truth, and we know that no lie is of the Truth. Now to make Men believe that God by his Holy Spirit doth in any manner dictate such Opinions, or certainly reveal such things for Truths: is one of the highest Artifices that he can pretend to, and such a confirmation must it be (to those that are so persuaded,) that all disputes and doubtings must necessarily be silenced.

That the Devil can thus transform himself into an Angel of Light, we are assured from Scripture, which hath particularly cautioned us against this cheat. The Apostasy of the later times, 1 Tim. 4. 1. the Apostle foretells should be carried on by the prevalency of this pretence, Some shall depart from the Faith, giving heed to seducing Spirits. That by Spirits there, Doctrines are intended rather than Doctors, is Mr. Medes interpretation: but it will come all to one if we consider that the word Spirit carries more in it, than either Doctrine or Doctor; for to call either the one or the other a Spirit would be intollerably harsh, if it were not for this, that that Doctor is hereby supposed to pretend an infallability from the Spirit of God, or (which is all one) that he received his Doctrine by some immediate Revelation of the Spirit; so that by seducing Spirits must be, Men or Doctrines that seduce others to believe them, by the pretence of the Spirit, or Inspiration: and that text of 1 Joh. 4. 1. doth thus explain it, believe not every Spirit, but try the Spirits whether they are of God; which is as much as if he had said, believe not every Man or Doctrine that shall pretend he is sent of God, and hath his Spirit; and the reason there given makes it yet more plain, because many false Prophets are gone out into the World: So that these Spirits are false Prophets, Men that pretend inspiration. And the warning, believe not every Spirit, tell us, that Satan doth with such a dexterity counterfeit the Spirits Inspirations, that holy and good Men are in no small hazard to be deceived thereby. Most full to this purpose is that of 2 Thess. 2. 2. That ye be not soon shaken in Mind, or be troubled, neither by Spirit, nor by Word, nor by Letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand; where the several means of seduction are particularly reckoned, as distinct from the Doctrine and Doctors, and by Spirit can be meant no other than a pretence of Inspiration or Revelation.

'It is evident then that Satan by this Artifice, useth to put a stamp of divine Warrant upon his adulterate Coyn; and if we look into his practice, we shall in all ages find him at this work. Among Heathens he frequently gained a repute to his superstitious Idolatrous worship by this device: The Men of greatest note among them feigned a spiritual commerce with the God's. Empedocles endeavored to make the people believe that there was a kind of Divinity in him, and affecting to be esteemed more than a Man, cast himself into the burnings of Mongebel, that they might suppose him to have been taken up to the God's. Pythagoras his Fiction of a Journey to Hell was upon the same account. Philostratus and Cedrenus report no less of Apollonius, than that he had familiar converses with their supposed Dieties: and the like did they believe of their Magi and Priests; insomuch that some cunning Politicians (observing how the vulgar were under a deep reverence to such pretences) gave it out that they had received their Laws by divine Inspirations. Numa Pompilius feigned he received his Institutions from the Nymph Aegeria: Lycurgus from Apollo: Minos the Lawgiver of Candy, baosted that Jupiter was his Familiar. Mahomet also speaks as high this way as any, his Alcoran must be no less than a Law received from God, and to that end, he pretends a strange Journey to Heaven, and frequent converse with the Angel Gabriel.

If we trace Satan in the Errors which he hath raised up under the profession of the Scriptures, we may observe the same method, the Valentinians, Gnostics, Montanists talked as confidently of the Spirit, as Moses or the Prophets could do, and a great deal more; for some of them blasphemously called themselves the Paraclete, or Comforter. Among the Monsters which later Ages produced, we still find the same strain; one saith he is Enoch, another stiles himself the great Prophet, another hath raptures, and all immediately inspired. The Papists have as much of this cheat among them as any other, and some of their learned Defenders avouch their Lumen Propheticum, and Miraculorum Gloria, Prophesies and Miracles, to be the two eyes, or the Sun and Moon of their Church; nay by a strange transportment of Folly, (to the forfeiture of the reputation of Learning and Reason) they have so multiplied Revelations, that we have whole Volumes of them, as the Revelations of their Saint Brigit and others; and by wonderful credulity they have not only advanced apparent dreams and dotages to the honor of Inspirations or Visions, but upon this sandy Foundation they have built a great many of their Doctrines, as Purgatory, Transubstantiation, auricular Confession, &c. By such warrants have they instituted Festivals, and founded several Orders; the particulars of these things you may see more at large in Dr. Stillingfleet and others. And that there might be nothing wanting that might make them shamelessly impudent, they are not content to equal their Fooleries with the Scriptures of God, as that the rule of their St. Francis (for I shall only instance in him, omitting others for brevity sake) was not composed by the Wisdom of Man, but by God himself, and inspired by the Holy Ghost; but they advance their Prophets above the Apostles, and above Christ himself. Their St. Benedict (if you will believe them) was wrapped up to the third Heavens, where he saw God Face to Face, and heard the choire of Angels; and their St. Francis was a none-such for Miracles and Revelations. Neither may we wonder that Satan should be forward in urging this cheat, when we consider.

First, What a reverence Men naturally carry to Revelations, and how apt they are to be surprised with an hasty credulity. An old Prophecy, pretended to be found in a Wall, or taken out of an old Manuscript (of I know now what uncertain Author,) is usually more doted on, than the plain and infallible rules of Scripture: this we may observe daily, and Forreiners do much blame the English for a facile belief of such things, but it is a general fault of mankind, and we find even wise Men forward in their persuasions upon meaner grounds, than those that gain credit to old Prophecies. For their antiquity and strangeness of discovery, especially at such times wherein the present posture of Affairs seem to favor such predictions with a probadility of such events, are more likely to get credit, than these artificial imitations of the Ways and Garbs of the old Prophets, and the cunning Legerdemain of those that pretend to Inspirations, by seeming Extasies, Raptures, and confident Declarations, &c. nevertheless arrant Cheats, have by these ways deceived no mean Men. Alvarus acknowledgeth that he honored a Woman as a Saint, that had Visions and Raptures, as if really inspired (and the same apprehensions had the Bishop and Friars) who was afterward discovered to be a naughty Woman: who shall then think it strange that the unobservant Multitude should be deluded by such an Art?

Secondly, Especially if we consider that God himself took this course to signify his mind to Men; his Prophets were divinely inspired, and the Scriptures were not of any private interpretation: the words that the Pen Men of Scriptures wrote, were not the interpretations of their own private thoughts; for the Prophecy came not in old time by the will of Man, but holy Men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, 2 Pet. 1. 20, 21. Now though the Prophecies of Scripture are sealed, and no more is to be added to them upon any pretence whatsoever; yet seeing there are Promises left us, of the giving of the Spirit, of being taught and led by the Spirit; it is an easy matter for Satan to beguile Men into an expectation of prophetic inspirations, and a belief of what is pretended so to be: for all Men do not, or will not understand, that these promises of the Spirit, have no intendment of new and extraordinary immediate Revelations, but only of the efficacious applications of what is already revealed in Scripture. This kind of Revelation we acknowledge and teach, which is far enough from Enthusiasm, (that is, a pretended Revelation of new Truths) and we have reason to assert, that internal persuasions without the external word, are to be avoided as Satan's cozenages. But for all this, when Men's minds are set a gadding, if they meet with such as magnify their own Dreams, and call their Fancies, Visions, the suitableness of this to their humor, makes them to reject our interpretations of these Promises as false, and to persuade themselves that they are to be understood of such Inspirations as the Prophets of old had; and then they presently conclude they are to believe them, lest otherwise they should resist the Holy Ghost.

