The Case of Satans Fiery Darts in Blasphemous Suggestions, Errata – Appendix
ERRATA.
Page 14. l. 84. dele him. P. 18. l. 16. r. Tears. l. 18… …. Fears. P. 22. l. 38. r. Flight.
APPENDIX.
AN excellent LETTER on the foregoing Subject coming lately into my Hand, I have prevail'd with the Perſon to whom it was wrote, to yield to my publiſhing a Part of it, as I now do, without asking Leave of the Revd. and judicious Writer of it,—for I truly think it will make up ſome Defects, and alſo give Strength and Force to ſome Things ſaid, in this Treatiſe.
July 19. 1743. Dear Sir,
I Think your Difficulties are not peculiar to you, but ſuch as I have met with frequent Inſtances of; tho' Perſons under ſuch like Difficulties are ready to think them peculiar, and that no One's Caſe is like their's.—It is evident that Satan's Deſign is to hinder their ſerving GOD, and uſing the proper Means for their own Profit and Comfort; by waſting away their Time and Lives in unprofitable Exerciſes of Mind, needleſs Doubts, Scruples, Terrors, and fighting with Shadows; and it ſoon thro' Melancholly becomes natural for them to pore upon that which is unprofitable▪ and thereby they feed their own Diſeaſe, and involve themſelves more and more, till they get an Averſion to, and object moſt againſt, thoſe Things which have the greateſt Tendency to their Relief: There is a certain Gloom upon the Mind which the Devil makes great Advantage of; for it weakens the Mind and diſables it from guarding againſt him; to his utmoſt therefore he ſtrives to increaſe that Gloom; (for he ſees that the Mind while under it is like a City without Walls) and to that End will ever now and then be caſting in ſome horrid Tho't, or frightful Suggeſtion, or Temptation: And if the Perſon in ſuch a Caſe goes to diſpute with him, or fight againſt him, he often makes his Advantage of that very diſputing and fighting; and by that Means plunges the Soul deeper and deeper, and entangles it more and more. The beſt Way of reſiſting the ſubtle and ſtrong Adverſary is to neglect him, turn from him, and not enter into Diſputes with him; nor take ſo much Notice of his Suggeſtions, however frightful and horrid, as to be alarm'd with them: For if he has once alarm'd and affrighted the Soul, then he has gain'd a great Advantage againſt it, and he will be ſure to improve it to his utmoſt.—The beſt Way is for a Perſon to look unto GOD for Help, and go right on his Way, and not ſtand to hear what the Devil has to ſay. This above any other Courſe diſappoints him, for hereby he loſes his Opportunity to try his Strength and Subtilty with us; for he knows well that if he can draw into a Diſpute with him he ſhall be too ſubtil for us: A Reſolution to go ſtedfaſtly right forward in the Way of Duty and of all Duty, (if one could maintain it) without ſtanding ſtill, or turning aſide, is one of the beſt Remedies under ſuch ſort of Difficulties.—The great Strife of the Devil is to weaken and break ſuch Perſons Reſolution and Stedfaſtneſs in the Way of Duty, and either by Terror or Perſwaſion to make 'em neglect ſome Ordinance, or ſome Duty of our general or particular Calling; ſome Duty of Worſhip, or ſome neceſſary worldly Buſineſs; or ſomething that Providence calls us to, by which we might profit our Selves, our Families, our Neighbours or the public Societies unto which we belong. And I have obſerv'd that Perſons under ſuch Circumſtances, being in Darkneſs and Doubts of the State of their Souls, generally take a wrong Courſe to obtain Satisfaction: they ſpend all their Time almoſt in anxious poring on paſt Experiences, and viewing 'em over and over: Not but that they ought to examine paſt Experience; but this is not all, nor yet the main Thing they have to do: Deliverance from Doubts and Darkneſs, in ſuch Caſes, is not obtain'd chiefly by Self-Examination, but Action I have always obſerv'd that when Perſons inſtead of applying themſelves with all their Might to ſeek GOD and his Grace, and to ſerve him, forgetting the Things that are behind, and preſſing forward in the Way of all Duty, as tho' they counted not themſelves to have apprehended; I ſay, when inſtead of this, they neglect their great Work, and abandon themſelves to muſing, poring and looking over Things that are paſt; they get nothing by it: A ſpending ſeven Years in thus examining paſt Experiences or preſent Circumſtances, brings 'em no nearer to Satisfaction; but rather intangles and perplexes their Minds more and more, and gives Satan greater Advantage: And however with their examining themſelves they do as they think ſtrive to go on in a Way of Duty, yet in their ſeeking GOD they commonly err in four Things:
