to kill them ; draw out thy hreast to nurse and suckle them, than the sword of the Spirit to destroy them ? And if so, saith faith, that these he Satan's brats, why then art thou troubled because he lays them at thy door ? Is the chaste woman unchaste because some foul tongue calls her so? Have patience a little, poor soul, the Judge is at the door, and when he comes thou shalt be called by thy right name. Sit not thou any longer wounding thy soul with his dart, and troubling thyself for the devil's sin, but go and complain of him to thy God ; and when thou hast spread his blasphemies before the Lord, as Hezekiah did Rabshakeh's, comfort thyself with this, that God will spread thy cause against this false accuser, and send him away with as much shame, and as little success, as he did that barking dog, who so reviled God, and railed on his people. But, secondly, suppose these blasphemous motions be the Christian's own sins, bred in his own heart, and not the devil's brats, yet here faith relieves the Christian, when distressed with the guilt of them, and Satan labours most to aggravate them. Now the succour faith brings the soul here is manifold. Faith can assure the soul, upon solid Scripture bottoms, that these blasphemous thoughts are pardonable : ' All manner of sin and blasphem)? shall be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men,' Matt. xii. 31. And it were strange, if thy fancy should be so wild and melancholy, as to think thou seest this only impardonable blasphemy (which is marked on the forehead with final impenitency and desperate hatred against God) in those loose, roving thoughts, that never yet could gain any consent from thy heart, but continues to disavow and protest against them ; I say, it were very strange that thou couldst long mistake those unwelcome guests for that wicked sin. Now, for thy comfort, thou hcarest that all manner of blasphemy, except that one, shall be forgiven ; a pardon for them may be sued out in the court of meixy, how terrible and amazing soever their circumstances may be to thy trembling soul ; and if the creature believes this, Satan's dart is quenched ; for his design is to make use of these temptations as a trap-door by which he may let thy soul down into despair. Faith resolves the soul, that the ebullition of such thoughts is not inconsistent with the state of grace ; and if the soul be well satisfied in this point, the devil's fiery dart hath lost its en- venomed head, so that it cannot drink up the Christian's spirits. The common inference which he makes tempted souls draw from the presence of these thoughts is, Surely I am not a saint ; this is not the spot of God's children ; but faith is able to disprove this, and challenges Satan to show one place in all the Bible that countenanceth such a conclusion. Indeed there is not one. It is true, the blasphemy of blasphemies, (I mean the sin against the Holy Ghost,) with this the evil one shall never touch a true believer ; but I know no kind of sin, short of that, from which he hath any such protection or immunity, as makes it impossible he shoidd for a time be foiled by it. The whole body of sin, indeed, is weakened in every believer, and a deadly wound given by the grace of God to his corrupt nature ; yet as a dying tree may bear some fruit, though not so much, nor that so full and ripe as before ; as a dying man may move his limbs, though not so strongly as when he v/as in health ; so original cor- ruption in a saint will be stiri'ing, though but feebly ; and thou hast no cause to be discoiu'aged because it stirs, but to be comforted that it can but stir. O be thankful thou hast got thy enemy, who was master of the field, and had thee tied to his triumphant chariot, now himself on his knees under the victorious sword of Christ and his grace, ready to drop into his grave, though lifting up his hand against thee, to show his enmity continues, when his 'power fails to do execution. Faith can clear it to the soul, that these blasphemous thoughts, as they are commonly entertained in a saint, are not such great sins in God's accoinit, as some other that pass for less in ours. The Christian commonly contracts more guilt by a few proud, unclean, covetous thoughts, than by many blasphemous, because the Christian seldom gets so clear a victoiy over those, as over these of blasphemy. The fiery darts of blasphemy may scare the Christian more, but fiery lusts wound sooner and deeper. The warm sun made the traveller open his cloak, but the blustering wind made him wrap it closer to him. Temptations of pleasure entice the heart, whereas the horrid nature of the other stirs up the Christian to a more valiant resistance of them. O the Christian is soon overtaken with temptations of pleasure,- — they are like
ABOVE ALL, TAKING THE SHIELD UF I'AITH. 49Y