nourishment will become strengthning to us if he shall give out his command Christ then applying this in this Sense did as it were thus say to Satan Though I want ordinary means of Life which is Bread yet I know God can make any thing which he pleaseth to nourish me instead of it So that I will not cast off a dependance upon the Providence of God in this strait and without warrant run to an extraordinary course for supply Hence it is evident that to bring about his main End which was to Distrust of his Relation to God he used this means that by reason of his strait in the failure of ordinary supply he should distrust Providence and without warrant provide for himself Observe That where Satan carries on a main Design and End he bestows most of his pains and skill in rendring the Means to that End plausible and taking The End is least in mention and the Means in their fit contrivance takes up most of his Art and Care The Reasons whereof are these First The End is apparently bad so that it would be a contradiction to his design to mention it 't is the snare and trap it self which his Wisdom and Policy directs him to cover His ultimate End is the destruction of the Soul this he dare not openly avouch to the vilest of Men he doth not say to them destroy your Souls bring eternal miseries upon your selves but only tempts them to that which will bring this misery upon them and as for those intermediate ends which are the formal acts of Sin he useth also a kind of modesty in their concealment he doth not usually say go and Murther or commit Adultery But rather puts them upon ways or means that will bring them up to those Iniquities except that he sometime have to deal with those that are so hardned in Sin that they make a sport to do wickedly and then he can more freely discover his Ends to such in the Temptation Secondly The Means to such wicked Ends have not only an Innate and Natural tendency in themselves which are apt to Sway and Byas Men that way but are also capable of Artificial Improvement to a further inticement to the evils secretly intended and these require the Art and Skill for the exact suiting and fitting of them The End cannot be reached without the Means and Means so ordered without the aid of Grace will scarce miss of the End Thirdly The Means are capable of a Varnish and Paint he can make a shift to set them off and Colour them over that the proper drift of them cannot easily be discovered whereas the Ends to which these lead cannot receive at least so easily with some such fair shews 'T is far easier to set off Company-keeping with the pleasurable pretences of Necessity or refreshing divertisement than to propound direct Drunkenness the thing to which Company-keeping tends under such a dress If it be demanded How and by what Arts he renders the Means so plausible I shall endeavour a satisfaction to that Quere by shewing the way that Satan took to render the Means he made use of in this Temptation plausible to Christ which were these First He represents it as a harmless or lawful thing in it self Who can say it had been sinful for the Son of God to have turned Stones into Bread more than to turn Water into Wine Secondly He gives the Motion a further pretext of advantage or goodness he insinuated that it might be an useful discovery of his Sonship and a profitable supply against hunger Thirdly He seems also to put a Necessity upon it that other ways of help failing he must be constrained so to do or to suffer further want Fourthly He forgets not to tell him that to do this was but suitable to his Condition and that it was a thing well becoming the Son of God to do a Miracle Fifthly He doth urge it at the rate of a Duty and that being in hunger and want it would be a sinful neglect not to do what he could and might for his preservation The same way doth he take in other Temptations in some cases pleading all in some most of these things by which the means conducing thereunto may seem plausible If he presents to Men occasions of sinning he will tell them ordinarily that they may lawfully adventure upon them that they are harmless nay of advantage as tending to the recreating of the Spirits and health of the Body yea that 't is necessary for them to take such a liberty and that in doing so they do but what others do that profess Religion And often he hath such advantage from the Circumstances of the thing and the Inclination of our heart that he makes bold to tell us 'T is no less then Duty such did the outrage of Demetrius seem to him when he considered how much his livelyhood did depend upon the Diana of the Ephesians Paul's Zeal made him confident that persecution of Christians was his Duty neither is there any thing which can pretend to any Zeal Advantage or colourable Ground but presently it takes the denomination of Duty If any wonder that such poor and shallow pretences are not seen through by all Men they may know that this happens from a fourfold Ignorance First from an Ignorance of the thing it self how easily may they be Imposed upon who know not the nature or the usual Issues of things as Children are deluded to put a value upon an useless or hurtful trifle so are Men deceived and easily imposed upon in what they do not understand And for this cause are Sinners compared to Birds who are easily inticed with the Bait proposed to their view as profitable and good for them because they know not the Snare that lyes hid under it this Ignorance causing the mistake mentioned is not only a Simple Ignorance but also that Ignorance which owes its rise to a wilful and perverse disposition for there are some that are willingly Ignorant doth often lay those open to a delusion who through prepossession or idleness will not be at pains to make full Inquiries Secondly This also comes to pass from an Ignorance of our Spirits for while we either engage in the things proposed by Satan upon the general warranty of a good Intention or that we have no evil meaning in it we are kept from a discovery of the intended design Hence Paul saw nothing in his persecuting the Church of God of what Satan aimed at or while upon the pretence of a good Intention our secret corrupt Principles do indeed move us underhand to any undertaking we are as little apt to see the Ends of Satan in what he propounds to us Jehu and the Disciples pretending a Zeal for God but really carried on by their own furious tempers did as little as others see what the Devil was doing with them Thirdly The means of a Temptation are rendred less suspitious from an Ignorance of
Spirit carryes more in it than either Doctrine or Doctor for to call either the one or the other a Spirit would be intollerably harsh if it were not for this that that Doctor is hereby supposed to pretend an infallability from the Spirit of God or which is all one that he received his Doctrine by some immediate Revelation of the Spirit so that by seducing Spirits must be Men or Doctrines that seduce others to believe them by the pretence of the Spirit or Inspiration and that text of 1 Joh. 4. 1. doth thus explain it believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they are of God which is as much as if he had said believe not every Man or Doctrine that shall pretend he is sent of God and hath his Spirit and the reason there given makes it yet more plain because many false Prophets are gone out into the World So that these Spirits are false Prophets Men that pretend inspiration And the warning believe not every Spirit tell us that Satan doth with such a dexterity counterfeit the Spirits Inspirations that holy and good Men are in no small hazard to be deceived thereby Most full to this purpose is that of 2 Thess 2. 2. That ye be not soon shaken in Mind or be troubled neither by Spirit nor by Word nor by Letter as from us as that the day of Christ is at hand where the several means of seduction are particularly reckoned as distinct from the Doctrine and Doctors and by Spirit can be meant no other than a pretence of Inspiration or Revelation 'T is evident then that Satan by this Artifice useth to put a stamp of divine Warrant upon his adulterate Coyn and if we look into his practice we shall in all ages find him at this work Among Heathens he frequently gained a repute to his superstitious Idolatrous worship by this device The Men of greatest note among them feigned a spiritual commerce with the Gods Empedocles endeavoured to make the people believe that there was a kind of Divinity in him and affecting to be esteemed more than a Man cast himself into the burnings of Mongebel that they might suppose him to have been taken up to the Gods Pythagoras his Fiction of a Journey to Hell was upon the same account Philostratus and Cedrenus report no less of Apollonius than that he had familiar converses with their supposed Dieties and the like did they believe of their Magi and Priests insomuch that some cunning Politicians observing how the vulgar were under a deep reverence to such pretences gave it out that they had received their Laws by divine Inspirations Numa Pompilius feigned he received his Institutions from the Nymph Aegeria Lycurgus from Apollo Minos the Law-giver of Candy baosted that Jupiter was his Familiar Mahomet also speaks as high this way as any his Alcoran must be no less than a Law received from God and to that end he pretends a strange Journey to Heaven and frequent converse with the Angel Gabriel If we trace Satan in the Errours which he hath raised up under the profession of the Scriptures we may observe the same method the Valentinians Gnosticks Montanists talked as confidently of the Spirit as Moses or the Prophets could do and a great deal more for some of them blasphemously called themselves the Paraclete or Comforter Among the Monsters which later Ages produced we still find the same strain one saith he is Enoch another stiles himself the great Prophet another hath raptures and all immediately inspired The Papists have as much of this cheat among them as any other and some of their learned Defenders avouch their Lumen Propheticum and Miraculorum Gloria Prophesies and Miracles to be the two eyes or the Sun and Moon of their Church nay by a strange transportment of Folly to the forfeiture of the reputation of Learning and Reason they have so multiplied Revelations that we have whole Volumns of them as the Revelations of their Saint Brigit and others and by wonderful credulity they have not only advanced apparent dreams and dotages to the honour of Inspirations or Visions but upon this sandy Foundation they have built a great many of their Doctrines as Purgatory Transubstantiation auricular Confession c. By such warrants have they instituted Festivals and founded several Orders the particulars of these things you may see more at large in Dr. Stillingfleet and others And that there might be nothing wanting that might make them shamelesly impudent they are not content to equal their Fooleries with the Scriptures of God as that the rule of their St. Francis for I shall only instance in him omitting others for brevity sake was not composed by the Wisdom of Man but by God himself and inspired by the Holy Ghost but they advance their Prophets above the Apostles and above Christ himself Their St. Benedict if you will believe them was rapt up to the third Heavens where he saw God Face to Face and heard the choire of Angels and their St. Francis was a none-such for Miracles and Revelations Neither may we wonder that Satan should be forward in urging this cheat when we consider First What a reverence Men naturally carry to Revelations and how apt they are to be surprised with an hasty credulity An old Prophecy pretended to be found in a Wall or taken out of an old Manuscript of I know now what uncertain Author is usually more doted on than the plain and infallible rules of Scripture this we may observe daily and Forreiners do much blame the English for a facile belief of such things but it is a general fault of mankind and we find even wise Men forward in their perswasions upon meaner grounds than those that gain credit to old Prophecies For their antiquity and strangeness of discovery especially at such times wherein the present posture of Affairs seem to favour such predictions with a probadility of such events are more likely to get credit than these artificial imitations of the Ways and Garbs of the old Prophets and the cunning Legerdemain of those that pretend to Inspirations by seeming Extasies Raptures and confident Declarations c. nevertheless arrant Cheats have by these ways deceived no mean Men. Alvarus acknowledgeth that he honoured a Woman as a Saint that had Visions and Raptures as if really inspired and the same apprehensions had the Bishop and Fryars who was afterward discovered to be a naughty Woman who shall then think it strange that the unobservant Multitude should be deluded by such an Art Secondly Especially if we consider that God himself took this course to signify his mind to Men his Prophets were divinely inspired and the Scriptures were not of any private interpretation the words that the Pen Men of Scriptures wrote were not the interpretations of their own private thoughts for the Prophecy came not in old time by the will of Man but holy Men of God spake as they were moved by the
of advice from this consideration in reference to both Cases 1. If God is about to employ us in any Service 1. We have little need to be confident of our abilities or performance when we know that Temptations wait for us 2. We must not only be sensible of our weakness that we be not confident but we must be apprehensive of the Strength and Power of God to carry us through that we be not discouraged 3. We must see our Opposition that we may be watchful and yet must we refuse to give it the least place of consideration in our debates of Duty lest it sway us against Duty or dishearten us in it 2. If God be pleased to Honour us with peculiar Favours Then 1. Though we must improve them to the full yet must we not feed on them without fear 2. We must not stay in the Enjoyment or play with the Token but look to the tendency of such Favours and improve them to duty as to their proper end CHAP. II. The second Circumstance Christs being led by the Spirit What hand the Spirit of God hath in Temptations And of running into Temptation when not led into it THe second Circumstance acquaints how Christ was carcarried to the Combate In Solemn Combates and Duels the Persons undertaking the Fight were usually carried to the place with great Solemnity and Ceremony Christ in this Spiritual Battel is described as having the conduct of the Spirit He was led up of the Spirit c. What this Spirit was is though by a needless and over-officious diligence questioned by some but we need not stay much upon it if we consider the phrase of the Evangelists who mention Spirit without any Note of Distinction which of necessity must have been added if it had intended either his proper Spirit as Man or the wicked Spirit Satan directing thereby to understand it of him to whom the word Spirit is more peculiarly attributed viz. the Holy Ghost Or if we observe the close connexion in Luke betwixt that Expression of Christ's being full of the Holy Ghost and his being led by the Spirit it will be out of controversy that the Holy Spirit is here intended Hence was it that Beza translates it more fully Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost was led eodem Spiritu of the same Spirit and the Syriack in Matthew doubts not to express it by the Holy Spirit And what else can be imagined When in this Text the Spirit that led him up and the Devil that tempted are mentioned in so direct an opposition He was led of the Spirit into the Wilderness to be tempted of the Devil The manner of his being carried thither is expressed by such words as signify though not an External rapture like that of Philip a strong inward Motion and Impulse upon him The Spirit driveth him saith Mark. The Spirit led him saith Luke using the same word by which the Scripture elsewhere expresseth the Power of the Spirit upon the Children of God who are said to be led by him Hence note That the Spirit of God hath a hand in Temptations Christ was led by the Spirit to be tempted This must not be understood as if God did properly tempt any to sin either by inticing their hearts to evil or by moving and suggesting wicked things to their minds or by infusing evil Inclinations or by any proper compliance with Satan to undermine and delude us by any treachery or deceit none of these can be imagined without apparent derogation to the holiness of God who tempteth no man neither can he be tempted with evil But what we are to understand by the Holy Spirit 's concerning himself in temptations is included in these particulars First God gives Commission to Satan without which his hand would be sealed up under an impossibility of reaching it out against any Secondly Opportunities and occasions do depend upon his Providence without which nothing comes to pass Neither we nor any thing else do or can move without him Thirdly The Spirit oversees the Temptation as to Measure and Continuance The length and breadth of it is ordered by him Fourthly The issue and consequences of every Temptation are at his appointment The ways of its working for our Exercise Humiliation or Conviction or for any other good and advantage whatsoever they all belong to his determination So that it is not improper to assert that God and Satan do concur in the same temptation though the ways of proceeding with the aims and intentions of both be directly different and contrary Hence is it that the Temptation of David 1 Sam. 24. 