I have been the longer upon the remedies that may help us against this dangerous device of Satan, because he doth usually more hurt to the souls of nun by this device than he doth by all other devices. For a close, I wish, as once Chrysostom did, that that sentence, Eccles. ii. 11, 'Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do, and behold all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun,' were engraven on the door-posts into which you enter, on the tables where you sit, on the dishes out of which you eat, on the cups out of which you drink, on the bed-steads where you lie, on the walls of the house where you dwell, on the garments which you wear, on the heads of the horses on which you ride, and on the foreheads of all them whom you meet, that your souls may not, by the beauty and bravery of the world, be kept off from those holy and heavenly services that may render you blessed while you live, and happy when you die ; that you may breathe out your last into his bosom who lives for ever, and who will make them happy for ever that prefer Christ's spirituals and eternals above all temporal transitory things.
Device (2.) The second device that Satan hath to draw the soul from holy duties, and to keep them off from religious services, is, By presenting to them the danger, the losses, and the sufferings that do attend the 'performance of such and such, religious ser- vices. By this device Satan kept close those that believed on Christ from confessing of Christ: in John xii. 42, 'Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him ; but because of the Pha- risees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue.' I would walk in all the ways of God, I would give up myself to the strictest way of holiness, but I am afraid dangers will attend me on the one hand, and losses, and happily such and such sufferings on the other hand, saith many a man. Oh, how should we help ourselves against this temptation and device of Satan !
Now the remedies against this device of Satan are these that follow.
Remedy (1). The first remedy against this device of Satan is to con- sider, That all the troubles and afflictions that you meet with in a way of righteousness shall never hurt you, they shall never harm you. ' And who is he that shall harm you, if you be followers of that which is good?' saith the apostle, i.e. none shall harm you, 1 Pet. iii. 13.2 Natural conscience cannot but do homage to the image of God stamped upon the natures, words, works, and life of the godly ; as we may see in the carriage of Nebuchadnezzar and Darius towards Daniel. All
1 Plutarch tells of Themistoclcs, that he accounted it not to stand with his state to stoop clown to take up the spoils the enemies had scattered in flight; but saith to one of his followers, &6v«.<ra.i <rv, yao ovk u ti$fn<rroxkh;, You may, for you are not Themistocles. Oh what a sad thing it is that a heathen should set his feet upon those very things that most professors set their hearts, and for the gain of which, with Balaam, many ruu the hazard of losing their immortal souls for ever.
8 Nemo pruprie laiditur nisi a seipso, Nobody is properly hurt but by himself, and his own fault.
2 Cor. II 11.] against satan's devices. 71
afflictions and troubles that do attend men in a way of righteousness can never rob them of their treasure, of their jewels. They may rob them of some light slight things, as the sword that is by their side, or the stick in their hand, or of the flowers or ribbons that be in their hats.1 The treasures of a saint are the presence of God, the favour of God, union and communion with God, the pardon of sin, the joy of the Spirit, the peace of conscience, which are jewels that none can give but Christ, nor none can take away but Christ. Now why should a gracious soul keep off from a way of holiness because of afflictions, when no afflictions can strip a man of his heavenly jewels, which are his ornaments and his safety here, and will be his happiness and glory hereafter ? Why should that man be afraid, or troubled for storms at sea, whose treasures are sure in a friend's hand upon land ? Why, a believer's treasure is always safe in the hands of Christ ; his life is safe, his soul is safe, his grace is safe, his comfort is safe, and his crown is safe in the hand of Christ.2 ' I know him in whom I have believed, and that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him until that day,' saith the apostle, 2 Tim. i. 12. The child's most pre- cious things are most secure in his father's hands ; so are our souls, our graces, and our comforts in the hand of Christ.
Remedy (2). The second remedy against this device of Satan is to consider, That other precious saints that were shining lights on earth, and are noiv triumphing in heaven, have held on in religious ser- vices, notwithstanding all the troubles and dangers that have sur- rounded them? Nehemiah and Ezra were surrounded with dangers on the left hand and on the right, and yet, in the face of all, they hold on building the temple and the wall of Jerusalem. So Daniel, and those precious worthies, Ps. xliv. 19, 20, under the want of outward encouragements, and in the face of a world of very great discourage- ment?, their souls clave to God and his ways. ' Though they were sore broken in the place of dragons, and covered with the shadow of death, yea, though they were all the day long counted as sheep for the slaughter, yet their hearts were not turned back, neither did their steps decline from his ways.' Though bonds and imprisonments did attend Paul and the rest of the apostles in every place, yet they held on in the work and service of the Lord ; and why, then, should you degenerate from their worthy examples, which is your duty and your glory to follow ? 2 Cor. vi. 5, Heb. xi. 36.
Remedy (3). The third remedy against this device of Satan is,
1 Gordius, that blessed martyr, accounted it a loss to him not to suffer many kinds of tortures. He saith tortures are hut tradings with God for glory. The greater the combat is, the greater is the following reward. [For above of Gordius, cf. Clarke's ' Martyrologie,' 1677 folio, pages 54, 55. — G.]
2 That was a notable speech of Luther, Let him that died for my soul see to the salvation of it.
3 Wil. Fowler (martyr) said that heaven should as soon fall as I will forsake my profession, or budge in the least degree from it. So Santus being under as great tor- ments as you have read of, cries out, Christianus sum, I am a Christian. No torments could work him to decline the service of God. I might produce a cloud of witnesses ; but if those do not work you to be noble and brave, 1 am afraid more will not [For Fowler see Clarke's ' Martyrologie,' as before, pp. 450, 451, and for Sanctus [not Santus] page 81. — G.]
72 PRECIOUS REMEDIES [2 COR. II. 11.