Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	affection_n	heart_n	love_n	1,789	5	5.2534	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77614	Precious remedies against Satans devices or, salve for believers and unbelievers sores. Being a companion for those that are in Christ, or out of Christ; that are high, or low, learned, or illiterate, staggering, or wandering; that slight, or neglect ordinances, under a pretence of living above them; that are growing (in spiritualls) or decaying; that are tempted, or deserted, afflicted, or opposed; that have assurance, or that want assurance; that are self-seekers, or the common-wealths caterpillars; that are in love sweetly united, or that yet have their spirits too much imbittered, &c. By Thomas Brookes, a willing servant unto God, and the faith of his people, in the glorious gospel of Christ, at Margarets fish-street hill.	Brooks, Thomas, 1608-1680.	1658 (1658)	Wing B4954; Thomason E1426_1	231,671	413

not God made 2 Tim. 1. 13. 1 Titus 9. The Priests of Mercurie when they eat their figs and honey cried ou● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sweet is truth truth sweet to thy soule yea sweeter then the honey or the honey combe and wilt thou not goe on ●o Heaven feeding upon truth that heavenly honey-comb as Samson did of his honey-comb Ah soules have you not found truth sweetning your spirits and cheering your spirits and warming your spirits and raising your spirits and corroborating your spirits have you not found truth a guide to leade you a staffe to uphold you a cordiall to strengthen you and a plaister to heale you and will you not hold fast the truth hath not truth been your best friend in your worst dayes hath not truth stood by you when friends have forsaken you hath not truth done more for you then all the world could doe against you and will you not hold fast the truth is not truth your right eye without which you cannot see for Christ and your right hand without which you cannot doe for Christ and your right foot without which you cannot walke with Christ and will you not hold fast truth oh hold fast the truth in your judgements and understandings in your wills and affections in your profession It is with truth as with some plants which live and thrive not but in warme climates and conversation Truth is more precious then gold or Rub●es and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared to her Truth is that heavenly glasse wherein we may see the luster and glory of divine wisdome power greatnesse love and mercifulnesse In this glasse you may see the face of Christ the favour of Christ the riches of Christ and the heart of Christ beating and working sweetly towards your soules Oh! let your soules cleave to truth as Ruth Ruth 1. v. 15 16 17. Though I cannot dispute for the truth yet I can die for the truth said that blessed Ma●●yr did to Naomi and say I will not leave truth nor returne from following after truth but where truth goes I will goe and where truth lodgeth I will lodge and nothing but death shall part truth and my soule What John said to the Church of Philadelphia I may say to you Hold th●● fast which thou hast that no man take thy Crowne the Crowne is the top of royalties such a thing is truth let Tit. 1. v. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no man take thy Crown Hold fast the faithfull word as Titus speaks you were better let goe any thing then truth you were better let goe your Hold fast as with tooth and naile against those that would snatch it from us honours and riches your friends and pleasures and the worlds favours yea your nearest and dearest relations I your very lives then to let goe truth Oh! keep the truth and truth will keep you safe and happy for 6. Remedy I have read of one who seeing in a vision many snares of the devill spread upon the earth he sate downe mourning and said within himselfe Quis periransiet ista who shall passe thorough these whereunto he he●d a voice answering humilitas periransiet humility shall passe thorough them ever blessed are those soules that are kept by truth The sixt Remedy against this device of Satan is to keep humble humility will keep the soule free from many darts of Satans casting and erronious snares of his spreading As low trees and shrubs are free from many violent gusts and blasts of winde which shake and rend the taller trees so humble soules are free from those gusts and blasts of errour that rend and teare proud lofty soules Satan and the world hath least power to fasten errours upon humble soules The God of light and truth delights to dwell with the humble and the more light and truth dwells in the soule the further off darknesse and errour will stand from the soule The God of grace poures in grace into humble soules as men poure liquor into empty vessells and the more grace is poured into the soule the lesse errour shall be able to over-power the soule or to infect the soule That 's a sweet word in the Psa 25. v. 9. a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gnanavim from gnanah which signifies the humble or afflicted The high tide quickly ebs and the highest Sun is presently declining you know how to apply it 25. Psal 9. v. The meek or the humble will he guide in judgement and the meeke will he teach his way and certainly soules guided by God and taught by God are not easily drawn aside into wayes of errour Oh! take heed of spirituall pride pride fills our fancies and weakens our graces and makes roome in our hearts for errour there are no men on earth so soone entangled and so easily conquered by errour as proud soules Oh! 