-- CHAPTER III: What are the general heads of arguments from which men draw reasons for the safety a
objections' against a man's state, he hath no need to make an apology for himself; but as light increaseth, the more need there is of strongholds, whereby the heart may stand out against it, and accordingly the heart builds them, and therefore the more men are enlightened, with the stronger delusions will they strive to deceive themselves.
3. The more common graces men have, wanting true grace, the stronger carnal reasons will they have to justify their states; and accordingly the holds of a civil and moral man are better fortified than those of one that is profane. And therefore the apostle in Rom.
1, dealing with the Gentiles, mentions none of their carnal pleas; but when he comes to the Jews in chap. 2, he spends it in taking away their cavillings. And further, one who hath a common work of the Spirit on his heart, by the preaching of the gospel (as the second and third ground in the parable of the sower, Mat. 13, had), hath stronger pleas, reasonings, and deceits in him, than a civil man. A civil man hath had the pleas, excuses, and grounds of the deceit of a profane man discovered to him to be weak; and one enlightened by the gospel, and who hath good motions in him, discerns the civil man's reasonings for himself to be weak, and sees how he is deceived, and therefore he will invent stronger wherewith to defend himself. So as it is harder to convince a man who is in a civil condition, than one who is profane, for he hath more ammunition with which to make resistance, than the other hath; and for the same reason it is harder to convince a temporary believer than a civil man, because their pleas are stronger, which the common work of the Spirit occasioneth in them.
CHAPTER III:
What are the general heads of arguments from which men draw reasons for the safety and welfare of
their state, though they continue in their natural condition.
The pleas which the ignorant and profane make for themselves considered and answered Since the pleas and apologies which unregenerate men make either to excuse or justify themselves, are so many and various, and some are more weak, and others stronger, and it would be too large a work to treat of all the particulars, I will therefore reduce them to some general heads, and instance but in some of the strongest of them, as a test of the rest, and which are common among us, to whom the word is preached so clearly. And first, I will shew you in general, the topics or heads of argument from whence false reason argues, and whence it fetcheth its strength. I will lay open the several shops and forges where it sharpens its weapons.
1. The first head or topic whence men fetch pleas to justify their ways and estates, &c., is common proverbial speeches, which having been minted out of the evil treasure of men's hearts, and stamped with common authority, pass for current among men, and which they use in defence of themselves on all occasions. Thus men will defend their covetousness, or excuse their deserting of a public good cause, when it is difficult or dangerous; they will justify themselves in doing so with this ordinary saying, Every man for himself, and God for us all!
So they will vindicate their carelessness or licentiousness in the conduct of their lives, with that other known common saying, If I be predestinated, I shall be saved; if not, do what I can, I shall be damned. And so they will cry too, Thoughts are free, that they may freely indulge themselves in vain thoughts, or unclean fancies. Or when the case is such that they must either sin or suffer, or if they perform their duty, they shall run the hazard of some evil or loss, they will very readily have it in their mouths, Of two evils choose the least. Many such sayings as these of the devil's minting pass among men, and strengthen them in evil. As the papists have their traditions
besides Scripture, on which they ground their corrupt tenets and practices, so hath the world such wicked maxims as these with which to defend itself. The danger of such common sayings and instances of them, we have out of Scripture, 1 Cor. 15:32. The apostle there brings in an ordinary atheistical speech which was used among the Jews:
Isa. 22:13, 'Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die,' by this to encourage themselves to take out their fill of pleasure here. The apostle brings it in, 1 Cor. 15, as a proverbial speech. If there be no resurrection, then, says he, according to the common saying of wicked men, 'let us even eat and drink indeed, for to-morrow we die.'
But to shew the danger of such naughty speeches, when once made common and so authentical, he adds, 'Be not deceived,' i. e. with such speeches, as many are, for 'evil words corrupt good manners,' i. e. such evil common proverbial speeches as these do much hurt, and have much influence to corrupt our lives, and are often used as means by men to strengthen and defend themselves in ill, he using a contrary proverbial speech then used to countercheck the other with.
The Jews also had got an accursed proverb, whereby they did put off all from themselves to their father's sins as the cause of their punishment, and so were not humbled, nor got any good by it: Ezek.
