1 THE IIOLY SP/RIT AND IBIS won't. being made of a woman, Gal. iv. 4 . or his being made of the seed of David according to the flesh, Rom. i. `s. His being of the fathers as to the flesh, Rom. ix. 5. And this was directly opposed unto those heresies which were then risen, whose broachers contended that Jesus Christ was but a phantasy, an appearance, a manifesta- tion of divine love and power, denying that the Son of God was really incarnate, as the antients generally tes- tify. And well had it been for many in our days had theyattended unto such rules as this. But through a neglect of it, accompanied with an ungrounded bold- ness and curiosity, they have hearkened in other things to deceiving spirits, and have been engaged beyond a recovery, before they have considered that by their cogging deceits, they have been cheated of all the prin- cipal articles of their faith; by which, if at first they had steadily tried and examined them, they might have been preserved from their snares. Sect 22. The Jews say well, that there was a dou- ble trial of prophets under the Old Testament; the one by their doctrine, the otherby their predictions. That by their doctrine, namely, whether they seduced men from the worship of the true God unto idolatry, belong- ed unto all individual persons of thechurch. Direction for this is given, Deut. xiii. 2, 3. If theprophetgivetfe a sign ora 'wonder, and it cane topass, (effect any thing by a seeming presence of an extraordinary power) and say, let us go serve 0ther gods, thoushalt not hearken un- to hies. Let hissigns and wondersbe what they would, the people were to try them by what they taught. The judgment upon predictions was left unto the Sanhe- drim; for which directions are given, Deut. xviii. 20, 21, 22. And by virtue hereof they falsely and cruelly endeavoured to take away the life of Jeremiah, because he foretold the ruin of them and their city, chap. xxvi. ver. 1 1. In the first place, though his sign, wonder, or prediction came to pass, yet the doctrine he sought to confirm by it being false, he was to be rejected. In the latter, the fulfilling of his sign acquitted him, be- cause he taught with it nothing in point of doctrine that was false. The first kind of trial of the spirits of pro. phets is the duty of all believers under the gospel. And those whowould deprive them of this liberty, would make brutes of them instead of Christians; unless to be- lieve a man knows not what, and to obey he knows not why, be the properties of Christians, see Rom. stil, 2. Rph. v. 8II. Phil. 1. lo. 1 'l'hess. v. 21. The other, so for as was needful to preserve the church in truth and peace, was provided for in those primitive times, whilst there was a real communication of extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, (and so more occasion given to the false pretence of them, and more danger in being deceived by them) by a peculiar gift of discerning them bestow- ed on some amongst them, 1 Cor. xiì. i0. Discerning of spirits is reckoned among the gifts of the Spirit. So had the Lord graciously provided for his churches, that some among them should be enabled in an extraordinary manner, to discern and judge of them who pretended unto extraordinary actings of the Spirit. And upon the ceasing of extraordinarygifts really given fromGod, the gift also ofdiscerning spirits ceased, and we are left unto the word alone for the trial of any that shall pre- tend unto them. Now this kind of pretence was so common in those days, that the apostle Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, to caution them that they suffered not themselves to be deceived in their expectation and computationsabout the time of the coming of Christ, in the first place, warns them not to bemoved in it by spirit, 2 Thess. ii. 2. That is, persons pretending unto spiritual revelations. Something also ofthis nature bath continued and broken out in succeeding ages, and that in instances abominable and dreadful. And the more eminent in any season are the real effusions of the Holy Spirit upon the ministers of the gospel, and disciples of Christ, themore diligence andwatchfulness against these delusions are necessary. For on such opportunities it . is, when the useand reputation ofspiritual gifts is emi- nent, that Satan doth lay hold to intrude, under the colour of them, his own deceitful suggestions. In the dark times of the Papacy, all stories are full of Satani- cal delusions in phantastical apparitions, horrors, spec- tres, and the like effects of darkness.. It was seldom or never that any falsely pretended to the gifts and graces; of the Holy Spirit; for these things were then of little use or request in the world- But when God was pleas- ed to renew really a fresh communication of spiritual gifts and graces unto menin andupon the Reformation, the old dreads and terrors, nightly appearances, tend- ing unto deeds of darknessvanished, and every where by Satan's instigation arose false pretenders to the Spirit of God; inwhich way of delusion he will still be more active and industrious, as God shall increase the gifts
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