1. and 1 Chron. 21. 1. are upon several regards attributed both to God and Satan This note is of use to remove those harsh Interpretations which poor tempted Christians meet withal commonly from such as have not touched their burdens with the least of their Fingers Men are apt in these cases to judg First The Ways of Religion as being ways at least in the more serious and rigid practice of them of intolerable hazard and perplexity and only upon an Observation That those who most addict themselves to a true and strict observance of Duty and Command usually complain of Temptations and express sometimes their fears and distress of heart about them This is your Reading your Praying and Hearing Such Preaching say they leads men to dispair and perpetual disquiet And upon the whole they conclude it dangerous to be religious above the common rate of those that prosecute it in a slow and careless indifferency Secondly The like Severity of Censure do they use in reference to the Spiritual State of the tempted as if they were Vessels of his hatred and such as were by him given up to the power of this Wild Boar of the Forrest to devour and tear All kind of distresses are obnoxious to the worst of misjudgings from malevolent minds The Sufferings of Christ produced this censorious Scoff Let God deliver him if he will have him Davids troubles easily induced his Adversaries to conclude that God had forsaken him and that there was none to deliver him But in troubles of this nature where especially there are frightful complaining against themselves men are more easily drawn out to be peremptory in their uncharitable determinations concerning them Because the trouble it self is somewhat rare and apt to beget hideous Impressions and withall the vent which the afflicted parties give by their bemoaning of their Estate in hope to ease themselves thereby is but taken as a Testimony against themselves and the undoubted Ecchoes of their real feelings Thirdly Their Sins are upon this Ground misjudged and heightned Vnusual Troubles with common Apprehâ—nsion argue unusual Sins The Viper upon Paul's hand made the Barbarians confident he was a Man of more than ordinary Guilt and Wickedness David's Sickness was enough to give his Enemies occasion to surmise that it was the punishment of some great Transgression An evil disease
but straight takes another course such is his Diligence that we may say of him as it was said of Paul upon a better ground he will become all things to all Men that he may gain some Fifthly Diligence will most shew it self when things are at the greatest hazard or when the hopes of success are ready to bring forth In this point of diligence our Adversary is not wanting if Men are upon the point of Errour or Sin how industriously doth he labour to bring them wholly over and to settle them in Evil one would think at such times he laid aside all other business and only attended this How frequent incessant and earnest are his Perswasions and Arguings with such the like diligence he sheweth in obstructing disturbing and discouraging us when we are upon our greatest Services or near our greatest Mercies what part of the day are we more wandring and vain in our thoughts if we take not great care than when we set about Prayer at other times we find some more ease and freedom in our Imaginations as if we could better rule or command them but then as if our thoughts were only confusion and disorder we are not able to master them and to keep the door of the heart so close but that these troublesome unwelcome guests will be crouding in is impossible Let us observe it seriously and we shall find that our thoughts are not the same and after the same manner impetuous at other times as they are when we set about holy things which ariseth not only from the quickness of our Spiritual Sense in our readier observation of them at that time but also from the Devils busie Molestation and special diligence against us on such occasions Besides when he foresees our Advantages or Mercies he bestirs himself to prevent or hinder us of them if Ministers set themselves to study and preach Truths that are more piercing weighty or necessary they may observe more molestations interruptions or discouragements of all sorts than when they less concern themselves with the business of the souls of Men. He foresees what Sermons are provided and often doth he upon such foresight endeavour to turn off those from hearing that have most need and are most likely to receive benefit by them Many have noted it that those Sermons and Occasions that have done them most good when they came to them they have been some way or other most disswaded from and resolved against before they came and then when they have broken through their strongest hindrances they have found that all their obstruction was Satans diligent foresight to hinder them of such a Blessing as they have beyond hope met withal The like might be observed of the constant returns of the Lords day if Men watch not against it they may meet with more than ordinary either Avocations to prevent and hinder them or Disturbances to annoy and trouble or bodily Indispositions to incapacitate and unfit them And 't is not to be contemned that some have observed themselves more apt to be Drousie Dull or Sleepy on that day Others have noted greater bodily Indispositions then ordinarily than at other times all which make no unlikely conjecture of the Devils special diligence against us on such occasions Let 's cast in another instance to these and that is Of those that are upon the point of Conversion ready to forsake Sin for Christ Oh! what pains then doth the Devil take to keep them back He visits them every Moment with one hindrance or other sometimes they are tempted to former Pleasures sometime affrighted with present Fears and future Disappointments sometimes discouraged with Reproaches Scorns and Afflictions that may attend their alteration otherwile obstructed by the perswasion or threatning of Friends and old Acquaintances but this they are sure of that they have never more Temptations and those more sensibly troubling than at that time a clear evidence that Satan is as Diligent as Malicious I should now go on to display the Subtilty of this Powerful Malicious Cruel and diligent Adversary There is but one thing in the way which hitherto I have taken for granted and that is Whether indeed there be any such things as Devils and wicked Spirits or that these are but Theological Engines contrived by Persons that carry a good will to Morality and the publick Peace to keep Men under an awful fear of such Miscarriages as may render them otherwise a Shame to themselves and a Trouble to others It must be acknowledged a transgression of the rules of Method to offer a proof of that now which if at all ought to have been proved in the beginning of the Discourse And indeed the question at this length whether there be a Devil hath such affinity with that other though for the matter they are as different as Heaven and Hell whether there be a God that as it well deserves a confirmation for the use that may be made of it to evidence that there is a God because we feel there is a Devil so would it require a serious endeavour to perform it substantially But it would be not only a needless labour to levy an Army against professed Atheists who with high scorn and derision roundly deny both God and Devils seeing others have frequently done that but also it would occasion too large a digression from our present design I shall therefore only speak a few things to those that own a God and yet deny such a Devil as we have described and yet not to all of these neither for there were many Heathens who were confident Assertors of a Deity that nevertheless denied the Being of Spirits as severed from Corporeity and others were so far from the acknowledgment of Devils that they confounded them in the number of their Gods others there were who gave such credit to the frequent relations of Apparitions and disturbances of that kind that many had attested and complained of that they expressed more Ingenuity than Lucian who pertinaciously refused to believe because he never saw them and yet though they believed something of reality in that that was the affrightment and trouble of others they nevertheless ascribed such extraordinary things to Natural Causes Some to the powers of the Heavens and Stars in their Influences upon Natural Bodies or by the mediation of certain Herbs Stones Minerals Creatures Voices and Characters under a special observation of the motion of the Planets Some refer such things to the subtilty and quickness of the Senses of hearing and seeing which might create Forms and Images of things or discover I know not what Reflections from the Sun and Moon Some fancy the Shapes and Visions to be exuviae thin Scales or Skins of Natural things giving representations of the Bodies that cast them off or Exhalations from Sepulchres representing the shape of the Body Others make them the Effects of our untrusty and deceitful Senses the debility and corruption
The Light of their own Experience of the vileness and odiousness of Sin they know what an evil and bitter thing it is 2. They have a more full discovery of God which will make them abhor themselves in dust and ashes 3. They have the advantage of a new Heart the Law of the Spirit of Life making them free from the Law of Sin and Death 4. They have also the help and assistance of the Spirit in its Motions Suggestions and Teachings 5. They fortifie themselves with the strongest Resolutions not to give way to Sin Notwithstanding all these 'T is too true that both Regenerate and Unregenerate Men do sin The reason whereof cannot be given from any other account than what we have asserted to wit they are some way or other deluded or deceived some Curtain is drawn 'twixt them and the Light some Fallacy or other is put upon the Understanding some way or other the Will is bribed or byassed there is treachery in the case for 't is unimaginable that a Man in any act of Sin should offer a plain open and direct violence to his own Nature and Faculties so that the whole business is here Evil is presented under the notion of God and to make this out some considerations of pleasure or profit do bribe the Will and give false light to the Understanding Hence is it that in every act of Sin Men by complyance with Satan are said to deceive or to put tricks and fallacies upon themselves Fifthly All kinds of Subtilty are in Scripture directly charged upon Satan and in the highest degrees Sometime under the notion of Logical fallacies those sleights which Disputants in arguing put upon their Antagonists Of this import is that expression 2 Cor. 2. 11. We are not ignorant of his Devices where the word in the Original is borrowed from the Sophistical reasonings of Disputants Sometime 't is expressed in the similitude of Political deceits as the Scripture gives him the title of a Prince so doth it mark out his Policies in the management of his Kingdom Rev. 12. 7. expressly calling them Deceits and comparing him to a Dragon or Serpent for his subtilty Sometime he is represented as a Warriour Rev. 12. 17. The Dragon was wroth and went to make War c. and here are his Warlike Stratagems pointed at Mention is made 2 Tim. 2. 26. of his Snares and the taking of Men alive or Captive directly alluding to Warlike proceedings The subtile proceedings of Arts and Craft are charged on him and his Instruments Men are said to be enticed Jam. 1. as Fish or Fowl by a Bait Others deluded as by Cheaters in false Gaming Eph. 4. 14. By the sleight of Men and the cunning craft of those that ly in wait to deceive The over-reaching of Merchants or crafty Tradesmen is alluded to in 2 Cor. 2. 11. All these sleights are in Satan in their highest perfection and accomplishment He can transform himself into an Angel of Light 2 Cor. 11. 14. where he hath an occasion for it In a word all deceiveableness of unrighteousness is in him 2 Thess 2. 10. So that a general 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a dexterity and ability for all kind of subtile Contrivances is ascribed to him 2 Cor. 11. 3. and that in his very first essay upon Eve when the Serpent deceived her thorow subtilty so that whatsoever Malice can suggest or Wit and Art contrive for Delusion or whatsoever Diligence can practise or Cruelty execute all that must be imagined to be in Satan Sixthly All this might be futher proved by Instances What Temptation can be named wherein Satan hath not acted as a Serpent who can imagine the cunning that Satan used with David in the matter of Vriah How easily he got him to the roof of the house in order to the Object to be presented to him How he directs his Eye wrought upon his Passions suggested the Thought contrived the Conveniencies What Art must there be to bring a darkness into David's mind a forgetfulness of God's Law a fearlesness of his displeasure and a neglect of his own danger surely it was no small matter that could blind David's Eye or besot his Heart to so great a Wickedness But above all Instances let us take into consideration that of Eve in the first transgression wherein many things may be observed as first That he chose the Serpent for his Instrument wherein though we are ignorant of the depth of his design yet that he had a design in it of subtilty in reference to what he was about to suggest is plain from the Text Now the Serpent was more subtile then any Beast of the field it had been needless and impertinent to have noted the Serpents subtilty as Satans Agent if he had not chosen it upon that score as advantageous for his purpose 2. He set upon the weaker Vessel the Woman and yet such as once gained he knew was likely enough to prevail with the Man which fell out accordingly 3. Some think he took the advantage of her Husbands absence which is probable if we consider that 't is unlikely that Adam should not interpose in the discourse if he had been present 4. He took the advantage of the Object It appears she was within sight of the Tree She saw that it was good for food and pleasant to the Eyes thus he made the Object plead for him 5. He falls not directly upon what he intended lest that should have scared her off but fetcheth a compass and enters upon the business by an enquiry of the affairs as if he intended not hurt 6. He so enquires of the matter Hath God said ye shall not eat of every tree of the Garden as if he made a question of the reality of the Command and his words were so ordered that they might cast some doubt hereof into her mind 7. He under a pretence of asserting God's Liberality secretly undermines the threatning as if he had said Is it possible that so bountiful a Creator should deny the liberty of eating of any tree to what purpose was it made if it might not be tasted 8. When he finds that by these Arts he had gained a little ground and brought her to some kind of questioning of the reality of the threatning for she seems to extenuate it in saying lest we die he grows more bold to speak out his mind and plainly to annihilate the threatning Ye shall not die this he durst not do till he had gained in her mind a wavering suspition that possibly God was not in good earnest in that prohibition 9. Then he begins to urge the conveniency and excellency of the Fruit by equivocating upon the name of the Tree which he tells her could make them knowing as Gods 10. He reflects upon God as prohibiting this out of envy and ill-will to them 11. In all this there is not a word of the danger but impunity and advantage promised 12.
