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carfe mary falfe Prophets are gone into the World; there are falfe Prophets, Teachers of falte Doctrine, and if there were no Evil in the e, what need we try them, or be forewarned against them? And Matt. vij. 15. Beware of falfe Prophets: 2 John x. 11. If any come and bring not this Doctrine, receive him not into your Houfe, nor bid him GoD Speed; here is a strict Command to beware of encouraging erroneous Perfons in their Errors, & the evil Confequences of that, viz. leaft you be Partakers with him in his Sin: Gall. iii. I. there he calls them foolish and bewitched for departing from the Truth: 1 Tim. i. 19, 20. Concerning Faith have made Shipwreck, of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander, whom I have delivered to Satan, &c. here we fee they were caft out of the Church, for their making Shipwreck of Faith: 2 Tim. iv. 15. Of whom be thou aware for he hath greatly withstood our Words: 1 Tim. iv. 16. Take heed unto thy felf and unto thy Doctrine: Eph. iv. 14. That ye be no more Children to fled to and fro, and carried about with every Wind of Doctrine, and cunning Craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive: 1 Tim. vi. 21. there we read of thofe that erred concerning the Faith; here is Error concerning the Faith: Titus iii. 10. A Man that is an Heretick after the first and Second Admonition reject. And Error is oft in Scripture joyned with very foul Practices, and called by very hard Names, as 2 Per. ii, 14. 2 Thef.ii. 12. and other Places.

I think thefe Places and many others fhew that there are Errors as to Faith, which are dangerous, and which we ought to avoid, & that therefore every Man's Judgment or Interpretation is not his Rule; for if it were, every Man must be in the Right that goes according to his own Judgment, & then where is Error? They farther fhew that there were damnable Herefies, and that Error is not fuch a tame innocent Thing as fome would represent it to be, but very prejudicial to the Soul, and very difpleafing to Gon; elfe it would not be fo cry'd out against by the Apoftle as it is, nor call'd by fuch hard Names, we fould not be fo exhorted to avoid it, nor warned against it with fo much Earneftnefs.

Now

Now the fame Errors do not always prevail; in fome Ages one Error prevails, and others at other Times, & in other Ages: But the Scripture ftrikes at Errors and Herefies in general; it ftrikes at any thing that tends to fubvert the Gofpel, or Prejudice the Vitals of Religion, let the Notions be what they will; as in the Place before named: Gal. i. 8, 9. But tho' we, or an Angel from Heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you, than what we have preached, let him bim be accurfed; any other Golpel, let it be what it will: "Tis a general Expreffion: Tim. i. 3. Charge fome that they teach no other Doctrine; and Rom. xvi. 17. Mark them that caufe Divifions contrary to the Doctrine they have learned: Heb. xiii. 9. Be not carried about with divers and strange Doctrines: Thefe are Cautions not only against this, or that Error; but against any Error contrary to found Doctrine.

Therefore, to fay, that feveral of the Threatnings against Error in Scripture, are against fuch and fuch particular Errors, that are not in this Day, and fo do not affect us, is to little purpofe; for fome of our Errors were in that Day, and particularly ftruck at; as that of Juftification by Works; as we may fee in Paul's Epiftles: And the damnable Herefy the Apoftle speaks of, was denying the LORD that bought them. But as I fhew'd before, the Scripture ftrikes at Error and Herefy in general, let them be what they will, as well as particular Ones in thofe Times. Errors of equal bad Tendancy in our Day, we are warned againft, as well as thofe particularly spoken of: Or elfe thofe Scriptures may be nfelefs to us; if they warn against nothing but the Matters of that Day wherein they were wrote: Bur we read, that what was written afore time, was written for our Admonition, on whom the Ends of the World are come, 1 Cor. x. 11. and Rom. xv. 4. Whatsoever was written afore time was written for our Learning.

For ought I fee, we may as well fay the Promifes of the Covenant, do not belong to us, because they were made to Abraham and David in that Day, and our Circumftances in this Day differ from theirs then: But the

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Bleffings of the Covenant run to all true Eelievers in all Ages: John xvii. 20. Neither pray I for thefe alone, but for them also that shall believe on me thro' their Word. And the general Threatnings reach Sins and Errors of this Day, as well as of that.

And as for our Liberty to interpret, or put our Meaning on Scripture; I think, no Man has Liberty to put what Interpretation he pleafes on it: But we ought to interpret Scripture agreeable to it felf. That Senfe or Interpetation of any particular Place of Scripture that agrees with the whole, is most likely to be true and right: But that Interpretation of any particular Text, that contradicts other plain Scriptures, cannot be right: For the Scripture cannot contradict it felf. I think the Scripture is the Kule and Guide for the Meaning of any particular Place: One Scripture interprets another; and therefore, 'tis dangerous to put any Meaning or Senfe upon any Place, that does not agree with the whole; or to wreft and ftrain any Text, to make it feem to fpeak what it never intended: For the Scripture ought to be taken in its native genuine Senfe, and not to be wrefted to ferve an Opinion.

