At the first view this may seem easy yet he that shall consider how much exercise of Grace goes necessarily to the right use of Scripture opposition shall not see cause to slight it as common nor yet to think that any vertue is attributed to the words For First The Scripture here is only recommended as a fit Instrument and no further or higher praise is given though therefore we may not attribute the whole of the Conquest to the Instrument alone yet this hinders not but that as an Instrument peculiarly fitted for these ends we may commend it above all other Instruments as we may justly commend Bread for nourishing above a Stone and expect more from it than from a chip so have we reason to expect more by the use of Scripture against Satan than from other means of defence which God hath not set up for that Service Secondly It is a concomitancy of Divine Power and Aid that conquers for us the Instrument is Scripture but the Power by which it works is from God Thirdly Neither is it any careless formal use of Scripture expressions that will give encouragement for expectation of a Divine concurrence but the use of Scripture in this business implyes an exercise of all Graces for it is an urging of Scripture under a fourfold Consideration First As being certainly perswaded of their Truth and fully keeping to that belief Secondly As being thankfully apprehensive of the holiness goodness and profitableness of the Commands and chearfully adhering to them as the only way and means to bring us to Union with Christ and to preserve us in it Thirdly As being highly and indispensibly obliged by them to perform the Duty commanded therein and to avoid the Sins forbidden Fourthly All this in an humble expectation of a divine help according to the Promise of God Now he that can plead the Command or Promise against a Temptation in this manner doth not do an ordinary work neither will he ascribe the success to the words and phrase of Scripture Some may peradventure wonder why Christ by his example had not recommended Prayer seeing it is of such unquestionable use in our undertakings against Satan But that enquiry may be fully satisfied if it be considered that Christ did peculiarly prepare himself to this encounter by solemn Fasting ver 2. which doth include Praying for such complicated duties are often denominated by that part which is extraordinary and usually in Scripture a Fast is only mentioned where Prayer is chiefly intended That this Fast of Christ related to the Temptation and that also as a means of preservation hath been spoken of in its place it remains only that from hence I add a fifth Direction CHAP. XXVI The fifth Direction of Prayer and of the seriousness required of those that expect the advantage of Prayer Of God's hearing Prayer while the Temptation is continued Of some that are troubled more while they pray more THat in all our endeavours of resistance frequent and earnest Prayers are not to be neglected This is so frequently recommended and so fully handled by most Authors that I shall refer you to such Authors as particularly treat of it noting only That the Apostle in Eph. 6. 18. when he recommends it to us in these words praying always with all Prayer and Supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and Supplication for all Saints he doth mind us that he that expects the advantage of that Duty must be peculiarly fitted and seriously diligent in that work For First He must have a Praying frame of Heart he must Pray always or as the Apostle elsewhere he must Pray continually Not as if this Duty must swallow up all the rest and that a Christian had no other Services to attend than Prayer but that he must be on a design to wrestle with God by Prayer and this must be constantly carried on though the acts of Prayer be intermitted and besides that in such cases he may keep his usual stated times for that duty he must have his Heart so much upon his design that every occasion or offer of Temptation will presently put him upon the Duty nay he must in respect of the frequent intercourse of his Heart with God in frequent ejaculations and breathings of Soul be as a Man wholly resolved into that Duty as Paul was at his first Conversion who as that expression behold he Prays doth intimate seems to have been all Prayer and wholly taken up with that duty Secondly He must pray in the Spirit his Soul must be truly in the Duty A more than ordinary earnestness is necessary at solemn times he must put out all his Strength he must cry mightily and with his whole Heart Thirdly When his Spirit grows dull he must reinforce it watch his Heart he must and if it be needful to quicken it up he must add Fasting or Meditation or whatever other means may be helpful Fourthly In this course he must continue without giving off the Duty though God behave himself as if he minded not his cry or took no notice of his hazard yet without weariness must our Supplications follow him It must be continued with all Perseverance Fifthly The Heart that undertakes this must not be so narrow as to be centred upon his own concern only when he is melted into a Spirit of Meekness and Compassion for others and is not so sollicitous for Peace or Ease that he could hug himself in his private enjoyment without concerning himself to tender and help those that are in the same dangers when his Supplications are for all Saints as well as for himself then may he expect to receive an Olive branch of Peace from Heaven in the return of his Prayer 'T is often objected by such that they pray but are not heard and that Temptations continue notwithstanding many crys and wrestlings First It is a great mistake to think that Prayers are not heard or do not prevail because the Temptation is not quite removed Prayers may be acceptable to God and recorded among his remembrances where the Temptation for Exercise and other holy Ends may be continued Secondly What God hath promised to such Prayer he fails not to make good he hath not promised to exempt us from Temptation but from the Power and prevalency of it If his grace be sufficient for us in the mean time 't is an answer as good as Paul got when he was importunate if together with the Temptation he gives an issue that we may be able to bear it there is his faithfulness in keeping promise he no where promised that Satan should not tempt but that he should not prevail while we can hold up our hands in the Mount to God and our praying frame will ascertain us of this For a Man is never overcome by a Temptation so long as he can Pray against it for so long he delights not in it so long he consents not and till he
death of a Sinner will not delight to take strict exceptions against every failing If Satan can prevail with us to extenuate the Sin to slight the hazard or any way to lessen it upon any of the forementioned accounts then having possessed us before with high apprehensions of delights and satisfactions in the Sin he quickly perswades to accept the motion as having a conveniency and advantage in it not to be despised and thus doth he indirectly pervert our Reason which is the second way by which he blinds us through the working of our Lust CHAP. XIII Of Satan's diverting our Reason being the third way of blinding Men. His policies for diverting our Thoughts His attempts to that purpose in a more direct manner with the degrees of that procedure Of disturbing or distracting our Reason which is Satan's fourth way of blinding Men. His deceits therein Of precipitancy Satan's fifth way of blinding Men. Several deceits to bring Men to that THirdly Satan blinds the Sons of Men by diverting and withdrawing their Reason and taking it off from the pursuit of its discovery or apprehensions For sometime it cannot be induced to go so contrary to its Light as to call evil good either directly or indirectly Then is Satan put to a new piece of Policy and if the frame of the Heart and the matter of the Temptation suit his design he endeavours to turn the stream of our thoughts either wholly another way or to still them by turning them into a dead Sea or by some trick to beguile the Understanding with some new dress of the Temptation So that we may observe in Satan a threefold policy in a subserviency to this design for First Satan sometime ceaseth his pursuit and