the Snares of the Flatterer. Now after a while, they perceived afar off one coming softly, and alone, all along the highway to scheme is another spirit than the spirit of the gospel;—that it is in fact another gospel, at the same time that it is not another, because it preverts the gospel of Christ? Though the way seems at first view to "lie straight" towards the celestial city, yet by degrees it "turns from it," and they who follow it in all its consequences will in process of time have their "faces turned away from heaven." The infatuating influence of these sentiments, even upon good men, is shown by its being added, "yet they followed him." There are ministers whose judgments are unhappily tainted, and leavened with these loose doctrines, who, being in the main godly persons, dare not take liberty to sin, or live in the neglect of known duties. "But," says the judicious Flavel, "though they dare not, others will, who imbibe corrupt notions from them; and the renowned piety of the authors will be no antidote against the danger; on the contrary, the poison will operate the more powerfully, from its being contained in such a vessel."-The dangerous tendency of this system is shown by Mr. Bunyan's adding, "But by and by, before they were aware, he led them within the compass of a net, in which they were both so entangled," &c. If genuine christians are led into the commission of actual sin, they will find that sin does actually harm them, and then "the white robe falls off the black man's back," and they are led bitterly to lament having been so simple as to be "deceived by good words and fair speeches," (Rom. xvi. 18.) whereby guilt has been brought upon their consciences, and their souls have been exposed to destruction. Comparing this corrupt system, which lays the "flattering" unction to the soul, with that taught by "the Shepherds of the Delectable Mountains," that is to say, by ministers of evangelical "knowledge and experience," and who are "watchful and sincere" in feeding the church of God, it brings to mind one of their cautions, "Beware of the Flatterer." Antinomian preachers always desire their followers to form a good opinion of their own estate; and this many hearers are so simple as to call the comforts and consolations of the gospel.-Such sentiments are directly opposed to the "note of directions about the way," which evangelical minis. ters give their people; they directly oppose the scope and current of the word of God, and the experience and practice of the saints. If this note of directions were not forgotten, such flatterers would never succeed in persuading real christians to swallow their poison. · But if the children of God forsake his law, and walk not in his judgments, he will visit their transgressions with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes," Ps. lxxxix. 30, 32. Because he loves them, he rebukes and chastens them; not to destroy them, but to The Pilgrims are endangered by meeting with Atheist, meet them. Then said Christian to his fellow, "Yonder is a man with his back towards Zion, and he is coming to meet us." HOPE. I see him; let us take heed to ourselves now, lest he should prove a flatterer also. So he drew nearer and nearer, and at last came up to them. His name was Atheist, and he asked them whither they were going. CHR. We are going to Mount Zion. Then Atheist fell into a very great laughter. ATHEIST. I laugh to see what ignorant persons you are, to take upon you so tedious a journey, and yet are likely to have nothing but your travel for your pains. CHR. Why, man, do you think we shall not be received? ATHEIST. Received? There is no such place as you dream of in all this world. CHR. But there is in the world to come. ATHEIST. When I was at home in my own country, I heard as you now affirm, and from that hear bring them to repentance. Thus the snare is broken, and they escape, and are brought back again into the way of holiness.-The ingenuousness of confession of sin is represented by the answers of the pilgrims, who frankly acknowledged, that they had been led into their errors and sins by neglecting the cautions of their faithful pastors, and by forgetting the scope and current of the Scriptures. The manner in which the pilgrims expressed their simplicity, in having been caught in the Fatterer's net, is admirable; "they did not imagine that this fine-spoken man was he." It is not necessary to name ministers, who, during the last thirty years, have been flattering the pride, and corrupting the minds of believers; some of whom have been "fine-spoken men," very eloquent, very fascinating, very popular, and apparently very holy; but who, by opposing the doctrine of personal and progressive sanctification, and by saying that the moral law is not a rule for a Deliever's life, have taught men to do evil that good may come, and "to sin that grace may abound."-Christians will be thankful for the fatherly chastisement that breaks such a snare, and will walk softly ever after in the highway of holiness. but are preserved by the recollection of their late Fall. ing went out to see, and have been seeking this city these twenty years, but find no more of it than I did the first day I set out. (Eccles. x. 15. Jer. xvii. 15.) CHR. We have both heard, and believe, that there is such a place to be found. ATHEIST. Had not I, when at home, believed, I had not I come thus far to seek; but finding none, (and yet I should, had there been such a place to be found, for I have gone to seek it further than you,) I am going back again, and will seek to refresh myself with the things that I had then passed away for the hope of that which I now see is not. CHR. Then said Christian to Hopeful his companion, Is it true which this man hath said? HOPE. Take heed; he is one of the flatterers. Remember what it hath cost us once already for our hearkening to such kind of fellows. What! No Mount Zion? Did we not see from the Delectable Mountains the gate of the city? Also, we are not now to walk by faith? (2 Cor. v. 7.) Let us go on, continued Hopeful, lest the man with the whip overtake us again. You should have taught me that lesson, which I will round you in the ears withal: "Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge," (Prov. xix. 27.) I say, my brother, cease to hear him, and let us believe to the saving of the soul. (Heb. x. 39.) to CHR. My brother, I did not put the question thee, for that I doubted of the truth of your belief myself, but to prove thee, and to fetch from thee a fruit of the honesty of thy heart. As for this man, I know that he is blinded by the god of this world, Let thee and me go on, knowing that we have belief of the truth, and that no lie is of the truth. (1 John ii. 21.) HOPE. Now I do rejoice in hope of the glory of The Pilgrims arrive at God. So they turned away from the man; and he laughing at them went his way." I saw then in my dream, that they went till they came into a certain country, whose air naturally tended to make one drowsy, if he came a stranger into it. And here Hopeful began to be very dull, and heavy to sleep; wherefore he said unto Christian, "I do now begin to grow so drowsy, that I can scarcely hold open my eyes; let us lie down here, and take one nap." d In this conversation Antinomianism is seen in full bloom, in the case of one who, after twenty years' profession, turned his back upon godliness, made sport at religion, and ridiculed pious persons as ignorant and deluded. It is probable Mr. Bunyan alludes to this person in his Life, p. 27. "About this time (i. e. soon after his conversion) I met with some Ranters' books, that were put forth by some of our countrymen,* which books were also held in esteem by several old professors. Some of these I read, but was not able to make any judgment about them; wherefore as I read in them, and thought upon them, seeing myself unable to judge, I would betake myself to hearty prayer in this manner : 'O Lord, I am a fool, and not able to know the truth from error: Lord, leave me not to my own blindness, either to approve of, or condemn this doctrine. If it be of God, let me not despise it; if it be of the devil, let me not embrace it. Lord, I lay my soul in this matter only at thy feet; let me not be deceived, I humbly beseech thee.' I had one religious intimate acquaintance all this while, and that was the poor man I spoke of before; but about this time he also turned a most devilish Ranter, and gave himself up to all manner of filthiness, especially uncleanness. He would also deny that there was a God, angel, or spirit, and would laugh at all exhortations to sobriety. When I laboured to rebuke his wickedness, he would laugh the more, and pretend that he had gone through all religions and could never hit upon the right till now. He told me also, that in a little time I should see all professors turn to the ways of the Ranters. Wherefore, abominating those cursed principles, I left his company forthwith, and became to him as great a stranger as I had been before a familiar." Faith m the Scriptures, experience of the power of godliness, and hope of future blessedness, will effectually deliver believers from the errors of "evil men and seducers, who wax worse and worse, dereiving, and being deceived," 2 Tim iii. 13. • The persons here intended were Saltmarsh, Eaton, Town, Crisp, &e |