1. They ſeek him with an unſubmiſſive Spirit. It is true they ſometimes ſeek earneſtly and with Bitterneſs of Soul; but there is commonly a Sort of Uneaſineſs, and inward Tumultuouſneſs, and Unquietneſs of Spirit; which ſhows a Want of that humble, meek, calm and ſubmiſſive Spirit, that becomes a poor unworthy Worm, and more eſpecially a Chriſtian, or a Child of GOD, when GOD frowns or hides his Face. I have often ſeen this; they have ſome Degree of that Frame which Job had before Elihu ſpake, and GOD after him out of the Whirlwind; they complain "that they cry to GOD and he does not anſwer, they ſeek him but they cannot find him; "they go forward, but he is not there; and backward but they can't perceive him! He ſeems to ſhut out their Prayer, and turn a deaf Ear to them. But I have known many Inſtances of ſuch as made theſe Complaints, being brought afterwards by the Grace of GOD to ſeek him after quite another Manner; to lie as it were at his Foot, in a humble ſubmiſſive quiet Frame of Spirit, in a great Senſe of their utter Unworthineſs, and of GOD's Holineſs and Sovereignty, and ſo remaining in a calm waiting Frame; when once they have been brought to this, all their Clouds have been ſcatter'd, and GOD has wonderfully appeared and unveil'd himſelf for their Conſolation: and I never knew it fail, when Perſons after great Darkneſs, and having been long toſs'd up and down, as in a tempeſtuous Ocean, have been brought to this Temper; GOD has as it were ſhown himſelf in haſte to comfort them; and ran (as it were) to meet 'em, while they were yet a great Way off: CHRIST has been like the ſwift-footed Roe, or the young Hart on the Mountains of Spices.
2. Another Error in ſuch Perſons ſeeking GOD, is ſeeking with Diſcouragement. Before they ask they do as it were conclude they ſhall have a Denial; and while they are asking, they do as it were tell GOD that he won't anſwer 'em; and ſo they greatly diſhonour him, deny him the Glory of his Grace, and provoke a Denial. They ask in a heartleſs Manner, becauſe in a diſcourag'd Manner. Hence they have no Reſolution to ſay as Jacob did, "I will not let thee go, except thou bleſs me. When they ask and are denied, it has not that Effect upon them, as it had upon the Woman of Canaan, to make her cry the more earneſtly, and to be the more reſolute. On the contrary, they are knock'd on the Head, and are ready to conclude, that GOD don't intend to ſhow 'em Mercy, and that his Mercy is clean gone for evermore.
3. Another Error in their ſeeking is, that they ſeek Comfort more than Holineſs. We ought to ſeek Comfort, and the Joy of the Light of GOD's Countenance, as of more Worth than all the World; but our Minds ſhould be more engaged, and our Strength more imploy'd, in an earneſt Care and Strife to do our Duty to GOD, and to ſerve him; than to attain the Comfort of Satisfaction about our own Condition: It ſhould be our Meat and Drink to do the Will of GOD: If we take effectual Care of this, GOD will take Care of our Comfort, and will do that for us, which we can never do for our Selves: He'll ſcatter our Clouds and Darkneſs, and fill our Souls with Light.
4. Another Error in ſuch Perſons ſeeking GOD is, that they do not ſeek him in the Way of all Duty. It may be they abound in praying, and reading, and meditating, and faſting; and lie upon their Faces as Joſhua did, when ſmitten before A…; but they are not ſo thorough in the mean Time to ſearch out the Achan; the Treſpaſs in every Way of the Commandments of GOD. For GOD is to be ſought and waited on in the Way of the Practice of every Thing that he calls us to, whether they be the Duties of the firſt or ſecond Table: the immediate Duties of Religion, or of ſecular Buſineſs: Theſe are all of 'em Wiſdom's Gates and the Poſts of her Doors, where we are to watch and wait.
Thus Sir, I have briefly expreſs'd my Thoughts with Regard unto the Difficulties of that Nature which you labour under. Experience abundantly convinces me of my Inſufficiency to relieve in ſuch Caſes. It is GOD that muſt help to give good Advice, and alſo to follow it. It is the good Shepherd muſt ſeek his Sheep: To His Alſufficient Power and Grace I recommend your Caſe, and am
Sir, Your Obliged Friend and Servant,
End of the text · Benjamin Colman, The Case of Satans Fiery Darts in Blasphemous Suggestions (1744)