lets the matter fall and thinks it better to change the Temptation than to continue a sollicitation at so great a disadvantage When he tempted Christ and could not prevail he departed for a season with a purpose to return at some fitter time which Christ himself was in expectation of knowing it to be his manner to ly in wait for advantages and accordingly when his suffering drew nigh which as he speaks to the Jews was their hour and power of darkness he foretold his return upon him Now the Prince of this World cometh however this attempt of his against the Lord Jesus prevailed not yet he shewed his Art and Skill in the suspending of his Temptation to a more sutable time And the success of this against us is sadly remarkable for however we resist and at present stand out yet his solicitations are often like leaven which while 't is hid in our thoughts doth not a little ferment and change them so that at his return he often finds our Lusts prepared to raise greater clouds upon our Mind Many there are that resist strongly at present that which they easily slide into when Satan hath given them time to breath that say I will not and yet do it afterwards Secondly He sometimes withdraws their considerations by huffing them up with a confidence that they are above the Temptation As a conquest in a small skirmish begetting an opinion of victory makes way for a total overthrow over a careless and secure Army We are too apt to triumph over Temptations because we give the first on-set with courage and resolution Christ forewarned Peter of his denyal he stoutly deâ—ies it and not improving this Advertisement to Fear and Watchfulness Satan who then was upon a design to sift him took him at that advantage of security and by a contemptible instrument overthrew him Thus while we grow strong in our apprehensions by a denyal of a Sin and undervalue it as below us our Confidence makes us careless and this lets in our ruine Thirdly If these ways of Policy fail him he seemingly complies with us and is content we judge the matter sinful but then he proffers his service to bring us off by distinctions and here the Sophister useth his skill to further our Understanding in framing excuses coyning evasions and so doth out-shoot us in our own Bow The Corinthians had learned to distinguish betwixt eating of Meat in an Idols Temple in honour to the Idol and as a common Feast in civility and respect to their Friends that invited them this presently withdrew their consideration and so quieted them in that course that the Apostle was forced to discover the fallacy of it The Israelites cursed him that gave a Wife to any of the Tribe of Benjamin but when they turned to them in compassion they satisfied themselves with this poor distinction that they would not give them Wives but were willing to suffer them to take them 'T is a common snare in matters of Promise or Oath where Conscience is startled at a direct violation thereof by some pitiful salvo or silly evasion to blind the Eyes and when they dare not break the Hedge to leap over it by the help of a broken Reed But I must here further observe that Satan doth sometimes set aside these Deceits aforementioned and trys his strength for the withdrawing of our consideration from the danger of Sin in a more plain and direct manner that is by continuing the prospect of the sweets and pleasures of Sin under our Eye and withal urging us by repeated sollicitations to cast the thoughts of the danger behind our back In which he so far prevails sometimes that Men are charged with a deep forgetfulness of God his Law and of themselves yet usually it ariseth to this by degrees As First When a Temptation is before us and our conscience relucts it if there be any inclination to recede from a conviction the motion is resisted with a secret regret and sorrow As the young Man was said to go away sorrowful when Christ propounded such terms for Eternal Life as he was not willing to hear of So do we our Heart is divided betwixt Judgment and Affection and we begin to wish that it might be lawful to commit such a Sin or that there were no danger in it nay often our wishes contradict our prayers and while we desire to be delivered from the Temptation our private wishes beg a denyal to those supplications Secondly If we come thus far we usually proceed to the next step which is to give a dismission to those thoughts that oppose the Sin We say to them as Felix to Paul Go thy way for this time and when I have a convenient opportunity I will send for thee Thirdly If a plain dismission serve not to repel these thoughts we begin to imprison the Truth in Vnrighteousness and by a more peremptory refusal to stifle it and to keep it under and become at last willingly ignorant Fourthly By this means at last the Heart grows sottish and forgetful The heart is taken away as the Prophet speaks and then do these thoughts of conviction and warning at present perish together This withdrawing of our consideration is Satan's third
When a Man is chastned with pain upon his bed his life abhors bread and his Soul dainty meat And when a Man is brought to loath his Duties as having nothing of that sweetness and satisfaction in them which is every where spoken of a small Temptation may put him upon neglect of them 2 He hath plausible and colourable Arguments by which he formeth an Opinion in the minds of Men that in cases of indisposition they may do better to forbear than to proceed He tells them they ought not to pray or present any service while they are so indisposed that no prayer is acceptable where the Spirit doth not enliven the heart and raise the affections that they do not take his name in vain and increase their Sin and that they should wait till the Spirit fill their sails and to say the truth it is a great difficulty for a Child of God to hold his feet in such slippery places how many have I known complaining of this and perswading themselves verily that they might do far better to leave off all Service than to perform them thus and scarcely have I restrained them from a complyance with Satan by telling them that indispositions are no bar to duty but that duty is the way to get our indispositions cured That Duty is absolutely required and dispositions to be endeavoured and that 't is a less offence to keep to duty under indispositions than wholly upon that pretence to neglect it And indeed where these indispositions are bemoaned and striven with the services are often more acceptable to God than pleasing to our selves the Principle is truly Spiritual and excellent a foundation of Saphirs and precious Stones upon which if we patiently wait he will build a Pallace of Silver for that Service is more Spiritual that is bottom'd and carry'd on by a consciencious regard to a Command when there are no moral Motives from sence and comfort concurring than that which hath more of delight to encourage it while the power of the command is less swaying and influential Fourthly Men are oft discouraged from a sence of unworthiness of the priviledge of Duty a kind of excess of Humility which principally relates to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and Prayer the Accuser of the Brethren tells them that they have nothing to do to take the Name of God in their mouthes that 't is an insufferable Presumption Hence some like the Woman with the bloody Issue dare not come to Christ to ask a cure while yet they earnestly desire it and would rather if they could privately steal it then openly beg it The Publican is presented to us in the Parable as one that could scarce get over that objection he is set forth standing at a distance not daring to lift up his eyes to Heaven scarce attempting to speak rather expressing his unworthiness to Pray than setting upon the Duty his smiting upon his breast and saying God be merciful to me a sinner argued that much of these discouragements lay upon him The like we may see in the Prodigal who it seems had it long in dispute whether he should go to his Father whose kindnesses he had so abused and so long as he could make any other shift he yielded to the Temptation at last he came to that resolve I will arise and go to my father and say I have sinned against heaven and thee and am not worthy to be called thy Son Which shew that the sense