Thirdly, But the advantage which the Devil hath to work Delusion upon by this pretence, is an high motive to him to practice upon it. For Inspirations, Visions, Voices, Impulses, Dreams, and Revelations are things wherein wicked Impostors may by many ways and artifices play the counterfeits undiscovered; 'tis easy to prophesy false Dreams, and to say, thus saith the Lord, when yet they do but lie, and the Lord never sent them, nor commanded them; nay 'tis easy by tricks and illusions, to put that honor and credit upon their designs, which they could not by their bare assertions, backed with all their art of seeming seriousness: the inventions of Men (that have been formerly successful in this deceit) being now laid open to our knowledge, may make us more wary in our trust. Among the Heathens you may find notable ways of deceits of this nature. The Story of Hanno and Psappho is commonly known, they tamed Birds, and learned them to speak, Hanno and Psappho are God's; and then set them at liberty, that Men hearing such strange voices in the Woods from Birds, might imagine that these Men were declared God's by special discovery. Muhammad's device of making a Dove to come frequently to his Ear, (which he did, by training her up to an use of picking Corn out of it,) served him for an evidence (among the vulgar beholders, who knew not the true cause of it) of his immediate Inspiration by the Angel Gabriel, who (as he told them) whispered in his ear in the shape of a Dove. The like knavery he practiced for the confirmation of the truth of his Alcoran, by making a Bull (taught before to come at a call or sign) to come to him, with a Chapiter upon his Horns. Hector Boetius tells us of a like stratagem of a King of Scots, who (to animate his fainting Subjects against the Picts that had beaten them,) caused a Man clothed in the shining skin of Fishes, and with rotten Wood (which as a Glow-worm in the Night, represents a faint Light) to come among them in the dark, and through a Reed or hollow Trunk (that the Voice might not appear to be human) to incite them to a vigorous onset: this they took to be an Angel, bringing them this command from Heaven, and accordingly fought and prevailed. Crafty Benedict, (who was afterward Pope under the name of Boniface the eighth) made simple Celestine the fifth give over the Popedom, by conveying to him a Voice through a Reed to this purpose: Celestine, Celestine, renounce the Papacy, give it over, if thou wouldst be saved, the burden is beyond thy Strength, &c. The silly Man taking this for a Revelation from Heaven, quitted his Chair and left it for that crafty Fox Benedict. Not very many years since, the same trick was played in this Country to a Man of Revelations, who called himself David in Spirit, when he had wearied his Entertainer with a long stay, he quitted himself of his Company, (as I was credibly informed) by a Policy which he perceived would well suit with the Man's conceitedness; for through a Reed in the night time he tells him, that he must go into Wales, or some such Country, and there preach the Gospel; the next Morning the Man avouches a Revelation from God to go elsewhere, and so departs. These instances show you how cunningly a cheating knave may carry on a pretence of Revelation or Vision. And yet this is not all the advantage which the Devil hath in this matter, though it is an advantage which he sometime makes use of when he is fitted with suitable Instruments. But he works most dangerously when he so acts upon Men, that they themselves believe they have Visions, Raptures and Revelations, for some are really persuaded that it is so with them. Neither is it strange, that Men should be deluded into an apprehension that they hear and see what they do not; in Fevers, Frenzies, and Madness, we clearly see it to be so: and who can convince such Persons of their mistakes, when with as high a confidence as may be, they contend that they are not deceived? Shall we think it strange that Satan hath ways of conveying false apprehensions upon Men's minds? no surely, do we not see that the Senses may be cheated, and that the Fancies of Men may be corrupted? is it not easy for him to convey Voices to the Ear, or shapes and representations to the Eye? and in such cases, what can ordinarily hinder a belief that they hear or see such things? but he needs not always work upon the Fancy by the Senses. If he hath the advantage of a crazy distempered Fancy (as commonly he hath in Melancholy Persons) he can so strongly fix his suggestions upon them, and so effectually set the Fancy on work to embrace them, that without any appearance of Madness, they will persuade themselves that they have discoveries from God, Impulses by his Spirit, Scriptures set upon their Hearts, and what not? and because they feel the workings of these things within them, it is impossible to make them so much as suspect that they are deceived. Do but consider the power of any Fancy in a Melancholick Person, and you may easily apprehend how Satan works in such delusions. Melancholy doth strangely pervert the imagination, and will beget in Men wonderful misapprehensions, and that sometimes doth bewitch them into peremptory uncontrollable belief of their Fancy; 'tis a vehement, confident humor, what way soever it takes, the imagination thus corrupted hath an enormous strength, so that if it fix upon things never so absurd or irrational, 'tis not reducible by the strongest reasons. If such a Man conceits himself dead, or that he is transformed to a Wolf or Cat, or that he is made of Glass (as many in this Distemper have done;) there is no persuasion to the contrary, that can take place with him. Now if this humor be taken up with Divine matters (as usually it doth, for it hath a natural inclination to religious things) it still acts with fierceness and confidence, and there are many things often concomitant to such actings, that if it misconceit Inspiration or Prophecy, the Parties themselves are not only bound up under that persuasion, but even unwary Spectators are deluded. For sometime a Melancholy imagination is not wholly corrupt, but only in respect of some one or two particulars, whilst in other things it acts regularly, and then neither they nor others (that are unacquainted with such cases) are so apt to suspect that they are mistaken in these things, while they act rationally and soberly in other matters. Sometime they have vehement fits of surprisal (for the humor hath its ebbings and flowings) and this gives them occasion to apprehend that someting doth supernaturally act or raise them, and then when the things they speak, are for the matter of them, of religious concern, and odd notions (for the humor flies high, and bounds not itself with ordinary things,) and withal uttered in Scripture Rhetoric and with fervency and urgency of Spirit, when these things concur, there is such an appearance of Inspiration, that the Parties themselves and others rest fully persuaded that it is so.

Seventhly, Pretended and counterfeit Miracles the Devil makes much use of, to countenance Error, and this is also one of his strong-holds; for he suggests that God himself bears witness by these Signs, Wonders, and Miracles to such erroneous Doctrine, as seems to be concerned by them.

That the Devil cannot work a true Miracle hath been discoursed before, but that he can perform many strange things, and such as may beget admiration, none denies; and that by such unwonted actions, he usually endeavors to justify false Doctrines, and to set them off with the appearance of divine approbation, we are sufficiently forewarned in the Scriptures. Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses by false Miracles. In Deut. 13. 1. God speaks of the Signs and Wonders of false Prophets, who would by that means seek to seduce the People to follow after other God's. Christ also in Matth. 24. 24. foretells that false Christ's and false Prophets shall arise, and show great Signs and Wonders, insomuch that (if it were possible) they shall deceive the very Elect, and puts a special note of caution upon it, Behold, I have told you before. And to the same purpose is that of Paul concerning Antichrist, 2 Thes. 2. 9. where he tells us of powerful Signs and Wonders by the working of Satan; who doth all the while only lie and cheat, that he may draw Men to Error.

If we make enquiry how Satan hath managed this Engine, we shall observe not only his diligence in using it, on all occasions to countenance all kind of Errors both in Paganism and Christianity, but also his subtle dexterity by cheating Men with Forgeries and Falsehood.

Heathenish Idolatry among other helps for its advancement, wanted not this, the Oracles and responses (which were common before the coming of Christ) were esteemed as miraculous confirmations of the truth of the Dieties which they worshipped; the moveings and speakings of their Statua's were arguments that the operative presence of some celestial Numen was affixed to such an Image. In some places the solemn Sacrifices are never performed without a seeming Miracle. As in Nova Zembla where the Priests trances, his running a Sword into his Belly, his making his Head and Shoulder fall off his body into a Kettle of hot Water by the drawing of a Line, and then his reviving again perfect and entire without maim or hurt, are all strange astonishing things to the beholders. But besides such things as these which are standing constant Wonders, we read of some that have had as it were a Gift of Miracles, that they might be eminently instrumental to promote and honor Paganism. All Histories agree that Simon Magus did so many strange things at Rome (as the causing an Image to walk, turning Stones into Bread, transforming himself into several Shapes, flying in the Air, &c.) that he was esteemed a God. Philostratus and Cedremus report great things of Apollonius, as that he could deliver Cities from Scorpions, Serpents, Earthquakes, &c. and that many Miracles were wrought by him; this Man Satan raised up in an extraordinary manner to revive the Honor of Paganism, that it might at least vie with Christianity. And though few ever attained to that height which Apollonius and Simon Magus reached unto, yet have we several instances of great things done now and then, by some singular Persons upon a special occasion, which Satan improved to his advantage. Vespasian cured a Lame and Blind Man. Adrianus cured a blind Woman, and which is more, after he was dead by the touch of his Body, a Man of Pannonia who was born Blind received his Sight. Valerius Maximus tells of many strange things, and particularly of a Vestal Virgin that drew Water into a Sieve. As Livy tells of another (Claudia by name) who with her Girdle drew the Ship to the Shore which carried the Mother of their God's, when neither strength of Men nor Oxen could do it.

Errors under profession of Christianity have been supported and propagated by the boast of Miracles. A clear instance for this we have in Popery, that Religion being a perpetual boast of Wonders. To let pass their great Miracle of Transubstantiation (which as one hath lately demonstrated, is a bundle of Miracles, or contradictions rather) because it appears not to the Senses of any Man, and consequently is not capable of being an Argument to prove any of their opinions. We have abundance of strange things related by them, as proofs of some Doctrines of theirs in particular, as Purgatory, Invocation of Saints, Transubstantiation, &c. and of their profession in the general, Devils cast out, Blind and Lame cured, Dead raised, and what not; it would be endless to recite particulars; it would take a long time to tell what their St. Francis hath done, how he fetched Water out of a Rock, how he was homaged by Fowls and Fishes, how he made a Fountain in Marchia run Wine, and how far he exceeded Christ himself in wonderful feats; Christ did nothing which St. Francis did not do, nay he did many more things than Christ did: Christ turned Water into Wine but once but St. Francis did it thrice: Christ was once transfigured, but St. Francis twenty times: he and his Brethren raised above a thousand to Life, cast out more than a thousand Devils, &c. Their Dominious raised three dead Men to Life. Their Zeverius while he was alive did many Miracles, and after he was dead, his Body lay fifteen Months sweetly smelling, without any taint of corruption. 'It is irksome to repeat their Stories; abundance of such stuff might be added out of their own Writings: the design of all which is to prove, (to those that are so Prodigal of their Faith as to believe them) that they only are the true Church, and that by this note (among others) they may be known to be so.

But let us turn aside a little to observe Satan's cunning in this pretence of Miracles; let things be soberly weighed, and we may see enough of the cheat. This great boast is (as Austin hath it) resolved into one of these two, either the figments of lying Men, or the craft of deceitful Spirits.

As to the first of these, 'tis evident, that a great many things, that have been taken by the vulgar for mighty Wonders, were nothing but the knaveries of Impostors, who in this matter have used a threefold cunning.