't is dangerous to love to be wise above what is written to be curious and unsober in your desire of knowledge and to The proud soule is like him that gazed upon the Moon but fell into the pit trust to your own capacities and abilities to undertake to prie into all secrets and to be puffed up with a carnall minde soules that are thus a soaring up above the bounds and limits of humility usually fall into the very worst of errours as experience doth daily evidence The seventh Remedy against this device 7. Remedy of Satan is solemnly to consider the great evills that errours have produced errour is a fruitfull mother and hath brought forth such monstrous Errours in conscience produce many great evills not onely ad intra in mens own soules but also ad extra in humane affaires children as hath set Towns Cities and Nations on fire Errour is that whorish woman that hath cast down many wounded many yea slaine many strong men and many great men and many learned men and many professing men in former times and in our own time as is too evident to all that are not much left of God destitute of the truth and blinded by Satan Oh the graces that errour hath weakned and the sweet joyes and comforts that errour hath clouded if not buried oh the hands that errour hath weakned the eyes that errour hath blinded the judgements of men that errour hath perverted the mindes that errour hath darkned the hearts that errour hath hardened the affections that errour hath cooled the Consciences that errour hath s●ared and the lives of men that errour hath polluted ah soules can you solemnly consider of this and not tremble more at errour then at hell it selfe c. The twel●th Device that Satan hath 12. Device to draw the soule to sin is to affect wicked company to keep wicked society and oh the horrid impieties and wickednesses that Satan hath drawn men to sin by working them to sit and associate themselves with vaine persons Now the Remedies against this device of

c. But above all pray for me that I may more and more finde the power and sweet of those things upon my owne heart that I give out to you and others and that my soule be so visited with strength from on high that I may live up fully and constantly to those truths that I hold forth to the world and that I may be both in Life and Doctrine a burning and a shining light That so when the Lord Jesus shall appear I may receive a crown of glory which he shall give to me in that day and not onely to me but to all that love his appearing c. For a close remember this that your life is short your duties many your assistance great and your reward sure therefore faint not hold on and hold up in wayes of well doing and Heaven shall make amends for all I shall now take leave of you when my heart hath by my hand subscribed that I am Your loving Pastor under Christ according to all Pastor all affections and engagements in our dearest Lord. THOMAS BROOKS A WORD TO THE READER Deare Friend SOLOMON bids us buy the Pro. 23. 23 Truth but doth not tell us what it must cost because we must get it though it be never so deare wee must love it both Multi amā● veritatem lucentem o derunt redarguentem shining and scorching every parcell of Truth is precious as the filings of gold wee must either live with it or dye for it As Ruth said to Naomi Whither thou goest I will goe and Ruth 1. 16 17. where thou lodgest I will lodge and nothing but death shall part thee and mee So must gracious spirits say where Truth goes I will goe and where Truth lodges I will Si veritas est causa discordiae mori possum tacere con possum J●rome lodge and nothing but death shall part me and Truth A man may lawfully sell his House Lands and Jewells but Truth is a Jewell that exceeds all price and must not be sould 'T is our Heritage Thy Testimonies have I taken Psal 119. 11● as an Heritage for ever 't is a Legacie that our fore-fathers have hought with their bloods which should make us willing to lay downe any thing and to lay out any thing that wee may with the wise Merchant in the Gospel purchase this precious Pearle M●t. 5. 