18:2, 'What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?' thereby laying the blame on God and their fathers. This proverb carnal reason got by the end, and they used it upon all occasions, and by it put off all the prophet's sermon, whereby he convinced them that it was for their own sins that they were led into captivity. And because this was a stronghold which carnal reason had recourse to, he therefore spends a whole chapter to refute it, with many reasons and answers to it. So they had another common saying too whereby their hearts were secured and strengthened to do evil: Ezek. 12:22, 23, 'Son of Man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth? Tell them, therefore, Thus saith the Lord, I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel: but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.' Because threatenings were not
speedily executed, and they had heard many and seen nothing done, therefore they slighted all; this did prevail, and was commonly used, and did much hurt. That in Job also, which Satan brings in, was a common proverb by which men were guided, viz. that a man would do anything to save his life: Job 2:5, 6, 'And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin; yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life,' &c. The devil thought that Job would have acted herein like other men, and therefore 'touch but his life' (says Satan to God), 'and he will curse thee.' And thus men will excuse a sinful action, by saying, that life is sweet, and that it was done to save that, or their estate; and who would not have done it besides me? Thus Job's wife argues with him too from a common saying which wicked men had among them, 'Curse God and die.' As if she should have said, Seeing
God deals thus with thee, after all thy perfect walking, and this is the reward of all, let it now go and leave it. She used it as, it seems, the sense of a carnal proverb then in use, and proportioned to carnal reason, that since blessing God will do no good, thou hadst as good curse him; for die thou must, however, and it connot be worse with thee. And therefore Job adds, 'Thou speakest as one of the foolish women;' as if he had said, Dost thou speak as Job's wife, and one brought up in the knowledge of God? No; this is the speech of an unregenerate woman, an heathenish speech, fit for none but the profane to use. And he confutes it by a suitable answer and reason:
Job 2:10, 'But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What! shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?' Now all such kind of common speeches which are or have been used, carnal reason is glad of, and employs them to strengthen itself with them upon occasion, as inartificial arguments drawn from common testimony.
2. Unregenerate men will argue and justify themselves and their practices from the common opinions which the world hath of things.
As tradition, so universality is another head or topic which not papists only, but all wicked men, use to defend ill doctrines or actions. As faith looks to what the word of God judgeth of things, so carnal reason to what the world thinks, and from that draws reasons
to justify itself, and is glad to entertain all such opinions as make for its wicked ways and courses. And therefore the apostle bids us not to be conformed to the world in this: Rom. 12:2, 'And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.' He means especially that we should not be conformed to the world in our opinions of things; for so the opposition implies, 'be transformed by the renewing of your minds, to prove what is the good will of God.' If the world commonly thinks such a practice lawful, accordingly the most praise it, and carnal reason will have arguments to persuade to it, and to defend the practice. I do as the most do (will an unregenerate man say), and am but in the same condition with the generality of mankind; 'do any of the rulers believe?' or are they so precisely godly as you preach? Thus if common custom, which passeth for a law, seems to countenance any practice, it is warrant enough for it; nay, if but a book hath been writ for a vile opinion, and to defend a wicked action (as what sin is there almost which hath not had some abettors?), men will thereby be encouraged, and make a defence for themselves; and wicked men, who are not so knowing, will embrace the errors of those who are learned, with which to bear themselves out; and their minds being corrupt, are presently apt to think such erroneous opinions, and in appearance so well defended, to be the truth. If the morality of the Sabbath, and the strictness of its observation, be questioned and disputed, profane men have enough wherewith to justify either their neglects of attendance on the worship of God, or their unlawful recreations on that day; and they are presently of the same opinion with those who use their wits to disannul the fourth command. So look what pitch or height in religion the most of the world applaud
(as men generally judge civility, and moral honesty, and a formal way of serving God, to be religion enough; and those who do so are the world's saints), such a pitch in religion is the standard by which they will measure themselves, and think it sufficient; and what religion and piety above this, and more than this, is pressed on them (since it is by the world generally spoken against and condemned), shall by the carnal reason of man be scorned and neglected: Acts 28:22, 'But
we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that everywhere it is spoken against.' So that as the papists use universality as an argument (which is on their side, Rev.
