Bilney Martyrs whose Consciences were so sorely wounded for Recanting the Truth which they professed that they seemed to feel a very Hell within them The more fixed Distresses as they are of longer continuance so they are often accompanied with the very worst Symptomes For when in these Agonies no Sun nor Star of comfort appears to them for many days all hope that they shall be saved seems to be taken away and being tired out with Complaints and Importunities without any Answer they at last reject the use of Means Some have lain many Years as the Paralytick Man at the Pool of Bethesda without Cure Some from their Youth up as Heman complains Some carry their Distresses to their Death-Bed and it may be are not eased till their Souls are ready to depart out of their Bodies and then they often end suddenly and comfortably Some I could tell you of who on their Death-Bed after grievous Terrours and many Out-crys concerning their miseries of Blackness and Darkness for ever lay long silent and then on a sudden brake out into Raptures of Joy and adoring Admiration of the Goodness of God using that speech of the Apostle Rom. 11. 33. O the depth of the riches both of the Wisdom and knowledg of God! how unsearchable are his Judgments and his Ways past finding out Others go out of the World in Darkness without any appearance of Comfort Such an Instance was Mr. Chambers as the story of his Death testifies mentioned by Mr. Perkins in his Treatise of Desertions of whom this account is given that in great Agonies he cried out he was Damned and so died The case of such is surely very sad to themselves and appears no less to others yet we must take heed of judging rashly concerning such Nay if their former Course of Life hath been uniformly good for who will reject a fine Web of Cloth as one speaks for a little course List at the end especially if there be any obscure appearance of hope As that Expression of Mr. Chambers O that I had but one drop of Faith is by Mr. Perkins supposed to be we ought to judg the best of them We have seen the nature of Spiritual Distresses in the Ingredients and Differences thereof We are now to Consider 2. Satan's method in procuring them Which consists 1. In the Occasions which he lays hold on for that end 2. In the Arguments which he useth 3. In the working up of their Fears by which he confirms Men in them 1. As to the Occasions He follows much the same Course which hath been described before in Spiritual Troubles so that I need not say much only I shall note two things 1. That it makes much for Satan's purpose if the Party against whom he designs have faln into some grievous sins Sins of common Magnitude do not lay a foundation suitable to the Superstructure which he intends he cannot plausibly argue Reprobation or Damnation from every ordinary sin but if he finds them guilty of something extraordinary then he falls to work with his Accusations The most usual sins which he takes advantage from are as Mr. Perkins observes those against the Third Sixth and Seventh Command sometimes those against the Ninth Murther Adultery Perjury and the wilful denial of Truth against Conscience are the Crimes upon which he grounds his Charge but most usually the last Upon this the distressed Spira and some of the Martyrs As for the other the more private they are Satan hath oft the more advantage against them because God's secret and just Judgment will by this means bring to Light the hidden things of Darkness and force their Consciences to accuse them of that which no Man could lay to their Charge that he might manifest himself to be the searcher of the Hearts and trier of the Reins Thus have many been forced to disclose private Murthers secret Adulteries and to Vomit up though with much pain and torture that which they have by Perjury or Guile extorted from others 2. Where Satan hath not these particular Advantages he doth endeavour to prepare Men for Distresses by other Troubles long continued All men that are brought to dispair of their Happiness must not be supposed to be greater Sinners than others some are distressed with fears of Eternal Damnation that are in a good measure able to make Job's protestation in these cases That their Heart hath not been deceived by a Woman That they have not laid wait at their Neighbours door That they have not lift up their hand against the Fatherless when they saw their help in the Gate that their Land doth not cry against them nor the Furrows thereof complain that when they saw the Sun when it shined or the Moon walking in brightness their Heart hath not been secretly enticed nor their Mouth kissed their Hand that they rejoyced not in the destruction of him that hated them nor lift up themselves when evil found him c. Notwithstanding all which their Fears are upon and prevail against them But then before Satan can bring them to consent to such dismal Conclusions against themselves they must be extraordinarily fitted to take the Impression either tired out under great Afflictions or long exercised with Fears about their Spiritual Estates without intermixture of Comfort or Ease or their Faculties broken and weakned by Melancholy Any of these give him an advantage equivalent to that of great Sins For though he cannot say to these your sins are so Enormous that they are considered themselves together with their Circumstances sad signs or Reprobation yet he will plead that God's carriage towards them doth plainly discover that he hath wholly cast them off and left them to themselves without hope of Mercy 2. As for the Arguments which he useth they are much-what from the