Providence on the Poor Lame or Sick are deeply laid to Heart by them and instead of being not unsensible of other Mens Miseries they are not sensible of any thing else neither do they enjoy their own Mercies And here as Satan can every moment present them with objects of pitty ordinary or extraordinary so upon a religious pretence of merciful consideration they are made cruel to themselves refusing their own peace because other Men are not at ease 3. The third particular promised to be explained for the discovery of these discomposures of Soul was this That by a concurrance of these and such like occasions to such tempers the Hearts of Men are disturbed and their inward peace broken This I shall evidence by these three things 1. That these occasions meeting with such dispositions do naturally raise great disturbances in their present working 2. That they have a tendency to further trouble 3. That Satan doth design and hath it ordinarily in his power to discompose the Hearts of Men hereby 1. That these occasions meeting with such dispositions do naturally raise great disturbances This is evident from what hath been said already for 1. All these dispositions carry as much Fire in their own Bosomes as is sufficient to burn up the standing Corn of any Man's peace What is anger but an inward burning a restless confusion of the Spirits sometime a Phrensy a Distraction a troubled Sea full of Rage a wild Beast let loose Envy that is a fretful peevishness a vexatious repining needing no other Tormentors but its own furies recoiling upon him that bred it because it cannot wreak its spite upon its Objects An envious Person is a Self-murtherer by the verdict of Eliphaz Job 5. 2. Wrath killeth the foolish Man and envy slayeth the foolish one This is not barely to be understood of its provoking the Judge of all the Earth to send down its deserved destruction but also if not chiefly of its own corroding temper which by long continuance wasts the Strength and consumes the Body Pride is a perpetual vexation creating its troubles from its own Fancy irregular covetings keep a Man still upon the Rack they make a Man like the Tantalus of the Poets they give a Man a caninus Appetitus a strong Appetite with excessive greediness and restless pursuit and constant dissatisfactions he is ever gaping and never enjoying Impatience is a wearisome conflict with a burthen which it can neither bear nor yet shake off where all the Fruit of the vain labour amounts to no better account than this that the Impatient makes his burthen the greater the bands that tye it on the stronger and the Strength that should bear it the weaker Lastly an excess of Pity multiplies wounds without cause it hinders a Man to be happy so long as there are any that are miserable he is always in reference to his quiet at the Mercy of other Men the afflicted can torment him at a distance and by a kind of Magick make him feel the torments that are inflicted upon his Image Who can deny but that Men that are ridden by such vexatious dispositions must lead an unquiet Life and always be tossed with inward Tempests Especially 2 when we consider how fit the forementioned occasions are to draw out these humours to their tumultuary extravagancies a lighted Match and Gun-Powder are not more exactly suited to raise a shaking Blast than those occasions and tempers are to breed an inward annoyance Some of these humours are so troublesome that rather than they will want work they will fight with their own Shadows and by a perversness of prejudicated Fancy will create their own troubles and the best of them which seem sometime to take truce and compose themselves to rest while occasions are out of the way yet they are quickly awakened like sleeping Dogs that are roused with the least noise what work then may we expect they will make when they are summoned to give their appearance upon a solemn occasion But 3 if we should deal by instances and bring upon the Stage the effects that have been brought forth by these concurring causes it will appear that they make disturbances in good earnest let us either view the furious fits that have been like sudden Flashes soonest gone or their more lasting impressions and we shall find it true As to violent Fits raised by such occasions and dispositions examples are infinite What rages outrages Madnesses and extravagances have Men run into Some upon provocations have furiously acted savage cruelties and for small matters have been carried to the most desperate revenges Others have been brought to such violent commotions within themselves that the frame of nature hath been thereby weakened and overthrown As Scilla who in a strong passion vomited Choler till he dyed Some in their fury have acted that which hath been matter of sorrow to them all their dayes But omitting the examples of Heathens and wicked Men let us consider the wonderful transports of holy Men. Moses a Man eminent beyond comparison in Meekness was so astonished with a sudden surprize of trouble at the Sight of the Golden Calf that he threw down the Tables of the Law and brake them Some indeed observe from thence a significancy of Israels breaking the Law and forfeiting God's Protection as his peculiar People but this is more to be ascribed to the designment of Divine Providence that so ordered it than to the intendment of Moses who no doubt did not this from a sedate and calm deliberation as purposing by this act to tell Israel so much but was hurried by his grief as not considering well what he did to break them Asa a good Man when he was reproved by the Prophet instead of thankful acceptance of the reproof grows angry falls into a rage and throws the Prophet into Prison Elias discomposed with Jezebels Persecution desires that God would take away his Life Jonah in his anger falls out with God and justifies it when he hath done surely such Fits as these proceeded from great inward combustion Would Wise Sober holy Men have said or done such things if they had not been transported beyond themselves and though in such cases the fits are soon over yet we observe that some are apt to fall into such Fits often and are so easily irritated that like the epileptick Person possessed by the Devil upon every occasion they are by him cast into the Fire or into the Water and by the frequent return of their Distemper are never at rest As to others whose tempers are more apt to retain a troublesome Impression 't is very obvious that their discomposures have as much in length and breadth as the other had in height You may view Haman tormented under his secret discontent which his Pride and Envy formed in him for the want of Mordicai's Obeysance the Kings Favour a great Estate high Honour and what else a Man could wish to make him content are all swallowed up in
