0 they liave siimed against knowledge of the truth, and therefore no mercy- remains for them ! who, if they woukl have refreshed their understandings by looking off these places, whose engraving is too curious to be long pored on by a weak eye, they might have found that in other scriptures plainly expressed, which would have enabled them, as through a glass, more safely to have viewed these. Therefore, Christian, keep the plains ; thou mayest be sure it is thine enemy that gives thee such stones to break thy teeth, when thy condition calls rather for bread and wine, such scriptiu'es, I mean, as are most apt to nourish thy faith, and cheer thy drooping spirit. When thou meetest such plain scrip- tures which speak to thy case, go over where it is fordable, and do not venture beyond thy depth. Art thou afraid because thou hast sinned since the know- ledge of the truth, and therefore no sacrifice remains for thee ? See David and Peter's case, how it patterns thine, and left upon record that their recovery may be a key in thine hand to open such places as these ; mayest thou not safely con- clude from these, this is not their meaning, that none can be saved that sin after knowledge ? Indeed, in both these places, it is neither meant of the falls of such as ever had true grace, nor of a falling away in some particular acts of sin, but of a total universal falling away fi'om the faith, (the doctrine of it as well as seeming practice of it.) Now, if the i"oot of the matter were ever in thee, other scriptures will first comfort thee against those particular apostasies into v/hich thou hast relapsed, by sweet promises inviting such to retiu-n, and precedents of saints, who have had peace spoken to them after such folly, and also they will satisfy thee against the other, by giving full security to thy faith, that thy little grace shall not die, being immortal, though not in its proper essence, because a creatiire, yet by covenant, as it is a child of promise.
Thii-dly, Dark providences. From these Satan disputes against God's love to, and grace in a soul. First, he got a commission to phmder Job of his temporal estate, and bereave him of his children, and then labours to make him question his spiritual estate and sonship : his wife would have him entertain hard thoughts of God, saying, 'Curse God and die;' and his friends as hard thoughts of himself, as if he were an hypocrite, and both upon the same mistake, as if such an afflicted condition and a gracious state were inconsistent. Now, Christian, keep the plains, and neither from this charge God foolishly for thine enemy, nor thyself as his ; read the saddest providence with the comment of the word, and thou canst not make such a harsh interpretation. As God can make a straight line with a crooked stick ; be righteous when he useth wicked instrinnents ; so also gracious when he dispenseth harsh pro- vidences. Joseph kept his love, when he spake roughly to his brethren.
1 do not wonder that the wicked think they have God's blessings, because they are in the warm sun : alas ! they are strangers to God's counsels, void of his spirit, and sensual, judging of God and his providence by the report present feeling makes of them ; like little children, who think every one loves thejn that gives them plums. But it is strange that a saint shoidd be at a loss for his afflicted state, when he hath a key to decipher God's character: Christian, hath not God secretly instructed thee by his Spirit from the word, how to read the short-hand of his providence ? Dost not thou know that the saints' afflictions stand for blessings ? 'Every son whom he loves he corrects;' and prosperity in a wicked state, must it not be read a curse ? Doth not God damn such to be rich, honourable, victorious in this world, as well as to be tormented in another world ? God gives them more of these than they seem to desire sometimes, and all to bind them faster up in a deep sleep of security, as Jael served Siscra, Judg. v. 25 ; he shall have milk, though he asked but water, that she might nail him the sru'er to the ground ; milk having a property, as some write, to incline to sleep.
Section IV. — Fourthly, Be careful to keep thy old receipts which thou hast from God for the pardon of thy sins. There are some gaudy days and jubilee- like festivals, when God comes forth clothed with the robes of his mercy, and holds forth the sceptre of his grace more familiarly to his children than ordi- nary, bearing witness to their faith, sincerity, &c., and then the firmament is clear, not a cloud to be seen to darken the Christian's comfort. Love and joy are the soul's repast and pastime, while this feast lasts. Now when God with-
AGAINST THE WILES OF THE DEVIL. gY