same Topicks which he maketh choice of in bringing on Spiritual Troubles Only as he aims at the Proof of a great deal more against God's Children than that they are not Converted so accordingly he scrues up his Mediums for proof to an higher pin His Arguments are 1. From Scriptures wrested or misapplied His choice of Scriptures for this purpose is of such places as either seem to speak most sadly the dangerous and fearful Estate of Men according to the first view and literal representation of them through the unskilfulness of those that are to be concerned Or of such places as do really signifie the miserable Unhappiness of some Persons who through their own fault have been cut off from all hope and the possibility of the like to some others for the future So that in framing Arguments from Scripture the Devil useth a twofold cunning 1. There are some Scriptures which have the word Damnation in them applied to some particular Acts and Miscarriages of Men when yet their intendment is not such as the word seems to sound or as he would make them to believe Now when he catcheth a Child of God in such acts as are there
by its Authority Secondly He makes abused Scripture to encourage sinful Actions he can cite passages of God's Patience and long-suffering of his pardoning Grace and readiness to forgive and a thousand more upon no other design than the turning of the Grace of God into wantonness When Professors turn loose and negligent when they adventure too far upon sinful pleasures they lick themselves whole by an overforward grasping at such passages of Scripture which Satan will with great readiness set upon their hearts and then they pretend to themselves that their peace is made up with God and that they have no less than a sealed Pardon in their Bosomes which notwithstanding may be known to have only Satans Hand and Seal at it by their overly and formal sorrow for such miscarriages and their readiness to return to the same follies again Thirdly By this imitation of the Commands and Promises of God he doth strangely engage such as he can thus delude unto desperate undertakings The Familists of Germany were perswaded by this delusion to expose themselves unarmed to the greatest hazards upon vain pretences of Promises set home upon them as that God would fight for them that they must stand still and see the Salvation of God Some of later times have paid their lives for their bold misapplication of that Promise One shall chase a thousand Judas of Galilee and Theudas were prompted by Satan to gather Multitudes together though to their own ruine upon a vain perswasion that they were raised up of God and that God would be with them Fourthly He sometimes procures groundless Peace and Assurance in the hearts of careless ones by Scripture misapplyed Many you may meet with who will roundly tell you a long Story how they were cast down and comforted by such a Scritpure brought to their minds when it may be much feared they are but deceived and that as yet God hath not spoken peace to them Lastly This way of Satans setting home Scriptures proves sadly effectual to beget or heighten the inward distresses and fears of the Children of God 'T is a wonder to hear some dispute against themselves so nimble they be to object a Scripture against their Peace above their reading or ability that you would easily conclude there is one at hand that prompts them and suggests these things to their own prejudice And sometimes a Scripture will be set so Cross or edg-way to their Good and Comfort that many Pleadings much time Prayers and Discourses cannot remove it I have known some that have seriously professed Scriptures have been thrown into their Hearts like Arrows and have with such Violence fixed a false apprehension upon their Minds as that God had cut them off that they were reprobate damned c. that they have born the tedious restless affrightments of it for many days and yet the thing it self as well as the issue of it doth declare that this was not the Fruit of the Spirit of God which is a Spirit of Truth and cannot suggest a falseshood but of Satan who hath been a Lyer from the Beginning Observe lastly Though Satan useth Scripture in these deceitful workings yet he never doth it faithfully First Because it is against his Nature as 't is now corrupted by his Fall there is no truth in him When he speaketh a Lye he speaketh of his own for he is a Lyer not that he cannot spake a Truth but that he usually is a Lyar and that he never speaks Truth but with a purpose to deceive Secondly To deal faithfully in urging Scriptures upon the Consciences of Men is also contrary to his Interest he hath a Kingdom which he endeavours to uphold This Kingdom being directly contrary to that of Christ's which is a Kingdom of Light is therefore called a Kingdom of Darkness being maintained and propagated only by Lies and Deceits He cannot then be supposed to use Scripture faithfully because that is the true Scepter of Christ's Kingdom for then should Satan as Christ argues Mat. 12. 