Of False Prophets.

11

But now

"I cannot believe, that they are all "wicked Men in their Hearts and Lives, "who are infected with any heretical, "dangerous Doctrine. It is probable, "the Sheeps-cloathing may extend farther "than the bare hypocritical outward "Shew, even to the good Habits of the “Mind, and a regular Course of Life: "By which they are much better fur"nished and qualified to give a Credit to "their falfe Doctrines. "here feems to be prescribed a plain, "eafy Way of difcerning falfe Teachers from true, and a Way which lies level "to the meanest Capacity: It is only by obferving the Fruits, and Confequents "of every Doctrine, what it is apt to produce where it is thoroughly fuck'd "in and believed, and then judging how "far thofe Fruits refemble the Doctrine and Spirit of Chriftianity

a

Of

a Vol. IV. p. 249, 274.

cr

Of Enthufiafm.

"The Spirit of God having given us a clear Rule to walk by (namely, the "Rule of the holy Scriptures) whatsoever Preacher shall deliver any Doctrine, "either in the general difparaging the "Holy Scriptures and preferring Enthufiafm, or in particular fetting up the pri"vate Spirit to affert any Thing contrary "thereto; it requires no great Depth of Learning to obferve, that fuch Do"Arine frikes at the Root of all revealed Religion, and opens a Door for the Deftruction of it. Here, the fecret Views, or remote Tendency of all Enthifiafm is briefly laid open. Enthusiafm, in the bad Senfe, appears to be a fubtile Device of Satan, upon ill-meaning, or unmeaning Inftruments, (making Use of their Ambition, Self-admiration, or other Weakness) to draw them by fome plaufible Suggestions into a vain Conceit that they have fomething within them, either of equal Authority with Scripture,

Vol. IV. p. 274.

b

or fuperior to it: And when once they have thus got loofe from that divine Reftraint, under a Pretence of divine Impulfes, then there is nothing fo wild, or extravagant, that those free Rangers, following their own new Lights, are not capable of.

I fhall conclude this Preface with recommending a few seasonable Reflections to the Confideration of ferious and confcientious Chriftians amongst us.

1. One is, how particularly happy they may think themselves, in their having three feveral Sets of excellent Difcourfes d our Lord's divine Sermon, in their own Language, (fuch perhaps as are not to be met with in any other) and in their conftantly living under the Care and Directi

с

on

They will not perhaps directly fay, that their private Spirit is of Authority fuperior to that of Scripture: But they often make it so in effect, more ways than one: 1. By making the Scripture fubmit to be judged of by the private Spirit, and not the private Spirit by the Scripture. 2. By making the Guidance of the private Spirit to fuperfede even the reading, or the Use of the Scripture, after a Time, when fuppofed perfect enough not to need any longer the Help of the written Word. 3. By fetting up a Pretence of Infallibility in a Man's private Breaft, warranting him to fubftitute his own Interpretations, in the room of the Divine Laws.

d Befides Mr. Blair's, there is also Bishop Blackhall's, and Mr. Gardiner's,

xv on of faithful Guides, judicious and wellftudied Divines: For, Those at last are, under God, in the Ufe of his Word, the fafeft Counsellors they can have to confide in. Let thofe who boaft of Divine Impulfes, or immediate Inspirations, bring together all the choice Things they can meet with, that have been invented and uttered by thofe of their Way, for feventeen Centuries, and fee whether they are at all fit to be compared, or named with the weighty and folid Compofitions of the judicious and well-read Divines, early and late: who yet have pretended to no more than the ordinary Affiftances of the Holy Spirit, in the Use of God's written Word, and of other outward Means, of divine providential Appointment, without any direct, immediate Inspiration at all. What then has the good Spirit been doing for his fuppofed Favourites, all the time? Or rather, What has not fome evil Spirit been doing, through a long Tract of Centuries, in feducing many, to father Satan's Suggestions, or their own weak Fancies, upon the Blessed Spirit of God?

(a)

2. It

2. It may be of Ufe to every ferious Christian, wisely to confider, how many different Kinds of Inftruments the Tempter commonly makes use of, to corrupt their Faith, or to debauch their Morals. They are reducible to Three Kinds, 1. Open Enemies to God and Religion. 2. Dif guifed Enemies, Hypocrites under a feigned Covert of Friends. 3. Wellmeaning, but injudicious, indiscreet Friends; Friends in Heart, but rafhly and undefignedly doing the Work of Enemies. All these must be carefully guarded againft, in their Turns, as Occafions happen, by as many as love not to be deceived, or really love their own Souls. For, if For, if any Man fuffers himfelf to be deluded, or led afide, when he may avoid it; it fignifies little whether it was by the rude Attacks of one, or by the fmooth Hypocrify and Treachery of another, or by the Weakness or Madness of a Third. The Fault is, to be misled at all, fo far as may be prevented: And the Rule of Scripture is, to ftand firm and ftedfast in true Doctrine and holy Life, against all Seducers, of what Kind foever, and