The fitth device that Satan hath to keep souls in a sad, doubting, and questioning condition is,
Device (5). By suggesting to them, That that conflict that is in them, is not a conflict that is only in saints, but such « coiplict that is to be Jound in hypocrites and profane souls; when the truth is, there 1s as much diff rence betwixt the conflict that 1s in them, and that which 1s in wicked men, as there is betwixt light and darkness, betwixt heaven and hell And the truth of this I shall evidence to you in the following particulars:
LL.) Lhe whole frame of «a believer’s soul is against sin. Understanding, will, and atlection, all the powers and faculties of the soul are 1m
arms against sin. A covetous man may condemn covetousness, and yet the frame and bent of his heart may be to it; a proud person may condemn pride, and yet the frame of his spirit may be to it; and the drunkard may condemn drunkenness, and yet the frame of his spirit may be to it; a man may condemn stealing and lying, and yet the frame of his heart may be to it! Thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? Rom. ii. 21-23. But a saint’s will is against it. The evil that I would not do, that T do; and his affections are against it, What I hate, I do,” Rom. vii. 19, 20.
[2.] A saint conflicts against sin universally, the least as well as the greatest; the most profitable and the most pleasing sin, as well as against those that are less pleasing and profitable. He will combat with all, though he cannot conquer one as he should, and as he would. He knows that all sin strikes at God’s holiness, as well as his own happiness; at God’s glory, as well as at his soul’s comfort and peace.”
He knows that all sin is hateful to God, and that all sinners are traitors to the crown and dignity of the Lord Jesus. He looks upon one sin, and sees that that threw down Noah, the most righteous man in the world, and he looks upon another sin, and sees that that cast down Abraham, the greatest believer in the world, and he looks upon another sin, and sees that that threw down David, the best king in the world, and le looks upon another sin, and sees that that cast down Paul, the greatest apostle in the world. He secs that one sin threw down Samson, the strongest man in the world; another cast down Solomon, the wisest man in the world; and another Moses, the meekest man in the world; and another sin cast down Job, the patientest man in the world; and this raiseth a holy indignation against all, so that nothing can satisfy and content his soul but a destruction of all those lusts and vermin that vex and rack his righteous soul. It will not suffice a gracious soul to see justice done upon one sin, but he cries out for justice upon all. He would not have some crucified and others spared, but cries out, Lord, crucify them all, crucify them all. Oh! but now the conflict that 1s in wicked men is partial; they frown upon one sin and smile upon another; they strike at some sins yet stroke others; they thrust some out of doors but keep others close in their bosoms; as you may see in Jehu, Herod, Judas, Simon Magus, and Demas. Wicked men strike at gross sins, such as are not only against the law of God, but against the laws of nature and nations, but make nothing of less sins; as vain thoughts, idle words, sinful motions, petty oaths, &e.
They fight against those sins that fight against their honour, profits, pleasures, &e., but make truce with those that are as right hand and as right eyes to them, &c.
[3.] The conflict that is in a saint, against sin, is maintained by several «arguments: by arsuments drawn from the love of God, the i honour ot God, the sweetness and communion with God, and from the spiritual and heavenly blessings and privileges that are conferred upon. them by God, and from arguments drawn from the blood of Christ, the glory of Christ, the eye of Christ, the kisses of Christ, and the intercession of Christ, and from arguments drawn from the earnest of the Spirit, the seal of the Spirit, the witness of the Spirit, the comforts of the Spirit. Oh! but the conflict that is in wicked men is from low, carnal, and legal arguments, drawn from the eye, ear, or hand of the creature, or drawn from shame, hell, curses of the law, &e., 2 Cor. x11. 7-9.1
[4.] The conflict that is in saints 1s « constant conflict. Though sin and grace were not born in the heart of a saint together, and though they shall not die together, yet, whilst a believer lives, they must conflict together. Paul had been fourteen years converted, when he cried out, ‘ I have a law in my members rebelling against the law of my mind, and leading me captive to the law of sin,” Rom. vii. 2, 3.
Pietro Candiano, one of the dukes of Venice, died fighting against i the Nauratines with the weapons in his hands. So a samt lives fighting and dies fighting, he stands fighting and falls fighting, with his spiritual weapons in his hands.” But the conflict that is in wicked men = is inconstant: now they fall out with sin, and anon they fall in with sin; now it is bitter, anon it is sweet; now the sinner turns from his sin, and anon he turns to the wallowing in sin, as the swine doth to the wallowing in the mire, 2 Pet. 11. 19, 20. One hour you shall have him praying against sin, as if he feared it more than hell, and the next hour = you shall have him pursuing after sin, as if there were no God to punish him, no justice to damn him, no hell to torment him.