First, By mere juggling and Forgery in confederacies and private contrivances they have set upon the Stage Persons (before instructed to act their parts) or things aforehand prepared, to pretend to be what they were not, that others might seem to do what they did not, and all to amaze those that know not the bottom of the matter. Of this nature was Muhammad's Dove and Bull, who were privately trained up to that obedience, and familiarity which they used to him. The Pagan Priests were not altogether to seek in this piece of art. Lucian tells us of one Alexander, who nourished and tamed a Serpent, and made the People of Pontus believe that it was the God Aesculapius; and doubtless the Idol Priests improved their private artificial contrivances. As of the movings of their Images (as that of Venus made by Daedalus, which by the means of Quicksilver enclosed, could stir itself) their eating and drinking (as in the Story of Bel in the Apocryphal adjections to the Book of Daniel) their responses, and several other appearances (as of the Paper Head of Adonis or Osiris) which (as Lucian reports) comes swimming down the River every year from Egypt to Byblos, &c. these and such like they improved as evidences of the Power, Knowledge, and reality of their God's. And though in the prevalency of Idolatry, where there was no considerable party to oppose, their cheats were not always discovered, yet we have no reason to imagine that the Priests of those days were so honest, that they were only deceived by the Devils craft, and did not in a villanous design purposely endeavor the delusion of others. If we had no other grounds for a just suspicion in these cases, the famous instances of the abuse of Paulina at the Temple of Isis in Rome, in the Reign of the Emperor Tiberius, by the procurement of Mondus, who corrupted the Priest of Anubis to signify to her the love of their God, and under that coverture gratified the Lust of Mondus, mentioned by Josephus. And that of Tyrannus Priest of Saturn in Alexandria, who by the like pretence of the love of Saturn, adulterated most of the fairest Dames of the City, mentioned by Ruffinus. These would sufficiently witness that the Priests of those times were apt enough to abuse the people at the rate we have been speaking of. In Popery nothing hath been more ordinary; who knows not the Story of the Holy Maid of Kent, and the Boy of Bilson? How common is it with them to play tricks with Women troubled with Hysterical Distempers? and to pretend the casting out of Devils, when they have only to deal with a natural Disease? Not very many years since they practiced upon a poor young Woman at Durbam, and made great boasts of their Exorcisms, Relics, and Holy-water against the Devil (with whom they would have all believe she was possessed) when the event discovered, that her Fits were only the Fits of the Mother. I myself (and some others in this place) have seen those Fits allayed by the Fume of Tobacco blown into her Mouth, to the shame and apparent detection of that Artifice. I might mention the Legerdemain of Antonius of Padua, who made his Horse adore the Host, for the conversion of an Heretic; the finding of the Images of St. Paul and St. Dominick in a Church at Venice with this Inscription for Paul, By this Man you may come to Christ; and this for Dominick, But by this Man you may do it easilier: and the Honor put upon Garnet, by his Image on Straw, found at his Execution, (in all probability) by him that made it and threw it down, or by his Confederate: but these are enough to show the honesty of these kind of Men.

Secondly, They have also a cunning of ascribing effects to wrong causes, and by that means they make those things Wonders that are none. Mahomet called his Fits of Falling-Sickness, Extasies or Trances. Austin tells us the Heathens were notable at this: the burning Lamp in the Temple of Venus, though only the work of Art, was interpreted to be a constant Miracle of that Deity. The Image which (in another Temple) hung in the Air, by ignorant Gazers was accounted a Wonder, when indeed the Loadstone in the Roof and Pavement (though unseen) was the cause of it. The Sydonians were confirmed in their constant annual Lamentations of Adoms, by a mock Miracle of the redness of the River Adonis, at one time of the year constantly, they take it to be Blood, when it is nothing else but the colouring of the Water by the dust of red Earth or Minium, which the Winds constantly at that time of the year from Mount Libanus do drive into the Water. Neither are the Papists out in this point; I will only instance in that observation of Dr. Jenison, to confirm the Doctrine and Practice of Invocation: they take the advantage of Sovereign Baths and Waters, and where they espy any Fountain good against the Stone, or other Diseases, presently there is the Statue or Image of some Saint or other erected by it, by whose Virtue the Cure and Miracle must seem to be done; or some Chapel is erected to this or that Saint, to whom Prayers before, and thanks after washing, must be offered.

Thirdly, Where the two former fail, Men that devote themselves to this kind of Service, imitate their Father the Devil, and fall to plain lying, and devised Fables. Idolatry was mainly underpropped by fabulous Stories; and no wonder, when they esteemed it a pious fraud, to nourish Piety towards the God's, in which case (as Polibius saith) though their Writers speak Monsters, and write childish, absurd, and impossible things, yet are they to be pardoned for their good intent. Among the Papists what less can be expected, when the same principle is entertained among them? Cano, and Ludovicus vives mentioned by him, (as also some few others) do exceedingly blame that blind Piety of coining Lyes for Religion, and feigning Histories for the credit of their opinions; but while they with great freedom and ingenuity do tax the Fables of their own Party, they do plainly acknowledge that they are too much guilty of feigning, insomuch that not only the Author of the Golden Legend is branded with the Characters of a Brazen Face, and a Leaden Heart, but also Gregory's Dialogues, and Bedes History are blamed by him, as containing Narrations of Miracles taken upon trust from the reports of the vulgar. And indeed the Wonders they talk of, are so strange, so unlikely, so ridiculous, and absurd some of them, that except a Man offer violence to his Reason, and willfully shut his Eyes against the clear evidences of Suspition, he cannot think they are anything else than Dreams and Fables, no better then Aesop's; you may meet with several Catalogues of them in Protestant Writers. As their St. Swithins making whole a Basket of broken Eggs by the sign of the Cross. Patricius his making the stolen Sheep to bleet in the Thiefs Belly after he had eaten it. Their St. Brigets Bacon which in great Charity she gave to an hungry Dog, was found again in her Kettle; Dionysius after he was beheaded carried his Head in his Hand three French Miles. St. Dunstan took the Devil by the Nose with his Tongues till he made him roar. Dominicus made him hold the Candle till he burnt his Fingers. St. Lupus imprisoned the Devil in a Pot all Night. A Chapel of the Virgin Mary was translated from Palestine to Loretto. A consecrated Host (being put into a Hive of Bees to cure them of the Murren) was so devoutly entertained, that the Bees built a Chapel in the Hive, with Doors, Windows, Steeple and Bells, erected an Altar, and laid the Host upon it, sung their canonical Houres, and kept their Watches by Night as Monks used to do in their Cloisters, &c. Who would ever imagine that Men of any seriousness could satisfy themselves with such childish Fopperies? these are the usual ways by which Men of design have raised the noise of Miracles.

The other part of Satan's cunning relates to himself and his own actions: when his Agents can go no further in the Trade of Miracle-making, he as a Spirit, doth often make use of his Power, Knowledge, and Agility, by which he can indeed do things incredible, and to be wondered at. 'It is nothing for him by his knowledge of affairs at a distance, of the private endeavors, or expressed resolves of Princes, to prognosticate future events: by his power over the bodies of Men, he can with the help of inclinations and advantages do much to bring a Man into a Trance, or take the opportunity of a Fit of an Apoplexy, and then like a cunning Juggler, pretend (by I know not what, nor whom) to raise a Man from death. He knows the secret Powers and Virtues of things, and by private applications of them may easily supply Spirits, remove obstructions, and so cure Lameness, Blindness, and many other Distempers, and then give the honor of the Cure to what Person or Occasion may best fit his design; so that either by the officious Lyes of his Vassals, or the exerting of his own Power on suitable Objects at fit times, he hath made a great noise of Signs and Wonders in the World. And this stratagem of his, hath ever been at hand to gain a repute to false doctrine. And the rather doth he insist upon this,

First, Because true Miracles are a Divine Testimony to Truth. As Nicodemus argued Joh. 3. 2. No Man could do these Miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. And there were solemn occasions wherein they were necessary; as when God gave public discoveries of his mind before the Scriptures were written; and also when he altered the Economy of the Old Testament, and settled that of the New. In these cases it was necessary that God should confirm his Word by Miracles. But now, though these ends of Miracles are ceased, though God hath so settled and fixed the rule of our Obedience and Worship, that no other Gospel or Rule is to be expected, and consequently no need of new Miracles, where the certain account of the Old Miracles are sufficient attestations of old and unalterable Truths; nay though God have expressly told us, Deut. 13. 1. that no Miracle (though it should come to pass, and could not be discovered to be a Lye) should prevail with us to forsake the established truths and ways of Scripture, or to entertain anything contrary to it; yet doth Satan exercise herein a proud imitation of the Supreme Majesty, and withal doth so dazzle the minds of the weaker sort of Men, (who are more apt to consider the Wonder, than to suspect the Design) that (without due heed given to the cautions which God hath laid before us in that particular) they are ready to interpret them to be God's witness to this or that Doctrine to which they seem to be appendant.