18. Verit●s vin●it Truth at last triumphs which is more worth then Heaven and Earth and which will make a man live happily die comfortably and reign eternally And now if thou pleasest reade the Worke and receive this councell from mee First Thou must know that every man cannot be excellent that yet may be usefull An iron key may unlocke the doore of a golden treasure yea ferrum potest quod aurum non potest Iron can doe some things that gold cannot c. Secondly Remember 't is not hasty reading but serious meditating upon 'T is a Law among the Persees in India to use premeditation in what they are to doe that if it be bad to reject it if good to act it holy and heavenly truths that makes them prove sweet and profitable to the soule 'T is not the Bees touching of the Flower that gathers Honey but her abiding for a time upon the Flower that drawes out the sweet 'T is not he that reads most but he that meditates most that will prove the choicest sweetest wisest and strongest Christian c. Thirdly Know that 't is not the knowing nor the talking nor the reading man but the doing man that at last will be found the happiest man If you know these things blessed John 15. 14. Mat. 7. 21. and happie are you if you doe them Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the 'T was a good saying of Justin Martyr Non in verbis sed in factis res nostrae religioni● consistunt Kingdome of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father that is in Heaven Judas called Christ Lord Lord and yet betrayed him and is gone to his place ah How many Judasses have we in these dayes that kisse Christ and yet betray Christ That in their words professe him but in their workes deny him that bow The Heathen Philosopher Seneca liked not such that are semper victuri alwayes about to live better but never begin God loves saith Luther currist●● not qu●ristas the ●unner not the questioner Pacunius hath an elegant saying I hate saith he the men that are idle in deed and philosophicall in word c. their knee to him and yet in their hearts despise him that call him Jesus and yet will not obey him for their Lord. Reader If it be not strong upon thy heart to practise what thou readest to what end doest thou read to encrease thy owne condemnation If thy light and knowledge be not turn'd into practise the more knowing man thou art the more miserable man thou wilt be in the day of recompence thy light and knowledge will more torment thee then all the Devills in hell Thy knowledge will be that rod that will eternally lash thee and that Scorpion that will for ever bite thee and that worme that will everlastingly gnaw thee therefore reade and labour to know that thou mayest doe or else thou art undone for ever When Demosthenes was asked what was the first part of an Orator what the second what the third he answered action the same may I say if any should aske me what is the first the second the third part of a Christian I must answer action as that man that reades that he may know and that labours to know that he may doe will have two Heavens a Heaven of Joy Peace and Comfort on earth and a Heaven of glory and happinesse after death Fourthly and lastly if in thy reading thou wilt cast a serious eye upon the Margent thou wilt finde many sweet and precious Notes that will oftentimes give light to the things thou readest and pay thee for thy paines with much comfort and profit So desiring that thou mayest finde as much sweetnesse and advantage in reading this Treatise as I have found by the overshadowings of Heaven in the studying and writing of it I commend thee to God and to the word of his grace which is able to Acts 20. 32. build thee up and to give thee an inheritance among them which are sanctified And rest Reader Thy soules Servant in every office of the Gospel THOMAS BROOKS PRECIOUS REMEDIES AGAINST SATANS Devices 2 CORINTH 2. 11. Lest Satan should get an advantage of us for we are not ignorant of his Devices IN the fifth Verse the Apostle shews that the incestuous person had by his incest sadded those precious souls that God would not have sadded soules that walk sinfully are Hazaels to the godly and draw many sighes and tears from them Jeremy weepes in secret for Judah's sins and Paul cannot speak of those

and by the strongest and the choicest Arguments that the Scripture doth afford And why doe they kill two at once The faithfull Labourers name and their own souls by their wicked words and actings because they are put upon repenting which Satan tells them is so easie a thing surely were repentance so easie wicked men would not be so much enraged when that doctrine is by evangelicall considerations prest upon them The fift Remedy against this Device 5 Remedy of Satan is seriously to consider that to repent of sin is as great a work of grace as not to sin By our sinfull falls the powers of the soule are weakned the Yet it is better to be kept from sin then cu●ed of sin by Repentance as it is better for a man to be preserved from a disease then to be cured of the disease strength of grace is decayed our evidences for Heaven are blotted feares and doubts in the soul are raised will God once more pardon this