I have presented you with Satan’s stratagems against the peace of God’s children. The remedies against these and other subtleties of our grand enemy I shall not offer you, because many others have done that already, to whose writings I must refer you. Some principal directions I have pointed at in the way, and in the general, have done this for the help of the tempted, that I have endeavoured to shew them the methods of [the] tempter, which is no small help to preserve men from being thus imposed upon, and to recover out of his snare those that are. It is a great preservative from sickness, and no mean advantage to the cure, to have a discovery of the disease, and the causes of it. I shall conclude these discoveries with a caution or two.
[1.] Let none think worse of the serious practice of holy strictness in religion, because these spiritual distresses do sometimes befall those that are conscientiously careful in the ways of God, while the profane and negligent professors are strangers to such trials. These troubles are indeed very sad, but a senseless, careless state is far worse. These troubles often end very comfortably, whereas the other end—except God make them sensible by conviction of their sin and danger—in that real misery, the fears whereof occasion these sorrows to God’s children. And the danger of spiritual troubles is not so great as is that of a hardened heart; nay, God frequently makes use of them to prevent eternal ruin—for one that goes roaring to the pit, there are thousands that go laughing to hell.
[2.] Let none slight or scoff at these tremendous judgments. It is too common with men, either to ascribe spiritual troubles to melancholy, as if none were ever thus concerned, but such, as by too much seriousness in religion, are become mad—a fair pretence for carelessness—or to a whining dissimulation. To the former I have said something before, and as for the latter I shall only reply, in the words of Spira, to one that objected hypocrisy to him: ‘I am a castaway, a vessel of wrath; yet dare you call it dissembling and frenzy, and can mock at the formidable example of the heavy wrath of God that should teach you fear and terror. But it is natural to the flesh to speak, either out of malice or ignorance, perversely of the work of God,’
[3.] Let none be afraid of this Goliath, let no man’s heart faint because of him. A fear of caution and diligence to avoid his snares is a necessary duty—‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil,’ &c., [1 Pet. v. 8]—but a discouraging, distrustful fear is a dishonourable reflection upon God’s power and promises to help us, and upon the captain of our salvation, who goeth out before us. Let us hold on in the practice of holiness, and not be afraid. ‘The God of peace shall tread down Satan under our feet shortly,’ [Rom. xvi. 20.] Amen.
NOTE.
Agreeably to Note at beginning, there will be found below the more specific title page of Part III.—G.
DÆMONOLOGIA SACRA:
OR, A
TREATISE
OF
Satans Temptations.
The Third Part.
CONTAINING