13:3) wherewith to defend themselves, so men unregenerate urge it, for their estates, that they are in the same condition with the most of other men; and for their practices, that they do but live according to the common judgment and custom of the world.
3. Profane men, who mind little or nothing of religion, will draw arguments to justify themselves from the observations of God's outward dealings, and of the dispensations of his common providence among men, which shines on the unjust as well as the just. As faith looks to what God says in his word, so carnal reason interprets his mind by what is done in his works. Thus the papists plead prosperity as an argument for the truth of their church, and pass the judgment from the outward carriage of divine providence toward them. In the same manner those in the prophet argued for idolatry, and worshipping the queen of heaven, and justified themselves: Jer. 44:17, 'But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.' When we burned incense to the queen of heaven (say they), we had plenty of all things, and our fathers and our kings did so. There are two reasons couched in it: 1.
The universality and antiquity of this their idolatrous worship. Will you condemn (say they) the practice of all our fathers and kings?
And, 2, their prosperity and success in such a wicked course. We have had plenty (say they) ever since, and we find this way of religion blessed, whereas we had scarcity when we served the Lord God. But Jeremiah in answer tells them that the ground of their scarcity then was their former idolatry, God thus afterwards punishing it. So some among us have argued for the popish religion, We then had plenty, and all things well, &c. So the hearts of carnal men will reason about their actions too. Look what actions are successful, them they will
judge to be good; but if they are unprosperous, though they have never so sure a warrant out of the word for them, yet they will be apt to suspect them. Thus did that king argue for idolatry: 2 Chron.
28:23, 'For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him; and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice unto them, that they may help me.' He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus for this very reason, that because the gods of Syria helped them, therefore he hoped they would help him also, if adored by him. And after the same rate profane men will reason against pure godliness, and for a careless worship and religion: Look (say they), those who are strictest have most crosses and troubles, and since they began to be so religious, and to follow sermons, they have not thriven as they did before; but those who live as we do, God useth most kindly, and therefore surely they are most happy. Thus they bless those whom the Lord abhors. These are the ungodly who prosper, who look big upon it, and speak confidently, insomuch as through carnal reason it is a temptation to God's own people, who sometimes are stumbled at it, and half persuaded that the prospering side is the better; as David saith of himself, that his foot had well-nigh slipped herein: Ps. 73:2, 3, 'But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.' So, on the other side, when they at Malta saw a great danger befall the apostle
Paul by a viper's coming on his hand, Acts 28:3, 4, 'It is no doubt,' say they, 'but this man was a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, vengeance suffers not to live.' As many judge their estates to be good because they prosper in the world, so many are encouraged to go on in their evil ways because they have sinned again and again, and no evil hath come of it; and therefore they think they may do so still safely. As faith argues, God hath delivered, therefore he will deliver; so carnal reason argues, As God hath spared, so he will spare. And the heart of man upon this is fully set to do evil: Eccles. 8:11, 'Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.' And, on the contrary, the people of God have many jealousies cast up in their hearts by carnal reason against their
estates, and their being in the favour of God, from the outward carriage of God to them; as Gideon said, Judges 6:13, 'And Gideon said unto him, O my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.' Thus many a poor soul is ready to say, If God had loved me, he would never have let me fall into so gross and scandalous a sin, or he would never have afflicted me, nor suffered me to be tempted, as I have been.
4. Unregenerate men will fetch arguments to justify their state from outward spiritual privileges which God has bestowed on them; so those in Luke 13:26, 'We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets;' they thought because they had eaten and drunk with Christ, therefore they should certainly be saved. Thus the common professors of Christianity think that because they have been baptized, and live in the church, and have the word preached, and the sacrament administered to them, that therefore they are very good Christians, and shall go to heaven without any more ado. In this manner they in Jer. 7:4 upheld themselves: 'The temple of the Lord,' say they, 'the temple of the Lord are we.' And when our Lord Christ preached to convince the Jews of the danger of their state wherein they were, to silence their fears they had their relation to Abraham ready to plead: John 8:33, 'They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man;' because they were
Abraham's children, they thought they must necessarily be saved.
