SERM. henceforth be no more children, toffed to and XV. fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the fleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to de ceive. From these words we may obferve, I. That falfe teachers or preachers of II. That, being thus forewarned, it con- I. FIRST, I begin with observing, what the Text clearly enough fuggefts and intimates, that falfe Teachers, or Preachers of vain doctrine, muft always be expected in the church, who, by fleight and cunning craftinefs, will lie in wait to deceive. The thing is elsewhere most exprefly foretold, that it must needs be that offences come, and that there must be alfo herefies among us; that XV. that greedy wolves fhall enterin, not fparing the SERM, flock, and of our own felves alfo fhall men arife, Speaking perverfe things, to draw away dif ciples after them; that, as falfe Prophets were of old, fo there shall be alfo falfe teachers among us, who shall privily bring in damnable berefies, even denying the Lord that bought them. But the Apostle has made ufe of three words in the Text, to set forth the restless malice and fallacious kinds of reasoning, with which fuch deceivers endeavour to propagate their doctrine. The first, is fleight, the fleight of men, χυβεία τῶν ἀνθρώπων. The word is properly ufed of games at Dice, than which nothing appears more variable and uncertain: So that, the different forms and fluctuations of error, inconftant to itself, as well as diftant from the truth, may be thought to be referred to in this expreffion. But it has been more ufual with Expofitors to understand the Apostle in this place with reference to the art of unfair Gamefters, who, either by ufing falfe Dice, or otherwife by fleight of hand, are able to command fuch throws as are most advantageous to themselves. And thus, if it be applied to the false teachers of religion, it imports their reprefenting the evidences for their doctrine with fuch specious fhew and outside, their laying together certain Texts of Scripture, or max SERM. ims of Philofophy, under fuch colour and XV. difguife, or else their pretending to fuch new light of Revelation, as may ferve to amufe or delude the unlearned and unstable, who cannot fee through the impofture, nor detect the fallacy of fuch fly and subtle difputants. The next word, wavegyía, which is rendered cunning craftiness, may, without doubt, be fo interpreted, as to take in the whole compass or exercife of all the various arts of fraud and deceit, fo as to differ little from that fleight, or falfe play of the deceivers which was mentioned before, but would perhaps be better underftood of their choice of proper opportunities, their laying hold of the fittest seasons and places, the most favourable junctures and concurrence of things, to fuggest and infinuate their errors. All this is carried farther by the last phrafe in the Text, their lying in wait to deceive, πρὸς τὴν μεθοδείαν της Sans, as it is in the original,-according to the method of the deceit: Which implies, that they have a certain method, or contrived fcheme, for propagating error, under the cover of which they may pass unfufpected, whilft their defigns are laid deep, and kept from open view. Such feems to have been the conduct of those deceivers the Apoftle complains of, who, by a plaufible carriage, infinuated themselves into mens good opinion, and, by good words, and and fair fpeeches, deceived the hearts of the SER M. fimple *. Thus has the Apostle intimated their use of art and fubtilty, of guile and hypocrify, for compaffing their ends. Nor can it be difowned but they have often met with fuccefs. The hiftories of the Church, and the experience of our own times, furnish us with many inftances of those unhappy divifions, which have been contrived and fomented by the fleight of men, by fophiftry and false reasoning, and cunning craftiness, by catching at the moft favourable junctures for infinuating their delufions, and, by doing it in fuch order and method as is most likely to prevail, and gain them credit with unlearned and unftable minds. But, though I call these divifions unhappy, in refpect of those who are feduced, as well as of that trouble and vexation they create to others, yet it ought to be observed, that God does, in his Providence, convert them to a good end, and makes them turn to the advantage of the church. Hereby we are obliged to look more strictly to the grounds and evidences of our religion, and have the fatisfaction to see them placed in better light, and fhine therefore with the greater luftre, for the very oppofition that is made to them. Hereby again, the church is purged of hypocritical and faith *Rom. xvi. 18. lefs XV. SER M. less members; and fuch as were but weakXV. ly grounded in the faith, are freed from the danger of being mifled by them, under the appearance of regular and faithful christians. And, laftly, the fhining example of those who are approved, is properly made manifeft, and fet in open view, as well to their own mighty consolation, from this sense of their integrity and perfeverance, as to the mutual ftrengthening and edification of each other. But, in order to fecure these good effects, it is neceffary for them that are earnest and fincere in their Religion, fo to fortify themfelves, that they may fuftain no damage from the artifice and fophiftry of fuch deceivers. And that leads me, in order, to the II. SECOND Observation from the Text, namely, That, being thus forewarned, it concerns us to arm against their devices and infinuations, and to establish ourselves upon a good foundation, that we henceforth be no more children, toffed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine. The name of children is here opposed to that of the perfect man in the foregoing verfe. And fo the Apoftle's antithefis, appears to carry a fingular beauty and emphafis along with it. Chrift has provided fuch means of inftruction in his church, as may |