Precious Remedies Against Satans Devices, Part 1 · Subpart 5
Now the Remedies againſt this Device of Satan are theſe.
THe firſt Remedy is, ſeriouſly to conſider,1 Remedy. that 'tis the ſoreſt judgement in this world, to be left to ſin upon any pretence whatſoever; oh! unhappy man, when God leaveth thee to thyHumanum eſt peccare, Diaboli cum perſeverare, & Angelicū reſurgere (Auſtin) i. e. It is a humane thing to fall into ſin, a dive…iſh to perſevere therein, and an Angellcal or ſupernatural to riſe from it. ſelf, and doth not reſiſt thee in thy ſins; woe, woe to him, at whoſe ſins God doth wink: when God lets the way to Hell be a ſmooth and pleaſant way, that is hell on this ſide hell, and a dreadfull ſigne of Gods indignation againſt a man; a token of his rejection, and that God doth not intend good unto him; that is a ſad word, Ephraim is joyned to Idols, let him alone, he will be uncounſellable, and uncorrigible, he hath made a match with miſchiefe, he ſhall have his belly-full of it, he falls with open eyes, let him fall at his owne perrill; and that's a terrible ſaying, So I gave them up unto their own hearts Pſal. 81. 12. Hoſea 4. 14.luſts, and they walked in their owne counſels. A ſoul given up to ſin▪ is a ſoul …ipe for hell, a ſoul poſting to deſtruction. AhA me, me ſlava Domine. Deliver me O Lord from that evil man, my ſelf. Aug. Lord! this mercy I humbly beg, that what ever thou giveſt me up to, thou wilt not give me up to the wayes of mine own heart; if thou wilt give me up to be afflicted, or tempted, or reproached, &c. I will patiently ſit down, and ſay, 'Tis the Lord, let him doe with me what ſeems good in his owne eyes; doe any thing with me, lay what burden thou wilt upon me, ſo thou doeſt not give me up to the wayes of my own heart, &c.
The ſecond Remedy againſt this Device2 Remedy. of Satan, is, ſolemnly to conſider, that God is as juſt, as he is mercifull: as the Scriptures ſpeak him out to be a very mercifull God, ſo they ſpeak him2 Pet 2. 4, 5, 6. God hang'd them up in Gibbets, as it were, that others might hear, and fear, and doe no more ſo wickedly. out to be a very juſt God; witneſſe his caſting the Angels out of Heaven, and his binding them in chains of darkneſſe, till the judgement of the great day; and witneſſe his turning Adam out of Paradiſe; his drowning of the old world; and his raining Hell out of Heaven upon Sodome; and witneſſe all the croſſes, loſſes, ſickneſſes, and diſeaſes that be in the world; and witneſſe Tophet that is prepared of old, witneſſe his treaſuring up of wrath, againſt the day of wrath, unto the revelation of the juſt judgements of God; but above all, witneſſe the pouring forth of all his wrath upon his boſome Son, when he did bare the ſins of his people, and cryed out, My God, my God, why haſt thou forſaken-me?Mat. 27. 46.
The third Remedy againſt this Device3 Remedy. of Satan, is, ſeriouſly to conſider, that ſins againſt mercy, will bring the greateſt, and the ſoreſt judgements upon mens heads and hearts; Mercy is Alpha, Juſtice is Omega; David ſpeaking of theſe Attributes, placeth Mercy in the foreward, and Juſtice in the rereward, ſaying, My Song ſhall be of Mercy and Judgement; Pſal. 101. 