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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33961	Defensative armour, against four of Sathan's most fiery darts viz. temptations to atheistical and blasphemous impressions and thoughts, self-murther, despair, and presumption : wherein is discoursed the nature of these temptations, the several tempters to these sins, the arguments ordinarily used by the tempters in the inforcing of them, and some proper advice is offered to those who are exercised with them / by J.C. D.D. ...	Collinges, John, 1623-1690.	1680 (1680)	Wing C5312; ESTC R12985	145,095	356

Soul think of these great instances and of those who Crucified the Lord Jesus Christ Acts 2. 36 37 38. yet at Peters Sermon were pricked at the Heart encouraged by the great Apostle to Repent and be Baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the Remission of their Sins and had the Promise of receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost 4. O let no such Soul neglect the Reading or Hearing of the Word of God that is the Proximate Object of our Hope God is indeed the primary and proper Object none can give Remission of Sin or Eternal Life but God but by the Word and from the Revelation of the good will of God in his Word we come to Hope in God I look therefore upon that as a great Conquest which the Devil hath gotten over a Soul Despairing when he hath perswaded it not to hear not to read the Word that is indeed to omit the Means by which its Darkness should be dispelled and a true and lively Hope should be begotten in it 5. To all these should be added Fasting and Prayer the Efficacy of which depends on this That it is Gods Work to beget the Soul to a lively Hope through the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1. 3. It is true a Soul in these Fits is not very fit for Prayer how shall it Pray in Faith But yet I would not have it wholly to neglect Prayer But let it call in the Help of godly Ministers and Christians let it send for the Elders of the Church and let them pray for it 6. I should have added before I shall now close this Discourse with it Let such a Soul be often whetting upon it self and let others be suggesting to it the most liberal Promises of Free Grace and Pardon and the greatest Presidents of Forgiving Mercy which the Scripture affordeth And let there be frequent Repetitions of them upon and to the Soul possibly though at the first or second offer they may not stick to the Soul nor the Soul take any Comfort from them yet at last they may But so much shall serve to have spoken to this Black and exceeding Dangerous Temptation FINIS Concerning TEMPTATIONS TO Presumption CHAP. I. The Text Deut. 29. 18 19 20. opened The fitness of it to the intended Discourse The Proposition founded in it The Method of handling it proposed What it is to presume The Nature of Presumption opened MOses the Servant of God when he had a second time repeated the Law of God to the Israelites as you shall find in that Book which from that Second Repetition hath its Name Deuteronomy commandeth the People that having passed over Jordan into the Land of Canaan they should set up Stones and Plaister them with Plaister and write the Law upon them and set up these Stones in Mount Ebal Deut. 27. 4. and six of the Tribes were to stand upon Mount Ebal six upon Mount Gerizzim v. 12 13. who were to say Amen to the Levites pronouncing the Blessings or Cursings following after Chap. 27. 28. promised to those that observed the Laws or denounced against those that presumed to violate it after this Moses exhorteth them to Obedience from the great Works of God which they had seen him doing for them Chap. 29. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. and from thence to the 15 verse he ingageth them in a Covenant with God for the observation of his Law And v. 16 17. shortly again mindeth them of what God had done for them both in bringing them out of Egypt and through the Nations of their Enemies After all this that great Man of God from the general Corruption of Humane Nature fore-saw there would be some b●ld pr●fane Persons that would venture obsequiousness to their Sensual Appetite to break this Holy Law and notwithstanding all the Blessings annexed to the Observation of it and all the Curses entailed to the Violation of it would adventure upon their Sensual Satisfactions and yet promise to themselves not onely Impunity and Freedom from the threatned Evils but also the obtaining those good Things for the obtaining of which the Observation of the Divine Law was made a Condition he therefore adds v. 18 19 20 21. L●st there should be amongst you Man or Woman or Family or Tribe whose Heart turneth away from the Lord his God to go and serve the Gods of these Nations lest there should be amongst you a Root that beareth Gall and Wormwood v. 19. and when he heareth the words of this Curse that he blesseth himself in his Heart saying I shall have Peace though I walk in the Imagination of mine Heart and add Drunkenness to Thirst v. 20. The Lord will