rivers find their way at last to the sea from whence they sprang, but some return with a more swift stream, and get sooner to it, than others. Would any make it a shorter voyage to Hell than ordinary, let him throw himself but into this stream of corrupt doctrine, and he is not like to be long in going?

Secondly, Because impostors are so subtle, therefore it behoves the Christian to establish and strengthen his judgment in the truths of Christ. They are a generation of men skilful to destroy the faith of others. There is an erudita nequitia in the world, as one calls it, a learned kind of wickedness, that some have to corrupt the minds of men. The Spirit of God sets them out to life: sometimes comparing them to merchants, who can set a gloss upon their false ware with fine words: they are said with feigned words to make merchandise of souls; 2 Pet. ii. 3, to hucksters that blend and dash their wine with water, 2 Cor. ii. 17; to cheating gamesters, that have a sleight of hand to cog the die, Ephes. iv. 14; yea, to witches themselves: "Who hath bewitched you?" Gal. iii. 1. saith the Apostle. Strange things have been done in our days on those that God has suffered them to practice their sorcery upon; and what counter-charm better than an established judgment? It is observable that in 2 Tim. iii. where the Apostle compares the seducers of that present age to those sorcerers, Jannes and Jambres, that resisted Moses, and shews what kind of persons they were that fell into their snare: "such as, though ever learning, yet never came to the knowledge of the truth," verse 7, then he turns to Timothy, verse 10, "But thou hast fullyknown my doctrine." As if he had said, I am out of fear for thee, thou art better grounded in the doctrine of the Apostle than to be thus cheated of it. Indeed those whom seducers lay in wait for are chiefly weak unsettled ones, for as Solomon saith, "in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird." Prov. i. 17. The devil chose rather to assault Eve than Adam, as more likely of the two to be caught; and ever since he takes the same course: he labours to creep over where the hedge is lowest, and the resistance like to be weakest. Three characters you may observe of those who are most commonly seduced.

First, they are called simple ones, Rom. xvi. 18, "by good words and fair speeches, deceive the heart of the simple," such who mean well, but want wisdom to discern those that mean ill; incautious ones, that dare pledge every body, and drink of any one's cup, and never suspect poisoning. Secondly, children: "be no more children, tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine." Eph. iv. 14. Now children they are very credulous, prone to believe every one that gives them a parcel of fair words; they think any thing is good if it be sweet; it is not hard to make them eat poison for sugar; they are not swayed by principles of their own, but by others; the child reads, construes, and pierces his lesson as his master saith, and thinks it therefore right; thus poor creatures, that have little knowledge of the word themselves, they are easily persuaded this or that way, even as those of whom they have a good opinion please to lead them; let the doctrine be but sweet, and it goes down glib; they, like Isaac, bless their opinions by feeling, not by sight; hence many poor creatures applaud themselves so much of the joy they have found since they were of this judgment and that way; not being able to try the comfort and sweetness they feel by the truth of their way from the Word, they are fain to believe the truth of it by their feeling, and so, poor creatures, they bless error for truth. Thirdly, they are such as are unstable, 2 Pet. ii. 14, "beguiling unstable souls," such as are not well grounded and principled. The truth they profess hath no anchorhold in their understanding, and so they are at the mercy of the wind, soon set adrift, and carried down the stream of those opinions which are the favourites of the present time, and are most cried up, even as the dead fish with the current of the tide.

Thirdly, We are to endeavour after an established judgment in the truth, because of the universal influence it hath upon the whole man. First, upon the memory, which is helped much by the understanding. The more weight is laid on the seal, the deeper impression is made on the wax. The memory is that faculty which carries the images of things. It holds fast what we receive, and is that treasury where we lay up what we desire afterward to use and converse with. Now, the more clear