1.when Mercy is deſpiſed, then Juſtice takes the Throne. God is like aQuantò gradus altior tantò caſus gravior, the higher we are indignity, the more grievous is our fall and miſery. Prince, that ſendeth not his Army againſt Rebels, before he hath ſent his Pardon, and proclaimed it by a Herauld of Arms. He firſt hangs out the white Flag of Mercy, if this wins men in, they are happy for ever; but if they ſtand out, then God will put forth his red Flag of Juſtice and Judgement; if the one be deſpiſed, the other ſhall be felt with a witneſſe; ſee this in the Iſraelites, Deus tardus eſt ad iram ſed tarditatem gravitate …nae compenſat. God is ſlow to anger, but he recompenceth his ſlowneſſe with grievouſneſſe of puniſhment.he loved them, and choſe them, when they were in their blood, and moſt unlovely, he multiplied them, not by means, but by miracle; for from ſeventy ſouls, they grew in few years, to ſix hundred thouſand; the more they were oppreſſed, the more they proſpered: like Camomile, the more you tread it, the more you ſpread it; or to a Palme tree, the more it is preſſed, the further it ſpreadeth; or to fire, the more it is raked the more it burneth; their mercies came in upon them, like Job's Meſſengers, one upon the neck of another.If we abuſe mercy to ſerve our luſts, then in Salvians phraſe, God will rain hell out of Heaven, rather then not viſit for ſuch ſins. He put off their ſackcloath, and girded them with gladneſſe, and compaſſed them about with ſongs of deliverance; he carried them on the wings of Eagles, he kept them as the Apple of his eye, &c. But they abuſing his mercy, became the greateſt objects of his wrath; as, I know not the man that can reckon up their mercies: ſo I know not the man that can ſum up the miſeries that are come upon them for their ſins; for as our Saviour propheſied concerning Jeruſalem, That a ſtone Veſpaſian brake into their City at Cedron, where they took Chriſt, on the ſame Feaſt day that Chriſt was taken. he whipped them where they whipped Chriſt, he ſold twenty Jews for a penny, as they ſould Chriſt for 30 pence 8. Andr. cat.ſhould not be left upon a ſtone: ſo it was fulfilled forty years after his Aſcenſion, by Veſpaſian the Emperour, and his Son, Titus, who having beſi…ged Jeruſalem, the Jewes were oppreſſed with a grievous famine, in which their food was old ſhooes, old leather, old hay, and the dung of Beaſts; thene died partly of the Sword, and partly of the Famine, eleven hundred thouſand of the poorer ſort; two thouſand in one night were imbowelled, ſix thouſand were burned in a porch of the Temple, the whole, City was ſacked and burnt, and laid levell to the ground, and ninety ſeven thouſand taken Captives, and applied to baſe and miſerable ſervice; as E…ſebius and Joſephus ſaith: and to thi… day, in all the parts of the world, are they not the off-ſcouring of the world? none leſſe belov'd, and non… more abhor'd, then they: And ſo Caparnaum, that was lifted up to Heaven, was threatned to beMen are therfore the worſ, becauſe they ought to be better, and ſhall be deeper in Hell, becauſe Heaven was offered unto them, but they would not. Ingentia beneficia flagitia, ſupplicia, good turnes aggravate unkindneſſes, and mens offences are increaſed by their obligation. foreign. ſhift off, diſregard. thrown down to Hell. No ſouls fall ſo low into Hell (if they fall) as thoſe ſouls, that by a hand of mercy, are lifted up neareſt to Heaven; you flight ſouls that are ſo apt to abuſe mercy, conſider this, that in the Goſpel dayes, the plagues that God inflicts upon the deſpiſers, and abuſers of mercy, are uſually ſpirituall plagues; as blindneſſe of mind, hardneſſe of heart, benumedneſſe of conſcience, which are ten thouſand times worſe then the worſt of outward plagues that can b…fall you, and therefore though you may eſcape temporall Judgements, yet you ſhall not eſcape ſpirituall Judgements: How ſhall we eſcape if we neglect ſo great ſalvation? ſaith the Apoſtle. Oh! therefore, when ever Satan ſhall preſent God to the ſoul, as one made up all of mercy, that he may draw thee to doe wickedly, ſay unto him, that ſins againſt mercy will bring upon the ſoul the greateſt miſery, and therefore, whatever becomes of thee, thou wilt not ſin againſt mercy, &c.
