what greater madnesse then for weaknesse it selfe to engage against an almighty strength the neer union that is between the Lord and Beleevers is set forth by that neer union that is betwixt a husband and his Wife The soules happinesse consists not in any thing but in its union with God nor its misery lies not so much in any thing as in its disunion from God They two shall be one flesh This is a great Mistery but I speake concerning Christ the Church We are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones saith the Apostle This neer union is set forth by that union that is between the head and the members which make up one body and by that union that is betwixt the graft and the stock which are made one by inscition The union between the Lord and a Beleever is so neer that you cannot strike a Beleever but the Lord is sensible of it and takes it as done to himself Saul Saul why persecutest thou Acts 9. 4. Isa 63. 9. me And in all their afflictions he was afflicted c. Ah soules who ever engaged against God and prospered who ever took up the sword against him but perisht by it God can speak you to hell and nod you to hell at pleasure 't is your greatest concernment to lay downe your weapons at his feet and to Psal 2. 12. kisse the sonne lest he be angry and you perish in the mid-way The 4th Remedie against this Device 4 Remedie of Satan is solemnly to consider that Hic homo potuit apud Deum quod voluit Said one concerning Luther he could have what hee would of God you are much engaged to the Saints as instruments for the mercies that you do enjoy and for the preventing and removing of many a judgment that otherwise might have been your ruine before this day were it not for the Saints sake God would quickly make the Heavens to be as brasse and the Earth as iron God would quickly strip thee of thy Robes and glory and set thee upon the dunghill with Job They are the props that bear the world from falling about thy eares and that keep the iron rod from breaking of thy bones Therefore he said that hee would Psal 106. 23. destroy them had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach to turn away Prayer is porta coeli clavis Paradisi the gate of Heaven a key to let us into Paradise his wrath lest he should destroy them Ah! had not the Saints many a time cast themselves into the breach betwixt Gods wrath and you you had been cut off from the land of the living and have had your portion with those whose names are written in the dust When the danger is over the Saint is forgotten is a French Proverb and that which many Saints in England have found by experience many a Nation many a City and many a Family is surrounded with blessings for the Josephs sakes that live therein and are preserved from many calamities and miseries for the Moseses the Daniels the Noahs and the Jobs sakes that dwell amongst them That 's a sweet word Prov. 10. 25. As the whirlewinde passeth so is the wicked no more but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jesodh gnolam from Josadh righteous is an everlasting foundation or is the foundation of the world the righteous is the foundation of the world which but for their sakes would soon shatter and fall to ruine so the Psalmist Psal 75. 3. The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved I bear up the pillars of it Selah Mary Queen of Scots that was Mother to King James was wont to say that she feared Mr. Knoxes prayer more then an Army of ten thousand men The Emperour Marcus Antonius being in Almany with his Army was inclosed in a dry Countrey by his enemies who so stopped all the passages that he and his Army were like to perish for want of water the Emperours Lievtenant seeing him so distressed told him that he had heard that the Christians could obtaine any thing of their God by their prayers whereupon the Emperour having a legion of Christians in his Army desired them to pray to their God for his and the Armies delivery out of that danger which they presently did presently a great Thunder fell amongst the enemies and abundance of water upon the Romanes whereby their thirst was quenched and the enemies overthrowne without any fight I shall close up this last Remedy with those sweet words of the Psalmist In Judah is God knowne his name is great Ps 76. 1 2 3. in Israel In Salem also is his Tabernacle and his dwelling place in Sion There brake he the arrowes of the bow the shield and the sword and the bettell Selah Secondly Satan hath his Devices to ensnare and destroy the Learned and the Wise and that sometimes BY working them to pride themselves John 5. â—4 in their parts and abilities 1 Kings 22. 22 23 24 25. 1 Cor. 1. 18. to 29. and sometimes by drawing them to rest upon their parts and abilities sometimes by causing them to make light and slight of those that want their parts The truth of this you may see i' the learned Scribes and Pharisees and abilities though they excell them in grace and holinesse and sometimes by drawing them to ingage their parts and abilities in those wayes and things that make against the honour of Christ the joy of the spirit the advancement of the Gospel and the liberty of the Saints c. Now the Remedies against this Device of Satan are these that follow THe first Remedy against this Device 1 Remedie of Satan is seriously to consider that you have nothing but what you have received Christ being as well the fountaine of common gifts as of saving 1 Cor. 4. 7. Quicquid es debes creanti Quicquid potes debes redimenti said Bern. Whatsoever thou art thou owest to him that made thee whatever thou hast thou owest to him that redeemed thee grace What hast thou saith the Apostle that thou hast not received And if thou hast received it why dost thou glory as though thou hadst not received it There are those that would hammer out their owne happinesse like the Spider climbing up by the thread of her owne weaving of all the parts and abilities that be in you you may well say as the young man did of his Hatchet Alas Master it was but borrowed Alas Lord all I have is but borrowed from that Fountaine that fills all the Vessel in Heaven and on Earth and it overflowes my gifts are not so much mine 1 Chro. 29. 14. as thine Of thine owne have we offered unto thee said that Princely Prophet c. The second Remedy against this Device 2 Remedie of Satan is solemnly to consider that mens leaning and trusting to their own wits parts and
of God upon them They send forth their little ones like a flock and their children dance They take the Timbrell and Harp and rejoyce at the Men that injoy all worldly comforts may truly say Omnes humanae conjolationes sunt desolationes sound of the Organ they spend their dayes in wealth their eyes stand out with fatnesse they have more then heart can wish And they have no bands in their death but their strength is firme They are not in trouble as other men as David and Job speak yet all this is nothing to what they want they want interest in God Christ the Spirit the Promises the Covenant of Grace and everlasting Glory They want acceptation and reconciliation with God They want Righteousnesse Justification Sanctification Adoption and Redemption They want the pardon of sin and power against sin and freedome from the dominion of sin They want that favour that is better then life and that joy that is unspeakable and full of glory and that peace that passes understanding and that Nec Christus nec coelum pati tur hyperbolen Neither Christ nor Heaven can be hyperbolized grace the least spark of which is more worth then Heaven and Earth They want a House that hath foundations whose builder and maker is God they want those riches that perish not that glory that fades not that Kingdome that shakes not Wicked men are the most needy men in the world yea they want those two things that should render their mercies sweet viz. The blessing of God and content with their condition and without which their Heaven is but Hell on this side Hell When their hearts are lifted up and grown big upon the thoughts of their abundance if conscience do's but put A crowne of gold cannot cuâ—e the head ach nor a velvet slipper cannot ease the Gout no moâ—e can honour or riches c. quiet and still the Conscience The heart of man is a three square triangle which the whole round circle of the world cannot fill as Mathematicians say but all the corners will complaine of â—mptines and hunger for somâ—hing else in a word and say 't is true here is this and that outward mercy oh but where is an interest in Christ Where is the favour of God Where are the comforts of the holy Ghost Where are thy evidences for Heaven c. This word from Conscience makes the mans countenance to change his thoughts to be troubled his heart to be amazed and all his mercies on the right hand and left to be as dead and withered Ah! were but the eyes of wicked men open to see their wants under their abundance they would cry out and say as Absalom did What are all these to me so long as I cannot see the Kings face What 's honour and riches and the favour of Creatures so long as I want the favour of God the pardon of my sins an interestin Christ and the hopes of glory O Iod give me these or I dye give me these or else I shall eternally dye The fift Remedy against this Device 5 Remedy of Satan is solemnly to confider that outward things are not as they seem and are esteemed they have indeed a glorious outside but if you view their insides you will easily find that they fill the head full of cares and the heart full of feares what if the fire should consume one part of my estate and the sea should be a grave to swallow up another part of my estate what if my servants should be unfaithfull abroad and my children should be deceitful at home ah the secret fretting vexing and gnawing that doth daily yea hourly attend those mens souls whose hands are full of worldly goods 'T was a good speech of an Emperour you said he gaze on my purple Robe â—nd golden Crown but did you know what cares are under it you would not take it up from the ground to have it 'T was a true saying of Augustine on the 26 Psalm many are Multi amando res noxias sunt miseri habendo miseriores August miserable by loving hurtfull things but they are more miserable by having them It is not what men injoy but the principle from whence it comes that makes men happy much of these outward things doe usually cause great distraction great vexation and great condemnation at last to the posessors of them if God gives them in his wrath do not sanctifie them in his love they will at last be witnesses against a man and racks to torture and torment a man and milstones for ever to sink a man in that day when God shall call men to an account not for the use but for the abuse of mercy The sixt Remedy against this Device 6 Remedy of Satan is seriously to consider the end and the designe of God in heaping up mercy upon the heads of the wicked and in giving them a quietus est rest Valerian the Roman Emperour fell from being an Emperour to be a foot-stool to Sapor King of Persia Dionysius King of Sicily fell from his Kingly glory to be a School-master The brave Queen Zenobia was brought to Rome in golden chaines and quiet from those sorrows and sufferings that others sigh under David in that 73 Psal 17 18 19 20 verses shews the end and designe of God in this saith he When I went into the Sanctuary of God then I understood their end Surely thou diddest set them in slippery places thou castedst them downe into destruction How are they brought into desolation as in a moment they are utterly consumed with terrors As a dreame when one awaketh so O Lord when thou awakest thou shalt despise their image So in the 92 Psal 7. When the wicked spring as grasse and when all the workers of iniquity doe flourish it is that they shall be destroyed for ever Gods setting them up is but in order to his casting them down his raising them high is but in order to his bringing them low Exod. 9. 16. And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up for to shew in thee my power and that my name may Valens an Emperour Belisarius a famous general Henry the 4th Bajazeth Pythias Great Pompey and William the Conqueror these from being very high were brought very low they all fell from great glory and majesty to great poverty and misery Da Domine ut sic possideamus temporalia ut non perdamus aeterna Bern. Grant us Lord that we may so partake of temporall felicity that we may not lose eternall be declared throughout all the earth I have constituted and set thee up as a But-mark that I may let flie at thee and follow thee close with plague upon plague till I have beaten the very breath out of thy body and got my self a name in setting my feet upon the neck of all thy pride power pomp and glory Ah soules what man in his wits would be lifted up
doth with her beautifull colours so astonish and amaze them that they have no power to passe away till she have stung them Ah! how many thousands are there now on earth that have found this true by experience that have spun a faire thread to strangle themselves both temporally and eternally by being bewitch't by the beautie and braverie of this enticeing world The fift Remedy against this Device of 5. Remedie Satan is to consider that all the felicity of this world is mixt our light is mixt with darknesse our joy with sorrow our pleasures with paine our honour with dishonour our riches with wants If our fight be spirituall cleare and quick we may see in the felicity of this world our wine mixt with water our honey with gall our sugar with wormewood and our roses with prickles Sorrow attends worldy joy Harke scholar said the Harlot to Apuleius 't is but a bitter sweet that you are so fond off Surely all the things of this world are but bitter sweets danger attends worldly safety losse attends worldly labours teares attend worldly purposes As to these things mens hopes are vaine their sorrow certaine and joy fained The Apostle calleth this world a sea of glasse a sea for the troubles of it and glasse for the brittlenesse and bitternesse of it The honors profits pleasures and delights of this world are true gardens of Adonis where we can gather nothing but triviall flowers surrounded with many bryers The sixt Remedy against this Device 6. Remedy of Satan is to get better acquaintance and better assurance of more blessed and glorious things That Let Heaven be a mans object and earth will soone be his abject which raised up their spirits in the tâ—nth and 11th of the Hebrews to trâ—mple upon all the beautie bravery and glory of the world was their acquaintance with and assurance of better and more durable things They tooke joyfully the spoyling of their goods knowing in themselves that they had in Heaven a better and a more durable substance They Luther being at one time in some wants it happened that a good sum of money was unexpectedly sent him by a Noble man of Germany at which being something amazed he said I seare that God will give me my reward here but I protest I will not be so satisfied look't for a house that had foundations whose builder and maker was God And they look't for another Country even an heavenly They saw him that was invisible and had an eye to the recompence of reward And this made them count all the glory and bravery of this world to be poore and contemptible for them to set their hearts upon The maine reason why men dote upon the world and damne their soules to get the world is because they are not acquainted with a greater glory Men ate Acorns till they were acquainted with the use of wheat Ah! were men more acquainted with what union and communion with God means what 't is to have a new name and a new stone that none knowes but he that hath it did they but taste more of Heaven and live more in Heaven and had more glorious hopes of going to Heaven ah how easily would they have the Moone under their feet It was an excellent saying of Lewis of Bavyer Emperour of Germany * Hujusmodi comparandae sunt opes quae cum naufragio simul enatent such goods are worth getting and owning as will not sinke or wash away if a shipwrack happen but will wade and swim out with us It is recorded of Lazarus that after his resurrection from the dead he was never seen to laugh his thoughts and affections were so fixt in Heaven though his bodie was on earth and therefore he could not but slight temporall things There is saith Augustine bona Throni goods of the throne and there are bona Scabelli goods of the foote-stool his heart being so bent and set upon eternalls There are goods of the throne of grace as God Christ the Spirit Adoption Justification remission of sin peace with God and peace with Conscience and there are goods of the foot-stoole as honours riches the favour of creatures and other comforts and accommodations of this life Now he that hath acquaintance with and assurance of the goods of the Throne will easily trample upon the goods of the foot-stoole Ah! that you would make it your businesse your worke to mind more and make sure more to your owne soules the great When Basil was tempted with money and preferment saith he give me money that may last for ever and glory that may eternally flourish for the fashion of this world passeth away as the waters of a river that runs by a City things of eternity that will yeeld you joy in life and peace in death and a Crown of Righteousnesse in the day of Christs appearing And that will lifte up your soules above all the beauty and bravery of this bewitching world that will raise your feet above other mens heads When a man comes to be assured of a Crown a Scepter the Royall Robes c. he then begins to have low mean and contemptible thoughts of those things that before he highly prized so will assurance of more great and glorious things breed in the soule a holy scorn and contempt of all these poore meane things which the soule before did value above God Christ and Heaven c. The seventh Remedie against this device of Satan is solemnly to consider 7 Remedie that true hahpinesse and satisfaction is not to be had in the injoyment of any worldly good true happinesse is too big and too glorious a thing to be True happinesse lies only in our injoyment of a suitable good a pure good a totall good an eternall good and God is onely such a good and such a good can only satisfie the soul of man found in any thing below that God who is a Christians summum bonum chiefest good The blessed Angells those glistering Courtiers have all felicities and blessednesses and yet they have neither gold nor silver nor jewels nor none of the beauty and bravery of this world certainly if happinesse was to be found in these things the Lord Jesus who is the right and Royall Heir of all things would have exchanged his cradle for a Crown his Birthcham-ber a stable for a Royall Palace his poverty for plenty his despised followers for shining Courtiers and his meane provisions for the choisest delicates c. Certainly happiness lies not in those things that a man Philosophers could say that hee was never a happy man that might afterwards become miserable may injoy and yet be miserable for ever now a man may be great gracelesse with Pharaoh honourable and damnable with Saul rich and miserable with Dives c. therefore happiness lies not in these things Certainly happinesse lies not in those things that cannot comfort a man upon a dying
