286 The Causes and Cure of Mental Errors.

the grounds and reason of those frequent persecutions, which God suffers to fall on his churches and people.

I know the enemies of God's people aim at something else; they strike at religion itself; but whatever the intention of the agents may be, the issues of persecution are, on this account, greatly beneficial to the church-the wisdom of God makes them useful both to prevent and cure the mischief and dangers of errors. If persecution kill not, yet, it gives check to the rise and growth of errors; and if it do not perfectly unite the hearts of Christians, yet it cools and allays their sinful animosities. It affords them far better and more necessary work. Now, instead of racking their minds about unnecessary controversies, they find it high time to be searching their hearts, and examining the foundations of their faith and hope with respect to another world. Such times also discover the sincerity, zeal, and constancy of those of whom we were jealous, or against whom we were prejudiced before, because they followed not us.

Inference 6.-Let us learn hence both the duty and necessity of charity and mutual forbearance.

We have all our mistakes and errors, and therefore must maintain mutual charity under differences of judgment. I do not say but that an erring brother must be brought back if possible, and that by sharp rebukes too, if gentler means be ineffectual; and if God make us instrumental by this or any other method, to recover a brother from the error of his way, he will have great cause both to bless God and to thank the instrument who thereby saves a soul from death, and hides a multitude of sins. It is our duty if we meet an enemy's ox or ass going astray, to bring him back again; Exod. xxiii. 4; much more the soul of a friend. We must not indeed make those things errors, that are none, nor stretch every innocent expression to that purpose, nor yet be too hasty in meddling with contention till we cannot be silent; but we must "buy the truth" and defend it, and then, whatever the expence be, truth will repay it.

A TREATISE

ON

THE RISE AND GROWTH

OF

ANTINOMIAN ERRORS.

ABRIDGED BY THE REV. C. BRADLEY.

INTRODUCTION.

THE design of the following sheets, introduced as an Appendix to the foregoing treatise on Errors, is principally to discharge and free the free grace of God from those dangerous errors, which fight against it under its own colors; partly to prevent the seduction of some that waver; and, lastly, though least of all, to vindicate my own doctrine, the scope and current whereof has always been, and shall ever be, to exalt the free grace of God in Christ, to draw the vilest of sinners to him, and relieve the distressed consciences of sin-burdened Christians.

Three things I principally aim at in this Appendix— first, to give the reader the most probable rise of antinomianism; secondly, to give him an account of the principal errors of that sect; and, thirdly, to confirm and establish Christians against them.

CHAPTER I.

On the Rise of Antinomianism.

THE Scriptures foreseeing there would arise men in the church, who would wax wanton against Christ, and turn

his grace into lasciviousness, have not only cautioned us in general to beware of such opinions as corrupt the doctrine of free-grace, but have particularly marked those very opinions by which it would be abused, and made abundant provision against them; as, for instance, all slighting and vilifying opinions or expressions of the holy law of God, Rom. vii. 7, 12; all opinions and principles inclining men to a careless disregard and neglect of the duties of obedience, under pretence of free grace and liberty by Christ, James ii; Matth. xxv; all opinions neglecting or slighting sanctification, as the evidence of our justification, and rendering it needless or sinful to try the state of our souls by the graces of the Spirit wrought in us, which is the principal scope of the first epistle of John. Nothing is more opposed to licentiousness than the free grace of God, which teaches us, "that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world." Nor can it without manifest violence be made pliable to such wicked purposes; and therefore the apostle tells us, Jude 4, that this is done by "turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness;" transferring it, by a corrupt, abusive interpretation, to such uses and purposes as it abhors. No such licen

tious conclusions can be inferred from the gospel-doctrines of grace and liberty, but by wresting them from their true scope and intent, by the wicked arts and practices of deceivers.