accompany it is a sad step to a desperate neglect of duty and a carelesness in sinning in that it insensibly introduceth Atheistical impressions upon the hearts of Men and such are apt to catch hold even upon good Men who are but too ready to say as David I have cleansed my hands in vain Fourthly Satan hath yet another piece of Policy for the multiplication and aggravation of Sin which is the enmity and opposition of the Law Of this the Apostle Paul sadly complains from his own experience Rom. 7. 8. Sin taking occasion by the Commandment wrought in me all manner of concupiscence What he laments is this that such is the perversness of our natures that the Law instead of restraining us doth the more enrage us so that accidentally the Law doth multiply Sin for when the restraint of the Law is before us Lust burns not only more inwardly but when it cannot be kept in and smothered then it breaks out with greater violence Let us break their bonds asunder c. When the Law condemns our Lusts they grow surly and desperate Let us eat and drink for to morrow we die c. If any wonder that the Law which was given of purpose to repress Sin and which is of so great use in its authority to kill it in us and to hinder Temptations should thus be used by Satan to encrease and enrage it they may consider that 't is but still an accidental occasion and not a cause and Sin takes this occasion without any fault of the Law Satan to this end watcheth the time when our hearts are most earnestly set upon our Lusts when our desires are most highly engaged and then by a subtile Art so opposeth the Law letting in it's contradictions in way and measure sutable that our hearts conceive a grudge at restraint which together with its earnestness to satisfy the Flesh ariseth up to a furious madness and violent striving to maintain a liberty and freedom to do according to the desires of their heart whereas this same Law if it be applyed to the heart when 't is more cooled and not so highly engaged upon a design of Lust will break terrify and restrain the heart and put such a damp upon Temptations that they shall not be able to stand before it So great a difference is there in the various seasons of the application of this Law in which Art for the enflaming of the heart to iniquity Satan shews a wonderful dexterity CHAP. XV. Of Satan's keeping all in quiet which is his second Engine for keeping his Possession and for that purpose his keeping us from going to the Light by several subtilties also of making us rise up against the Light and by what wayes he doth that SAtan's next Engine for the maintaining his Possession is to keep all in quiet which our Saviour notes Luk. 11. 21. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace his goods are in peace He urgeth this against those that objected to him that he cast out Devils by Belzebub which calumny he confuteth by shewing the inconsistency of that with Satan's Principles and Design it being a thing sufficiently known and universally practised that no man will disturb or dispute against his own peaceable Possession neither can it be supposed Satan will do it because he acts by this common Rule of keeping down and hindring any thing that may disquiet breach of Peace is hazardous to a Possession an uneasie Government occasions mutinies and revolts of Subjects yet we might think that the wages of Sin the light and power of Conscience considered it were no easie task for the Devil to rule his Slaves with so much quiet as 't is observed he doth his skill in this particular and the way of managing his interest for such an end we may clearly see in Jo. 3. 20. Every one that doth evil hateth the light neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved From which place we may observe 1 The great thing that doth disquiet Satan's Possession is Light 2 The reason of that disquietment is the discovery that Light makes and the shame that follows that discovery 3 The way to prevent that Light and the reproof of it is to avoid coming to it and where it cannot be avoided to hate it 'T is Satan's business then for keeping all in peace 1 To keep us from the Light or if that cannot be then 2 To make us rise up against it I shall make enquiry after both these projects of the Devil To keep us from coming to the Light he useth a great many subtilties as First for his own part he forbears to do any thing that might discompose or affright entangled Souls at other times and in other cases he loves to torment and affright them to cause their Wounds to stink and corrupt but in this case he takes a contrary course he keeps off as much as may be all reflections of Conscience he conceals the evil and danger of Sin he sings them asleep in their folly till a dart strike through their liver and hastens them to the snare as a bird that knoweth not that it is for his life They that shall consider that the heart of a sinner is hardned through the deceitfulness of Sin and that the greatest part of the affrightment that molests the consciences of such is from Satan's fury and malice they will easily conceive how much his single forbearance to molest may contribute to the peace and ease of those that are setled upon their lees but besides his forbearance we may expect that what ever clouds or darkness he can raise to exclude the Light or to muffle the eyes he will not be negligent in the use of that power whatever he can positively do in the raising up the confidence of presumption or security in the Minds of Men what ever he can do to make them sottish or careless that shall not be wanting Secondly he shews no less skill and diligence by secret contrivances to hinder occasions of reproof and discovery how much he can practise upon others that out of pity and compassion to the Souls of Men are ready to draw a sinner from the errour of his way and to save a Soul from death We can scarce imagine what ways he hath to divert and hinder them by what private discouragements he doth defer them who can tell He that could dispute with the Angel about the body of Moses to prevent the secret interment of it he that could give a stop of One and twenty days to the Angel that was to bring the comfortable Message to Daniel of the hearing of his Prayers may more easily obstruct and oppose the designs of a faithful reprover Some time he doth this by visible means and instruments stirring up the Spirits of wicked men to give opposition to such as seek to deliver their Souls from the blood of men by faithful warnings or exhortations The Devil was so