c. But above all pray for me that I may more and more finde the power and sweet of those things upon my owne heart that I give out to you and others and that my soule be so visited with strength from on high that I may live up fully and constantly to those truths that I hold forth to the world and that I may be both in Life and Doctrine a burning and a shining light That so when the Lord Jesus shall appear I may receive a crown of glory which he shall give to me in that day and not onely to me but to all that love his appearing c. For a close remember this that your life is short your duties many your assistance great and your reward sure therefore faint not hold on and hold up in wayes of well doing and Heaven shall make amends for all I shall now take leave of you when my heart hath by my hand subscribed that I am Your loving Pastor under Christ according to all Pastor all affections and engagements in our dearest Lord. THOMAS BROOKS A WORD TO THE READER Deare Friend SOLOMON bids us buy the Pro. 23. 23 Truth but doth not tell us what it must cost because we must get it though it be never so deare wee must love it both Multi amaÌ„â— veritatem lucentem o derunt redarguentem shining and scorching every parcell of Truth is precious as the filings of gold wee must either live with it or dye for it As Ruth said to Naomi Whither thou goest I will goe and Ruth 1. 16 17. where thou lodgest I will lodge and nothing but death shall part thee and mee So must gracious spirits say where Truth goes I will goe and where Truth lodges I will Si veritas est causa discordiae mori possum tacere con possum Jâ—rome lodge and nothing but death shall part me and Truth A man may lawfully sell his House Lands and Jewells but Truth is a Jewell that exceeds all price and must not be sould 'T is our Heritage Thy Testimonies have I taken Psal 119. 11â— as an Heritage for ever 't is a Legacie that our fore-fathers have hought with their bloods which should make us willing to lay downe any thing and to lay out any thing that wee may with the wise Merchant in the Gospel purchase this precious Pearle Mâ—t. 5. 18. Veritâ—s vinâ—it Truth at last triumphs which is more worth then Heaven and Earth and which will make a man live happily die comfortably and reign eternally And now if thou pleasest reade the Worke and receive this councell from mee First Thou must know that every man cannot be excellent that yet may be usefull An iron key may unlocke the doore of a golden treasure yea ferrum potest quod aurum non potest Iron can doe some things that gold cannot c. Secondly Remember 't is not hasty reading but serious meditating upon 'T is a Law among the Persees in India to use premeditation in what they are to doe that if it be bad to reject it if good to act it holy and heavenly truths that makes them prove sweet and profitable to the soule 'T is not the Bees touching of the Flower that gathers Honey but her abiding for a time upon the Flower that drawes out the sweet 'T is not he that reads most but he that meditates most that will prove the choicest sweetest wisest and strongest Christian c. Thirdly Know that 't is not the knowing nor the talking nor the reading man but the doing man that at last will be found the happiest man If you know these things blessed John 15. 14. Mat. 7. 21. and happie are you if you doe them Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the 'T was a good saying of Justin Martyr Non in verbis sed in factis res nostrae religioniâ— consistunt Kingdome of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father that is in Heaven Judas called Christ Lord Lord and yet betrayed him and is gone to his place ah How many Judasses have we in these dayes that kisse Christ and yet betray Christ That in their words professe him but in their workes deny him that bow The Heathen Philosopher Seneca liked not such that are semper victuri alwayes about to live better but never begin God loves saith Luther curristâ—â— not quâ—ristas the â—unner not the questioner Pacunius hath an elegant saying I hate saith he the men that are idle in deed and philosophicall in word c. their knee to him and yet in their hearts despise him that call him Jesus and yet will not obey him for their Lord. Reader If it be not strong upon thy heart to practise what thou readest to what end doest thou read to encrease thy owne condemnation If thy light and knowledge be not turn'd into practise the more knowing man thou art the more miserable man thou wilt be in the day of recompence thy light and knowledge will more torment thee then all the Devills in hell Thy knowledge will be that rod that will eternally lash thee and that Scorpion that will for ever bite thee and that worme that will everlastingly gnaw thee therefore reade and labour to know that thou mayest doe or else thou art undone for ever When Demosthenes was asked what was the first part of an Orator what the second what the third he answered action the same may I say if any should aske me what is the first the second the third part of a Christian I must answer action as that man that reades that he may know and that labours to know that he may doe will have two Heavens a Heaven of Joy Peace and Comfort on earth and a Heaven of glory and happinesse after death Fourthly and lastly if in thy reading thou wilt cast a serious eye upon the Margent thou wilt finde many sweet and precious Notes that will oftentimes give light to the things thou readest and pay thee for thy paines with much comfort and profit So desiring that thou mayest finde as much sweetnesse and advantage in reading this Treatise as I have found by the overshadowings of Heaven in the studying and writing of it I commend thee to God and to the word of his grace which is able to Acts 20. 32. build thee up and to give thee an inheritance among them which are sanctified And rest Reader Thy soules Servant in every office of the Gospel THOMAS BROOKS PRECIOUS REMEDIES AGAINST SATANS Devices 2 CORINTH 2. 11. Lest Satan should get an advantage of us for we are not ignorant of his Devices IN the fifth Verse the Apostle shews that the incestuous person had by his incest sadded those precious souls that God would not have sadded soules that walk sinfully are Hazaels to the godly and draw many sighes and tears from them Jeremy weepes in secret for Judah's sins and Paul cannot speak of those
the justifying of beastiality as many have done in these dayes of vertue the more dangerous 't is to the souls of men this we see evident in these days by those very many souls that are turned out of the way that is holy and in which their souls have had sweet and glorious communion with God into wayes of highest vanity and folly by Satans neat colouring over of sin and painting forth vice under the name and colour of vertue this is so notoriously knowne that I need but name it the most dangerous vermine is too often to be found under the fairest and sweetest Flowers and the fairest glove is often drawn upon the foulest hand and the richest robes are often put upon the filthiest bodies so are the fairest and the sweetest names upon the greatest and the most horriblest vices and etrors that be in the world ah that we had not too many sad proofs of this amongst us The third Remedy against this Device 3 Remedy is to look on sin with that eye Tacitus speaks of Tiberius â—hat when his sins did appâ—ar in their own colours they did so terrifie and torment him that he protested to the Senate that he suffered death daily which within a few hours we shall see it ah souls when you shall lye upon a dying bed and stand before a judgement seat sin shall be unmaskt and its dresse and robes shall then be taken off and then it shall appear more vile filthy and terrible then Hell it self then that which formerly appear'd most sweet will appear most bitter and that which appear'd most beautifull will appear most ugly and that which appear'd most delightful will then appear most dreadfull to the soul ah the shame the paine the gall the bitternes the horrour the hell that the fight of sin when its dress is taken off will raise in poor souls Sin will surely prove evill and bitter to the soul when its robes are taken off A man may have the Stone who feels no fit of it Conscience will work at last though for the present one may feele no fit of accusation Laban Satan that now allures thee to sin will ere long make thee see that Peccatum est deicidium sin is a murthering of God and this will make thee murther two at once thy soule and thy body unlesse the Lord in mercy holds thy hand shewed himself at parting sin will be bitternes in the latter end when it shall appear to the soul in its own filthy nature The Devil deals with men as the Panther doth with Beasts he hides his deformed head till his sweet sent hath drawn them into his danger till we have sinned Satan is a Parasite when we have sinned he is a Tyrant Ah souls the day is at hand when the Devil will pull off the paint and garnish that he hath put upon sin and present that monster sin in such a monstrous shape to your soules that will cause your thoughts to be be troubled your countenance to be changed the joynts of your loines to be loosed and your knees to be dashed one against another and your hearts to be so terrified that you will be ready with Achitophel and Judas to strangle and hang your bodies on earth and your soules in Hell if the Lord hath not more mercy on you then he had on them oh therefore looke upon sin now as you must look upon it to all eternity and as God Conscience and Satan will present it to you another day The fourth Remedie against this device 4. Remedie of Satan is solemnly to consider that even these very sins that Satan paints and puts new names and colours Vâ—a guttula plus valet quam coelum terra Luther i. e. one little drop speaking of the blood of Christ is more worth then Heaven and Earth upon cost the best blood the noblest blood the life-blood the heart-blood of the Lord Jesus that Christ should come from the eternall bosome of his Father to a Region of sorrow and death that God should be manifested in the flesh the Creator made a Creature that he that was cloathed with glory should be wrapped with raggs of flesh he that filled heaven and earth with his glory should be cradled in a manger that the power of God should flie from weak man the God of Israel into Aegypt that the God of the Law should be subject to the Law One of the Rabbins when he read what bitter torments the Messias should suffer when he came into the world cryed out Veniat Messias at ego non videam i. e. Let the Messias come but let not me see him Dionysius being in Aegypt at the time of Christs suffering and seeing an Eclipse of the Sun and knowing it to be contrary to nature cryed out aut Deus naturae patitur aut mundi machina dissolvitur Either the God of Nature suffered or the frame of the world will be dlssolved the God of Circumcision circumcised the God that made the Heavens working at Josephs homely trade that he that bindes the Devills in chaines should be tempted that he whose is the world and the fulnesse thereof should hunger and thirst that the God of strength should be weary the Judge of all flesh condemned the God of life put to death that he that is one with his Father should cry out of misery my God my God why hast thou forsaken mee that he that had the keyes of Hell and death at his girdle should lie imprison'd in the sepulcher of another having in his life time no where to lay his head nor after death to lay his body that that head before which the Angels doe cast down their Crowns should be crowned with thornes and those eyes purer then the Sun put out by the darknesse of death those eares which hear nothing but Hallelujahs of Saints and Angels to hear the blasphemies of the multitude that face that was fairer then the Sons of men to be spit on by those beastly wretched Jewes that mouth and tongue that spake as never man spake accused for blasphemy those hands that freely swayed the Scepter of Heaven nailed to the Crosse those feet like unto fine brasse nailed to the Crosse for mans sins each sense annoyed his feeling or touching with a speare and nailes 'T is an excellent saying of Bernard quanto pro nobis vilior tanto nobis charior the more vilde Christ made himself for us the more dear he ought to be to us his smell with stinking savour being crucified about Golgatha the place of Skulls his taste with vinegar and gall his hearing with reproaches and sight with his mother and Disciples bemoaning him his soule comfortlesse and forsaken and all this for those very sins that Satan paints and puts fine colours upon oh how should the consideration of this stir up the soule against it and worke the soule to flie from it and to use all holy meanes whereby sin may be
Satan is seriously to consider that sins against mercy will bring the greatest and the sorest judgements upon mens heads and hearts Mercy is Alpha Justice is Omega David speaking of these Attributes placeth Mercy in the foreward and Justice in the rereward saying My Song shall be of Mercy and Judgement Psal 101. 1. when Mercy is despised then Justice takes the Throne God is like a Quantò gradus altior tantò casus gravior the higher we are indignity the more grievous is our fall and misery Prince that sendeth not his Army against Rebels before he hath sent his Pardon and proclaimed it by a Herauld of Arms. He first hangs out the white Flag of Mercy if this wins men in they are happy for ever but if they stand out then God will put forth his red Flag of Justice and Judgement if the one be despised the other shall be felt with a witnesse see this in the Israelites Deus tardus est ad iram sed tarditatem gravitate â—â—nae compensat God is slow to anger but he recompenceth his slownesse with grievousnesse of punishment he loved them and chose them when they were in their blood and most unlovely he multiplied them not by means but by miracle for from seventy souls they grew in few years to six hundred thousand the more they were oppressed the more they prospered like Camomile the more you tread it the more you spread it or to a Palme tree the more it is pressed the further it spreadeth or to fire the more it is raked the more it burneth their mercies came in upon them like Job's Messengers one upon the neck of another If we abuse mercy to serve our lusts then in Salvians phrase God will rain hell out of Heaven rather then not visit for such sins He put off their sackcloath and girded them with gladnesse and compassed them about with songs of deliverance he carried them on the wings of Eagles he kept them as the Apple of his eye c. But they abusing his mercy became the greatest objects of his wrath as I know not the man that can reckon up their mercies so I know not the man that can sum up the miseries that are come upon them for their sins for as our Saviour prophesied concerning Jerusalem That a stone Vespasian brake into their City at Cedron where they took Christ on the same Feast day that Christ was taken he whipped them where they whipped Christ he sold twenty Jews for a penny as they sould Christ for 30 pence 8. Andr. cat should not be left upon a stone so it was fulfilled forty years after his Ascension by Vespasian the Emperour and his Son Titus who having besiâ—ged Jerusalem the Jewes were oppressed with a grievous famine in which their food was old shooes old leather old hay and the dung of Beasts thene died partly of the Sword and partly of the Famine eleven hundred thousand of the poorer sort two thousand in one night were imbowelled six thousand were burned in a porch of the Temple the whole City was sacked and burnt and laid levell to the ground and ninety seven thousand taken Captives and applied to base and miserable service as Eâ—sebius and Josephus saith and to thiâ— day in all the parts of the world are they not the off-scouring of the world none lesse belov'd and nonâ— more abhor'd then they And so Caparnaum that was lifted up to Heaven was threatned to be Men are therfore the wors because they ought to be better and shall be deeper in Hell because Heaven was offered unto them but they would not Ingentia beneficia flagitia supplicia good turnes aggravate unkindnesses and mens offences are increased by their obligation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shift off disregard thrown down to Hell No souls fall so low into Hell if they fall as those souls that by a hand of mercy are lifted up nearest to Heaven you flight souls that are so apt to abuse mercy consider this that in the Gospel dayes the plagues that God inflicts upon the despisers and abusers of mercy are usually spirituall plagues as blindnesse of mind hardnesse of heart benumednesse of conscience which are ten thousand times worse then the worst of outward plagues that can bâ—fall you and therefore though you may escape temporall Judgements yet you shall not escape spirituall Judgements How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation saith the Apostle Oh! therefore when ever Satan shall present God to the soul as one made up all of mercy that he may draw thee to doe wickedly say unto him that sins against mercy will bring upon the soul the greatest misery and therefore whatever becomes of thee thou wilt not sin against mercy c. The fourth Remedy against this Device 4 Remedy of Satan is seriously to consider that though Gods generall mercy be over all his works yet his speciall mercy Augustus in his solemn Feasts gave trifles to some but gold to others that his heart was most set upon so God by a hand of generall mercy gives these poore trifles outward blessings â—o those that he least loves but his gold his speciall mercy is onely towards those that his heart is most set upon is confined to those that are divinely qualified so in Exod. 34. 