The gospel makes sin more odious than the law did; and discovers the punishment of it in a more severe and dreadful manner, than ever it was discovered before. "For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" Heb. ii. 2, 3. It shows our obligations to duty to be stronger than ever, and our encouragements to holiness greater than ever, 2 Cor. vii. 1. And yet corrupt nature will be still tempting men to corrupt and abuse it.

This perversion and abuse of free grace and Christian liberty, is justly chargeable, though on different accounts, both upon wicked and good men. Wicked men corrupt

it designedly, that by entitling God to their sins, they may sin the more quietly and securely. So the devil instigated the heathens to sin against the light and law of nature, by representing their gods to them as drunken and lascivious deities. So the Nicolaitans, and the school of Simon, and after them the Gnostics and other heretics, in the very dawning of gospel light and liberty, began presently to loose the bond of restraint from their lusts, under pretence of grace and liberty. The Etiani blushed not to teach, that sin, and perseverance in sin, could hurt the salvation of none, so that they would embrace their principles. What vile and abominable inferences the Manichæans, Valentinians, and Cerdonites, drew from the grace and liberty of the gospel, in the following ages, I had rather mourn over than recite; and if we come down to the fifteenth century, we shall find the Libertines of those days as deeply drowned in this sin, as those that went before them. Čalvin mournfully observes, that under pretence of Christian liberty, they trampled all godliness under foot. There are however some whose judgments are unhappily tainted and leavened with those loose doctrines, yet being in the main godly persons, they dare not take liberty to sin or live in the neglect of known duties, though their principles too much incline that way; but though they dare not, others who imbibe corrupt notions from them, will dare to sin; and the renowned piety of the authors will be no antidote against the danger, but will make the poison operate the more powerfully.

Now it his highly probable such men as these may have been drawn into these dangerous opinions, by these or similar means.

It is likely that some of them may have felt in themselves the anguish of a perplexed conscience under sin, and not being able to live with these terrors of the law and dismal fears of conscience, may too hastily have snatched at those doctrines which promise them relief and ease.

Others have been induced to espouse these opinions from the excess of their zeal against the errors of the Papists, who have notoriously corrupted the doctrine of justification by free grace, decried imputed righteousness,

and exalted inherent righteousness above it. The Papists designedly and industriously sealed up the scriptures from the people, lest they should there discover those sovereign and effectual remedies, which God has provided for their distressed consciences, in the riches of his own grace and the meritorious death of Christ. But as soon as the light of reformation had discovered the free grace of God to sinners, all good men, who were enlightened by the reformation, justly and deeply abhorred Popery, as the enemy of the grace of God and true peace of conscience, and fixed themselves upon the sound and comfortable doctrines of justification by faith through the alone righteousness of Christ; meanwhile thankfully acknowledging, that they who believe ought also to maintain good works. But there have been others who, transported by an indiscreet zeal, have almost bent the grace of God as far too much the other way, and have both spoken and written many things very unbecoming the grace of God, and tending to looseness and neglect of duty.

It is manifest, that others have been ingulphed into those dangerous quicksands of Antinomian errors, by separating the Spirit from the written word. If once a man pretend the Spirit without the scriptures to be his rule, whither will not his own deluding fancies carry him, under a vain and sinful pretence of the Spirit?

And it is not unlikely, but that a comparative weakness, and injudiciousness of mind, meeting with a fervent zeal for Christ and his glory, may have induced others to espouse such taking and plausible, though pernicious doctrines. They are not aware of the dangerous consequences of the opinions they embrace, and what looseness may be occasioned by them. I speak not of occasions taken, but given, by such opinions and expressions. A good man will draw excellent inferences of duty from the very same doctrine that a bad man draws evil from. Instance that of the shortness of time, whence the apostle infers abstinence, strictness, and diligence, 1 Cor. vii. 29; but the Epicure infers from it all manner of dissolute and licentious practices; "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die," 1 Cor. xv. 22. The best doctrines are in this way liable to abuse. But let all good men beware of