You may meet with thofe that may endeavour to puzzle you with enfnaring Questions: How fould it be? How are fuch and fuch Things confiftent with Reaton? How fould three Perfons exift in one Being? How Should we be juftified by Another's Righteoufnefs? $5. But I would advife you, my dear Children, when you fee any Truth plainly revealed in the Word of G on, to ftand upon the firm Ground of the Word, and maintain THAT IT Is, and not puzzle your Heads How IT IS when G on has reveal'd Tн Á T IT Is: If Gon fay that a Thing is, 'tis enough; we ought to believe it; and not fuffer ourselves to be drawn into the Ambufcades and Thickets of the Enemy, How IT IS; there the Enemy will endeavour to draw you, that he may puzzle you, and make the Truth dark and obfcure and then affright you from it, with the Scar-Crows of UNINTELLIGEABLE, UNREASONALLE, and IMPOS

SIBLE.

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Have a care of being like the Ifraelites of old. A braham's Seed had a Promife of Canaan; GOD had told them, he would give it them; but they met with Difficulties in the Wilderne's, and then they fell into the Enemy's Ambu'cade How CAN IT BE? How fhall we be maintain'd and provided for in the Wilderneis? How fhall we ever conquer fuch powerful People? tho' Gon had told them he would bring them thither, and give them the Land, yet they fell to Unbelief, and queftioning the Matter: How CAN THIS BE? Can GOD furnish a Table in the Wilderness? Pfal. lxxviii. 19. How fhould fuch a Multitude be maintain'd in a Wilderness? Here they were lead into the Enemy's Ambu'cade. They would not believe what Gon had promis'd except they could fee how it must be brought about: They would not stand faft to the Promife of Gon because they could not fee how it would be perform'd And this fo provok'd G on that about fix hundred thou and loft their Lives in the Wilderness.

So that you ought to ftand steady when God has reveal'd a Truth, and maintain that it is; whether you can tell how Gon brings the Matter about or not.

'Tis not neceffary to the Being or Existence of a Thing, that we must know how it exifts. I think it's very unreasonable and highly provoking to Go D, when he has revealed any Thing to be, if the Creature fay, he will not believe it except he understands how it is. As if a poor finite Creature could comprehend his infinite Creator. Therefore, have a care of queftioning the Truths of Gon, becaufe you cannot comprehend them in all Things; least you fall after the fame Example of Unbelief.

If the Scriptures fpeak of the Godhead exifting in Three Perfons, and declare that the FATHER is GOD, the SoN is Gon, and that the Holy GHOST is Go D, and yet affirm that there is but One Gon; must we deny the Godhead of any of the facred Three, because we know not clearly how they exift in one Being? Or, because we cannot fully comprehend the Manner of their Exiftence? No fure.

I am

I am far from thinking that Errors in the Fundamentals of Religion are fuch harmless indifferent Things as fome would have us believe them to be.

I think them very dangerous to the Soul, and Prejudicial to the Power of Religion. If the Foundations be deftrey'd what can the Righteous do, Pfal. xi. 3. If the Girdle of Truth be loft, your fpiritual Armour will fall off; or however hang but loofe about you; fo that you may be eafily wounded, feduced, and taken captive by him who goes about feeking whom he may devour.

I have little, or no Expectation that this will convince, or turn thofe from their Error who are thoroughly infected thereby; for where Error is receiv'd it eats like a Canker, 2 Tim. ii. 17. therefore we had need have a Care of it.

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But if this confirm and eftablish your Hearts in the Truth, and be an Antidote against the Infection: If it help to any Degree of Light & Skill in maintaining the Truth against the Errors and Corruptions of the Day; it will abundantly recompence the Labour, and anfwer the Defires of your tender, and affectionate Father.

Now fome of the dangerous Errors of our Day are,
I. The Denial of Original Sin.

II. Setting up human Reafon as a fufficient Guide in Matters of Religion.

III. Holding Juftification by Works of our own: Or, that we are juftified in the Sight of GoD by our own good Works.

IV. The Denial of the proper Divinity of our Lord and Saviour JESUS CHRIST.

These are Errors which I hope, and earnestly defire, you will keep clear of & avoid (as you value the Health and Welfare of your Souls) let them come under never fuch fpecious and plaufible Pretences.

1. As to the Denial of Original Sin. This I take to be a dangerous Error, as being contrary to plain Scripture, and having dangerous and pernicious Tendencies.

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