Apprentice under command thou wantest fit opportunities and conveniencies for serious consideration defer till thou becomest free and at thine own disposal That this is one of Satan's deceits to hinder us from making use of the Light besides what common experience may teach every Man may be clearly gathered from the exhortations of Scripture which do not only shew us the way wherein we ought to walk but also press us to a present embracement of that Counsel To day to day while it is called to day harden not your hearts Now is the accepted time Now is the day of Salvation Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth before the evil day comes if ye will enquire enquire yea return come This hasty urgency to close with the offered occasions plainly accuse us of delays and that it is usual with us to adjourn those thoughts to a fitter opportunity which we are not willing to comply with for the present By these nine devices he keeps the Light from ensnared Sinners or them from coming to the Light But if all this cannot draw a curtain before the Sun if its bright beams breaks through all so that it cannot be avoided but there will be a manifestation and discovery of the hidden things of darkness then Satan useth all his art and cunning to stir up in the hearts of Men their hatred against the Light This is his Second grand piece of Policy to keep all in quiet under his command to which purpose First He endeavours to draw on a hatred against the Light by raising in the minds of Men a prejudice against the person that brings or offers it if he that warns or reproves express himself any thing warmly or cuttingly against his brothers Sin this the Devil presently makes use of and those that are concerned think they have a just cause to stop their ears and harden their necks because they conceive that anger or ill-will or some such base thing did dictate those though just rebukes The Devil turned the heart of Ahab against the faithful warnings of Micaiah upon a deep prejudice that he had taken up against him for so he expresseth himself to Jehosaphat I hate him for he never prophesieth good uâ—â—o me In this case Men consider not how justy how truly how profitably any thing is spoken but as some Insects that feed upon Sores they pass by what is sound and good and fix upon that which is corrupt and putrid either through he weakness and inobservancy of the reprover or pretended to be such by the prejudice of the party which doth altogether disable him to put a right construction upon any thing Secondly If this help not then he seeks to get the advantage of a provoked passionate or otherwise distempered fit and then hatred is easily procured against any thing that comes in its way Thirdly Satan endeavours to engage our hatred against the Light by presenting our interest as shaken or endangered by it If Interest can be drawn in and made a party 't is not difficult to put all the Passions of a Man in arms to give open defiance to any Discovery it can make That great rage and tumult of Kings and People mentioned in Psal 2. combining and taking counsel against the Lord and his Laws is upon the quarrel of Interest their suspitions and jealousies that the setting up of Christ upon his Throne would eclipse their power and greatness makes them out of a desperate hatred against the Light fall into resolves of open Rebellion against his Laws Let us break his bands asunder and cast away his cords from us This pretence of Interest strengthned the accusation of Amaziah against Amos Chap. 7. 10. Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel the Land is not able to bear all his words No wonder then if Jeroboam instead of hearkning to the threatning banish him out of the Land We find the like in Asa a good man the Devil stirs up his hatred against the Seer he was wroth with him and put him in the Prison-house for he was in a rage against him The ground of that rage was this the King's Interest in his apprehension was wrapt up in that League with the King of Syria vers 2 3. so that he could not bear so plain a reproof which directly laid the Axe to the Root of so great an Interest as the safety of the King and Kingdom which seemed to depend so much upon that League Fourthly Satan stirs up hatred against the Light from the unavoidable Effects of Light which are discovery and manifestation Ephes 5. 13. All things that are reproved are made manifest for whatsoever doth make manifest is Light Now the issue of this manifestation is shame which however it be the daughter of Sin and Light yet would it naturally destroy the Sin that bred it and therefore Repentance is usually expressed by being ashamed and confounded but that Satan might avoid this he turns the edge of shame against the Light which should have been employed against Sin When Men therefore have sinned and are as a Thief when he is taken ready to fall into the hands of shame for the avoiding of that they rebel against the Light The ground of this hatred Christ in Joh. 3. 20 tells us is lest their deeds should be reproved and they forced to bear their shame to this end they are put upon it to hide themselves from shame by lyes pretences excuses extenuations or by any fig-leaf that comes first to hand And as those that live in hotter Regions curse the Sun because it scorcheth them so do these curse the Light and instead of taking its help raise up an irreconcileable Enmity against it and so run from it CHAP. XVI Of Satan's third grand Policy for maintaining his Possession which is his feigned Departure 1. By ceasing the prosecution of his design and the cases in which he doth it 2. By abating the eagerness of pursuit and how he doth that 3. By exchanging Temptations and his Policy therein The advantage he seeks by seeming to fly Of his 4. Stratagem for keeping his Possession which is his stopping all ways of retreat and how he doth that BEsides the two former Designs of finishing Sin and keeping all in quiet by which the Devil endeavours to maintain his Possession he hath a third grand subtilty which is this He keeps his hold by feigning himself dispossessed and cast out Of this we have a full account Luk. 11. 24. When the unclean Spirit is gone out of a Man he walketh thorow dry places seeking rest and finding none he saith I will return unto my house whence I came out Christ had there noted that 't is Satan's great Principle to do nothing by which his Kingdom may be divided or undermined Satan will not be divided against himself and yet very seasonably he tells us that for an advantage he will seem to quit
