Imatges de pàgina
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Satan, yet as thofe acts do país thro' and appear, and are put forth in the body and corporeal organs, either outwardly in action, or inwardly in the images of the fancy, or in the paffions, fo they may be difcerned and known by Satan.

2. Whether Satan can shut the door, that good thoughts may not enter? I answer, in natural men, as yet unrege nerate, he may shut the common gate of the fancy, that no good thoughts fhall enter in that way; and the reason is, because the devil (fo to speak) hath the keys in his own hands of all the rooms, next to the privy chamber; he rules there, and locks or unlocks at his pleasure. For the better understanding of this, we must know that within men are feveral rooms or chambers; the fancy, the affec tions, the heart or foul, which confifts of the understand, ing and will; the understanding is joined to the fancy, as the next room to it; and the will is joined to the affections, as the next room to it; hence the fancy brings in to the understanding, and the affections bring in to the will: And on the other fide, the understanding imprints much upon the tancy what it conceives, and the will imprints much upon the affections what it commands: Now for the utter rooms, as Satan can difcern them intuitively, fo he can work upon them at his pleasure; in the fancy he can make fuch compofitions, as the understanding may prefently take off, and read what is written there; and in the fenfitive paffions, fuch as love, hatred, anger, concupifcence, he can fo move and humour the fpirits in which they float, that the will is apt to choofe and command accordingly as the paffions are moved there; but for the most inner room or privy chamber, wherein we place the understanding and will, as Satan cannot intuitively or immediately difcera it, fo neither can he imperiously or efficaciously work upon it. Indeed, faith Mr. Burges, in his treatife of original fin, to speak strictly, the devil hath no efficient power over the rational part of a man, he cannot change the will, he cannot alter the heart of a man, neither doth he know the thoughts of a man, fo that the utmost he can do in tempting of a man to fin, is by fuafion and fuggeftion only; but then how doth the devil do this? even by work

ing upon the imagination; learned men think this to be his method, That he observeth the temper and bodily conftitution of a man, and thereupon fuggests to his fancy, and injects his fiery darts thereinto, by which the mind and will come to be wrought upon: For it is Aristotle's rule, that phantafmata movent intelle&um, ficut fenfibilia fenfum, The phantafms and imagination move the under ftanding, as the objects of fense being prefent do presently move the fenfe; the devil then, tho' he hath no imperious efficacy over the understanding and will, yet because he can ftir and move the imagination, it follows, that any fin in the imagination, tho' but in the outward works of the foul, yet doth it quickly lay hold on all. Well then, if Satan be lord of the outer works, and if thro' those doors and chambers every good thought must ufually enter before it comes into the privy chamber; if, as the fchoolmen say, the understanding receives things by the mediation firft of the external fenfes, then of the fancy, of which the memory is the treasure, so that all comes to us in ordinary no way but that; how easily may we conclude, that Satan will bar, and lock, and shut those doors in men unregenerate, that no good thought fhall enter in that way: Nor doth this at all trench on that prerogative of God, who is faid alone to be the heart-fearcher, the understanding's light, the will's determiner; for he knows either immediately how to speak to the foul, or he can countermand the devil's power, and speak by the fenfes and fancy, in fpite of the malice of Satan and all his power.

3. Whether Satan can at his pleasure inject sinful thoughts and fet on the foul to embrace them, or to tamper with them? I anfwer: As he hath a power to hinder good thoughts, fo he hath a power to fuggeft evil thoughts. It is clearly and exprefly faid of Judas, that the devil put it in his heart to betray Christ, John xiii. 2. The devil being a fpirit, had accefs to his fpirit, and fo inftilled his fuggeftions into him. As the Lord Chrift did breathe upon his difciples, and fo they received the Holy Ghoft, and were filled with the Spirit; fo Satan breathes filthy fuggeftions into the fpirits of wicked men, and fills them with all manner of wickedness, malice, unrighteoufaefs, he fills them

with the spirit of hell; Why hath Satan filled thine heart, faid Peter to Ananias? Acts v. 3. Satan had filled, his heart to lie to the Holy Ghoft. I know the devil tempts feveral ways; as fometimes he prefents, and holds up an object, and fo he dealt with Jefus Chrift, prefenting the world's glory to him in a map, or landfcape: And ufually objects are first reprefented, which he caufe th to dwell upon the fancy, till the heart be infnared: But fometimes, yea oftentimes the devil tempts through the immiffion of thoughts, which he doth also by the help of fancy, for o ther wife how could the devil tempt to difpais, or to biafphemy, or to spiritual fins? or how fhould he blind the mind by carnal imaginations, and conceits, and obftinate prejudices against the truth? And thefe thoughts once immitted, may be continued in a difcourfe, till at laft the foul both tampers with them, and yields unto them. I have done with these questions; and now we fee how Satan affaults by himself.