Secondly, Because Satan hath a more than ordinary advantage to feign Miracles, he doth more industriously set himself to pretend them, and to urge them, for the accomplishment of his ends. 'It is an easy work to prevail with Men that are wholly devoted to their own Interest under the Mask of Religion, to say and do anything that may further their design; and the business of Miracles is so imitable by Art, through the ignorance and heedlessness of Men, that with a small labor Satan can do it at pleasure. The secret Powers of Nature (such as that of the Loadstone) by a dexterous application brought into act, in a fitly contrived Subject, will seem Miraculous to those that see not the secret springs of those actions. There have been artificial contrivances of Motions, which had they been disguised under a religious form, and directed to such an end, might have passed for greater Miracles than many which we have mentioned. Such was the Dove of Architas which did fly in the Air, as if it had been a living Creature. Such was the Fly of Regiomontanus, and the Eagle presented to the Emperor Maximilan, which in the compass of their little Bodies, contained so many Springs and Wheels as were sufficient to give them Motion, and to direct their courses as if they had been animated. Albertus Magnus his Artificial Man, and the Silver Gally, and Tritons made by a Goldsmith at Paris, were rare pieces of Art, their Motions so certain and steady, that they seemed to have Life and Understanding. If Art can do all this, how much more may we suppose can Satan do? how easily can he make Apparitions, present strange Sights to the Eye, and Voices to the Ear? and by putting out his Power do a thousand things astonishing and wonderful?

Eighthly, Sometime Satan pleads for Error, from the ease, peace, or other advantages which Men pretend they have received, since they engaged in such a way, or received such a persuasion. This is an Argument from the effect, and frequently used to confirm the Minds of Men in their Opinions. Hence they satisfy themselves with these reasonings: I was before always under fears and uncertainties, I never was at peace or rest in my Mind, I tried several courses, followed several Parties, but I never had satisfaction or comfort till now, and by this I know that I am in a right way. Others argue after the same manner from their abundance and outward prosperity: I met with nothing but crosses and losses before, but now God hath blessed me with an increase of Substance, prospered my Trade and Undertakings, &c. These, though apparently weak and deceitful Grounds, are reputed strong and conclusive, to those that are first resolved upon an Error. For Men are so willing to justify themselves in what they have undertaken, that they greedily catch at anything that hath the least appearance of probability to answer their ends.

This plea of satisfaction is commonly from one of these two things.

First, From inward Peace, and contentment of Mind. Satan knows that Peace is the thing to which a Man sacrificeth all his labors and travel; this he seeks, (though often in a wrong way, and by wrong means:) he knows also that true Peace is only the Daughter of Truth, (the ways whereof are pleasantness, and the Paths whereof are Peace;) neither is he ignorant of the delights which a Man hath, by enjoying himself in the sweet repose of a contented Mind, that he may charm the Hearts of the erroneous into a confidence and assurance that they have taken a right course, he doth all he can to further a false peace in them, and to this purpose he commonly useth this method:

First, He doth all he can to unsettle them from the Foundation of Truth upon which they were bottomed; he labors to render things suspicious, doubtful or uncertain: this some have noted from 2 Thes. chap. 2. ver. 2. where Satan's first attempts are to shake their Minds, not only by disquiet, (of which we are next to speak) but by alteration of their judgment, (for Mind is sometimes taken for Sentence, Opinion, Judgment, as 1 Cor. 2. 16. we have the Mind of Christ, and 1 Cor. 1. 10. in the same Mind, and in the same Judgment.

Secondly, His second approach is to raise a storm of restless disquiet upon that uncertainty; and in order to his intended design he usually fills them with the utmost anxiety of Mind, and makes their Thoughts (like a tempestuous Sea) dash one against another. This piece of his Art is noted in the forecited place, that ye be not shaken in mind or troubled; the word signifies a great perplexity. And this is an usual method which the false Teachers among the Galatians practiced, they first troubled them, and then endeavored by the advantage of that trouble to pervert the Gospel of Christ. To effect both these, he doth amuse them with all the objections that can be raised. If he can say anything of the Antiquity of the Error, the Number, Wisdom, Learning or Authority of those that embrace it, they are sure to hear of these things to the full; the danger of continuing as they were, and the happiness of the new Doctrine, are represented with all aggravating circumstances; and these so often, that their thoughts have no rest: and if this restlessness does wound or weaken them, he pursues with an high hand. These ways of disturbing the unsettled mind, are hinted to us in the aforesaid place, Spirit, Word, Letter, any thing that carries a seeming Authority to unsettle, or power to amaze and distress. And we may here further note, that where the minds of Men are discomposed with other fears or disquiets, Satan is ready to improve them to this use, so that commonly when the Word of God begins to work at first upon the consciences of Men, to awaken them to the consideration of their Sin and Danger, the Adversary is then very busy with them to inveigle them into some Error or other.

Thirdly, Having thoroughly prepared the mind with restless fears, he then advanceth forward with the proffers of peace and comfort in the way of Error which he proposeth; and in this case Error will boast much, Come to me, and ye shall find rest for your souls. How grateful and welcome the confident proffers of ease and satisfaction are to a tossed and disquieted mind any Man will easily imagine? 'It is usually thus, Men that are tired out, will easily embrace any thing for ease. A Man in this case may be wrought upon like Wax to receive any Impression; he will fasten on anything true or false that doth but promise comfort.

Fourthly, The compleatment of his method is to please the Man in the fruition of the peace promised: and this he labors to do, not only to fix the Man in his delusion, but to make that Man brag of ease to be a snare to others. And 'tis easy for the Devil to do this: for, First, The novelty of a new Opinion doth naturally please, especially if it give any seeming commendation for discovery or singularity. We see Men are fond of their own Inventions, and delighted to be lifted up above others. Secondly, Satan can easily allay the storm which he himself raised: he gives over to molest with anxious thoughts, on the contrary he suggests thoughts of satisfaction. Thirdly, And whatever he can do in a natural way to raise up our passions of joy and delight, he will be sure to do it now, to ravishment and excess if he can; and then he not only makes these Men sure, (for what argument can stand before such a confidence?) but hath an active instrument for the allurement of such as cannot discover these methods.

Secondly, Outward prosperity is the other common plea for Error. Though successes, plenty and abundance of worldly comforts, argue of themselves neither love nor hatred, truth nor falsehood, because the wise Providence of God, for holy ends and reasons (often undiscerned by us) permits often the Tabernacles of Robbers to prosper, and permits those that deal treacherously with the Truths of God, to be planted, to take root, to grow, yea, to bring forth Fruit; nevertheless if in a way of Error they meet with outward Blessings, they are apt to a scribe all to their Errors, and to say as Israel, Hos. 2. 5. I will go after my Lovers that gave me my Bread and my Water, my Wool and my Flax, mine Oil and my Drink, without any serious consideration of God's common Bounty, which upon far other accounts, gives them Corn, and Wine, and Oil, and multiplies their Silver and Gold, which they prepared for Baal, ver. 8. I shall not need to add anything further for the proof and explanation of this, than what we have in Jer. 44. 17. where the Jews expressly advance their Idolatrous Worship as the right way, and confirm themselves even to obstinacy in the pursuit of it, upon this reason; We will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth out of our own Mouth, to burn Incense to the Queen of Heaven—for then had we plenty of Victuals, and were well, and saw no evil: but since we left off to burn Incense to the Queen of Heaven, and to pour out our drink-offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the Sword, and by the Famine.

Ninthly, Instead of better arguments, Satan usually makes Lyes his refuge: and these respect either the Truth which he would cry down, or the Error which he would set up.

Those Lyes that are managed against Truth, are of two sorts; mistakes and misrepresentations of its Doctrines, or Calumnies against the Persons and Actions of those that take part with it.

Those Lyes that are proper to bespatter a Truth withal, are such as tend to render it unlovely, inconvenient, or dangerous. Satan hath never been awanting to raise up mists and fogs to eclipse the shining beauty of Truth. Sometime he persuades Men that it is a novelty, and contrary to the tradition of the Fathers: and then if an Error had been once upon the stage before, and had again been hissed out of the World, when it peeps out again into the World, its former impudency is made an argument for its antiquity, and Truth is decried as novel. Or, if it be but an Error of yesterday, and hath only obtained an Age or two, then the Ghosts of our forefathers are conjured up as witnesses, and the plea runs currant, What is become of your Fathers? or, are you wiser than your Fathers? are they all Damned? These were insisted on by the Heathens: the God's of the Country, and the Worship of their Fathers, they thought should not be forsaken for Christianity, which they judged was but a novelty in comparison of Paganism. Of the same extract is that old song of the Papists, Where was your Religion before Luther? And to this purpose they talk of the succession of their Bishops and Popes. And other Errors grow a little pert and confident, if they can but find a pattern or sample for themselves among the old Heresies. Sometimes he endeavors to bring Truth into suspicion, by rendering it a dangerous encroachment upon the rights and privileges of Men, as if it would turn all upside down, and introduce Factions and Confusions. This clamour was raised against the Gospel, that it would subvert the Doctrine of Moses and the Law. Sometimes he clothes the opinions of Truth with an ugly dress, and misrepresents it to the World, as guilty of strange inferences and absurdities, which only arise from a wrong stating of the questions: and where it doth really differ from Error, he endeavors to widen the differences to an inconvenient distance, so that if it go a Mile from Error, Satan will have it to go two; if Truth teach Justification by Faith, Error represents it as denying all care of Holiness and good Works; if Truth say, bare moral Virtues are not sufficient without Grace, Error presently accuseth it, as denying any necessary use of Morality, or affirming that moral Virtues are obstructions and hindrances to Salvation. It were easy to note abundance of such Instances.