ye believe which receive honour one of another their lusts of Honour stood in their Light and perverted their Reason But because this may seem to some almost impossible that Lusts should turn our Sun into darkness I shall a little explain it The Understanding doth usually if practice of Sin have not put out its light at the first faithfully represent to our Mind the nature of Good and Evil in matters of Temptation and Duty yet its power in this case is only directive and suasive to the Will not absolutely imparative the Will must follow the Understandings dictate but is not under any necessity of following its first advice 't is the ultimum dictamen the last dictate that it is engaged to follow However the Will in the case last mentioned be dependant upon the Understanding yet the Vnderstanding doth also quoad exercitium depend upon the Will and as to the act of consideration is under its command so that after the Understanding hath faithfully represented the evil of a Sin the Will can command it to another consideration and force it to new thoughts and consultations about it in which case the Will doth prompt the Understanding tells it what verdict it would have it to bring in and so doth really sollicite and beg for a complyance The Understanding is ductile and capable of being brib'd and therefore suffers its right Eye to be put out by the Will and as a false Witness or a partial Judge gives sentence as the Will would have it and thus as one observes the Understanding and Will are like Simeon and Levi Brethren in evil mutually complying with and gratifying each other The possibility of Lusts perverting our Understanding being discovered the way and manner how Lust doth thus corrupt it is needful to be opened Lust exerciseth this power under the management of Satan directly and indirectly First Our Reason is directly perverted when it is so far wrought upon as to call that Good which is indeed plainly and apparently Evil. So great a corruption is not common and ordinary neither can the heart of Man be easily drawn to go so paipably against clear light and evidence 'T is therefore only in some Cases and in some Persons either of weaker Faculties or of extraordinarily debauched Principles that Satan can work up Lust to give so great a darkness However 't is evident that Satan useth these deceits in this thing First He strives where the matter will bear it to put the name of Vertue or Good upon Actions and things that are not so This Temptation doth most appear in those things that are of a doubtful and disputable nature or in those Actions which in their appearance or pretensions may seem to be vertuous Whatever Sin is capable of any Paint or Varnish that he takes the advantage of Saul's Sacrificing was a great iniquity and yet the pretence of the general Goodness of the action being in it self commanded and the supposed Necessity of Saul's doing it because Samuel came not were considerations upon which his Understanding warranted to him that undertaking Paul's Persecution though a real gratification of his envious lustings by his blinded Understanding was judged duty What more common than for Worldly-mindedness and Covetousness to be called a faithful and dutiful care for the provision of our Families Lukewarmness is often justified under the notion of Moderation and Prudence and any thing that can but pretend any kindred to or resemblance of Good our Lusts presently prevail for an approbation and vindication of it Secondly Satan useth the advantage of Extreams for the corrupting of our Understandings To this purpose he doth all he can to make such an Extream odious and displeasing that so we may run upon the contrary as matter of duty Many there are whose heads are so weak that if they see the danger of one Extream they never think themselves in safety till they fly to a contrary Excess and then they think the Extream they embrace needs no other justification than the apparent Evil of what they have avoided Satan knowing this like the Lapwing makes the greatest noise when he is furthest from his Nest and in much seeming earnestness tempts us to something that is most cross to our Temper or present Inclination or endeavours to render something so to us not with any hopes to prevail with us there but to make us run as far from it as we can into another Snare and also to make us believe that we have done well and avoided a Temptation when indeed we have but exchanged it Thirdly He directly blinds our Understandings in sinful Practices by engaging us to corrupt Opinions which lead to wicked or careless Courses Satan with great ease can put Men upon Sin when once he hath prevailed with them to receive an error which directly leads to it Corrupt Principles do naturally corrupt Practices and both these may be observed to meet in those deluded ones whom the Scripture mentions that denyed the only Lord God and Jesus Christ turning also the grace of God into lasciviousness false-Teachers that brought in damnable Heresies counted it pleasure to riot had eyes full of Adultery and could not cease from Sin With what confidence and security will Sin be practised when an Opinion signs a Warrant and pleads a Justification for it Fourthly In Actions whose goodness or badness is principally discoverable by the ends upon which they are undertaken 't is no great difficulty for Satan to impose upon Men a Belief that they act by ends and respects which do not indeed move them at all and in this case Men are so blinded that they do not or will not know or acknowledge they do evil the matter of the Action being warrantable and the end being out of the reach of common discovery they readily believe the best of themselves and looking more at the warrantableness of the nature of the act in the general than at their grounds and intentions they think not that they do evil This was a fault which Christ observed in the Disciples when they called for fire from Heaven upon the Samaritans the thing it self Elias had done before and Christ might have done it then but they wanted the spirit of Elias and therefore Christ rejects their motion as unlawful in them who considered not that a Spirit of Passion and Revenge did altogether influence them and instead of shewing a just displeasure against the Samaritans he shews that Satan had blinded them by their Lust and that the thing they urged was so far from being good that it was apparently evil in that they were acted by another Spirit than they imagin'd This way of deceit is very common How often may we observe Christians pretending conscientious dissatisfactions about the actions of others when the private spring that animates them is some secret grudge that lyes at the bottom and yet because the thing wherein they are dissatisfied may truly deserve blame
careful to keep Jeroboam quiet in his sinful course of Idolatry that he stirs up Amaziah to banish Amos from the Court lest his plain dealing should startle or awaken the Conscience of the King Amos 7. 12 13. Go flee thee away into the land of Judah c. but Prophesie not any more at Bethel for it is the Kings Chappel it is the Kings Court. Thirdly In order to the keeping out the Light from the consciences of Men he insinuates himself as a lying Spirit into the mouthes of some of his mercenaries and they speak smooth things and deceit to Satan's Captives telling them that they are in a good condition Christians good enough and may go to Heaven as well as the precisest 't is a fault in unfaithful Ministers they do the Devil this service God highly complains of it Jer. 6. 14. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly saying Peace peace when there is no peace Ezek. 13. 10. They have seduced my people saying Peace and there was no peace and one built up a Wall and others daubed it with untempered morter Besides this Stratagem is the more likely to prevail because it takes the advantage of the humours and inclinations of Men who naturally think the best of themselves and delight that others should speak what they would have them so that when Men by the Devil's instigation prophesie deceit to sinful Men 't is most likely they should be heard seeing they desire such Prophets and love to have it so Fourthly Satan keeps off the Light by catching away the Word after it is sown This policy of his Christ expresly discovers Math. 13. 19. When anyone heareth the Word of the Kingdom and understandeth it not then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart such opportunities the Devil doth narrowly watch to be sure he will be present at a Sermon or good discourse and if he perceive any thing spoken that may endanger his peaceable Possession how busie is he to withdraw the heart sometime by the sight of the Eyes sometimes by vain thoughts of business occasions delights and what not and if this come not up to his end then he endeavours after Men have heard to justle all out by impertinent Discourses urgencies of Imployment and a thousand such divertisements that so Men may not lay the warning to heart nor by serious meditation to apply it to their Consciences Fifthly He sometimes snuffs out the Light by Persecution Those hearers Mat. 13. 20 21. that had received the Word with some workings of affections and joy are presently offended when Persecution because of the Word ariseth By this he threatens Men into an acquiescency in their present condition that if they depart from iniquity they shall make themselves a prey Bonds Imprisonments and Hatreds he suggests shall abide them and by this means he scares Men from the Light Sixthly He sometimes smothers and choaks it with the Cares of the World As those that received Seed among Thornes by earnest engagements in business all that time strength and affection which should have been laid out in the prosecution of Heavenly things are wholly taken up and spent on outward things by this means that Light that shines into the hearts of Men is neglected and put by Seventhly He staves off Men from coming to the Light by putting them upon misapprehensions of their Estate in judging themselves by the common opinion Satan hath so far prevailed with Men that they are become confident of this conceit That Men may take a moderate liberty in Sinning and yet nevertheless be in a good condition that Sin is not so great a matter in God's esteem as in the judgment of some rigorous precisian that he will not be so extream to mark what we do amiss as some strict Professours are What can be of greater hindrance to that ingenuous search strict examination and impartial judging or shaming our selves for our iniquities which the Light of Scripture would engage us unto than such a conceit as this and yet that this opinion is not only common but ancient is manifest by those warnings and cautions given by the Apostle to the contrary Gal. 6. 7. Be not deceived God is not mocked whatsoever a Man soweth that shall he also reap Eph. 5. 6. Let no man deceive you with vain words for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience If it had not been usual for Men to live in Uncleanness Covetousness and such like offences which he calls sowing to the flesh and yet in the midst of these to think they were not under the hazard of Wrath or if Men had not professedly and avowedly maintained such an opinion it had been superfluous for the Apostle to have warned us with so much earnestness Be not deceived let no man deceive you with such vain words Eighthly 'T is usual for Satan to still and quiet the stirring thoughts of Sinners with hopes and assurances of secresie As children are quieted and pleased with toyes and rattles so are Sinners put off and diverted from prosecuting the discoveries that the Light would make in them by this confidence that though they have done amiss yet their miscarriages shall not be laid open or manifested before Men. 'T is incredible how much the hopes of concealment doth satisfie and delight those that have some sense of Guilt Sometime Men are Impudent that they declare their Sin as Sodom they hide it not But before they arrive at so great an Impudency they usually seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord and their works are in the dark and they say who seeth us and who knoweth us Isa 29. 15. Like those foolish Creatures that think themselves sufficiently concealed by hiding their heads in a Bush though all their bodies be exposed to open view Isa 28. 15. Those that made lies their refuge and under falshood hid themselves became as confident of their security as if they had made a covenant with death and were at an agreement with hell and when they have continued in this course for some time with impunity the Light is so banished that they carry it so as if God observed their Actions done in the dark as little as Men do How doth God know say they can he judge through the dark clouds thick clouds are a covering to him that he seeth not and hence proceed they to promise themselves a safety from judgements When the overflowing scourge shall pass through it shall not come nigh unto us for we have made lies our refuge c. Ninthly Satan keeps them from going to the Light by demurrs and delays If the Light begin to break in upon their Consciences then he tells them that there is time enough afterward Oh saith he thou art young and hast many days before thee 't is time enough to repent when you begin to be old or thou art a Servant an
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