6 7. And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed the Lord the Lord God mercifull and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodnesse and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin and that will by no means clear the guilty Exod. 20. 6. And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my Commandements Psal 25. 10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his Covenant and his Testimonies Psal 32. 10. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked but he that trusteth in the Lord mercy shall compasse him about Psal 33. 18. Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him upon them that hope in his mercy Psal 103. 11. For as the Heaven is high above the earth so great is his mercy to as ard them that feare him Ver. 17. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that feare him When Satan attempts to draw thee to sin by presenting God as a God all made up of mercy oh then reply that tho Gods general mercy extends to all the works of his hand yet his speciall mercy is confined to them that are divinely qualified to them that love hâ—m and keep his Commandements to them that trust in him that by hope hang upon him and that fear him and that thou must be such a one here or else thou canst never be happy hereafter thou must partake of his speciall mercy or else eternally perish in everlasting misery notwithstanding Gods generall mercy The fifth Remedy against this Device 5 Remedy of Satan is solemnly to consider that those that
been consumed by the sword and by the famine This is just the language of a world of ignorant prophane and superstitious souls in London and England that would have made them a Captaine 'T is said of one of the Emperours that Rome had no war in his daves because 't was plague enoâ—gh to have such an Emperour you are wise and know how to apply it to returne to bondage yea to that bondage that was worse then that the Israelites groaned under Oh say they since such and such persons have beene put down and left off we have had nothing but plundering and taxing and butchering of men c. and therefore we will doe as we and our Kings and Nobles and Fathers have formerly done for then had we plenty at home and peace abroad c. and there was none to make us afraid Now the Remedies against this Device of Satan are these that follow THe first Remedy is solemnly to consider 1 Remedy that no man knowes how the heart of God stands by his hand his hand of mercy may be towards a man when his heart may be set against that man as you may see in Saul and Tully judged the Jews Religion to be naught because they were so often overcome impoverish'd and afflicted and the Religion of Rome to be right because the Romans prospered and became Lords of the world yet though the Romans had his hand the Jews had his heart for they were dearly beloved though sorely afflicted others and the hand of God may be set against a man when the heart of God is dearly set upon a man as you may see in Job and Ephraim the hand of God was sorely set against them and yet the heart and bowels of God were strongly working towards them no man knoweth either love or hatred by outward mercy or misery for all things come alike to all to the righteous and to the unrighteous to the good and to the bad to the clean and to the unclean c. The sun of prosperity shines as well upon brambles of the Wildernesse as fruit-trees of the Orchard the snow and haile of adversity lights upon the best gardens as well as the stinking dunghills or the wild waste Ahabs and Josiah's ends concur in the very circumstances Saul and Jonathan though different in their natures deserts and deportments yet in their deaths they were not divided Health wealth honours c. crosses sicknesses losses c. are cast upon good men and bad men promiscuously The whole Turkish Empire is Nihil est nisi mica panis Luther nothing else but a crust cast by Heavens great House-keeper to his dogs Moses dies in the Wildernesse as well as those that murmured Nabal is rich aswell as Abraham Achitophell wise aswell as Solomon and Doeg honoured by Soul as well as Ioseph was by Pharoah Usually the worst of men have most of these outward things and the best of men have least of Earth though most of Heaven The second Remedy against this Device 2 Remedy of Satan is seriously to consider That there is nothing in the world that doth so provoke God to be wrath and angry as mens taking incouragement from Gods goodnesse and mercy to do wickedly this you may see by that wrath that fell upon the old world and by Gods raining hell out of Heaven upon Such soules make God a God of clouts one that will not doe as he saith but they shall find God to be as severe in punishing as he is to others gracious in pardoning Good turnes aggravate unkindnesses and our guilt is increased by our obligations Sodome and Gomorah This is clear in that 44 of Jeremiah from the 20 verse to the 28 verse the words are worthy of your best meditation oh that they were engraven in all your hearts and constant in all your thoughts though they are too large for me to transcribe them yet they are not too large for you to remember them To argue from mercy to sinfull liberty is the Devils Logick and such Logicians doe ever walk as upon a mine of Gun-powder ready to be blown up no such souls can ever avert or avoid the wrath of God This is wickednesse at the height for a man to be very bad because God is very good a worse spirit then this is not in hell ah Lord doth not wrath yea the greatest wrath lie at this mans door Are not the strongest chaines of darknes prepared for such a soul To sin against mercy is to sin against humanity it is bestiall nay it is worse To render good for evill is Divine to render good for good is humane to render evill for evill is brutish but to render evill for good is devilish and from this evill deliver my soul oh God The third Remedy against this Device 3 Remdy of Satan is solemnly to consider that there is no greater misery in this life then not to be in misery no greater Religio peperit divitias filia devoravit matrem Religion brought forth Riches and the daughter soon devoured the Mother saith Augustine affliction then not to be afflicted woe woe to that soul that God will not spend a rod upon this is the saddest stroke of all when God refuses to strike at all Ephraim is joyned to Idols let him alone Why should you be smitten any more you will revolt more and more When the Physician gives over the Patient you say ring out his knell the man is dead so when God gives over a soul to sin without controule you may truly say this soule is lost you may ring out his knel for he is twice dead and pluckt up by the roots Freedome from punishment is the mother of security the step-mother of virtue the poyson of Religion the moth of holinesse and the introducer of wickednesse nothing said one seemes more unhappy to me then he to whom no adversity hath happened Outward mercies oft-times prove a snare to our soules I will lay a stumbling block Ezek. 3. 20. Vatablus his note there is Faciam ut omnia habeant prospera calamitatibus eum à peccato non revocabo I will prosper him in all things and not by affliction restraine him from sin Prosperity hath been a stumbling block at which millions have stumbled and fallen and broke the neck of their souls for ever The fourth Remedie against this device 4 Remedy of Satan is seriously to consider that the wants of wicked men under all their outward mercy freedom from adversitie is far greater then al their outward injoyments They have many mercies yet they want more then they injoy the mercies which they injoy are nothing to the mercies they want 'T is true they have honors and riches and pleasures and friends and are mighty in power their seed is established in their sight with them and their off-spring before their eyes their houses are safe from feare neither is the rod
are apt to run after it though they loose God and their soules in the pursuit Ah! how many Professors in these dayes have for a time followed hard after God Christ and The inhabitants of Nilus are deafe by the noise of the waters so the world makes such a noise in mens eares that they cannot heare the things of Heaven The world is like the swallowes dung that put out Tobias eyes Ordinances till the Devill hath set before them the world in all its beauty and bravery which hath so bewitched their soâ—les that they have grown to have low thoughts of holy things and then to be cold in their affections to holy things and then to slight them and at last with the young man in the Gospell to turne their backs upon them ah the time the thoughts the spirits the hearts the soules the duties the services that the inordinate love of this wicked world doth eat up and destroy and hath eat up and destroyed where one thousand is destroyed The champions could â—or wring an Apple out oâ— Mâ—lâ—'s ha 〈◊〉 by strong hand but a faire maid by faire meanes got it presently by the worlds frownes ten thousands are destroyed by the worlds smiles The world Siren-like it sings us and sinks us it kisses us and betraies us like Judas it kisses us and imites us under the fifth rib like Joab The honors splendor and all the glory of this world are but sweet poysons that will much endanger us if they doe not eternally destroy us Ah! the multitude of soules that have surseited of these sweet baites and died for ever Now the Remedies against this device of Satan are these that follow THe first Remedy against this device 1 Remedy The Prior in Melancton 〈◊〉 his hands up and down in a baâ—â—n full of â—â—â—ells thinking thereby to have charmed 〈◊〉 gour but 〈◊〉 would not â—oe of Satan is to dwell upon the impotency and weakness of all these things below they are not able to secure you from the least evill They are not able to procure you the least desirable good The Crown of Gold cannot cure the head-ach nor the velvet slipper ease the gout nor the Jewell about the nâ—ck cannot take away the paine of the teeth The Fâ—ogs of Egypt entered into the rich mens houses of Egypt as well as the poore our daily experience doth Nugas the Scythian despiseing the rich presents and ornaments that were sent unto him by the Emperour of Constantinople asked whether those things could drive away calamities diseases or death evidence this that all the honors and riches c. That men enjoy cannot free them from the collick the feaver or lesser diseases Nay that which may seem most strange is that a great deal of wealth cannot keep men from falling into extreame povertie In the first of Judges 6. ver you shall finde seventy Kings with their fingers and toes cut off glad like whelps to lick up crummes under another Kings table and shortly after the same King that brought them to this penury is reduced to the same poverty and misery Why then should that be a bar to keep thee out of Heaven that cannot give thee the least ease on earth The second Remedy against this device 2. Remedy of Satan is to dwell upon the vanity of them as well as upon the impotencie of all worldly good This is the summe of Solomons sermon Vanity of vanity and all is vanity This Gilimex King of Vandaâ—â—s led in triumph by Bellisarius cried out Vanity of vanity all is vanity our first parents found and therefore named their second Abell or vanity Solomon that had tried these things and could best tell the vanity of them he preacheth this sermon over againe and againe Vanity of vanity and all is vanity 'T is sad to think how many thousands there be that can say with the preacher vanity of vanity all is vanity The fancie of Lucian who placeth Charon on the top of an high hill viewing all the affaires of men living and looking on their greatest Cities as little birds nests is very pleasant nay swear it and yet follow after these things as if there were no other glory nor selicity but what 's to be found in those things they call vanity Such men will sell Christ Heaven and their soules for a trifle that call these things vanity but doe not cordially beleeve them to be vanity but set their hearts upon them as if they were their Crown the top of all their Royalty and glory Oh! let your soules dwell upon the vanity of all things here below till your hearts be so thoroughly convinced and perswaded of the vanity of them as to trample upon them and make them a a foot-stoole for Christ to get np and ride in a holy triumph in your hearts Oh the imperfection the ingratitude the leâ—ity the inconstancy the perfidiousnesse of those creatures we most servilly affect Chrysostome said once that if he were the fittest in the world to preach a Sermon to the whole world gathered together in one Congregation and had some high Mountaine for his Pulpit from whence he might have a prospect of all the world in his view and were furnished with a voice of brasse a voice as loud as the Trumpet of the Arch-Angell that all the world might hear him he would chuse to preach upon no other text then that in the Psalnâ—es O mortall men how long will yee love vanity and follow after leasing Ah! did we but weigh mans paine with his paiment his crosses with his mercies his miseries with his pleasures we should then see that there is nothing got by the bargaine and conclude Vanity of vanity all is vanity Tell me you that say all things under the Sun is vanitie if you doe really beleeve what you say why doe you spend more thoughâ—â— and time on the world then you doe on Christ Heaven and your immortall soules Why doe you then neglect your duty towards God to get the world Why doe you then so eagerly pursue after the world and are so cold in your pursuing after God Christ and holinesse Why then are your hearts so exceedingly rais'd when the world comes in and smiles upon you and so much dejected and castdown when the world frownes upon you and with Jonah's Gourd withers before you The third Remedy against this device 3. Remedy of Satan is to dwell much upon the uncertainty the mutabilitie and inconstancie of all things under the Sun Riches were never true to any that trusted to them they have deceived men as Jobs brook did the poore traveller in the Summer season Man himselfe is but the dreame of a dreame but the generation of a fancie but an emptie vanity but the curious picture of nothing a poore feeble dying flash All temporalls are as transitory as a hastie head-long torrent a shadow a ship a bird an arrow a post that passeth