of Spiritual Witchcraft where it pleaseth the Lord to permit to Satan the exercise of his Power Thou shalt perswade and prevail also But that which I would observe here is something relating to the manner of his proceeding in these Delusions He attempted to deceive the false Prophets and by them to delude Ahab and both by being a lying Spirit in the mouth of the Prophets which necessarily as Peter Martyr observes implies 1 That Satan had a Power so strongly to fix upon their Imaginary Faculty the Species Images or Characters of what was to be suggested that he could not only make them apprehend what he presented to their minds but also make them believe that it was a Divine Inspiration and consequently true for these false Prophets did not speak hypocritically what they knew to be false but what they confidently apprehended to be true as appears by the whole story 2 He could irritate and inflame their desire to publish these their Perswasions to the King after the manner of Divine Prophecies 3 He had a further power of perswading Ahab that his Prophets spake Truth That passage of Rom. 1. 28. God gave them over to a Reprobate Mind doth give some account how Men are brought by the Devil into these false Perswasions A Reprobate Mind is a Mind injudicious a Mind that hath lost its Power of discerning 'T is plain then that he can so besot and blind the mind that it shall not be startled at things of greatest absurdity or inconveniency If any yet further enquire how he can do these things We must answer That his particular ways and methods in this case we know not only it may be added That Ephes 4. 17. Paul tell us He can make their minds vain and darken their understandings By Mind the seat of Principles is commonly understood By Understanding the Reasoning or discursive Faculty which is the Seat of Conclusions so that his Power seems to extend to the obliterating of Principles and can also disable them to make right inferences insomuch that he wants nothing that may be necessary to the begetting of strong perswasions of any falshood which he suggests according to what is intimated Gal. 5. 3. This Perswasion cometh not of him that called you that is not of God but of the Devil From all these Scriptures then it appears That this Spiritual Fascination is a Power in Satan which he exerts by special Commission upon those that receive not the Truth in the love of it by which be can so strongly imprint falshoods upon their Minds that they become unable to discern betwixt Truth and a Lye and so by darkning their Vnderstanding they are effectually perswaded to believe an Errour Secondly There is yet another proof of this Spiritual Witchcraft from the consideration of the Effects of it upon the Deluded and the uncouth strange unnatural way of its proceeding Let all particulars of this kind be put together and it will not be found possible to give any other rational accompt of some Errours than that of extraordinary Delusion First Let us take notice of the vileness and odiousness of some Errours that have prevailed upon Men some have been plainly sottish so evidently foolish that it cannot be imagined that Men that entertained them had at that time the use of Reason or any competent Understanding This very consideration the Prophet Isaiah insists upon largely Chap. 44. from vers 9. to vers 21. Where he taxeth them smartly for the senceless doltishness of their Errour in Worshiping Idols he tells them the matter of it is the Work of Nature a Cedar Oak or Ash that they themselves possibly had planted and the Rain did nourish it Vers 14. He tells them also That the form of it was from the Art of the Workman the Smith or Carpenter Vers 12 13. The Smith with the Tongs both worketh in the Coals and fashioneth it with Hammers and worketh it with the strength of his Arms. The Carpenter stretcheth out his Rule he marketh it out with a Line he fitteth it with Planes and he marketh it out with a Compass He further minds them that without any reverence they make use of the residue of the Materials out of which they formed their Idol to common services of dressing their meat and warming themselves He burneth part thereof in the Fire with part thereof he eateth Flesh he roasteth roast and is satisfied yea warmeth himself and saith Aha I am warm I have seen the fire Vers 16. Then he accuseth them of Sottishness in that the residue thereof he maketh a God even his graven Image he falleth down to it and worshipeth it and prayeth unto it and saith Deliver me for thou art my God vers 17. And from all this he concludes That seeing this is so directly contrary to common reason and understanding which in the ordinary exercise of it would easily have freed them from such a dotage for if they had but knowledge or understanding to say I have burnt part of it in the fire I have baked bread and shall I make the residue an abomination Vers 19. They could not have been so foolish it must then of necessity be a Spiritual Infatuation Their Eyes were shut that they cannot see and their Hearts that they cannot understand Vers 18. A deceived heart hath turned him aside Vers 20. Other Errours there are that lead to beastly and unnatural Villanies such as directly cross all the sober Principles of Man-kind the natural Principles of Modesty the most general and undoubted Principles of Religion and Holiness As when Adulteries Swearing Ranting going Naked Cruelties Murthers outragious Confusions and Madness are cloathed with pretences of Spirit Revelation freedom in the use of the Creature exercise of Love and having all things common c. Of which sad instances have been given more than once Let any sober Man consider how it could come to pass That Men that have Reason enough to defend them against such Furies and the knowledge of Scripture which every-where with the greatest happiness imaginable and highest earnestness doth prohibit such Practices as most Abominable and doth direct to a Sober Just Modest Humble inoffensive Life should entertain notwithstanding such Errours as transform Men into Beasts Monsters or rather Devils and Religion into the grossest Impieties and all this as the perfection and top of Religious Attainment commanded in the Word of God or by his Spirit and well-pleasing to most holy and pure Divine Majesty Let it I say be left to the consideration of Men how it should be without some such extraordinary Cause as hath been mentioned Secondly Let it be observed also That some Errours bring with them some extraordinary strange unnatural unusual Actions and put Men into such odd garbs postures and behaviours that it is easie to see they are acted by a force or power not humane Some have been carried to do things beyond whatsoever might have been expected from the age and