his Interest and upon design he will sometimes so carry himself that he may be deemed and supposed to be gone out of a Man As those that besiege Forts or walled Towns do sometimes raise the Siege and feign a departure intending thereby to take a sudden advantage of the carelesness of the besieged In the explanation of this Policy I shall 1. Shew how many ways he feigns a departure 2. Vpon what designs he doth it There are three ways whereby Satan seems to forsake his Interest First He frequently ceaseth the prosecution of a Design which yet he hath in his Eye and Desire when he perceives that there are some things in his way that render it not feasible nay he forbears to urge Men to their darling sins upon the same score and who would not think Satan cast out in such a case When a Man spits out the sweet Morsel which heretofore he kept under his Tongue and sucked a sweetness from it when Men of noted Iniquities abstain from them and become smooth and civil who would not think but that the unclean Spirit were gone This way and course he puts in practice in several cases First When he perceives some extraordinary occasion puts any of his Subjects into a good mood or humor of Religion Wicked Men are not ordinarily so highly bent upon evil ways but that they may be at sometimes softned and relaxed Pharaoh who is most eminently noted for a heart judicially hardned at the appearance of the Plagues upon himself and Egypt usually relented somewhat and would confess he had sinned and that fit would continue upon him for some little time But very frequently 't is thus with others an extraordinary occasion melts and thaws down the natural affections of Men as a warm day melts the Snow upon the Mountains and then the stream will for a time run high and strong at which time Satan sees 't is in vain to urge them Thus Men that receive an eminent kindness and deliverance from God what is more common than for such Men to say Oh! we will never be so wicked as we have been we will never be drunk more the World shall see us reformed and new Men These are indeed good words and yet though Satan knows that such expressions are not from a good heart as that of Deut. 5. 29. implyes They have well said O that there were such an heart in them he nevertheless thinks it not fit then to press them to their usual wickedness at that time for natural affections raised high in a profession of Religion will withstand Temptations for a fit and therefore he forbears till the stream run lower What a fit of affection had the Israelites when their Eyes had seen that miraculous deliverance at the Red Sea What Songs of rejoycing had they what resolves never to distrust him again Psal 106. 12. Then believed they his words they sang his praise Satan doth not presently urge them to murmuring and unbelief though that was his design but he stays till the fit was over and then he could soon tempt them to forget his works How like a Convert did Saul look after David had convinced him of his integrity and had spared his life in the Cave he weeps and acknowledgeth his iniquity justifies David owns his kindness and seems to acquiesce in his succession to the Kingdom The Devil had no question a great spite at David and 't was his great design to stir up Saul against him and yet at that time he could not prevail with him to destroy David though he might easily have done it he was then in a good mood and Satan was forced to give way to necessity and to seem to go out of Saul for the present Secondly He also ceaseth from his design when he sees he cannot fit his Temptation with a sutable opportunity What could be more the Devil's design and Esau's satisfaction than to have had Jacob slain Esau professeth it was the design of his heart and yet he resolves to forbear so long as his Father Isaac lived Gen. 27. 41. The days of my Father's mourning are at hand then but not till then will I slay my Brother Jacob. The Devil often sows his seed and yet waiteth and hath long patience not only in watering and fitting the hearts of Men for it but also in expectancy of fit opportunities and in the mean time he forbears to put Men upon that which time and occasion cannot fitly bring forth to practice The Prophet Hosea 7. 4. speaks of that People as notoriously wicked they are all adulterers but withall he observes that they forbare these enormous abominations for want of fit seasons their heart was as an Oven heated by the Baker sufficiently enflamed after their wickedness and yet the Baker after he had kneaded the dough prepared all the ground-work of the Temptation ceased from raising sleeping all the night till all was leavened that is though their hearts were enraged for Sin yet the Devil doth wait till occasions present themselves and becomes in the mean time like one asleep Now while the Devil thus sleeps the fire that is secretly in the heart being not seen Men gain the good opinion of Converts with others and often with themselves not knowing what Spirit they are of because Satan ceaseth upon the want of occasions to tempt and provoke them Thirdly Our Adversary is content to forbear when he percieves that a restraining grace doth lock up the hearts and hands of Men. When a stronger than he cometh who can expect less but that he should be more quiet that God doth restrain Men sometime when he doth not change them needs no proof that Satan knows of these restraints cannot be denyed who can give an account of these communings and discourses that are betwixt God and Satan concerning us his pleadings in reference to Job were as unknown to Job till God discovered them as his pleadings concerning our selves are to us Besides who can tell how much of God's restraining grace may ly in this of God's limiting and straitning Satan's Commission Now the Devil hath not so badly improved his observations but that he knows 't is in vain to tempt where God doth stop his way and tye up Mens hands Abimeleck was certainly resolved upon wickedness when he took Sarah from Abraham Gen. 20. 2. and yet the matter is so carried for some time how long we know not as if the Devil had been asleep or forgot to hasten Abimeleck to his intended wickedness for when God cautions him he had not come near her vers 4. the ground of all this was neither in the Devil's backwardness nor Abimeleck's modesty but Satan lets the matter rest because he knew that God withheld him and suffered him not to touch her Fourthly When Men are under the awe and fear of such as carry an Authority in their Countenances and Imployments for the discouraging of Sin Satan as hopeless to prevail doth not solicite to
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
in a just and even ballance toward all things propounded to its deliberation and assent though it were imperfect in its Light the danger were the less but now in regard of the bent and sway it is under 't is commonly partial and inclined to one side more than to another and yet the Matter were the less if only one or two noted things had the power of setting up a false-Light before the Mind but there are many things that are apt to do us this mischief which have the same Effect upon us that bribes have upon persons interested in Judgment which not only tempts them to do wrong but so blindes their eyes that they know not they do so or at least not in so great a measure The Mind is byassed First Naturally to Errour rather than Truths the corruption of our Nature is general and doth not only dispose the will and affections to practical iniquities but doth also incline the Vnderstanding to Errour and misapprehension And that seems to be the ground of Christs assertion against the Jews Jo. 5. 43. I am come in my Fathers Name and ye receive me not if another shall come in his own name him ye will receive Which implies That Men are Naturally more prone to believe an Imposter than one that speaks the most certain and profitable Verities and besides this general inclination to vanities and lyes there are if some think right some Errours that are formally engraven in the nature of faln Man as that Opinion To be saved by Works For not only do all Men that have any apprehensions of a future Eternal State resolve that question of obtaining Salvation into Works as the proper Cause and indeed no other could have been imagined if the Scripture had not revealed the Redemption by the Blood of Jesus But the Jews in Jo. 6. 28. When they propound that Question What shall we do that we might work the works of God take it for granted That Works of some kind or other are the causes of Happiness Possibly some impression of that Notion while it was a Truth as in the state of Innocency it was may yet remain upon our Natures though by the Fall the Case is altered with us Secondly The Mind is byassed by bodily temper and complectional inclination the varieties of Complections introduce varieties of Humours and Dispositions and the Understanding being necessitated to look through these as so many coloured glasses is apt to judge that is to mis-judge according to the mis-representation of Objects Thirdly Sometimes habitual acquirements have the same influence upon the Understanding that Natural humours have The Arts and Sciences we study our ways of Education and Imployment are but so many prejudicate praepossessions that do secretly taint the Mind Fourthly There are also accidental inclinations which though not customary have the force of a second Nature because their working is violent and impetuous and these which are from a wounded Conscience or excesses of Melancholy have a byass more than ordinary they lay violent Hands upon the Understanding and with a mighty Torrent run it down So that if an Errour be offered that is suitable to such fears or misapprehensions it can scarce miss of success The extraordinary turbulencies of some other Passions as Anger Love c. have the like Effect Fifthly Vitious Habits do so much byass the Mind that the Understanding must needs be defiled by them Nothing can more prepare the Mind to a wicked Errour than a wicked Life An Errour of Indulgence being so grateful to Corruption may readily find favour with the understandings of those that know not to do good because they have accustomed themselves to do evil Sixthly There are External things that have no less power on the Understanding than any of the fore-going and these are Custom Education and Interest these stick so close and work so subtily that though there are few that are not in disputable cases influenced by them yet none are able or willing to take notice how and by what steps they do engage them to pass Sentence against Truth And indeed that Man must have a singular measure of suspicious Watchfulness and clear Integrity that is not deceived by them And the best way to keep clear of the mischief that these may do us is to be severe in our suspitions on that side to which Custom and Interest have their tendencies Seventhly I might Note that there is something considerable to this purpose in the nature of Spirits Some Spirits are unfixed and volatile and these are soon altered by their own unsteadiness Others are tenacious and unflexible and if such be first set wrong 't is not an easie thing that will reduce them to Truth Others are soft and ductile perswaded by good words as soon as strong arguments And again some are of such a rough sowre contradictious temper that they will sooner chuse to run wrong than comply with the perswasions of those that offer Truth even for that reason because they are perswaded to it so that the Truth which if none had minded them they of themselves would have embraced they will now refuse when 't is pressed upon them out of a cross and thwarting humour because they hate nothing more than to do as they are bidden To come a little nearer Let us consider how these things shew their Power upon the Mind to sway and incline it 'T is indeed true That in things that are clearly and strongly propounded to the Understanding it cannot but judg according to the evidence of Truth and cannot be guided by the Will to judg contrary nay the Will though in things purely speculative it may retain its averseness as also in things Practical while they are considered only as what may be done before the Understanding hath come up to its final resolve determining that such things must or ought to be done cannot but follow the light and information of the Understanding and that according to the Proportion of its Conviction so that though in some Cases a Man would have things otherwise than he believes them to be yet he cannot believe what he will neither can he refuse to will what is certainly represented to be good and necessary Notwithstanding all this the fore-mentioned Particulars may so byass the Mind that it shall not act truly and steadily as we may see in these three Particulars First In things clearly demonstrated to the Understanding though the Will cannot directly oppose nor prevail to have them judged false yet it can indirectly hinder the procedure of the Understanding and divert it from fixing its consideration upon the Truth or from working it self into positive determinations for bringing it into Practice Thus many that cannot but believe there is a God and that his Law is true being byassed by their Lusts the power of Pleasures or Interest c. do prevail upon their understandings to take up other Objects of consideration so that they are
Errour it only now remains that something be spoken of his attempts against the Peace and Comfort of the Children of God That 't is also one of Satans chief designs to cheat us of our Spiritual Peace may be fully evinced by a consideration of his Malice the great concern of inward Comfort to us and the many Advantages which he hath against us by the disquiet of our Minds First whosoever shall seriously consider the Devil 's implacable Malice will easily believe that he so envies our Happiness that he will industriously rise up against all our Comforts 'T is his inward fret and indignation that Man hath any interest in that Happiness from which he irrecoverably fell and that the Spirit of God should produce in the hearts of his People any spiritual joy or satisfaction in the belief and expectation of that Felicity and therefore must it be expected that his Malice heightned by the torment of his own guilt which as some think are those Chains of darkness in which he is reserved at present to the judgment of the great day will not cannot leave this part of our Happiness unattempted He endeavours to supplant us of our Birth-right of our Blessing of our Salvation and the comfortable hopes thereof From his common imployment in this matter the Scripture hath given him names importing an opposition to Christ and his Spirit in the ways they take for our Comfort and Satisfaction Christ is our Advocate that pleads for us Satan is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Calumniator The Spirit interceds for us Satan is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Accuser of the Brethren who accuseth them before God night and day The Spirit is our Comforter Satan is our Disturber a Beelzebub who is ever raking in our Wounds as Flyes upon Sores The Apostle Paul had his Eye upon this when he was advising the Corinthians to receive again the penitent incestuous Person his caution was most serious 2 Cor. 2. 