Defensive Armor Against Four of Satans Most Fiery Darts, Chapter 9
CHAP. IX.
An Holy Life and Converſation an excellent Preparative to this Spiritual Combate. This opened. Terrours of Conſcience for Sin, oft times one great cauſe of ſuch Thoughts. Theſe not ordinary, but for great Sinnings, ſome more notorious Acts of Ʋngodlineſs, or of Ʋnrighteouſneſs, great Sinnings againſt Light, &c.
5. FIfthly, There is no better Preparative for this Spiritual Combate, then an Holy Life and Converſation. Although the Holieſt Men alive are not exempted from this Fiery Dart (even Chriſt himſelf heard the Devil ſay (Caſt thy ſelf down) yet you ſhall obſerve theſe Temptations moſtly fall upon Men of looſe Lives and Converſation, at leaſt do moſt ordinarily prevail againſt ſuch. The ordinary Motive that prevaileth with Souls to do this thing, is the avoiding of ſome great Evil which either they have in proſpect, or feel the burden of. Now this Evil is either more External, ſuch as Slavery and falling into the hands of Enemies, This made Saul fall upon his own Sword, and Cato kill himſelf: Or horrible bodily Pains and Tortures; being expoſed to ſome ſhameful Death, &c. Or elſe they are more Internal, ſuch as Horrours and Pangs of Conſcience. They are rare Inſtances, that either Holy or Civil Hiſtory gives us of Perſons putting an end to their own Lives to avoid Impriſonment, Shame, or Tortures from Men; and not many that we have of Perſons, who in Terrible Bodily Pains, have expoſed to the Prevailings of this Temptation. Now theſe Terrours and Pangs of Conſcience ariſe from the Souls Reflections upon its Guilt in reſpect of Sin. Thus the Scripture tells us Judas hang'd himſelf, crying out, he had betrayed Innocent Blood. Thus Hiſtory tells us Pontius Pilate killed himſelf; and thus we Read of many others in Hiſtory. And although there be no Sin ſo little, but if God ſetteth it home upon the Conſcience and ſupporteth not the Soul with his Grace, it is able to drive the Soul to this deſperate iſſue; yet it is not ordinary for Sins of a more minute Nature, and ſuch as the beſt of Men commit, to be followed with ſuch horrours as ſeize the Spirit of a Man, or for Satan to take ſuch an advantage from them. The reflections which produce this effect, are uſually upon ſome Sins of a more then ordinary Tincture; and that have had ſome more eminent circumſtances of Aggravation: From whence it followeth that a Godly and Righteous Converſation, Religious towards God, Juſt and Righteous towards Men, is one of the beſt Preſervatives from the violence of this Temptation. A Pr…fane Atheiſtical Blaſphemous Perſon is highly expoſed to the Impetus of it, ſo is any, who hath bin guilty of more notorious Acts of Unrighteouſneſs, ſuch as Murther, Perſecution, high degrees of Violence and Oppreſſion: For though it be true that God is able to pardon many Sins as well as few, great as well as ſmall, and the Promiſe extendeth to all Sin and Blaſphemy, to Scarlet and Crimſon Sins; yet we ſhall find it an harder thing to be beleeve in Chriſt for the Remiſſion of Sins of ſo high a Tincture: Beſides that, Courſes of Sin of this Nature, have a very ill influence upon the Heart, to blind, and to harden it; ſo that poor Creatures under the Guilt of them are often more ſenſible of the Wrath of God due to thoſe who commit ſuch things, then of the Evil and Filthineſs of them. O therefore flee ſuch things as theſe are, you know not how far God for them may leave you to Satans Buffetings of this Nature; you know not what it is to Repent of them, nor how hardly the Soul that is under the Guilt of them is brought to believe in the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, or to hope in him for the free Pardon and Remiſſion of them; or to arrive at any ſenſe of the Pardon of them: In ſhort, take heed of all bold ſinnings againſt Light and Checks or Reverberations of Conſcience. If we will not hearken to the lighter Checks and Dictates of Conſcience, we are often and but juſtly repaid with the ſeverer Terrours and Affrightments of it, for our doing of ſuch things contrary to its Dictates and lighter Admonitions: But the holy Man that walketh cloſely with God, that liveth up to his Light and Revelations of the Will of God, is very much out of this danger; and though he may have ſome impreſſions of this Nature, yet they rarely are advantaged from an aking Conſcience in the ſenſe of Guilt.