The fourth Remedy againſt this Device4 Remedy. of Satan, is ſeriouſly to conſider, that though Gods generall mercy be over all his works, yet his ſpeciall mercyAuguſtus in his ſolemn Feaſts gave trifles to ſome, but gold to others that his heart was moſt ſet upon: ſo God by a hand of generall mercy, gives theſe (poore trifles) outward bleſſings …o thoſe that he leaſt loves, but his gold, his ſpeciall mercy is onelyonly towards thoſe that his heart is moſt ſet upon. is confined to thoſe that are divinely qualified; ſo in Exod. 34. 6, 7. And the Lord paſſed by before him, and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God, mercifull and gracious, long-ſuffering, and abundant in goodneſſe and truth; keeping mercy for thouſands, forgiving iniquity, tranſgreſſion, and ſin, and that will by no means clear the guilty, Exod. 20. 6. And ſhewing mercy unto thouſands of them that love me, and keep my Commandements, Pſal. 25. 10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth: unto ſuch as keep his Covenant, and his Teſtimonies, Pſal. 32. 10. Many ſorrows ſhall be to the wicked, but he that truſteth in the Lord, mercy ſhall compaſſe him about, Pſal. 33. 18. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy. Pſal. 103. 11. For as the Heaven is high above the earth: ſo great is his mercy to as ard them that feare him. Ver. 17. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlaſting, to everlaſting, upon them that feare him. When Satan attempts to draw thee to ſin, by preſenting God as a God all made up of mercy; oh! then reply, that tho Gods general mercy extends to all the works of his hand; yet his ſpeciall mercy is confined to them that are divinely qualified, to them that love h…m, and keep his Commandements, to them that truſt in him, that by hope hang upon him, and that fear him, and that thou muſt be ſuch a one here, or elſe thou canſt never be happy hereafter; thou muſt partake of his ſpeciall mercy, or elſe eternally periſh in everlaſting miſery, notwithſtanding Gods generall mercy.
The fifth Remedy againſt this Device5 Remedy. of Satan, is, ſolemnly to conſider, that thoſe that were once glorious on earth, and are now triumphing in Heaven, did look upon the mercy of God, as the moſt powerfull argument to preſerve them from ſin, and to fence their ſouls againſt ſin, and not as an encouragementPſal 26. 3, 4, 5, 6. to ſin. Pſal. 26. 3, 4, 5, 6. For thy loving kindneſſe is before mine eyes, and I have walked in thy truth; I have not ſat with vaine perſons, neither will I goe in with diſſemblers: I have hated the Congregation of evill doers, and will not ſit with the wicked. So Joſeph ſtrengthens himſelfe againſt ſin, from the remembrance of mercy. How then can I (ſaith he) doe this great Gen. 39. 9.wickedneſſe, and ſin againſt God? He had fixt his eye upon mercy, and therefore ſin could not enter, though the irons entred into his ſoul, his ſoul being taken with mercy, was not moved by his Miſtriſſes impudency; Satan knock't oft at the door, but the ſight of mercy would not ſuffer him to anſwer, or open: Joſeph like a Pearle in a Puddle, keeps his vertue ſtill. So Paul, Shall we continue in ſin that Grace may abound? God Rom. 6. 1, 2. The ſtone called P…ntaurus, is of that vertue, that it preſerves him that carries it, from taking any harm by poiſon; the mercy of God in Chriſt to our ſouls, is the moſt precious ſtone, or Pearle… in the world, to preſerve us from being poyſoned with ſin.forbid; how ſhall we that are dead to ſin live any longer therein? There is nothing in the world, that renders a man more unlike to a Saint, and more like to Satan, then to argue from mercy to ſinfull liberty; from Divine goodneſſe to licentiouſneſſe; this is the Devils Logick, and in whom ever you find it, you may write, This ſoul is loſt. A man may a… truly ſay, the Sea burns, or fire cools, as that free grace and mercy ſhould make a ſoul truly gracious to doe wickedly. So the ſame Apoſtle, I beſeech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye preſent your bodies a living ſacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reaſonable ſervice. So John, Theſe things I write unto you, that you ſin not; What was it that he wrote? He wrote, that we might have fellowſhip with the Father and his Son; 1 John 2. 1, 2.and that the Blood of Chriſt cleanſeth us from all ſin: and that, if we confeſſe our ſins, he is juſt and faith full to forgive us our ſins; and that, if we doe ſin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jeſus Chriſt the righteous. Theſe choyce favours, and mercies the Apoſtle holds forth, as the choyceſt means to preſerve the ſoul from ſin, and to keep at the greateſt diſtance from ſin, and if this won't doe it, you may write the man void of Chriſt, and grace, and undone for ever.
The ſixt Device that Satan hath to6 Device. draw the ſoule to ſin, is, by perſwading the ſoul that the work of Repentance is …n eaſie work, and that therefore the ſoul need not make ſuch a matter of ſin; why ſuppoſe you do ſin, ſaith Satan, 'tis no ſuch difficult thing to return, and confeſſe, and be ſorrowfull, and beg pardon, and cry, Lord have mercy upon me; and if you doe but this, God will cut the ſcore, and pardon your ſins, and ſave your ſouls, &c. By this Device Satan draws many a ſoul to ſin, and makes many millions of ſouls ſervants, or rather ſlaves to ſin, &c.