where they snatch and throw any thing that comes to hand and never mind where it hits they will affirm or deny any thing that may seem any way to bring them off Fifthly these Assertions being once affirmed must be maintained and so Errors and Contentions increase without end Disputes fix a Man in his Perswasion and do as it were tye him to the Stake so that right or wrong he will go through with it Sixthly Some dispute in jest against their present Judgment and yet at last dispute themselves into a belief of what they wantonly at first affirmed as some tell Lies so long that at length they believe them to be true Seventhly A sadder Mischief often follows a disputing Humor which is an hazard of the loss of all Truth Men dispute so long till they suspect all things and after a long Trade of Scepticism turn Atheists After the same manner doth the Devil engage Anger in all Disputes and Controversies for it keeps company with Pride wherever there is a Provocation And besides this Anger stirring up Injuries and Wrongs hath often engaged Men as it were in revenge to change their Opinion and to take up another Way or Doctrine Nay often that simple Mixture of Pride and Anger which we call Emulation hath privately tainted the Integrity of Mind and prepared it for the next fair opportunity of Error This is noted of Arrius by Theodoret that when Alexander was chosen Bishop of Alexandria he envied him the preferency and from thence sought occasions of Contention which after a little while the Devil brought to his hand as we have heard So great is the power of these two Passions over the Understanding that we have cause to wonder at their success seldom or never can if be shown that any Ring-leader in Errour was not visibly tainted with Pride or not apparently sowred with Discontents and Emulation 8. To these ways of blinding the Understanding by the Affections I shall add but one more which is this Satan endeavours mainly to adorn an Errour with Truths clothing he takes its Ornaments and Jewels to dress up a false Doctrine that it may look more lovely and dutiful I mean that he designs where Errours are capable of such an imitation to put them into the way method garb and manner which Truth doth naturally use If Truth be adorned with Zeal Order Strictness or have advantageous ways of managing it self Errour must straight-way imitate it in all these things and though he that looks near may easily discern that 't is not the natural complexion of Errour but an artificial varnish and such as doth no more become it than a Court-dress doth become a course clownish Country Person for you may at first look usually discover the Wolf under Sheeps clothing and under the garb of the Apostles of Christ you may see the Ministers of Satan yet are the credulous usually affected with these appearances if they find a professed strictness a seeming severity an imitation of the ways of Truth or of the fruits thereof they commonly seek no further but judg that to be Truth which doth the things that Truth doth and if Errour can handsomly stand in competition with Truth upon a pretence of being as effectual in good works and doing things of themselves lovely and of good report it doth much gain upon the good liking of those whose consideration leads them not much further than fair appearances I shall only exemplify this by the Art and policy which Julian used to set up Paganism and to ruine Christianity and those who have observed the ways which he took to gain his end will readily acknowledg he was as well skill'd in advancing Errour and suppressing Truth as any whosoever and knew exactly to suit his designs to Mens inclinations he observing that Christian Religion had some particular things in its practice and way which made it's face to shine as that it had Persons solemnly set apart by Ordination for teaching the Mysteries of the Gospel and for managing the publick Worship of God that these Persons were to be grave in their carriage and exemplary in a strict holy conversation that the Constitutions of Religion appointed certain necessary and effectual ways of Discipline for Punishment and restoring of Offenders and bringing them to Repentance that it took care of the comfortable maintenance of those that had given up themselves to the Ministry of the Word and Prayer that it also enjoyned a relief of the Poor and Strangers c. Taking notice I say of these Excellencies in Christianity and how lovely they were in the eyes of their enemies He appointed the like Constitutions for Paganism and ordained that the Idol Temples should be suited in conveniency and comliness to Christian Churches That there should be Seats and Desks for the chief Doctors and Readers of Gentilism who at set-times were to exhort the Peoples and pray with them and that Colledges and Monasteries should be erected for them and for the relief of the Poor and Strangers he commanded Discipline and Penances for the chastisement of Offenders he required that their Priests should seriously give up themselves to the Worship of God as also their Families that they should not frequent Shews and Taverns nor practise any infamous Trade and Art Thus Sozomen reports him and gives us a Copy of his Letter to Arsacius high Priest of Galatia to this purpose and all this he did to bring Gentilism into credit with the Vulgar whom he had observed to be affected to Christianity for its Order Strictness and Government Yet is not this the only instance that may be given in this kind for observe but any Errour that by Schism sets up for it self in a distinct party and you shall see that though it departs from the Truth of the Church and from its Communion yet still as the Israelites did with the Egyptians it carries away with it these Jewels of the Church and keeps to some considerable part of the Churches way though modified according to its own bent that it might have a lustre with it to make it taking with others These eight particulars are the most remarkable ways of Satan whereby the Affections are gained to a good liking of Errour and by them the judgment secondarily corrupted to call it Truth CHAP. V. Satan's Attempts against the Peace of God's Children evidenced 1. By his Malice 2. From the concernment of Peace to God's Children What these Concerns are explained 3. From the Advantages which he hath against them by disquieting their Minds 1. Confusion of Mind 2. Unfitness for Duty and how 3. Rejection of Duty 4. A stumbling block to others 5. Preparation of the Mind to entertain venemous Impressions and what they are 6. Bodily Weakness 7. Our Miserie 's Satan's contentment WE have viewed the ways of Satan by which he 〈◊〉 all 〈…〉 to Sin by which he withdraws Men from Duty and Service by which he corrupts the Mind through