11. lest Satan get advantage of us lest he deceive and circumvent us for his expression relates to Men cunningly deceitful in Trade that do over-reach and defraud the unskilful and the reason of this caution was the known and commonly experienced subtilty of Satan for we are not ignorant of his devices implying that he will and frequently doth ly at catch to take all advantages again 〈◊〉 Some indeed restrain these advantages to Vers 10. as I ld 〈◊〉 only meant that Satan was designing to fix the Corinthians upon an Opinion that Backsliders into great Sins were not to be received again or that he laid in wait to raise a Schism in the Church upon the account of this Corinthian Others restrain this advantage which he waited for to Vers 7. where the Apostle expresseth his fear lest the excommunicated Person should be swallowed up of too much sorrow but the caution being not expressly bound up to any one of these seems to point at them all and to tell us that Satan drives on many designs at once and that in this Mans case Satan would endeavour to put the Corinthians upon a Pharisaical rigour or to rend the Church by a division about him and to oppress the Penitent by bereaving him of his due comfort so that it appears still that it is one of his designs to hinder the Comfort and molest the Hearts of God's Children Secondly Of such concern is inward spiritual Peace to us that 't is but an easie conjecture to conclude from thence that so great an Adversary will make it his design to rob us of such a Jewel For 1. Spiritual Comfort is the sweet Fruit of Holiness by which God adorns and beautifies the ways of Religious Service to render them amiable and pleasant to the Undertakers Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace Prov. 3. 17. and this is the present rest and refreshment of God's faithful Servants under all their toil that when they have tribulation from the World yet they have peace in him Joh. 16. 33. and that being justified by Faith they have peace with God and sometimes joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 Pet. 1. 8. and this they may the more confidently expect because the fruits of the Spirit are Love Joy Peace c. Gal. 5. 22. 2. Spiritual Comfort is not only our satisfaction but our inward Strength and Activity for all holy Services doth depend upon it By this doth God strengthen our Heart and gird up our Loyns to run the ways of his Commandments it doth also strengthen the soul to undergo Afflictions to glory in Tribulations to triumph in Persecutions the outward Man is also corroborated by the inward peace of the Mind A merry Heart doth good like a Medicine but a broken Spirit drieth the Bones Prov. 17. 22. all which are intended by that expression Neh. 8. 10. The joy of the Lord is your strength 't is strength to the Body to the Mind and that both for service and suffering the reason whereof the Apostle doth hint to us Phil. 4. 7. The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your Hearts and Minds that is Peace doth so guard us as with a Garison for so much the word imports that our Affections our Hearts being entertained with divine satisfactions are not easily enticed by baser proffers of worldly delights and our Reasonings our Minds being kept steady upon so noble an object are not so easily perverted to a treacherous recommendation of vanities 3. Joy and Peace are propounded to our careful endeavours for Attainment and Preservation as a necessary duty of great importance to us Rejoycings are not only recommended as seemly for the Vpright but injoined as Service and that in the constant practice Rejoyce evermore In every thing give thanks 1 Thess 5. 16 18. Rejoyce in the Lord alway and again I say rejoyce Phil. 4. 4. In the Old Testament God commanded the observation of several Feasts to the Jews these though they had their several respective grounds from God's appointment yet the general design of all seems to have been this that they might rejoyce before the Lord their God Lev. 23. 40. as if God did thereby tell them that it was the comely complexion of Religion and that which was very acceptable to himself that his Children might always serve him in chearfulness of Heart seeing such have more cause to rejoyce than all the World besides They are then much mistaken that think mounful Eyes and sad Hearts be the gretest Ornaments of Religion or that none are serious in the Profession of it that have a chearful Countenance and a rejoycing frame of Spirit 'T is true there is a Joy that is devilish and in Mirth which is madness to which Christ hath denounced a Wo Wo be to them that laugh now for they shall mourn and weep but this is a Joy of another nature a carnal delight in Vanity and Sin by which Men fatten their hearts to
Job's Troubles were very great and his case extraordinary Satan had maliciously stript him of all outward Comforts this he â—ore with admirable Patience Job 1. 21. Naked came I out of my Mothers womb and naked shall I return thither the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord. The Devil seeing now himself defeated obtains a new Commission wherein Job is wholly put into his hand life only excepted chap. 2. 9. he sets upon him again and in his new encounter labours to bring upon him spiritual distresses and accordingly improves his losses and sufferings to that end as appears by his endeavours and the success for as he tempted him by his Wife to a desperate disregard of God that had so afflicted him Curse God and die so he tempted him also by his Friends to question the state of his Soul and his Integrity and all from the consideration of his outward miseries To that purpose are all their discourses Eliphaz Chap. 4. 5 6 7. from his sufferings and his carriage under them takes occasion to jear his former Piety as being no other than feigned It is come upon thee and thou faintest is not this thy fear thy confidence thy hope and the uprightness of thy ways that is is all thy Religion come to this and also concludes him to be wicked Who ever perished being innocent and where were the righteous cut off Bildad Chap. 8. 6 13. chargeth him with Hypocrisie upon the same ground and while he makes his defence Zophar plainly gives him the lye Chap. 11. 3. and at this rate they go their round and all this while Satan whose design it was to afflict his Conscience with the sense of divine Wrath secretly strikes in with these Accusations insomuch that though Job stoutly defended his Integrity yet he was wounded with inward Distresses and concluded that these dealings of God against him were no less than God's severe observance of his Iniquity as is plain from his bemoaning himself in Chap. 10. 2. I will say unto God Do not condemn me shew me wherefore thou contendest with me Vers 16 17. Thou huntest me as a fierce Lion thou renewest thy Witnesses against me c. David was a Man that was often exercised with Sickness and Troubles from Enemies and in all the instances almost that we meet with in the Psalms of these his Afflictions we may observe the outward occasions of Trouble brought him under the suspition of Gods Wrath and his Iniquity so that he was seldom sick or persecuted but this called on the disquiet of Conscience and brought his sin to remembrance as Psal 6. which was made on the occasion of his Sickness as appears from vers 5. wherein he expresseth the vexation of his Soul under the appehension of Gods Anger all his other griefs running into this Channel as little Brooks losing themselves in a great River change their name and nature he that was at first only concerned for his Sickness is now wholly concerned with sorrow and smart under the fear and hazard of his Souls condition the like we may see in Psal 38. and many places more Having made good the assertion That discomposures of Soul upon outward occasions by long continuance and Satans management do often run up to spiritual distress of Conscience I shall next for further confirmation and illustration shew how it comes to be so 1. Discomposures of Spirit do obstruct and at last extinguish the inward comforts of the Soul so that if we suppose the discomposed Person at first before he be thus disordered to have had a good measure of spiritual joy in Gods favour and delight in his ways yet the disturbances 1. Divert his thoughts from feeding upon these Comforts or from the enjoyment of himself in them The Soul cannot naturally be highly intent upon two different things at once but whatsoever doth strongly engage the Thoughts and Affections that carries the whole Stream with it be it good or bad and other things give way at present When the heart is vehemently moved on outward Considerations it lays by the thoughts of its sweetness which it hath had in the enjoyment of God they are so contrary and inconsistent that either our Comforts will chase out of our Thoughts our Discomposures or our Discomposures will chase away our Comforts I believe the Comforts of Elias when he lay down under his grief and desired to die and of Jeremiah when he cried out of violence run very low in those fits of Discontent and their Spirits were far from an actual rejoycing in God but this is not the worst we may not so easily imagine that upon the going away of the fit the wonted Comforts return to their former course For 2. The Mind being distracted with its Burthen is left impotent and unable to return to its former exercise the warmth which the Heart had being smothered and suspended in its excercise is not so quickly revived and the thoughts which were busied with disturbance like the distempered humors of the Body are not reduced suddainly to that evenness of composure as may make them fit for their old imployment And 3. If God should offer the Influences of joyful support a discomposed Spirit is not in a capacity to receive them no more than it can receive those counsels that by any careful hand are interposed for its relief and settlement Comforts are not heard in the midst of noise and clamour the calmness of the Souls faculties are praesupposed as a necessary qualification towards its reception of a message of Peace Phineas his Wife being overcome of grief for the Arks captivity and her Husbands death could not be affected with the joyful news of a Son But 4. Sinful discomposures hinder these gracious and comfortable offers if we could possibly which we cannot ordinarily receive them yet we cannot expect that God will give them The Spirit of Consolation loves to take up his lodging in a meek and quiet Spirit and nothing more grieves him than Bitterness Wrath Anger Clamour and Malice which made the Apostle Eph. 4. 30 31. subjoyn his direction of putting these away from us with his advice of not grieving the Spirit by which we are sealed unto the day of Redemption And then 5. The former stock of Comfort which Persons distempered with discomposures might be supposed to have will soon be wasted for our Comforts are not like the Oil in the Cruse or Meal in the Barrel which had as it were their Spring in themselves we are comforted and supported by daily communication of Divine Aid so that if the Spring head be stopped the Stream will quickly grow dry 'T is evident then that inward Consolations in God will not ripen under these Shadows nor grow under these continual droppings seeing a discomposed Spirit is not capable to receive more nor able to keep what comfort it had at first we may easily see how it comes to pass that these disturbances may
delivered from their fears 5. They are also apt after ease of their troubles to have frequent returns What disposition all these things being considered can be more exactly shaped to serve Satans turn If he would have Men to believe the worst of themselves he hath such imaginations to work upon as are already misshapen into a deformity of evil surmising Would he terrifie by Fears or distress by Sadness he hath that already and 't is but altering the Object which oftentimes needs not for naturally the serious Melancholick imploys all his Griefs upon his supposed miserable estate of Soul and then he hath Spiritual distress Would he continue them long under their sorrows or take them upon all occasions at his pleasure or act them to a greater height than ordinary Still the Melancholick temper suits him This is sufficient for caution that we take special care of our Bodies for the preventing or abating of that Humour by all lawful means if we would not have the Devil to abuse us at his will 6. Sickness or Death-Bed is another solemn occasion which the Devil seldom misseth with his will Death is a serious thing it represents the Soul and Eternity to the Life While they are at a distance Men look slightly upon these but when they approach near to them Men usually have such a sight of them as they never had before We may truly call Sickness and Death-Bed an hour of Temptation which Satan will make use of with the more mischievous industry because he hath but a short time for it That 's the last Conflict and if he miss that we are beyond his reach for ever So that in this case Satan incourageth himself to the Battel with a now or never And hence we find that it is usual for the dying Servants of God to undergo most sharp Encounters then to tell them when the Soul is about to loose from the Body that they are yet in their Blood without God and Hope is enough to affright them into the extreamest Agonies for they see no time before them answerable to so great a work if it be yet to do And withal they are under vast discouragments from the weariness and pains of Sickness their understandings and faculties being also dull and stupified so that if at this last plunge God should not extraordinarily appear to rebuke Satan and to pluck them out of these great Waters as he often doth by the fuller interposition of the Light of his Face and the larger Testimony of his Spirit after their long and comfortable profession of their Faith and holy Walking their Light would be put out in Darkness and they would lie down in Sorrow Yet this I must note That as desirous as Satan is to improve this occasion he is often remarkably disappointed and that wherein he it may be and we would least expect I mean in regard of those who through a timerous Disposition or Melancholy or upon other Accounts are as I may so say all their life-time subject to Bondage those Men who are usually exercised with frequent fits of Spiritual Trouble when they come to Sickness Death-Bed and some other singular occasions of trouble though we might suspect their fears would then be working if ever Yet God out of gracious Indulgence to them considering their Mould and Fashion or because he would prevent their extream fainting c. doth meet them with larger Testimonies of his Favour higher Joys more confident satisfactions in his Love than ever they received at any time before and this to their wonder their high admiration making the times which they were wont to fear most to be times of greatest Consolation This Observation I have grounded not upon one or two Instances but could produce a cloud of Witnesses for it Enough it is to check our