deadly consumption to fall upon some Now the remedies against this Device of Satan are these that follow THe first Remedy against this Device 1 Remedie of Satan is to dwell more upon one anothers graces then upon one anothers weaknesses and infirmities 't is sad to consider that Saints should have Flavius Vespasianus the Emperour was more ready to conceal the vices of his friends then their virtues can you think seriously of this Christians that a Heathen should excell you not blush 2 Cor. 2. 7 8. many eyes to behold one anothers infirmities and not one eye to see each others graces that they should use spectacles to behold one anothers weaknesses rather then looking glasses to behold one anothers graces Erasmus tels of one who collected all the lame and defective Verses in Homers works but passed over all that were excellent ah that this were not the practice of many that shall at last meet in Heaven that they were not carefull and skillfull to collect all the weaknesses of others and to passe over all those things that are excellent in them The Corinthians did eye more the incestuous persons sinne then his sorrow which was like to have drown'd him in sorrow Tell me Saints is it not a more sweet comfortable and delightfull thing to look more upon one anothers graces then upon one anothers infirmities Tell me what pleasure what delight what comfort is there in looking upon the enemies the wounds the sores the sicknesses the diseases the nakednesse of our friends Now sin you know is the souls enemy the souls wound the souls sores the souls sicknesse the souls Non Gens sed mens non Genus sed Genius Not race or place but grace truly sets forth a mâ—n disease the souls nakednesse and ah what a heart hath that man that loves thus to look Grace is the choicest flower in all a Christians garden 't is the richest Jewell in all his Crown 't is his Princely Robes 't is the top of Royalty and therefore must needs be the most pleasing sweet and delightfull object for a gracious eye to be fixt upon Sin is darknesse grace is light sin is hell grace is Heaven and what madnesse is it to look more at darknesse then at light more at hell then at Heaven Jam. 5. 11. 2. 25. 1 Pet. 2. 6. vide Sin is Satans work Grace is Gods workâ— is it not most â—â—â—et that the child should eye most and mind most his Fathers work c. Tâ—ll me Saints doth not God look more upon his people graces then upon their weaknesses surely he doth he looks more at Davids and Asa's uprightnesse then upon their infirmities though they were great and many he eyes more Job's patience then his passion Remember the patience of Job not a word of his impatience c. He that drew Alexander whilest he had a scar upon his face drew him with his finger upon the scar God puts his finger upon his peoples scars that no blemish may appear ah Saints that you would make it the top of your glory in this to be like your heavenly Father by so doing much sin would be prevented the designes of wicked men frustrated Satan out-witted many wounds healed many sad hearts cheared and God more aboundantly honored c. The second Remedy against this Device 2 Remedy of Satan iâ— solemnly to consider that love and unity makes most for your own safety and security We shall There was a Temple of Concord amongst the Heathens and shall it not be found among Christians that are Temples of the holy Ghost be insuperabiles if we be inseperabiles invincible if wee be inseperable The world may frowne upon you and plot against you but they cannot hurt you unity is the best bond of safety in every Church and Common-wealth And this did that Scythian King in Plutark represent lively to his 80 Sons when being ready to dye he commanded a bundle of Arrowes fast bound together to be given to his Sons to break they all tried to break them but being bound fast together they could not then he caused the band to be cut then they Pancirollus saith that the most precious pearle among the Romans was call'd unio union broke them with ease he applyed it thus My Sons so long as you keepe together you will be invincible but if the band of union be broke betwixt you you will easily be broken in â—ieces Plinie writes of a stone in the Island of Scyrus that if it be whole though a large and heavy one it swims above water but being broken it sinks so long as Saints keep whole nothing shall sink them but if they break they are in danger of sinking and drowning c. The third Remedy against this Device 3 Remedy of Satan is to dwell upon those commands of God that doe require you To act or run crosse to Gods expresse command though under pretence of Revelation from God is as much as a mans life is worth as you may see in that sad story 1 Kings 13. 24. to love one another oh when your hearts begin to rise against each other charge the Commands of God upon your hearts and say to your souls oh our souls hath not the eternall God commanded you to love them that love the Lord And is it not life to obey and death to rebell Therefore looke that you fulfill the commands of the Lord for his commands are not like those that are easily reversed but they are like those of the Medes that cannot be changed Oh! be much in pondering upon these Commands of God A new Commandement I give unto you that yee John 13. 34. love one another as I have loved you that yee also love one another 'T is called a new Some conceive it to be an Hebraisme in which language new rare and most excellent are Synonima's John 15. 12. 17. commandement because 't is renewed in the Gospel and set home by Christs example and because 't is rare choise speciall and remarkable above all others This is my commandement that ye love one another as I have loved you These things I command you that ye love one another Owe no man any thing but love one another for he that loveth another hath Rom. 13. 8. fulfilled the Law Let brotherly love continue Heb. 13. 1. Love one another for love is of 1 Iohn 4. 7. God And every one that loveth is borne of 1 Pet. 1. 22. God and knoweth God See that ye love Chap. 3. v. 8. one another with a pure heart fervently Finally be ye all of one minde having compassion one of another Love as brethren be pittifull be courteous For this is the message 1 Iohn 3. 11. that ye heard from the beginning that we should love one another And this is his Verse 23. Commandement that wee should beleeve on the name of his sonne Jesus Christ and
Christ hath given sinne its deaths wound by his power spirit death and resurrection yet it will die but a lingring death As a man that is mortally wounded dies by little and little so doth sin in the heart of a Saint The death of Christ on the Crosse was a lingring death so the death of sin in the soule is a lingering death now it dies a little and anon it dies a little c. as the Psalmist speaks Slay them not least my people forget scatter them by thy power and bring them downe oh Lord our shield He would not have them utterly destroyed but some reliques preserved as a memoriall so God dealeth in respect of sin 't is wounded and brought downe but not wholly slaine something is still left as a monument of the Divine grace and to keep us humble wakefull and watchfull and that our armour may be still kept on and our weapons alwayes in our hands The best mens soules in this life hangs between the flesh and the spirit as it were like Mahomets Tomb at Aleppo between two load-stones like Erasmus as the Papists paint him betwixt The Romanes lost many a battel â—nd yet in the issue were Conquerors in all their wars 't is just so with the Saints Heaven and Hell like the Tribe of Manasseh halfe on this side Jordan in the Land of the Amorites and halfe on that side in the Holy Land yet in the issue they shall overcome the flesh and trample upon the necks of their spirituall enemies The Sixth Device that Satan hath to keep a poor soule in a sad doubting and questioning condition is BY suggesting to the soule that surely 6 Device his estate is not good because he cannot joy and rejoyce in Christ as once he could because he hath lost that comfort and joy that once was in his spirit Saith Satan thou knowest the time was when thy heart was much carried out to joying and rejoycing in Christ thou doest not forget the time when thy heart used to be full of joy and comfort but now how art thou fallen in thy joyes and comforts Therefore thy estate is not good thou doest but deceive thy selfe to think that ever it was good for surely if it had thy joy and comfort would have continued And hereupon the soule is apt to take part with Satan and say 't is even so I see all is naught and I have but deceived my owne soule c. Now the Remedies against this device of Satan are these that follow THe first Remedy against this Device 1 Remedie of Satan is to consider that the losse of comfort is a separable adjunct from grace the soul may be fâ—ll of holy affections when 't is empty of Divine consolations There may be and often Ps 63. 1 2 8. Isa 50. 10. 7. Mic. 7. 8 9. Psal 42. 5 is true grace yea much grace where there is not a drop of comfort nor a dram of joy Comfort is not of the being but of the wel-being of a Christian God hath not so linked these 2 choice lovers together but that they may be Spirituall joy is a Sun that is often clouded though it be as precious a flower as most Paradise affords yeâ— 't is subject to side and wâ—â—ther put asunder That wisdome that is from above will never work a man to reason thus I have no comfort therefore I have no grace I have lost that joy that once I had therefore my condition is not good was never good c. but 't will inable a man to reason thus tho my comfort is gone yet the God of my comfort abides though my joy is lost yet the seeds of grace remaine The best mens joyes are as glasse bright and brittle and evermore in danger of breaking The second Remedy against this Device 2 Remedy of Satan is solemnly to consider that the precious things that thou still injoyest are far better then the joyes and comforts that thou hast lost Thy union with Christ thy communion with Christ thy son-ship thy saint-ship thy heir-ship thou still injoyest by Christ is far better then the comforts thou hast lost by sin what though thy comforts be gone yet thy union and communion with Christ remaines though thy comforts be gone yet thou art a Son tho Jer. 31. 18 19 20. a comfortlesse Son an heir though a comfortlesse heir a Saint though a comfortlesse Saint Though the bag of silver thy comforts be lost yet the When one objected to Faninus his chearfullnesse to Christs Agony and sadnesse he answered Christ was sad that I might bemerry he had my sins and I have his righteousnesse box of Jewels thy union with Christ thy communion with Christ thy Sonship thy Saint-ship thy Heir-ship which thou still injoyest is far better then the bag of silver thou hast lost yea the least of those precious Jewels is more worth then all the comforts in the world well let this be a cordiall to comfort thee a star to lead thee and a staffe to support thee that thy box of Jewels are safe though thy bag of silver be lost The third Remedie against this Device 3 Remedy of Satan is to consider that thy condition is no other then what hath been the condition of those precious Psal 51. 12. Psal 30. 6 7. Job 23. 6 8 9. 30. 31. Lam. 1. 16. Mat. 27. 46. soules whose names were written upon the heart of Christ and who are now at rest in the bosome of Christ One day you shall have them praising and rejoycing the next day a mourning weeping one day you shall have them a singing Psal 42. 5. The Lord is our portion the next day a sighing and expostulating with themselves Lam. 5. 15. Why are yee cast downe oh our souls Why is our Harp turned to mourning And our Organ into the voice of them that weep c. The fourth Remedy against this Device 4 Remedy of Satan is solemnly to consider that the causes of joy and comfort are not alwayes the same Happily thy former joy and comfort did spring from The spirit doth not every day make a feast in the soul he doth not make every day to be a day of wearing the wedding robes the witnesse of the spirit he bearing witnesse to thy soule that thy nature was changed thy sins pardoned thy soule reconciled c. Now the Spirit may upon some speciall occasion bear witnesse to the soul that the heart of God is dearly set upon him that he loves him with an everlasting love c. and yet the soule may never injoy such a testimony all the dayes of his life again Though the spirit be a witnessing spirit it 's not his office every day to witnesse to believers their interest in God Christ Heaven c. Or happily thy former joy and comfort did spring from the newnesse and suddennesse of the change of thy condition for a man in one
