2 Cor. II. 11.] against satan's devices. 127
not so rich in lead or iron as he, when he is a thousand thousand times richer in silver and gold, in jewels and in pearls, than he ? And is it not madness and folly with a witness, in those that have greater parts and abilities than others, to slight them upon that account, when that those very persons that they make light and slight of have a thousand times more grace than they ? And yet, ah ! how doth this evil spirit prevail in the world !
It was the sad complaint of Austin in his time : ' The unlearned,' saith he, ' rise up and take heaven by violence, and we with all our learning are thrust down to hell.'1 It is sad to see how many of the rabbis of these times do make an idol of their parts and abilities, and with what an eye of pride, scorn, and contempt do they look upon those that want their parts, and that do not worship the idol that they have set up in their own hearts. Paul, who was the great doctor of the Gentiles, did wonderfully transcend in all parts and abilities the doctors and rabbis of our times, and yet, ah ! how humbly, how tenderly, how sweetly, doth he carry himself towards the meanest and the weakest ! ' To the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak : I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some,' 1 Cor. ix 22. ' Who is weak, and I am not weak ? Who is offended, and I burn not ? Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend,' 1 Cor. viii. 13. But, ah ! how little of this sweet spirit is to be found in the doctors of our age, who look sourly and speak bitterly against those that do not see as they see, nor cannot speak as they speak. Sirs ! the Spirit of the Lord, even in despised saints, will be too hard for you, and his appearance in them, in these latter days, will be so full of spi- ritual beauty and glory, as that they will darken that, that you are too apt to count and call your glory. The Spirit of the Lord will not suffer his choicest jewel grace to be always buried under the straw and stubble of parts and gifts, Isa. Ix. 1 3-1 7.
Remedy (4). The fourth remedy against this device of Satan is, to consider, That there is no such way for men to have their gifts and parts blasted and withered, as to pride themselves in them, as to rest upon them, as to make light and slight of those that want them, as to engage them against those persons, tvays, and things, that Jesus Christ hath set his heart upon. Ah ! how hath God blasted and withered the parts and abilities of many among us, that have once been famous shin- ing lights !2 How is their sun darkened, and their glory clouded ! ' How is the sword of the Lord upon their arm, and upon their ri»ht eye ! how is their arm clean dried up, and their right eye utterly darkened 1' as the prophet speaks, Zech. xi. 17. This is matter of humiliation and lamentation. Many precious discerning saints do see this, and in secret mourn for it ; and oh ! that they were kindly sensible of God's withdrawing from them, that they may repent, keep humble, and carry it sweetly towards God's jewels, and lean only upon the Lord,
1 Surguntindocti et rapiunt coelum, et nos cum doctrina nostra detrudimur in gehennam. [More accurately as follows : ' Surgunt indocti et coelum rapiunt, et nos cum doctrinia nostris sine corde, ecce ubi volutamur in came et sanguine.' Confess. 1. viii. c. 8. — G.l
a Becanus saith, that the tree of knowledge bears many leaves, and little fruit. Ah ! that it were not so with many in these days, who once did outshine the stais, &c.
128 PRECIOUS REMEDIES [2 COR. II. 11.
and not upon their parts and understanding, that so the Lord may de- light to visit them with his grace at such a rate as that their faces may shine more gloriously than ever, and that they may be more serviceable to the honour of Christ, and the faith of the saints, than formerly they have been, &c.
Thirdly, Satan hath his devices to destroy the saints ; and one great device that he hath to destroy the saints is,
By working them first to be strange, and tJien to divide, and then to be bitter and jealous, and then ' to bite and devour one another,' Gal. v. 15. Our own woful experience is too great a proof of this. The Israelites in Egypt did not more vex one another than Christians in these days have done, which occasioned a deadly consumption to fall upon some.1
Now the remedies against this device are these :
Remedy (1). The first remedy against this device of Satan is, To dwell more upon one another s graces than upon one another s wealc- nesses and infirmities. It is sad to consider that saints should have many eyes to behold one another's infirmities, and not one eye to see each other's graces, that they should use spectacles to behold one another's weaknesses, rather than looking-glasses to behold one another's graces. 2
Erasmus tells of one who collected all the lame and defective verses in Homer's works, but passed over all that was excellent. Ah ! that this were not the practice of many t'hat shall at last meet in heaven, that they were not careful and skilful to collect all the weaknesses of others, and to pass over all those things that are excellent in them. The Co- rinthians did eye more the incestuous person's sin than his sorrow, which was like to have drowned him in sorrow.
Tell me, saints, is it not a more sweet, comfortable, and delightful thing to look more upon one another's graces than upon one another's infirmities 1 Tell me what pleasure, what delight, what comfort is there in looking upon the enemies, the wounds, the sores, the sickness, the diseases, the nakedness of our friends? Now sin, you know, is the soul's enemy, the soul's wound, the soul's sores, the soul's sickness, the soul's disease, the soul's nakedness ; and ah ! what a heart hath that man that loves thus to look ! Grace is the choicest flower in all a Christian's garden ; it is the richest jewel in all his crown ; it is his princely robes; it is the top of royalty ; and therefore must needs be the most pleasing, sweet, and delightful object for a gracious eye to be fixed upon. Sin is darkness, grace is light ; sin is hell, grace is heaven ; and what madness is it to luok more at darkness than at light, more at hell than at heaven ! 3
Tell me, saints, doth not God look more upon his people's graces than upon their weaknesses ? Surely he doth. He looks more at David's and Asaph's uprightness than upon their infirmities, though they were great and many. He eyes more Job's patience than his passion. ' Re-
1 If we knock, we break. Dissolution is the daughter of dissension.
2 Flavius Vespasian, the emperor, was more ready to conceal the vices of his friends than their virtues. Can you think seriously of this. Christians, that a heathen should excel you, and not blush ?
3 Aon gens, sed mens, non genus sed genius, Not race or place, but grace truly sets forth a man.