The fifth device that Satan hath to keep poor sinners from believing, from closing with a Saviour, is,
Device (5). By working a sinner to mind more the secret decrees and counsels of God, than his own duty. What needest thou to busy thyself about receiving, embracing, and entertaining of Christ? saith
Satan; if thou art elected, thou shalt be saved; if not, all that thou canst do will do thee no good. Nay, he will work the soul not only to doubt of its election, but to conclude that he is not elected, and therefore let him do what he can, he shall never be saved.
Now the remedies against this device are these:
Remedy (1). The first remedy against this device of Satan is, seriously to consider, That all the angels in heaven, nor all the men on earth, nor all the devils in hell, cannot tell to the contrary, but that thou mayest be an elect person, a chosen vessel. Thou mayest be confident of this, that God never made Satan one of his privy council, God never acquainted him with the names or persons of such that he hath set his love upon to eternity, &c.
Remedy (2). The second remedy against this device of Satan is, To meddle with that which thou hast to do. Secret things belong to the Lord, but revealed things belong to thee,” Deut. xxix. 29. Thy work, sinner, is, to be peremptory in believing, and in returning to the Lord; thy work is to cast thyself upon Christ, lie at his feet, to wait on him in his ways, and to give him no rest till he shall say, Sinner, I am thy portion, I am thy salvation, and nothing shall separate between thee and me.
Here followeth seven characters of false teachers, which let me add for a close, viz.:—
That Satan labours might and main, by false teachers, which are his messengers and ambassadors, to deceive, delude, and for ever undo the precious souls of men:’ Jer. xxiii. 13, ‘I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err; Micah ii. 5, The prophets make my people to err They seduce them, and carry them out of the right way into by-paths and blind thickets of error, blasphemy, and wickedness, where they are lost for ever. Beware of false prophets, for they come to you in sheep’s ~ clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves,” Mat. vii. 15. These lick and suck the blood of souls: Philip. 1ii. 2, Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.” These kiss and kill; these cry, Peace, peace, till souls fall into everlasting flames, &c., Prov. vii.
Now, the best way to deliver poor souls from being deluded and destroyed by these messengers of Satan is, to discover them in their colours, that so, being known, poor souls may shun them, and fly from them as from hell itself.
Now you may know them by these characters following:
[1.] The first character. False teachers are men-pleasers They preach more to please the ear than to profit the heart: Isa. xxx. 10, “Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things: speak to us smooth things; prophesy deceits.’ Jer. v. 30, 31, ‘ A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means, and my people love to have it so. And what will you do in the end thereof #7 They handle holy things rather with wit and dalliance than with fear and reverence. False teachers are soul-undoers. They
are like evil chirurgeons, that skin over the wound, but never heal it. Flattery undid Ahab and Herod, Nero and Alexander. False teachers are hell’s greatest enrichers. Non acerba, sed blanda, Not bitter, but flattering words do all the mischief, said Valerian, the Roman emperor. Such smooth teachers are sweet soul-poisoners, &c., Jer. xxiii. 16, 17.1
[2.] The second character. False teachers are notable in casting dirt, scorn, and reproach upon the persons, names, and credits of Christ’s most faithful ambassadors. Thus Korah, Dathan, and Abiram charged Moses and Aaron that they took too much upon them, seeing all the congregation was holy, Num. xvi. 3. You take too much state, too much power, too much honour, too much holiness upon you; for what are you more than others, that you take so much upon you? And so Ahab’s false prophets fell foul on good Micaiah, paying of him with blows for want of better reasons, 1 Kings xxii. 10-26. Yea, Paul, that great apostle of the Gentiles, had his ministry undermined and his reputation blasted by false teachers: ‘ For his letters,” say they, ‘ are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak and contemptible, 2 Cor. x. 10. They rather contemn him than admire him; they look upon him as a dunce rather than a doctor. And the same hard measure had our Lord Jesus from the Scribes and Pharisees, who laboured as for life to build their own credit upon the ruins of his reputation.? And never did the devil drive a more full trade this way than he does in these days, Mat. xxvii. 63. Oh! the dirt, the filth, the scorn that is thrown upon those of whom the world is not worthy. I suppose false teachers mind not that saying of Austin, Quisquis volens detrakit fame, nolens addit mercedi mee, He that willingly takes from my good name, unwillingly adds to my reward.