had seene his glory as the glory of the only begotten son of God full of grace and truth 1 John 14. greatest horror or sorrow the soul can be under for sin nor in the sweetest or chosest discoveries of Gods grace and love to the soule as for ever to fence and secure the soule from relapsing into the same sin Grace is but a created habite that may be prevailed against by the secret subtile and strong workings of sin in our hearts And those discoveries that God makes of his love beauty and glory to the soule doe not always abide in their freshnesse and power upon the heart but by degrees they fade and weare off and then the soule may return again to folly As we see in Peter who after he had a glorious testimony Mat. 16. 15 16 17 18 19. 22 23 24. from Christ his own mouth of his blessednesse and happinesse labours to prevent Christ from going up to Jerusalem to suffer out of base slavish fears that he and his fellows could not be secure if his Master should be brought to suffer And againe after this Christ had him up into the Mount and there Mat. 7. 1 2 3. shewed him his beauty and glory to strengthen him against the hour of tentation that was a comming upon him and yet soone after he had the honour and happinesse of seeing the glory of the Lord which most of the Disciples had not he basely and most shamefully denies the Lord of glory thinking Mat. 26. 69. ult by that means to provide for his owne safety And yet again after Christ had broke his heart with a looke of love for his most unlovely dealings and bade them that were first acquainted with his resurrection to goe and tell Peter that he was risen I say after all this slavish fears prevail upon him and he basely dissembles and plays ehe Iew with the Iewes and the Gentile with the Gentiles to the seducing of Barnabas Gal 2. 11 12 13. c. Yet by way of caution know it 's very rare that God doth leave his beloved ones frequently to relapse into one and the same grosse sin for the law of nature is in armes against grosse sins aswell as the law of grace so that a gracious soule cannot dares not will not frequently returne to grosse folly And God hath made even his dearest ones dearly smart for their relapses as may be seen by his dealings with Samson Iehosaphat and Peter Ah Lord what a hard heart hath that man that can see thee stripping and whipping thy dearest ones for their relapses and yet make nothing of returning to folly c. The eighth Device that Satan 8 Device hath to keepe soules in a doubting and questioning condition is BY perswading them that theis estate is not good their hearts are not upright their graces are not sound bâ—cause they are so followed vexed and tormented with ' temptations 't is his method first to vex and weary the soul with temptations and then to tempt the soule that surely 't is not beloved He may so tempt as to make a Saint weary of his life Job 10. 1. My soule is weary of my life because 't is so much tempted and by this stratagem he keeps many precious souls in a sad doubting and mourning temper many years as many of the precious sonnes of Sion have found by wofull experience 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 that those that have been best and most beloved have been most tempted by Satan Though Satan can never rob a Christian of his Crown yet such is his malice that hee will therefore tempt that he may spoyle them of their comforts such is his enmity to the Father that the nearer and dearer any child is to him the more will Satan trouble him and vex him with temptations Pirats do not use to set upon poor empty vessels and beggars need not feare the thiese those that have most of God and most rich in grace shall be most set upon by Satan who is the greatest and wisest Pirate in the world Christ himselfe was most neer and most deare most innocent and most excellent and yet none so much tempted as Christ David was dearly beloved and yet by Satan tempted to number the people Iob was highly praised by God himselfe and yet much tempted witnesse those sad things that fell from his mouth when he was wet to the skin Peter was much prized by Christ witnesse that choise testimony that Christ gave of his faith and happinesse and his shewing him his glory in the Mount and that eye of pity that he cast upon him after his fearfull fall c. and yet tempted by Satan And the Lord said Luke 22. 31 32. Simon Simon behold Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat But I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile thee not c. Paul had the honour of being exalted as high as high as heaven and of seeing that glory that could not be exprest and yet hee was no sooner stept out of Heaven but he is buffetted by Satan lest he should be exalted above measure If 2 Cor. 12. 2. 7. these that were so really so gloriously so eminently beloved of God if these that have lived in Heaven and set their feet upon the stars have been tempted let no Saints judge themselves not to be beloved because they are tempted It is as natural for Saints to be tempted that are dearly beloved as 't is for the Sun to shine or a bird to sing the Eâ—gle complains not of her wings nor the Peacock of his train nor the Nightingale of her voyce because these are naturall to them no more should S t s of their temptations because they are naturall to them For wee wrestle not against Ephes 6. 12. flesh and blood but against principalities against powers against the Rulers of the darknesse of this world against spirituall wickednesse in high places The second Remedie against this Device 2 Remedy of Satan is to consider that all the temptations that befall the Saints shall be sanctified to them by a hand of love ah the choise experiences that the Saints get of the power of God supporting them of the wisdome of God directing them so to handle their spirituall weapons their graces as not only to resist but to overcome of the mercy and goodnesse of the Lord pardoning and succouring of them And therefore saith Paul I received the messenger 2 Cor. 12. 7. Viâ—e Bâ—zam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lather said there were three things this made a Pâ—eacher Mâ—â—itation prayer and temptation Satan for to buffet me lest I should be exalted lest I should be exalted above measure 't is twice in that verse he begins with it and ends with it if he had not been buffeted
hottest oppositions against those vessells that are most richly laden so doth Satan that arch Pirate against those truths that have most of God Christ and Heaven in them met with from Satan in the study of this following discourse hath put an edge upon my spirit knowing that Satan strives mightily to keep those things from seeing the light that tend eminently to shake and break his Kingdome of darknesse and to lift up the Kingdome and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in the soules and lives of the children of men c. Its exceeding usefulnesse to all sorts ranks and conditions of men 4. Reason in the world here you have salve for every sore and a plaister for every wound and a Remedy against every disease especially against those that tend most to the undoing of soules and to the ruine of the State c. I know not of any one or 5. Reason other that have writ of this Subject all that I have ever seen have only toucht upon this string which hath been no small provocation to me to attempt to doe something this way that others that have better heads and hearts may be the more stirred to improve their Talents in a further discovery of Satans Devices and in the making knowne of such choice Remedies as may inable the soules of men to triumph over all his plots and stratagems c. I have many precious friends in 6 Reason severall Countries who are not a little desirous that my pen may reach them now my voice cannot I have formerly been by the help of the mightie God of Jacob a weake instrument of good to them and cannot but hope and beleeve that the Lord will also blesse these labours to them they being in part the fruit of their desires and prayers c. Lastly not knowing how soon 7. Reason my Glasse may be out and how soone I may be cut off by a hand of death from all opportunities of doing further service for Christ or your soules in this world I was willing to sow a little handfull of spirituall seed among you that so when I put off this earthly Tabernacle my love to you and that deare remembrance of you which I have in my soule may strongly engage your minds and spirits to make this Book your Companion and under all externall or internall changes to make use of this heavenly Salve which I hope will by the blessing of the Lord be as effectuall for the healing of all your Wounds as their looking up to the brazen Serpent was effectuall to heale theirs that were bit and stung with fiery Serpents I shall leave this Book with you as a Legacie of my dearest Love desiring the Lord to make it a far greater and sweeter Legacie then all those carnall Legacies are that are left by the high and mighty ones of the earth to their nearest and dearest relations c. Beloved I would not have affection carrie my pen too much beyond my intention therefore onely give me leave to signifie my desires for you and my desires to you and I shall draw to a close My desires for you are That he would grant you according to the riches Ephes 3. of his glory to be strengthned with might by his Spirit in the inner Vers 17. man That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that ye being rooted and grounded in love May be able to Vers 18. comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth Vers 19. and height And to know the love of Christ that passeth knowledge That ye might be filled with all the fullnesse of God And that yee might walke Colos 1. 10. worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitfull in every good worke and increased in the knowledge of God Strengthned with all might according Vers 11. to his glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfullnesse That ye doe no evill That 2 Cor. 13. 7. your love may abound yet more and more in Knowledge and in all Judgement Phil. 1. 9. That yee may approve things that are excellent that ye may be sincere Vers 10. and without offence till the day of Christ And that our God would 2 Thess 1. 11. count you worthy of this calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodnesse and the worke of Faith with Vers 12. power That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and ye in him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ And that you may be eminent in Psal 93. 5. Sanctitie Sanctitie being Zions glory that your hearts may be kept upright your judgements sound and your lives unblamable That as you are now my joy so in the day of Christ you may be my Crown That I may see my labours in your lives that your conversation may not be earthly when the things you heare are heavenly but that it may be as becomes the Gospel That as the Fishes which live in the salt Sea yet are fresh so you though you live in an uncharitable world may yet be charitable and loving That ye may like the Bee suck Honey out of every Flower That ye may shine in a sea of troubles as the Pearle shines in the skie though it grows in the Sea That in all your trials you may be like the stone in Thracia that neither burneth in the fire nor sinketh in the water That ye may be like the Heavens excellent in substance and beautifull in appearance that so you may meet me with joy in that day wherein Christ shall say to his Father Loe here am I and the children that thou hast given me My desires to you are That you would make it your businesse to study Christ his Word your own Hearts Satans Plots and Eternity more then ever that ye would endeavour more to be inwardly sincere then outwardly glorious to live then to have a name to live That yee would labour with all your might to be thankfull under Mercies and faithfull in your Places and humble under Divine Appearances and fruitfull under precious Ordinances that as your meanes and mercies are greater then others so your account before God may not prove worse then others That ye would pray for me who am not worthy to be named among the Saints that I may be a precious instrument in the hand of Christ to bring in many soules unto him and to build up those that are brought in in their most holy Faith And that Utterance may be given to me that I may make knowne all the will of God That 2 Cor. 11. 23 24 25 26 27 28. I may be sincere faithfull frequent fervent and constant in the worke of the Lord and that my labour be not in vaine in the Lord That my Labours may be accepted of the Lord and his Saints and I may daily see the travell of my soule
and by the strongest and the choicest Arguments that the Scripture doth afford And why doe they kill two at once The faithfull Labourers name and their own souls by their wicked words and actings because they are put upon repenting which Satan tells them is so easie a thing surely were repentance so easie wicked men would not be so much enraged when that doctrine is by evangelicall considerations prest upon them The fift Remedy against this Device 5 Remedy of Satan is seriously to consider that to repent of sin is as great a work of grace as not to sin By our sinfull falls the powers of the soule are weakned the Yet it is better to be kept from sin then cuâ—ed of sin by Repentance as it is better for a man to be preserved from a disease then to be cured of the disease strength of grace is decayed our evidences for Heaven are blotted feares and doubts in the soul are raised will God once more pardon this scarlet sin and shew mercy to this wretched soul and corruptions in the heart are more advantaged and confirmed and the conscience of a man after falls is the more inraged or the more benummed now for a soul notwithstanding all this to repent of his falls this shewes that 't is as great a work of grace to repent of sin as 't is not to sin Repentance is the vomit of the soul and of all Physick none so difficult and hard as 't is to vomit the same means that tends to preserve the soul from sin the same means works the soul to rise by Repentance when 't is fallen into sin We know the mercy and loving kindnesse of God is one speciall means to keep the soul from sin as David spake Thy loving kindnesse is alwayes before mine eyes and I have Psal 26. 3 4 5. walked in thy truth I have not sat with vain persons neither will I go in with dissemblers I have hated the Congregation of evill doers and will not sit with the wicked So by the same means the soul is raised by Repentance out of sin as you may â—ee in Mary Magdalen who loved much and Luke 7. 37 38 39 c. Hos 6. 1 2. wept much because much was forgiven her so those in Hosea Come let us returne unto the Lord for he hath torne and he will heale us he hath smitten and he will binde us up after two dayes he will revive us in the third day he will raise us up and we shall live in his sight or before his face as the Hebrew hath it i. e. in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 favour confidence in Gods mercy and love that he would heal them and bind up their wounds and revive their dejected spirits and cause them to live in his favour was that which did work their hearts to repent and return unto him I might further shew you this truth in many other perticulars but this may suffice onely remember this in the gnerall that there is much of the power of God and love of God and faith in God and fear of God and care to please God and zeale for the glory of God requisite to work a man to repent 2 Cor. 7. 11. of sin as there is to keep a man from sin by which you may easily judge that to repent of sin is as great a work as not to sin and now tell me oh soul is it an easie thing not to sin we know then certainly 't is not an easie thing to repent of sin The sixt Remedy against this Device 6 Remedy of Satan is seriously to consider that he that now tempts thee to sin upon this account that repentance is easie will ere long to work thee to despaire Beda tells of a certain great man that was admonished in his sicknes to repent who answer'd that he would not repent yet for if he should recover his companions would laugh at him but growing sicker and sicker his friends pressed him again to repent buâ—then he told them it was toolate Quia jam judicatus sum condemnatus for now said he I am judged and condemned to say we are thine and we must follow thee Now Satan will help to work the soul to look up and see God angry and to look inward and see Conscience accusing and condemning and to look downwards and see Hells mouth open to receive the impenitent soul and all this to render the work of repentance impossible to the soul what saith Satan doest thou think that that is easie which the whole power of grace cannot conquer while we are in this world Is it easie saith Satan to turn from some outward act of sin to which thou hast been addicted Dost thou not remember that thou hast often complained against such and such particular sins and resolved to leave them and yet to this hour thou hast not thou canst not What will it then be to turn from every sin Yea to mortifie and cut off those sinâ— those darling lusts that are as joynts and members that be as right hands and right eyes Hast thou not loved thy sins above thy Saviour Hast thou not preferred earth before Heaven Hast thou not all along neglected the means of Grace and despised the offers of Grace and vexed the spirit of Grace There would be no end if I should set before thee the infinit evils that thou hast committed and the innumerable good services that thou hast omitted As one Lamachus a Commander said to one of his souldiers that was brought before him for a misbehaviour who pleaded he would doe so no more saith he Non li cet in bello bis peccare no man must offend twice in war so God will not suffer men often to neglect the day of grace and the frequent checks of thy owne Conscience that thou hast contemned and therefore thou mayest well conclude that thou canst never repent that thou shalt never repent now saith Satan doe but a little consider thy numberlesse sins and the greatnesse of thy sins the foulnesse of thy sins the hainousnesse of thy sins the circumstances of thy sins and thou shalt easily see that those sins that thou thoughtest to be but motes are indeed mountaines and is it not now in vain to repent of them Surely saith Satan if thou shouldest seek repentance and grace with tears as Esau thou shalt not find it thy glasse is out thy sun is set the door of mercy is shut the golden Scepter is taken in and now thou that hast despised mercy shalt be for ever destroyed by Justice for such a wretch as thou art to attempt repentance is to attempt a thing impossible 't is impossible that thou that in all thy life couldest never conquer one sinne shouldest master such a numberles number of sins which are so near so dear so necessary and so profitable to thee that have so long bedded and boarded with thee that have been old acquaintance
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
not God made 2 Tim. 1. 13. 1 Titus 9. The Priests of Mercurie when they eat their figs and honey cried ou◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sweet is truth truth sweet to thy soule yea sweeter then the honey or the honey combe and wilt thou not goe on â—o Heaven feeding upon truth that heavenly honey-comb as Samson did of his honey-comb Ah soules have you not found truth sweetning your spirits and cheering your spirits and warming your spirits and raising your spirits and corroborating your spirits have you not found truth a guide to leade you a staffe to uphold you a cordiall to strengthen you and a plaister to heale you and will you not hold fast the truth hath not truth been your best friend in your worst dayes hath not truth stood by you when friends have forsaken you hath not truth done more for you then all the world could doe against you and will you not hold fast the truth is not truth your right eye without which you cannot see for Christ and your right hand without which you cannot doe for Christ and your right foot without which you cannot walke with Christ and will you not hold fast truth oh hold fast the truth in your judgements and understandings in your wills and affections in your profession It is with truth as with some plants which live and thrive not but in warme climates and conversation Truth is more precious then gold or Rubâ—es and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared to her Truth is that heavenly glasse wherein we may see the luster and glory of divine wisdome power greatnesse love and mercifulnesse In this glasse you may see the face of Christ the favour of Christ the riches of Christ and the heart of Christ beating and working sweetly towards your soules Oh! let your soules cleave to truth as Ruth Ruth 1. v. 15 16 17. Though I cannot dispute for the truth yet I can die for the truth said that blessed Maâ—â—yr did to Naomi and say I will not leave truth nor returne from following after truth but where truth goes I will goe and where truth lodgeth I will lodge and nothing but death shall part truth and my soule What John said to the Church of Philadelphia I may say to you Hold thâ—â— fast which thou hast that no man take thy Crowne the Crowne is the top of royalties such a thing is truth let Tit. 1. v. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no man take thy Crown Hold fast the faithfull word as Titus speaks you were better let goe any thing then truth you were better let goe your Hold fast as with tooth and naile against those that would snatch it from us honours and riches your friends and pleasures and the worlds favours yea your nearest and dearest relations I your very lives then to let goe truth Oh! keep the truth and truth will keep you safe and happy for 6. Remedy I have read of one who seeing in a vision many snares of the devill spread upon the earth he sate downe mourning and said within himselfe Quis periransiet ista who shall passe thorough these whereunto he heâ—d a voice answering humilitas periransiet humility shall passe thorough them ever blessed are those soules that are kept by truth The sixt Remedy against this device of Satan is to keep humble humility will keep the soule free from many darts of Satans casting and erronious snares of his spreading As low trees and shrubs are free from many violent gusts and blasts of winde which shake and rend the taller trees so humble soules are free from those gusts and blasts of errour that rend and teare proud lofty soules Satan and the world hath least power to fasten errours upon humble soules The God of light and truth delights to dwell with the humble and the more light and truth dwells in the soule the further off darknesse and errour will stand from the soule The God of grace poures in grace into humble soules as men poure liquor into empty vessells and the more grace is poured into the soule the lesse errour shall be able to over-power the soule or to infect the soule That 's a sweet word in the Psa 25. v. 9. a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gnanavim from gnanah which signifies the humble or afflicted The high tide quickly ebs and the highest Sun is presently declining you know how to apply it 25. Psal 9. v. The meek or the humble will he guide in judgement and the meeke will he teach his way and certainly soules guided by God and taught by God are not easily drawn aside into wayes of errour Oh! take heed of spirituall pride pride fills our fancies and weakens our graces and makes roome in our hearts for errour there are no men on earth so soone entangled and so easily conquered by errour as proud soules Oh! 't is dangerous to love to be wise above what is written to be curious and unsober in your desire of knowledge and to The proud soule is like him that gazed upon the Moon but fell into the pit trust to your own capacities and abilities to undertake to prie into all secrets and to be puffed up with a carnall minde soules that are thus a soaring up above the bounds and limits of humility usually fall into the very worst of errours as experience doth daily evidence The seventh Remedy against this device 7. Remedy of Satan is solemnly to consider the great evills that errours have produced errour is a fruitfull mother and hath brought forth such monstrous Errours in conscience produce many great evills not onely ad intra in mens own soules but also ad extra in humane affaires children as hath set Towns Cities and Nations on fire Errour is that whorish woman that hath cast down many wounded many yea slaine many strong men and many great men and many learned men and many professing men in former times and in our own time as is too evident to all that are not much left of God destitute of the truth and blinded by Satan Oh the graces that errour hath weakned and the sweet joyes and comforts that errour hath clouded if not buried oh the hands that errour hath weakned the eyes that errour hath blinded the judgements of men that errour hath perverted the mindes that errour hath darkned the hearts that errour hath hardened the affections that errour hath cooled the Consciences that errour hath sâ—ared and the lives of men that errour hath polluted ah soules can you solemnly consider of this and not tremble more at errour then at hell it selfe c. The twelâ—th Device that Satan hath 12. Device to draw the soule to sin is to affect wicked company to keep wicked society and oh the horrid impieties and wickednesses that Satan hath drawn men to sin by working them to sit and associate themselves with vaine persons Now the Remedies against this device of
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
thousand worlds Ah! if the vailes be thus sweet and glorious before pay-day comes what will be that glory that Christ will crown his Saints with for cleaving to his service in the face of all difficulties When he shall say to his father Loe here am I and the children which thou hast given me if there be so much to be had in a wildernesse what then shall be had in Paradise c. The fourth Device that Satan 4 Device hath to keep soules off from holy exercises from religious services is BY working them to make false inferences from those blessed and glorious things that Christ hath done As that Jesus Christ hath done all for us therefore there is nothing for us to doe but to joy and rejoyce he hath perfectly justified us and fulfilled the Law and satisfied divine Justice and pacified his Fathers wrath and is gone to Heaven to prepare a place for us and in the mean time to intercede for us and therefore away with praying and mourning and hearing c. Ah! what a world of Professors hath Satan drawn in these dayes from religious services by working them to make such sad wilde and strange inferences from the sweet and excellent things that the Lord Jesus hath done for his beloved ones Now the Remedies against this device of Satan are these that follow THe first Remedie against this device 1. Remedie of Satan is to dwell as much on those Scriptures that shew you the duties and services that Christ requires of you as upon those Scriptures that declare Tertullian hath this expression of the fulnesse of the Scriptures Adoro plenitudinem Scripturarum I adore the fulnesse of the Scripture Gregory calls the Scripture cor animam Dei the heart soule of God and who will not then dwell on it to you the precious and glorious things that Christ hath done for you 'T is a sad and a dangerous thing to have two eyes to behold our dignity and priviledges and not one eye to see our duties and services I should look with one eye upon the choise and excellent things that Christ hath done for me to raise up my heart to love Christ with the purest love and to joy in Christ with the strongest joy and to lift up Christ above all who hath made himself to be my all And I should look with the other eye upon those services and duties that the Scriptures require of those for whom Christ hath done such blessed things as upon that of the Apostle What know yee not that your body 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. is the Temple of the holy Ghost which is in you which ye have of God and ye are not your owne For ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods And that 1 Cor. 15. 58. therefore my beloved brethren be yee stedfast unmoveable alwayes abounding in the worke of the Lord knowing that your labour is not in vaine in the Lord. And that And let us not be weary in well doing for in due Gal. 6. 9. 2. season we shall reape if we faint not And that of the Apostle rejoyce alwayes and pray without ceasing and that in the Philippians Worke out your salvation with Phil. 2 12 13 1 Cor. 11. 26. Heb 10. 24 25. feare and trembling and that This doe till I come and that Let us consider one another to provoke one another to love and to good workes not forsaking the assembling of our selves together as the mannor of some The Jews were much in turning over the leaves of the Scripture but they did not weigh the matter of them John 5. 39. You search the Scripture Gr. there seemeth to be indicative rather then imperative is but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching Now a soule that would not be drawn away by this device of Satan hee must not look with a squint eye upon these blessed Scriptures and abundance more of like import but he must dwell upon them he must make these Scriptures to be his chiefest and his choisest companions and this will be a happy meanes to keep him close to Christ and his service in these times wherein many turn their backs upon Christ under pretence of being highly interested in the great and glorious things that have been acted by Christ c. The second Remedie against this Device 2. Remedie of Satan is to consider that the great and glorious things that Jesus Christ hath done and is a doing for us should be so far from taking us off from religious services and pious performances that they should be the greatest motives and encouragements to the performance of them that may be as the Scriptures do abundantly evidence I 1 Pet. 2. 9. Luke 1. 74 75. This I am sure of that all mans happines here is his holinesse and his holinesse shall hereafter be his happiness Christ hath therefore broke the Devils yoke from off our necks that his Father might have better service from our hearts 2 Cor. 6. 6. 17 18. ch 7. 1. compared will only instance in some as that That we being delivered out of the hands of our Enemies might serve him without feare in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our lives Christ hath freed you from all your Enemies from the curse of the Law the predominant damnatory power of sin the wrath of God the sting of death and the torments of hell but what is the end and design of Christ in doing these great and marvellous things for his people 't is not that they should throw off duties of righteousnesse and holinesse but that their hearts may be the more free and sweet in all holy duties and heavenly services So the Apostle I will be their God and they shall be my people And I will be a Father unto you and yee shall be my sonnes and daughters saith the Lord Almighty mark what follows Having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of the Lord. And againe The grace of God that Yit 2. 11 12 13 14. bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men Teaching us that denying all ungodlinsse and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious Tace lingua loquere vita talk not of a good life but let thy life speak Your actions in passiâ—g pass not away for every good work is a grain of seed for eternall life appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave him selfe for us that he might redeeme us from all iniquity and purifie unto himselfe a peculiar people zealous of good workes Ah soules I know no such arguments to worke you to a lively and constant performance of all heavenly services like