forward fears of a future evil day and to heal us of a sighing Distemper while we afflict our selves with such thoughts as these If I have so many fears in Health how shall I be able to go through the valley of the shadow of Death 4. I have one thing more to add for these discovery of these Spiritual Troubles and that is to shew you the Engines by which Satan works them and they are these two Sophistry and Fears 1. As to his Sophistry by which he argues the Children of God into a wrong apprehension of themselves it is very great He hath a wonderful dexterity in framing Arguments against their Peace he hath variety of shrewd Objections and subtile Answers to the usual Replies by which they seek to beat him off There is not a Fallacy by which a cunning Sophister would seek to entangle his Adversary in Disputation but Satan would make use of it as I might particularly shew you if it were proper for a common Auditory Though he hath so much impudence as not to blush at the most silly contemptible Reason that can be offered notwithstanding he hath also so much wit as to urge though never true yet always probable Arguments How much he can prevail upon the beliefs of Men in cases relating to their Souls may be conjectured by the success he hath upon the understandings of Men when he argues them into Errour and makes them believe a lye We usually say and that truly that Satan cannot in any case force us properly to consent yet considering the advantages which he takes and the ways he hath to prepare the Hearts of Men for his impressions and then his very great subtilty in disputing we may say that he can so order the matter that he will seldom miss of his aim It would be an endless work to gather up all the Arguments that Satan hath made use of to prove the Condition or State of God's Children to be bad But that I may not altogether disappoint your expectations in that thing I shall present to your view Satan's usual Topicks the Common-places or Heads unto which all his Arguments may be reduced And they are 1. Scripture abused and perverted His way is not only to suggest that they are Unregenerate or under an evil frame of Heart but to offer proof that these Accusations are true And because he haâ—h to do with them that profess a belief of Scriptures as the Oracles of God he will fetch his proofs from thence telling them that he will evidence what he saith from Scripture Thus sometimes he assaults the weaker unskilful sort of Christians Thou art not a Child of God for they that are so are Enlightned translated from Darkness they are the Children of the Light but thou art a poor ignorant dark blind Creature and therefore no Child of God Sometimes he labours to conclude the like from the Infirmities of God's Children abusing to this purpose that of 1 John 3. 9. He that is born of God doth not commit sin And He cannot sin because he is born of God Thus he urgeth it Can any thing be more plainly and fully asserted Is not this
contrivances but that which he openly and expresly urged to this purpose was an Argument drawn from the promise of God though sadly abused and misrepresented He shall give his Angels charge concerning thee c. This we are next to consider in which as cited by him we may easily see 1. That Satan affected an Imitation of Christ in the way of his resistance Christ had urged Scripture before and now Satan endeavours to manage the same weapon against him 2. 'T is observable that Scripture is the Weapon that Satan doth desire to weild against him in his other ways of dealing he was shy and did but lay them in Christ's way offering only the occasion and leaving him to take them up but in this he is more conâ—ident and industriously pleads it as a thing which he could better stand to and more confidently avouch 3. The care of his subtilty herein lay in the misrepresentation and abuse of it as may be seen in these particulars 1. In that he urged this promise to promote a sinful thing contrary to the general end of all Scripture which was therefore written that we sin not 2. But more especially in his clipping and mutilating of it he industriously leaves out that part of it which doth limit and confine the promise of protection to lawful undertakings such as this was not and renders it as a general promise of absolute safety be the action what it will It is a Citation from Psal 91. 11. 12. which there runs thus He shall give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy wayes these last words in all thy ways which doth direct to a true understanding of Gods intention in that promise he deceitfully leaves out as if they were needless and unnecessary parts of the promise when indeed they were on purpose put there by the Spirit of God to give a description of those Persons and Actions unto whom in such cases the accomplishment of the promise might be expected for albeit the word in the original which is translated ways doth signify any kind of way or action in the general yet in this place it doth not for then God were engaged to an absolute protection of Men not only when they unnecessarily thrust themselves into dangers but in the most abominably sinful actions whatsoever which would have been a direct contradiction to those many Scriptures wherein God threatens to withdraw his Hand and leave Sinners to the danger of their Iniquities But 't is evident that the Sense of it is no more than this God is with you while you are with him We have a Paraphrase of this Text to this purpose in Prov. 3. 23. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely and thy Foot shall not stumble where the condition of this safety pointed to in the word then which leads the promise is expresly mentioned in the foregoing verses My Son let them that is the precepts of Wisdom not depart from thine Eyes Then not upon other terms shalt thou walk in thy way safely The ways then in this promise cited by Satan are the ways of duty or the ways of our lawful Callings The fallacy of Satan in this dealing with Scripture is obvious and Christ might have given this answer as Bernard hath it that God promiseth to keep him in his ways but not in self-created dangers for that was not his way but his ruine or if a way it was Satan's way but not his 3. To these two some add another abuse in a subtile concealment of the following verse in the 91. Psal Thou shalt tread upon the Lyon and Adder This concerned Satan whose cruelty and poysonous deceits were fitly represented by the Lyon and the Adder and there the Promise is also explained to have a respect to Satans Temptations that is God would so manage his protection that his Children should not be led into a snare Hence Observe That Satan sometimes imitates the Spirit of God by an officious pretence of teaching the mind of God to Men. This our Adversary doth not always appear in one shape sometime he acts as a Lyon or Dragon in ways of Cruelty and fierceness sometimes as a filthy Swine in Temptations to bestial uncleanness and sensual Lusts sometime he puts on the Garb of Holiness and makes as if he were not a Spiritual Adversary but a Spiritual Friend and Counsellour that this is frequent with him the Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 11. Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of Light Angels of Light are those Blessed Spirits sent forth to minister for the good of the Elect whose Ministry God useth not only for our Preservation from bodily hurts but also for prevention of Sin and furtherance of Duty Satan as wicked as he is doth counterfeit that Imployment and takes upon him to give advice for our Good pretending to teach us in the Truth or to direct and further us in our endeavours That he designs an Imitation of God and his Spirit may be discovered by expressing a great many particulars of Gods ways and appointments wherein Satan as God's Ape partly out of Mockery and Scorn partly upon other grounds of advantage to his intendments doth counterfeit the currant Coin of the Lords establishments by a very close imitation But I shall here confine my self to the point of Teaching and Instruction wherein how he proceeds we shall the better understand by considering how many ways God hath of old and now still doth use in declaring his mind to his People the Sum of all we have Heb. 1. 12. Heretofore he signified his mind in divers manners by the Prophets and in these last days by his Son in all which we shall trace the steps of Satan First God revealed himself sometime by Voice as to Abraham Moses and others the Devil hath dared to imitate this There want not instances of it in the Temptation which is now under explanation he did so and his confessing Christ I know thee who thou art c. doth shew that he is ready enough to do it at any time for advantage Sprengar tells us a Story of the Devils Preaching to a Congregation in the Habit and Likeness of a Priest wherein he reproved Sin and urged Truth and seemed no way culpable for false Doctrine but I suspect this for a fabulous tale however it is undenyable that he sometime hath appeared to Men with Godly Exhortations in his Mouth of living justly and doing no Man wrong c. Except we resolve to discredit all History and the Narrations of Persons and some such are known to some in this Auditory who solemnly affirm they have met with such dealing from him Secondly God hath sometime revealed himself to Men in Extasies and Trances such as was that of Paul Acts 22. 17. I was in an Extasy or Trance This also hath the Devil imitated Mahomet made this advantage of his Disease the Epilepsy or Falling-Sickness pretending that at such
Deut. 6. 6. These words which I command thee this day shall be in thine Heart and thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand and they shall be as frontlets between thine Eyes c. Whether the later part of the Command is to be understood literally as the Jews apprehended and practised though some think otherwise is not necessary to be asserted seeing 't is granted by all that they were to have the Commands of the Law so ready in their Minds and Memories as if they had been written on their Hands and upon their Foreheads That God designed this precept for the resistance of Sin and Temptation cannot be doubted and that the advantage which might hence arise to them was not only the information of their Minds in point of Sin and Duty is as unavoidable for that and more is intended by that part of the Injunction These words which I command thee shall be in thine Heart but when besides this information which the knowledg of the Law would afford them and their humble complyance with it as just and good which would enable them to say Thy Law O Lord is within my Heart he further enjoyns them the quick and ready remembrances of these Laws as if they were frontlets between their Eyes and signs on their Hands it can signify no less than this that in so doing they would be able to resist those Motions by which Satan would seek to engage them to the violation of these Commands Neither need we to doubt hereof when Christ himself hath so fully taught us by his own Example in resisting Temptations the particular use of the remembrance of the Law In the New Testament the Apostle is most express in this matter Eph. 6. 17. Take the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God where not only the use of Scripture-Commands and Promises against Satan's Suggestions is taught but also the high avail and potency of this Weapon in reference to its end 't is called a Sword and in that comparison it shews the active resistance which may be made by it and 't is called not a Sword of Flesh for the Weapons of our Warfare are not Carnal but of the Spirit to shew how mighty it is in repelling Satan Secondly Another Evidence of its usefulness is from the success which the Children of God have had in the right management of this Weapon 'T is observable that while Christ answered by Scripture Satan was silenced and had not what to reply to the Answer but was forced to betake himself to a new Temptation David in many places highly magnifies the Power of the Command in the success he had by it Psal 17. 4. He shews how available it was to preserve him in his common converse from the sinful Snares laid before him concerning the works of Men by the word of thy Lips I have kept me from the Paths of the destroyer In Psal 18. 22 23. he tells us that he was shielded from the Sins of his inclination and love which are hardest to prevent by the opposition that he gave to the Motions of them in setting up the Statutes of God against them All his Judgments were before me and I did not put away his Statutes from me I was also upright before him and I kept myself from mine Iniquity In Psal 119. 11. He puts his Probatum est upon the Head of this Receit and speaks of it as his constant refuge Thy Word have I hid in my Heart that I might not sin against thee In Psal 37. 31. He speaks of it as a tryed case of common experience to all the Children of God The Law of God is in his Heart none of his steps shall slide I shall add to this the Experience of Luther When saith he the Motions of the Flesh do rage the only remedy is to take the Sword of the Spirit that is the Word of Salvation and to fight against them of this I my self have good experience I have suffered many great passions and vehement but so soon as I laid hold of any place of Scripture and stay'd my self upon it as upon an Anchor straightway my Temptations did vanish away which without the Word had been impossible for me to endure though but a little space much less to overcome Thirdly The Excellency of this remedy will further appear from these following reasons First In that it is an Vniversal Remedy there can be no Temptation either of seducement or of affrightment but the Scripture will afford a suitable Promise or Command to repel it So that it like the Flaming Sword in the Cherubims hand at Paradise turns every way to guard the Soul I need not give instances of its Power against sinful Motions having done that already and of such Temptations which war against the peace of the Soul I need but say this in the general that as the Nature of such Temptations is to disguise God and to render him dreadful to us in the appearances of Wrath and incompassionate Implacableness and this Luther sets down as a certain rule So have we in Scripture such declarations of the Mind and tender Inclinations of God and such full and clear Promises to assure us of this and those so adapted to every case to every kind of hard thought which we might take up against him that we may find enough in them to break all those malicious misrepresentations of Satan and to keep up in our Mind right thoughts of God which if we will adhere to not suffering such Promises to be wrested out of our hands nor our Hearts to give way to malignant impressions of Cruelty Revenge or Unmercifulness in God though we be cast into Darkness into the Deeps we may find some Bottom on which to fix such beginnings of Hope as may at last grow up to a Spirit of rejoicing in God our Saviour and in this case when our Heart and Satan dictate to us that God is our Enemy we ought as it were to shut our Eyes to refuse to hearken to our own Sense and Feeling and to follow the Word but if we once give up the word of Promise 't is impossible the wound of Conscience should be healed with any other consideration Secondly This Remedy is comprehensive of most other Remedies against Satan's Temptations In Eph. 6. There are several other peices of Spiritual Armour recommended and yet there is such a manifest mutual respect betwixt this and those that any may conclude that however they be distinguished in their Names yet they are conjoyned in their Operation the Girdle so far as it relates to truth of Judgment and Opinion depends on the word of Scripture for Information the Shoes which are defensive resolves to walk with a steedy Foot in the ways of Religion notwithstanding the hardships that attend Holiness are prepared to us by the comfortable and peace-bringing Promises of the Gospel the Righteousness which is our Breast-Plate is only set forth and