[5.] The conflict that is 1 the saints, is in the same faculties; there is the judgment against the judgment, the mind against the mind, the will against the will, the affections against the affections, that is, the regenerate part against the unregenerate part, in all the parts of the soul; but now, in wicked men, the conflict 1s not in the same faculties, but between the conscience and the will. The will of a sinner is bent strongly to such and such sins, but conscience puts in and tells the sinner, God hath made me his deputy, he hath given me a power to hang and draw, to examine, scourge, judge and condemn, and if thou dost such and such wickedness, I shall be thy jailor and tormenter. I do not bear the rod nor the sword in vain, saith conscience; if thou sinnest, I shall do my office, and then thy life will be a hell: and this raises a tumult in the soul?
.[6.] The conflict that is in the saints, is a more blessed, successful, and prevailing conflict. A saint, by his conflict with sin, gains ground upon bis sin: They that are Christ’s,” saith the apostle, ‘ have crucitied the world with the affections and lusts,” Gal. v. 24. Christ puts to bis hand and helps them to lead captivity captive, and to set their feet upon the necks of those lusts that have formerly trampled upon their souls and their comforts. As the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker, and the house of David stronger and stronger, so the Lord, by the discoveries of his love, and by the influences of his Spirit, he causeth grace, the nobler part of a saint, to grow stronger and stronger, and corruption, like the house of Saul, to grow weaker and weaker. But sin in a wicked heart gets ground, and grows stronger and stronger, notwithstanding all his conflicts. His heart is more encouraged, emboldened, and hardened in a way of sin, as you may see in the Israelites, Pharaoh, Jehu, and Judas, who doubtless found many strange conflicts, tumults, and mutinies in their souls, when God spake such bitter things against them, and did such justice upon them, 2 Tim. iil. 13.
But remember this by way of caution: Though Christ hath given sin its death-wound, by his power, Spirit, death, and resurrection, yet it will die but a lingering death? As a man that is mortally wounded dies by little and little, so doth sin in the heart of a saint. The death of Christ on the cross was a lingering death, so the death of sin in the soul is a lingering death; now 1t dies a little, and anon it dies a little, &c., as the psalmist speaks, ‘ Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield, Ps. lix. 11. He would not have them utterly destroyed, but some relics preserved as a memorial. So God dealeth in respect of sin; it 1s wounded and brought down, but not wholly slain; something is still left as a monument of divine grace, and to keep us humble, wakeful, and watchful, and that our armour may be still kept on, and our weapons always in our hands. The best men’s souls in this life hang between the flesh and the spirit, as it were like Mahomet’s tomb at Mecca, between two loadstones; like Erasmus, as the papists paint him, betwixt heaven and hell; like the tribe of Manasseh, half on this side of Jordan, in the land of the Amorites, and half on that side, in the Holy Land; yet, in the issue, they shall overcome the flesh, and trample upon the necks of their spiritual enemies? The sixth device that Satan hath to keep souls in a sad, doubting, questioning condition is, Device (6). By suggesting to the soul, that surely his estate is not
good, beeanse he cannot joy and vejoice in Christ as once he could; because he hath lost that comfort wind joy that once was in his spirit. Sarth Satan, Thou knowest the time was when thy heart was much carried out to joving and rejoicing in Christ; thou dost not forget the time when thy heart used to be full of joy and comfort; but now, how art thou fallen in thy joys and comforts! Therefore, thy estate is not good; thou dost but deceive thyself to think that ever it was good, for surely if 1t had, thy joy and comfort would have continued. And hereupon the soul is apt to take part with Satan, and say, It is even so; 1 see all 1s naught, and 1 have but deceived my own soul, &eNow the remedies against this device are these: Remedy (1). The first remedy against this device of Satan 1s, to consider, That the loss of comport is «a separable adjunct from grace. The soul may be full of holy atfections when it is empty of divine consolations. There may be, and often 1s, true grace, yea, much grace, where there 1s not a drop of comfort, nor dram of joy. Comfort is not of the being, but of the well-being, of a Christian. God hath not so linked these two choice lovers together, but that they may be put asunder. That wisdom that is from above will never work a man to reason thus: 1 have no comfort, theretore I have no grace; I have lost that joy that once [ had, therefore my condition is not good, was never good, &e. But it will enable a man to reason thus: Though my comfort is gone, yet the God of my comfort abides; though my joy 1s lost, yet the seeds of grace remain. The best men’s joys are as glass, bright and brittle, and evermore in danger of breaking?