righteousnesse and let this suffice for the first answer The second Remedie against this Device 2. Remedie of Satan is solemnly to consider that God in the Scriptures doth define John 1. 12. faith otherwise God defines faith to be a â—â—ceiving of Christ As many as received him to them he gave this priviledge to be Act. 11. 23. the sons of God to as many as beleeved on his name to be a cleaving of the soule unto God though no joy but afflictions attend the soule Yea the Lord defines faith to be a coming to God in Christ Mat. 11. 28. John 6. 37. Heb. 7. 25. 26. Isa 3. 4 c. and often to a resting and staying or rouling of the soule upon Christ 'T is safest and sweetest to define as God defines both vices and graces this is the only way to settle the soule and to secure it against all the wiles of men and devills who labour by false definitions of grace to keepe precious soules in a doubting staggering and languishing condition and so make their lives a burden a hell unto them The third Remedie against this device 3 Remedie of Satan is seriously to consider this that there may be true faith where there Mat. 6. 30. chap. 14. 31. chap. 16. 8. is much doubtings witnesse those frequent sayings of Christ to his Disciples Why are yee afraid oh yee of little faith Luke 12. 28. Persons may be truly believing who neverthelesse are sometimes doubting in the same persons that the fore-mentioned Scriptures speak of you may see their faith commended and their doubts condemned which doth necessarily suppose a presence of both The fourth Remedie against this device 4 Remedy of Satan is solemnly to consider that assurance is an effect of faith therefore it cannot be faith The cause cannot be the effect nor the root the fruit as the effect slowes from the cause the fruit from the root the stream from the fountain so doth the assurance flow from faith this truth I shall make good thus The assurance of our salvation and pardon of sin doth primarily arise from the witnesse of the spirit of God that Ephes 1. 13. Gal. 5. 6. we are the children of God And the spirit never witnesseth this till we are beleevers for we are sonnes by faith in Gal. 4 6. Christ Jesus therefore assurance is not faith but followes it as the effect follows the cause Againe no man can be assured and perswaded of his salvation till he be united to Christ till he be ingrafted into Christ and a man cannot be ingrafted into Christ till he hath faith hee must first be ingrafted into Christ by faith before he can have assurance of his salvation which doth clearly evidence that assurance is not faith but an effect and fruit of faith c. Again faith cannot be lost but assurance may therefore assurance is not faith Though assurance be a precious Psal 51. 12. Psal 30. 6 7. flower in the garden of a Saint and is more infinitely sweet and delightful to the soule then all outward comforts Cant. 5. 6. Isa 8. 17. and contents yet 't is but a flower that is subject to fade and to loose its freshnesse There is many thousand precious souls of whom this world is not worthy that have the â—aith of reliance yet want assurance and the effects of it as high joy glorious peace and vehement longings after the coming of Christ and beauty as Saints by sad experience finde c. Againe a man must first have faith before he can have assurance therefore assurance is not faith and that a man must first have faith before he can have assurance is cleare by this a man must first be saved before he can be assured of his salvation for he cannot be assured of that which is not and a man must first have a saving faith before he can be saved by faith for he cannot be saved by that which he hath not therefore a man must first have faith before he can have assurance and so it roundly followes that assurance is not faith c. The third Device that Satan 3 Device hath to keepe the soul in a sad doubting and questioning condition is BY working the soule to make false Psal 77. 7. 11. Psal 88. 1. ult Psal 73. 2. 23. inferences from the crosse actings of providence saith Satan dost thou not see how Providence crosses thy prayers and crosses thy desires thy teares thy hopes thy endeavours surely if his love were toward thee if his soule did delight and take pleasure in thee he would not deale thus with thee 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 that many things may be crosse to our desires that are not crosse to our good Abraham Jacob David Job Moses Jeremiah The Circumcellians being not able to withstand the preaching writing of Augustine sought his destruction having beset the way he was to goe his visitation but by Gods providence he missing his way escaped the danger Jonah Paul c. met with many things that were contrary to their de fires and endeavours that were not contrary to their good as all know that have wisely compared their desires and endeavours and Gods actings together Physick often works contrary to the Patients desires when it doth not work contrary to their good I remember a story of a godly man who had a great desire to goe to France and as he was going to take shipping he broke his leg and it pleased providence so to order it that the ship that he should have gone in at that very same time was cast away and not a man saved and so by breaking a bone his life was saved Though Providence did worke crosse to his desires yet it did not work cross to his good c. The second Remedie against this device 2 Remedy of Satan is solemnly to consider that the hand of God may be against a man when the love and heart of God is much set upon a man No man can conclude how the heart of God stands by his hand The hand of God was against Ephraim and yet his love his heart was Ier. 31. 18 19 20. Gods providentiall hand may be with persons when his heart is set against them Gods providentiall hand was for a time with Saul Haman Ashur Iehu and yet his heart was set against them No man knoweth love or hatred by all that is before them Eccles 9. 1 2. dearly set upon Ephraim I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himselfe thus thou hast chastised mee and I was chastised as a bullocke unaccustomed to the yoke turn thou me and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God Surely after that I was turned I repented and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh
I was ashamed yea even confounded because I did beare the reproach of my youth Ephraim is my deare sonne he is a pleasant child for since I spake against him I doe earnestly remember him still therefore my bowells are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. God can look sowrly and chide bitterly and strike heavily even where and when he loves dearly The hand of God was very much against Job and yet his love his heart was very much set upon Job as you may see by comparing the 2. first chap. of Iob with the two last The hand of God was sore against David and Jonah when his heart was much set upon them He that shall conclude that the heart of God is against those that his hand is against will condemne the generation of the just whom God unjustly would not have condemned The third Remedie against this device 3 Remedie of Satan is to consider that all the crosse providences that befall the Saints are but in order to some noble good that God doth intend to conferre upon them Providence wrote crosse to Davids desire in taking away the child sinfully begotten but yet not crosse to a more noble good for was it not farre better for David to have such a legitimate Heire as Solomon was then that a Bastard should weare the Crown and sway the Scepter Joseph you know was sold into a far Country by the envy and malice of his brethren and afterwards imprisoned because he would not be a prisoner to his Mistrisses lusts yet all these cross providences did wonderfully conduce to his advancement and the preservation of his Fathers family which was then the visible Church of Christ It was so ordered by a noble hand of providence that what they sought to decline they did promote Joseph was therefore sold by his brethren that he might not be worshipped and yet he was therefore worshipped because he was sold David was designed to a Kingdome but oh the straits troubles and deaths that he run through before he feels the weight of the Crown and all this was but in order to the sweetning of his Crown and to the setling of it more firmly and gloriously upon his head God did so contrive it that Jonah's offence and those crosse actings of his that did attend it should advantage that end which they seemed most directly The motions of divine providence are so dark so deep so changeable that the wisest and noblest soules cannot tell what conclusions to make to oppose Jonah he flies to Tanshish then cast into the Sea then saved by a miracle Then the Marriners as is very probable who cast Jonah into the Sea declared to the Ninivites what had hapned therefore he must be a man sent of God and that his threatnings must be beleeved and hearkned to and therefore they must repent and humble themselves that the wrath threatned might not be executed c. The fourth Remedy against this device 4 Remedie of Satan is seriously to consider that all the strange dark deep and changeable providences that Believers meet with shall further them in their way to heaven in their journey to happinesse divine wisdome and love will so order all things here below that they shall work for the reall internall and eternall good of them that love him All the rugged providences that David met with did contribute to the Orosius speaking of Valentinian saith he that for Christs name sake had lost a Tribune ship within a while after succeeded his persecutor in the Empire bringing of him to the Throne and all the rugged promises that Daniel and the three children met with did contribute to their great advancement So all the rugged providences that Believers meet with they shall all contribute to the lifting up of their soules above all things below God As the waters lifted up Noah's Ark nearer Heaven and as all the stones that were about Stevens eares did but knock him the closer to Christ the corner-stone so all the strange rugged providences that we meet with they shall raise us nearer Heaven and knock us neerer to Christ that precious corner-stone c. The fourth Device that Satan 4 Device hath to keep the soule in a sad doubting questioning condition is BY suggesting to them that their graces are not true but counterfeit saith Satan all is not gold that glisters all is not grace that you count grace that you call grace that which Yet it must be granted that many a fair flower may grow out of a stinking root and many sweet dispositions and fair actions may be where there is onely the corrupt root of nature you call faith is but a fancy and that which you call zeal is but unnaturall heat and passion and that light you have 't is but common 't is short to what many have attained to that are now in hell c. Satan doth not labour more mightily to perswade hypocrites that their graces are true when they are counterfeit then he doth to perswade precious souls that their graces are counterfeit when indeed they are true and such as will abide the touch-stone of Christ c. Now the Remedies against this device of Satan are these that follow THe first Remedie against this device of Satan is seriously to consider that grace is taken two wayes First 't is taken for the gracious good will and favour of God whereby he is pleased of his owne free love to accept of some in Christ for his owne This some call the first grace because 't is the fountaine of all other graces and the Spring from whence they flow and it 's therefore called grace because it makes a man gracious with God but this is only in God Secondly grace is taken for the gifts of grace and they are of two sorts common or special Some are common to Beleevers and hypocrites as a gift of knowledge a gift of prayer c. Gal. 5. 22 23. Some are special graces and they are proper and peculiar to the Saints as faith humility meeknesse love patience c. The second Remedie against this device 2 Remedie of Satan is wisely to consider the differences betwixt renuing grace and God brings not a paire of scales to weigh our graces but a touch-stone to try our graces Purity preciousness holines is stampt upon all saving graces Acts 15. 9. 2 Pet. 1. 1. Iude 20. restraining grace betwixt sanctifyng grace and temporary grace and this I shall shew you in these following particulars 1. True grace makes all glorious within and without The Kings daughter is all glorious within her raiment is of wrought gold True grace makes the underastanding glorious the will glorious the affections glorious it casts a generall glory upon all the noble parts of the soule The Kings daughter is all glorious within And as it makes the inside glorious so it makes the out-side glorious Her cloathing
