Mans Active Obedience, Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII.
Of another ſpeciali difference, which is, That the miſbeleeuer is free from the aſſaults of Satan, wherewith the true Chriſtian is alwaies troubled.
THe aſſurance of a miſ-beleeuer, how vnſure it is, if no otherwiſe it could bee knowne; hereby it may well appeare, that he who is ſo great an enemie of the ſaluation of eueryevery man, lets them alone with ſuch courſes as they take about their ſaluation when they promiſe ſaluation to themſelues, and ſay they are vndoubtedly aſſured therof already. He doth neuer gainſay them, nor call their aſſurance into any queſtiō; for they vſe not to doubt, neither would they doubt for all the world, and as for the diuell they ſay they doe defie him: but for all their defying of him, and as well as he on the other ſide doth louelove them, if he knew that they were right, and ſo like to eſcape him; if he were not certaine that ſo long as he can keepe them to be of that mind that now they are of, they are ſure enough his owne, he would bee ſo bold as to hauehave about with them in that point of their aſſurance, as well as with other men. But he is too ſubtile, too wilie, and in his kind too wiſe, ſo much to wrong himſelfe, and diſaduantage his owne cauſe, as euer to diſquiet their reſt, and awake them out of that ſlumber: ſo long as he finds thē to be ſtil dreaming that all is well with them. He thinkes ſoone enough to giuegive them ſuch a good morrow at his greeting them in hell, where he moſt deſires to hauehave them, as ſhall gaſter them well enough out of this drunken peace of carnall ſecuritie, wherein they hauehave ſlept ſo long, which then ſhall hauehave an end when their torment ſhall begin, which neuer more ſhall hauehave end. If hee can carrie them to hell without any noiſe, and leade them on by ſtealing ſteppes to that dungeon of darkneſſe: as the fooliſh young man caught by the whoriſh woman, was lead like a foole that knoweth nothing, when yet he was carried to the ſtockes for Prou. 7. 7. 22.his due correction, it is the onelyonly courſe aboue all others that he could take to chuſe. Wheras then it is the known practice of the dwell to aſſaile true faith in eueryevery man, and by all meanes to ouerthrow and deſtroy faith where hee findes it to be, if poſſibly he can. It is more then euident, that thoſe who are many times found to bee both ignorant in knowledge, and very careleſſe in life, who doe boaſt of great faith, and brag of ſo ſtrong aſſurance; that they hauehave nothing leſſe then true faith indeed, or any ſo good aſſurance as can ſtand them in any ſtead, and that Satan knoweth well enough, who lets them ſo alone without any troubling of them, or diſquieting them at all; which doubtleſſe hee would neuer doe, did hee perceiue any one ſparke of true faith to bee in them, or any ſuch aſſurance as whereby they apprehending Chriſt Ieſus, might hauehave any true comfort of obtaining life and ſaluation by him.
On the other ſide, all true beleeuets, and ſuch as areGodly aſſaulted. Gods faithfull ſeruants indeed, find by their owne lamentable and ſorrowful experience, how troubleſome an enemie Satan is vntounto thē in theſe points, of their true beleeuing, and comfortable aſſurance of their ſaluation. In theſe things he will not let thē alone to die for it, ſo long as he can finde them liuing here vponupon earth, within the precincts of his iurisdiction, if God doe not reſtraine him, he will be euer this way troubleſome vntounto them. A deuo…ring Lion is not more greedy of his prey, then hee is of making ha…ocke and ſpoyle of the faith of men. Oh how did he d…ſire to hauehave Pet…r that he might toſſe him a while and winnow his faith, that hee might leaue nothingLuk. 22. 13. behind, but the chaffe of vnbeleefe? He ſpareth none, he is afraid of none, he will ſet vponupon the beſt, if hee can ſpie any aduantage that may be taken. Our Sauiour Chriſt himſelfe could not ſcape his hands, this prince of the world Ioh. 14. 30.came euen againſt him (though hee could finde nothing wherewith once to hurt him) hee ventured vponupon him to hauehave a bowt with him in the matter of his faith, & to trie a fall with him therein, though himfelfe was caſt, and went ſo much by the worſt, as by meanes thereof he lyeth foiled for euer, without all poſſible hope of being recouered for euermore. Our Sauiour being baptized, there came a voice from heauen, proclaiming him to be the Son Mat. 3. 27.of God, euen the Sonne of his louelove, and of his chiefe delight: this our Sauiour knew well enough in himſelfe, this hee beleeued, this he had the comfort of. After this our Sauiour faſted fortie dayes, and fortie nights, receiuing no meate to eate from his Fathers hand. Heere was now an aduantage ſpied out by the diuell for him to worke vponupon, he ſlippeth not the opportunitie, he playeth vponupon the vantage, and feareth not to aſſaile our Sauiour Chriſt in that point of his faith, whether he were the Sonne of God or no, endeauouring to call that into queſtion, and trying if he could bring our Sauiour Chriſt to make doubt theron, taking occaſion from the preſent want that he found him to be in, as one left of his Father, that now was to ſhift for himſelfe; and he reaſoneth thus with him: If thou be the Sonne of God, thou canſt cauſe theſe ſtones in this Mat. 4. 