truculent temper whose power being put forth from such an implacable malice must needs become rage and fierceness Fourthly His Diligence which together with his Cruelty are consequences of his Malice and Power he goes about and seeks he is restless in his pursuit and diligent as one that promiseth himself a satisfaction or joyful contentment in his Conquests CHAP. II. Of the Malice of Satan in particular The Grounds and Causes of that Malice The Greatness of it proved and Instances of that Greatness given I Shall first give some account of his Malice by which it shall appear we do not wrong the Devil in calling him malicious the truth of which Charge will evidence it self in the following particulars First The Devil though a Spirit yet is a proper Subject of Sin We need no other evidence for this than what doth by daily experience result from our selves we have sins which our Spirits and Hearts do act that relate not to the Body called a filthiness of the Spirit in contradistinction to the filthiness of the Flesh 'T is true it cannot be denyed but that those Iniquities which have a necessary dependance upon the Organs of the Body as Drunkenness Fornication c. cannot properly as to the formality of the Act be laid at Satan's door though as a tempter and provoker of these in Men he may be called the Father of these sins yet the forementioned Iniquities which are of a Spiritual Nature are properly and formally committed by him as Lying Pride Hatred and Malice And this distinction Christ himself doth hint Joh. 8. 44. When he speaketh a Lye he speaketh of his own where he asserts such spiritual Sins to be properly and formally acted by himself The certainty of all appears in the Epithites given him the wicked One the unclean Spirit as also those places that speak his fall They kept not their first Estate Jude 6. The Angels that sinned 2 Pet. 2. 4. If sins Spiritual are in a true and proper sense attributed to the Devil then also may Malice be attributed to him Secondly The wickedness of Satan is capable of increase a magis minus though he be a wicked Spirit and as to inclination full of wickedness though so strongly inclined that he cannot but sin and therefore as God is set forth to us as the Fountain of Holiness so is Satan called the Author and Father of Sin Yet seeing we cannot ascribe an infiniteness to him we must admit that as to acts of Sin at least he may be more or less sinful and that the wickedness of his heart may be more drawn out by Occasion Motives and Provocations besides we are expresly taught thus much Rev. 12. 12. The Devil is come down having great wrath because his time is short where we note 1. that his wrath is called great implying greater than at other times 2. That External Motives and Incentives as the shortness of his time prevail with him to draw forth greater acts of fury Thirdly Whatsoever Occasions do draw out or kindle malice to a rage Satan hath met with them in an eminent degree in his own fall and Man's happiness Nothing is more proper to beget malice than hurts or punishments degradations from happiness Satan's Curse though just fills him with rage and fretting against God when he considers that from the state and dignity of a blessed Angel he is cast down to darkness and to the basest condition imaginable for the part of his Curse which concerned Satan as well as the Serpent Vpon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shall be thy Meat implies a state most base as the use of the phrase proves they shall lick the dust of thy feet Thine enemies shall lick the dust Psal 72. 9. They shall lick the dust as a Serpent Mich. 7. 17. Where the Spirit is so wicked that it cannot accept the punishment of its iniquity All punishment is as a poyson and invenoms the heart with a rage against the hand that afflicted it thus doth Satan's fall enrage him and the more when he sees Man enstated into a possibility of enjoying what he hath lost The envy and pride of his heart boils up to a madness for that is the only use that the wretchedly miserable can make of the sight of that happiness which they enjoy not especially if having once enjoyed it they are now deprived this begot the rage and wrath in Cain against Abel and afterward his Murther The eye of the wicked is evil where God is good Hence may it be concluded that Satan being a wicked Spirit and this wickedness being capable of acting higher or lower according to occasions and with a suitableness thereto cannot but shew an unconceiveable malice against us our happiness and his misery being such proper occasions for the wickedness of his heart to work upon Fourthly This Malice in Satan must be great First If we consider the greatness of his wickedness in so great and total an Apostacy He is so filled with iniquity that we can expect no small matters from him as to the workings of such cursed Principles not only is he wicked but the spirit and extract of wickedness as the phrase signifies Ephes 6. 12. Secondly The Scripture lays to his charge all Degrees Acts and Branches of Malice As 1. Anger in the impetuous hast and violence of it Rev. 12. great wrath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there signifies Excandescentia the Inflammation of the Heart and whole Man which is violent in its motion as when the Blood with a violent stream rusheth through the Heart and sets all Spirits on fire and therefore this Wrath is not only called great but is also signified to be so in its threatning a wo to the Inhabitants of the Earth 2. Indignation is more than Anger as having more of a fixed fury and this is applyed to him Ephes 4. 27. in that those that have this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are said to give place to the Devil which is true not only in point of temptation but also in respect of the resemblance they carry to the frame and temper of Satan's furious heart 3. Hatred is yet higher than Wrath or Indignation as having deeper roots a more confirmed and implacable resolution Anger and Indignation are but short Furies which like a Land Flood are soon down though they are apt to fill the Banks on a sudden but Hatred is lasting and this is so properly the Devil's disposition that Cain in hating his Brother is 1 John 3. 12. said to be the proper Off-spring and lively Picture of that wicked One who is there so called rather than by the name of the Devil because the Apostle would also insinuate that hatred is the Master-piece of Satan's wickedness and that which gives the fullest Character of him 4. All Effects of his cruelty arise from this Root this makes him accuse and calumniate this puts him upon breathing after those murthers and destructions which damned
Spirits are now groaning under Thirdly This Malice is the result of that Curse laid upon Satan Gen. 3. 15. I will put enmity betwixt thee and the Woman between her Seed and thy Seed Which implies 1. a great enmity and some render it inimicitias implacabiles implacable enmities 2. A lasting enmity such as should continue as long as the Curse should last 3. That this should be his work and exercise to prosecute and be prosecuted with this enmity so that it shews the Devil 's whole mind and desire is in this Work and that he is whetted on by the opposing enmity which he meets withal it is the Work of his Curse of his Place of his Revenge and that wherein all the delight he is capable of is placed In that part of the Curse Dust shall be thy Meat 't is implyed if some interpret right that if Satan can be said to have any delight or ease in his Condition 't is in the eating of this Dust the exercise of this Enmity No wonder then if Christ speak of his desires and sollicitations with God to have a liberty and Commission for this Work Satan hath desired to have thee that he may winnow thee That this Curse relates not only to the Serpent who was the Instrument but also to Satan who was the Agent is agreed by all almost that it was not the Serpent alone but the Devil speaking by it is evinced from its speaking and reasoning and that the Curse reached further than a natural Enmity 'twixt a Serpent and a Man is as evident in that Christ is expresly held forth as giving the full accomplishment of this Curse against Satan 1 John 3. 8. The Devil sinneth from the beginning for this purpose was the Son of God manifested that he might destroy the Works of the Devil which is a clear Exposition and Paraphrasis of the Womans Seed bruising the Serpents head Fourthly I shall add to this some few Instances of Satan's Malice by which it will appear to be great First That Malice must needs be great which shews it self where there is such a load of anguish and horror that lies upon him he is now reserved in Chains of Darkness in Hell he is in Hell a place of Torment or which is all one Hell is in him he carries it about him in his Conscience which by God's decree binds him to his horror like a Chain 'T is scarce imaginable that he should have a thought free from the contemplation of his own misery to spend in a malicious pursuit of Man What can we think less of it than a desperate madness and revenge against God wherein he shews his rage against Heaven and hunts after our Blood as for a little Water to cool his Tongue and when he finds his hand too short to pull the Almighty out of his Throne he endeavours Panther-like to tear his Image in Man and to put Man created after his Image upon blaspheming and dishonouring his Maker Secondly That Malice must needs be great that seeks its own Fewel and provides or begs its own Occasions and those such as give no proper provocation to his anger Of this temper is his Malice he did thus with Job he begs the Commission calumniates Job upon unjust surmises presseth still for a further power to hurt him in so much that God expresly stints and bounds him which shews how boundless he would have been if left to his own will and gives him at last an open check Job 2. 3. wherein he lays open the malice of his heart in three things 1. His own pressing urgency Thou movedst me 2. His destructive Fury no less would serve than Job's utter destruction 3. Job's Innocency All this without cause thou movedst me to destroy him without cause Thirdly That Malice must needs be great that will pursue a small matter what small game will the Devil play rather than altogether sit out If he can but trouble or puzzle or affright yet that he will do rather than nothing if he can like an Addar in the Path but bite the Heel though his Head be bruised for it he will notwithstanding busie himself in it Fourthly That Malice must be great which will put it self forth where it knows it can prevail nothing but is certain of a disappointment Thus did Satan tempt Christ those Speeches if thou be the Son of God do not imply any doubt in Satan he knew what was prophesied of Christ and what had been declared from Heaven in testification of him so that he could not but be certain he was God and Man and yet what base unworthy temptations doth he lay before him as to fall down and worship him Was it that Satan thought to prevail against him No surely but such was his Malice that he would put an affront upon him though he knew he could not prevail against him Fifthly The Malice of wicked Men is an Argument of Satan's great Malice they have an antipathy against the Righteous as the Wolf against the Sheep and upon that very ground that they are called out of the World how great this fury is all Ages have testified This hath brought forth Discord Revilings Slanders Imprisonments spoiling of Goods Banishments Persecutions Tortures cruel Deaths as Burning Racking Tearing sawing asunder and what-ever the wit of Man could devise for a satisfaction to those implacable furious murtherous minds and yet all this is done to Men of the same Image and Lineage with themselves of the same Religion with themselves as to the main nay some time to Men of their own Kindred their own Flesh and Blood and all to those that would live peaceably in the Land What shall we say to these things How come Men to put on a savage Nature to act the part of Lions Leopards Tigars if not much worse The reason of all we have John 8. 54. Ye are of your Father the Devil he was a Murtherer from the beginning as also Gen. 3. 15. I will put enmity between her Seed and thy Seed So that all this shews what malice is in Satan's Heart who urgeth and provokes his Instruments to such bloody hatreds Hence who-ever were the Agents Rev. 2. 10. in imprisoning the Saints the Malice of Satan in stirring them up to it makes him become the Author of it Satan shall cast some of you into Prison CHAP. III. Of Satan's Power His Power as an Angel considered That he lost not that Power by his Fall His Power as a Devil Of his Commission The Extent of his Authority The Efficacy of his Power The Advantages which he hath for the management of it from the Number Order Place and Knowledge of Devils THat Satan's Power is Great is our next Enquiry Where First we will consider his Power as an Angel In Psalm 103. 20. Angels are said to excel in strength and in vers 21. as also Psal 148. 2. they are called God's Host which is more fully expressed 1 Kings 22.