is of wrought gold it makes men looke gloriously and speak gloriously and walke and act gloriously so that vaine souls shall be Acts 4. vers 8. to vers 15. forced to say that these are they that have seen Jesus as grace is a fire to burn up and consume the drosse and filth of the soule so it is an ornament to 2 Cor. 5. 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a new creation new Adam new Covenant new Paradise new Creation new Lord new Law new hearts new natures go together beautifie and adorn the soule True grace makes all new the inside new and the out-side new If any man be in Christ he is a new creature but temporary grace doth not this True grace changes the very nature of a man morall vertue doth only restrain or chain up the outward man it doth not change the whole man a Lion in a grate is a Lion still he is restrained but not changed for he retains his Lion-like nature still so temporary graces restraine many men from this and that wickedness but it doth not change and turn their hearts from wickednesse but now true grace that turnes a Lion into a Lamb as you may see in Paul Acts 9. and a notorious strumpet into a blessed and glorious Penitent as you may see in Mary Magdalen c. Luke 7. 2. The objects of true grace are supernaturall true grace is conversant about the choisest and the highest objects 2 Cor. 4. 18. chap. 11. Hebr. 15. Prov. 14. A Saint hath his feet where other mens heads are Matth. 6. about the most soul-enobling and soul-greatning objects as God Christ precious promises that are more worth then a world and a Kingdome that shakes not a Crown of glory that withers not and Heavenly treasures that rust not The objects of temporary grace are low and poor and alwayes within the compasse of reasons reach 3. True grace inables a Christian when he is himselfe to do spirituall actions with reall pleasure and delight To souls truly gracious Christs yoke is Mat. 11. 30. 1 John 5. 3. Rom. 7. 22. easie and his burden is light his commandements are not grievous but joyous I delight in the law of God after the inward man saith Paul the blessed man is described by this that he delights in the law Psal 1. 2. of the Lord 'T is joy to the just to doe judgment Prov. 21. 15. saith Solomon To a gracious soul all the wayes of the Lord are pleasantnesse and his paths are peace But to souls that have but temporary grace but morall vertues religious services are a toile not a pleasure a burden and not a delight Wherefore have we fasted say they Isa 58. 3. and thou seest not wherefore have wee afflicted Mal. 3. 14. our soules and thou takest no knowledg c. Yee have said say those in Malachi it is vaine to serve God and what profit is it that wee have kept his Ordinances and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts When will the new Moone be gone say those in Amos that Amos 8. 5. we may sell corne and the Sabbath that we may set forth wheat making the Epha small and the shekell great and falsifying the balances by deceit Fourthly True grace makes a man most carefull and most fearfull of his owne heart it makes him most studious about his owne heart informing that examining that and P 〈…〉 51. 10. Psal 119. 36. 80. Psal 139. 23. Psal 86. 11. Matth. 23. watching over that but temporary grace morall vertues make men more mindfull and carefull of others to instruct them and counsell them and stir up them and watch over them c. which doth with open mouth demonstrate that their graces are not saving and peculiar to Saints but that they are temporary and no more then what Judus Demas and the Pharisees had c. 5. Grace will work a mans heart to love and cleave to the strictest and hâ—liest wayes and things of God for their purity and sanctity in the face of all dangers and hardships Thy word is very Psal 119. 140. pure therefore thy servant loveth it others love it and like it and follow it for the credit the honour the advantage that they get by it but I love it for the spirituall beauty and purity of it So the Psalmist All this is come upon us Psal 44. 17 18 19. Grace is a panoply against all troubles a paradise of all pleasures yet have we not forgotten thee neither have we dealt falsly in thy Covenant Our heart is not turned backe neither have our steps declined from thy way Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of Dragons and covered us with the shadowes of death But temporary grace that will not beare up the soule against all oppositions and discouragements in the wayes of God as is cleare by their apostacie in that sixt Mat. 13. 20 21. of John and by the stony grounds falling away c. 6. True grace will inable a man to step over the worlds Crown to take up Christs Crosse to preferre the crosse of Christ above the glory and bravery of this world It inabled Abraham and Moses and Daniel with those other Heb. 11. Worthies in the 11. of the Hebrews to do so Godfrey of Bullen first King of Jerusalem refused to be crowned with a Crown of Gold saying that it became Few are of Hieroms mind that had rather have St. Pauls coate with his heavenly graces then the purple of Kings with their Kingdoms 2 Tim. 4. 10. Mat. 19. 20 21 22. The King of Navarr told Beza that in the cause of Religion hee would launch no further into the Sea then he might be sure to return safe to the Haven not a Christian to weare a Crowne of Gold where Christ had wore a Crown of thornes oh but temporary grace cannot work the soul to prefer Christs crosse above the worlds Crowne but when these two meet a temporary Christian steps over Christs crosse to take up and keep up the worlds crown Demas hath for saken us to embrace this present world So the young man in the Gospel had many good things in him he bid fair for Heaven and came neer to Heaven but when Christ set his Crosse before him he steps over that to enjoy the worlds Crown When Christ bid him goe and sell all that he had and give to the poor c. He went away sorrowfull for he had great possessions If Heaven be to be had upon no other terms Christ may keep his Heaven to himselfe hee 'l have none c. Then in the seventh place consider this that sanctifying grace renewing grace puts the soule upon spirituall duties from spirituall and intrinsical motives as from the sense of divine love that doth constrain the soul to wait on As what I have if offered to thee pleaseth not thee oh Lord without my selfe
so the good things we have from thee though they may refresh us yet they satisfie us not without thy self Ber. It is an excellent speech of Bernard bonus es domine animae quaerenti quid invenienti Good art thou oh Lord to the soule that seeks thee what art thou then to the soul that finds thee God and to act for God and the sense of the excellency and sweetness of communion with God and the choise and precious discoveries that the soule hath formerly had of the beauty and glory of God whilst it hath been in the service of God The good looks the good words the blessed love-letters the glorious kisses and the sweet embraces that gracious soules have had from Christ in his service do provoke and move them to waite upon him in holy duties ah but restraining grace temporall grace that puts men upon religious duties only from externall motives as the eare of the creature the eye of the creature the rewards of the creature the keeping up of a name amongst the creatures and a thousand such like considerations as you may see in Saul Jehu Judas Demas and the Scribes and Pharisees c. The Abbot in Melancton lived strictly and walked demurely and look'd humbly so long as hee was but a Monke but when by his seeming extraordinary sanctity he got to be Abbot hee grew intollerable proud and insolent and being asked the reason of it confessed that his former lowly look was but to see if he could find the keyes of the Abbie Such poore low vaine motives work temporary soules to all the service they do perform c. 8. Saving grace renewing grace wil cause a man to follow the Lord fully in the desertion of all â—in and in the observation of all Gods precepts Joshua and Numb 14. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath fulfilled after me a metaphor taken from a ship under saile that is strongly carried with the wind as fearing neither rocks nor sands Luke 1. 5 6. Rev. 14. 4. Mat. 23. 23. Caleb followed the Lord fully Zacharias and Elizabeth were righteous before God and walking in all the commandements and ordinances of the Lord blamelesse The Saints in the Revelation are described by this that they follow the Lamb wheresoever he goes but restraining grace temporary grace cannot enable a man to follow the Lord fully all that temporary grace can enable a man to do is to follow the Lord partially unevenly and haltingly as you may see in Jehu Herod Iudas and the Scribes and Pharisees who paid tithe of Mint and Anise and Cumming but omittted the weighty matters of the Law Judgement Mercy and faith c. True grace works the heart to the Psal 119. 104. 128. I had rather goe to hell pure from sin then to Heaven polluted with that filth saith Anselm hatred of all sin and to the love of all truth it works a man to the hatred of those sins that for his blood he cannot conquer and to loath those sins that he would give all the world to overcome So that a soule truly gracious can say though there be no one sinne mortified and subdued in mee as it should and as I would yet every sinne is hated and loathed by me So a soule truly gracious can say though I doe not obey any one command as I should and as I would yet every word is sweet every command of God is precious dearly prize and greatly love those Da quod jubes jube quâ—d vis give what thou commandest and command what thou wilâ— Psal 119. 