While they do not fawn and cringe
before men, nor believe everything that is said to them, without
proving it by the word and Spirit of God, they believe that God
"gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists;
and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints,
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ"; and, like Cornelius, they are ready to hear these
appointed ministers, and receive the word of the Lord from them.
But Satan seeks to destroy all this lowliness of spirit and
humbleness of mind. Those in whom his deadly work has begun are
"wiser in their own conceit than seven men that can render a
reason." They are wiser than all their teachers, and no man can
instruct them. One of these deluded souls, who had previously
been marked by modesty and humility, declared of certain of God's
chosen leaders whose spiritual knowledge and wisdom were
everywhere recognised, that "the whole of them knew no more
about the Holy Ghost than an old goose." Paul, Luther, and Wesley
were much troubled, and their work greatly hurt, by some of these
misguided souls, and every great spiritual awakening is likely to
be marred more or less by such people; so that we cannot be too
much on our guard against false spirits who would counterfeit the
work and leadings of the Holy Spirit.
It is this huge conceit that has led some men to announce
themselves as apostles and prophets to whom all men must listen,
or fall under the wrath of God; while others have declared that
they were living in resurrection bodies and should not die; and
yet others have reached that pitch of fanaticism where they could
calmly proclaim themselves to be the Messiah, or the Holy Ghost
in bodily form.
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