he challenges God to give him such a Man to fight with him as he did concerning Job This Christ tells us of Luk. 22. 31. Simon Satan hath desired to have you the word signifies a challenging or daring and it seems the Devil is oft daring God to give us into his hand when we little know of it 2. There is also a special sutableness of Occasion and Snare to the temper and state of Men. Thus he took Peter at an advantage in the High Priests Hall and in the case we now speak of he takes advantage of Mens Provocations and Melancholy 3. There is always a violent prosecution which our Saviour expresseth under the comparison of sifting which is a restless agitation of the Corn bringing that which was at the bottom to the top and shuffling the top to the bottom so that the Chaff or Dirt is always uppermost 4. And to all this there is divine permission Satan let loose and we left to our ordinary strength as is implied in that expression He hath desired to have you that he might sift you Now then if the Devil have such ground to give God a challenge concerning such Men and if God do as he justly may leave such Men whose bitterness of Spirit hath been as a smoak in his Nostrils all the day in Satans hand he will so shake them that their Consciences shall have no rest And this he can yet the more easily effect because 5. Discomposures of Spirit have a particular tendency to incline our thoughts to severity and harshness so that those who have had long and great disturbances upon any outward occasions of Loss Affliction or Disappointment c. do naturally think after a solemn review of such troubles harshly of God and of themselves they are ready to conclude that God is surely angry with them in that he doth afflict them or that they have unsanctified hearts in that their thoughts are so fretful and unruly upon every inconsiderable petty occasion 'T is so ordinary for Men under the weight of their Trouble or under the sense of their Sin to be sadly apprehensive of Gods Wrath and their Souls hazard that it were needless to offer Instances let Davids case be instead of all That his troubles begot such imaginations frequently may be seen throughout the Book of the Psalms we never read his complaints against persecuting Enemies or for other Afflictions but still his heart is affraid that God is calling Sin to remembrance in Psa 38. He is under great distress and tells how low his Thoughts were he was troubled greatly bowed down he went mourning all the day long he expresseth his thoughts to have been that God had forsaken him ver 21. and his hopes though they afterward revived were almost gone he cryes out of his sins as having gone over his Head and become a Burthen too heavy for him ver 4. and therefore sets himself to confess them ver 18. He trembles at Gods Anger and feels the Arrows of God sticking fast in him ver 2. But what occasioned all this the Psalm informs us God had visited him with Sickness ver 7. besides that for one trouble seldom comes alone his Friends were perfidious ver 11. his Enemies also were busie laying Snares for his life ver 12. Now his thoughts were to this purpose that surely he had some way or other greatly provoked God by his Sins and therefore he fears wrath in every rebuke and displeasure in every chastisement ver 1. The like you may see in Psal 102. where the Prophet upon the occasion of Sickness ver 3. and 23. and the reproach of Enemies ver 8. is under great trouble and ready to fail except speedy relief prevent ver 2. the reason whereof was this that he concluded these troubles were evident tokens of God's indignation and wrath because of thine indignation and thy wrath ver 10. From these five particulars we may be satisfied that it cannot be otherwise and also how it comes to be so that sometime trouble of Conscience is brought on by other discomposing troubles of the Mind For if these take away the Comforts which supported the Soul and afford also arguments to the Devil to prove a wicked Heart and withal a fit season to urge them to a deep impression God in the mean time standing at a distance and the thoughts naturally inclined to conclude Gods Wrath from these troubles how impossible is it that Satan should miss of disquieting the Conscience by his strong vehement suggestions of wickedness and desertion In our enquiries after Satan's success in working these discomposures of mind we have discovered 1. That the disturbances thence arising are great 2. That they have a tendency to trouble of Conscience There is but one particular more to be spoken of relating to his success in this design and that is 3. These disturbances are much in Satan's Power Ordinarily he can do it at pleasure except when God restrains him from applying sit occasions or when notwithstanding these occasions he extraordinarily suspends the effect which he frequently doth when Men are enraged under suffering upon the account of the Gospel and Conscience for then though they be bound up under Affliction and Iron yet the Iron enters not into the Soul though they are troubled they are not distressed These Extraordinaries excepted he can as easily discompose the Spirits of Men as he can by Temptation draw them into other Sins which may be evidenced by these considerations 1. We may observe that those whose passionate tempers do usually transport them into greater vehemencies are never out of trouble Their fits frequently return they are never out of the Fire and this is because Satan is still provided of occasions suitable to their inclinations 2. Though God out of his common bounty to mankind hath allowed him a comfortable being in the World yet we find that generally the Sons of Men under their various Occupations and Studies are wearied out with vexations of Spirit this Solomon in Ecclesiastes discovers at large in various imployments of Men not exempting the pursuit of Wisdom and Knowledg chap. 1. 18. In much Wisdom is much grief and he that increaseth Knowledg increaseth sorrow nor Pleasures nor Riches for by all these he shews that a Man is obnoxious to disquiets so that the general account of Man's Life is but this Eccles 2. 23. All his days are sorrows and his travel grief yea his heart taketh not rest in the night That it is so is testified by common experience past denyal but how it comes to be so is the enquiry 't is either from God or from Satan working by occasions upon our tempers That 't is not from God is evident for though sorrow be a part of that Curse which Man was justly doomed unto yet hath he appointed ways and means by which it might be so mitigated that it might be tollerable without discomposure of Spirit and therefore Solomon designing in his
Ecclesiastes to set forth the chief good shews that felicity consists not in the common abuse of outward things because that brings only vexation but in the fear of God leading to future happiness and in the mean time in a thankful comfortable use of things present without anxiety of Mind Hence doth he fix his conclusion as the result of his experience and often repeats it There is nothing better for a Man than that he should Eat and Drink and that he should make his Soul enjoy good in his Labour Eccles 2. 24. 3. 12 13. 5. 18 19. Not that Solomon plays the Epicure giving advice to eat and drink for to morrow we die nor that he speaks deridingly to those that seek their felicity in this life as if he should say If ye do terminate your desires upon a terrene felicity there is nothing better then to eat and drink c. But he gives a serious positive advice of enjoying the things of this life with cheerfulness which he affirms proceeds from the sole bounty of God as his singular gift It is the gift of God Eccles 3. 13. 't is our portion that is our allowance Eccles 5. 19. for these two expressions our Portion and God's gift they are of the same signification with Solomon here and when a Man hath power to enjoy this allowance in comfort 't is God that answereth him in the joy of his heart ver 20. 'T is plain then that God sows good Seed in his Field the springing up therefore of these Tares of vexation which so generally afflict the Sons of Men must be ascribed to this the Enemy hath done it 3. 'T is also a considerable ground of suspition that Satan can do much in discomposures of Spirit in that sometimes those whose tempers are most cool and calm and whose singular dependance upon and communion with God must needs more strengthen them against these passionate vexations are notwithstanding precipitated into violent commotions Moses was naturally meek above the common disposition of Men and his very business was converse with God whose presence kept his Heart under a blessed awe yet upon the Peoples murmuring he was so transported with fullenness and unbelief at the waters of Meribah Numbers 20. 10 12. that it went ill with him which David thus expresseth Psal 106. 33. they provoked his Spirit so that he spake unadvisedly with his Lips Who can suppose less in this matter than that Satan having him at advantage hurried him to this rashness specially seeing such vehemencies were not usual with Moses and that his natural temper led him to the contrary This hath some affinity with the next consideration Which is 4. That when Men most foresee the occasions of their trouble and do most fear the trouble that might thence arise and most firmly design to keep their hearts quiet yet are they oft forced against all care and resolution upon extravagant heats David resolved and strenuously endeavoured to possess his Soul in Serenity and Patience for what could be more than solemn engagement Psal 39. 1. I said I will look to my ways and what endeavours could be more severe than to keep himself as with Bit and Bridle what care could be more hopeful to succeed than to be dumb with silence yet for all this he could not keep his Heart calm nor restrain his Tongue ver 3. My Heart waxed hot within me while I was musing the Fire burned then spake I with my Tongue Who suspects not the hand of Satan in this 5. 'T is also remarkable that when we have least reason to give way to discomposure when we have most cause to avoid all provocations yet then we have most occasions set before us When we would most retire from the noise of the World for private devotion when we would most carefully prepare our selves for a solemn Ordinance if we be not very watchful we shall be diverted by business disturbed with noises or some special occasion of vexation shall importune us to disquiet our selves when yet we shall observe if we have not these solemn affairs to wait upon we shall have fewer of these occasions of vexation to attend us This cannot be attributed to meer contingency of occasions nor yet to our tempers solely for why they should be most apt to give us trouble when they are most engaged to calmness cannot well be accounted for 't is evidently then Satan that maliciously directs these occasions for they have not a malicious ingeniousness to prepare themselves without some other chief mover at such times as he knows would be most to our prejudice These general considerations amount to more than a suspition that it is much in Satan's power to give disturbances to the Minds of Men yet for the clearer manifestation of the matter I shall shew that he can do much to bring about occasions of discomposure and also to stir up the Passions of Men upon these occasions 1. That occasions are much in his hand I shall easily demonstrate For 1. There being so many occasions of vexation to a weak crasy Mind we may well imagine that one or other is still occuring and while they thus offer themselves Satan needs not be idle for want of an opportunity 2. But if common occasions do not so exactly suit his design he can prepare occasions for such is his foresight and contrivance that he can put some Men without their privity to his intentions or any evil design of their own upon such actions as may through the strength of prejudice misinterpretation or evil inclination be an offence to others and in like manner can invite those to be in the way of these offences I am ready to think there was a contrivance of Satan if we well consider all circumstances to bring David and the Object of his Lust together while Bathshebah was Bathing he might use his Art in private motions to get David up to the Roof of his House But more especially can the Devil prepare occasions that do depend upon the wickedness of his Slaves these are Servants under his command he can say to one God and he goes and to another Come and he comes If contempt or injury affronts or scorns c. be necessary for his present work against any whom he undertakes to disturb he can easily put his Vassals upon that part of the Service and if he have higher imployment for them he ever finds them forward And hence was it that when Satan designed to plunder Job he could quickly perform it because he had the Chaldeans and Sabeans ready at a call 3. If both these should fail him he can easily awaken in us the memory of old occasions that have been heretofore a trouble to us these being raised out of their Graves will renew old disturbances working afresh the same disquiets which the things themselves gave us at first If Satan's power were bounded here and that he could do no more than set before Men occasions of