not spare him but then the Anger of the Lord and his Jealousie shall smoke against that Man and all the Curses of this Book shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his Name from under Heaven v. 21. And the Lord shall seperate him to Evil out of all the Tribes of Israel according to all the Curses of the Covenant that are written in this Book of the Law It is true these Words are in the Old Testament but Augustine said true That the Old Testament is Occultatio Novi The New Testament in a Mystery the New Testament Revelatio Veteris the Old Testament explained both of them the Revealed Will of God the later onely the more clear Revelation of it And it is as true That as Face answereth Face in a Glass so the Hearts of Men in one Age and Period in the World answer the Hearts of Men in another Period of it Moses in the Text afore-mentioned describeth to you 1. A Sinner one who turneth away his Heart from the Lord his God that walketh according to the imagination of his own Heart that addeth Drunkenness to Thirst and all this after he hath heard the Words of the Law and the Blessing to them that keep the Law and the Curse to them that violate this Law 2. The bold Presumption of this Sinner when he hath heard the Law the Bl●ssings promised to them that observe it and the Curses denounced against them that violate it yet he will flatter himself he shall have Peace though he walks according to the imagination of his Heart and addeth Sin to Sin Drunkenness to Thirst 3. The Fate of such a Sinner or the Issue of that Presumption The Lord will not spare him but the Anger of the Lord and his Jealousie shall smoke against that Man and all the Curses in Scripture shall lie upon bim and the Lord shall blot out his Name from under Heaven The Lord shall seperate him to Evil out of all the Tribes of Israel according to all the Curses of the Covenant that are written in the Book of the Law God hath also made a Covenant with People under the New Testament even the same for Substance as with the Jews He then gave them a Law A Law for Worship called the Ceremonial Law A

and yet blesseth himself in his heart and saith I shall have peace though I walk in the Imagination of my Heart and add drunkenness to thirst Now what shall the Righteous God do to such a Man v. 20. The Lord will not spare him but then the Anger of the Lord and his Jealousy shall smoke against that Man and all the Curses that are written in this Book shall be upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under Heaven v. 21. And the Lord shall seperate him to Evil out of all the Tribes of Israel according to all the Curses of the Covenant that are written in this Book of the Law What is possible to be added to that Commination What can be more severely spoken So as if we may judge of the greatness of a Sin by the greatness of the Curses that are annexed to him that committeth it we have all the reason imaginable to judge Presumption one of the greatest degrees of sinning by which it is possible that a Sinner should provoke God 2. A Second thing which I offered to your consideration was the danger of Presumption as to these things Presumptions as your reason will tell you in other things are very dangerous in three Cases and such all wise Men will take heed of 1. Where the Good expected or the Evil we expect an immunity from are of a very high and important Nature A Man may venture to Presume of a Victory in a Case at Law where if he be overthrown he may lose 40 50 100 l. in such Cases he will say he knows the worst of it if he be mistaken it is but a money matter it is but the loss of such and such a sum of money but a man will not do so where his life is in danger he will there look for sufficient grounds to hope he shall escape his Enemies charge Christian the concern we are speaking of is not the concern of thy Estate 't is not the concern of thy Life it is the concern of thy Body and Soul to all Eternity it becomes thee as thou art a Reasonable Creature here to beware of presuming or building upon the sand of insufficient grounds Thy Soul thy Eternal well or ill Being is the concern of thy hopes here if they be w●ll bottomed thou art happy for ever if they be ill bottomed thou art undone for ever It is not triffling nor flattering thy self here Eternity depends upon it thou art a Creature ordained to an Eternity of Bliss or Misery it is about this thy hopes is exercised O Consider of what import this good or evil is 2. Presumptions are very pernicious when a due care might in time be taken to prevent the Evil or obtain the Good Only Presumption of the needlessness of care hindreth In Law Presumptions are never admitted for proof if more positive proof can be had a man in pleading might speak for a Sinner building upon Presumptuous Hopes if he could come to no other but this is not the Case of any Soul We indeed cannot come to one Soul in our Congregations and say to him or to her Thou art Elected and shalt certainly be saved but neither can we come to any one Soul and say Thou art a Reprobate and