by why shouldest thou set thine eyes upon that which is not saith Solomon and saith the Apostle the fashion of this world passeth away Heaven 1 Cor. 7. 31. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intimateth that there is nothing of any firmnesse or solid consistence in the creature onely hath a foundation earth hath none but is hanged upon nothing as Job speaks The Apostle willed Tymothie to charge rich men that they be not high minded nor put their trust in uncertaine riches They are like bad servants whose shooes are made of running leather and will never tarrie long with one Master as a bird hoppeth from tree to tree so doe the honors and riches of this world from man to man let Job and Nebuchadnezzar testifie this truth who fell The most renowned Frederick lost all and sued to be made but Sexton of the Church that himselfe had built I have reâ—d of a poore fisherman who while his nets were adâ—ying slâ—pt upon the Rock and dreamed that he was made a King on a sudden starts up and leaping for joy falls down fâ—oâ— the Rock and in the place of his imaginaâ—y felicities loses his little portion of pleasures from great wealth to great want No man can promise himself to be wealthie till night one storme at Sea one coal of fire one false friend one unadvised word one false witnesse may make thee a begger and a prisoner all at once All the riches and glory of this world is but as smoke and chaff that vanisheth as a dreame and vision in the night that tarrieth not as if an hungrie man dreameth and thinketh that he eateth and when he awaketh his soule is emptie and like a thirstie man which thinketh he drinketh and behold when he is awaked his soule is faint as the Prophet Esay saith Where is the glory of Solomon the sumptuous buildings of Nebuchadnezzar the nine hundred Chariots of Sisera the power of Alexander the authority of Augustus that commanded the whole world to be taxed Those that have been the most glorious in what men generally account glorious and excellent have had inglorious ends As Sampson for strength Absolom for beauty Achitophel for policie Hamon for favour Asael for swiftnesse Alexander for great conquest and yet after twelve yeares poysoned the same you may see in the mighty foure Kingdomes The Caldean Persian Grecian and Romane The pompe of this world Iohn compareth to the Moone which crescit decrescit increaseth and decreaseth Apoc. 12. v. 1. how soone were they gone and forgotten Now rich now poore now full now emptie now in favour anon out of favour now honourable now despised now health now sicknesse now strength now weaknesse Oh! let not these uncertaine things keep thee from those holy services and heavenly imployments that may make thee happy for ever and render thy soule eternally blessed and at ease when all these transitory things shall bid thy soule an everlasting farewell The fourth Remedie against this Device 4. Remedie of Satan is to consider that the great things of this world are very hurtfull and dangerous to the outward and inward man thorough the Henry the second hearing Menz his chiefe City to be taken used this blasphemous speech I shall never saith he love God any more that suffered a City so dear to mee to be taken from me When one presented Antipater King of Macedonia with a book treating of happinesse his answer ou scholazo I have no leasure corruptions that be in the hearts of men oh the rest the peace the comfort the content that the things of this world doe strip many men off Oh the feares the cares the envie the malice the dangers the mischiefs that they subject men to They oftentimes make men carnally confident The rich mans riches are a strong tower in his imagination I said in my prosperity I should never be moved They often swell the heart with pride and make men forget God and neglect God and despise the Rock of their salvation when Jesurum waxed fat and was grown thick and covered with fatnesse then he forgot God and forsooke God that made him and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation as Moses spake ah the time the thoughts the spirits that the things of the world consumes and spends Oh! how doe they hinder the actings of faith upon God how doe they interrupt our sweet communion with God how doe they abate our love to the people of God and coole our love to the things of God and worke us to act like those that are most unlike to God oh the deadnesse the dulnesse the barrennesse that doth attend 〈…〉 n under great outward mercies Oh! the riches of the world chokes That foure good mothers beget foure bad daughters great familiarity begets contempt truth hatred vertue envie riches ignonorance is a french Proverb Gen. 13. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Policrates bestowed five talents for a gift upon one Anacrion who for two nights after was so troubled with care how to keep them and how to bestow them as he carried them back againe to Policrates saying they were not worth the paines which he had already taken for them the word that men live under the most soule-searching and soule in riching meanes with leane soules though they have full purses though their chests are full of silver yet their hearts are emptie of grace In the 13. Gen. 2. It is said that Abraham was very rich in cattell in silver and in gold according to the Hebrew Chabbedh 't is Abraham was very heavie to shew that riches are a heavie burden and a hinderance many times to heaven and happinesse King Henry the fourth asked the Duke of Alva if he had observed the great Ecclipse of the Sun which had lately hapned no said the Duke I have so much to doe on earth that I have no leasure to looke up to Heaven ah that this were not true of most Professors in these dayes 't is very sad to thinke how their hearts and time is so much taken up with earthly things that they have scarce any leasure to looke up to Heaven or to looke after Christ and the things that belong to their everlasting peace Riches though well got yet are but like to Manna those that gathered lesse bad no want and those that gathered more 't was but a trouble and annoyance to them The world is troublesome and yet it is loved what would it be if it were peaceable you imbrace it though it be filthy what would you doe if it were beautifull you cannot keep your hands from the thornes how earnest would you be then in gathering the flowers The world may be fitly likened to the Serpent Scytale whereof it is reported that Sicily is so full of sweet flowers that dogs cannot hunt there and what doe all the sweet contents of this world but make us loose the sent of Heaven when she cannot overtake the flying passengers she
when something is parted with to gain more he applyeth it to their sufferings wherin though the flesh lost something yet the spirit got much more the comfort the rest that Saints meet with in the wayes and service of God they find that Religious services are not empty things but things in which God is pleased to discover his beautie and glory to their soules My soul thirsts for God saith David that I might see thy beauty and thy glory as I have seen thee in thy Sanctuary Oh! the sweet looks the sweet words the sweet hints the sweet joggings the sweet influences the sweet love-letters that gracious soules have from Heaven when they waite upon God in holy and heavenly services the least of which will darken and outweigh all the bravery and glory of this world and richly recompence the soul for all the troubles afflictions and dangers that have attended it in the service of God oh the Saints can say under all their troubles and afflictions that they have meate to eate and drinke to When the Moble Generall Zeâ—slaus had lost his hand in the Wars of the K. of Poland the King sent him a golden hand for it what we lose in Christs service he will make up by giving in some golden mercies drinke that the world knows not of that they have such incomes such refreshments such warmings c. that they would not exchange for all the honours riches and dainties of this world Ah! let but a Christian compare his externall losses with his spirituall internall and eternall gain and he shall find that for every penny that he loses in the service of God he gaines a pound and for every pound that he looses hee gains a hundred for every hundred lost he gains a thousand wee loose pins in his service and find pearls we loose the favour of the creature and peace with the creature and happily the comforts and contents of the creature and we gain the favour of God peace with conscience and the comforts and contents of a better life Ah! did the men of this world know the sweet that Saints injoy in afflictions they would rather chuse Manasses iron chaine then his golden Crown They would rather be Paul a prisoner then Paul rap't up in the third Heaven for light afflictions they shall have a Though the Crosse be bitter yet 't is but short a little storm as one said of Julians persecution and an eâ—eâ—nall calm follows weight of glory for a few afflictions they shall have those joyes pleasures and contents that are as the stars of heaven or as the sands of the sea that cannot be numbred for momentany afflictions they shall have an eternall Crown of glory 't is but winking and thou shalt be in heaven presently said the Martyr oh therefore let no afflictions nor troubles work thee to shun the wayes of God or to quit that service that should be dearer to thee then a world yea then thy very life c. The third Device that Satan 3. Device hath to hinder soules from holy and heavenly services from gracious and religious performances is BY presenting to the soule the difficulty of performing them saith Satan 't is so hard and difficult a thing to pray as thou shouldst and to wait on God as thou shouldst and to walke with God as thou shouldst and to be lively warm and active in the communion of Saints as thou shouldst that you were better ten thousand times to neglect them then to meddle with them and doubtlesse by this Device Satan hath and doth keep off thousands from waiting on God and from giving to him that service that is due to his name c. Now the remedies against this Device are these that follow THe first Remedie against this device 1. Remedy of Satan is to dwell more upon the necessity of the service and duty then on the difficulty that doth attend the duty you should reason thus with your soules oh our soules though such and such duties and services be hard and difficult yet are they not exceeding necessarie for the honour of God and the keeping up of his name in The necessity of doing your duty appears by this that you are his servants by a three-fold right you are his servants jure creationis jure sustentationis jure redemptionis by right of creation and by right of sustentation and by right of redemption the world and the keeping under of sin and the keeping under of weak graces and for the reviving of languishing comforts and for the keeping clear and bright your blessed evidences and for the scattering of your fears and for the raising of your hopes and for the gladding the hearts of the righteous and stopping the mouths of unrighteous souls who are ready to take all advantages to blaspheme the name of God and throw dirt and contempt upon his people and wayes oh never leave thinking on the necessity of this and that duty till your souls be lifted up far above all the difficulties that doe attend religious duties The second Remedie against this device 2 Remedy of Satan is solemnly to consider that the Lord Jesus will make his services easie to you by the sweet discovery of himselfe to your soules whilst you are in his service Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh righteousnesse those that remember thee in thy wayes as the Prophet Isaiah saith if meeting with Isa 64. v. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Paganta is diversly taken but most take the word here to meet a soule with those bowells of love and tendernesse as the Father of the Prodigall met the Prodigall with God is pater miserationum hee is all bowels he is as swift to shew mercy as he is slow to anger God who is goodnesse it selfe sweetnesse it selfe beauty it selfe strength it selfe glory it self will not sweeten his service to thy soule nothing in Heaven or Earth will Jacob's meeting with Rachel and enjoying of Rachell made his hard service to be easie and delightfull to him and will not the soules enjoying of God and meeting with God render his service to be much more easie and delightfull doubtlesse it will The Lord will give that sweet assistance by his Spirit and grace as shall make his service joyous and not grievous a delight not a burden a Heaven and not a Hel to believing souls the confidence of this divine assistance raised up Nehemiah's spirit far above all those difficulties and discouragements that did attend him in the work and service of the Lord as you may see in that 2 Nehemiah vers 19 20. But when Sanballat Luther spake excellently to Melancthon who was apt to be disconraged with doubts and difficulties feares from foes and so â—ease the service they had undertaken if the work be not good why did we ever own it if it be good why should wee ever decline it why saith he should we feare the conquered world that
as the Apostle speaks Know yee not that the Saints shall judge the world and in that day oh how will the great and the rich the Mr. Fox being once asked whether he knew a certain poor man who had received succour of him in time of trouble he answered I remember him well I tel you I forget Lords Ladies to remember such So will the Lord deale by his poor S t s he will forget the great and mighty ones of the world to remember his few poor despised ones Though Iohn was poore in the world yet the holy ghost calls him the greatest that was born of women ah poor Saints men that know not your worth cannot have such low thoughts of you but the Lord wil have aâ— high learned and the noble wish that they had lived and spent their dayes with these few poor contemptible creatures in the service of the Lord oh how wil this wicked world curse the day that ever they had such base thoughts of the poor meane Saints and that their poverty became a stumbling block to keep them off from the wayes of sanctity I have read of Ingo an ancient King of the Draves who making a stately feast appointed his Nobles at that time Pagans to sit in the Hall below and commanded certaine poore Christians to be brought up into his Presence-chamber to sit with him at his Table to eate and drink of his Kingly cheer at which many wondering he said he accounted Christians though never so poore a greater ornament at his Table and more worthy of his company then the greatest Peers unconverted to the Christian faith for when these might be thrust down to Hell those might be his Consorts and fellow Princes in Heaven you know how to apply it Although you see the stars sometimes by their reflictions in a puddle or in the bottome of a Well I in a stinking ditch yet the stars have their scituation in Heaven So though you see a godly man in a poor miserable low despised condition for the things of this world yet he is fixed in Heaven in the Region of Heaven Who hath raised us up saith the Apostle and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus Oh! therefore say to your owne souls when they begin to decline the wayes of Zion because of the poverty and paucity of those that walke in them the day is at hand when these few poor despised Saints shall shine in glory when they shall judge this world and when all the wicked of the world will wish that they were in their condion would give ten thousand worlds were it in their power that they might but have the honour and happinesse to waite upon those whom for their poverty and paucity they have neglected and despised in this world The sixt and last Remedie against this 6 Remedy device of Satan is solemnly to consider that there will come a time even in this These following Scriptures do abundantly confirm this truth Ier. 31. 12. Isa 30. 23. Isa 62. 8 9. Ioel 2. 23 24. Mica 4. 6. Amos 9. 13 14. Zech. 8. 12. Isa 41. 18 19. Isa 55. 13. Isa 66. 6 7. Isa 65. 21 22. Isa 61. 4. Isa 60. 10. Ezek. 36. 10. life in this world when the reproach and contempt that is now cast upon the wayes of God by reason of the poverty and paucity of those that walk in those wayes shall be quite taken away by his making them the head that have dayes without number been the taile and by his raising them up to much outward riches prosperity and glory who have been as the out-cast because of their poverty and paucity John speaking of the glory of the Church the new Jerusalem that came downe from Heaven in that 21. of the Revelation tells us That the Nations of them which are saved shall walke in the light of it and the Kings of the earth do bring their glory into it So the Prophet Isaiah They shall bring their sons from far and their silver and their gold with Only take these 2 cautions First that in these times the Saints chiefest comforts delights and contents will consist in their more cleer full and constant injoyments of God 2. That they shaâ— have such an abundant â—easure of he spirit poured out â—pon them â—hat their riches and outward glory shall not be sâ—ares to â—hem but golden steps to lead them to a richer living in God them vers 9. For brasse I will bring gold and for iron I will bring silver and for wood brasse and for stones Iron vers 19. And so the Prophet Zechariah speaks Chap. 14. v. 14. And the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together gold and silver and apparell in great abundance The Lord hath promised that the meek shal inherite the earth And heaven and earth shall passe away before one jot or tittle of his word shall pass unfulfilled Ah poor Saints now some thrust sore at you others look a squint upon you others shut the door against you others turne their backs upon you and most of men except it be a few that live much in God and are filled with the riches of Christ do either neglect you or despise you because of your poverty but the day is coming when you shall be lifted up above the dunghil when you shall change pâ—vâ—rty for riches your rags for robes your reproach for a crowne of honour your infamy for glory even in this world And this is not all but God will also mightily increase the number of his chosen ones multitudes shall be converted to him Who hath heard such a Isa 66. 8. thing who hath seen such things shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day or shall a Nation be borne at once for assoone as Zion travelled she brought forth children And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all Nations upon Vers 19 20. horses and in Chariots in Litters and upon Mules upon swift beasts to my holy mountaine Jerusalem saith the Lord as the children of Israel bring an offering in a cleane vessell into the house of the Lord. Doth not the Scripture say that the Kingdomes of Revel 11. 15. this world must become the Kingdomes of our Lord Hath not God given to Christ the heathen and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possessions Hath not the Lord said that in the last dayes the mountaine of the Lords Psal 2. 8. house shall be lifted up above the hills and shall be established in the top of the mountains and all Nations shall flow unto it Pray read Isa 2. 2. Isa 54. 14. Isa 61. 9. and meditate upon the sixty chapter of Isaiah and the sixty sixth chapter and the five first verses of the second chapter of Isaiah and there you shall finde the multitudes that shall be converted to Christ and oh that you
