broken groats at tliy hand ? Is he not a holy God ? Now liere, Christian, learn to distinguish and answer Satan. There is a double acceptance. There is an acceptance of a thing by way of payment of debt, and thei-e is an acceptance of a thing offered as a token of love and a testimony of gratitude. He that will not accept of broken money, or half the sum for payment of a debt; the same man, if his friend sends him, though but a bent sixpence, in token of his love, will take it kindly. It is true. Christian, the debt thou owest to God must be paid in good and lawful money ; but, for thy comfort, here Christ is thy paymaster ; send Satan to him, bid him bring his charge against Christ, who is ready at God's right hand to clear his accounts, and shew his discharge for the whole debt. But now thy performances and obedience come under another no- tion, as tokens of thy love and thankfulness to God ; and such is the gracious disposition of thy heavenly Father, that he accepts thy mite : love refuseth nothing that love sends. It is not the weight or worth of the gift, but ' the desire of a man is his kindness,' Prov. xix. 22.
SpcTioN IV. — A fourth wile of Satan as a troubler, is, to draw the saint into the depths of despair, under a specious pretence of not being humbled enough for sin. This we find singled out by the apostle for one of the devil's fetches : ' We are not ignorant,' saith he, ' of his devices,' 2 Cor. ii. 11 ; his so- phistical reasonings. Satan sets much by this flight ; no weapon oftener in his hand : where is the Christian that hath not met him at this door ? Here Satan finds the Christian easy to be wroiight on, the humours being stirred to his hand ; while the Christian, of his own accord, coinjilains of the hardness of his heart, and is very prone to believe any who comply with his musing thoughts ; yea, thinks every one flatters him that would persuade him other- wise. It is easier to dye that soid into black, which is of a sad colour already, than to make such a one take the lightsome tincture of joy and comfort.
Quest. But how shall I answer this subtile enemy, when he thus pei-plexeth my spirit, with not being humbled enough for sin, &c. ?
yiiisw. I answer as to the former ; Laboiu- to spy the fallacy of his argument, and his mouth is soon stopped.
First, Satan argues thus : There ought to be a proportion between sin and sorrow ; but there is no proportion between thy sins and thy sorrow ; therefore thou art not humbled enough. What a plausible argument is here at first blush ! For the major, that there ought to be a proportion between sin and sorrow, this Satan will show you Scripture for. Manasseh was a great sinner, and an ordinaiy sorrow will not serve his turn ; ' he humbled himself greatly before the Lord,' 1 Chron. iii. 12. No, saith Satan, weigh thy sin in the ba- lance with thy sorrow ; art thou as great a mourner as thou hast been a sinner .' So many years thou hast waged war against the Almighty, making havoc of his laws, loading his patience till it groaned again, raking in the sides of Christ with thy bloody dagger, while thou didst grieve his Spirit, and reject his grace ; and dost think a little remorse, like a rolling cloud, letting fall a few drops of sorrow, will now be accepted ? No, thou must steejj in sorrow, as thou hast soaked in sin. Now, to show you the fallacy, we must distinguish of a two-fold proportion of sorrow.
1st, An exact proportion of sorrow to the inherent nature and demerit of sin.
2ndly, There is a projiortion to the law and ride of the gospel. Now the first is not a thing feasible, because the injmy done in the least sin is infinite, because done to an infinite God ; and if it could be feasible, yet according to the tenour of the first covenant, it would not be acceptable ; because it had no claiise to give any hope for an after-game by i-epentance ; but the other, which is a gospel sorrow, this is indeed repentance unto life, Acts v. 31 ; Zech. xii. 10, (both given by the spirit of the gospel, and to be tried by the rule of the gospel.) This is given for thy relief. As you see sometimes in the highway, where the waters are too deep for travellers, you have a foot-bridge or causey, by which they may escape the flood, and safely pass on ; so that none but such as have not eyes, or are drunk, will venture to go through the waters, when they may avoid the danger. Thou art a dead man, if thou think to answer thy sin with proportionable sorrow ; thou wilt soon be above thy depth, and drown thyself with thy own tears, but never get over the least sin thou conunittest;
AGAINST THE WILES OF THE DEVIL. Q\