CHAP. V.

Satan's Attempts against the Peace of God's Children, evidenced, (r.) By his Malice; (2.) From the concernment of Peace to God's Children. What thefe Concerns are, explained. (3.) From the Advantages which he hath against them by disquieting their Minds. 1. Confufion of Mind. 2. Unfitness for Duty, and how. 3. Rejection of Duty. 4. A ftumbling-block to others. 5. Preparation of the Mind to entertain venemous Impreffions, and what they are. 6. Bodily Weakneß. 7. Our Miferies Satan's contentment.

E have viewed the ways of Satan by which he tempts to

Win, by which he withdraws Men from Duty and Sex-
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vice, by which he corrupts the Mind through Errour; it only
now remains that fomething be spoken of his attempts against
the Peace and Comfort of the Children of God.

That 'tis also one of Satans chief defigns to cheat us of our Spiritual Peace, may be fully evinced by a confideration of his Malice, the great concern of inward Comfort to us, and the many Advantages which he hath against us by the difquiet of our Minds.

First, Whosoever fhall ferioufly confider the Devil's implacable: Malice, will eafily believe, that he fo envies our Happiness that he will induftriously rise up againft all our Comforts. Tis his inward fret and indignation that Man hath any intereft in that Happiness from which he irrecoverably fell, and that the Spirit of God fhould produce in the hearts of his People any fpiritual joy or fatisfaction in the belief and expectation of that Felicity, and therefore muft it be expected that his Malice (heightned by. the torment of his own guilt, which (as fome think) are thofe Chains of darkness in which he is reserved at present, to the judgment of the great day) will not, cannot leave this part of our

Happiness

Rev. 12. 10.

Happiness unattempted. He endeavours to fupplant us of our Birthright, of our Bleffing, of our Salvation, and the comfortable hopes thereof. From his common imployment in this matter,the Scripture hath given him names, importing an oppofition to Chrift and his Spirit, in the ways they take for our Comfort and Satisfaction. Chrift is our Advocate that pleads for us, Satan is Aláßoλ&, à Calumniator. The Spirit interceds for us, Satan is Kathy of G Tüv άdencov, the Accufer of the Brethren, who accufeth them before God night and day. The Spirit is our Comforter, Satan is our Disturber, a Beelzebub who is ever raking in our Wounds, as Flyes upon Sores. The Apoftle Paul had his Eye upon this, when he was advifing the Corinthians to receive again the penitent incestuous Perfon, his caution was most serious, 2 Cor. 2. 11. left Satan get advantage of us, left he deceive and circumvent us, (for his expreffion relates to Men, cunningly deceitful in Trade, that do over-reach and defraud the unskilful) and the reafon of this caution was, the known and commonly experienced fubtilty of Satan, for we are not ignorant of his devices, implying that he will, and frequently doth ly at catch to take all advantages against us. Some indeed reftrain thefe advantages to Verf. 10. Pifcator in loc, as if Paul only meant, that Satan was defigning to fix the Co

rinthians upon an Opinion, that Backfliders into great Sins were not to be received again, or that he laid in wait to raise a Calvin in loc. Schifm in the Church upon the account of this Corinthian. Others reftrain this advantage which he waited for, to Verf. 7. where the Apostle expreffeth his fear, left the excommunicated Perfon fhould be swallowed up of too much forrow; but the caution. being not exprefsly bound up to any one of thefe, feems to point at them all, and to tell us that Satan drives on many designs at once, and that in this Mans cafe Satan would endeavour to put the Corinthians upon a Pharifaical rigour, or to rend the Church by a divifion about him, and to opprefs the Penitent by bereaving him of his due comforts fo that it appears ftill, that it is one of his defigns to hinder the Comfort, and moleft the Hearts of God's

Children.

Secondly, Of fuch concern is inward spiritual Peace to us, that 'tis but an eafie conjecture to conclude from thence, that fo great an Adverfary will make it his defign to rob us of fuch a Jewel: For,

1. Spiritual Comfort is the Sweet Fruit of Holinefs, by which God adorns and beautifies the ways of Religious Service, to ren

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der them amiable and pleasant to the Undertakers, Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace, Prov. 3. 17. and this is the prefent reft and refreshment of God's faithful Servants under all their toil, that when they have tribulation from the World, yet they have peace in him, Joh. 16.33. and that being justified by Faith, they have peace with God, and fometimes joy un peakable and full of glory, 1 Pet. 1. 8. and this they may the more confidently expect, because the fruits of the Spirit are Love, Joy, Peace, &c. Gal. 5. 22.

2. Spiritual Comfort is not only our fatisfaction, but our inward Strength and Activity, for all holy Services doth depend upon it. By this doth God firengthen our Heart, and gird up our Loyns to run the ways of his Commandments; it doth alfo ftrengthen the foul to undergo Afflictions, to glory in Tribulations, to triumph in Perfecutions; the outward Man is alfo corroborated by the inward peace of the Mind ;. A merry Heart doth good like a Medicine, but a broken Spirit drieth the Bones, Prov. 17. 22. all which are intended by that expreffion, Neh. 8. 10. The joy of the Lord is your ftrength; 'tis ftrength to the Body, to the Mind, and that both for fervice and fuffering; the reason whereof the Apostle doth hint to us, Phil. 4.7. The peace of God which passeth all underStanding, shall keep your Hearts and Minds; that is, Peace doth fo guard us as with a Garifon, (for fo much the word imports ). that Peugńse. our Affections ( our Hearts) being entertained with divine fatisfactions, are not eafily enticed by bafer proffers of worldly delights, and our Reafonings (our Minds) being kept fteady upon fo noble an object, are not fo eafily perverted to a treacherous recommendation of vanities.