scarlet sin and shew mercy to this wretched soul and corruptions in the heart are more advantaged and confirmed and the conscience of a man after falls is the more inraged or the more benummed now for a soul notwithstanding all this to repent of his falls this shewes that 't is as great a work of grace to repent of sin as 't is not to sin Repentance is the vomit of the soul and of all Physick none so difficult and hard as 't is to vomit the same means that tends to preserve the soul from sin the same means works the soul to rise by Repentance when 't is fallen into sin We know the mercy and loving kindnesse of God is one speciall means to keep the soul from sin as David spake Thy loving kindnesse is alwayes before mine eyes and I have Psal 26. 3 4 5. walked in thy truth I have not sat with vain persons neither will I go in with dissemblers I have hated the Congregation of evill doers and will not sit with the wicked So by the same means the soul is raised by Repentance out of sin as you may ●ee in Mary Magdalen who loved much and Luke 7. 37 38 39 c. Hos 6. 1 2. wept much because much was forgiven her so those in Hosea Come let us returne unto the Lord for he hath torne and he will heale us he hath smitten and he will binde us up after two dayes he will revive us in the third day he will raise us up and we shall live in his sight or before his face as the Hebrew hath it i. e. in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 favour confidence in Gods mercy and love that he would heal them and bind up their wounds and revive their dejected spirits and cause them to live in his favour was that which did work their hearts to repent and return unto him I might further shew you this truth in many other perticulars but this may suffice onely remember this in the gnerall that there is much of the power of God and love of God and faith in God and fear of God and care to please God and zeale for the glory of God requisite to work a man to repent 2 Cor. 7. 11. of sin as there is to keep a man from sin by which you may easily judge that to repent of sin is as great a work as not to sin and now tell me oh soul is it an easie thing not to sin we know then certainly 't is not an easie thing to repent of sin The sixt Remedy against this Device 6 Remedy of Satan is seriously to consider that he that now tempts thee to sin upon this account that repentance is easie will ere long to work thee to despaire Beda tells of a certain great man that was admonished in his sicknes to repent who answer'd that he would not repent yet for if he should recover his companions would laugh at him but growing sicker and sicker his friends pressed him again to repent bu●then he told them it was toolate Quia jam judicatus sum condemnatus for now said he I am judged and condemned to say we are thine and we must follow thee Now Satan will help to work the soul to look up and see God angry and to look inward and see Conscience accusing and condemning and to look downwards and see Hells mouth open to receive the impenitent soul and all this to render the work of repentance impossible to the soul what saith Satan doest thou think that that is easie which the whole power of grace cannot conquer while we are in this world Is it easie saith Satan to turn from some outward act of sin to which thou hast been addicted Dost thou not remember that thou hast often complained against such and such particular sins and resolved to leave them and yet to this hour thou hast not thou canst not What will it then be to turn from every sin Yea to mortifie and cut off those sin● those darling lusts that are as joynts and members that be as right hands and right eyes Hast thou not loved thy sins above thy Saviour Hast thou not preferred earth before Heaven Hast thou not all along neglected the means of Grace and despised the offers of Grace and vexed the spirit of Grace There would be no end if I should set before thee the infinit evils that thou hast committed and the innumerable good services that thou hast omitted As one Lamachus a Commander said to one of his souldiers that was brought before him for a misbehaviour who pleaded he would doe so no more saith he Non li cet in bello bis peccare no man must offend twice in war so God will not suffer men often to neglect the day of grace and the frequent checks of thy owne Conscience that thou hast contemned and therefore thou mayest well conclude that thou canst never repent that thou shalt never repent now saith Satan doe but a little consider thy numberlesse sins and the greatnesse of thy sins the foulnesse of thy sins the hainousnesse of thy sins the circumstances of thy sins and thou shalt easily see that those sins that thou thoughtest to be but motes are indeed mountaines and is it not now in vain to repent of them Surely saith Satan if thou shouldest seek repentance and grace with tears as Esau thou shalt not find it thy glasse is out thy sun is set the door of mercy is shut the golden Scepter is taken in and now thou that hast despised mercy shalt be for ever destroyed by Justice for such a wretch as thou art to attempt repentance is to attempt a thing impossible 't is impossible that thou that in all thy life couldest never conquer one sinne shouldest master such a numberles number of sins which are so near so dear so necessary and so profitable to thee that have so long bedded and boarded with thee that have been old acquaintance