of this kept him off till necessity forced him over it And this is a discouragement the more likely to prevail for a neglect of Service because part of it is necessary as the beginning of those Convictions of our Folly to have such low thoughts of our selves that we are not worthy to come into his presence nor to look toward him is very becoming but to think that we should not come to him because our Conscience accuseth of unworthiness is a conclusion of Satan's making and such as God never intended from the premises but the direct contrary Come saith God though unworthy The like course doth the Devil take to keep Men off from the Lord's Table Oh saith he 't is a very solemn Ordinance he that partaketh of it unworthily eateth and drinketh Damnation to himself how darest thou make such bold approaches While the Hearts of Men are tender their Consciences quick and accusing the threatning begets a fear and they are driven off long and debarr themselves unnecessarily from their Mercies Fourthly Satan endeavours to hinder Duty by bringing them into a dislike and loathing of Duty This is a course most effectual dislike easily bringeth forth Aversation and withal doth strongly fix the Mind in purposes of neglect and refusal the Devil bringeth this about many ways as First By Reproaches and Ignominious Terms It was an old trick of the Wicked-one to raise up Nick-names and Scoffs against the ways of God's Service thereby to beget an odium in the hearts of Men against them The seat of the scornful is a Chair that Satan had reared up from the Beginning By this art when God was known in Jury and his Name was great in Israel were the Heathens kept off from laying hold on the Covenant of God He rendred them and the Ordinances of Worship ridiculous to the Nations the opprobium of Circumcision and their unreasonable Faith as the Heathens thought it upon things not seen was a Proverb in every Man's mouth Credat Judaeus apella non ego The Jews were slandered with the yearly Sacrifice of a Grecian And Apion affirms That Antiochus found such an one in a Bed in the Temple and that they Worshipped an Asses head in the Temple Apion slandered the Jews with Vlcers in their privy Parts every Seventh day hence he derives Sabbath of Sabatosis which with the Aegyptians signifies an Vlcer Lysimachus slandered the Jews in Aegypt as Leprous Church-robbers and that their City was hence called Hierosola When the Gentiles were called into the fellowship of the Gospel it was aspersed with the like scoffs and flouts it was frequently called a Sect a Babling and strange and uncouth Doctrine besides a great many lies and forgeries that were invented to make it seem odious and by this means it was every where spoken against Machiavil that propounded the Policy of full and violent Calumniations to render an Adversary odious knowing that how unjust soever they were yet some impression of jealousie and suspition would remain had learned it of this old accuser who had often and long experienced it to be a prevalent course to bring the Services of God under dislike David speaking of what befel himself in this kind Psal 69. 9 10 11 12. That his Zeal lay under reproach his weeping and fasting became a Proverb and that in all these he was the Song of the Drunkard He expresseth such apprehensions of the power of this Temptation upon the weak that he
some perfect some less perfect some little Children some young men some Fathers The end of all this is to make them apprehend themselves Christians of an higher rank and order which also makes way consequently for a further inference viz. That there must needs be immunities and priviledges suitable to these heights and attainments To this purpose 3 he produceth those Scriptures that are design'd by God to raise up the minds of Men to look after the internal Work and Power of his Ordinances and not to center their minds and hopes in the bare formal use of them without applying their thoughts to God and Christ unto whom they are appointed to lead us Such as these Scriptures Rom. 2. 28. He is not a Jew which is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter And Rom. 6. 7. we should serve in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the letter 2 Cor. 5. 16. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh yea though we have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know we him no more Ephes 4. 13. He gave some Apostles and some Prophets c. for the perfecting of the Saints till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man By a perverse Interpretation of these and some other Scriptures of like import he would perswade them That the great thing that Christ designed by his Ordinances was but to train up the weaker Christians by these rudiments as the A B C to Children to a more spiritual and immediate way of living upon God and that these become altogether useless when Christians have gotten up to any of these imaginary degrees of a supposed Perfection Enough of this may be seen in the writings of Saltmarsh Winstanly and others in the late times How great a Trade Satan drove by such misapprehensions not long since cannot easily be forgotten so that God's Worship did almost lye wast and in many places the way to Sion did mourn Secondly He will sometimes confess an equality of priviledge among the Children of God and yet plead an inequality of duty that God is as good and strong to us and that we have all an equal advantage by Christ he will readily acknowledge But then when we should propound the diligence of the Saints in their Services for our pattern as of Davids praying seven times a day Daniels three times Anna's serving God with fastings and prayers night and day c. He tells us these were extraordinary Services and as it were works of supererrogation more than the Command of God laid upon them So that we are not tyed to such strictness and we being naturally apt to indulge our selves in our own ease are too ready to comply with such Delusions And by degrees Men are thus brought to a confident belief that they may be good enough and do as much as is required though they slacken their pace and do not Fast Pray or Hear so often as others have done Thirdly Another Sophism of his is to heighten one Duty to the ruine of another He strives to make an intestine War among the several parts of the Services we owe to God and from the excellency of one to raise up an enmity and undervaluing disregard of another Thus would he sever as inconsistent those things that God hath joyned together As among false Teachers some say Lo here is Christ and others Lo he is there So we find Satan dealing with Duties he puts some upon such high respects to Preaching that say they Christ is to be found here most frequently rather than in Prayer or other Ordinances others are made to have the like esteem for Prayer and they affirm in this is Christ especially to be met withal Others say the like of Sacraments or Meditation In all these Satan labours to beget a dislike and neglect of other Services Thus in what relates to the Constitution of Churches he endeavours to set up purity of Churches to the Destruction of Vnity or Vnity to the ruine of Purity A notable Example hereof we have in the Euchytae a Sect of praying Hereticks which arose in the time of Valentinian and Valens who upon the pretence of the Commands of Christ and Paul for Praying continually or without ceasing and fainting owned no other Duty as necessary vilifying Preaching and Sacraments as things at best useless and unprofitable The like attempts he makes daily upon Men where though he prevail not so far as to bring some necessary Duties of Service into open contempt yet he carries them into too much secret neglect and disregard Fourthly He improves the grace of the Gospel to infer an unnecessariness of Duty and this he doth not only from the advantage of a prophane and careless Spirit in such as presumptuously expect Heaven though they mind not the way that leads to it for with such it is usual as one observes for Satan to sever the means from the end in things that are good to make them believe they shall have Peace though they walk in the Imaginations of their Heart to make them lean upon the Lord for Heaven in the apparent neglect of Holiness and Duty As in evil things he severs the end from the means making them confident they shall escape Hell and Condemnation though they walk in the path that leads thither But besides this he abuseth the understandings and affections of Men by strange and uncouth inferences as that God hath received a satisfaction and Christ hath done all so that nothing is left for us to do The Apostle Paul was so much aware of this kind of arguing that when he was to magnifie the Grace of God he always took care to fence against such perverse reasonings severely rebuking and refelling such objections as in Rom. 3. 