shalt certainly be damned Any Soul for ought we know lies fair for Heaven especially such I mean as are within the bosome of the Church and in whose streets Christ is Preached We indeed considering the courses of Sin in which many live can come to them and tell them In this state wherein you live at present and according to that course of life which you at present follow you can have no good hope that God hath forgiven your Sins or that you shall ever come into the Kingdom of God But what you may do what change may be made in your hearts what alteration or reformation in your life that we cannot tell Now Men and Womens Presumptions hinder the use of those means by which they might make their Calling and Election sure they say They have their life in their hands therefore they are not grieved as the Prophet speaketh though in another case Isaiah 57. 10. They say with the Church of Laodicea Rev. 3. 17. That they have need of nothing when in the mean time they are Wretched and Miserable and Poor and Blind and Naked and therefore it is they look no further after the Eternal Concerns of their Souls they do not buy of Christ Gold tryed in the fire that they may be rich and white Rayment that they may be Cloathed and that the shame of their Nakedness may not appear 3. Thirdly those presumptions are dangerous which lead into a destructive error which cannot be amended when discovered If a man hopes without ground that he may get an Estate by some way by which it is not to be got he may by his presumption be a loser of time and a loser in some part of his Estate but yet when he seeth his error he may correct it he may redeem his time he may recover his Estate But to presume for a good as to which if our expectations fail they fail for ever and of a deliverance or immunity from some evil wherein if our expectations fail we shall be irrecoverably immerced in that evil This no Wise Man will do It is true in our present case it is not so While there is life there is hope That man or Woman that hath hatched up presumptuous hopes that he is in favour with God that his Sins are pardoned and he Eternally saved may examine the grounds of his hopes if he finds them insufficient he may acquit them and use means to obtain a good hope through Grace But dying presumptions they are desperate for saith Solomon Eccles 9. 10. There is no device no work no knowledge nor wisdom in the grave whither we are going Psal 49. 8. For the Redemption of the Soul is precious and it ceaseth for ever As the Soul leaves the Body so it shall be with it as to Eternity It was a desperate presumption of the foolish Virgins to come knocking and crying Lord open to us when the door was shut Matth. 25. and for those mentioned Matth. 7. 12. that will in the Great Day say unto him Lord Lord have we not prophecyed in thy Name and in thy Name have cast our Devil and in thy Name done many wonderful work● To whom he will say v. 13. I never kn●w you depart from me you workers of Iniquity Take heed of carrying on presumptuous hopes to a dying hour 3. The Third Thing which I under this Head offered to your Consideration was the multitude of those Souls that so far as we can judge split upon this Rock It is a great piece of Wisdom to take warning by the harms of others The Scripture tells us that Without Faith and Holiness none shall see God Heb. 12. 14. It telleth us 21. Rev. 8. That the fearful and

Defensative Armour Against Four of SATHAN'S MOST Fiery Darts VIZ. TEMPTATIONS TO Atheistical and Blasphemous Impressions and Thoughts Self-Murther Despair and Presumption WHEREIN Is Discoursed the Nature of these Temptations the several Tempters to these Sins the Arguments ordinarily used by the Tempters in the inforcing of them and some proper Advice is offered to those who are exercised with them By J. C. D. D. Maxima pars fallitur quod non credunt has cogitationes esse tentationes Sathanae Illae ipsae sunt tela ista iguita nequissimarum nequitiarum spiritualium in coelestibus Luther LONDON Printed for Benjamin Alsop at the Angel and Bible over against the Stocks-market and Ewderd Giles Bookseller in Norwich 1680. TO THE Christian Reader Reader IT is my Experience after more than thirty years service of God in the work of the Ministry that hath brought forth these meditations to thy view in which time I have been sent for to and conversed with many who have laboured under the three first of these horrid temptations as to which this Discourse offers something of Instruction and Counsel upon some of which they have had as sad issues as can well be imaginable and to all the first of them at least hath been the most intollerable burthen and affliction that a reasonable Soul is capable of bearing This hath put me upon frequent studies what to say or do for their relief Who would not do his utmost to lend an helping hand to a soul crying out That it feeleth an Hell upon Earth to help a poor creature whose sleep departeth from him in the night and in the day time he can find no place to rest but is uneasie in his or her greatest circumstances