3. Joy and Peace are propounded to our careful endeavours, for Attainment and Prefervation, as a neceffary duty of great importance to us. Rejoycings are not only recommended as feemly for the Upright, but injoined as Service, and that in the conftant practice, Rejoyce evermore, In every thing give thanks, 1 Theff.5.16,18. Rejayce in the Lord always and again I fay, rejoyce, Phil. 4.4. In the Old Teftament God commanded the obfervation of feveral Feafts to the Jews, thefe though they had their feveral refpective grounds from God's appointment, yet the general defign of all feems to have been this, that they might rejoyce before the Lord their God, Lev. 23.40. as if God did thereby tell them that it was the comely complexion of Religion, and that which was very acceptable

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to himself, that his Children might always serve him in chearfulnefs of Heart, feeing fuch have more cause to rejoyce than all the World befides. They are then much mistaken, that think mournful Eyes and fad Hearts be the greatest Ornaments of Religion, or that none are ferious in the Profeffion of it, that have a chearful Countenance and a rejoycing frame of Spirit. 'Tis true, there is a Joy that is devilish, and a Mirth which is madness, to which Chrift hath denounced a Wo, Wo be to them that laugh now, for they shall mourn and weep; but this is a Joy of another nature, a carnal delight in Fanity and Sin, by which Men fatten their hearts to ruine; and whatfoever is faid against this, can be no prejudice to Spiritual, holy Joy in God, his Favour and Ways,

4. Spiritual Comfort is alfo abadg of our Heavenly Father's kindnels. As Jofeph (the Son of his Fathers affections) had a fpecial teftimony thereof in his party-coloured Coat; fo have Gods Favourites a peculiar token of his good Will to them, when he gives them the Garments of Praife for the Spirit of Heaviness; if Spiritual Comfort be fo advantagious to us, it will be no wonder to fee Satan fo much rage against it; it would be a fatisfaction to him to tear thefe Robes off us, to impede fo needful a Duty, to rob us of fo much Strength, and to bereave us of the sweet fruits of our Labours.

Thirdly, It further appears that Satan's defign is against the Comforts of God's Children, by the many advantages he hath against them, from the trouble and difquiet of their Hearts: I fhall reckon up the chief of them; As,

1. From the Trouble of the Spirit, he raiseth confufions and difractions of Mind: For, 1. 'Tis as natural to Trouble, to raise up a fwarm of muddy Thoughts, as to a troubled Sea to caft up Mire and Dirt and hence is that comparison, Ifa. 57.20. a thousand fearful Surmifes, evil Cogitations, Refolves, and Counfels, immediatly offer themfelves. This diforder of Thoughts Chrift took notice of in his Difciples when they were in danger, Why do thoughts arife in your hearts? Luk. 24.38. And David confide red it as matter of great anxiety, which called for speedy help, Pfal. 94. 19. In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my foul. Sometimes one fear is fuggefted, then prefently another; now this doubt perplexeth, then another que ftion is begot by the former; they think to take this courfe, then by and by they are off that, and refolve upon another, and

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as quickly change again to a third, and fo onward, one Thought fucceeding another, as Vapours from a boyling Pot. 2. Such Thoughts are vexatious and diftracting, the very Thoughts themfelves (being the poysonous fteams of their running Sores) are fadly afflictive,and not unfitly calledCogitationes onerofe, burdenfom Thoughts. But as they wrap up a Man in Clouds and Darkness,as they puzzle him in his Refolves, non-plus him in his undertakings, diftract him in his Counfels, difturb and hinder him in his Endeavours, &c. fo do they bring the Mind into a labyrinth of confufion. What advantage the Devil hath against a Child of God when his heart is thus divided and broken into Shivers, 'tis cafie to imagine. And David feems to be very fenfible of it, when he put up that request, Pfal. 86.11. Unite my heart to fear thy Name.

F2. By difquiet of Heart the Devil unfits Men for Duty or Service. Fitness for Duty lies in the orderly temper of Body and Mind, making a Man willing to undertake, and able to finish his work with comfortable fatisfaction; if either the Body or Mind be diftempered, a Man is unfit for fuch an undertaking, both muft be in a fuitable frame, (like a well-tun'd Inftrument) elfe there will be no melody: Hence, when David prepared himself for Praifes and Worship, he tells us, his Heart was ready and fixed, and then bis Tongne was ready alfo, fo was his Hand with Pfaltery and Harp, all these were awakened into a fuitable pofture. 3. 4. 2. That a Man is or hath been in a fit order for Service, may be concluded from, 1. His Alacrity to undertake a Duty. 2. His Activity in the profecution. 3. His Satisfaction afterward, right Grounds and Principles in these things being ftill prefuppofed. This being laid as a foundation, we shall eafily perceive how the troubles of the Spirit do unfit us for Duty: For,

1. Thefe do take away all Alacrity and forwardness of the Mind, partly by diverting it from Duty. Sorrows when they prevail, do fo fix the Mind upon the prefent Trouble, that it can think of nothing but its Burthen, they confine the Thoughts to the pain and fmart, and make a Man forget all other things; as David in his trouble forget to eat his Bread; and fick Perfons willingly difcourfe only of their Diseases, partly by indifpofing for action. Joy and Hope are active Principles, but Sorrow is fullen and fluggish. As the Mind (in trouble) is wholly imployed in a contemplation of its Mifery, rather than in finding out a way to Pp 2 avoid

Pfal. 45. 1, 2

108. I, 2.