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 filent infenfible introduction of Errour. His method herein. (2.) By entangling the Affections with the external garb of Errour, a gorgeous dress or affected plainness. (3.) By fabulous imitations of Truth. The defign thereof. (4.) By accom modating Truth to a complyance with Parties that differ from it. Various inftances hereof. (5.) By driving to a contrary extream. (6.) By bribing the Affections with Rewards, or forcing them by Fears. (7.) By engaging Pride and Anger. (8.) By adorning Errour with the Ornaments of Truth.

He ufual Arguments by which Satan doth directly blind the

a perfwalion to accept

we have now confidered. It remains that fome 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 filent and infenfible procedure he labours to introduce Errours; and left Men should startle at a sudden and full prefentment of the whole, he thinks it policy to infinuate into the Affections, by offering it in parcels. Thus he prevents wonderment and furprifal, (left Men fhould 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 fowed them (who was Satan) took his opportunity while Men flept, and then went away in the dark; infomuch that the discovery was not made at the Sowing,

but

but at their coming up. In purfuance of this policy, we find the principal Inftruments of Satan have followed the footsteps of their Mafter; they creep in unawares, Jude 4. they privily bring in damnable Herefies, 2 Pet. 2. 1. and as if they were guilty of fome modeft fhamefastness, they creep into houses, 2 Tim. 3.6. The fteps by which the Devil creeps into the bofoms of Men to plant Errour in the Heart, are thefe :

First, He endeavours to gain the Heart by the ingenious sweet and delightful Society of thofe that are corrupted already. Errour hath a peculiar Art to woo the good-will before it difclofe it felf; it firit fteals the Ear and Affections to the Perfon, and thence infenfibly derives it to the Opinion. Truth is Masculine, and perfwades by teaching, but Errour doth often teach by perfwading. 'Tis very difficult to affect the Perfon, and not to bestow upon the Errour better thoughts than it deferves. Those therefore that are cunning in the Art of Seduction, make extraordinary pretences of affectionate kindness, and (as the Apoftle 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-hafty in propounding their Opinions, nor fo much as to touch upon them till they perceive they have gained a firm perfwafion of their aimity, and of the reality of thofe kindneffes which they have made fhew of: but when they have once gained this point of advantage, they take opportunity more freely to propound and prefs their Doctrines. Thus are Men at laft beguiled with enticing words.

'Tis also part of the fame Defign, that Satan fometimes makes ufe of Women Seducers: For, (1.) They are more apt to be deluded themselves; filly Women are foon led captive. (2.) Being deceived, they are moft 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 Perfwafions ufually have a peculiar prevalency. The daughters of Moab (through Balaam's counfel) were made choice of, as the fitteft Inftruments to feduce Ifrael to Idolatry. Soloman, though a wife Man, was prevailed with by the importunity of his Wives, againit his former practice and knowledg, to favour falfe Worship. The was Satan's under-Agent, to Woman Jezabel, Rev. 2. 20. teach and feduce God's Servants to commit Fornication, and to eat things facrificed to Idols. (4.) Befides, they have a greater influ

ence

ence upon their Children, to leaven them with their own Opi

nions.

Secondly, Satan alfo obferves a gradual motion in fixing any particular Errour. If he attempt it immediately without an external Agent, he firft puts Men upon the reading or confideration of fome dark Paffages that seem to look favourably upon his defign; then he starts the Notion or Objection; then begets a fcruple or queftioning: Having once proceeded thus far, he follows his Defign with probable Reafons, till he have formed it into an Opinion: When 'tis come to this, a little more begets a perfwafion, that perswasion he ripens into a refolutenes and obftinacy, and then at laft fires it with zeal for the deluding of others. Having thus laid the foundation by one Errour, he next endeavours to multiply it, and then brings in the Inferences that unavoidably follow for as one Wedg makes way for another, fo from one Falfhood, another will eafily force it felf, and from two or three, who knows how many? And though the confequences are usually more abfurd than the principles, yet are they with a fmall labour brought into favour, where the principles are firft confidently believed; fo that those Errours, which because of their ugly look, Satan durft not at first propound, left 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 obferve they ufually come in the rear of other Opinions, which by a long tract of Art prepare their way.