would be mighty in believing and in wrestling with God that he would hasten the day of his glory that the reproach that is now upon his people and wayes may cease The sixth Device that Satan 6 Device hath to keepe soules off from religious services is BY presenting before them the examples Iohn 4. 12. 7. Chap. 48 49. 1 Cor. 1. 26 27. Mica 7. 2 3 4. of the greatest part of the world that walk in the wayes of their owne hearts and that make light and slight of the wayes of the Lord why saith Satan do not you see that the great and the rich the noble and the honourable the learned and the wise even the greatest number of men never trouble themselves about such and such wayes and why then should you be singular and nice you were far better doe as the most doe c. Now the remedies against this Device of Satan are these that follow THe first Remedie against this device 1 Remedie of Satan is solemnly to consider of those Scriptures that make directly against following the sinfull examples of men as that in Exodus Thou shalt not The way to hell is broad and well beaten the way to be undone for ever is to do as the most do argumentum turpissimum est turba the multitude is the weakest and worst argument saith Seneca follow a multitude to doe evill neither shalt thou speake in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgement The multitude generally are ignorant and know not the way of the Lord therefore they speake evill of that they know not they are envious and maliciously bent against the service and way of God and therefore they cannot speak well of the wayes of God This way is every where spoken against said they so in that Numb 16. Seperate from them and come out from among them So the Apostle Have no fellowship with the unfruitfull works of darkenesse So Solomon Enter not into the way Prov. 4. 14. ch 9. v. 6. of the wicked for sake the foolish and live They that walke with the most shall pâ—rish with the most They that do as the most shall ere long suffer with the most they that live as the most must dye with the most and to hell with the most The second Remedie against this device 2 Remedie of Satan is seriously to consider that if you will sin with the multitude all the Angells in heaven and men on earth cannot keep you from suffering Sin and punishment are linked together with chains of adamant of sinn we may say as Isidore doth of the serpent Tot dolores quot colores so many colours so many dolours with the multitude if you wil be wicked with them you must unavoidably be miserable with them say to thy soule oh my soul if thou wilt sin with the multitude thou must be shut out of heaven with the multitude thou must be cast downe to hell with the multitude c. And I heard another voyce from Heaven saying come out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues Come out in affection in action and in habitation for else the infection of sin will bring upon you the infliction of punishment So saith the wise man He that walketh with wise men shall be wise but a companion of fooles shall be destroyed or as the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Ieroange from ruange to be naught hath it shall be broken in pieces Multitudes may help thee into sin yea one may draw thee into sin but 't is not multitudes that can help thee to escape punishments As you may see in Moses and Aaron that were provoked to sinne by the multitude but were shut out of the pleasant Land and fell by a hand of Justice as well as others The third Remedie against this device 3. Remedy of Satan is solemnly to consider the worth and excellency of thy immortall soule Thy soul is a jewell more worth What wise man would fetch gold out of a fieâ—y crucible hazard his immortall soule to gain the world by following a multitude in those steps that lead to the chambers of death and darknesse then heaven and earth The losse of thy soule is incomparable irreparable and irrecoverable if that be lost all is lost and thou art undone for ever Is it madnesse and folly in a man to kill himselfe for company and is it not greater madnesse or folly to break the neck of thy soule and to damn it for company Suspect that way wherein thou seest multitudes to walk the multitude being a stream that thou must row hard against or thou wilt be carried into that gulfe out of which Angells cannot deliver thee Is it not better to walke in a strait way alone then to wander into crooked wayes with company sure 't is better to goe to Heaven alone then to Hell with company I might adde other things but these may suffice for the present and I am afraid if these arguments do not stir you other arguments will work but little upon you The seventh Device that Satan 7 Device hath to keepe soules from holy and heavenly services is BY casting in a multitude of vaine thoughts whilst the soule is in seeking of God or in waiting on God and by this device he hath cooled some mens spirits in heavenly services and taken off at least for a time many precious Vellem servire Domine sed cogitationes non patiuntur Lord now how fain would I serve thee vaine thoughts will not suffer me soules from religious performances I have no heart to heare nor no heart to pray nor no delight in reading nor in the society of the Saints c. Satan doth so dog and follow my soule and is still a casting in such a multitude of vaine thoughts concerning God the world and my own soule c. that I even tremble to think of waiting upon God in any religious service oh the vaine thoughts that Satan casts in do so distast my soule and so grieve vex perplex and distract my soule that they even make me weary of holy duties yea of mâ— very life oh I cannot be so raised and ravished so heated and melted so quickned and enlarged so comforted and refreshed as I should be as I might be and as I would be in religious services by reason of that multitude of vain thoughts that Satan is injecting or casting into my soule c. Now the Remedies against this device of Satan are these that follow THe first Remedie against this device 1 Remedie When Pompey could not keep his souldiers in the camp by perswasion he cast himselfe all along in the narrow passage that lead out of it and then bid them goe if you will but you shall first trample upon your Generall and the thoughts of this overcame them you are wise know how to apply it to
and dominion of sin but from this plague this hell Christ frees all Beleevers Sin cannot say of a beleever as the Centurion said of his servant I bid one goe and be goeth and to another come and he cometh and to another do this and he doth it No the heart of a St. rises against the commands of sin and when sin would cary his soule to the Devill he hales his sin before the Lord and cries out for Justice Lord saith the beleeving soule sinn playes the Tyrant the Devill in mee it would have mee to doe that which makes against thy holinesse as well as against my happinesse against thy honour and glory as my comfort peace therefore do me justice thou righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth and let this tyrant sin die for it c. The third Remedie against this device 3 Remedie of Satan is constantly to keep one eye upon the promises of remission of sinne Isa 44 22. Mica 7. 18 19. Coloss 2. 13 14. The promises of God are a precious booke every leafe drops myrthe and mercy as well as the other eye upon the inward operations of sin This is most certain truth that God will graciously pardon those sins to his people that he will not in this life fully subdue in his people Paul prayes thrice i. e. often to be delivered from the thorn in the flesh all he can get is my grace is sufficient for thee I will graciously pardon that to thee that I will not conquer in thee Though the weak Christian cannot open read and apply them Christ can will apply them to their souls Ier. 33. 8. Isa 43. 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An Hebrew participle notes a constant a continued act of God I I am he blotting out thy transgressions to day and to morrow c. 4 Remedie saith God And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity whereby they have sinned against me and I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned against me and whereby they have transgressed against me I even I am hee that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine owne sake and will not remember thy sinnes Ah! you lamenting soules that spend your dayes in sighing and groaning under the sense and burthen of your sins why doe you deale so unkindly with God and so injuriously with your own soules as not to cast an eye upon those precious promises of remission of sinne which may beare up and refresh your spirits in the darkest night and under the heaviest burden of sin The fourth Remedie against this device of Satan is to look upon all your sins as charged upon the account of Christ as debts which the Lord Jesus hath fully satisfied and indeed were there but one farthing of that debt unpaid that Christ was engaged to satisfie it would not have stood with the unspotted justice of God to have let him come into Heaven and sit down at his owne right hand but all our debts by his death being discharged we are freed and he is exalted to sit down at the right hand of his Father which is the top of his glory and the greatest pledg of our felicity For he hath made him to be sin for 2 Cor. 5. 21. Christ was peccatorum maximus the greatest of sinners by imputation and reputation Isa 53. 5 6. us that knew no sinne that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him saith the Apostle All our sins were made to meete upon Christ as that Evangelicall Prophet hath it He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his owne way and the Lord hath layd on him the iniquity of us all or as the Hebrew hath it he hath made the iniquity of us all to meet in him In Law we know that all the debts of the Wife are charged upon the Husband saith the Wife to one and to another if Christ hath the greatest worth and wealth in him as the worth and value of many pieces of silver is in one piece of gold so all the excellencies scattered abroad in the creatures are united to Christ I owe you any thing go to my husband so may a beleever say to the Law and to the justice of God if I owe you any thing go to my Christ who hath undertaken for me I must not sit downe discouraged under the apprehensions of those debts that Christ to the utmost farthing hath fully satisfied would it not argue much weaknesse I had almost said much madnesse for a debtor to sit down discouraged upon his looking over those debts that his surety hath readily freely and fully satisfied the sense of his great love should engage a man for All the whole volume of perfections which is spread through Heaven earth is epitomized in him ever to love and honour his surety and to blesse that hand that hath paid the debt and crost the books c. but to sit down discouraged when the debt is satisfied is a sinnne that bespeaks Repentance c. Christ hath cleared all reckonings betwixt God and us you remember the Scape-goate upon his head all the iniquities Levit. 16. 21. of the children of Israel and all their transgressions in all their sinns were confessed Christ is Canalis gratiae the channell of grace from God and put and the Goate did beare upon him all their iniquities c. Why the Lord Jesus is that blessed Scape-Goate upon whom all our sins were laid and who alone hath carried our sins away into the Land of forget fulnesse where they shall never never be remembred more a beleever under the guilt of his sin may looke the Lord in the face and sweetly plead thus with him 'T is true Lord I owed thee The bloods of Abel for so the Hebrew hath it as if the blood of one Abel had so many tongues as drops cryed for vengeance against sinne bâ—t the blood of Christ cries louder for the pâ—rdon of sin much but thy Son was my Ransome my Redemption his blood was the price he was my surety and undertook to answer for my sinnes I know thou must be satisfied and Christ hath satisfied thee to the utmost farthing not for himself for what sins had he of his own but for me they were my debts that he satisfied for be pleased to look over the book and thou shalt find that 't is crost by thy owne hand upon this very account that Christ hath suffered and satisfied for them The fifth Remedy against this device 5 Remedie of Satan is solemnly to consider of the reasons why the Lord is pleased to have his people exercised troubled and vexed with the operations of sinful corruptions Augustin saith that the first second and third vertue of a Christian is humility and
the whisperings of the Spirit the commands of the Spirit the assistance of the Spirit the witnesse of the Spirit and from the glory of Heaven the excellency of grace the beauty of holinesse the worth of the soule and the vildnesse or bitternesse and evill of sinne the least sin being a greater evil then the greatest temptation in the world And looke that you make constant resistance as well as strong resistance be constant in armes Satan will come on with new temptations when old Luke 4. 14. And when the Devil had ended all the temptation he departed from him for a season Christ had no rest untill he was exactly tried with all kinds of temtations Calvin ones are too weak in a calme prepare for a storm the temper is restlesse impudent and subtile he will sute his temptations to your constitutions and inclinations Satan loves to saile with the winde if your knowledg be weake he will tempt you to errour if your consciences be tender he will tempt you to scrupulosity and too much precisenesse as to do nothing but heare pray read c. If your consciences be wide and large hee will tempt you to carnall security if you are bold spirited he will tempt you to presumption if timerous to desperation if flexible to inconstancy if proud and stiffe to grosse folly therefore still fit for fresh assaults make one victory a step to another When you have overcome a temptation take heed of unbending your bow and look well to it that your bow be alwayes bent and that it remains in strength when you have overcome one temptation you must Be ready to enter the list with another as distrust in some sense is the mother of safety so security is the gate of danger a man had need to feare this most of all that he fears not all if Satan be always a roaring wee should be alwayes a watching and resisting of him and certainely hee that makes strong and constant resistance of Satans temptations shall in the end get above his temptations and for the present is secure enough from being ruin'd by his temptations c. For a close of this remember that t is He that will yeeld to sin to be rid of temptation will be so much the more tempted and the lesse able to withstand temptations dangerous to yeeld to the least sin to be rid of the greatest temptation To take this course were as if a man should think to wash himselfe cleane in Inke or as if a man should exchange a light crosse made of paper for an Iron crosse which is heavy toilesome and bloody the least sin set home upon the conscience will more wound vex and oppresse the soul then all the temptations in the world can therefore never yeeld to the least sin to be rid of the greatest temptation Sidonius Apolinaris relateth how a certain man named Maximus arriving at the top of honour by indirect meanes was the first day very much wearied and fetching a deep sigh said Oh Damocles how happie doe I esteem thee for having been a King but the space of a dinner I have been one a wholeday and can beare it no longer I will leave you to make the Application The fourth thing to be shewed is the severall wayes and devices that Satan hath to destroy and ensnare all sorts and rankes of men in the world I Shall begin with the honourable and the great and shew you the Devices that Satan hath to destroy them I will only instance in those that are most considerable His first Device to destroy the 1 Device great and honourable of the earth is BY working them to make it their businesse to seek themselves to seek how to greaten themselves to raise Selfe-seeking â—â—ke the deluge overflowes the whole world themselves to enrich themselves to secure themselves c. As you may see in Pharaoh Ahab Rehoboam Jeroboam Absolom Joab Haman c. But were the Scripture silent our owne experiences do abundantly evidence this way and method of Satan to destroy the great and the honourable to bury their names in the dust and their souls in Hell by drawing them wholly to mind themselves and onely to minde themselves and in all things to minde themselves and always to mind themselves All saith the Apostle minde Phil. 2. 21. themselves all comparatively in respect of the paucity of others that let fall their private interests and drowne all self-respects in the glory of God and the publick good c. Now the Remedies against this Device of Satan are these that follow THe first Remedie against this Device 1 Remedie of Satan is solemnly to consider Self-love is the root of the hatred of others 2 Tim. 3. 2. First lovers of themselves then fierce c. that selfe-seeking is a sin that will put men upon a world of sin upon sins not only against the Law of God the rules of the Gospel but that are against the very lawes of Nature that are so much darkned by the fall of man It put the Pharisees upon opposing Christ and Iudas upon betraying Christ and Pilate The Naturalist observes that those beasts which are most cruel to others are most loving to their own upon condemning Christ It put Gehezi upon lying and Balaam upon cursing and Saul and Absolom upon plotting Davids ruine It put Pharaoh and Haman upon contriving wayes to destroy those Jewes that God did purpose to save by his mighty arme It puts men upon using wicked ballances and the bag of deceitfull weights It puts mâ—n upon wayes of oppression and selling Amos 2. 6. the righteous for silver and the poore for a paire of shooes c. I know not any sin in the world but this sin of selfe-seeking will put men upon it though it be their eternall losse The second Remedie against this Device 2 Remedy of Satan is seriously to consider that self-seeking doth exceedingly abase A self-seeker is a Cato without but a Nero within Domitian would seem to love them best whom he willed least should live that 's the very temper of selfe-seekers a man it strips him of all his royalty and glory of a Lord it makes a man become a servant to the creature I often to the worst of creatures yea a slave to slaves as you may see in Iudas Demas Balaam and the Scribes and Pharisees Selfe-seekers bow downe to the creatures as Gideons many thousands bowed down to the waters self-seeking will make a man say any thing do any thing and be any thing to please the lusts of others to get advantages upon others self-seeking transforms a man into all shapes and formes now It was death in Moses Rites to counterset that Ceremoniall and figurative oyntment Exod. 30. what shall it then be to counterseit the spirit of life and holinesse it makes a man appeare as an Angell of light anon as an Angel of darkenesse now selfe-seekers