3.thy hunger to be made bread: but that thou canſt not; therfore thou art not the Sonne of God. If he thus durſt be bold to call the filiation of the Sonne of God himſelfe into queſtion: whom will he ſpare or bee afraid of to ſift in that point, and that to the full? whoſe euidence is ſo cleere in this behalfe, as the diuell ſhall not know what to ſay againſt, at the leaſt to find ſomething to cauill at, and to quarrell thereabout? Nay, the true children of God hauehave too much experience of Satans malice this way: true beleeuers can hauehave no reſt for Satans troubling of them in theſe points; let him be anſwered neuer ſo oft, he will take no anſwere, nor euer giuegive ouer: he is like to malitious and wrangling aduerſaries, who will neuer giuegive ouer to moleſt ſuch as they hate, but will ſpend all they hauehave at law to vndoe their poore neighbours, and not leaue them worth a groat. If they be ouerthrowne in one Court, they will begin their ſuit in another: if they hauehave loſt the day at one Aſſize, they will about with it againe to try it at another. So this cauiller and enuious enemie of ours, Satan, he will beare good Chriſtians downe, either they hauehave no faith at all, or that their faith hath this or that fault in it, that it can ſtand them in no ſtead; and ſo ſtopping them at the point of their faith, as in the head, he would (by his good will) neuer ſuffer them to proceed to get any ſuch aſſurance, as wherby they might find any ſound reſt for their ſoules: and where he findeth the beſt aſſurance of all, that any of Gods ſeruants during their abode in the fleſh, can bee found poſſibly to hauehave though they were men as well growne vp in the ſtrength of their faith as euer was Abraham the father of the faithfull; Rom. 4. 19. 20.of whom the Apoſtle ſaith, that he was not weake in the faith, neither did he ſtagger through vnbeleefe: yet will he not faile to trie what he can doe, euen againſt the beſt; he will thruſt as ſore at them as he can, that they might fall: and though he cannot wholly ouerthrow them, yet will he labour to bend and to make to ſhake the very foundation of their faith and ſtedfaſt beleeuing. And albeit at one time he findes he can doe little againſt them, they being in ſome ſort aware of him, and well armed to withſtand him, yet will he come another time when they ſhall not be ſo well prouided, and trie againe (Sampſon-like) to bend the pillars of their faith, and of the confidence of their hope. And thus by his vnceſſant aſſailings he ſometimes hath wronged euen the moſt principall of Gods ſeruants. Abraham that was ſo inuincible in hisRom. 4. 19. 20. faith at one time, at another time was made to ſtaggerweakneſſe of faith in the beſt. and bewray the weakneſſe of his faith, and truſt hee had of Gods keeping of him, by betaking himſelfe to ſuch a way of ſhifting for himſelfe, and eſcaping of a danger;Geneſ. 12. 13. 18. 19. and 20. 2. 9. and that not once alone, but againe the ſecond time, as did not beſeeme the conſtancy and victoriouſneſſe of the faith of ſo great a Patriarke. Moſes was brought to ſhew weakneſſe of faith, in not giuing glory to God, but ſpeaking Pſal. 106. 33.vnaduiſedly with his lips, for which he was puniſhed with the reſt, in not being ſuffered to enter into Canaan, but only Num. 20. 12.to ſee it with his eyes. Aaron the Saint of the Lord, cauſed to take an vnſanctified courſe in making a molten Calfe, which they ſaid to bee the Gods of Iſrael, which Exod. 32. 4.brought them vp out of the land of Egypt. Dauid in his haſt, made to ſay, all men be liers, and to yeeld ſo farre throughPſal. 116. 11. much weakneſſe of his faith, as to ſay of himſelge, he was now caſt off of God: Nay, though Satan did ſurely knowPſal. 31. 22. (as I am perſwaded that of ſome he maketh no other reckoning) that in dealing againſt them he ſhall neuer preuaile finally to ouerthrow their faith with all that he can doe, nor to hinder their attainment of ſaluation in the end; yet will he neuer let them alone, nor faile otherwiſe to trouble them what he can, and to wearie them, by moleſting them from time to time: and though hee cannot deſtroy theirliues, yet (ſuch is his enmity againſt them, and malice that will neuer be laid aſide) hee will doe his beſt to make their liues as vncomfortable as poſſibly hee may. If God will but ſend him or his meſſenger to Paul though he finde him ſo ſtrongly ſupported by the preſence of Gods grace, as hee cannot vtterly ouerthrow2. Cor. 12. 7. him, yet it will doe him good, that he may bee ſuffered well to buffet him, and to beate him as blacke and blew, before he be conſtrained to leaue him, and to part from him againe. It is vſuall then for all that hauehave true and ſound faith indeed, to hauehave it tried, and that many times to the full (ſuch trying of it prouing the truth of it, their enemies being iudge, who elſe would neuer ſo aſſaile it), that the triall of the faith of Gods children, and of the aſſurance thereof, being much more precious then gold that 1. Pet. 1. 7.periſh…th, may be found to their praiſe. The Lord ſeeing it meet to hauehave it thus, doth ſometimes trie the faith of his children his owne ſelfe, and ſometimes permitteth Satan to doe his beſt againſt them, that he may know their faith, and trie their aſſurance and thruſt at it with all his might to make it yeeld; yea to breake it downe for altogether if poſſibly he could. Not that the Lord in permitting Satan ſo to doe, would either pleaſure or gratifie him, or wrong his owne ſeruants, or ſee thē wronged by him: nothing leſſe; but to ſpeak as the truth is, the Lord in ſuffering Satan ſo to do, giues him nothing, but rather makes him an inſtrument of his owne ſhame and ouerthrow: he doth not ſo much giuegive them into his hands, as ratherRom. 16. 20. giues him vp to bee vanquiſhed and ouercome by his ſeruants, whom he doth ſo aide and ſtrengthen, as hee makes them able to conquer him, and to tread him vnderunder their feet; the Lord preparing thus for his ſeruants a glorious victorie, that hauing thus ouercome, they may reioyce and triumph for euermore.