terrors are, the less the sorrow is for sin while they remain : these are indeed preparatory sometimes to sorrow ; they go before this grace, as austere John before meek Jesus. But as John went down, Christ went up, when his increase was John's decrease ; so as truly godly sorrow goes up, these terrors go down. As the wind gathers the clouds, but those clouds seldom melt into a set rain, until the wind falls that gathered them ; so these terrors raise the clouds of our sins in our consciences, but when these sins melt into godly sorrow, this lays the storm presently ; indeed as the loud winds do blow away the rain, so these terrors do keep off the soul from this gospel sorrow. While the creatiire is making an outcry, It is damned, it is damned, — it is taken iip so much with the fear of hell, that sin as sin (which is the proper object of godly sorrow) is little looked on or movu-ned for. A murderer condemned to die is so possessed with the fear of death, and thought of the gallows, that there lies the slain body (it may be) before him, unlamented by him ; but when his pardon is brought, then he can bestow his tears freel}^ on his murdered friend ; ' They shall look on him whom they have pierced, and mourn.' Faith is the eye; this eye, beholding its sin piercing Christ, and Christ pardoning its sin, affects the heart, the heart affected, sighs ; these inward clouds melt and run from the eye of faith in tears ; and all this is done when there is no tempest of terror upon the spirit, but a sweet serenity of love and peace : and therefore, Christian, see how Satan abuseth thee, when he would persuade thee thou art not humbled enough, because thy sorrow is not attended v/ith these illegal teri'ors.
CHAPTER VI.
a brief application of the second branch of the point, viz. of Satan's subtilty as a troubler and accuser for sin.
Use 1. Is Satan so subtile to trouble the saints' peace ? This proves them to be the children of Satan, who shew the same art and subtilty, in vexing the spirit of the saints, as doth their infernal father ; not to speak of bloody perse- cutors, who are the devil's slaughter-slaves to butcher the saints ; but of those who more slily trouble and molest the saints' peace.
First, Such as rake up the saints' old sins, which God hath forgiven and forgotten, merely to grieve their spirits and bespatter their names, these shew their devilish malice indeed ; who can take such pains to travel many years back, that they may find a handful of dirt to throw on the saint's face. Thus Shimei twitted David ; ' Come out, thou bloody man,' 1 Sam. i. 6, 7. When you that fear God meet with such reproaches, answer them as Beza did the Papists, who for want of other matter, charged him for some wanton poems, penned by him in his youth ; Hi homunciones mmdent mihi gratiam Dei, These men, said he, grudge me the pardoning mercy of God.
Secondly, Such as watch for the saints' halting, and catch at every infirmity to make them odious and themselves merry. It is a dreadful curse such bring upon themselves, (though they little think of it,) no less than Amalek's, the remembrance of whose name God threatened ' to blot from under heaven.' Why 1 What had Amalek done to deserve this? They ' smote the hindermost, those that were feeble,' Deut. xxv. 19, and could not march with the rest. And was it so great a cruelty to do this ? Much more to smite with the edge of a mocking tongue the feeble in grace.
Thirdly, Such who father their sins upon the saints ; thus Ahab calls the prophet ' the troubler of Israel,' when it was himself and his father's house. What a grief was it, think you, to Moses's spirit, for the Israelites to lay the blood of those that died in the wilderness at his door ! Whereas, God knows, he was their constant bail, when at any time God's hand was up to destroy them. And this is the charge which the best of God's servants in this crooked genei-ation of ours lie under. We may thank them, say the profane, for all our late miseries in the nation ; we were well enough till they would reform us. O for shame ! blame not the good physic that was administered, but the corrupt body of the nation that could not bear it.
Fourthly, Such as will themselves sin, merely to trouble the saints' spirit ; thus Rabshakeh blasphemed, and when desired to speak in another language, he
AGAINST THE WII.ES OF THE DEVIL. • (^v
goes on the more to grieve them. Sometimes you sliall have a profane wretch, (knowing one to be conscientious, and cannot brook to hear the name of God taken in vain, or the ways of God flouted,) who will on purpose fall upon such dis- course as shall grate his chaste ears, and trouble his gracious spirit ; such a one strikes father and child at one blow ; thinks it not enough to dishonour God, except the saint stands by to see and hear the wrong done to his heavenly Father.