7 8. Where speaking that our unrighteousness did commend the righteousness of God he falls upon that reply Why then am I judged as a sinner Which he sharply refells as an inference of slanderous imputation to the Gospel which hath nothing in it to give the least countenance to that Conclusion Let us do evil that good may come And adds That Damnation shall justly overtake such as practise accordingly The like we have Rom. 6. 1. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound which he rejected with the greatest abhorrency God forbid From both which places we may plainly gather that as unsound as such arguings are yet Men through Satans subtilty are too prone upon such pretences to dispute themselves to a careless neglect of Duty This might be enlarged in many other instances as that of Maximus Tyrius who disputed all Duties unnecessary upon this ground That what God will give cannot be hindred and what he
but draw neer to him with our lips while our hearts are far from him Secondly The like spoil of Duty is made when we adventure upon it in our own strength and not in the strength of Christ Satan sees the pride of our heart and how much our gifts may contribute to it and how prone we are to be confident of a right performance of what we have so often practised before and therefore doth he more industriously catch at that advantage to make us forget that our strength is in God and that we cannot come to him acceptably but by his own power Christians are often abused this way when their strength is to seek Duty is oft perversly set before them that they may act as Sampson did when his locks were cut who thought to shake himself and to go out as at other times and so fell into the hands of the Philistines Thirdly If he can substitute base ends and Principles as motives to Duty instead of these that God hath commanded he knows the Service will become stinking and loathsome to God Fasting Prayers Alms Preaching or any other Duty may be thus tainted when they are performed upon no better grounds than to be seen of Men or out of Envy or to satisfie humour or when from custom rather than conscience How frequently did the Prophets tax the Jews for this that they fasted to themselves and brought forth fruit to themselves How severely did Christ condemn the Pharisees upon the same account telling them that in hunting the applause of Men by these devotions they had got all the reward they were like to have Fourthly When we do our Services unseasonably not only the grace and beauty of them is spoiled but often are they rendred unprofitable There are times to be observed not only for the right management of common Actions but also for Duties What is Christian Reproof if it be not rightly suited to season and opportunity The same may be said of other Services Fifthly Services are spoiled when Men set upon them without resolutions of leaving their Sins While they come with their Idols in their heart and the stumbling-block of their iniquity before their face God will not be enquired of by them He requires of those that present their Services to him that at least they should not affront him with direct purposes of continuing in their Rebellions against him nay he expects from his Servants that look for a Blessing in their Duties that they come with their hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and their bodies washed with pure water If they come to hear the Word they must lay aside all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness if they pray they must lift up pure hands If they come to the Lords Supper they must eat that Feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth And albeit he may accept the Prayers of those that are so far convinced of their Sins though they be not yet sanctified that they are willing to lay down their Weapons and are touched with a sence of Legal Repentance for thus he heard Ahab and regarded the Humiliation of Nineveh Yet while Men cleave to the love of their iniquity and are not upon any terms of parting with their Sins God will not look to their Services but abhor them For thus he declares himself Isa 1. 11. To what purpose is the multitude of your Sacrifices Bring no more vain oblations I cannot away with them it is iniquity even the solemn meeting my soul hateth them they are a trouble to me I am weary to bear them when you spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many Prayers I will not hear The ground of all this is that their heart was no way severed from the purposes of Sinning Your hands are full of blood vers 15. Satan knowing this so well he is willing that they engage in the Services of God if they will keep up their Allegiance to him and come with intentions to continue wicked still for so while he cannot prevent the actual performance of Duty which yet notwithstanding he had rather do because he knows not but God may by that means sometime or other rescue these Slaves of Satan out of his hand he makes their Services nothing worth and renders them abominable to God Sixthly In the manner of undertaking Duties are spoiled when Men have not a submissive ingenuity in them by giving themselves up to the direction and disposal of the Almighty but rather confine and limit God to their wills and desires Sometimes Men by attempting of Services to God think thereby to engage God to humour them in their wills and ways With such a mind did Ahab consult the Prophets about his expedition to Ramoth-Gilead not so much seeking Gods mind and counsel for direction as thinking thereby to engage God to confirm and comply with his determination With the same mind did Johanan and the rest of the people consult the Lord concerning their going down to Aegypt Jer. 42. 5. Though they solemnly protested Obedience to what God should say whether it were good or evil yet when the return from God suited not with their desires and resolutions they denied it to be the Command of God and found an evasion to free themselves of their engagement Jer. 43. 2. Such dealings as these being the evident undertakings of an Hypocritical heart must needs render all done upon that score to be presumptuous temptings of God no way deserving the name of Service Secondly Not only are Services thus spoiled in those wrong grounds and ways of attempting or setting about them but in the very act or performance of them while they are upon the Wheel as a Potters Vessel in the Prophet they are often marred and this Satan doth two ways 1 By disturbing our thoughts which should be attentive and fixed upon the Service in hand 2 By vitiating the Duty it self First By distracting or disturbing our thoughts This is an usual Policy of Satan Those Fowls which came down upon Abrahams Sacrifice are supposed by Learned Expositors to signifie those means and ways by which the Devil doth disorder and trouble our thoughts in Religious Services And Christ himself compares the Devil stealing our thoughts from Duty to the Fowls of the Air that gather up the Seed as soon as it is sown There are many reasons that may perswade us that this is one of his Master-pieces of Policy As 1 in that the business of Distraction is oft easily done our thoughts do not naturally delight in Spiritual things because of their depravement neither can they easily brook to be pent in or confined so strictly as the nature of such imployments doth require so that there is a kind of preternatural force upon our thoughts when they are Religiously imployed which as it is in it self laborious like the stopping of a Stream or driving Jordan back so upon
