Device (6). By presenting before them the examples of the greatest part of the world, that walk in the ways of their own hearts, << u<l that make light and slight of the ways of the Lord.1 Why, saith Satan, do not you see that the great and the rich, the noble and the honour- able, the learned and the wise, even the greatest number of men, never trouble themselves about such and such ways, and why then should
1 John vii. 48, 49, 1 Cor. i. 20, 28, Micah vii. 2-4.
2 COR. II. 11.] AGAINST SATAN'S DEVICES. 85
you be singular and nice ? You were far better do as the most do, &c.
Now, the remedies against this device are these :
Remedy (1). The first remedy against this device of Satan is, solemnly to consider Of those scriptures that make directly against following the sinful examines of men. As that in Exodus, ' Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil, neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment/ chap, xxiii. 2. The multitude generally are ignorant, and know not the way of the Lord, therefore they speak evil of that they know not. They are envious and maliciously bent against the service and way of God, and there- fore they cannot speak well of the ways of God : ' This way is every- where spoken against,' saith they, Acts xxviii. 22. So in Num. xvi. 21, ' Separate from them, and come out from among them.' So the apostle, ' Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,' Eph. v. 1J. So Solomon, ' Enter not into the way of the wicked ; forsake the foolish, and live,' Pro v. iv. 14 and ix. 6. They that walk with the most shall perish with the most.1 They that do as the most shall ere long suffer with the most. They that live as the most, must die with the most, and to hell with the most.
Remedy (2). The second remedy against this device of Satan is, seriously to consider, That if you will sin with the multitude, all the angels in heaven and men on earth cannot keep you from suffering with the multitude. If you will be wicked with them, you must un- avoidably be miserable with them.2 Say to thy soul, 0 my soul ! if thou wilt sin with the multitude, thou must be shut out of heaven with the multitude, thou must be cast down to hell with the multitude : 'And I heard a voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues,' Rev. xviii. 4. Come out in affection, in action, and in habi- tation, for else the infection of sin will bring upon you the infliction of punishment. So saith the wise man, ' He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed,' or as the Hebrew hath it, ' shall be broken in pieces,' Prov. xiii. 20.3 Mul- titudes may help thee into sin, yea, one may draw thee into sin, but it is not multitudes that can help thee to escape punishments ; as you may see in Moses and Aaron, that were provoked to sin by the multi- tude, but were shut out of the pleasant land, and fell by a hand of justice as well as others.
Remedy (3). The third remedy against this device of Satan is, solemnly to consider, The worth and excellency of thy immortal soul. Thy soul is a jewel more worth than heaven and earth. The loss of thy soul is incomparable, irreparable, and irrecoverable ; if that be lost, all is lost, and thou art undone for ever. Is it madness and folly in a man to kill himself for company, and is it not greater madness or folly to break the neck of thy soul, and to damn it for company ?
1 The way to hell is broad and well beaten. The way to be undone for ever is to do as the most do. , Argumentum lurpissimum est turba. the multitude is the weakest and worst argument, saith Seneca. \De Vita Beata, ii. — G.]
2 Sin and punishment are linked together with chains of adamant. Of sin we may say as Isidore doth of the serpent, Tot dolor es quot colores, so many colours, so mauy dolours. 3 yiT, Jeroange, from VD, Ruange, to be naught.
86 PRECIOUS REMEDIES [2 COR. II. 11.
Suspect that way wherein thou seest multitudes to walk ; the multi- tude being a stream that thou must row hard against, or thou wilt be carried into that gulf out of which angels cannot deliver thee. Is it not better to walk in a straight way alone, than to wander into crooked ways with company ? Sure it is better to go to heaven alone than to hell with company.
I might add other things, but these may suffice for the present; and I am afraid, if these arguments do not stir you, other arguments will work but little upon you.1
The seventh device that Satan hath to keep souls off from holy ex- ercises, from religious services, is,
Device (7). By casting in a multitude of vain thoughts, whilst the soul is in seeking of God, or in waiting on God ; and by this device he hath cooled some men's spirits in heavenly services, and taken off, at least for a time, many precious souls from religious per- formances. I have no heart to hear, nor no heart to pray, nor no delight in reading, nor in the society of the saints, &c. Satan doth so dog and follow my soul, and is still a-casting in such a multitude of vain thoughts concerning God, the world, and my own soul, &c, that I even tremble to think of waiting upon God in any religious service. Oh ! the vain thoughts that Satan casts in do so distaste my soul, and so grieve, vex, perplex, and distract my soul, that they even make me weary of holy duties, yea, of my very life. Oh ! I cannot be so raised and ravished, so heated and melted, so quickened aud enlarged, so comforted and refreshed, as I should be, as I might be, and as I would be in religious services, by reason of that multitude of vain thoughts, that Satan is injecting or casting into my soul, &c.2
Now, the remedies against this device of Satan are these :
Remedy (1). The first remedy against this device of Satan is, To have your hearts strongly affected with the greatness, holinesss, majesty, and glory of that God before whom you stand, and with whom your souls do converse in religious services. Oh ! let your souls be greatly affected with the presence, purity, and majesty of that God before whom thou standest. A man would be afraid of playing with a feather, when he is speaking with a king. Ah ! when men have poor, low, light, slight, &c, thoughts of God, in their drawing near to God, they tempt the devil to bestir himself, and to cast in a multitude of vain thoughts to disturb and distract the soul in its waiting on God. There is nothing that will contribute so much to the keeping out of vain thoughts, as to look upon God as an omniscient God, an omni- present God, an omnipotent God, a God full of all glorious perfections, a God whose majesty, purity, and glory will not suffer him to behold the least iniquity.3 The reason why the blessed saints and glorious angels in heaven have not so much as one vain thought is, because