our souls, saith Theophylact,(12) since also the
wisdom of the flesh is enmity against God, Rom. viii. 7, who hath made
foolish the wisdom of this world, 1 Cor. i. 20, therefore never shall you
rightly deprehend the truth of God, nor submit yourselves to be guided by
the same, unless, laying aside all the high soaring fancies and
presumptuous conceits of natural and worldly wisdom, you come in an
unfeigned humility and babe-like simplicity to be edified by the word of
righteousness. And far less shall you ever take up the cross and follow
Christ (as you are required), except, first of all, you labour and learn
to deny yourselves, Matth. xvi. 24, that is, to make no reckoning what
come of yourselves, and of all that you have in the world, so that God
have glory and yourselves a good conscience, in your doings or sufferings.

III. If you would not be drawn away after the error of the wicked, neither
fall from your own stedfastness, the apostle Peter teacheth you, that ye
must grow both in grace and knowledge, 2 Pet. iii. 18, for, if either your
minds be darkened through want of knowledge, or your affections frozen
through want of the love of God, then are you naked, and not guarded
against the tentations of the time. Wherefore, as the perverters of the
truth and simplicity of religion do daily multiply errors, so must you
(shunning those shelves and quicksands of deceiving errors which witty
make-bates design for you), labour daily for increase of knowledge, and as
they to their errors in opinion do add the overplus of a licentious
practice and lewd conversation, so must you (having so much the more ado
to flee from their impiety), labour still for a greature measure of the
lively work of sanctifying grace; in which respects Augustine saith well,
that the adversaries of the truth do this good to the true members of the
church, that the fall of those makes these to take better hold upon
God.(13)

IV. Be not deceived, to think that they who so eagerly press this course
of conformity have any such end as God's glory, or the good of his church
and profit of religion. When a violent urger of the ceremonies pretendeth
religious respects for his proceedings, it may be well answered in
Hillary's(14) words. _Subrepis nomine blandienti, occidis specie
religionis_--Thou privily creepest in with an enticing title, thou killest
with the pretence of religion, for, 1. It is most evidently true of these
ceremonies, which our divines(15)