we can scarce forbear turning aside after them to gaze at them and yet when all is done except we wholly neglect the Duty for them they will so vanish that we can scarce remember them when the Duty is over 3 Sometimes he suits our desires and inclinations with the remembrances of things that are at other times much in our love and affection and with these we are apt to comply the pleasure of them making us forget our present Duty Thoughts of Estates Honours Relations Delights Recreations or whatever else we are set upon at other times will more easily prevail for audience now Fourthly He hath a way to betray and circumvent us by heightning our own jealousies and fears against him and here he out-shoots us in our own bow and by a kind of overdoing makes us undoe our desired work For where he observes us fearful and watchful against wandring he doth alarm us the more so that 1 instead of looking to the present part of Duty we reflect upon what is past and make enquiries whether we performed that aright or whether we did not wander from the beginning Thus our suspitions that we have miscarried bring us into a miscarriage by this are we deceived and put off from minding what we are doing at present Or 2 an eager desire to fix our thoughts on our present Service doth amaze and astonish us into a stupid inactivity or into a saying or doing we know not what as ordinarily it happens to persons that out of a great fearfulness to offend in the presence of some great Personages become unable to do any thing rigâ—t or to behave themselves tollerably well or as an over-steady and earnest fixing the Eye weakens the sight and renders the object less truly discernable to us Fifthly Sometimes the exercise of Fancy acting or working according to some mistake which we have entertained as to the manner of performance doth so hold our thoughts doing that we embrace a cloud or shadow when we should have looked after the substance I will give an instance of this in reference to Prayer which I have observed hath been a snare and mistake to some and that is this Because in that Duty the Scripture directs us to go to God and to set him before us therefore have they thought it necessary to frame an Idea of God in their thoughts as of a person present to whom they speak Hence their thoughts are busied to conceive such a representation and when the shadow of imagination vanisheth their thoughts are again busied to enquire whether their hearts are upon God Thus by playing with Fancy they are really less attentive upon their Duty Sixthly Satan can lay impressions of Distraction upon Men before they come to Religious Services which shall then work and shew their power to disturb and divide our hearts which is by a strong prepossession of the heart with any thing that we fear or hope or desire or doth any way trouble us these will stick to us and keep us company in our Duties though we strive to keep them back And this was the ground of the Apostles advice to the unmarried persons to continue in a single life times of Persecution and Distress nearly approaching that they might attend upon the Lord without distraction implying that the thoughtfulness and more than ordinary carefulness which would seize upon the minds of Persons under such straits and hazards would unavoidably follow them in their Duties and so distract them Secondly The other way besides this of distraction by which Satan spoils our Duties in the act of performance is by vitiating Duty it self and this he commonly doth three ways First When he puts Men upon greater care for the outward garb and dress of a Service than for the inward work of it he endeavours to make some Devotionaries deal with their Duties as the Pharisees did with their Cups washing and adorning the out-side while the inside is altogether neglected Thus the Papists generally are for the outward pomp and beauty of Services being only careful that all things should have their external bravery as the Tombs of the Prophets were painted and beautified which yet were full of rottenness And the generality of Christians more taken up with this than with the Service of the heart Paul was so sensible of this Snare in the work of Preaching where ordinarily Men cared for excellency of speech or wisdom that he determines another course of Preaching not Notions or Rhetorick and enticing words but the Doctrine of Christ Crucified in sincerity and plainness 'T is not indeed the outward cost and fineness of Ordinances that God regards Incense from Sheba and the sweet Cane from a far country are not to any purpose where the heart doth not most design a spiritual Service for these are rather a satisfaction to the humours of Men than to please God an offering to themselves rather than to him And therefore is it that what Jeremiah confessed they did Chap. 6. 20. in buying Incense and the sweet Cane Isaiah Chap. 43. 24. seems to deny Thou hast bought me no sweet Cane with money that is though thou didst it yet it was to thy self rather than to me I accepted it not and so was it all one as if thou hadst not done it Secondly Duties and Services are more apparently vitiated by humane additions a thing expresly contrary to the second Commandment and yet is there a strange boldness in Men this way which sometimes riseth to such an height that the plain and clear Commands of God are violated under the specious pretence of Decency Order and Humility and nothing doth more take them than what they devise and find out Satan knows how displeasing this is to God and how great an inclination there is in Men to be forward in their Inventions and self-devised Worship that he can easily prevail with the incautious This was the great miscarriage of the Jewish Nation all along the old Testament and of the Pharisees who though they declined the Idolatries of their Fathers yet were so fond upon their Traditions that they made their Worship vain as Christ tells them And this humour also in Pauls time was insinuating it self into Christians managed by a great deal of deceit Col. 2. 8. and shew of wisdom vers 23. which accordingly he doth earnestly fore-warn them of There are indeed several degrees of corrupting a Service or Ordinance by humane Additions according to which 't is more or less defiled yet the least presumption this way is an offence and Provocation Thirdly Duties are vitiated in their excess Natural Worship which consists in Fear Love Faith Humility c. can never be too much but Instituted Worship may Men may Preach too much and Pray too long a fault noted by Christ in the Pharisees they made long Prayers even in Duties a Man may be righteous overmuch Timothy was so in his great pains and over abstemious life to
to make Election the immediate Object of our Faith and our Rule to walk by as if it were necessary that every Man knew Gods eternal purpose concerning him before he begin his endeavours And as he argues some Men into a perverse carelessness upon the ground of Election making them to conclude that If they are ordained to Life they shall be saved though they live wickedly if they be not they shall be damned though they endeavour never so much to the contrary So he also argues some from this Doctrine into terrible fears of Damnation because they cannot be assured aforehand that their names are written in Heaven And these dreadful suspitions he doth labour to strengthen by some Mens unwary handling of the Doctrine of Non-election when some Preachers unskilfully urge the dangerous signs of Reprobation or speak severely of God's Decrees without due caution and promise of Mercy to all penitent Sinners Or when some unskilful in the methods of comforting the distressed in Conscience because they are not able to shew the Afflicted their Condition or to speak a word in season to quiet their Minds and to direct them what course to take do usually refer them to God's Decree and tell them If God have decreed them to Salvation they shall be saved Satan doth industriously hold them there by this means he leads them from the Promises and their Duty and keeps them musing and poring upon Election till they are bewildred and cannot find the way out Thus have several continued under their Affrightments for many Years 4. We may observe That when Satan hath brought them into this snare he doth tyrannically domineer over them He doth deride them under their trouble and mock at them when their fear comes upon them And because