Yet may we note, that though Satan ufually is forced to wait the leafure of fome Mens timeroufnefs and bafhfulness, and therefore cannot ripen Errour to an hafty birth as he defires, (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 anothér vents and adorns it: for fo it was betwixt Lelius and Fauftus Socinus, betwixt David George and his Succeffors:) And though he be fo confined to the first principles of Errour, which he hath inftilled, that he cannot at prefent enlarge them beyond their own juft confequences; yet there are fome choice principles of his, which if he can but faften upon the Mind, they prefently open the gap to all kind of Errours imaginable; they are like the firing a Train of Gunpowder, which in a Moment blows up the whole Fabrick of Truth: fuch are the delufions of Enthufiafm, Inspirati

ons

ons and Prophetick Raptures; let thefe be once fixed, and then there is nothing fo Inhumane, Irreligious, Mad, or Ridiculous, but Satan can with eafe perfwade Men to it, and alfo under the highest pretences of Religion and Certainty; the experience of all Ages, hath made any further proof of this altogether needlefs.

This is his way when he a&is alone. But if he ufe Inftruments, though he is alfo gradual in his procedure, yet 'tis in a different method: for there he fometimes proceeds from the abufe of fomething innocent and lawful (by the help of a long tract of time) to introduce the groffeft Falfhood. Thus may we conceive he brought Idolatry to its height: firft Men admired the wisdom or famous acts of their Progenitors, or Benefactors; next, they erected Pillars, or Images of fuch Perfons, to perpetuate the Names, Honour and Memory of thein and their Actions. Another Age being at a greater diftance from the things done, and confequently greater Strangers to the true ends and reafons of fuch practices, which being (as it usually falls out in fuch cases) abused by falfe reports or mifreprefentations of things, (for Time covers things of this nature with fo thick a Mift, that 'tis difficult to discover the true Metal of an original Conftitution) they in a devout ignorance gave the Images a greater refpect than was at firft intended; then did they flide into a conceit they were not of the ordinary rank of Mortals, or at leaft they were exalted to a condition which ordinary Mortals were not capable of; thus they fuppofed them Deities, and gave them worship of Prayers and Sacrifices: hence they went further, and multiplied Gods, and that of feveral forts, according to the natures of things that were good or hurtful to them; and then at laft confulting how mean their offerings were, and how unlikely to please their Godships, they concluded Hиmane facrifices moft futable, efpecially to expiate greater provocations, and in times of great calamity.

The burthenfom heap of ceremonious Superftitions in Popery was the work of feveral Ages, they were not brought in all at once. One in a devotional heat fancied such a Ceremony as a fit teftimony of Zeal, or a proper incitement of his Affections; Another devifeth a fecond, and fo all along; as the minds of Men were beft pleafed with their own inventions, and had fo much credit or authority to recommend them to others, they encreafed the fum by new additions, till at laft they are become a burthen not to be born; and ftill as they receded from the primitive purity,

M m

and

and became more carelefs and corrupt in their lives, (for from Matth. Pride- good Bishops they declined to but tollerable Arch-Bishops, till at last aux Introduct. they are become incurable Babylonians,) fo they departed gradually from the fimplicity of the Gofpel, and abounded in contrivances of Ceremonies.

o History.

Thirdly,In corrupting established Truths. Satan's proceedings are not by fudden and obfervable leaps, but by lingring and flow motions; as Flowers and Plants grow infentibly, and as Men gradually wax old and feeble. Violent and hafty alterations he knows would beget Obfervation, Diflike, and Oppofition; neither will he make fuch attempts, but where he is fure of a strong prevalent Party, which by force and power is able to carry all before it : In this cafe he is willing to enforce Errour by Fire and Sword. Thus he propagated Mahumetifm at firft, and ftill continueth to do fo by the conquering Arms of the Turks; but where he hath not this advantage, he betakes himself to another course, and ftudieth to do his work fo that he may not be obferved. The pof-fibility of fuch a change, with the manner of effecting it, we may obferve 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 firft was a pure Church, as the Apostle teftifieth, but now fo changed from the Truths upon which they were bottomed in their firft Conftitution, as if he had not been the fame Church. They boast indeed that as they were at firit, fso they are now; but nothing is more evident than the contrary: and the poffibility of their infenfible corruption is as demonftrable as the alteration of Doctrine in any other Church. The manifold ways that Satan takes in this matter in the abufe of Scripture, by railing perverfe Interpretations, and unnatural Inferences, and the advan tages of a long fucceffion in Authority; of the negligence and ignorance of the common Peoples of the crafty fubtilty of the Teachers, Stratagem Sa- especially when Religion began to be abused to fecular Intereft, tana. lib. 4. is defcribed by Acontius and others. If we fhould fingle out any of their noted Errours, and follow up the History of it to its first original, we fhall find, that whatever ftrong current it hath now gotten, it was very fmall and inconfiderable in the Fountain. The Invocation of Saints, though it be now an established Article among them, yet its firft rife was from the unwary Profopopœa's of of the Ancients, and the liberty of their Oratorical declamatory file; thefe gave occafion to fome private Opinions, these Opinions

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