26. cast out Satan and be divided against himself This unfaithful dealing with Scripture is threefold First The unfaithfulness of his Design though he speaks what is true yet he doth it with an evil Mind aiming at one of these three things First To Deceive and Delude If he applies Promises or insists upon the Priviledges of God's Children it is to make them Proud or Presumptuous if he urge Threatnings or stir up the Conscience to accuse for Sin 't is to bring them to dispair if he object the Law 't is to enrage Lust and that Sin by the Commandment might become exceeding sinful Secondly His Design is sometime to bring the Scripture under Suspition or Contempt he puts some weak Christians upon unseasonable or Imprudent use of Scripture and then tempts others to laugh at them and to dispisen in their Hearts those ways of Religion which some Zealots with too much weakness do manage Men are apt enough to scoffat the most serious and weighty Duties of Holiness even when performed in a most serious manner If David put on Sackcloth and afflict himself with Fasting it is presently turned to his reproach and the Drunkards make a Song of it but much more advantage hath the Devil to raise up scorn and loathing in the Minds of debauched Persons by the affected and unskilful use of Scripture Some by a narrow confinement of the words Brother and Sister to those of their own Fellowship as if none else were to be owned by them have occasioned the scoff of Holy Brethren a Phrase notwithstanding used with a grave seriousness by the Apostle in the usual Discourses of those who wait all occasions to harden themselves against the Power of Religion The like Observations they make of other ways and forms of speaking which some have accustomed themselves unto in a conscientious conformity to Scripture phrase in all which the Devil observing the weakness and injudiciousness of some on the one hand and the scornful Pride of others on the other hand is willing to provide matter for their Atheistical jears by putting all the Obligations he can upon the Consciences of the weak to continue in the use of these Expressions For some proof of this matter we may note the secret Deceit of Satan in that liberal profession of Christ to be the Son of God Mark 1. 24. Luke 4. 34. I know thee who thou art the Holy One of God here was Truth spoken by him and one would have thought with great Ingenuity but yet he cunningly insinuated into the Minds of the Hearers a ground of Suspition that he was not the Son of God and for that end calls him Jesus of Nazareth as if Christ had been born there he knew well that the Jews expected no Messiah from Nazareth and therefore on set purpose used he that Expression that he might draw him into contempt And accordingly we find this very mistake that Christ was born at Nazareth
pretence that Satan hath for this dealing is raised from some passages of the New Testament wherein many things of the Old Testament are said to have had a Mystical signification of things expressed or transacted then and some things are expresly called Allegories Hence Papists determine the Scripture to have besides the Grammatical Sence which all of us do own and besides the Tropological sence which is not divers or distinct from the Grammatical as when from Histories we deduce instructions of holy and sober carriage an Allegorical and Analogical sense in which dealing men consider not that the Spirit of God his interpreting a passage or two allegorically will never justify any Mans boldness in presuming to do the like to any other passage of Scripture and beside when any hath tryed his skill that way another may with equal probability carry the same Scripture to a different interpretation and by this means the Scripture shall not only become obscure but altogether uncertain and doubtful and unable to prove any thing so that this doth extreamly dishonour Scripture by making it little less than ridiculous Porphyry and Julian made themselves sport with it upon the occasion of Origens allegorizing and no wonder seeing that humour as one calls it is no better than a learned Foolery Notwithstanding this Men are sometime transported with a strange delight in turning all into Allegories and picking Mysteries out of some by-passages and circumstances of Scripture where one would least expect them which I can ascribe to no second cause more than to the working and power of Fancy which as it can frame Ideas and Images of things out of that that affords no real likeness or proportion as Men that create to themselves Similitudes and Pictures in the Clouds or in the Fire so doth it please it self in its own work and with a kind of natural affection it doth kiss and hug its own Baby It hath been my wonder sometimes to see how fond Men have been of their own Fancies and how extreamly they have doted upon a very bauble I might note you examples of this even to nauseousness in all Studies as well as in this of Religion Those that affect the sublimities of Chymistry do usually by a strange boldness stretch all the sacred Mysteries of Scripture as of the Trinity of Regeneration c. to represent their Secrets and Processes as may be seen sufficiently in their Writings One of them I cannot forbare to name and that is Glauber who doth so please himself with some idle whims about Sal and Sol that at last he falls in with Bernardinus Gomesius whom he cites and approves who in this one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies Salt finds the Trinity the Generation of the Son the two natures of Christ the calling of the Jews and Gentiles the procession of the Spirit and the communications of the Spirit in the Law and Gospel and all this he gathers from the shapes stroaks and positions of these three Letters a very subtile invention Not unlike to this were some of the dotages of the Jewish Cabala which they gathered from the different writing of some Letters in the sacred Text from the transposing of them and from their Mystical Arithmetick R. Elias from the letter Aleph mentioned six times in Gen. 1. 