As for calumnies against the Persons and Actions of those that are Assertors of Truth, 'tis well known for an old thread-bare design, by which Satan hath gained not a little. Machiavil borrowed the policy from him, and formed it into a Maxim, for he found by experience that where strong Slanders had set in their Teeth, though never so unjustly, the Wounds were never thoroughly healed: for some that heard the report of the Slander, never heard the Vindication, and those that did, were not always so unprejudiced as to free themselves from all suspicion, but still something remained usually upon their Spirits forever after; and that, like a secret venom, poisons all that could be said or done by the Persons, that (wrongfully) fell under their prejudice, and did not a little derogate from the authority and power of the Truths which they delivered.

The Friends of Truth have always to their cost found it so. Christ himself escaped not the lies and censures of Men when he did the greatest Miracles; they raised this calumny against him, That he cast out Devils by Beelzebub the Prince of Devils: when he shown the most compassionate condescensions, they called him a Man gluttonous, a Wine-bibber, a friend of Publicans and Sinners; and at last upon a misinterpretation of his speeches, (I will destroy this Temple, and in three days I will build it up, Mat. 26. 61.) they arraigned and condemned him for Blasphemy: and his Servants have (according to what he foretold) drunk of the same Cup; the more eminent in service, the greater draught. Paul, a chosen vessel, met with much of this unjust dealing; he was accused Act. 21. 28. as speaking against the People, the Law, and the Temple; and, Chap. 24. 5. called a pestilent Fellow, a mover of Sedition, a profaner of the Temple. Neither can we wonder at this, that the greatest Innocency, or highest degree of Holiness, is no Armor of proof against the sharp Arrows of a lying Tongue: When we read this as one of Satan's great Characters, that he is the Accuser of the Brethren, and that his Agents are so perfectly instructed in this Art, that they are also branded with the same mark of false Accusers, Jude 10. 'It is well known how the Primitive Christians were used, they were accounted the filth and off-scouring of all things; there could be nothing that could render them odious or ridiculous but they were aspersed with it, as that they sacrificed Infants, worshipped the Sun, and used promiscuous Uncleanness; nay, what ever Plague or disaster befell their Neighbors, they were sure to carry the blame. And we might trace this Stragem down to our own days. Luther in his time was the common Butt for all the poisoned Arrows of the Papists calumny; which so exceeded all bounds of Sobriety and Prudence, that they devised a Romance of his Death, how he was choked of the Devil; that before he died, he desired his Corps might be carried into the Church, and adored with divine Worship; and that after his Death the excessive stench of his Carcase forced all his Friends to forsake him. All this and more to this purpose they published while he was alive, whose Slanders (worthy only of laughter) he refuted by his own Pen. The like fury they expressed against Calvin, by their Bolsecus, whom they set on work to fill a Book with impudent lies against him: Neither did Beza, Junius, or any other of note escape without some slander or other. How unjustly the Arians of old accused Athanasius of Uncleanness, and of bereaving Arsenius of his Arm, is sufficiently known in History.

But the Devils malice doth not always run in the dirty channel of odious Calumnies, he hath sometimes a more cleanly conveyance for his Lyes against holy Men. In prosecution of the same design, 'tis a fair color for Error, if he can abuse the name and credit of renowned Champions of Truth, by fathering an Error upon them which they never owned. By this means he doth not only grace a false Doctrine with the authority of an eminent Person, whose estimation might be a snare to some well-meaning Persons, but weakens the Truth, by bringing a faithful Assertor of it into suspicion of holding (at least in some points) dangerous Opinions; by which many are affrighted from entertaining anything that they write or preach: For, though they may be confessedly sound in the most weighty Doctrines, yet if it be once buzz'd abroad that they are in anything unsound, this dead Fly spoils all the precious Ointment: and the matter were yet the less, if there were any just cause for such a prejudice; but such is Satan's Art, that if a Man explains the same Truth but in different words and forms of speech, than those that others have been used unto; or if he casts it into a more convenient Mould, that (by laying aside doubtful or flexible expressions) it may be more safely guarded from the exceptions of the Adversaries, especially if he carefully choose his path betwixt the extremes on either hand; this is enough for Satan to catch at, and presently he bestows upon him the names of the very Errors which he most strenuously opposeth; nay, sometimes if he mention anything above the reach or acquaintance of those that hear him, 'tis well if he escapes the charge of Heresy, and that he meets not with the lot of Virgilius Bishop of Saltzbury, who was judged no less than heretical, for venting his opinion concerning the Antipodes. I know Men do such things in their zeal, but while they do so, they are concerned to consider how Satan doth abuse their good meaning to the disservice of Truth.

As Satan's design in bespattering the Actions and Doctrines of good Men, is to bring the Truth they profess into a suspicion of falsehood, and to advance the contrary Errors to the place and credit of Truth; so doth he use a skill proportionable to his design. And though he be so impudent that he will not blush at the contrivance of the most gross and malicious lie, yet withal he is so cunning, that he studiously endeavors some probable rise for his slanders, and commonly he takes this course:

First, He doth all he can to corrupt the Professors of Truth; if Riches or Honors will tempt them to be Proud, High-minded, Contentions, or Extravagant, he plies them with these Weapons; if the pleasures of the Flesh and World be more likely to besot them, or to make them sensual, earthly or loose, he incessantly lays those Baits before them; if Fears and Persecutions can affright them out of duty; if Injuries and Provocations may prejudice them into a forward or wayward temper, he will certainly urge them by such occasions, and when he hath prevailed in any measure, he is sure to aggravate every circumstance to its utmost height, and upon that advantage to make additions of a great many things beyond what they can be justly accused of. This old device Paul, in Rom. 2. 24. takes notice of concerning the Jews, whose breach of the Law so dishonored God, that the Name of God was blasphemed among the Gentiles through them. The Jews lived wickedly, and their wicked lives was a currant argument among the Gentiles to confirm them in Paganism; for they judged the Law of God could not approve itself to be better than their own, when the Professors of it were so naught. To prevent this mischief, we are seriously warned to be carefully strict in all our stations, that the Name of God and his Doctrine be not blasphemed.

Secondly, Whatever miscarriages any Professor of Truth is guilty of, Satan takes care that it be presently charged upon all the Profession. If any one offend, it is matter of public blame; much more if any Company or Party shall run into extravagancies, or do actions strange and unjustifyable, those that agree with them in the general name of their Profession (though they differ as far from their wild Opinions and Practices as their enemies do) shall still be upbraided with their Follies. We see this practiced daily by differing Parties, according to what was foretold, in 2 Pet. 2. 2. False Prophets seduce a great number of Christians to follow their pernicious ways, and by reason of their wild ungodly behavior, the whole way of Truth was evil spoken of.

Thirdly, The least slip or infirmity of the Children of Truth the Devil is ready to bring upon the Stage; and they that will not charge themselves as offenders for very great evils, will yet object to the disparagement of Truth the smallest mistakes of others; a mote in the eye of the lovers of Truth shall be espied, when a beam in the eye of falsehood shall pass for nothing.

Fourthly, Slanderous Aspersions are sometimes raised from a simple mistake of Actions, and their grounds or manner of performance, and sometimes from a malicious Misrepresentation. The Devil seldom acts from a simple mistake, but he will either suborn the passionate Opposers to a willful perverting of the true management of things, or will by a false account of things take the advantage of their prejudice, to make Men believe that such things have been said or done, which indeed never were. The Christians in the Primitive times were reported to be bloody Men, and that they did kill Men in Sacrifice, and did eat their Flesh and drink their Blood; and this was only occasioned by their Doctrine and use of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. They were accused for promiscuous uncleanness with one another, and this only because they taught that there was no distinction of Male and Female in respect of Justification, and that they were all Brethren and Sisters in Christ. This account Tertullian gives of the Calumnies of those times, and others have noted the like occasions of other abuses of them. They were reported to worship the Sun, because they in times of persecution were forced to meet early in the Fields, and were often seen undispersed at Sunrising. They were reported to worship Bacchus and Ceres, because of the Elements of Bread and Wine in the Lord's Supper. If they met in private places, and in the night, it was enough to occasion surmises of Conspiracy and Rebellion: so ready is Satan to take occasion where none is given.

Fifthly, But if none of these are at hand, then a downright Lye must do the turn, according to that of Jer. 18. 18. Come and let us devise devices against Jeremiah: and when once the lie is coined, Satan hath officious Instruments to spread it; Jer. 20. 10. Report, say they, and we will report it.

These were the Lyes raised against Truth; but besides this endeavor, he useth the same Art of lying to inhance the credit of Error. Lying Inspirations, Lying Signs and Wonders we have spoken of, I shall only mention another sort of Lying, which is that of Forgery, an Art which Error hath commonly made use of. Sometimes Books and Writings erroneous have been made to carry the names of Men that never knew or saw them. The Apostles themselves escaped not these abuses; you read of the counterfeit Gospels of Thomas and Bartholomew, the Acts of Peter and Andrew, the Apostolical Constitutions, and a great many more. Later Writers have by the like hard usage been forced to father the Brats of other Men's Brians. I might be large in these, but they that please may see more of this in Authors, that have of purpose discovered the frauds of spurious, suppositious Books; the design is obvious; Error would by this means adorn itself with the excellent names of Men of renown, that so it might pass for good Doctrine with the unwary.

