The fourth device that Satan hath to keep souls in a sad, doubting, and questioning condition is,
Device (4). By suggesting to them that their graces are not true, but counterfeit. Saith Satan, All is not gold that glitters, all is not free grace that you count grace, that you call grace. That which you call faith 1s but a fancy, and that which you call zeal, is but a natural heat and passion; and that light you have, it is but common, it is short, to what many have attained to that are now in hell, &e. Satan doth not labour more mightily to persuade hypocrites that their graces are true when they are counterfeit, than he doth to persuade precious souls that their graces are counterfeit, when indeed they are true, and such as will abide the touchstone of Christ, &c.
Now the remedies against this device are these:
Remedy (1). The first remedy against this device of Satan is, seriously to consider, That grace is taken two ways.
[1.] It is taken for the gracious good-will and favour of God, whereby he is pleased of his own free love to accept of some in Christ for his own. This, some call the first grace, because 1t is the fountain of all other graces, and the spring from whence they flow, and it is therefore called grace, because 1t makes a man gracious with God, but this is only in God.
[2.] Grace is taken for the gifts of grace, and they are of two sorts, common or special.
Some are common to believers and hypocrites, as a gift of knowledge, a gift of prayer, &c.
Some are special graces, and they are proper and peculiar to the saints, as faith, humility, meekness, love, patience, &ec.,, Gal. v, 22, 23.
Remedy (2). The second remedy against this device of Satan is, wisely to consider, T’he differences betwixt renewing grace and restraining grace, betwixt sanctifying grace und temporary grace; and this I will shew you in these ten particulars.
[1.] True grace makes all glorious within and without: The King’s 1 Orosius, speaking of Valentinian, saith: He that for Christ’s name’s sake had lost a tribuneship, within a while after succeeded his persecutor in the empire.
Yet it must be granted that many a fair flower may grow out of a stinking root, and many sweet dispositions and fair actions may be where there is only the corrupt root of nature.
daughter is all glorious within; her raiment is of wrought gold,” Ps. xlv. 13. True grace makes the understanding glorious, the affections glorious. It casts a general glory upon all the noble parts of the soul: “The King’s daughter is all glorious within.” And as it makes the inside glorious, so it makes the outside glorious: “Her clothing is of wrought gold” It makes men look gloriously, and speak gloriously, and walk and act gloriously, so that vain souls shall be forced to say that these are they that have seen Jesus! As grace 1s a fire to burn up and consume the dross and filth of the soul, so 1t 1s an ornament to beautify and adorn the soul. True grace makes all new, the inside new and the outside new: If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature,” 2 Cor. v. 17,2 but temporary grace doth not this. True grace changes the very nature of a man. Moral virtue doth only restrain or chain up the outward man, it doth not change the whole man. A lion in a grate is a lion still; he is restrained, but not changed, for he retains his lion-like nature still. So temporary graces restrain many men from this and that wickedness, but it doth not change and turn their hearts from wickedness. But now {rue grace, that turns a lion into a lamb, as you may see in Paul, Acts ix, and a notorious strumpet into a blessed and glorious penitent, as you may see in Mary Magdalene, &e., &e., Luke vii?
[2.] The objects of true grace are supernatural. True grace is conversant about the choicest and the highest objects, about the most soulennobling and soul-greatening objects, as God, Christ, precious promises that arc more worth than a world, and a kingdom that shakes not, a crown of glory that withers not, and heavenly treasures that rust not. The objects of temporary grace are low and poor, and always within the compass of reason’s reach.
[3.] True grace enables a Christian, when le is hiwsely, to do spiritual actions with veal pleasure and delight, To souls truly gracious, Christ’s yoke is easy, and his burden is light; “his commandments are not grievous, but joyous.” ‘I delight in the law of God after the inward man,’ saith Paul. The blessed man 1s desertbed by this, that he “delights in the law of the Lord, Ps. 1. 2. “It is joy to the just to do judgment,’ saith Solomon, Prov. xxi, 15. To a gracious soul, All the ways of the Lord are pleasantness, and his paths are peace, Prov. i. 17; but to souls that have but temporary grace, but moral virtues, religious services are a toil, not a pleasure; a burden, and not a delight. “Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not 2 Wherefore Lave we aftlicted our souls, and thou takest no knowledge? Isa. viii. 3, &e. “Ye have said, say those in Malachi, It is vain to serve God; and what profit 1s it that we have kept his ordinances, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts Mal. iii. 14. When will the new moon be gone,” say those in Amos, that we may sell corn, and the Sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, 5 Mat. xi. 30; 1 John v. 3; Rom. vii. 22. God brings not a pair of scales to weigh our graces, but a touchstone to try our graces. Purity, preciousness, and holiness is stamped upon all saving graces, Acts xv. 9, 2 Peter iv. 1, Jude 20.