1. collected his Notion of the Worlds continuance for 6000 years because that letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stands for a thousand in the Hebrew computation Another Rabbi mentioned by Lud. Cappellus hath a profound speculation concerning the first letter of Genesis which as he saith doth therefore begin with Beth and not with Aleph to shew the unexceptionable verity of God's Word against which no Mouth can justly open it self and this he gathers from the manner of the pronunciation of that letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is performed by the closure of the Lips It were not possible to imagine that wise Men should be thus carried away with childish Follies if there were not some kind of inchantment in Fancy which makes the hit of a Conceit though never so silly intoxicate them into an apprehension of a rare Discovery And doubtless this is the very thing that doth so transport the Allegorizers and Inventers of Mysteries that they are ravished either with the discovery of a New-nothing or with the rare invention of an Aenigmatical Interpretation Thirdly The Devil hath yet another way of coining Mysteries and that is a pretence of a more full discovery of Notions and Ways which as he tells those that are willing to believe him are but glanced at in the Scripture and this doth not only contain his boast of unfolding Prophecies and the dangerous applications of them to Times and Places that are no way concerned which hath more than once put Men upon dangerous undertakings but also his large promise of teaching the Way of the Lord more perfectly and of leading Men into a full comprehension of those tremendous Mysteries wherein the Scripture hath as industriously concealed the Reasons Way and Manner of their Being as it hath fully asserted that they are such are the Decrees of God the Trinity c. as also of unfolding and teaching at large those things that the Scripture seems only to hint at In all which points we have instances enough at hand which will shew us how the Devil hath played his Game either by making Men bold in things not revealed or by drawing Men to dislike solid Truths and by puffing them up with notions till at last they were prepared for the impression of some grand Delusion All this while I have only explained the first head of Satan's specious pretences which consists in the promise of Discoveries and Mysteries The next head of pretences are those that relate to the persons inamoured with these supposed Mysteries With these he strokes their heads and causeth them to hug themselves in a Dream of an imaginary happiness For if they have the knowledg of Mysteries which are locked up from other Men they cannot avoid this Conclusion That they are the only Favourites of Heaven that they only have the Spirit are only taught of God c. Such swelling words of vanity have ever accompanied Delusion And indeed we shall find the confidence of such Men more strong and their false embracements more rapturous than ordinarily the ways of Truth do afford upon this account that in such cases Fancy is elevated and the delights of a raised Fancy are excessive and Enthusiastical 'T is a kind of Spiritual Frenzy which extends all the Faculties to an extraordinary Activity the Devil doing all he can to further it by his utmost Contributions Joy delight hope love are all raised to make an hubbub in the heart whereas on the contrary Truth is modest humble sober and affords a more silent joy though more even and lasting Here might I set Errour before you in its rant and give you a taste of
When the Affections are earnest their satisfaction cannot be delayed without trouble for Hope deferred makes the Heart sick Prov. 13. 12. not only doth it faint under its doubts but is by that means so weak in its Purposes that it is easily drawn to admit of greater Inconveniencies which may lay the foundation of more perplexing disturbances That the Conscience may be in such a Distemper that it will not witness for a Man when yet it cannot witness against him is the observation of those that have treated of the nature of Conscience Sometimes it will not make application of God's Promises though it will believe that he that forsakes Sin is regenerate that he that truly repents shall be pardoned yet it will not affirm for a Man that he forsakes Sin or repents though he really do so or if it cannot deny that yet it will sometimes refuse to make that conclusion which one would think would follow of it self by natural consequence and so refuseth to judge the Person regenerate or pardoned though it cannot deny but that he forsakes Sin and repents The greatness of the Blessing the remainders of Unbelief the deep sense of Unworthiness with other considerations do keep off the Heart from making as I may say so bold with the Promises but all this while the Devil is doing his utmost to aggravate these considerations afrighting the Conscience from that just absolution which it ought to give 2. Another degree of Trouble arising from an evil Conscience is when the condition of a Regenerate Person is determined by Conscience but falsly to be very bad I must here as some others have done for want of better terms distinguish betwixt the state of Regeneracy and a Mans condition in that state though the words state and condition are used promiscuously the one for another A Man may be in a Regenerate state and yet his condition in that state may be very bad and blame-worthy as not walking worthy of so holy a Calling as a Person may be a Man and yet unhealthy or languishing Thus many of the Asian Churches were true Churches and yet in a bad condition some lukewarm some had a name to live and yet were comparatively dead because their works were not full or perfect before God and others had left their first love To this purpose is that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 13. 5. Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reproabates where the word Reprobate is not to be taken in the strict severe sense for one not elected but for one whose conversation is not so sound and approved as it should be for this relates not to their being in Christ but to their assurance of being in that state which the Apostle affirms they might know except the fault lay in their negligent careless conversation This kind of Trouble then is of this nature the Conscience doth not accuse a Man to be Vnregenerate yet it condemns him for a carriage unsuitable to the Gospel and this sometimes when his Actions are not absolutely evil but partly good partly bad When the Conscience condemns the Actions as altogether sinful because of some mixture of Infirmities in which case we should imitate the Apostle in Rom. 7. who when by reason of the remainders of Sin in him he could not do the good he would that is in such a manner and degree as he desired nor avoid the evil which he would so clearly and fully as he wished some imperfections in his best endeavours still cleaving to him yet his Conscience took a right course he was humbled for his imperfections but withal acquits himself in point of integrity his Conscience testified ver 16. that he consented to the Law as good and ver 22. that he delighted in the Law of God after the inward Man But in this case of Spiritual trouble the Conscience takes all in the worst sence it only fixeth upon the imperfections and makes them to serve for proofs against the Sincerity Thus if a Man in praying be troubled with wandering thoughts then a distempered Conscience condemns that Prayer as a sinful prophanation of the name of God if the great concern of God's Glory run along in such a way as is also advantagious to the Person in outward things then will such a Conscience condemn the Man for self-seeking though his main design were truly the honour of God In all actions where there is infirmity appearing with the most serious endeavours or where God's Glory and Man's Good are twisted together the disordered Conscience will be apt to take part with Satan accusing and condemning the action Yea very often when the actions are very good no way justly reprovable the Conscience shall condemn if he have had peace he shall be judged for security if he have Faith in God's promises it will call it presumption if he have a zeal for God it will be misinterpreted for carnal rigour if he have joy it shall be misjudged to be natural chearfulness or delusion in a word all his Graces shall be esteemed no better than moral Vertues At this rate are the Children of God put to great trouble losing as I may say the things they have wrought sadly bemoaning their hardness of heart or want of Faith and Love when in their carriage and complainings they give very high proofs of all In this also Satan is busy to nourish the Conscience in its Jealousies and doth suggest many objections to confirm it in its Distemper The Conscience is not always of a peevish or perverse humour for sometimes it will smite a Man for a miscarriage as it did to David when he cut off the lap of Saul's Garment and yet not break his peace which is a sufficient evidence that it is put in this case far out of order which advantage Satan works upon to disquiet the heart to make Men unthankful for the Mercies they have received and to incapacitate them for more This for distinction sake we may call the trouble of a grieved or dejected Conscience according to that of Psal 42. 5 11. Why art thou cast down O my Soul and why art thou disquieted within me Though such Men are under God's Favour yet they misdeem it and think God is angry with them their Heart pants their Soul thirsts their Tears are their Meat they are ready to say unto God My rock why hast thou forsaken me And though they have some hopes for the future that God will command his loving kindness and that they shall yet praise him yet their present apprehension of their Spiritual wants and weaknesses and of the displeasure of God which they suppose they are under makes them go mourning all the Day 3. The third degree of trouble of Conscience is when the Conscience peremptorily denies the state of Regeneration Hereby a Man that is really regenerate is concluded to be yet in the Gall of bitterness and bond of Iniquity his
of Men in the Air is sufficiently confirmed by what he doth frequently to Witches who are usually carried if we can give any credit to the Stories that are writ of them in the Air to places far remote from their dwellings And that this Power is permitted him upon others than such as are in compact with him is as evident from what is testifyed of those whose forward curiosity hath led to imitate Witches in their Anointings who have thereupon been conveyed after them to their Assemblies and when the Company hath been suddenly dismissed they have been found many Miles distant from their dwellings such instances we have in Bodin and among other things that of Domina Rossa mentioned by him whom Satan would sometime bind to a Tree sometime to a Table or to a Beds-foot or to a Manger sometime one hand bound to another the Devil thus molested her from eight years old a long time This Power of conveying Persons in the Air is not usual yet there are some in this place that have known one frequently molested by Satan at this rate However if we take notice of his Power to abuse the bodies