CHAP. IV. Of Satan's second way of improving his Advantages, which is by working upon the Understanding indirectly by the Affections. This he doth (1.) By a silent insensible introduction of Error. His method herein. (2.) By entangling the Affections with the external garb of Error, a gorgeous dress, or affected plainness. (3.) By fabulous imitations of Truth. The design thereof. (4.) By accommodating Truth to a compliance with Parties that differ from it. Various instances hereof. (5.) By driving to a contrary extreme. (6.) By bribing the Affections with Rewards, or forcing them by Fears. (7.) By engaging Pride and Anger. (8.) By adorning Error with the Ornaments of Truth.

THe usual Arguments by which Satan doth directly blind the Understanding to a persuasion to accept Darkness for Light, we have now considered. It remains that some account be given of the second way of prevailing upon the Understanding, and that is by swaying it through the power and prevalency of the Affections. In order to this he hath many Devices, the principal whereof are these:

First, By silent and insensible procedure he labors to introduce Errors; and lest Men should startle at a sudden and full presentment of the whole, he thinks it policy to insinuate into the Affections, by offering it in parcels. Thus he prevents wonderment and surprisal, (lest Men should boggle and turn away,) and doth by degrees familiarize them to that, which at first would have been rejected with abhorrency. We read in the Parable of the Tares, that the envious Man which sowed them (who was Satan) took his opportunity while Men slept, and then went away in the dark; insomuch that the discovery was not made at the sowing, but at their coming up. In pursuance of this policy, we find the principal Instruments of Satan have followed the footsteps of their Master; they creep in unawares, Jude 4. they privily bring in damnable Heresies, 2 Pet. 2. 1. and as if they were guilty of some modest shamefastness, they creep into houses, 2 Tim. 3. 6. The steps by which the Devil creeps into the bosoms of Men to plant Error in the Heart, are these:

First, He endeavors to gain the Heart by the ingenious sweet and delightful society of those that are corrupted already. Error hath a peculiar Art to woo the good-will before it disclose itself; it first steals the Ear and Affections to the Person, and thence insensibly derives it to the Opinion. Truth is Masculine, and persuades by teaching, but Error doth often teach by persuading. 'It is very difficult to affect the Person, and not to bestow upon the Error better thoughts than it deserves. Those therefore that are cunning in the Art of Seduction, make extraordinary pretences of affectionate kindness, and (as the Apostle noted concerning the Seducers of his time, Gal. 4. 17.) they zealously affect (those whom they would delude) but not well: Their Art doth also teach them not to be over-hasty in propounding their Opinions, nor so much as to touch upon them till they perceive they have gained a firm persuasion of their aimity, and of the reality of those kindnesses which they have made show of: but when they have once gained this point of advantage, they take opportunity more freely to propound and press their Doctrines. Thus are Men at last beguiled with enticing words.

'It is also part of the same Design, that Satan sometimes makes use of Women Seducers: For, (1.) They are more apt to be deluded themselves; silly Women are soon led captive. (2.) Being deceived, they are most earnestly forward in the heat of zeal to propagate their Opinions. (3.) And by the advantage of their Nature they are most engaging, their affectionate Perswasions usually have a peculiar prevalency. The daughters of Moab (through Balaam 's counsel) were made choice of, as the fittest Instruments to seduce Israel to Idolatry. Solomon, though a wise Man, was prevailed with by the importunity of his Wives, against his former practice and knowledge, to favor false Worship. The Woman Jezebel, Rev. 2. 20. was Satan's under-Agent, to teach and seduce God's Servants to commit Fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to Idols. (4.) Besides, they have a greater influence upon their Children, to leaven them with their own Opinions.

Secondly, Satan also observes a gradual motion in fixing any particular Error. If he attempt it immediately without an external Agent, he first puts Men upon the reading or consideration of some dark Passages that seem to look favourably upon his design; then he starts the Notion or Objection; then begets a scruple or questioning: Having once proceeded thus far, he follows his Design with probable Reasons, till he have formed it into an Opinion: When 'tis come to this, a little more begets a persuasion, that persuasion he ripens into a resoluteness and obstinacy, and then at last fires it with zeal for the deluding of others. Having thus laid the foundation by one Error, he next endeavors to multiply it, and then brings in the Inferences that unavoidably follow: for as one Wedg makes way for another, so from one Falsehood, another will easily force itself, and from two or three, who knows how many? And though the consequences are usually more absurd than the principles, yet are they with a small labor brought into favor, where the principles are first confidently believed; so that those Errors, which because of their ugly look, Satan durst not at first propound, lest he should scare Men off from their reception, he can now with an undaunted boldness recommend. It cannot be imagined that ever Men would at first have entertained Opinions of contempt of Ordinances and Libertinism, and therefore we may observe they usually come in the rear of other Opinions, which by a long tract of Art prepare their way.

Yet may we note, that though Satan usually is forced to wait the leisure of some Men's timerousness and bashfulness, and therefore cannot ripen Error to an hasty birth as he desires, (hence is it, that one Man often doth no more for his time, but only brew it, or it may be makes only the rude draught of it, and another vents and adorns it: for so it was betwixt Laelius and Faustus Socinus, betwixt David George and his Successors:) And though he be so confined to the first principles of Error, which he hath instilled, that he cannot at present enlarge them beyond their own just consequences; yet there are some choice principles of his, which if he can but fasten upon the Mind, they presently open the gap to all kind of Errors imaginable; they are like the firing a Train of Gunpowder, which in a Moment blows up the whole Fabric of Truth: such are the delusions of Enthusiasm, Inspirations and Prophetick Raptures; let these be once fixed, and then there is nothing so Inhumane, Irreligious, Mad, or Ridiculous, but Satan can with ease persuade Men to it, and also under the highest pretences of Religion and Certainty; the experience of all Ages, hath made any further proof of this altogether needless.

This is his way when he acts alone. But if he use Instruments, though he is also gradual in his procedure, yet 'tis in a different method: for there he sometimes proceeds from the abuse of something innocent and lawful (by the help of a long tract of time) to introduce the grossest Falsehood. Thus may we conceive he brought Idolatry to its height: first Men admired the wisdom or famous acts of their Progenitors, or Benefactors; next, they erected Pillars, or Images of such Persons, to perpetuate the Names, Honor and Memory of them and their Actions. Another Age being at a greater distance from the things done, and consequently greater Strangers to the true ends and reasons of such practices, which being (as it usually falls out in such cases) abused by false reports or misrepresentations of things, (for Time covers things of this nature with so thick a Mist, that 'tis difficult to discover the true Metal of an original Constitution) they in a devout ignorance gave the Images a greater respect than was at first intended; then did they slide into a conceit they were not of the ordinary rank of Mortals, or at least they were exalted to a condition which ordinary Mortals were not capable of; thus they supposed them Deities, and gave them worship of Prayers and Sacrifices: hence they went further, and multiplied God's, and that of several sorts, according to the natures of things that were good or hurtful to them; and then at last consulting how mean their offerings were, and how unlikely to please their Godships, they concluded Human sacrifices most suitable, especially to expiate greater provocations, and in times of great calamity.

The burdensome heap of ceremonious Superstitions in Popery was the work of several Ages, they were not brought in all at once. One in a devotional heat fancied such a Ceremony as a fit testimony of Zeal, or a proper incitement of his Affections; Another deviseth a second, and so all along; as the minds of Men were best pleased with their own inventions, and had so much credit or authority to recommend them to others, they increased the sum by new additions, till at last they are become a burden not to be born; and still as they receeded from the primitive purity, and became more careless and corrupt in their lives, (for from good Bishops they declined to but tolerable Arch-Bishops, till at last they are become incurable Babylonians,) so they departed gradually from the simplicity of the Gospel, and abounded in contrivances of Ceremonies.

Thirdly, In corrupting established Truths. Satan's proceedings are not by sudden and observable leaps, but by lingering and slow motions; as Flowers and Plants grow insensibly, and as Men gradually wax old and feeble. Violent and hasty alterations he knows would beget Observation, Dislike, and Opposition; neither will he make such attempts, but where he is sure of a strong prevalent Party, which by force and power is able to carry all before it: In this case he is willing to enforce Error by Fire and Sword. Thus he propagated Mahumetism at first, and still continueth to do so by the conquering Arms of the Turks; but where he hath not this advantage, he betakes himself to another course, and studieth to do his work so that he may not be observed. The possibility of such a change, with the manner of effecting it, we may observe in many Churches, that have declined from the Doctrine which they at first received, but most of all in the Church at Rome, which at first was a pure Church, as the Apostle testifieth, but now so changed from the Truths upon which they were bottomed in their first Constitution, as if she had not been the same Church. They boast indeed that as they were at first, so they are now; but nothing is more evident than the contrary: and the possibility of their insensible corruption is as demonstrable as the alteration of Doctrine in any other Church. The manifold ways that Satan takes in this matter in the abuse of Scripture, by raising perverse Interpretations, and unnatural Inferences, and the advantages of a long succession in Authority; of the negligence and ignorance of the common People; of the crafty subtlety of the Teachers, especially when Religion began to be abused to secular Interest, is described by Acontius and others. If we should single out any of their noted Errors, and follow up the History of it to its first original, we shall find, that whatever strong current it hath now gotten, it was very small and inconsiderable in the Fountain. The Invocation of Saints, though it be now an established Article among them, yet its first rise was from the unwary Prosopopoea's of of the Ancients, and the liberty of their Oratorical declamatory style; these gave occasion to some private Opinions, these Opinions to some private devotional liberty in Practice, and from private Opinions and Practices, at last it obtained so strong a Party, that it procured a public Injunction. The like method was used for the Doctrine of Transubstantiation, whose beginning was from the abuse of such Sentences as this in ancient Writers, That after Consecration it was no more Bread and Wine, but the Body and Blood of Christ; by which expression the Authors intended no more than this, that the Bread and Wine in the Sacrament were relatively altered, and were more than ordinary Bread and Wine, because they were representatives of the Body and Blood of Christ: however, this gave them courage to interprect literally and strictly these words of Christ, This is my Body: and thus by degrees from the Opinion of a few it became the judgment of many, and from the toleration of a private Opinion of some Doctors and unimposed, it obtained at last a Canon to make it Authentic, Public Doctrine.