sticks not sometime to asperse the poor troubled Soul with Dissimulation where that accusation is proper for the Devil cares not how inconsistent he be to himself so that he may but gain his end affirming all his seriousness to be nothing but whining Hypocrisy So that whether they judg these troubles to be real or feigned his conclusion is the same and he perswades Men thereby to hold off from all religious strictness holy diligence and careful watchfulness 5. A further use which the Devil makes of these troubles of Spirit is to prepare the Hearts of Men thereby to give entertainment to his venomous impressions Distress of Heart usually opens the Door to Satan and lays a Man naked without Armour or Defence as a fair Mark for all his poysoned Arrows and 't is a hundred to one but some of them do hit I shall chuse out some of the most remarkable and they are these 1. After long acquaintance with grief he labours to fix them in it In some cases custome doth alleviate higher griefs and Men take an odd kind of delight in them 't is some pleasure to complain and Men settle themselves in such a course their Finger is ever upon their Soar and they go about telling their Sorrows to all they converse with though to some this is a necessity for real Sorrows if they be not too great for vent will constrain them to speak yet in some that have been formerly acquainted with grief it degenerates at last into a formality of complaining and because they formerly had cause so to do they think they must always do so But besides this Satan doth endeavour to chain Men to their mourning upon two higher Accounts 1. By a delusive contentment in sorrow as if our tears paid some part of our debt to God and made amends for the injuries done to him 2. By an obstinate sullenness and desperate resolvedness they harden themselves in sorrow and say as Job 7. 11. I will not refrain my Mouth I will speak in the anguish of my Spirit I will complain in the bitterness of my Soul Am I a Sea or a Whale that thou settest a Watch over me 2. Another impression that Mens Hearts are apt to take is unthankfulness for the favours formerly bestowed upon them their present troubles blot out the memory of old kindnesses they conclude they have nothing at all because they have not peace though God heretofore hath sent down from on high and taken them out of the great Waters or out of the Mire and Clay where they were ready to sink though he hath sent them many tokens of Love conferred on them many Blessings yet all these are no more to them so long as their sorrows continue than Haman's Wealth and Honour was to him so long as Mordecai the Jew sate at the Kings Gate Thus the Devil oft prevails with God's Children to deal with God as some unthankful Persons deal with their Benefactors who if they be not humour'd in every request deny the reality of their Love and dispise with great ingratitude all that was done for them before 3. By inward griefs the Heart of the afflicted are prepared to entertain the worst interpretation that the Devil can put upon the Providences of God The various Instances of Scripture and the gracious Promises made to those that walk in Darkness and see no Light do abundantly forewarn Men from making bad conclusions of God's dealings and do tell us that God in design for our tryal and for our profit doth often hide his Face for a moment when yet his purpose is to bind us up with everlasting compassions Now the Devil labours to improve the sorrows of the Mind to give a quite contrary construction if they are afflicted instead of saying Sorrow may endure for a Night but Joy will come in the Morning or that for a little while God hath hidden himself he puts them to say this Darkness shall never pass away If the grief be little he drives them on to a fearful expectation of worse as he did with Hezekiah Esa 38. 13. I reckoned till Morning that as a Lyon so will be break all my Bones from Day even to Night wilt thou make an end of me If God purpose to teach us by inward Sorrows our Pride of Heart carelessness neglect of dependance upon him the bitterness of Sin or the like the Devil will make us believe and we are too ready to subscribe to him that God proclaims open War against us and resolves never to own us more So did Job chap. 19. 6. Know now that God hath overthrown me and compassed me with his Net how often complained he thou hast made me as thy mark thou hast broken me asunder thou hast taken me by my Neck and shaken me to peices So also Heman Psal 88. 14. Why castest thou off my Soul why hidest thou thy Face from me 4. Upon this occasion the Devil is ready to envenome the Soul with sinful wishes and execrations against itself Eminent Saints have been tempted in their trouble to say too much this way Job solemnly cursed his Day Job 3. 3. Let the Day perish wherein I was born and the Night in which it was said there is a Manchild conceived c. So also Jeremiah chap. 20. 14. Cursed be the Day wherein I was Born let not the Day wherein my Mother bare me be Blessed Cursed be the Man who brought tydings to my Father saying a Man-child is Born unto thee and let that Man be as the Cities which God overthrew and repented not Strange rashness what had the Day deserved or wherein was the Messenger to be blamed Violent Passions hurried him beyond all bounds of reason and moderation When troubles within are violent a small push sets Men forward and when once they begin they are carried headlong beyond what they first intended 5. On this advantage the Devil sometimes imboldens them to quarrel God himself directly When Job and Jeremiah cursed their day it was a contumely against God indirectly but they durst not make bold with God at so high a rate as to quarrel him to his Face Yet even this are Men brought to often when their sorrows are long-lasting and deep The Devil suggests Can God be faithful and never keep Promise for help can he be merciful when he turns away his ears from the cry of the miserable where is his pity when he multiplies his wounds without cause Though at first these cursed intimations do a little startle Men yet when by frequent inculcating they grow more familiar to the Heart the distressed break out in their rage with those exclamations Where is the faithfulness of God where are his Promises hath he not forgotten to be gracious are not his Mercies clean gone And at last it may be Satan leads them a step higher that is 6. To a desparing desperateness For when all Passages of relief are stop up and the burthen becomes great Men are