119. 127. 167. verses commands that I cannot obey though there be many commands that I cannot in a strict sense fulfill yet there is no command I would not fulfill that I do not exceedingly love I love thy commandements above gold above fine gold My soule hath kept thy testimonies and I love them exceedingly 9. True grace leads the soule to rest in Christ as in his summum bonum chiefest good it works the soul to center in Christ as in his highest and ultimate end Whether should we goe thou hast 〈◊〉 6. 68. Cant. 5. 10. Cant. 3. 4. Grace is that star that leads to Christ 't is that cloud pillarâ— of fire that leads the soule to that heavenly Canaan where Christ siâ—s chiefe the worlds of eternall life My beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest of ten thousand I found him whom my soule loved I held him and would not let him goe That wisdome a Beleever hath from Christ it leads him to center in the wisdome of Christ and that love the soule hath from Christ it leads the soule to center in the love of Christ and that Righteousnesse the soule hath from Christ it leads the soule to rest and center in the Righteousnesse of Christ 1 Cor. 1. 30. Phil. 3. 9. True grace is a beame of Christ and where it is it will naturally lead the soul to rest in Christ The streame doth not more naturally lead to the fountain nor the effect to the cause then true grace leads the soule to Christ But restraining grace temporary grace works the soule to center and rest in things below Christ Sometimes it works the soule to center in the prayses of the creature sometimes to rest in Mat. 6. 1 2. Zach. 7. 5 6. the rewards of the creature verily they have their reward saith Christ and so in a hundred other things c. 10. True grace will inable a soule to sit down satisfied and contented with the naked enjoyments of Christ The Cui cum paupertate bene convenit pauper non est saith Seneca A contented man cannot be a poor man enjoyment of Christ without honour will satisfie the soule the enjoyment of Christ without riches the enjoyments of Christ without pleasures and without the smiles of creatures will content and satisfie the soule 'T is enough Joseph is alive So saith a gracious soule though honour is not and riches are not and health is not and Charles the great his Motto was Christus regnat vincit triumphat And so 't is the Saints friends are not c. It is enough that Christ is that he reigns conquers and triumphs Christ is the pot of Mannah the cruice of oyle a bottomlesse ocean of all comfort content and satisfaction hee that hath him wants nothing he that wants him enjoys nothing having nothing saith Paul and yet possessing 2 Cor. 6. 10. Saint Austine upon Psal 12. brings in God rebuking a discontented Christian thus what is thy faith have I promised thee these things what wert thou made a Christian that thou shouldst flourish here in this world all things Oh! but a man that hath but temporary grace that hath but restraining grace cannot sit downe satisfied and contented under the wanâ— of outward comforts Christ is good with honours saith such a soule and Christ is good with riches and Christ is good with pleasures and he is
houre to have A pardon given unexpectedly into the hand of a malefactor when he is on the last stâ—p of the ladder ready to be turn'd off will cause muâ—h joy rejoycing the newnesse and suddennesse of the change of his condition will cause his heart to leap and rejoyce yet in proces of time much of his joy will â—e abaâ—ed tho his liâ—e be as dâ—aâ— to him still as ever it was his night turn'd into day his darknesse turn'd into light his bitter into sweet Gods frownes into smiles his hatred into love his hell into a Heaven must greatly joy and comfort him It cannot but make his heart to leap and dance in him who in one houre shall see Satan accusing him his owne heart condemning him the eternall God frowning upon him the gates of Heaven bar'd against him all the creation standing armed at the least beck of God to execute vengeance on him and the mouth of the infernall pit open to receive him Now in this hour for Christ to come to the amazed soule and say to it I have trod the Winâ—-presse of my Fathers wrath for thee I have laid down my life a ransome for thee by my blood I have satisfied my Fathers Justice and pacified his anger and procured his love for thee by my blood I have purchased the pardon of thy sins thy freedom from hell and thy right to Heaven c. Oh! how wonderfully will this cause the soule to leap for joy The fifth Remedy against this Device 5 Remedie of Satan is to consider that God will restore and make up the comforts of his people though thy candle be put out Hudson the Martyr deserted at the stake went from under his chain and having prayed earnestly was comforted immediately and suffered valiantly So Mr. Glover when he was within sight of the stake cryed out to his friend he is come he is come meaning the comforter that Christ promised to send yet God will light it againe and make it burn more light then ever though thy sun for the present be clouded yet he that rides upon the clouds shall scatter those clouds and cause the sun to shine and warm thy heart as in formâ—r dayes as the Psalmist speakes a Ps 71. 20 21. Thou which hast shewed me great and sâ—re troubles shalt quicken me againe and shalt bring me up againe from the depths of the earth Thou shalt increase my greatnesse and comfort me on every side God takes away a little comfort that he may make room in the soule for a greater degree of comfort This the Prophet Isaiah sweetly shewes b Isa 57. 18. I have seen his wayes and will heale him I will lead him also and restâ—re comforts unto him and to his mourners Bear up sweetly oh precious soule thy storme shall end in a calm and thy dark night in a sun-shine day thy mourning shall be turn'd into rejoycing and the waters of consolation shall be sweeter and higher in thy soule then See also the 126 Psal 6. v. and the 42 Psal 7 8. ever the mâ—rcy is surely thine but the time of giving it is the Lords wait but a litâ—le and thou shalt find the Lord comforting thee on every side The seventh Device that Satan hath to keep souls in a doubting and questioning condition is BY suggesting to the soule his often 7 Device relapses into the same sin which formerly he hath pursued with particular sorrow grief shame and tears and prayed complained and resolved against Saith Satan thy heart is not right with God surely thy estate is not good thou dost but flatter thy selfe to think that ever God will eternally owne and embrace such a one as thou art who complainest against sin and yet relapsest into the same sin who with teares and groanes confessest thy sin and yet ever and anon art fallen into the same sin c. I confesse this is a very sad condition for a soule after he hath obtained mercy and pity from the Lord after God hath spoken peace and pardon to him and wip't the tears from his eyes and set him upon his legs to returne to folly ah how doe relapses lay men open to the greatest afflictions and worst A backslider may say opera impensa periit all my paines and charge is lost temptations How doe they make the wound to bleed afresh How doe they darken and cloud former assurances and evidenceâ— for Heaven How doe they put a sword into the hand of conscience to cut and slash the soule They raise such feares terrours horrours and doubts in the soule that the soule cannot be so frequent in duty as formerly nor so fervent in duty as formerly nor so confident in duty as formerly nor so bold familiar and delightfull with God in duty as formerly nor so constant in duty as formerly they give Satan an advantage to triumph over Christ they make the work of repentance moâ—e difficult they make a mans life a burden and they render death to be very terrible unto the soule 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 that there are many Scriptures that doe clearly evidence a possibility of the St. falling into the same sins whereof they have formerly repented c Hos 14. 4. I will heale their backsliding I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from them saith the Lord by the Prophet Hosea so the Prophet Jeremiah speaks d Ier. 3. 12. 14. Goe and proclaime these words towards the North and say returne thou back-sliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am mercifull saith the The sin of backsliding is a soul-wounding sin I will heale their backsliding you read of no arms for the back though you doe for the breast Lord and I will not keep anger for ever Turne oh backsliding Israel saith the Lord for I am married unto you And I will take you one of a City and two of a family and I will bring you to Zion So the Psalmist They turned back and dealt unfaithfully like their Fathers they were turned aside like a deceitfull bow And no wonder for tho their repentance be never so sincere and sound yet their graces are but weak and their mortification imperfect in When a souldier bragged too much of a great scar in his forehead Augustus Caesar in whose time Christ was borne asked him if he did not get it when he looked back as he fled this life though by grace they are freed from the dominion of sin and from the damnatory power of every sin and from the love of all sin yet grace doth not free them from the seed of any one sin and therefore 't is possible for a soule to fall againe and againe into the same sin if the fire be not wholly
who knows how his heart would have swelled hee might have been carried higher in conceit then before he was in his extacie The school of temptation is a choise school a school wherein God gives his people the clearest and the sweetest discoveries of his love a school wherein God teaches his people to be more frequent and fervent in duty when Paul was buffeted then he prayed thrice that is frequently and fervently A schoole wherein God teaches his people to be more tender meek and compassionate to other poor tempted souls then ever A school wherein God teaches his people to see a greater evill in sinne then ever and a greater emptiness in the creature then ever and a greater need of Christ and free-grace then ever A school wherein God will teach his people that all temptations are but his Gold-smiths by which he will try and refine and make his people more bright and glorious The issue of all temptations shall be the good of the Saints as you may see by the temptations that Adam and Eve and Christ and David and Job and Peter and Paul met with Those hands of power and love that bring light out of darknesse good out of evill sweet out of bitter life out of death Heaven out of Hell will bring much sweet and good to his people out of all the temptations that come upon them The third Remedie against this Device 3 Remedie of Satan is wisely to consider that no temptations don't hurt nor harm the Saints so long as they are not resisted by them and prove the greatest affliction that can befall them 't is not Satans tempting but your assenting not his enticing but your yeelding that makes temptations hurtfull to your soules if the soule when 't is tempted resists the temptation and saith with Christ get thee behind mee Satan and with that young Convert I