Fourthly, This insensible proceeding is in nothing more evident than in the power of Custom and Education; Custom doth by degrees take off the startling of Conscience: and those Opinions or Practices which at first look affright it, are by a little familiarity made more smooth and tolerable. The dissents of Men by frequent seeing and hearing, become tame and gentle; but the force of Education is incomparably great, for this makes an Error to become as it were natural; they suck it in with their Milk, and draw it in with their Air. This general advantage the Devil hath over all the Children of erroneous Parents, especially where Countries or Nations are of the same Perswasion; insomuch that Turks have as great belief of their Alcoran as we of the Bible, and think as reverently of Mahomet as Christians do of Christ. The Children of Idolatrous Pagans have as great a confidence of the truth of their way of Heathenish Worship, as we have of God's Ordinances and Institutions.

Fifthly, We may see something of this Stratagem of silent intanglement in Satan's Surprisals; for sometimes he inveagles Men at unawares, and engageth them in Error while they know not what they are doing. Weak heads cannot see the far end of a smooth-faced Doctrine; and they usually embrace it by whole-sale, for some particular that strikes upon their fancy, or gratifies their humor. If they read a Book that hath some good things in it, or is affectionate, for the sake of these they swallow all the rest (though never so dangerous Doctrine) without further examination. The like advantage he hath from Actions that are bad or tolerable, according to the various respects which they have to the ends or consequences that lie before them, for he frequently doth interest Men in an erroneous consequence, by concerning them in actions that lead that way; and having thus beguiled them into an evil mistake, instead of drawing their Foot out of the Snare, he pusheth them forward to maintain their ground, and to justify their proceedings. This was the case of some of the Corinthians, when the Heathens had offered Sacrifice to an Idol, part of the Sacrifice was reserved, and either sold at the Shambles, or used in a Feast, to which the Heathens sometimes invited their Christian Acquaintance or Relations. Those that went, (knowing that an Idol was nothing) eat what was set before them, without any regard to the Idol, and making no question for Conscience sake: by their example, other that had not that knowledge, 1 Cor. 8. 7. were emboldened, not only to eat against their scruples and doubts of Conscience, (which is all that many Interpreters think to be intended in that place) but also (as the words make probable) with some positive regard to the Idol; so that by the examples of those that sat in the Idols Temple, eating what was set before them as common Meat, others misinterpreting their Actions, proceeded to eat with a Conscience of the Idol, as if the Idol had been something indeed, and deserving a conscientious regard. Not unlike to this was that Art of Julian, mentioned by Sozomen, whereby he endeavored to twist something of Paganism with Actions and things that were lawful or necessary: He caused the Images of Mars and Mercury to be placed by his own, so that the respects that were paid to the Emperors Picture, seemed to carry a concomitancy of reverence to those Idols: He also (in prosecution of the same policy) caused their Meats and Drinks to be sprinkled or mixed with the lustral Water, that so everyone that used them, might be inured to give some regard to his Idols; and that some, at least, might be engaged to a justification of that and such other practices.

All these are but Instances of Satan's silent insinuation, by which he secretly steals the Affections, and through these, taints the Judgment. Next follows,

A second Plot upon the Affections, which is an endeavor to entangle them by the external garb of Error. In this he works by two contrary extremes, that he may the better prevail with Men's different dispositions.

First, He sometimes clothes a false Doctrine with the most pompous, gorgeous, delightful Attire, that like Solomon's Harlot it may entice those that are pleased with the highest gratifications of the senses, I have decked my Bed with Coverings of Tapestry, with fine Linnen of Egypt, &c. Most Men that are given up to an Animal life, cannot be pleased with any Religion but such as may most please the senses; they so disrelish the simplicity of the Gospel (which is, notwithstanding, its particular mark and honor, 2 Cor. 11. 3.) that they cannot persuade themselves they do anything in religious Worship, except they abound in costly ceremonious observances. Thus do some interpret that fear of the Heathens, which first put them upon Images and outward representations of their God's; they were afraid they should not have any Religion to their own satisfaction, except they proceeded in such a course as might make their senses sure that they were doing something: the Devil knowing well the force of external beauties in Religion, prepared the way to Idolatry by it. They had their costly Temples, some of them admirable for Antiquity and Magnificence, enriched with Gifts and Offerings, excellent for Matter and Workmanship, adorned with Images, Lamps, Beds, and Tables of Gold, beautified by Art, and natural pleasantness of Situation; they had also their Groves in the most pleasant and delightful Places, as that of the Daphne besides Antiochia, which was environed with tall Cypress Trees, ten Miles about, and within adorned with the sumptuous Temples of Apollo and Diana 's Sanctuary; in these places they had their Music and solemn Festivals, which were sometimes extraordinary, for cost and continuance. Antiochus at Daphne continued an incredible solemnity, with a vast train and costly preparation for thirty days together; and that nothing might be wanting, they had their Annual Feasts, Sacrifices, Rites, the Adornments of their Priests, their white Garments, their Coats of divers Colours, their Miters, &c. in a word, nothing was lacking that might please the Eye or Ear. And doubtless the Devil found this course very successful to win the Affections of Men to Gentilism. And if it were not for this consideration, it might be admired that the Jews (who were instructed in the true Worship of God) should, notwithstanding, be so prone to Idolatry, and so hardly drawn from it: but, surely their strong inclinations that way proceeded from a natural delight that Men have in a sensual Religion, which by a powerful Witchcraft doth inchant them to an excess of love. The same method the Devil takes in Popery, the chief enticement lies in its glorious external appearance; all their religious places are dressed up in the highest bravery, they are beautified with Images and Pictures, with Lights and costly Adornments; they abound in Rites, Ceremonies, Gestures, and Observances, and all this is but to dazzle the Eyes, and to win a reverence in Men to their Worship; and accordingly, they practice in these exterior things on purpose to ravish Men's Affections; their Children are brought up to a confirmed delight and resolution for Popery, by pleasing them with Shows, Pictures, Representations, Processions, and grateful Observances. If a Stranger of another Religion come among them, then as their first essay, they show them all their Play-things, that their Affections may be tickled with the outward pomp and ornament of their way, for they know by experience, that a glitering outside, and a great deal ado of bodily labor, is the All of most Men's Religion; if it have but Body enough, they never inquire whether it have Spirit or Life within: a dead Carcass in Robes, that may put them to the exercise of their Postures, and ceremonious Complements, doth make up a more grateful Religion for a carnal Man, than a living, spiritual Service, that necessarily will put them upon inward care and watchfulness in the constant exercise of holy Spiritual Graces, without affording any considerable gratification to the Senses: Hence is it truly more difficult, (and yet inwardly more beautiful and glorious) to pray in Faith and Humility, even in short breathings after God, than to say a thousand Ave Maria's, or to perform a task of ordinary Penance. But as those that have no Children of their own, delight themselves in playing with a Monkey or Baboon, so those that know not how to worship God in Spirit and Truth, seek to satisfy themselves in the performance of external Gesture and Ceremony.