After this rate Micah argued also, who thought that God would surely bless him because he had a priest in his house to be his chaplain:
Judges 17:13, 'Then said Micah, Now know I that the Lord will do me good, because I have a Levite to my priest.' Upon such outward privileges as these do carnal men rest, and judge themselves to be in God's favour because of them. The apostle cuts off all these pleas at once: Rom. 2:25–29, 'For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
Therefore, if the uncircumcision keep the
righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly: and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God;' Gal. 5:6, 'For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.' Gal.
6:15, 'For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.'
5. Another topic from which carnal men draw arguments to give a reason why they do not embrace the ways of true religion and godliness, is the outward appearance of things in this world. The profession of Christ and his gospel, in the purity and strictness of it, is, in external show, to a carnal eye, poor and low, and attended with mean circumstances, and therefore they think they have just reason to despise and neglect it. What kept the Jews from acknowledging
Christ to be the Messiah? It was the poverty and meanness of his outward condition, the lowness of his education, being bred up in an ordinary mechanical trade, and not at the feet of their Gamaliels and great doctors of the law. From this they furnished themselves with many arguments, which they objected as reasons why they would not believe on him: Mark 6:3, 4, 'Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.' This was the matter of offence to them; whereas, if rightly considered, it was one of the strongest reasons which might have convinced them, for it argued his wisdom to be not from men but God, and that he was the great prophet foretold which should come into the world, and therefore he marvelled at their unbelief more than of all other, as expecting that among them (who knew him before by the prophecies concerning him, and who now saw such great things done by him),
he should have been readily acknowledged; that they of all others should have fallen down, and said that God is in him, and that he was more than a man. And therefore he takes occasion to assert and vindicate his divinity from that which the Jews objected against it:
John 7:15, 'And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?' They there object that he was never brought up to learning, and thence he takes occasion to prove that his doctrine was from God: ver. 16, 'Jesus answered them, and said,
My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.' So the barrenness of the place, both for religion and knowledge, where he was brought up, stumbled Nathanael, and had like to have kept him from, Christ:
John 1:46, 'And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?' It was, it seems, a rude and a wicked, ignorant place. So the meanness of his condition, that he was poor, and had not a hole to hide his head in, and that none but poor people followed him, this stumbled many; and therefore, says Christ,
'Blessed is he who is not offended in me' because of this. For before he had said, 'The poor receive the gospel;' and this he knew that many would be scandalised at, and that it would prove an invincible obstacle to their believing: Luke 7:22, 23, 'Then Jesus, answering, said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is he who shall not be offended in me.'
Though he doth there reckon up many miracles which he did, yet that the poor received the gospel he knew would stumble them more than all his wonderful works would persuade them. And this indeed did offend the pharisees, and they reasoned from it against him:
John 7:49, 'But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.' And are not now in these days many of those sharp arrows which are shot against God's people fetched out of this quiver? And are they not spited, maligned, and despised, because of the meanness of their condition, and low appearance in the world?
6. Unregenerate men, to defend their state, will argue from scriptures themselves, either misunderstood or misapplied. As there
is no heresy so foul but in show produceth some scripture for itself, so there is no estate so bad but will have something out of the word of God wherewith to justify itself. The pharisees, who were most wicked and deadly enemies to Christ, yet thought from some scriptures that they should be saved, and that without Christ, misunderstanding the scope of Moses his ministry: therefore, says
Christ, John 5:39, 'Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me,' i. e. they thought their evidence for heaven lay there, and as they by their glosses had corrupted them, they fancied that they spoke plainly, that by their doing they should live, being ignorant of the righteousness of faith: Rom. 10:3, 'For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.' And they were Abraham's seed, as they thought, to whom the promise was made, and on that account imagined themselves safe enough.
But (says Christ) these scriptures you have not searched, and compared one thing with another; for if you had, you would find that they write of me. 'And that Moses in whom you trust,' John 5:45 (as they built all their mighty confidence upon sayings of his), he, if you rightly understand him, makes against you, ver. 46; and I desire no other judge than him, to whom you appeal. Yea, to such a degree of confidence were they grown, that they bring scripture against Christ himself: John 7:52, 'They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.'