shall not be so hot to thee as to others yet thou must as certainly to hell as others unlesse the glorious grace of God shines forth upon thee in the face of Christ God wil suit mens punishments to their sins the greatest sins shall be attended with the greatest punishments and lesser sins with lesser punishments alasse what a poor comfort will this be to thee when thou comest to die to consider that thou shalt not be equally tormented with others and yet must be for ever shut out from the glorious presence of God Christ Angels and Saints and from those good things of eternall life that are so many that they exceed number The gate of Indulgence the gate of hope the gate of mercy the gate of glory the gate of consolation and the gate of salvatio● will be for ever shu● against them Mat. 25. 10. so great that they exceed measure so precious that they exceed estimation Sure it is that the tears of hell are not sufficient to bewaile the losse of heaven the worme of grief gnawes as painfull as the fire burnes if those soules Acts 20. wept because they should see Paul's face no more How deplorable is the eternall deprivation of the beatificallvision But this not all thou shalt not be onely shut out of heaven but shut up in hell for ever not onely shut out from the presence of God and Angells c. but shut up with devills and damned spirit for ever not onely shut out from 'T was a good saying of Chrysostome speaking of Hell Ne quaeramu● ubi sit sed quomodo illam fugiamus let us not seek where it is but how we shall escape it those sweet surpassing unexpressabl and everlasting pleasures that be at Gods right hand but shut up for ever under those torments that are easelesse remedilesse and endlesse Ah soules were it not ten thousand times better for yee to break off your sins by repentance then to goe on in your sins till you feele the truth of what now you hear The God of Israel is very mercifull ah that you would repent and returne that your soules might live for ever Remember this grievous is the torment of the damned for the bitternesse of the punishments but most grievous for the eternity of the punishments For to be tormented without end this is Surely one good means to escape Hel is to take a turne or two in Hell by our daily meditations that which goes beyond all the bounds of desperation ah how doe the thoughts of this make the damned to roare and cry out for disquietnesse of heart and teare their haire and gnash their teeth and rage for madnesse that they must dwell in everlasting burnings for ever The eleventh Device that Satan hath 11 Device to draw the soule to sin is by polluting and defiling the soules and judgements of men with such dangerous errors that doe in their proper tendency tend to carry the soules of men to all loosnesse and wickednesse as wofull experience doth abundantly evidence Ah! how many are there filled with these and such like Christ-dishonouring and soule-undoing opinions viz. That Ordinances are poor low carnall things and not onely to be lived above but without also That the Scriptures are full of fallasies and uncertainties and no further to be heeded then they agree with that spirit that is in them That 't is a poor low thing if not idolatry too to worship God in a Mediator That the Resurrection is already past That there was never any such man or person as Jesus Christ but that all is an Allegory and it signifies nothing but light and love and such good frames borne in men That there 's no God nor Devill Heaven nor Hell but what is within us That there is no sinne in the Saints they are under no Law but that of the spirit which is all freedome That sin and grace are equally of God and agreeth to his will with a hundred other horrid opinions which hath caused wickednesse to break in as a flood among us c. Now the generall Remedies against this Device of Satan are these that follow THe first Remedy against this Device 1 Remedie of Satan is solemnly to consider that an erroneous vain mind is as odious A blinde eye is worse then a lame foot Lev. 13. 