Precious Remedies Against Satans Devices, Part 1
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 Belly▪ Gods with drie eyes, Phil. 3. 18. And Lots righteous ſoule was burdened,foreign. vexed, and racked by the filthy Sodomites, 2 Pet. 2. 7, 8. Every ſinfull Sodomite was a Hazael to his eyes, a Hadadrimmon to his heart; Gracious ſoules uſe to mourne for other mens ſins as well as their owne, and for their ſoules119 Pſal. 136. 158. and ſins, who make a mock of ſin, and a jeſt of damning their owne ſoul…. Guilt or grief is all that gracious ſoules get by communion with vain ſouls.
In the ſixth Verſe, he ſhewes, that the puniſhment that was inflicted upon the inceſtuous perſon was ſufficient, and therefore they ſhould not refuſe to receive him, who had repented, and ſorrowed for his former faults and follies. 'Tis not for the honour of Chriſt, the credit of the Goſpel, nor the good of ſoules, for Profeſſors to be like thoſeAct. and Mon. ſol. 1392. bloody wretches, that burnt ſome that recanted at the ſtake, ſaying that they would ſend them out of the world while they were in a good minde.
In the 7, 8, 9, and 10 Verſes, the Apoſtle ſtirres up the Church to forgive him, to comfort him, and to confirme their love towards him, leſt he ſhould be ſwallowed up with over much ſorrow, Satan going about to mix the deteſtable darnell of deſperation with the godly ſorrow of a pure penitent heart. It was a ſweet ſaying of one, Let a manDoleat & de dolore gaudeat, Jerome. grieve for his ſin, and then joy for his grief; that ſorrow for ſin that keeps the ſoule from looking towards the MercieMercy-Seat, and that keeps Chriſt and the ſoul aſunder, or that ſhall render the ſoule unfit for the communion of Saints, is a ſinfull ſorrow.
In the eleventh Verſe, he layes down another reaſon to work them to ſhew pity and mercy to the penitent ſinner, that was mourning and groaning under his ſin and miſery, i. e. Leſt Satan ſhould get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his Devices. A little for the opening of the words.
Leſt Satan ſhould get an advantage of us, foreign.leaſt Satan over-reach us, the Greek word ſignifieth to have more then belongs to one; the compariſon is taken from the greedy Merchant, that ſeeketh and taketh all opportunities to beguile and deceive others. Satan is that wily Merchant, that devoureth not widowes houſes, but moſt mens ſouls.
For we are not ignorant of Satans devices, or plots, or machinations, or ſtratagems;Non…. he is but a titular Chriſtian, that hath not perſonall experience of Satans ſtratagems, his ſet and compoſed machinations, his artificially-moulded methods, his plots, darts, depths, whereby he out-witted our firſt parents, and fits us a penny-worth ſtill, as he ſees reaſon.
The maine Obſervation that I ſhall draw from theſe words, is this.
That Satan hath his ſeverall devices to deceive, intangle, and undoe the ſouls of men.
I ſhall firſt prove the point, and ſecondly ſhew you his ſeverall Devices; and thirdly the Remedies againſt his Devices; and fourthly, how it comes to paſſe, that he hath ſo many ſeverall Devices to deceive, intangle, and undoe the ſoules of men. Fifthly, I ſhall lay downe ſome Propoſitions concerning Satan, and his Devices. For the proofe of the point, take theſe few Scriptures. Epheſ. 6. ver. 11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to ſtand againſt the wiles of the Devil. The Greek wordforeign. that is here rendred wiles, is a notable emphaticall word.
1. It ſignifies ſuch ſnares as are laid behind one, ſuch treacheries as come upon ones back at unawares. It notes the methods, or way-layings of that old ſubtile Serpent, who, like Pans adder in the path, biteth the heels of paſſengers, and thereby transfuſeth his venome to the head and heart; the word ſignifies an ambuſhment, or ſtratagem of War, whereby the enemy ſets upon a man ex inſ…diis, at unawares.
2. It ſignifies ſuch ſnares as are ſet toforeign. catch one in ones road; a man walks in his road, and thinks not of it, on the ſudden he is Catcht by thieves, or falls into a pit, &c.
3. It ſignifies ſuch as are purpoſely, artificially, and craftily ſet for the taking the prey at the greateſt advantage that can be; the Greek foreign being derived from foreign and foreign, ſignifies properly a way-laying, circumvention, or going about, as they doe which ſeek after their prey. Julian by his craft, drew more from the Faith, then all his perſecuting Predeceſſors could doe by their cruelty. So doth Satan more hurt in his ſheepskin, then by roaring like a Lyon.