They urge this, that out of Galilee, from whence Christ came, there ariseth no prophet, for that in all the Scripture there was no mention of that country to be the place of any prophet, which yet was the place of Christ's abode; but say they, ver. 42, 'The scripture saith that the Christ shall be of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem,' which had they searched into, as indeed they ought, they might have found to be the place of Christ's birth; but they were loath to make inquiry, but took advantage from the place of his education, as if it were his country where he was born. And so they argue against Christ from Scripture, in John 7:27, 'Howbeit, we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence
he is.' They herein had reference (as it should seem) to Isa. 53:8, 'Who can tell his generation?' which being spoken of his Godhead they apply to his manhood; 'And as for this man,' say they, 'we know whence he is,' which yet if they had known, they would not have said what follows: John 7:42, 'Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?' So to this day, how many scriptures are alleged to justify men's sins and sinful states. Men, to cloak their covetousness, will presently have that scripture in their mouths, 'He is worse than an infidel who provides not for his family,' 1 Tim. 5:8. To quiet their hearts in delaying repentance, they will often repeat that scripture to themselves, 'That at whatsoever time a man turns to God, he will abundantly pardon,' Isa. 55:7. And therefore James says, chap. 1:22, that many hearers of the word make παραλογἱσμους, false syllogisms, out of the word itself. And thus men fancy, too, that their lazy, good purposes and desires shall be accepted, because, say they,
God accepts the will for the deed. Thus they also will flatter themselves that if their consciences do but check them when they sin, it is well enough, for they will abuse that place in Rom. 7:17, and say, 'It is not I, but sin that dwelleth in me.' And thus the pharisees, because it was said in Moses's law, 'A tooth for a tooth,' therefore thought it lawful to revenge themselves: Mat. 5:43, 'Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thy enemy.' And because they are bidden to love their neighbours, Lev.
19:18, they, understanding neighbour for only a friend, or one who is not an enemy, thought they might lawfully hate their enemies.
7. Carnal men will argue for their practices and state, from common principles agreeable to self-love, and from those proud, flattering conceits which they have of themselves, making self-love their judge; for example, Cain, he reasons with God, 'Am I my brother's keeper?'
Gen. 4:9. Self-love thinks that it is bound to look only to itself. And thus men will commonly say, Every man for himself, and God for us all; we are to look only to ourselves, and every man to take care of one. And self-love thinks this but reasonable. So men think it equal too to cheat him who hath cheated them; and so, though to wrong an
innocent was esteemed a sin among the heathen, yet Cicero himself thought revenge to be laudable. Such as these Christ confutes, Mat.
5:38, 'Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' They thought it lawful to revenge upon grounds of self-love, and that it was a duty to hate their enemies, ver. 45. So Simeon and Levi thought it just to take such a cruel revenge on the Shechemites because of the high abuse offered to their sister: Gen.
34:31, 'And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?' and they thought it a good reason. Thus out of those high conceits which men have of themselves and their own cause will they argue, making themselves their own rule and reason. Thus the pharisees stood upon their defence: John 9:40, 'And some of the pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?' What, are we blind also? What! we? And this they did out of the high conceits which they had of their own knowledge. And so they thought it was reason enough to persuade the apostles to cease preaching of Christ, that they would thereby bring innocent blood on their heads: Acts 5:28, 'Did not we strictly command you that you should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.' As if they had said, What, will you accuse a whole state of murder? Now all this, the apostle calls comparing themselves with themselves, not with the rule: 2 Cor. 10:12, 'For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.' And yet by this way of judging will unregenerate men take the measure of themselves; and therefore they think what is beyond that which they have must needs be hypocrisy, and censure those who are more strictly holy than themselves to be close and sly hypocrites.
8. Others there are who do not deceive themselves so grossly, but have something of show and pretence, who will argue for the goodness of their condition from some religious duties and performances, or from some inferior common works of God's Spirit upon their hearts. This the young man insisted on, Luke 18:21. Thus