born Or that Death could annihilate us Or that as soon as we had been born we had died As Job speaks Job 3. 11 12. Why died I not from the Womb Why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly For then had we not contracted so much Guilt Or that the Mountains and Hills could fall upon us and cover us from the Face of our Judge 8. When all their Hopes are thus dashed and like a Shipwracked-Man on a Plank they are still knocked down with new Waves all their endeavours being still frustrated they seem to themselves to be able to hold out no longer then they give over all further Enquiries and the use of Means they refuse to Pray Read Hear They perceive as Spira said that they pray to their own Condemnation and that all is to no purpose They are weary of their Groanings Psal 6. 6. Their Eyes fail with looking up their Knees are feeble their Hands hang down And as Heman Psal 88. 4 5. They count themselves with those that go down to the Pit free among the Dead like the slain that lie in the Grove whom God remembreth no more Thus they lie down under their Burthen and while they find it so hard to be born 't is usual for them to come to the utmost point of Desperateness Satan suggesting and forwarding them Sometimes they open their Mouths with complaints against God and blaspheme And as the last part of the Tragedy being weary of themselves they seek to put an end to their present Misery by putting an end to their Lives I have presented you with Satan's Stratagems against the Peace of God's Children the Remedies against these and other Subtilties of our grand Enemy I shall not offer you because many others have done that already to whose Writings I must refer you Some principal Directions I have pointed at in the way and in the General have done this for the help of the Tempted that I have endeavoured to shew them the Methods of the Tempter which is no small help to preserve Men from being thus imposed upon and to recover out of his Snare those that are 'T is a great preservative from Sickness and no mean advantage to the Cure to have a discovery of the Disease and the Causes of it I shall conclude these Discoveries with a Caution or two 1. Let none think worse of the serious Practice of holy strictness in Religion because these Spiritual Distresses do sometimes befal those that are conscientiously careful in the Ways of God while the prophane and negligent Professors are strangers to such Trials These Troubles are indeed very sad but a sensless careless State is far worse these Troubles often end very Comfortably whereas the other end except God make them sensible by Conviction of their sin and danger in that real Misery the fears whereof occasion these Sorrows to God's Children And the danger of Spiritual Troubles is not so great as is that of an hardned Heart nay God frequently makes use of them to prevent eternal Ruine for one that goes roaring to the Pit there are thousands that go laughing to Hell 2. Let none slight or scoff at these Tremendous Judgments 'T is too common with Men either to ascribe Spiritual Troubles to Melancholy as if none were ever thus concerned but such as by too much seriousness in Religion are become Mad a fair pretence for Carelessness or to a whining Dissimulation To the former I have said something before and as for the latter I shall only reply in the words of Spira to one that objected Hypocrisie to him I am a Cast-away a Vessel of Wrath yet dare you call it Dissembling and Frenzy and can mock at the formidable example of the heavy Wrath of God that should teach you Fear and Terrour But 't is natural to the Flesh to speak either out of malice or ignorance perversly of the Work of God 3. Let none be afraid of this Goliah let no Man's heart faint because of him A fear of caution and diligence to avoid his Snares is a necessary Duty Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the Devil c. but a discouraging distrustful Fear is a dishonourable reflection upon God's Power and Promises to help us and upon the Captain of our Salvation who goeth out before us Let us hold on in the practice of Holiness and not be afraid The God of Peace shall tread down Satan under our feet shortly Amen DAEMONOLOGIA SACRA OR A TREATISE OF Satans Temptations The Third Part. CONTAINING An Account of the Combate betwixt Christ and Satan in Matth. 4. Wherein the deep Subtilty of Satan in managing those Temptations is laid open as the grand Instance of the Sum of his Policy in all his Assaults upon Men Leading to a consideration of many Temptations in particular and of special directions for Resistance By R. G. Heb. 4. 15. He was Tempted in all points like as we are yet without Sin London Printed by J. D. for Richard Randel and Peter Maplisden Booksellers in New-Castle upon Tine 1677. PART III. MATTH 4. 1. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the Wilderness to be tempted of the Devil CHAP. I. The First circumstance of the Combate The time when it happened The two Solemn Seasons of Temptation The Reasons thereof I Shall here consider the great Temptation which it pleased our Lord Christ to submit unto as a most famous Instance for confirmation and illustration of the Doctrine of Temptations already handled The first Verse sets down several remarkable circumstances of this Combate all of them matter of weight and worth As First The Time when this fell out not as a loose and accidental Emergency but as particularly made choice of both by God and Satan being most fit and proper for the design which each of them were carrying on This is expresly noted in Mat. 4. 1. Then was Jesus led up but more fully in Mark 1. 12. Immediately the Spirit driveth him into the Wilderness Manifestly directing us to expect something worthy of our Observation in that circumstance Neither can we miss of it when the things unto which this directs us are so fully related immediately before For we find in both these Evangelists which speak so exactly of the time of these Temptations that Christ was baptized of John this was in order to the fulfilling the Righteousness of his Office As the Priests under the Law when they came to be thirty years old entred upon their Function by Washings or Baptizings and Anointings So Christ that he might answer his Type beginning to be about thirty years of Age was solemnly inaugurated into the great Office of the Mediatorship by Baptism and the extraordinary descending of the Holy Ghost by which he was anointed with the Oyl of gladness above his Fellows To this solemn Instalment the Father adds an honourable Testimony concerning him This is my beloved Son in whom I am