and certain our knowledge of any thing is, the deeper it sinks and surer it is held by the memory. Secondly, upon the affections. Truth is as light: the more steady and fixed the glass of the understanding is, through which its beams are darted upon the affections, the sooner they take fire. "Did not our hearts burn (saith the disciples) within us, while he opened to us the Scriptures," Luke xxiv. 32. They had heard, no doubt, Christ preach much of what then he said before his passion, but never were they so satisfied and confirmed as now when Scriptures and understanding were opened together; and this made their hearts burn. The sun in the firmament sends his influence where he doth not shed his beams, I mean into the bowels of the earth; but the sun of righteousness imparts his influence only where his light comes: he spreads the beams of truth into the understanding to enlighten that, and while the creature sets under these wings, a kindly heart-quickening heat is begot in its bosom. Hence we find, even when the Spirit is promised as a comforter, he comes as a convincer, John xvi. 13; he comforts by teaching. And certainly, the reason why many poor trembling sonls have so little heat of heavenly joy in their hearts is, because they have so little light to understand the nature and tenor of the gospel-covenant. The further a soul stands from the light of truth, the further he must needs be from the heat of comfort. Thirdly, an established judgment hath a powerful influence upon the life and conversation. The eye directs the foot; he walks very unsafely that sees not his way, and he uncomfortably that is not resolved whether right or wrong. That which moves must rest on something that doth not move, a man could not walk if the earth turned under his feet. Now the principles we have in our understanding are as it were the ground we go upon in all our actions: if they stagger and reel, much more will our life and practice. It is as impossible for a shaking hand to write a straight line, as an unfixed judgment to have an even conversation. The Apostle joins steadfastness and unmoveableness with "abounding in the work of the Lord," 1 Cor. xv. 58, aud, if I mistake not, he- means chiefly in that place a steadfastness of judgment in that

truth of the resurrection which some had been shaking. It is not the many notions we have, but the establishment we have in the truth, makes us strong Christians; as he is a strong man whose joints are well set together and knit, not he who is a spun out at length, but not thickened suitable to his height. One saith well, Men are what they see and judge; though some do not fill up their light, yet none go beyond it. A truth under dispute in the understanding is, as I may so say, stopped in the head, it cannot commence in the heart, or become practicable in the life; but when it passeth clearly there, and upon its commendation, is embraced in the will and affections, then it is held fast, and hath powerful effects in the conversation. The gospel, it is said, came to the Thessalonians in much assurance, 1 Thess. i. 5. that is, evidence of its truth, and see how prevalent and operative it was, verse 6, "ye became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy in the Holy Ghost." They were assured that the doctrine was of God, and this carried them cheerfully through the saddest afflictions which attended the same.

Use 1. First, to reprove those that, instead of endeavouring to establish their judgments in the truth, make it their great study how to strengthen themselves in their errors. I am persuaded some men take more pains to furnish themselves with arguments to defend some one error they have taken up, than they do for the most saving truths in the bible; yea, they could sooner die at a stake to defend one error they hold, than all the truths they profess. Austin saith of himself when he was a Manichæan, Non tueras, sed error meus erat Deus meus. Thou, O Lord, wert not, but my error was, my God." O it is hard to reduce a person deeply engaged in the defence of an error. How often had the Pharisees their mouths stopped by our Saviour, yet few or none were rclaimed. Their spirits were too proud to recant. What, they lay down the bucklers, come down from Moses's chair, and confess what they have taught the people for an oracle, is now false! they will rather go on, and brave it out as well as they can, than come back with shame; though the shame was, not to be ashamed of their error,

but ashamed to confess it.

The cynic answered

smartly, who coming out of a brothel, was asked whether he was not ashamed to be seen coming out of such a naughty house? No: said he; the shame was to go in but honesty to come out. O sirs, it is bad enough to fall into an error, but worse to persist. The first shews thee a weak man, humanum est errare, but the other makes thee too like the devil, who is to this day of the same mind he was at his first fall.

Use 2. Secondly, It reproves those who labour to unsettle the judgments of others, to ungird this belt about Christian loins. They come with the devil's question in their mouths, "Yea, hath God said?" Are you sure this is a truth? do not your ministers deceive you? Labouring slightly to breed suspicions and jealousies in the hearts of Christians towards the truths they have received. Such were they that troubled the Galatians, whom Paul wished cut off for their pains, Gal. v. 12, they laboured to puzzle them by starting scruples in their minds concerning the doctrine of the gospel. This is a cunning way at last to draw them from the faith; and therefore they are called "subverters of the faith of others." 2 Tim. ii. 14. Titus i. 11. The house must needs be in danger, when the groundsils are loosened. Can you think he means honestly that undermines the foundation of your house? This they do that would call in question the grand truths of the gospel? But this is a small fault in our loose age, or else so many seducers would not be suffered (whom I may call spiritual rogues and vagrants) to wander like gypsies up and down, bewitching poor simple souls to their perdition. O it is sad that he who steals the worth of two or three shillings should hold up his hand at the bar for his life, yea, sometimes hang for it; and that those who rob poor souls of the treasure of saving truths, and subvert the faith of whole families, should be let to lift up their heads with impudence, glorying in their impunity; that blasphemy against God should not bear an action, where blasphemy against the king is indicted for treason. It is well that God loves his truth better than men, or else these would escape in both worlds. But God hath declared himself against them; there is a day when they