Device (2) The second device that Satan hath to draw the soul from holy duties, and to keep them off from religious services, Is, By presenting to them the danger, the losses, and the sufferings that do attend the performance of such and such religious services. By this device Satan kept close those that believed on Christ from confessing of Christ: in John xii. 42, Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue.” I would walk in all the ways of God, I would give up myself to the strictest way of holiness, but I am afraid dangers will attend me on the one hand, and losses, and happily such and such sufferings on the other hand, saith many a man. Ob, how should we help ourselves against this temptation and device of Satan!
Now the remedies against this device of Satan are these that follow.
Remedy (1). The first remedy against this device of Satan is to consider, That all the troubles and afflictions that you meet with in a way of righteousness shall never hurt you, they shall never harm you. “And who is he that shall harm you, if you be followers of that which is good? saith the apostle, 7.e. none shall harm you, 1 Pet. iii. 13.2 Natural conscience cannot but do homage to the image of God stamped upon the natures, words, works, and life of the godly; as we may see in the carriage of Nebuchadnezzar and Darius towards Daniel. All
afflictions and troubles that do attend men in a way of righteousness can never rob them of their treasure, of their jewels. They may rob them of some light slight things, as the sword that is by their side, or the stick in their hand, or of the flowers or ribbons that be in their hats The treasures of a saint are the presence of God, the favour of God, union and communion with God, the pardon of sin, the joy of the Spirit, the peace of conscience, which are jewels that none can give but Christ, nor none can take away but Christ. Now why should a gracious soul keep off from a way of holiness because of afflictions, when no afflictions can strip a man of his heavenly jewels, which are his ornaments and his safety here, and will be his happiness and glory hereafter? Why should that man be afraid, or troubled for storms at sea, whose treasures are sure in a friend’s hand upon land? Why, a believer’s treasure is always safe in the hands of Christ; his life is safe, his soul is safe, his grace is safe, his comfort is safe, and his crown is safe in the hand of Christ ‘I know him in whom I have believed, and that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him until that day,” saith the apostle, 2 Tim. i. 12. The child’s most precious things are most secure in his father’s hands; so are our souls, our graces, and our comforts in the hand of Christ.
Remedy (2). The second remedy against this device of Satan is to consider, That other precious saints that were shining lights on earth, and are now triumphing in heaven, have held on in religious services, notwithstanding all the troubles and dangers that have surrounded them. Nehemiah and Ezra were surrounded with dangers on the left hand and on the right, and yet, in the face of all, they hold on building the temple and the wall of Jerusalem. So Daniel, and those precious worthies, Ps. xliv. 19, 20, under the want of outward encouragements, and in the face of a world of very great discouragements, their souls clave to God and his ways. Though they were sore broken in the place of dragons, and covered with the shadow of death, yea, though they were all the day long counted as sheep for the slaughter, yet their hearts were not turned back, neither did their steps decline from his ways” Though bonds and imprisonments did attend Paul and the rest of the apostles in every place, yet they held on in the work and service of the Lord; and why, then, should you degenerate from their worthy examples, which is your duty and your glory to follow 2 2 Cor. vi. 5, Heb. x1. 36.
Remedy (3). The third remedy against this device of Satan is,
Remedy (+). The fourth remedy against this device of Satan is, to consider, That God knows how to deliver from troubles by troubles, from afflictions by afflictions, from dangers by dangers. God, by lesser troubles and afflictions, doth oftentimes deliver his people from greater, so that they shall say, We had perished, if we had not perished 2 we had been undone, if we had not been undone; we had been in danger, if we had not been in danger. God will so order the afflictions that befall you in the way of righteousness, that your souls shall say, We would not for all the world but that we had met with such aud such troubles and afflictions; for surely, had not these befallen us, it would have been worse and worse with us. Ol the carnal security, pride, formality, dead-heartedness, lukewarmness, censoriousness, and carthliness that God hath cured us of, by the trouble and dangers that we have met with in the ways and services of the Lord! I remember a story of a godly man, that as he was going to take shipping for France, he broke his leg; and it pleased Providence so to order it, that the ship that he should have gone in, at that very instant was cast away, and not a man saved; so by breaking a bone, his life was saved So the Lord many times breaks our bones, but it 1s in order to the saving of our lives and our souls for ever. He gives us a portion that makes us heart-sick, but it is in order to the making us perfectly well, and to the purging of us from those ill humours that
have made our heads ache, and God’s heart ache, and our souls sick, and heavy to the death, &. Oh therefore let no danger or misery hinder thee from thy duty.!
thou shalt be in heaven presently,” said the martyr! Oh, therefore, let not atlictions or troubles work thee to shun the ways of God, or to quit that service that should be dearer to thee than a world, yea, than thy very life, &c.