are seemingly for God anon they are openly against God now you shall have them crying Hosanna in the highest and anon crucicifie him crucifie him now you shall have them build with the Saints and anon you shall have them plotting the overthrow of the Saints as those selfe-seekers did in Ezra and Nehemiah's time Self-seekers are the basest of all persons there is no service so base so poor so low but they will bow to it They cannot look neither above nor beyond their owne lusts and the enjoyment Rom. 1. 25. of the creature these are the prime and ultimate objects of their intendments 'T is said of Tiberius that whilst Augustus rul'd he was no wayes tainted in his reputation and that whilst Drusus and Germanicus were alive hee feigned those vertues which hee had not to maintain a good opinion of himselfe in the hearts of the people but after hee had got himself out of the reach of contradiction and controulment there was no fact in which he was not faulty no crime to which he was not accessary My prayer shall be that Tiberius his spirit may not be found in any of our Rulers left it prove their ruine as it did his and that where ever it is it may be detected loathed and ejected that so neither the State nor soules may be ruin'd by it c. The third Remedy against this Device 3 Remedy of Satan is solemnly to dwell upon those dreadfull curses and woes that are from heaven denounced against selfe-seekers Woe unto them that joyne Isa 5. 8. house to house that lay field to field till there be no place that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth So Habakkuk Hab. 6. 9 10 11 12. Crassus a very rich Roman and a great self-seeker for greedy desire of Gold he managed war against the Parthians by whom both he 30000. Romans were slain and because the Barbarians conjectured that he made this assault upon them for their gold therfore they melted gold poured it into his dead body saying satura de auro satisfie thy selfe with gold Isa 15. 1 2. Wo to him that increaseth that which is not his and to him that ladeth himselfe with thick clay Woe to him that coveteth an evill covetousnesse to his house that hee may set his nest on high that he may be delivered from the power of evill Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people and hast sinned against thy soule For the stone shall cry out of the wall and the beame out of the timber shall answer it Woe to him that buildeth a Towne with blood and stablisheth a City by iniquity The materialls of the house built up by oppression shall come as joynt-witnesses The stones of the wall shall cry Lord we were built up by blood and violence and the beam shall answer True Lord even so it is The stones shall cry vengeance Lord upon these self-seekers and the beame shall answer wo to him because he built his house with blood So Isaiah Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees and that write grievousnesse which they have prescribed To turne aside the needy from judgement and to take away the right from the poore of my people that widdowes may be their prey and that they may rob the fatherlesse So Amos Wo Amos 6. 1. 7. unto them that are at ease in Zion and trust in the mountaine of Samaria which are named chiefe of the Nations to whom the house of Israel came That put far away the evill day and cause the seate of violence to come neer That lie upon beds of Ivory and stretch themselves upon their couches and eate the Lambs out of the flock and the Calves out of the midst of the stall That drinke wine in bowles and annoint themselves with the chiefe oyntments but they are not grieved for the afflictions of Joseph So Micah woe to them that devise iniquity Mica 2. 1 2. Tacitus the Roman Emperours word was fibi bonus aliis malus he that is too much for himselfe failes to be good to others and worke evill upon their beds when the morning is light they practise it because it is in the power of their hand And they covet fields and take them by violence and houses and take them away so they oppresse a man and his house even a man and his heritage By these Scriptures you see that selfe-seekers labour like a woman in travell but their birth proves their death their pleasure their paine their comfort their torment their glory their shame their exaltation their desolation Losse disgrace trouble and shame vexation and confusion will be the certaine portion of selfe-seekers When the Tartarians had taken in battell the Duke of Muscovia they made a cup of his skull with this inscription All covet all loose The fourth Remedie against this device 4 Remedie of Satan is solemnly to consider that self-seekers are selfe-loosers and Adam seeks himselfe and looses himself Paradise and that blessed Image that God had â—amp't upon him Lot seeks himself Gen. 13. 10 â—â— and looses himself and â—is goods c. Peter seeks to save himselfe and miserably loose himself Hezekiah in the businesse of the Ambassadours seeks himself and looses himself and his life too had not God saved him by a Miracle self-destroyers Absolom and Judas seek themselves and hang themselves Saul seeks himself and kills himself Ahab seeks himself and looses himselfe his Crown and Kingdome Pharaoh seeks himself and overthrows himselfe and his mighty Army in the red sea Cain sought himselfe and slew two at once his brother and his own soul Gehazi sought change of rayment but God changed his rayment into a leprous skin Haman sought himself and lost himselfe The Princes and the Presidents sought themselves in the ruine of Daniel but ruin'd themselves their wives and children That which selfe-seekers think should be a staffe to support them becomes by the hand of Justice an iron rod to break them that which they would have as springs to refresh them becomes a gulf utterly to consume them the crosses of selfe-seekers shall alwayes exceed their mercies their paine their pleasure their torments their comforts every selfe-seeker is a selfe-tormenter a selfe-destroyer he carries a hell an executioner in his own bosome c. The fifth Remedy against this Device 5 Remedy of Satan is to dwell much upon the famous examples of those worthy Saints that have denyed themselves and prefer'd the publick good before their owne particular advantage As Moses And the Lord said unto Moses let me alone that I may destroye them and blot out their name from under Heaven and I will make of thee a Nation migâ—â—ter and greater then they oh but this offer would not 'T is good to be of his opinion mind who was rather willing to beautifie Italy then his own house take with Moses he being a man of a
peace and union among brethren and oh that wee could see more of this among those that shall one day meet in their Fathers Kingdome and never part c. And as they are brethren so they are all fellow-members Now yee are the body of 1 Cor. 12. 27. Christ and members in particular And again We are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones Shall Ephes 5. 30. the members of the naturall body be serviceable and usefull to one another and shall the members of this spirituall body cut and destroy one another Is it against the Law of Nature for the naturall members to cut and slash one another and is it not much more against the Law of Nature and of grace for the members of Christs glorious body to do so And as you are all fellow-members so you are all fellow-souldiers Revel 12 7 8. Heb. 2. 10. under the same Captain of salvation the Lord Jesus fighting against the world the flesh and the Devill And as you are all fellow-souldiers so are you all fellow-sufferers under the same enemies the Devill and the Revel 2. 10. world And as you are all fellow-sufferers John 15. 19 20. Heb. 13. 1â— Heb. 1â— â—â— so are you fellow-travellers towards the Land of Canaan the new Jerusalem that is above Here we have no abiding City but we looke for one to come the heires of Heaven are strangers on earth And as you are all fellow travellers so are you all fellow-heirs of Rom. 8. 17. the same Crown and inheritance The eighth Remedie against this Device 8 Remedie of Satan is to dwell upon the miseries of discord dissolution is the Our dissentions are one of the Jews greatest stumbling blocks can you thinke of it and your hearts not bleed daughter of dissention ah how doth the name of Christ and the way of Christ suffer by the discord of Saints how are many that are entring upon the wayes of God hindered and sadded and the mouths of the wicked opened and their hearts hardned against God and his ways by the discord of his people Remember this the disagreement of Christians is the Devills triumph and what a sad thing is this that Christians should give Satan cause to triumph 'T was a notable saying of one take away strife and call backe peace lest thou loose a man thy friend and the Devill an enemie joy over you both c. The ninth Remedie against this Device 9 Remedie of Satan is solemnly to consider that 't is no disparagement to you to be first in seeking peace and reconcilement but rather an honour to you They shall both have the name and the note the comfort and the credite of being most like unto God who first begin to pursue after peace that you have begun to seek peace Abraham was the elder and more worthy then Lot both in respect of grace and nature also for hee was unkle unto Lot and yet he first seeks peace of his inferiour which God hath recorded as his honour Ah! how doth the God of peace by his spirit and messengers pursue after peace with poor creatures God first makes offers of peace to us Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ as 2 Cor. 5. 20. though God did beseech you by us wee pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God Gods grace first kneels to us and who can turn their backs upon such blessed and bleeding embracements but soulâ— in whom Satan the God of this world kings it God is the party wronged and yet he sues for peace with us at first I said Isa 65. 1. behold me behold mee unto a Nation that was not called by my name ah how doth Behold mee behold me 't is geminated to shew Gods exceeding forwardnesse to shew savour and mercy to them the sweetnesse the freenesse and the riches of his grace break forth and shine upon poor soules When a man goes from the sun yet the sun-beams follow him so when wee goe from the Sun of Righteousnesse yet then the beames of his love and mercy follow us Christ first sent to Peter that had denyed him and the rest that had forsaken him Goe your wayes and tell his Disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee Marke 16. 7. there shall yee see him as he said unto you Ah souls 't is not a base low thing but a God-like thing though we are wronged by others yet to be the first in seeking after peace such actings will speake out much of God with a mans spirit c. Christians 't is not matter of liberty whether you will or you will not pursue after peace but 't is matter of duty that lies upon you you are bound by expresse precepts to follow after peace and though it may seem to flie from you yet you must pursue after it Follow Heb. 12. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it signifies to follow after peace as the persecutor doth him whom he persecuteth Psal 34. 14. peace with all men and holinesse without which no man shall see the Lord. Peace and holiness is to be pursued after with the greatest eagernesse that can be imagined So the Psalmist Depart from evill and do good seeke peace and pursue it the Hebrew word that is here rendred seeke is in Pihil and it signifies to seeke earnestly vehemently affectionately 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 studiously industriously and pursue it that Hebrew word signifies earnestly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to pursue being a Metaphor taken from the eagernesse of wilde Beasts or ravenous 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fowles which will run or flye both fast and far rather then be disappointed of their prey So the Apostle presses the same duty upon the Romans Let us follow after the things that make for Rom. 14. 19. peace and things wherewith one mâ—y edefie another Ah! you froward sower dogged Christians can you looke upon these commands of God without teares and blushing I have read a remarkable story of Aristippus though but a Heathen Plutarch who went of his owne accord to Aeschines his enemy and said shall we never be reconciled till wee become a Table-talk to all the Countrey And when Eschines answered he would most gladly be at peace with him Remember then said Aristippus that though I were the elder and better man yet I sought first unto thee Thou art indeed said Aeschines a far better man then I for I began the quarrell but thou the reconcilement My prayer shall be that this Heathen may not rise in judgment against the flourishing Professours of our times Who whet their tongues like Psal 64. 3. a sword and bend their bowes to shoot their arrowes even bitter words The tenth Remedie against this device 10 Remedy of Satan is for Saints to joyne together and walk together in the wayes of grace and holinesse so far as they do agree making the word
13. he doth God service And these things will they doe unto you because they have not known the Father nor me Paul thankes his ignorance for all his cruelties to Christians I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious but I obtained mercie because I did it ignorantly 't was ignorance that put the Jewes upon crucifying Christ Eather forgive them saith Christ of his murtherers for they know 1 Co◠2. 8. not what they doe for if the Princes of this world had known they would not have crucified the Lord of glory Sinne at the first was the cause of ignorance but now ignorance is the cause of all sin swearing They did like Oedipus who killed his father Laius K. of Thebes and thought he killed his enemy and lying and killing and stealing whoring abound saith the Prophet because there is no knowledg of God in the Land There are none so frequent and so impudent in the wayes of sin as ignorant soules they care not nor mind not what they do nor what they say against God Christ Heaven holinesse and their own soules Our tongues Hosea 4. 1 2. Psal 73. 8 9. are our owne who shall controule us They are corrupt and speake wickedly concerning oppression they speake loftily They set their mouth against the Heavens and their tongue walketh through the earth Have all the Psal 14. 4. workers of iniquity no knowledge who eate up my people as they eate bread and call not upon the Lord. And now to prevent Objections I shall lay down some Propositions or Conclusions concerning Satan and his Devices and then give you the Reasons of the Point and so come to make some Use and Application of the whole to our selves The first Proposition or Conclusion I shall lay downe is this THat though Satan hath his Devices 1 Proposition to draw soules to sin yet we must be carefull that we do not lay all our temptations upon Satan that we doe not wrong the Devill and father that upon him that is to be fathered upon our own base hearts I thinke that oftentimes men charge that upon the Devill that is to be charged upon their own hearts And the Lord said unto the Gen. 3. 13. woman VVhat is this that thou hast done and the woman said the Serpent beguiled me and I did eate Sin and shifting came into the world together This is no small basenesse of our hearts that they will be naught I very naught and yet will father that naughtinesse upon Satan Man hath an evill root within him that were there no Devil to tempt him nor no wicked men in the world to entice him yet that root of bitternesse that cursed sinfull nature that is in him would draw him to sin though he knows before hand that the wages of sinne is eternall death For out of the heart proceed evill thoughts murders adulteries Rom. 6. ult Mat. 5. 