of Holy Persons more generally we shall find it frequent Mary Magdelen was possessed Christ mentions a Daughter of Abraham bowed down by him many years Job was filled with Botches and Sores and there are many Diseases wherein Satan hath a greater hand than is commonly imagined Physitians frequently conclude so much while they observe some Distempers to clude such Remedies as are usually successful upon other Persons under the same Diseases From this we may infer 1. the great Power of Satan who can tell the extent of it doubtless if he were permitted 〈◊〉 should see sad instances hereof daily 2. This discovers the wonderful Care and Providence of God over us in our preservation from his fury 3. We may further note that the abuse of the bodies of Men by Satan will be no evidence that therefore God doth disregard them or that they are not precious to him Christ did undergo this abuse to give such as shall be so molested some comfort in his example The third Circumstance which is that of place is set down first in general The Holy City that is Jerusalem for so Luke speaks expresly Jerusalem was so called because of God's Worship there established and his peculier presence there but that it should be called so at this time may seem strange seeing it might now be lamented as of old How is the Faithful City become an Harlot Righteousness lodged in it but now Murtherers In answer to this we must know that God having not yet given her a Bill of Divorce He is pleased to continue her Title and Priviledg This might be profitably improved but I will not suffer my self to be diverted from the matter of Temptation which is the only thing I propound to prosecute from hence I shall here only Observe That the Holiness or Sanctity of a Place will be no Priviledg against Temptations He is not so fearful as many imagine as that he dares not approach a Church-yard or a Church neither Place nor Duty can keep him off I do not believe the Popish Fiction of their St. Bennets Vision wherein they tell of his seeing but one Devil in a Market and ten in a Monastery yet I question not the truth of this that the Devil is as busy at a Sermon or Prayer as at any other Imployment But to search a little further into this matter It seems undeniable that Satan had a design in reference to the place of which afterward and I see no reason to exclude our suspicion of a design from the Name and Title which the Evangelist here gives to Jerusalem 'T is an expression which to my remembrance we meet not with oft in the New-Testament At the Suffering of Christ when the bodies of the Saints arose out of their Graves 't is said they went into the Holy City but 't is evident that it is there so styled upon special design as if the Evangelist would by that point at the staining of their Glory and that in a little time their boast of the Temple and Holy City should cease and that all should be polluted with the Carcasses of the Slain and by the same reason may we suppose that Satan intending for Christ a Temptation of presumption and backing it with the Promise of a Guard of Angels had in his Eye the usual Confidence that the Jews had of that City as a place where the presence of Angels might be more expected than elsewhere So that it seems Satan intended to impose upon Christ a Confidence in order to presumption From the priviledg of the Place here observe That Satan is willing to gratify us with Nominal and Imaginary Priviledges and Defences against himself he will willingly allow us such defences as are altogether insignificant and delusive and his Policy here is centred upon these two things First He doth industriously prompt us to self-devised inventions such as were never appointed or blessed of God to any such use but only found out by the bold superstitions of Men. Of this we have an instance in Balack who carried Baalam from place to place in his prosecution of his design of cursing Israel neither can we imagine that a commodious prospect of Israel was all he aimed at seeing he discovers his mind in this variation of places Peradventure it will please God that thou maist curse them from thence clearly implying that he had a confidence that the place might contribute something to his design and that there was some inherent vertue in those consecrated places and therefore did he begin with the high Places of Baal and then to the Field of Zophim and then to the top of Peor Among the Papists we find too much of this what Power they Attribute to Holy-Water Blessed-Salt Sign of the Cross Hallowed-Earth Consecratrd Places Reliques Baptized-Bells Exorcisms and abundance of such Stuff may be seen in many of their Writings too tedious to be related Secondly He is also willing that Men use those real defences and helps which God hath commanded so that they use them in a formal manner which indeed deprives them of all the Life and Efficacy that might be expected from an instituted means thus he readily permits ignorant Persons without any disturbance or molestation to use the repetition of the Lords-Prayer Ten-Commandments and Creed or any other Prayer while they perswade themselves that the very saying of the words is a sufficient defence against the Devil all that day The reasons of Satan's Policy in such Gratifications are these First While we are kept doing with these we are diverted from that which might be really helpful he puts a broken Reed into our hand that we might be deprived of a Staff Experience confirms this those that with greatest devotion use these empty Inventions are usually careless in
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