am not the man that I Ego non sum ego was or as Luther counsells all men to answer all temptations with these words Christianus sum I am a Christian if a mans temptations be his greatest affliction then is the temptation no sin upon his soule though it be a trouble upon his mind when a soule can look the Lord in the face and say ah Lord I have many outward troubles now upon me I have lost such and such a neere mercy and such and such dear desirable mercies and yet thou that knowest the heart thou knowest that all my crosses and losses do not make so many wounds in my soule nor fetch so many sighes from my heart nor teares from my eyes as those temptations doe that Satan follows my soul with when 't is thus with the soule then temptations are only the souls trouble they are not the souls sin Satan is a malious and envious enemie â—â—metimeâ— he â—hewes his malice by letting those things abide by the soule as may most vex and plague the soule as Gregory observes in his leaving of Jobs wife which was not out of his forgetfulness carelesnesse or any love or pity to Iob but to vex and torment him c. and to work him to blaspheme God despair and die c. as his names are so is he his names are all names of enmity the Accuser the Tempter the Destroyer the Devourer the envious Man and this malice and envy of his he shewes sometimes by tempting men to such sins as are quite contrary to the temperature of their bodies as he did Vespasian and Julian men of sweet and excellent natures to be most bloody murtherers and sometimes hee shews his malice by tempting men to such things as shall bring hiâ— no honour nor profit c. fall downe and worship mee to blasphemie and Atheisme c. the thoughts and first motions whereof cause the bea rt and the flesh to tremble And sometimes he shewes his malice by tempting them to those sins which they have not found their natures prone to and which they abhor in others c. Now if the soule resists these and complains of these and groanes and mourns under these and lookes up to the Lord Jesus to be delivered from these then shall they not be put down to the soules account but to Satans who shall be so much the more tormented by how much the more the Saints have beene by him maliciously tempted c. Make present and peremptory resistance against Satans temptations bid defiance to the temptation at first sight When Constantine the Emperour was told that there was no means to cure his leprosie but by bathing his body in the blood of Infants he presently answered malo jemper aegrotare quam tali remedio convalescere I had rather not be cured then use such a remedie 't is safe to resist 't is dangerous to dispute Eve lost her selfe and her posterity by falling into the lists of dispute when she should have resisted and stood upon terms of defiance with Satan he that would stand in the hour of temptation must plead with Christ 't is written he that would triumph over temptations must plead still 't is written Satan is bold and impudent and if you are not peremptory in your resistance he will give you fresh onsets 'T is your greatest honour and your highest wisdome peremptorily to with-stand the beginnings of a temptation for an after remedie comes often too late Mistris Katherine Bretterge once after a great conflict with Satan said Reason not with me I am but a weake woman if thou hast any thing to say say it to my Christ he is my Advocate my strength and my redeemer and he shall plead for me Men must not seek to resist Satans craft with craft sed per apertum martem but by open defiance he shoots with Satan in his own bow who thinks by disputing and reasoning to put him off As soon as a temptation shewes its face say to the temptation as Ephraim to his idols get you hence what have I any Hosea 14. more to doe with you oh say to the temptation as David said to the sonnes of Zerviah What have I to doe with you 2 Sam. 16. 10. you will be too hard for me He that doth thus resist temptations shall never be undone by temptation c. Make strong and constant resistance I have read of one who being tempted with offers of money to desert Christ gave this excellent answer let not any man think that he will embrace other mens goods to forsake Christ who hath forsaken his own proper goods to follow Christ against Satans temptations make resistance against temptations by arguments drawn from the honour of God the love of God your union and communion with God and from the blood of Christ the death of Christ the kindness of Christ the intercession of Christ and the glory of Christ and from the voice of the Spirit the counsell of the Spirit the comforts of the Spirit the presence of the Spirit the seale of the Spirit
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
put out who would thinke it impossible that it should catch and burne againe and againe The second Remedy against this Device 2 Remedie of Satan is seriously to consider that God hath no where ingaged himselfe by any particular promise that soules converted and united to Christ shall not fall againe and againe into the same sins after conversion I cannot find in the whole Book of God where he In some cases the Saints have found God better then his word he promâ—sed the Children of Israel onely the Land of Canaan but besides that he gave them two other Kingdomes which he never promised And to Zachary he promised to give him his speech at the birth of the child but besides that he gave him the gift of Prophecy hath promised any such strength or power against this or that particular sin as that the soule shall be for ever in this life put out of a possibility of falling againe and againe into the same sins and where God hath not a mouth to sâ—eak I must not have a heart to believe God will graciously pardon those sins to his people that he will not in this life effectually subdue in his people I would goe far to speak with that soule that can shew a promise that when our sorrow and grief hath been so great or so much for this or that sin that then God will preserve us from ever falling into the same sin the sight of such a promise would be as life from the dead to many a precious soule who desires nothing more then to keepe close to Christ and feares nothing more then backsliding from Christ The third Remedy against this Device 3 Remedy of Satan is seriously to consider that the most renowned and now crowned Saints have in the dayes of their being on earth relapsed into one and the A sheep may often slip into a slough as well as a swine same sin Lot was twice overcome with wine John twice worshipped the Angel Abraham did often dissemble and Iay his wife open to adultery to save his owne life which some Heathens would not have done And it came to Gen. 20. 13. â—h 12. passe when God caused me to wander from my Fathers house that I said unto her this is thy kindnesse which thou shalt shew unto me at every place whether we shall come say of me he is my brother David in his Perhaps the Prodigall sets out unto us a Christian relapst for he was a son before and with his Father then went away from him and spent all and yet he was not quite undone but returned againe wrath was resolved if ever man was that he would be the death of Nabal and all his innocent Family and after this he fell into the foule murther of Vriah Though Christ told his Disciples that his Kingdome was not of this world yet againe and againe and again three severall times they would needs be on horse-back they would faine be high great and glorious in this world their pride and ambitious humour put them that were but as so many baggars upon striving for preheminence and greatnesse in the world when their Lord and Master told them 3 severall times of his sufferings in the world and of his going out of the world Jehoshaphat 2 Chron. 18. ch 1. 2. 3. 30 31. though a godly man yet joynes affinity with wicked Ahab and though he was saved by a miracle yet soon after he fals into the same sin and joynes himself with ch 20. 35. 36 37. Ahaziah King of Israel who did very wickedly Sampson iâ— by the Spirit of the Lord numbred among the faithful worthies Heb. 11. 32. and yet he fell often into one gross sin as is evident in the book of Judges Jud. 14. 15. 16. ch Peter you know relapst often and so did Jonah and this comes to passe that they may see their owne inability to stand to resist or overcome any temptation or corruption And that they may be taken off from all false confidences and rest wholy upon God and onely upon God and alwayes upon God and for the praise and honour of the power wisdome skill mercy and The Prodigal saw the compassion of his Father the greater in receiving him after he had run away from him goodnesse of the Physitian of our souls that can heale help and cure when the disease is most dangerous when the soule is relapst and growes worse and worse and when others say there is no help for him in his God and when his owne heart and hopes are dying The fourth Remedy against this Device 4 Remedie of Satan is to consider that therâ— are relapses into enormities and there are relapses into infirmities now 't is not usuall with God to leave his people Relapses into enormities are peccata vulnerantia divistantia wounding wasting sins Therefore the Lord is graciously pleased to put under his everlasting arms and stay his chosen ones from frequent falling into them frequently to relapse into enormities for by his spirit and grace by his smiles and frownes by his word and rod he doth usually preserve his people from a frequent relapsing into enormities yet he doth leave his choicest ones frequently to relapse into infirmities and of his grace he pardons them in course as idle words passion vaine thoughts c. Though gracious soules strive against these and complaine of these and weep over these yet the Lord to keep them humble leaves them frequently to relapse into these and these frequent relapses into infirmities shall never be their bane because they be their burden The fift Remedy against this Device 5 Remedy of Satan is to consider that there are There is a great difference betwen a sheep that by weaknesse fals into the mire a swine that delights to wallow in the mire between a woman that is forced though she strives and cries out and and an alluring adultress involuntary relapses and there are voluntary relapses involuntary relapses are when the resolution and full bent of the heart is against sin when the soul strives with all its might against sin by sighes and groans by prayers and tears and yet out of weaknesse is forced to fall back into sin because there is not spirituall strength enough to overcome Now though involuntary relapses must humble us yet they must never discourage nor deject us for God will freely and readily pardon those in course Voluntary relapses are when the soule longs and loves to return to the flesh-pots of Egypt when 't is a pleasure and a pastime to a man to return to his old courses such voluntary relapses speak out the man blinded hardned and ripened for rulne c. The sixth Remedie against this Device 6 Remedy of Sathan is to consider that there is no such power or infinite vertue in the Christ upbraded his Disciples for their unbelief and hardnesse of heart who