44. to God as a vicious life he that had the leprosie in his head was to be pronounced utterly unclean Grosse errors make the heart foolish and render the life loose and the soul light in the eye of God Errour spreads and frets The breath of the erronious is infectious and like the dogs of Cong● they bite though they barke not like a Gangreen and renders the soul a leoper in the sight of God It was Gods heavy and dreadfull plague upon the Gentiles to be given up to a mind void of Judgement or an injudicious mind or a mind rejected disallowed abhorred of God or a mind that none have cause to glory in but rather to be ashamed Through animosity to persist in errour is diabolicall it were best that we never erred next to that that we amended our errour of I think that in these dayes God doth punish many mens former wickednesses by giving them up to soule-ruining errours Ah Lord this mercy I humbly beg that thou wouldest rather take me into thine owne hand and doe any thing with me then to give me up to those sad errours to which thousands have married their souls and are in a way of perishing for ever The second Remedy against this Device 2 Remedy of Satan is to receive the truth affectionately and let it dwell in your soules plenteously when men stand out against the truth when truth would enter The greatest sinners are sure to be the greatest sufferers and men bar the door of their souls against truth God in justice gives up such souls to be deluded and deceived by errour to their eternall undoing 2 Thess 2. 10 11 12. Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved God shall send them strong delusions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as the Greek hath it the efficacie of errour that they should believe a lye That they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse Ah sirs as you love your soules doe not tempt God do not provoke God by your withstanding truth and out-facing truth to give you up to beleeve a lye that you may be damned There are no men on earth so fenc'd against errour as those are that receive the truth in the love of it Such soules Ephes 4. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gr. signifies cogging with a dye such slights as cheaters and false gamesters use at D●c● are not easily tossed too and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftinesse whereby they lye in wait to deceive

those that are drawn from the consideration of the great and glorious things that Christ hath done for you and if such arguments will not take yee and win upon yee I do● think the throwing of hell fire in your faces will never do it The third Remedie against this device 3. Remedy of Satan is solemnly to consider that those precious souls which Jesus Christ The Saints Motto in all ages hath been Laboremus let 's be doing hath done and suffered as much for as he hath for you have been exceeding active and lively in all religious services and heavenly performances he did as much and suffered as much for David God loves curristas not quaristas the runner not the questioner or disputer saith Luther a● for you and yet who more in praying and praysing God then David seven times a day will I praise the Lord who more in the studying and meditating on the word then David Thy law is my meditation day and night The same truth you may run and read in Jacob Moses Job Daniel and in the rest of the holy Prophets and Apostles for whom Christ hath done as much for as for you ah how have all those Worthies abounded in works of righteousnesse and holinesse to the praise of free grace Certainly Satan hath got the upper hand of those souls that do argue thus The day is at hand when God will require of men non quid legerint sed quid egerint nec quid dixerint sed quomodo vixerin● He that talks of heaven but doth not the will of God is like him that gazed upon the Moon but fell into the pit Christ hath done such and such glorious things for us therefore wee need not make any care or conscience of d●ing such and such religious services as men say the word calls for if this Logick be not from Hell what is ah were the holy Prophets and Apostles alive to heare such Logick come out of the mouths of such as professe themselves to be interested in the great and glorious things that Jesus Christ hath done for his chosen ones how would they blush to look upon such souls and how would their hearts grieve and break within them to heare the language and to observe the actings of such soules The fourth Remedy against this device 4. Remedy of Satan is seriously to consider this that those that doe not walk in ways of righteousnesse and holines that do not wait upon God in the several duties and services that are commanded by him cannot have that evidence to their own soules of their righteousnesse before God of their fellowship and communion Certainly 't is one thing to judg by our graces another thing to rest or put our trust in them There is a great deal of difference betwixt declaring and deserving on with God of their blessednesse here and their happinesse hereafter as those soules have that love and delight in the wayes of the Lord that are always best when they are most in the works and service of the Lord. Little children saith the Apostle let no man deceive you he that doth righteousnesse is righteous even as he is righteous In this saith the same Apostle the children