The eighth device that Satan hath to draw the soul to sin, is,
Device (8). By representing to the soul the outward mercies that vain men enjoy, and the outward miseries that they are freed from, whilst they have walked in the ways of sin. Saith Satan, Dost thou see, O soul, the many mercies that such and such enjoy, that walk in those very ways that thy soul startles to think of, and the many crosses that they are delivered from, even such as makes other men, that say they dare not walk in such ways, to spend their days in sighing, weeping, groaning, and mourning? and therefore, saith Satan, if ever thou wouldst be freed from the dark night of adversity, and enjoy the sunshine of prosperity, thou must walk in their ways.?
By this stratagem the devil took those in Jer. xliv. 16-18, As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee: but we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth of our mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and
in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and i were well, and saw ne evil. But since we left off to burn incense to a the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.” This is just the language of a world of ignorant, profane, and superstitious souls in London, and England, that would have made them a captain to return to bondage, yea, to that bondage that was worse than that the Israelites groaned under. Oh, say they, since such and such persons have been put down, and left off, we have had nothing but plundering and taxing, and butchering of men, &e.; and therefore we will do as we, and our kings, and nobles, and fathers have formerly done, for then had we plenty at home, and peace abroad, &c., and there was none to make us afraid.!
Now the remedies against this device of Satan are these that follow:
Remedy (1). The first remedy is, solemnly to consider, That mo man knows how the heart of God stands by his hand. His band of mercy may be towards a man, when his heart may be against that man, as you may see in Saul and others; and the hand of God may be set against a man, when the heart of God is dearly set upon a man, as you may see in Job and Ephraim? The hand of God was sorely set against them, and yet the heart and bowels of God were strongly working towards them. No man knoweth either love or hatred by outward mercy or misery; for all things come alike to all, to the righteous and to the unrighteous, to the good and to the bad, to the clean and to the unclean, &c. The sun of prosperity shines as well upon brambles of the wilderness as fruit-trees of the orchard; the snow and bail of adversity lights upon the best garden as well as the stinking dunghill or the wild waste. Ahab’s and Josiah’s ends concur in the very circumstances. Saul and Jonathan, though different in their natures, deserts, and deportments, yet in their deaths they were not divided. Health, wealth, honours, &c., crosses, sicknesses, losses, &ec., are cast upon good men and bad men promiscuously. The whole Turkish empire is nothing else but a crust, cast by heavens great housekeeper to his dogs.”> Moses dies in the wilderness as well as those that murmured. Nabal is rich, as well as Abraham; Ahithophel wise, as well as Solomon; and Doeg honoured by Saul, as well as Joseph was by Pharaoh. Usually the worst of men have most of these outward things; and the best of men have least of earth, though most of heaven. - Remedy (2). The second remedy against this device of Satan is, seriously to consider, That there is nothing in the world that doth so! It is said of one of the emperors, that Rome had no war in his days, because it was plague enough to have such an emperor. You arc wise, and know how to apply it. [The allusion, no doubt, is to Charles 1., and the agitation for the Restoration of Charles II Cromwell died Sept. 3. 1658. —G.]
? Tully judged the Jews’ religion to be naught, because they were so often overcome, and impoverished, and afflicted; and the religion of Rome to be right, because the Romans prospered and became lords of the world; and yet, though the Romans had his hand, yet the Jews had his heart, for they were dearly beloved though sorely afflicted. [Brooks’s reference is found in Cicero, in Orat. Pro L. Flacco 28.—G.]
3. Nihil est nisi mica panis.— Luther.
provoke God to be wroth and angry, as men’s taking encouragement from God’s goodness and mercy to do wickedly. This you may see by that wrath that fell upon the old world, and by God’s raining hell out of heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah. This is clear in Jeremiah xliv., from ver. 20 to ver. 28. The words are worthy of your best meditation. Oh that they were engraven in all your hearts, and constant in all your thoughts! Though they are too large for me to transcribe them, yet they are not too large for me to remember them. To argue from mercy to sinful liberty, 1s the devil’s logic, and such logicians do ever walk as upon a mine of gunpowder ready to be blown up. No such soul can ever avert or avoid the wrath of God. This is wickedness at the height, for a man to be very bad, because God is very good. A worse spirit than this is not in hell. Ah, Lord, doth not wrath, yea, the greatest wrath, lie at this man’s door? Are not the strongest chains of darkness prepared for such a soul? To sin against mercy is to sin against humanity. It is bestial; nay, it 1s worse. To render good for evil is divine, to render good for good is human, to render evil for evil 1s brutish; but to render evil for good is devilish; and from this evil deliver my soul, O God.!