Take one Scripture more for the proof of the point, and that is in the ſecond of Timothy, the ſecond chapter, and the laſt verſe, And that they may recover themſelves out of the ſnare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. The Greek word that is here rendred recover themſelves, ſignifies to awakeforeign. themſelves. The Apoſtle alludeth to one that is aſleep, or drunk, who is to be awaked and reſtored to his ſenſes; and the Greek word that is here rendred taken captive, ſignifies to be taken alive;foreign the word is, properly, a warlike word, and ſignifies to be taken alive, as Souldiers are taken alive in the wars, or as Birds are taken alive, and inſnared in the Fowlers net. Satan hath ſnares for the wiſe, and ſnares for the ſimple, ſnares for Hypocrites, and ſnares for the upright; ſnares for generous ſoules, and ſnares for timerous ſoules, ſnares for the rich, and ſnares for the poore, ſnares for the aged, and ſnares for youth, &c. happy are thoſe ſoules that are not taken and held in the ſnares that he hath laid. Take one proofe more, and then I will proceede to the opening of the Point, and that is in the 2d Revelations, and the 24. v. But unto you I ſay, and unto the reſt in Thyatira, as many as have not Pareus in loc. 1 Tim. 4. 1.this Doctrine, and which have not knowne the depths of Satan, as they ſpeake, I will put upon you no other burden, but to hold faſt till I come. Thoſe poore ſoules called their opinions the depths of God, when indeed they were the depths of Satan; you call your opinions depths, and ſo they are, but they are ſuch depths as Satan hath brought out of Hell, they are the whiſperings and hiſſings of that Serpent, not the inſpirations of God.
Now the ſecond thing that I am to ſhew you, is his ſeverall Devices, and herein I ſhall firſt ſhew you the ſeverall Devices that he hath to draw the ſoule to ſin; I ſhall inſtance in theſe twelve, which may beſpeake our moſt ſerious conſideration.
His firſt Device to draw the ſoule to1 Device. ſin, is to preſent the bait, and hide the hook; to preſent the golden cup, and hide the poiſon; to preſent the ſweet, the pleaſure, and the profit that may flow in upon the ſoule, by yielding to ſin, and by hiding from the ſoule the wrath and miſery that will certainly follow the committings of ſin. By this Device he took our firſt Parents, Geneſis 3. 4, 5. And the Serpent ſaid unto the woman, yee ſhall not ſurely die. For God doth So to reduce D. Taylor Martyr, they promiſed him not onelyonly his pardon, but a Biſhoprick. Act. and Mon. folio 1386. Ineſt peccatum cum delectaris: regnat ſi conſen… ſer…. Auguſt in Pſal. 50.know, that in the day ye▪ eat thereof, then your eyes ſhall be opened, and ye ſhall be as Gods, knowing good and evill. Your eyes ſhall be opened, and ye ſhall be as Gods, here is the baite, the ſweet, the pleaſure, the profit, Oh! but he hides the hook, the ſhame, the wrath, and the loſſe that would certainly follow. There is an opening of the eyes of the mind to contemplation and joy, and there is an opening of the eyes of the body to ſhame and confuſion. He promiſeth them the former, but intends the latter, and ſo cheats them, giving them an Apple in exchange for Paradiſe, as he deales by thouſands now adayes. Satan with eaſe puts fallacies upon us, and then, by his golden baites, leads us, and leaves us in a fools Paradiſe; he promiſes the ſoule honour, pleaſure and profit, &c. but paye's the ſoule with the greateſt contempt, ſhame, and loſſe that can be; by a golden bait he laboured to catch ChriſtThis world at laſt ſhall be burnt for a witch, ſayeth one. Multi amando res noxias ſunt miſeri, habendo miſeriores. Auguſt. in Pſa. 26. Many are miſerable by loving hurtfull things, but they are more miſerable by having them. Men had need pray with Bernard, Da domine ut ſic poſſideamus tempora lia ut non perdamus aeterna. Grant us Lord that wee may ſo partake of temporall felicity, that we may not looſe eternall. in the 4 of Mat. 8. 9. he ſhewes him the beauty and the bravery of a bewitching world, which doubtleſſe would have taken many a carnall heart; but here the devils fire fell upon wet tinder, & therefore took not; theſe tempting objects did not at all win upon his affections, nor dazle his eyes; though many have eternally died of the wound of the eye, and fallen for ever by this vile Strumpet the world, who by laying forth her two faire breaſts of profit and pleaſure, hath wounded their ſoules, and caſt them downe into utter perdition; ſhe hath by the gliſtering of her pomp and preferment, ſlaine millions, as the S…rpent Scytale, which when ſhe cannot overtake the fleeing paſſengers, doth, with her beautifull colours, aſtoniſh and amaze them: ſo that they have no power to paſſe away, till ſhe have ſtung them to death. Adverſity hath ſlain her thouſand, but proſperity her ten thouſand.