of God are manifest and the children of the Devill whosoever doth not righteousnesse is not of God neither hee As Davids daughters were known by their garments of divers colours so are Gods children by their piety and sanctity that loveth not his brother If ye know that he is righteous saith the same Apostle ye know that every one that doth righteousnes● is born of him He that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandements is a lyer and the truth is not in him But who soever keepeth his word in him verily is the love of God perfected hereby know we that we are in him He that saith he abideth in him ought himselfe also to walke even as he A Christians embleme should be an house walking towards Heaven High words surely make a man neither holy nor just but a vertuous life a circumspect walking makes him deare to God A tree that is not fruitful is for the fire Christianity is not a talking but a walking with God who will not be put off with words if he misse of fruit he will take up his axe and then the soul is cut off for ever walked If wee say that we have fellowship with him and walk i● darknesse we lie and doe not the truth but if we walk in the light as he is in the light wee have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin saith the same Apostle So James in his second chapter What doth it profit my brethren though a man say he hath faith and have no workes can faith save him i. e. it cannot for as the body without the spirit is dead so faith without works is dead To looke after holy and heavenly works is the best way to preserve the soule from being deceived and deluded by Satans delusions and by sudden flashes of joy and comfort holy works being a more sensible and constant pledge of the precious spirit begetting and maintaining in the soule more solid pure clear strong and lasting joy Ah souls as you would have in your selves a constant and blessed evidence of your fellowship with the Father and the Sonne and of the truth of grace and of your future happinesse look that you cleave close to holy services and that you turne not your backs upon religious duties The fifth Remedy against this device 5 Remedie of Satan is solemnly to consider that 'T is a precious truth never to be forgotten Quod non actibus sed finibus pensantur officia that duties are esteemed not by their acts but by their ends there are other choice and glorious ends for the Saints performance of religious duties then for the justifying of their persons before God or for their satisfying of the Law or justice of God or for the purchasing of the pardon of sin c. viz. to testifie their justification a good tree cannot but bring forth good fruit to testifie their love to God and their sincere obedience to th● commands of God to testifie their deliverance from spirituall bondage to evidence the indwellings Finis move● ad agendum the end moves to doing of the spirit to stop the mouths of the worst of men and to glad those righteous souls that God would not have sadded These and abundance of other choise ends there be why those that have an interest in the glorious doings of Christ should notwithstanding that keep close to the holy duties and religious services that are commanded Tene mensuram respice sinem keep thy selfe within compasse and have an eye always to the end of thy life and actions was Maximimilians the Emperours Motto by Christ And if these considerations will not prevail with you to wait upon God in

had seene his glory as the glory of the only begotten son of God full of grace and truth 1 John 14. greatest horror or sorrow the soul can be under for sin nor in the sweetest or chosest discoveries of Gods grace and love to the soule as for ever to fence and secure the soule from relapsing into the same sin Grace is but a created habite that may be prevailed against by the secret subtile and strong workings of sin in our hearts And those discoveries that God makes of his love beauty and glory to the soule doe not always abide in their freshnesse and power upon the heart but by degrees they fade and weare off and then the soule may return again to folly As we see in Peter who after he had a glorious testimony Mat. 16. 15 16 17 18 19. 22 23 24. from Christ his own mouth of his blessednesse and happinesse labours to prevent Christ from going up to Jerusalem to suffer out of base slavish fears that he and his fellows could not be secure if his Master should be brought to suffer And againe after this Christ had him up into the Mount and there Mat. 7. 1 2 3. shewed him his beauty and glory to strengthen him against the hour of tentation that was a comming upon him and yet soone after he had the honour and happinesse of seeing the glory of the Lord which most of the Disciples had not he basely and most shamefully denies the Lord of glory thinking Mat. 26. 