The dying man's testament to the Church of Scotland, or, A treatise concerning scandal…

2. In the method which he followeth, we will¹ find this progress, 1. He setteth himself by all means to make the Ministers of the truth odious and contemptible, and that either by crying down a Ministry altogether, or making all indifferently to be Ministers, which is, upon the matter, one with the former: this was Korah, Dathan, and Abirams fault, Numb. 16. which is applied to corrupt teachers, Jude 11. or if that fail, he endeavoureth to make their persons odious, who are in the station: thus we see, even Paul is traduced by the false teachers of Corinth and Galatia. The reason of this, is, 1. because Ministers are appointed, and gifts are given to men by Jesus Christ, purposely to guard the Church from being tossed to and fro with corrupt Doctrine, by the sleight of men, as it is Ephes. 4. 11, 12, 13, 14. that he may therefore have the more easily his will, he endeavoureth to bring the Watchmen in suspicion, and to render them useless. 2. Teachers of the truth, and corrupt teachers cannot both together have peoples affection, and no teacher readily will have ⟨p. 184⟩weight, if he have not affection from his hearers: Therefore he by all means endeavours to traduce Ministers that by excluding them, he may make way for his Emissaries, for they are like […] wooers […] the same Bride, So that both cannot have her affection, to this purpose is the Apostles word, Gal. 4. •7. they zealously affect you, but not well, yea, they […] exclude you; it is in the Original, and on the Margin, they would exclude us, (that is, the true Apostles) that you might affect them. And considering the great access that the devil hath to destroy, when once Ministers are in contempt, it is no marvel he begin at the removal of this impediment out of his way; and s•ing he attempted this against the great Apostl• Paul, so often and frequently, it cannot be thought strange that he seek to defame others.