19. fornications thefts false witnesses blasphemies The whole frame of man is Cum primum nascimur in omnt continuo pravitate versamur we are no sooner borne then buried in a bog of wickednesse Tully out of frame the understanding is dark the will crosse the memory slippery the affections crooked the conscience corrupted the tongue poisoned and the heart wholly evill only evill and continually evill Should God chaine vp Satan and give him no liberty to tempt or entice the sons of men to vanity and folly yet they would not yet they could not but sin against him by reason of that cursed nature that is in them that will still be a provoking Iude 15 16. them to those sins that will provoke and stir up the anger and wrath of God against them Satan hath only a perswading sleight not an enforcing might he may tempt us but without our selves he cannot conquer us hee Iames 1. 4. may entice us but without our selves he cannot hurt us our hearts carries the greatest stroak in every sin Satan 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The fire is our wood though it be the Devills flame Nazianzen can never undoe a man without himselfe but a man may easily undo himselfe without Satan Satan can onely present the golden cup but he hath no power to force us to drinke the poyson that is in the cup he can only present to us the glory of the world he cannot force us to fall down and worship him to enjoy the world he can only spread his snares he hath no power to force us to walke in the mid'd of his snares therefore do the Devill so much right as not to excuse your selves by your accusing him and laying that load upon him that you should lay upon your owne hearts The second Proposition is this 2 Proposition That Satan hath a great hand and stroak in most sinnes 'T was Satan that Gen. 3. 1. 4 5. tempted our first Parents to Rebellion 'T was Satan that provoked David to 1 Chron. 21. 1. number the people 'T was Satan that put Peter upon rebuking Christ therefore saith Christ Get thee behind me Satan Mat. 16. 22 23. 'T was Satan that put Cain upon murdering of righteous Abel therefore 't is that he is called a murderer from Iohn 8. 44. the beginning 'T was Satan that put treason into the heart of Judas against Christ And supper being ended the Devill Iohn 13. 2. having put it into the heart of Iudas Iscatiot Simons son to betray him 'T was Satan that pu◠Ananias upon lying Peter said Acts 5. 3. Ananias why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the holy Ghost As the hand of Ioab was in the tale of the woman of Tekoah so Satans hand is usually in all the sins that men commit such is Satans malice against God and his envy Diaholus tendat deus orobat Tertul. against man that he will have a hand one way or another in all their finnes though ke knows that all the sins that he provokes others to shall be charged upon him to his greater woe and eternall torment Ambrose brings in the Devill boasting against Christ and chalenging Judas as his owne hee is not thine Lord Jesus hee is mine his thoughts beat for me he eats with thee but is fed by me he takes bread from thee but money from me he drinks wine with thee and sells thy blood to me such is his malice against Christ and his wrath and rage against man that he wil take all advantages to draw men to that that may give him advantage to triumph over Christ and mens soules for ever The third Proposition is this That Satan must have a double leave 3 Proposition before he can do any thing against us he must have leave from God and leave from our selves before he can act any thing against our happinesse he must have his commission from God as you may see in the example of Iob though Iob 1. 11 12. Chap. 2 v
use of thankfulness Vse to those that escape Satans snares that are not taken by him at his will ah Christians it stands you upon with that Princely Prophet David to call upon your soules and say Blesse the Psal 103. 1 2. Lord oh our soules and all that is within us blesse his holy name Blesse the Lord oh our soules and forget not all his benefits who hath not given us to be a prey to Satan and to be ensnared by those snares that he hath laid for our souls the sense of this great favour did work up Davids heart to praises Blessed be the Lord saith Psalm 144. 6 7. hee who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth our soule is escaped as a bird out of the snares of the Fowlers the snare is broken and we are escaped Ah Christians Remember that the greatest part of the world yea the greatest part of Professors are taken in Satans snares can you think seriously of this and not The Ancients use to say ingratum dixeris omnia dixeris say a man is unthankfull and say he is any thing blush to be unthankful what are you better then others and what have you deserved of God or done for God more then otherâ— that you should by the help of a Divine hand escape the snares when others are taken and held in the snares of the Devill to their eternall Psal 71. 14. I will yet praise thee more more in the Originall 't is I will adde to thy praise overthrow c. Will you be thankfull for the escaping the snares that men spread for your lives or estates c and will you not be much more thankfull for escaping those snares that Satan hath laid for your precious souls Remember this that deliverance The Stork is said to leave one of her young ones where shee hatcheth them and the Elephant to turn up the first sprig toward Heaven when he cometh to feed out of some instinct of gratitude ah soules that these may not bear witnesse against you in the day of Christ from Satans snares doth carrie with it the clearest and the greatest evidence of the soule and heart of God to be towards you Many a man by a common hand of Providence escapes many a snare that man hath laid for him but yet escapes not the snares that Satan hath laid for him Saul and Iudas and Demas doubtlesse escaped many snares that men had laid for them but none of them escaped the snares that the Devill had laid for them Many men are lifted up above the snares of men by a common hand of providence that are left to fall into the snares of the Devill by a hand of Justice your deliverance from Satans snares is a fruit of speciall love can you thus look upon it and not be thankfull oh precious soules I judge not The last use of this point is to bespeak Vse Christians to long to be at home oh long to be in the bosome of Christ long to be in the Land of Canaan for Austin wished that he might have seene 3. things Rome flourishing Paul preaching Christ conversing with men upon the earth Bede comes after correcting this last wish faith yea but let me see the King in his beauty Christ in his heavenly Kingdome this world this wildernesse is full of snares and all employments are full of snares and all enjoyments are full of snares in civill things Satan hath his snares to entrapus and in all spirituall things Satan hath his snares to catch us All places are full of snares City and Countrey shop and closet Sea and Land and all our mercies are surrounded with snares there are snares about our tables snares about our beds c. yea Satan is so powerful and subâ—il that he will oftentimes make our greatest nearest and dearest mercies to become our greatest snares sometimes hee will make the wife that lies in the bosome to be a snare to a man as Sampsons was and as Jobs was sometimes he will make the child to be a snare as Absolom was and Elies sons were and sometimes he will make the servant to be a snare as Joseph was to his Mistris ah soules Satan is so cunning and artificiall that he can turne your cups into snares and your cloths into snares and your houses into snares and your gardens into snares all your recreations into snares c. And oh how should the consideration of these things work all your souls to say with the Church Make hast my Cant. 8. ult 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Berahh dodi flee away speedily my beloved beloved and be like to a Roe or a young Hart upon the mountaines of spices and to love and look and long for the coming of Christ shall the espoused Maid long for the marriage day the servant for his freedome the captive for his ransome the Traveller for his Inne the Phil. 1 23. 2 Cor. 5. 2. 4 Mariner for his Harbour and shall not the people of the Lord long much more to be in the bosome of Christ there being nothing below the bosome of Christ that is not surrounded with Satans snares What Paul once spake of bonds and Acts 20. 23. afflictions that they attended him in every place that may all the Saints say of Satans snares that they attend them in every place which should cause them to cry out migremus hinc migrâ—mus hinc let us goe hence let us goe hence and to say with Monica Austins mother * Quid hic faciemus cur non ocyus migramus cur non hinc avolamus what do we here why depart we not hence why flie wee no swifter Ah soules till you are taken up into the bosom of Christ your comforts will not be ful pure and constant till then Satan will still be tempting you and spreading snares to entangle you therefore you should alwayes bee crying out with the Church Come Lord Rev. 22. 20. It is as easie to compass the Heavens with a span and contain the Sea in a nut-shel as to relate fully Christs excellencies or heavens happinesse Jesus Is not Christ that star of Jacob that giveth light to them that are in darkenesse that Prince of Peace who brings the Olive-branch of Peace to souls that are perplexed Is not the greatest worth and wealth in him Is not all the petty excellencies and perfections of all created creatures epitomized in him Is not he the Crown of Crowns the glory of glories and the Heaven of Heavens Oh then be still a longing after a full cleare and constant enjoyment of Christ in Heaven for till then Satan will still have plots and designes upon you he acts by an untired power and will never let you rest till you are taken up to an everlasting rest in the bosome of Christ An Appendix touching five more severall Devices that Satan hath to keep poor soules from believing in
Christ from receiving of Christ from embracing of Christ from resting leaning or relying upon Christ for everlasting happinesse and blessedness according to the Gospel and Remedies against those Devices Now the first Device that Satan hath to keep the soule off from believing in Christ from closing with Christ c. is BY suggesting to the soule the 1 Device greatnesse and vilenesse of his sinnes what saith Satan dost thou think that thou shalt ever obtain mercy by Christ that hast sinned with so high a hand against Christ that hast slighted the tenders of grace that hast grieved the spirit of grace that hast despised the word of grace that hast trampled under feet the blood of the Covenant by which thou might'st have been pardoned purged justified and saved that hast spoken and done all the evill that thou couldst No no saith Satan he hath mercy for others Ierem. 3. 5. but not for thee pardon for others but not for thee righteousnesse for others but not for thee c. therefore 't is in vaine for thee to think of beleeving in Christ or resting and leaning thy guilty soule upon Christ Now the remedies against this Device of Satan are these that follow THe first Remedie against this Device Remedy of Satan is to consider that the greater your sinnes are the more you stand in need of a Saviour the greater your burthen is the more you stand in need of one to help to beare it the deeper the wound is the more need there is of the Surgeon the more dangerous the disease is the more need there is of the Physitian Who but mad men will argue thus my burden is great there-I'le not call out for help my wound is Mad Logick deepe therefore I 'le not call out for balm my disease is dangerous therefore I 'le not goe to the Physitian Ah! 't is spirituaâ—â—adnesse 't is the Devills Logick to argue thus My sinnes are great therefore I 'le not goe to Christ I dare not rest nor leane on Christ c. whereas the soule should reason thus the greater my sins are the more I stand in need of mercy of pardon and therefore I will goe to Christ who delights Mica 7. 18. in mercy who pardons sinne for his owne name sake who is as able and as Isa 43. 25. willing to forgive pounds as pence thousands as hundreds The second Remedie against this Device 2 Remedie of Satan is solemnly to consider that the promise of grace and mercy is to returning soules and therefore though thou art never so wicked yet if thou wilt returne God will be thine mercy shall be thine pardon thine c. 2 Chron. 30. 9. For if you turn again 2 Chron. 30. 9. unto the Lord your brethren and your children shall finde compassion before them that lead them captive so that they shall come againe into this land for the Lord your God is gracious and mercifull and will not turne away his face from you if ye returne unto him So Jer. 3. 12. Goe and proclaime Jer. 3. 12. these words towards the North and say returne thou back-sliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause my anger to fall upon you for I am mercifull saith the Lord and I will not keepe ang 〈…〉 for ever So Joel 2. 13. And rent youâ—â—â—rts and not Ioel 2. 13. your garments and turne unto the Lord your God for he is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse and repenteth him of the evill So Isa 55. 7. Let the wicked forsake his wayes and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him returne unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon or as the Hebrew readâ— it he will multiply pardons So Ezek. Ezek. ch 18. Chap. 18. Ah sinner 't is not thy great transgressions that shall exclude thee from mercy if thou wilt break off thy sins by repentance and return to the fountaine of mercy Christs heart Christs armes are wide open to embrace the returning Prodigall 'T is not simply the greatest of thy sins but thy peremptory persisting in sinne that will be thy eternall overthrow The third Remedie against this Device 3 Remedie of Satan is seriously to consider that the greatest sinners have obtained mercy and therefore all the Angells in heaven all the men on earth and all the Devils in hell cannot tell to the contrary but that thou mayest obtain mercy Manasseh was a notorious sinner 2 King Chap. 21. he erected Altars for Baal he worshipped and served all the hoast of Heaven He caused his sonnes to passe through the fire he gave himselfe to witchcraft and sorcerie he made Judah to sinn more wickedly then the heathen did whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel hee The Hebrew Doctors write that he slew Isaiah the Prophet who was his father in law caused the streets of Jerusalem to run downe with innocent blood c. Ah! what a devill incarnate was he in his actings and yet when he humbled himselfe and sought the Lord the Lord was intreated of him and heard his supplication and brought him to Jerusalem and made himselfe known unto him and crowned him with mercy and loving kindnesse as you may see in 2 Chron. 2 Chron. chap. 33. chap. 33. So Paul was once a blasphemer a persecutor and injurious yet he obtained 1 Tim. 1. 13. mercy So Mary Magdalen was a Luke 7. notorious strumpet a common whore one out of whom Christ cast seaven Devills yet she is pardoned by Christ and dearly beloved of Christ Luke 7. So Mar. 16. 9. in Mar. 16. v. 9. Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week he appeared first to Mary Magdalene out of whom he had cast seaven Devills Jansenius on the place saith 't is very observable that our Saviour after his resurrection first appeared to Mary Magdalen and Peter that had been grievous sinners that even the worst of sinners may be comforted and encouraged to come to Christ to believe in Christ to rest and stay their soules upon Christ for mercy here and glory hereafter that is a very precious word for the worst of sinners to hang upon Psal 68. v. 18. The Psal 68. 18. Psalmist speaking of Christ saith Thou hast ascended on high thou hast led captivity captive thou hast received gifts for men yea for the rebellious also that the Lord God might dwell among them What though thou art a rebellious child or a rebellious servant what though thou art a rebellious swearer a rebellious drunkard a rebellious Sabbath-breaker c. yet Christ hath received gifts for thee even for the rebellious He hath received the gift of pardon the gift of righteousnesse yea all the gifts of the spirit for thee that thy heart may be made a delightfull house for God to dwell in Bodin hath a story concerning a great Rebell that had made a great strong party against a Roman Emperour the Emperour