now the very thought or hearing of Election is as a Daggar to the heart and a dreadful sound in their Ears he delights to repeat it to them for the very naming of the word becomes as dreadful as the sentence of Condemnation to a Malefactor being always accompanied with this Reflection Oh how miserable am I that have no part nor portion in it Besides he doth busie their minds with imaginary representations of Hell and sets before them as in a Scheme the day of Judgment the terrours of the Damned the sentence against the Goats on the Left-hand the intollerable pains of everlasting Burnings and that which is the misery of all these Miseries the Eternity of all Thus he forceth their Meditations but still with Application to themselves neither doth he suffer them to rest in the Night but they are terrified with sad Dreams and the Visions of the Night do disquiet them 5. How grievous this Affrightment is I should next observe but that is partly expressed in the aforegoing Particulars and may yet more fully appear by a consideration of these 3 things 1. That a Man hath nothing dearer to him than his Soul Alas that cannot be counterballanced by the gaining of the whole World and to have no hope or expectancy of its Salvation must needs be terribly affrightful 2. These suspitions of Non-election prevailing all Promises and Comforts are urged in vain and they commonly return them back again to those that offered them with this reply They are true and useful to those unto whom they appertain but they belong not unto me Nay all means are rejected as useless If such be advised to Pray or Read they will in their fit of Affrightment refuse all upon this reason that they are not Elected And then to what purpose say they is Prayer or any endeavours For who can alter his Decree And indeed if their Affrightments continued at an height without intermission they would never do any thing but this is their help that some secret under-ground hopes which they espy not do revive at least sometimes and put them upon endeavours which through Gods blessing become means of better information 3. Though Satans injections of Non-election be altogether unproveable and withal so terrifying that it might be supposed Men should not be forward in their belief of so great an unhappiness Yet can he prevail so far that the Persons above named especially the Melancholy are made to believe him and this chiefly by possessing their imaginations with his frequent confident Affirmations Wee see it is a common practice to teach Birds Musical Notes and Sounds which is only by constant repetition till a strong Impression is made upon their Fancy And thus may one Man impose upon the imagination of another with his Songs or Sayings for what we hear often we cannot forbear to repeat in our thoughts being strongly fixed upon our Fancy No wonder then if Satan by often repeating Thou art not Elected thou art Damned c. do form so strong an impression upon the imagination that poor amazed Creatures learn to say after him and then take the Ecchoes of their Fancy to be the voice of Conscience condemning them Now then if the unhappiness suspected be the greatest beyond all comparison if these suspitions entertained cut off all succours of Comfort that may arise from the Promises of God and the endeavours of Man if Satan can prevail with Men to entertain them with any perswasion as we see he can how dreadfully will these perswasions recoil upon a Man And thus will his thoughts run I am perswaded I am not Elected and if not Elected then Comforts and Prayers are all in vain and if these be in vain there is no possibility of Salvation nor the least hope of a who knows or a peradventure and if that Oh unspeakably miserable Under these astonishing thoughts doth Satan exercise their hearts by suspitions of Non-election But 4. Sometimes he takes another Course to affright Men and that is by injecting Motions of some abominable Sin or evil into their minds to the commission whereof he seems strongly to sollicite yet not with any full intention or expectation of prevalency but with a purpose to molest and disquiet And for that end he commonly chuseth such sins as are most vile in their own Nature and most opposite to the Dispositions of Men Thus he injects thoughts of Uncleanness to a chast Person thoughts of injustice and wrong to a Just Man thoughts of revenge and cruelty to a Week Man thoughts of rejoycing in the loss and misery of others to the Merciful Man Or else he injects motions to such sins wherein formerly Men have been overtaken but have been made bitter by deep repentance the very thoughts whereof are now become most loathsome And sometimes he pursues Men with thoughts of Self-Murther even while there is nothing of discontent or trouble in their Minds to second such a Temptation By this manner of proceeding he creates great Affrightments to the Hearts of men For 1. These are strange Surprisals and Persons under this kind of Trouble cannot but be amazed to find such thoughts within them which are most contrary to their Dispositions or their most
When the Affections are earnest their satisfaction cannot be delayed without trouble for Hope deferred makes the Heart sick Prov. 13. 12. not only doth it faint under its doubts but is by that means so weak in its Purposes that it is easily drawn to admit of greater Inconveniencies which may lay the foundation of more perplexing disturbances That the Conscience may be in such a Distemper that it will not witness for a Man when yet it cannot witness against him is the observation of those that have treated of the nature of Conscience Sometimes it will not make application of God's Promises though it will believe that he that forsakes Sin is regenerate that he that truly repents shall be pardoned yet it will not affirm for a Man that he forsakes Sin or repents though he really do so or if it cannot deny that yet it will sometimes refuse to make that conclusion which one would think would follow of it self by natural consequence and so refuseth to judge the Person regenerate or pardoned though it cannot deny but that he forsakes Sin and repents The greatness of the Blessing the remainders of Unbelief the deep sense of Unworthiness with other considerations do keep off the Heart from making as I may say so bold with the Promises but all this while the Devil is doing his utmost to aggravate these considerations afrighting the Conscience from that just absolution which it ought to give 2. Another degree of Trouble arising from an evil Conscience is when the condition of a Regenerate Person is determined by Conscience but falsly to be very bad I must here as some others have done for want of better terms distinguish betwixt the state of Regeneracy and a Mans condition in that state though the words state and condition are used promiscuously the one for another A Man may be in a Regenerate state and yet his condition in that state may be very bad and blame-worthy as not walking worthy of so holy a Calling as a Person may be a Man and yet unhealthy or languishing Thus many of the Asian Churches were true Churches and yet in a bad condition some lukewarm some had a name to live and yet were comparatively dead because their works were not full or perfect before God and others had left their first love To this purpose is that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 13. 5. Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reproabates where the word Reprobate is not to be taken in the strict severe sense for one not elected but for one whose conversation is not so sound and approved as it should be for this relates not to their being in Christ but to their assurance of being in that state which the Apostle affirms they might know except the fault lay in their negligent careless conversation This kind of Trouble then is of this nature the Conscience doth not accuse a Man to be Vnregenerate yet it condemns him for a carriage unsuitable to the Gospel and this sometimes when his Actions are not absolutely evil but partly good partly bad When the Conscience condemns the Actions as altogether sinful because of some mixture of Infirmities in which case we should imitate the Apostle in Rom. 7. who when by reason of the remainders of Sin in him he could not do the good he would that is in such a manner and degree as he desired nor avoid the evil which he would so clearly and fully as he wished some imperfections in his best endeavours still cleaving to him yet his Conscience took a right course he was humbled for his imperfections but withal acquits himself in point of integrity his Conscience testified ver 16. that he consented to the Law as good and ver 22. that he delighted in the Law of God after the inward Man But in this case of Spiritual trouble the Conscience takes all in the worst sence it only fixeth upon the imperfections and makes them to serve for proofs against the Sincerity Thus if a Man in praying be troubled with wandering thoughts then a distempered Conscience condemns that Prayer as a sinful prophanation of the name of God if the great concern of God's Glory run along in such a way as is also advantagious to the Person in outward things then will such a Conscience condemn the Man for self-seeking though his main design were truly the honour of God In all actions where there is infirmity appearing with the most serious endeavours or where God's Glory and Man's Good are twisted together the disordered Conscience will be apt to take part with Satan accusing and condemning the action Yea very often when the actions are very good no way justly reprovable the Conscience shall condemn if he have had peace he shall be judged for security if he have Faith in God's promises it will call it presumption if he have a zeal for God it will be misinterpreted for carnal rigour if he have joy it shall be misjudged to be natural chearfulness or delusion in a word all his Graces shall be esteemed no better than moral Vertues At this rate are the Children of God put to great trouble losing as I may say the things they have wrought sadly bemoaning their hardness of heart or want of Faith and Love when in their carriage and complainings they give very high proofs of all In this also Satan is busy to nourish the Conscience in its Jealousies and doth suggest many objections to confirm it in its Distemper The Conscience is not always of a peevish or perverse humour for sometimes it will smite a Man for a miscarriage as it did to David when he cut off the lap of Saul's Garment and yet not break his peace which is a sufficient evidence that it is put in this case far out of order which advantage Satan works upon to disquiet the heart to make Men unthankful for the Mercies they have received and to incapacitate them for more This for distinction sake we may call the trouble of a grieved or dejected Conscience according to that of Psal 42. 5 11. Why art thou cast down O my Soul and why art thou disquieted within me Though such Men are under God's Favour yet they misdeem it and think God is angry with them their Heart pants their Soul thirsts their Tears are their Meat they are ready to say unto God My rock why hast thou forsaken me And though they have some hopes for the future that God will command his loving kindness and that they shall yet praise him yet their present apprehension of their Spiritual wants and weaknesses and of the displeasure of God which they suppose they are under makes them go mourning all the Day 3. The third degree of trouble of Conscience is when the Conscience peremptorily denies the state of Regeneration Hereby a Man that is really regenerate is concluded to be yet in the Gall of bitterness and bond of Iniquity his
above the reach of our present state and condition as for a mean Man to beg of God Authority and Rule or to expect to be set with Princes or for ordinary Christians to look for Miracles Signs from Heaven Visions Revelations extraordinary Answers to Prayers and the like all which expectations are groundless and the issue of a presumptuous Pride Fourthly When Men expect things contrary to the Rules that God hath set for his dispensations of Mercy they boldly presume upon his Will God hath promised preservation to his Children while they are in God's way but if any shall go out of that way and sinfully put himself into dangers and hazards it would be Presumption in him to expect a Preservation 'T is the same in Spiritual things God promiseth Eternal Life and the Blessings of his Covenant to such as give up themselves to him and his Laws will it not be intolerable Presumption for Men to bless themselves in their heart with expectations of reigning with him in Glory while in the mean time they contradict his own Rule and neglect his Order walking in prophaneness and living to themselves This is an high Presumption of Mercy against his express Will Hence are such courses called presumptuous Sins Psal 19. and such Sinners transgress with an high-hand Fifthly 'T is also a Presumption to expect any Mercy though common and usual without the ordinary means by which God in Providence hath setled the usual dispensations of such Favours as when Men look for his aid and help for supply of corporal wants while they throw off all care and refuse their own endeavours which are the ways of God's appointment in the consciencious use whereof such Mercies are to be expected The Heathen upon the consideration of the necessary connection of Means and the End have usually judged such sluggish expectations to be no better than solemn mockings of a Diety In Spiritual things 't is no less presumptuous to expect Conversion and an Interest in Christ and Heaven while they refuse the careful use of his Ordinances and therefore we are commanded to pray for such Blessings to cry after Knowledg and to lift up the Voice for understanding and to second these Prayers with our own utmost endeavours to seek for it as for Silver and to search for it as for hid Treasures and in so doing to expect the finding of the Knowledg of God Sixthly When ordinary or extraordinary Mercies are expected for an unlawful End as when the Israelites at Massa called for Water which they ought to believe God would supply them withal their condition considered but for a Test and Proof of the Being of God for they said is God among us or not Exod. 17. 7. 'T is by James made a peice of Spiritual unfaithfulness and Adultery to ask any thing of God with a design to spend it upon a Lust Ahaz his refusing a Sign when God offered it however he made a shew of Modesty and believing argued no other thing but that he was conscious to himself that in case he had accepted it he should have abused that Favour to an unlawful end and have tempted God by it as putting it upon this Experiment whether there was a God or not This is also another act of Presumption when a Man becomes guilty of any of these miscarriages he is presumptuous Secondly I further add to this discovery of the nature and kinds of Presumption that this is one of Satan's grand Engins which I prove by two Demonstrations First By Satans common practice in this kind upon all sorts of Men in most occasions That which is his frequent practice upon most Men and on most occasions must of necessity be understood to be chiefly designed Some Men may possibly be free from the trouble of some particular Temptations as Hieronimus Wallerus saith of Luther his Master that he heard him often report of himself that he had been assaulted and vexed with all kind of Temptations saving only that of Covetousness but none can say they have not been assaulted with this I shall make it out by an induction of particulars First The generality of Men that live in the Profession of Religion are Presumptious nay the greatest part of the blind World are so they presume of Mercy and Salvation the Devil preacheth nothing else but all hope no fear and in these Golden dreams they slide down to Hell If we look into their way of sinning and then into their hopes we can judg no less of them they stick not at the most grevious abominations the works of the Flesh and in these they continue 't is their Trade their Life they make provisions for them they cannot sleep except they do wickedly he that reproveth is derided by them they make but a mock and sport of those things which as the shame and reproach of Mankind should rather fly the Light and hide themselves as things of darkness these things they practise without regret or sorrow of Heart without smiting upon the Thigh and in all this they have the confidence to say is not