of ease whom he seeth trembling that he is not able to speak and continue a sentence to him to its period This I have seen and mine Ears have heard I have known some lying under one or other of these Temptations months and years and for a great part of the time under such a burthen that they have passionately said They would heartily forgive any that would take away their lives and which is most tremendous for want of such an executioner I have known some do it with their own hands Under the greatest circumstance for content imaginably blessed with a competent estate acceptable relations and wanting nothing but a quiet mind O that it might be a warning to the Athiests and Blasphemers of this Generation They know not how soon those Atheistical and Blasphemous Thoughts and Expressions with which their hearts are filled and which they make now the Ornaments of their Speech may reflect to this degree upon them I have observed in these distresses persons nearly concerned in such as have been thus afflicted at loss for some Discourse purposely wrote upon these Arguments which if they could not perswade their friends in these paroxismes to read yet they might read to them or at least from which they might be furnished with matter of proper discourse or counsel to them This hath made me spend some few hours upon this Argument which tho it be not the general concern of Christians they being through the Goodness of God but few of many that are incumbred with the three first of the Temptations here spoken to yet in another sense are the general concern of all none of us knowing which of us may not fall into these Temptations common to men nor what friend or neighbour of ours may next stand in need of our help and the most being at too great a loss how properly to apply themselves to Christians under these circumstances Indeed the last Temptation is of more general concern we are all apt enough to receive temptations to Presumption These considerations together with my observation that in these late years in which Atheism and Blasphemy have been so rampant and profanely triumphing almost at the end of every loose and ungoverned Tongue these Temptations have also been more frequent hath made me willing to let these Meditations pass into a publick view that they may be of more than a private use I shall think my self abundantly rewarded for my pains if but one Soul may be fore-warned or relieved by them or any thing be said in these sheets which any private Christians may make use of for a word in season to any one Soul thus wearied I weigh not the scoffs of those who mock at these things experience lets all that mind Religion know these Temptations are no Chimaera's and those who judge them meer Melancholick Delirations and the Effects of them know not what they say but must say something tho it be to discover their ignorance of the ways of Divine Providence and no acquaintance with the Methods of Sathan Such as these Meditations are they are not intended for such as are scoffers at wounded and troubled spirits but for a relief for those who feel such wounds and in whose hearts the infernal Plow-man hath made such deep furrows and for those who know no Temptation of this nature hath befallen others but such as are common to men and wherewith they also may be Tempted Having told thee my design good Reader I commend thee to God and these Sheets and thee to the Blessing of his Grace Thy faithful Servant in the Gospel of our Lord J. C. AN Alphabetical Table OF THE Principal Matters contained in this BOOK A Asolution by Priests as held by Papists a great means of Presumption The differing Notions of Papists and Protestants about it a p. 297 ad p. 304. What power Ministers have to pardon sin Ibid. Acquaintance with the Covenant of Grace how useful against Despair p. 191 192. Right Apprehensions of the Divine Being how to be obtained 41 42. Not to be gained from Sense or Reason working on Natural Principles but from Scripture Revelations 44 45. Advantages from them 46. Great means to prevent Temptations to Atheistical Thoughts 41 Arguments used by the Devil to perswade the Entertainment of Blasphemous Thoughts p. 14. No Arguments conclusive for Despair 206 207. Assent not the justifying Act of Faith 284 285 Attending on Ordinances useful against Atheistical and Blasphemous Thoughts 48 Atheism what how committed the variety of Atheistical Thoughts distinctions of them p. 4 5. What kind of Atheistical Thoughts are here spoken to and whence they proceed p. 6 Whether the Souls guilt or no the Negative proved 19 20 21 22 23 24 37 38. What may be done to prevent or to repent them and to support the Soul under the burden of them 37 38 39 40 41 to p. 55. They are not to be entertained for a moment 49. Atheistical Persons or Books to be avoided p. 49 c. B. BAptism the supposed efficacy of it various Opinions 262 It is no ground alone to presume Salvation on proved 271 272 273. It s true efficacy 275 Blasphemy what it is committed 3 ways p. 4. C. CAuses of violent Atheistical Thoughts hard to