makes Proclamation that who-ever could bring the Rebell dead or alive he should have such a great summe of money The Rebell hearing of this comes and presents himself before the Emperour and demands the summ of money now saith the Emperour if I should put him to death the world would say I did it to save my money and so he pardons the Rebell and gives him the money Ah sinners shall a Heathen do this that had but a drop of mercy and compassion in him and will not Christ do much more Coloss 1. 19. Chap. 2 3 4. that hath all fulnesse of grace mercy and glory in himselfe Surely his bowels doe yerne towards the worst of Rebels Ah! if you will but come in you will find him ready to pardon yea one Nehem. 9. 17. Heb. but thou a god of pardons made up of pardoning mercy Oh! the readinesse and willingnesse of Jesus Christ to receive to favour the greatest Rebels The father of mercies did meet embrace and kisse that prodigall mouth which came from feeding with swine and kissing of Harlots Ephraim had Hos 4. 17. 5. 3. 6. 8. 11 12. 12. 14. 13. 12. vide committed Idolatry and was backsliden from God he was guilty of lukewarmnesse and unbelief c. yet saith God Ephraim is my deare sonne hee is a Jer. 31. 20. pleasant child my bowels are troubled for him I will have mercy or rather as 't is in the Originall I will have mercy mercy upon him saith the Lord. Well saith God Though Ephraim be guilty of crimson sinnes yet he is a sonne a deare sonne a precious sonne a pleasant childe Though he be blacke with filth and red with guilt yet my bowels are troubled for him I will have mercy mercy upon him Ah sinners if these bowels of mercy doe not melt win and draw you Justice will be a swift witnesse against you and make you lye downe in eternall misery for kicking against the bowels of mercy Christ hangs out still as once that warlike Seythian did a white flag of grace and mercy to returning sinners that humble themselves at his feete for favour but if sinners stand out Christ will put forth his red flag his bloody flag and then they shall dye for ever by a hand of Justice Sinners there is no way to avoid perishing by Christs iron rod but by kissing his golden Scepter The fourth Remedie against this Device 4 Remedie of Satan iâ— to consider that Iesus Christ has no where in all the Scripture excepted against the worst of sinners that are willing to receive him to belive in him and to rest upon him for happinesse and blessedness Ah sinners why should you be more cruell and unmercifull to your own soules then Christ is Christ hath not excluded you from mercy why should you exclude your owne soules from mercy Oh that you would dwell often upon that choise Scripture John 6. 37. All Iohn 6. 37. that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out or as the Originall hath it I will not cast out Well saith Christ if any man will come or is coming to me let him be more sinfull or lesse more unworthy or lesse let him be never so guilty never so filthy never so rebellious never so leprous c. yet if hee will but come I will not not not cast him off So much is held forth in that 1 Cor. 6. 9 10 11. Know ye not that the unrighteous 1 Cor 6. 9. 10 11. shall not inherite the Kingdome of God Be not deceived Neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor abusers of themselves with man-kinde Nor theeves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherite the Kingdome of God And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God Ah sinners do not thinke that hee that hath received such notorious sinners to mercy will reject you Hee is Heb. 13. 8. yesterday and to day and the same for ever Christ was borne in an Inne to shew that he receives all commers his garments were divided into four parts to shew that out of what part of the world soever we come we shall be received If we be naked Christ hath Robes to cloth us if we be harbourless Christ hath room to lodg us That is a choise Scripture Acts 10. 34 35. Acts 10. 34 35. Then Peter opened his mouth and said of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons But in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousnesse is accepted with him The three Tongues that were written upon the Crosse in Greeke Latine and Hebrew to witnesse Christ to be Iohn 19. 19 20. the King of the Jewes do each of them in their severall Idiom avouch this singular Axiome that Christ is an all sufficient Saviour and a three-fold cord is not easily broken The Apostle puts this out of doubt in that Heb. 7. v. 25. Heb. 7. 25. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the vttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them Now he were not an Al-sufficient Saviour if he were not as able to save the greatest as the least of sinners Ah sinners tell Jesus Christ that he hath not excluded you from mercy and therefore you are resolved that you will sit waite weep and knock at the doore of mercy til he shall say souls be of good cheer your sins are forgiven your persons are justified and your soules shall be saved The fifth Remedie against this Device 5 Remedy of Satan is to consider that the greater sinner thou art the dearer thou wilâ— be to Christ when he shall behold thee as the travel of his soule Isa 53. 11. Isa 53. 11. He shall see of the travell of his soule and be satisfied The dearer we pay for any thing the dearer that thing is to us Christ hath paid most and prayed most and sighed most and wept most and bled most for the greatest sinners and therefore they are dearer to Christ then others that are lesse sinful Rachel was Gen. 29. 30. dearer to Jacob then Leah because shee cost him more he obeyed endured and suffered more by day and by night for her then for Leah Ah sinners the greatnesse of your sinns does but set off the freenesse and riches of Christs grace and the freenesse of his love this maketh Heaven and Earth to ring of his praise that he loves those that are most unlovely that hee shewes most favour to them that hath sinned most highly against him as might be shewed by severall instances in Scripture as Paul Mary Magdalene and others who sinned more against Christ then these and who had sweeter and choicer manifestations of divine love and favour then these The sixth Remedy against this Device 6 Remedie of Satan
is seriously to consider that the longer you keepe off from Christ the greater and stronger your sinnes wil grow All divine power and strength against sin flowes from the souls union Rom. 8. 10. 1 Iohn 1. 6 7. and communion with Christ while you keepe off from Christ you keep off from that strength and power which is only able to make you trample downe strength lead captivity captive and slay the Goliah's that bids defiance to Christ 'T is only faith in Christ that makes a 1 Iohn 5. 4. man triumph over sin Satan Hell and the world 'T is onely faith in Christ Mar. 5. 25-35 that binds the strong man hand and foot that stops the issue of blood that makes a man strong in resisting and happy in conquering Sin always dies most where faith lives most the most believing soule is the most mortifyed soule Ah sinner remember this there is no way on earth effectually to be rid of the guilt filth and power of sinne but by believing in a Saviour 'T is not resolving 't is not complaining 't is not mourning but believing that will make thee divinely victorious over that bodie of sinne that to this day is too strong for thee and that will certainly be thy ruine if it be not ruin'd by a hand of faith The seventh Remedie against this Device 7 Remedie of Satans is wisely to consider that as there is nothing in Christ to discourage the greatest sinners from believing in him so there is every thing in Christ that may encourage the greatest sinners to believe in him to rest and leane upon him for all happinesse and blessednesse If you look upon his nature his disposition his names his titles his offices as King Priest and Cant. 1. 3. Prophet you shall finde nothing to discourage the greatest sinners to receive Coloss 1. 19. Chap. 2. 3. Cant. 5. 10. him to believe on him Christ is the greatest good the choisest good the chiefest good the most sutable good the most necessary good he is a pure good a reall good a totall good an eternall good and a soul-satisfying good Sinners are you poor Christ Rev. 3. 17 18. hath gold to enrich you are you naked Christ hath royall robes hee hath white rayment to cloath you are you blind Christ hath eye-salve to enlighten you are you hungry Christ will be Manna to feed you are you thirsty Iohn 6. 48. Iohn 7. 38. he will be a Well of living water to refresh you are you wounded hee hath balm under his wings to heale you are Mal. 4. 2. Mat. 4. 23. Mat. 20. 28. you sick he is a Physitian to cure you are you prisoners he hath laid downe a ran some for you Ah sinners tell me tell me is there any thing in Christ to keep you off from believing No is there not every thing in Christ that may incourage you to believe in him Yes O then believe in him and then though your sinnes be as searlet they be as Isa 1. 18. white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool Nay then your iniquities shall be forgotten as well as Isa 43. 25. Isa 38. 17. Micha 1. 19. forgiven they shall be remembred no more God will cast them behinde his back he will hurle them into the bottome of the Sea The 8. and last Remedie against this 8 Remedie Device of Satan is seriously to consider the absolute necessity of beleeving in Christ Heaven is too holy and too hot to hold unbelievers their lodging is prepared in hell Revel 21. 8. But Revel 21. 8. the fear full and unbelieving c. shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire brimstone which is the second death If ye believe not that I am he saith Christ Iohn 8. 24. you shall die in your sins And he that dyes in his sins must to judgment and to hell in his sins Every unbeliever is a condemned man He that beleeveth not saith John is condemned already because Iohn 3. 18. he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten sonne of God And hee that Vers 36. beleeveth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Ah sinners the Law the Gospel and your owne Consciences has pass'd the sentence of condemnation upon you and there is no way to reverse the sentence but by believing in Christ and therefore my counsell is this Stir up your Isa 64. 7. selves to lay hold on the Lord Jesus and look up to him and wait on him from whom every good and perfect James 1. 17. Isa 62. 7. gift comes and give him no rest till he hath given thee that Jewell Faith that is more worth then Heaven and Earth and that will make thee happy in life joyfull in death and glorious in the day of Christ And thus much for the Remedies against this first Device of Satans whereby he keeps off thousands from believing in Christ The second Device that Satan hath to keepe poor sinners from believing from closing with a Saviour is BY suggesting to them their unworthinesse 2 Device Ah saith Satan as thou art worthy of the greatest misery so thou art unworthy of the least crum of mercy what dost thou thinke saith Satan that ever Christ will owne receive or embrace such an unworthy wretch as thou art no no if there were any worthinesse in thee then indeed Christ might be willing to be entertained by thee thou art unworthy to entertain Christ into thy house how much more unworthy art thou to entertaine Christ into thy heart c. Now the Remedies against this device of Satan are these that follow THe first Remedie against this Device 1 Remedy of Satan is seriously to consider that God hath no where in the Scripture required any worthinesse in the creature before believing in Christ If you make a diligent search through all the Scripture you shall not find from Iohn 5. 29. the first line in Genesis to the last line in the Revelation one word that speaks Mat. 19. 8. out Gods requiring any worthinesse in the creature before the soules believing in Christ before the souls leaning and resting upon Christ for happinesse and blessednesse and why then should that be a bar and hinderance to thy faith which God doth no where require of thee before thou comest to Christ that thou maist have life Ah sinners remember Satan objects your unworthinesse against you only out of a Designe to keep Christ and your soules asunder for ever and therefore in the face of all your unworthiness rest upon Christ come to Christ believe in Iohn 6. 40. 47. Christ and you are happy for ever The second Remedie against this Device 2 Remedie of Satans is wisely to consider that none never received Christ embraced Christ obtained mercy and pardon from Christ but unworthy soules Pray what worthinesse was in Matthew Zacheus Mary Magdalen Manasseh Paul and Sydia before their coming to Christ before their faith
Christ say Come Mat. 11. 28. unto me all yee that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest To this I shall give these three Answers 1. That though the invitation be to such that labour and are heavy laden yet the promise of giving rest it s made over to coming to believing 2. I answer that all that this Scripture proves and shews is that such as labour under sin as under a heavy burden Math. 11. 28. opened and cleared and that are laden with the guilt of sin and sense of Gods displeasure ought to come to Christ for rest but it doth not prove that only such must come to Christ nor that all men must be thus burthened and laden with the sense of their sinnes and the wrath of God before they come to Christ Poor sinners when they are under the sense of sinne and wrath of God they are prone to run from creature to creature and from duty to duty and from Ordinance to Ordinance to find rest and if they could finde it in any thing or creature Christ should never heare of them But here the Lord sweetly invites them and to encourage them he engages himself to give them rest Come saith Christ and I will give you rest I 'le not shew you rest nor barely tell you of rest but I will give you rest I am faithfulnesse it selfe and cannot lye I will give you rest I that have the greatest power to give it the greatest will to give it the greatest right to give it come laden sinners and I will give you rest Rest is the most desireable good the most sutable good to you the greatest good Come saith Christ that is Believe in me I wil give you rest I wil give you peace with God and peace with conscience I will turn your storme into an everlasting calme I will give you such rest that the world can neither give to you nor take from you 3. I answer no one Scripture speaks out the whole minde of Christ therefore do but compare this one Scripture with those severall Scriptures that are laid downe in the second Remedie last mentioned and it will clearly appear that though men are not thus and thus burdened and laden with their sins and filled with horror and terrour if they may come to Christ they may receive and embrace the Lord Jesus Christ The 4. and last Remedie against this 4 Remedie Device of Satan is to consider that all that trouble for him all that sorrow shame and mourning c. which is acceptable to God and delightfull to God prevalent with God flows from faith in Christ as the stream doth from the fountain as the branch doth from the root as the effect doth from the cause Zech. 12. 10. They shall looke on Zach. 12. 10. him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him All Gospel-mourning Rom. 14. 23. flows from believing they shall first look and then mourn All that know any thing knows this that what ever is not of faith is sinne Till men have faith in Christ their best services are but glorious sins The fourth Device that Satan hath to keep Christ a sinner asunder to keep a poore sinner from believing in Christ from embracing of Christ c. is BY suggesting to the sinner Christs 4 Device unwillingnesse to save 't is true saith Satan Christ is able to save thee but is he willing surely though hee be able yet he is not willing to save such a wretch as thou art that hast trampled his blood under thy feet and that hast been in open rebellion against him all thy dayeâ— c. The Remedie against this Device of Satans is briefly to consider these few things 1. THe great journey that he hath 1 Remedie taken from heaven to earth on purpose to save sinners doth strongly demonstrate his willingnesse to save them Math. 9. 13. I came not to call the Mat. 9. 13. righteous but sinners to repentance 1 Tim. 1. 15. This is a faithfull saying and worthy 1 Tim. 1. 15. of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chiefe 2. His divesting himself of his glory in order to sinners salvation speaks out his willingnesse to save them he leaves his Fathers bosome he puts off his glorious robes and layes aside his glorious Crown and bids adieâ— to his glistering Courtiers the Angels and all this he doth that hee may accomplish sinners salvation 3. That sea of sin that sea of wrath that sea of trouble that sea of blood From the Cradle to the Crosse his whole life was a life of sufferings that Jesus Christ waded through that sinners might be pardoned justified reconciled and saved doth strongly evidence his willingnesse to save sinners 4. His sending his Ambassadors early and late to wooe and intreat sinners 2 Cor. 5. 19 20. to be reconciled to him doth with open mouth shew his readinesse and willingnesse to save sinners 5. His complaints against such as refuse him and that turn their backs upon him and that will not be saved by him doth strongly declare his willingnesse to save them He came to his owne 1 John 11. and his owne received him not So in that 5. of John v. 40. But yee will not come Iohn 5. 40. to me that ye may have life 6. The joy and delight that he takes at the conversion of sinners doth demonstrate his willingnesse that they should be saved Luk. 15. 7. I say unto Luke 15. 7. you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth more then over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance God the Father rejoyceth at the return of his prodigall Sonne Christ rejoyces to see the travell of Isa 53. 11. his soule the Spirit rejoyces that he hath another Temple to dwell in and the Angels rejoyce that they have another Brother to delight in c. The fifth Device that Satan hath to keepe a sinner and Christ asunder is BY working a sinner to mind more 5 Device the secret decrease and counsels of God then his own duty What needest thou to busie thy selfe about receiving embracing and entertaining of Christ Saith Satan if thou art elected thou shalt be saved if not all that thou canst doe will do thee no good Nay he will worke the soule not onely to doubt of its election but to conclude that he is not elected and therefore let him doe what he can he shall never be saved Now the Remedies against this Device of Satan are these THe first Remedie is seriously to consider 1 Remedy that all the Angels in heaven nor all the men on earth nor all the Devills in hell cannot tell to the contrary but that thou maist be an elect person a chosen vessel Thou mayest be confident of this that God never made Satan one of his Privie Councel God never acquainted him with the names or persons of such that he