the Lord among us They can call themselves Christians and have as bold expectations of Eternal Happiness as if the committing of these evils were made by God the necessary qualifications to everlasting Happiness what is more common and yet what more presumptuous For 1. These Men audaciously hope and expect Mercy expresly contrary to the peremptory threatnings of God God saith there is no peace to the wicked they say we shall have peace 2. These run upon the greatest hazards of ruine and wo with the least fear in the contempt of all danger as the Horse rusheth into the Battel who mocketh at fear and is not affrighted neither turneth his Back from the Sword 3. They dare God to do his worst they provoke God to jealousy and that to his Face hence was it that Nimrod was said to be a mighty Hunter before the Lord. And Er the Son of Judah that he was wicked before the Lord Because such audacious Sinners will not as we may say go behind his Back to sin Secondly Hypocrites whose carriage is more smooth they also are presumptuous for while they hide their Sin they do against dictates of Conscience presume that he that made the Eye doth not see and that there is a possibility to cheat God as well as Men besides their boastings and hopes have a special mark set upon them in Scripture as audaciously false the hope of the Hypocrite shall be cut off their confidence of the Temple of the Lord is but a lie and so termed expresly by the Prophet Thirdly Even desparing Persons are not always free of Presumption The act of Self-murther is a terrible presuming upon infinite Justice Spira's desire to know the worst was of the same kind These are indeed extraordinary but there are some other kinds of despair that come nearer to Presumption as that sensual despair which ariseth out of
do consent Satan cannot prevail Prayer will either make the Temptation give way or the Temptation will make Prayer give way but so long as we hold out with earnestness the Temptation cannot prevail Some further Object that the more they pray they are the worse and more infested by Satan than they were before they undertook that course It may be they may have more trouble from Satan David thought on God and his trouble was increased and no wonder Satan's spite and fury puts him upon giving greatest molestations to those of whom he despairs to subdue Secondly But though they may be more troubled yet they may be furthest from Conquest These disquiets are like the trouble of the working of Physick which at first taking may make a Man more sick and yet bring him nearer to a state of health and strength fear not then faint not resist faithfully and to the utmost and God shall bruise Satan under thy Feet shortly FINIS 2 Sam. 12. 31. The Text opened Vid. Leigh Crit. Sac. The Accuser of the brethren Rev. 12. 10. Gen. 3. 3. Job 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quia inordinatam excellentiam affectando ordinatam amiserunt ideo de aliorum excellentiâ— dolebat ad eam oppugnâ—ndam maliciâ—se ferebatur Am. med l. 1. c. 11. Esa 49. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ira brevis furor Vid. Pool Synop in loc 2 Pet. 2. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 104. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 1. 16. Quid inter se distant quatuor ista vocabula dicant qui possâ—nt si tamen possunt probare quae dicunt ego me ista ignorare confiteor Enchirid. ad Laurent c. 58. Instit l. 1. c. 4. §. 8. 1 Sam. 16. 14. 1 King 22. 21. Psal 78. 49. Zancheus Q. A. Acts 5. 3. Ephes 2. 2. 2 Tim. 2. 26. 2 Cor. 12. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arrows Tract Sacr. l. 2. c. 8. § 3. Lib. 2. Enchir. c. 58. Panst Vol. 2. l. 9. c. 11. Sclater in loc Cal. Instit l. 1. c. 14. §. 8. Vid. Bayns on Ephes 6. 12. Baynes ibid. Calvin in loc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 6. 12. Gen. 2. 29. Hierozâ—oicon 1. Part. quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Principaliter ad Diabolum referenda est calliditâ—s Cognitio Vespertina Matutina Barth Sybillae otium Theol. p. 361. Aug. in 3 Gen. civitat Dei lib. 11. c. 29. Dr. Jenison Height of Israels Idolatry p. 31. Ipsam creaturam melius ibi hoc est in Sapientia Dei tanquam in arte qua facta est quam in ea ipsa sciunt Aug. Civit. Dei Ibid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quest 1. Answ 1. Heb. 4. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Answ 2. Matth. 12. 25. Dr. Jenison's height of Israels Idolatry p. 35. Vid. Goodwin Child of Light p. 65. Quest peregâ—iâ—â—tum p. 392. Daemones cognoscunt cogitationes nostras quantum ad subjectum objectum affectum non aâ—utem quantum ad sinem Sciunt quid cogitamus sed ignorant ad quem finem deprehendas animit tormenta latentis ex aegrotorum faciâ— Saepe tacens vocem verbaque vultus habet Quest 2. Answ 1. Conclusion 2. Conclusion Invictus etis Alexander Plutarch in vit Alexandri Non non supeâ—aiâ—t Gailus 〈…〉 nunquam per bella 〈◊〉 Scot. discovery of Witchcraft l. 6. c. 1. Antiq. l. 4. c. 8. * Medeides Herbae mistaque cum magicis mersa venena sonis Ovid Art Amandi l. 2. Has Herbas atque haec Ponto mihi lecta venena Ipsa dedit Maeris his ego saepe lupum fieri se condere Sylvis Maeâ—im saepe animas â—imis exire Sepulchris Virg. â—ccl 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Philtrum Magicas Actiones quae in imaginibus caracteribus certis verbis ac similibus consistunâ— significat Unde pharmaceutria appellatur Idyllium Secund. Theoâ—iti Eccleg â— Virgilii Antiquos etiam vocabulum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro omni veneficii genere quo vel hominibus vel jumentis vel frâ—giâ—us seu carmine seu aliis modis nocetur accâ—yere manifeste patet ex Platone lib. 10. de Legibus Et apud Aristot Hist Animal cap. 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nominantur Et Apocal c. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro praeâ—tigii impostura sumitur Dan. Sennert Tom. 3. lib. 6. Part. 9. Cap. 2. Fulâ—er Pisg Sight lib. 4. c. 7. p. 128. Maâ—men vid. Pool in loc Godwin Jews Antiq. l. 4. c. 10. Pool in loc Witchcraft reckoned as distinct from Murther in Gal. 5. 20 21. Scot. Witchcraft l. 6. c. 2. Hobs Leviath c. 2. p. 7. Teneson Hobs Creed Exam. Art 4. p. 63. Baxâ—er Sin against the Holy Ghost p. 83. J. Glanvil Considerations of Witchcraft p. 6. Teneson against Hobs Art 4. p. 59. Vid. Epist D Balthasaris â—an M. D. in calce Tom. 3. oper Dan. Sennerâ—i de foemina â—ascinata in cujis cuâ—e literae N. B. notae Crucis 〈◊〉 capite ad câ—lcem cum Astronomicorum Chymicorum caracteribus Rosae figura in dextra trisolii in sinistrâ artiâ—icioâ—è picta cum Anuo Christi 1635. cor Servatoris telis transfixum imago stulti cum verbo Germanico Naâ—r procumbebant Dr. More Mr. Baxter ut supra Dan. Sennertus Tom. 3. Lib. 6. Pars 9. Varias historias enumerat de morbis incantatione inductis Ex Jo. Langâ—o Alex. Benedicâ—o Cornel. Gemma Foresto aliis Helmont Magne◠〈…〉 §. 87. Dr. More Death consists not so much in an actual separation of Soul and Body as in the indisposition and unfitness of the Body for vital union What is the meaning else of that Expression Whether in the Body or out of the Body I cannot tell except the Soul may be separated from the Body without death J. Glanvil Witchcraft p. 15. 18. Helmont ubi suprà Aricenna vid. Barthol Sybilla Perig. quaest p. 401. Nescio quis teneros oculos c. Glanvil Witchcraft p. 24. Helmont ut supra §. 101. Satan Itaque vim magicam hanc eâ—cit it secus dormientem scientia exterioris hominis impeditam in â—uis mancipiis Glav Wit p. 18. 2. Wonders Q. A. 1. Polanus 1632. Tho. Cont. Gent. lib. 3. c. 101. cited by Sclater on 2 Thess 2. 9. Mira non Miracula Sâ—later in loc Magia Naturalis l. 2. c. 17. Calvin in loc Civit. Dei l. 18. c. 18. De Civit. Dei lib. 21. c. 5 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plin. lib. 28. Vid. L. Vives Comment in lib. 21. c. 6. De Civit Dei Determinata activa ad determinata passiva applicando Tho. Cajatan Delrio Barth Sybilla Pereg. Quaest p. 372. Rivetus Apparitions Scot. Witchcraft l. 7. c. 12. Vid. Poolâ— Synops in lâ—â— Possessions Vid. Clark 's Lives Esther 5. 13. De Civit. Dei 〈◊〉 18. c. 52. 1 Kings 18. Tertul. Aolog cap. 9. Purchas Pilgrim Part. 1. l. 8. c. 10. Idem Part. 1. lib. 5. cap. 11. It higenia sacrificata de