69. ult by that means to provide for his owne safety And yet again after Christ had broke his heart with a looke of love for his most unlovely dealings and bade them that were first acquainted with his resurrection to goe and tell Peter that he was risen I say after all this slavish fears prevail upon him and he basely dissembles and plays ehe Iew with the Iewes and the Gentile with the Gentiles to the seducing of Barnabas Gal 2. 11 12 13. c. Yet by way of caution know it 's very rare that God doth leave his beloved ones frequently to relapse into one and the same grosse sin for the law of nature is in armes against grosse sins aswell as the law of grace so that a gracious soule cannot dares not will not frequently returne to grosse folly And God hath made even his dearest ones dearly smart for their relapses as may be seen by his dealings with Samson Iehosaphat and Peter Ah Lord what a hard heart hath that man that can see thee stripping and whipping thy dearest ones for their relapses and yet make nothing of returning to folly c. The eighth Device that Satan 8 Device hath to keepe soules in a doubting and questioning condition is BY perswading them that theis estate is not good their hearts are not upright their graces are not sound b●cause they are so followed vexed and tormented with ' temptations 't is his method first to vex and weary the soul with temptations and then to tempt the soule that surely 't is not beloved He may so tempt as to make a Saint weary of his life Job 10. 1. My soule is weary of my life because 't is so much tempted and by this stratagem he keeps many precious souls in a sad doubting and mourning temper many years as many of the precious sonnes of Sion have found by wofull experience c. Now the remedies against this Device of Satan are these that follow THe first Remedie against this Device 1 Remedie of Satan is solemnly to consider that those that have been best and most beloved have been most tempted by Satan Though Satan can never rob a Christian of his Crown yet such is his malice that hee will therefore tempt that he may spoyle them of their comforts such is his enmity to the Father that the nearer and dearer any child is to him the more will Satan trouble him and vex him with temptations Pirats do not use to set upon poor empty vessels and beggars need not feare the thiese those that have most of God and most rich in grace shall be most set upon by Satan who is the greatest and wisest Pirate in the world Christ himselfe was most neer and most deare most innocent and most excellent and yet none so much tempted as Christ David was dearly beloved and yet by Satan tempted to number the people Iob was highly praised by God himselfe and yet much tempted witnesse those sad things that fell from his mouth when he was wet to the skin Peter was much prized by Christ witnesse that choise testimony that Christ gave of his faith and happinesse and his shewing him his glory in the Mount and that eye of pity that he cast upon him after his fearfull fall c. and yet tempted by Satan And the Lord said Luke 22. 31 32. Simon Simon behold Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat But I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile thee not c. Paul had the honour of being exalted as high as high as heaven and of seeing that glory that could not be exprest and yet hee was no sooner stept out of Heaven but he is buffetted by Satan lest he should be exalted above measure If 2 Cor. 12. 2. 7. these that were so really so gloriously so eminently beloved of God if these that have lived in Heaven and set their feet upon the stars have been tempted let no Saints judge themselves not to be beloved because they are tempted It is as natural for Saints to be tempted that are dearly beloved as 't is for the Sun to shine or a bird to sing the E●gle complains not of her wings nor the Peacock of his train nor the Nightingale of her voyce because these are naturall to them no more should S t s of their temptations because they are naturall to them For wee wrestle not against Ephes 6. 12. flesh and blood but against principalities against powers against the Rulers of the darknesse of this world against spirituall wickednesse in high places The second Remedie against this Device 2 Remedy of Satan is to consider that all the temptations that befall the Saints shall be sanctified to them by a hand of love ah the choise experiences that the Saints get of the power of God supporting them of the wisdome of God directing them so to handle their spirituall weapons their graces as not only to resist but to overcome of the mercy and goodnesse of the Lord pardoning and succouring of them And therefore saith Paul I received the messenger 2 Cor. 12. 7. Vi●e B●zam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lather said there were three things this made a P●eacher M●●itation prayer and temptation Satan for to buffet me lest I should be exalted lest I should be exalted above measure 't is twice in that verse he begins with it and ends with it if he had not been buffeted