SECT. IV.

Of the Several Mediate Affaults that Satan at firft doth

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E affaults mediately, and by his aids. He likes not that the foul fhould have any thoughts of leaving him, or of coming to Chrift: The very firft meditation gives all the legions of hell an alarm, as it were; they are as much troubled at it as Herod and Jerufalem were whee they heard the news that Chrift was born: And therefore they call in all their aids, and command them to flife thofe holy thoughts and confiderations.

Thefe aids are either the world or the ficfh.

1. By the world I underftand impious, carnal, and unbelieving men, with all their baits and caticements unto vanity; and all their difcouragements, affictions and miferies, wherewith they hinder God's children in travelling the path of righteoufnefs, which leads to heaven. This wicked world affaults us on both fides; on the right-hand. it offers us the bait of pleafure, honours, riches, that thereby it may allure us to swallow the hook of fin: It cafts before us golden apples, that by stopping down to gather them, we may be hindred in running the Chriftiao

race,

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race, and fo lofe the goal and garland of everlafting glory." On the left hand, it encounters us with threats, miferies, afflictions, poverty, ignominy; all which being terrible in the eyes of flesh and blood, fo far prevail with fome, that they move them to make shipwreck of faith and a good confcience.

6.

Methinks I imagine the world fpeaking to the foul in uch a language as this: What ftrangers are thefe that diffturb our dwelling? Have not we poffeft this heart to many years? and must we now be gone, and give up our room to foreigners that invade? Come, take up other thoughts of the fweet and pleafure of this world; here foul, we offer thee wealth; or if that will not allure, thou fhalt have honour; or if that will not prevail, thou shalt have pleasure. As Balak dealt with Balaam, who first fent under-meffengers, and they not prevailing, he yet a gain fent princes, more, and more honourable than they; and they came to Balaam, and faid to him, Thus faith • Balak the fon of Zippor, let nothing I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me, for I will promote thee unto very great honour, Numb. xxii. 15, 16. So faith the world, Let nothing I pray thee, divorce thee and me; for I will promote thee unto very great honour. Or, if thefe allurements do not divert thy foul, but still it confiders; Oh, what will become of me in the other world! Then doth the world frown, and threaten, and boaft of his great ftrength, then he marcheth against the foul with all his forces, fometimes hiding his troops in the ambushments of worldly vanities; and fometimes drawing out his forces in open view: q. d. Come afflictions! come perfecu« tions! and fet on this foul with force and violence! will it needs run away from us in the ways of godliness? be you like briars in the way to hold it from going forwards; or be you like thorns under its feet to vex and torment it, that it may be weary in its paffage. And, Oh the vexati ons, griefs, fears, and torments, which the frowning world darts into the foul at fuch a time!

2. By the flesh, I mean not the body and the flesh thereof, but that corruption of nature, which hath defil ed the body and foul, being spread and mixt with every

part

part of both, even as the light is mixt with darkness in the twilight, or dawning of the day; hereby we find ourselves prone to all fin, and ready to entertain all temptations, which promise the fatifying of the lufts of the flesh. This enemy is called the old man, the old Adam; the earthly, carnal, natural man; the fin which is inherent. and dwelleth in us; the adjoining evil; the law of the members; the lufts of the flesh, which fight against the foul. As Satan is the father, fo the flesh is mother of fin, which reciving Satan's temptations as it were into a fruitful womb, doth continue, nourish and bring forth fin.

Now as this is another of Satan's aids, fo methinks I imagine the flesh befpeaking the foul in this or the like kind, What manner of communication is this which thou haft with mine enemy? Are godly thoughts fuitable to dwell in me? or to fit down with me? Am not I thyself? conceived, and born, and brought up with thself? and wilt thou now entertain an enemy, either to weaken or destroy me? I cannot endure any thought tending to the fpiritual man; thou canst not but be fenfible that we two cannot reign together and flourish together in the fame foul at once. If the fpirit live, I die, and if the (pirit thrive perish. And am I not nearer to thee, and dearer to thee than the fpirit? Was not I with thee in the womb, and did I ever leave thee till this time? Have not I ftudied to please thee with all the delights, and incomes, and pleasures of this world? and wilt thou now turn thy back upon the old man, thy antient acquaintance? See here a legion of Jufts attending on thee; come, let us greet, and embrace, and throw out thefe pious thoughts that feem to difturb us in our dalliances. And thus we see how Satan affaults us by his aids.

SECT. V.

Of the Duties that concern us, in refpect of the immediate

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Affaults.

OR the duties in our wrestling with Satan as to thefe affaults, let fouls practife refpectively. As,

1. To Satan's immediate affaults use these repulfes. 1. Give entertainments to pious thoughts, hear what they fay, what if they are ftrangers to thy unregenerate

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