“The first general cause of all ignorance, error, and misunderstanding of the mind and will of God, as revealed in the Scripture, among all sorts of men, whatever their particular circumstances are, is the natural vanity and darkness with which the minds of all men are depraved.”
“Two things I shall only observe unto our present purpose, namely,
(1.) That hereby the mind is kept off from discerning the glory and beauty of spiritual, heavenly truth, and from being sensible of its power and efficacy, John 1:5.
(2.) That it is by the same means inclined unto all things that are vain, curious, superstitious, carnal, suited unto the interest of pride, lust, and all manner of corrupt affections. Hence, whatever other occasions of error and superstition may be given or taken, the ground of their reception and of all adherence unto them is the uncured vanity and darkness of the minds of men by nature.”
“And the consideration hereof will rectify our thoughts concerning those whom we see daily to wander from the truth, or to live in those misapprehensions of the mind of God which they have imbibed, notwithstanding the clear revelation of it unto the contrary. Some think it strange that it should be so, and marvel at them; some are angry with them; and some would persecute and destroy them. We may make a better use of this consideration; for we may learn from it the sad corruption and depravation of our minds in our estate of apostasy from God. Here lies the seed and spring of all the sin, evil and disorder, which we behold and suffer under in religious concerns in this world.”
“And if we consider it aright, it will serve,-
[1.] To impress a due sense of our own condition upon our minds, that we may be humbled. It was in the principles of our nature to adhere sacredly unto the first truth, to discern and abhor every false way. We were created with that light of truth in our minds as was every way able to guide us in all that we had to believe or do with respect unto God or our own blessedness for ever. But in the room thereof, through our wretched apostasy from God, our mind is become the seat and habitation of all vanity, disorder, and confusion. And no way doth this more discover itself than in the readiness and proneness of multitudes to embrace whatever is crooked, perverse, and false in religion, notwithstanding the clear revelation that God hath made of the whole truth concerning it in Scripture. A due reflection hereon may teach us humility and self-abasement; for we are “by nature children of wrath, even as others,” neither have we any good thing that we have not received. It is better therefore to be conversant with such thoughts on this occasion than to be filled with contempt of, or wrath against those whom we see yet suffering under those woeful effects of the general apostasy from God, wherein we are equally involved with them.”
[2.] It will teach us pity and compassion towards those whose minds do run out into the spiritual excesses mentioned. The merciful High priest of the whole church hath “compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way,” Hebrews 5:2; and it is conformity unto him in all things which ought to be our principal design, if we desire to be like unto him in glory. Want hereof is the ruin of religion, and the true cause of all the troubles that its profession is encumbered withal at this day.”
“It is true, for the most part, there is an interposition of corrupt affections seducing the minds of men from the truth; with these are they tossed up and down, and so driven with the winds of temptations that befall them; - but is it humanity to stand on the shore, and seeing men in a storm at sea, wherein they are ready every moment to be cast away and perish, to storm at them ourselves, or to shoot them to death, or to cast fire into their vessel, because they are in danger of being drowned? Yet no otherwise do we deal with them whom we persecute because they miss the knowledge of the truth; and, it may be, raise a worse storm in ourselves as to our own morals than they suffer under in their intellectuals. Concerning such persons the advice of the apostle is, “Of some have compassion, making a difference: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire,” Jude 22,23. Some are so given up in their apostasy as that they “sin unto death;” with such we are not to concern ourselves, 1 John 5:16. But it is very rare that we can safely make that judgment concerning any in this world. Sometimes, no doubt, we may, or this rule concerning them had not been given. As unto all others, the worst of them, those that are in the fire, the frame of our minds’ acting towards them is here presented unto us; compassion of their present status, and fear of their future ruin, we ought to be possessed with and acted by. But how few are they who are so framed and minded towards them, especially as such as by their enormous errors seem to be fallen into the fire of God’s displeasure! Anger, wrath, fury, contempt, towards such persons, men think to be their duty; more contrivances there are usually how they may be temporally destroyed than how they may be eternally saved. But such men profess the truth as it were by chance. They never knew what it is to learn it aright, nor whence the knowledge of it is to be received, nor were ever under its power or conduct. Our proper work is to save such persons, what lies in us, “pulling them out of the fire.” Duties of difficulty and danger unto ourselves may be required hereunto. It is easier, if we had secular power with us, to thrust men into temporal fire for their errors than to free them from eternal fire by the truth. But if we were governed my compassion for their souls and fear of their ruin, as it is our duty to be, we would not decline any office of love required thereunto.”
[3.] Hath God led us into the truth, hath he kept us from every false way? It is not, we see, of ourselves, that we either know the truth, or love it, or abide in the profession of it. We have nothing of this kind but what we have received. Humility in ourselves, usefulness towards others, and thankfulness unto God, ought to be the effects of this consideration.” ~ John Owen
