Remedy (1). The first remedy against this device of Satan is, To dwell as muck on those scriptures that shew you, the duties and services that Christ requires of you, as upon those scriptures that declare to you the precious and glorious things that Christ hath clone for you.* It is a sad and dangerous thing to have two eyes to behold our dignity and privileges, and not one to see our duties and services. I should look with one eye upon the choice and excellent things that Christ hath done for me, to raise up my heart to love Christ with the purest love, and to joy in Christ with the strongest joy, and to lift up Christ above all, who hath made himself to be my all '; and I should look with the other eye upon those services and duties that the Scriptures require of those for whom Christ hath done such blessed things, as upon that of the apostle : ' What, know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God ? and ye are not your own : for ye are bought with a price ; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God:s,' 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20. And that : ' Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour
1 This is prcemium ante prcemiitm, a sure reward of well doing ; in doing thereof, not only for doing thereof, there is great reward, Ps. xix. 11.
2 ' In-comings.' — G. 3 ' Gratuities.' — G.
4 Tertullian hath this expression of the Scriptures : Adoro pleniludinem Scripturarum, I adore the fulness of the Scripture. Gregory calls the Scripture, Cor et animam Dei, the heart and soul of God; and who will not then dwell in it ?
78 PRECIOUS REMEDIES [2 COR. II. 11.
is not in vain in the Lord/ 1 Cor. xv. 58. And that : 'And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not,' GaL vi. 9. And that of the apostle : 'Rejoice always,' 1 Thes. v. 16, and 'Pray without ceasing,' 1 Thes. v. 17. And that in the Philip- pians, ' \Vork out your own salvation with fear and trembling/ ii. 12 ; and that, 'This do till I come,' 1 Tim. iv. 13; and that, 'Let us consider one another, to provoke one another to love, and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of Borne is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching/ Heb. x. 24, 25. Now, a soul that would not be drawn away by this device of Satan, he must not look with asquint eye upon these blessed scriptures, and abundance more of like import, but he must dwell upon them ; he must make these scriptures to be his chiefest and his choicest companions, and this will be a happy means to keep him close to Christ and his service in these times, wherein many turn their backs upon Christ, under pretence of being interested in the great glorious things that have been acted by Christ, &c.'
Remedy (2). The second remedy against this device of Satan is, to consider, That the great and glorious things that Jesus Christ hath dona, and is a-doing for us, should be so far from taking us of from religious services and pious performances, that they should be the greatest motives and encouragements to the performance of them that may be, as the Scriptures do abundantly evidence. I will only instance in some, as that, ' That we, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and right- teousness before him all the days of our lives/ 1 Peter ii. 9, Luke i. 7-i, 75. Christ hath freed you from all your enemies, from the curse of the law, the predominant damnatory power of sin, the wrath of God, the sting of death, and the torments of hell ; but what is the end and design of Christ in doing these great and marvellous things for his people ? It is not that we should throw off duties of righteous- ness and holiness, but that their hearts may be the more free and sweet in all holy duties and heavenly services.2 So the apostle, ' I will be their God, and they shall be my people :' ' And I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, smith the Lord Almighty.' Mark what follows: 'Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord/ 2 Cor. vi. 17, 18, chap. vii. 1 compared. And again : ' The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and yodly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself fur us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and
1 The Jews were much in turning over the leaves of the Scripture, but they did not weigh the matter of them: John v. 39, 'You search the Scriptures.' ■ Greek there
.im ih to be indicative rather than imperative.
9 This I am sure of, that all man's happiness here is his holiness, and his holiness shall hereafter be his happiness. Christ hath therefore broke the devil's yoke from oif our necks, that his Father might have better service from our hearts.
2 COR. II. 11.] AGAINST SATAN'S DEVICES. 79
purify us unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works/ Titus ii. 12-14. Ah, souls ! I know no such arguments to work you to a lively and constant performance of all heavenly services, like those that are drawn from the consideration of the great and glorious things that Christ hath done for you ; and if such arguments will not take you and win upon you, I do think the throwing of hell fire in your faces will never do it.1