Secondly, On the other hand; he sometimes is willing that an Error should affect an excess of plainness and simplicity. In this he takes advantage of those expressions in Scripture, wherein the Gospel is commended for its simplicity, and the inventions of Men under the pretences of Wisdom, Humility, and neglecting of the Body are condemned. Upon this ground, he runs Men upon such an excess of dotage, that they never think the things of God are rightly managed but when they are brought down to a contemptible silliness. By this means he arms conceited ignorant Men with exceptions against Learning, and the necessary decencies of languague in Preaching; and with them they are the only Preachers, and most likely to be inspired that use least study and preparation for their work. 'It is indeed very true, that the affected fooleries of a bombast Style, or startcht Discourse, and needless citations of Sentences for ostentation, without any true advantage to the matter in hand, are things very pedantic, and exceedingly unsuitable to the gravity of the Work of the Ministry, and renders it very ungrateful to a pious Mind: but this contrary folly makes the solemn Ordinances of God so nauseous and contemptible, that it often makes way (by Satan's cunning improvement of the Temptation) to an Atheistical rejection of all Worship. In the mean time 'tis wonderful to observe, how some Persons please themselves with this conceit, that their way of Worship is plain, and that they speak what immediately comes into their Mind; and though it be Non-sense or Contradictions (which sufficiently evidenceth that 'tis nothing of kin to the Spirits Inspiration) which they utter, yet 'tis argument enough to them, that their opinions and ways are right, because they proceed in a designed neglect of all necessary order, and under pretence of the simplicity of the Gospel, they reduce all they do to childish silliness. Neither is this all the mischief which the Devil raiseth out of this conceit, for the contempt and disuse of the Sacraments, may in great part be ascribed to it. Those erroneous ways of Worship that are most noted for decrying those Institutions of Christ, have this for their Plea, that the Worship which God is best pleased with, is spiritual, and that all bodily services and external observations are things that God stands not upon, such as profit little, and were no further in use, but to recommend an internal spiritual communion with God; so that the more they reject these things, they persuade themselves they have a more true understanding of the design of God in Religion. Either of these ways Satan makes use of for the befooling of Men into an humor of pleasing themselves with Error. But,

Thirdly, He hath of old endeavored to cloud and enervate the Doctrine of the Bible by traditionary Fables. We meet with many passages to this purpose: sometimes he sets up unwritten Traditions, not only of equal authority to the written Word, but as completions and perfections of it. This he practiced among the Jews with such success, that the Traditions of the Elders were of greater force with them than the Commands of God, as Christ himself noted of them, Matth. 15. 13. Of these unwritten Traditions (which they called the Law by the word of Mouth, feigned by them to be given to Moses when he was in the Mount, and so delivered from hand to hand) the Apostles gave many warnings, and signified the hazards that Truth stood in by them, through the cunning of Satan, as Col. 2. 8. Beware lest any man spoil you—through the Traditions of Men. 1 Tim. 1. 4. Neither give heed to Fables, and endless Genealogies. Tit. 1. 14. Not giving heed to Jewish Fables, and Commandments of Men. —2 Tim. 4. 4. And they shall turn away their Ears from the Truth, and shall be turned unto Fables.

The Papists at this day give the same entertainment to this device that the Jews did of old, they boast as high of their Traditions, and are every whit as fabulous and foolish in them as they were. Satan in his attempts upon the Gentiles to confirm them in their false Worship, though he kept up the substance of this design, yet he was necessitated to alter the scene a little, that he might more handsomely accommodate it to their condition; and therefore he set up amongst them fabulous imitations of the Truths and Ordinances of the Scripture, insomuch that there is scarce any grand Mystery, or remarkable History, or Ordinance mentioned in the Scripture, but we may find something among the Heathens in Tradition or Practice that doth allude to it. What traditionary imitations had they of the Creation recorded in the Book of Genesis? That of Ovid concerning the Chaos and first beginning of things, is known to every School-Boy. The Phoenicians in their Theology give an odd account of it, from their Taautus, to this purpose, That the first beginnings of all things were a dark disordered Chaos, and the spirit of the dark Air; hence proceeded Moth, that is Mire, from thence issued the Seeds and Generation of all Creatures in Earth and Heaven, &c. The wickedness of Men before the Flood, (mentioned Gen. 6. 1, 2.) is fabulously related in an ancient Book, (falsely ascribed to Enoch) wherein the Watchmen or Angels are reported to take them Wives of the Daughters of Men, and that from thence was the race of Giants. For the description of Paradise, the Heathens had the Poetical Fiction of the Elyzian Fields, as they had the Story of Deucalion, instead of Noah's Ark and the Deluge. The Story of Lots Wife was abused by the Fiction of Orpheus his Wife, suddenly snatched from him for looking back. The History of Sampson was turned into their Story of Hercules and his ten labors. From the Sun standing still in Joshua and Hezekiah's time, came that Fiction of Jupiter's doubling the night, that he might enjoy Alemena. In some of these disguises of sacred Story, they go so near in name and circumstances that 'tis past doubt they imitated the true History, which they corrupted: for instance, Herodotus relates, that Sethon King of Egypt and Priest of Vulcan, was helped by his God from Heaven against Sennacherib, which plainly relates to Hezekiah King of Judah, and the wonders that God did for him. So in imitation of Uriah’s Letters to Joab for his own destruction, we have in Homer and others the Story of Praetus, sending Letters to Jobatas by Bellerophon, wherein his death was commanded; the near affinity of the names Joab and Jobatas, shows with what Heifer the Devil plowed. The History of Abraham 's offering up Isaac, is by Porphiry applied to Saturn, who saith, he was by the Phoenicians called Israel, he had by Anobreth one only Son, called Jeud (an evident allusion (saith Godwin, Antiq. lib. 4. cap. 3.) to Gen. 22. 2. where Isaac is in the Hebrew called Jechid, that is an only begotten) him he offered up on an Altar purposely prepared; here not only the matter, but the names do clearly show, that Abraham 's Story is imitated in this. The like imitation I might show to have been among the Heathen, of doctrinal Truths, as of the sacred Mystery of the Trinity. In Peru they worship the Father, Son, and Brother; as also their Tangatauga, which they say was one in three, and three in one. But their imitation of Ordinances is everywhere remarkable, so that I need say nothing of their Temples, Priests, Sacrifices, and other Religious Rites; only the Devil's imitation of the Sacraments of the New Testament deserves particular observation: Instances of an Apish imitation of Baptism are everywhere obvious, and that of the Lord's Supper or Christian Communion was frequently resembled in the chief Peruvian Feasts, where they carried small Loaves of Bread in great Platters of Gold, of which all present received, and eat little pieces, and this as a sign of honor and profession of obedience to their God's, and the Ingua. Not unlike to this were those morsels of Paste, which the Mexicans used in their Religious Feasts, which they laid at their Idols Feet, consecrating them by Singing and other Ceremonies, and then they called there the Flesh and Bones of their God Vitziliputzli, (alluding directly to that of our Savior, This is my Body, &c. insomuch that Acosta thought the Devil mocked their Transubstantiation by it;) this was distributed among all, and was eaten with a great deal of reverence, fear, and devotion.

We may see by those instances, that in these fabulous imaginations of Truth, the Devil hath industriously traded, and that which he aimed at in this design may easily be conjectured to be,

1. The despiting and discrediting of Truth; he renders it (by this means) suspicious of some Forgery, as if the Scripture were no better than an uncertain Tradition, as if (at the best) it were doubtful, whether Scripture or these traditionary Fables had better authority.

2. He further intends the intanglement of the Affections to Error by this Device; for he doth, as it were, take the spoils of the Tabernacle to adorn his Dagon withal, and without doubt the Heathens were very much hardened in Gentilism by these traditionary Stories; hence, one observes, the Devil imitated the History of the Miracle done in favor of Hezekiah, that the Scriptures might lose their credit and authority, and that the glory of such a wonder might be transferred to their Idols; and the consequence of both these, is

3. To deprive the Truth of its convincing power upon the consciences of Men. The principles of Scripture convince by the evidence of their Truth: If that Truth be questioned by the substitution of another Competitor, it presently loseth its force, and the commands thereof are disregarded, upon a supposition of its uncertainty.

4. Another of his ways to betray the understanding by the Affections, is by putting Men upon an accommodation of Truth, to a compliance with Parties differing from it. And this hath been so much the more successful, because it hath begun, and been carried on upon the most specious pretences. The avoiding of Offences; the smoothing of the way of Religion, for the gaining of the contrary minded; the preservation of Peace and Unity, are Pleas very plausible; and really upon the account of these things, the Scripture (both by its Precepts and Examples) hath recommended to us condescensions and Brotherly forbearances. The Jews (who were dissatisfied at the first publication of the liberty from the Yoke of Mosaical Ceremonies, purchased for us by Christ) were indulged in the use of Circumcision, and observance of the difference of Meats for a long time, till they might be the better satisfied in the Truth. These pretences the Devil makes use of to undermine Truth. And pleasing his Agents with the honor of a pious design, (and it may be at first really so intended by them) he prevails with them, not only for a present condescension to Men of contrary practice, but to cast the principles of Truth into such a fixed Mould that they may carry a more near resemblance to those Opinions which they do most directly oppose. The appearance of sanctity, peaceableness, prudence, and successfulness in such an undertaking, doth exceedingly animate the well-meaning designers, which Satan, in the mean time, carries them beyond all bounds, and so dangerously fixeth an unnatural representation of Truth, that it loseth its own splendor, and settles at last upon unsafe notions. Thus by the continuance of such a compliance, Error begins to recruit its Forces, and is as likely to draw over Truth wholly to its side, (by the argument of resemblance, and the consequences following thereupon) as Truth is wholly to extirpate and conquer Error; and if it do not that, succeeding Ages (that minded not the first design) finding things so continued to them in deep reverence to their Predecessors, form their prudential condescensions into perverse opinions.

If we follow the tract of Time from the first preaching of the Gospel, we may find Satan's footsteps all along. In the Apostles times, when the believing Jews were tolerated necessarily (till time and experience might fully convince them) in their observation of the Law of Moses, (which was certainly given of God, and so might very easily occasion an opinion of the continuance of it, Act. 15. 1, 5.) though the Apostles did not at all accommodate the standing precepts of the New Testament to carry a perpetual resemblance of that Opinion, neither did they still countenance that practice, but did seasonably and fully declare against it, exhorting Christians to stand in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free,