is not to be understood of all Sins for in some that are inward in the Mind as vain Thoughts Pride of Heart c. there needs not such Provisions we may say of them their times are always and in many cases the House is swept and garnished to his Hand he finds all things ready by the forwardness of those who are Free in his Service and the sudden accidental Concurrance of things But where the Temptation is solemn and where the thing designed in the perfecting of it relates to Exteriour Acts there he useth this Policy to have all in readiness though it cost him the labour of compassing Sea and Land for it before he expresly speak his purposes His Reasons are these First If things necessary for the Encouragment and Accomplishment of a Temptation lay out of the way and were not at hand his Suggestions would perish as soon as they were born and would be rejected as impossible or inconvenient To tempt a Man to steal when he knows not where nor how or to revenge when he hath no Enemy nor Provocation seem to be no other than if they should be commanded to remove a Mountain or to fly in the Air which would quickly be declined as Motions affording no ground of entertainment And therefore that his Temptations may not bring a Reason of refusal with them as being unseasonable he takes care to fit his Servants with all things requisite for the work he puts them upon Secondly As Temptations of this kind would be no Temptations because not feasible without their Preparations so must we not think that it is the bare Suggestion of Satan that makes a Temptation to pierce The Reason of its Prevalency is not barely because Satan breaks such a Motion to us but because such a Motion comes accomplished with all suitable Preparations When it prevails it is the sinful Motion that wounds but Preparations are as the Feathers that wing his Arrows without which they would neither fly nor pierce Let this First renew our Caution and Suspition in every thing and every place that Satan is at work against us though we see no visible snare Let it put us upon such a watchful carefulness in every of our ways that we may resolve to undertake nothing for which we have not a good and warantable Reason at hand that if our Conscience say to us What dost thou here we may be able to give a good Account Secondly If we mind the behaviour of Satan in these Preparations and Offers we see him act after the Pattern of highest Sovereignty disposing of Earthly Kingdoms at such a rate as if all Power were in his Hand Hence we may observe That when Satan tempts to Sin of highest Contempt and Insolency against God he then thinks it concerns him to bear himself out by confronting the Almighty in imitating his Authority and Power This carriage of Satan is not to be found in all his Temptations For in most cases he acts with greatest secresy and as a Thief that is afraid of Discovery he useth all ways possible for Concealment but when he sets up himself as the God of the World and stands in Competition with the Lord claming an Interest in the Fear and Devotion of Men then he boldly avoucheth himself and labours to out-vie God in point of greatness that he might possess them with a belief that he only ought to be feared This Arrogancy of Satan against God may be seen in three things First In imitating Divine Ordinances and Institutions There is not any part of Divine Worship the Observation whereof God hath enjoyned to Men but Satan hath set up something like it for himself As God appointed his Temple Priests Altars Sacrifices Offerings Tyths Sanctuaries Sacrament c. So hath Satan had his Temples Priests Altars Sacrifices Offerings Sanctuaries Sacraments c. This is sufficiently known to any that read his Histories and I could give a full Account of it from Heathen Authors but that I have done already when I spoke of Satan Subtilty in promoting Idolatry in the World I shall only add here that which Varro relates of the Books of Numa Pompilius which were casually cast up by the Plough of one Terentius coming too near the Sepulchre of Numa where these Books had been Buried This Numa was the second King of the Romans who instituted the Rites and Ceremonies of Pagan Worship for his Subjects and in these Books which he thought fit to conceal by burying them with him he had laid open the Bottom of these Devilish Mysteries so that when they were brought to the Senate they judging them unfit to be known adjudged them to the Fire Which is a clear ground of Suspition that he had there discovered so much of the Causes of these Rites or of the way whereby he came to be instructed in them that the publick Knowledg thereof consisted not with the Interest of their Heathenish Religion This conjecture Austin hath of the Matter who also notes that Numa pretended familiar Converse with the Nymph Aegeria as a plausible cover to that devilish Art of Hydromantia by which he was instructed in ordering the Ceremonies of Idolatry which he established Secondly Satan with no less Arrogancy takes upon him to Imitate God in his Acts of Power for the countenancing of his Worship in the World He had his Miracles frequently of which I have spoken elsewhere so had he his Oracles as at Delphos and other places Here it shall suffice to note that as the sending the Lord Jesus into the World furnished with such Power of doing Miracles for the Confirmation of that Office and Authority which he had received from God for the Redemption of Man was the highest Instance that can be given of the Mighty Power Wisdom and Goodness of God so Satan set himself with greatest Industry to Imitate that Christ was almost no sooner ascended to the Father but we hear of Simon Magus Acts. 8. 9. who was cryed up as an Instance of the great Power of God and after that at Rome he gave out that he was God confirming the People in such a belief by the strange things which he there did among them that a Statue was erected for his Honour with this Inscription To Simon a Great God Long after this the Devil raised up Apollonius Tyanaeus a Man of an Abstemious and Commendable Life him the Devil did design to match Christ in his Miracles which were so many and so strange that Philostratus doth not only compare him to Christ but prefer him as the more Honourable Person Christ himself foretold this Stratagem of Satan that he should raise up false Christs with lying Signs and Wonders And to omit Instances of former days it is not beyond the Memory of most of you That the Devil renewed this Policy in James Nayler who in a blasphemous Imitation of Christ's riding to Jerusalem rode to Bristol with a great Company before him Crying Holy