Remedy (2). The second remedy against this device of Satan is, solemnly to consider, That the precious things that thou still emjoyest re far better than the joys awd comforts that thou hast lost. Thy union with Christ, thy communion with Christ, thy sonship, thy saintship, thy heirship, thou still enjoyest by Christ, are far better than the comforts thou hast lost by sin. What though thy comforts be gone, yet thy union and communion with Christ remains, Jer. xxxi. 18, 19, 20. Though thy comforts be gone, yet thou art a son, though a comfortless son; an heir, though a comfortless heir; a saint, though a comfortless saint. Though the bag of silver, thy comforts, be lost, vet the box of jewels, thy union with Christ, thy communion with Christ, thy sonship, thy saintship, thy heirship, which thou still enjoyest, is far better than the bag of silver thou hast lost; yea, the least of those precious jewels 1s more worth than all the comforts in the world. Well! let this be a cordial to comfort thee, a star to lead thee, and a staff to support thee, that thy box of jewels are safe, though thy bag of silver be lost?
Remedy (3). The third remedy against this device of Satan is, to consider, L’hat thy condition is no other than what hath been the condition of those precious souls whose names were written upon the heart of Christ, and who are now at vest in the bosom of Christ. One day
you shall have them praising and rejoicing, the next day a-mourning and weeping. One day you shall have them a-singing, ‘ The Lord is our portion; the next day a-sighing and expostulating with themselves, “Why are ye cast down, O our souls? Why is our harp turned to mourning? and our organ into the voice of them that weep? &c.!
Remedy (4). The fourth remedy against this device of Satan is, solemnly to consider, That the causes of joy and comfort ave not always the same. Happily, thy former joy and comfort did spring from the witness of the Spirit, he bearing witness to thy soul, that thy nature was changed, thy sins pardoned, thy soul reconciled, &c.2 Now, the Spirit may, upon some special occasion, bear witness to the soul, that the heart of God 1s dearly set upon him, that he loves him with an everlasting love, &c., and yet the soul may never enjoy such a testimony all the days of his life again. Though the Spirit be a witnessing Spirit, it is not his office every day to witness to believers their interest in God, Christ, heaven, &e.
Or, happily, thy former joy and comfort did spring from the newness and suddenness of the change of thy condition. For aman in one hour to have his night turned into day, his darkness turned into light, his bitter into sweet, God’s frowns into smiles, his hatred into love, his hell into a heaven, must greatly joy and comfort him. It cannot but make his heart to leap and dance in him, who, in one hour, shall see Satan accusing him, his own heart condemning him, the eternal God frowning -upon him, the gates of heaven barred against him, all the creation standing armed, at the least beck of God, to execute vengeance on him, and the mouth of the infernal pit open to receive him. Now, in this hour, for Christ to come to the amazed soul, and to say to it, I have trod the wine-press of my Father’s wrath for thee; I have laid down my life a ransom for thee; by my blood I have satisfied my Father’s Justice, and pacified his anger, and procured his love for thee; by my blood I have purchased the pardon of thy sins, thy freedom from hell, and thy right to heaven; oh! how wonderfully will this cause the soul to leap for joy!
Remedy (5). The fifth remedy against this device of Satan is, to consider, That God will vestove and make up the comforts of lis people. Though thy candle be put out, yet God will light it again, and make it burn more light than ever. Though thy sun for the present be clouded, yet he that rides upon the clouds shall scatter those clouds, and cause the sun to shine and warm thy heart as in former days, as the psalmist - speaks: Thou which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt
quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side, Ps. Ixxi. 20, 21. God takes away a httle comfort, that he may make room in the soul for a greater degree of comfort. This the prophet Isaiah sweetly shews: 1 have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him, and to his mourners,’ Isa. lvii. 1S. Bear up sweetly, O precious soul! thy storm shall end 1n a calm, and thy dark night in a sunshine day; thy mourning shall be turned into rejoicing, and the waters of consolation shall be sweeter and higher in thy soul than ever;! the mercy is surely thine, but the time of giving it 1s the Lords. Wait but a httle, and thou shalt tind the Lord comforting thee on every side.