land of Canaan ! for this world, this wilderness, is full of snares, and all employments are full of snares, and all enjoyments are full of snares. In civil things, Satan hath his snares to entrap us ; and in all spiritual things, Satan hath his snares to catch us. All places are full of snares, city and country, shop and closet, sea and land ; and all our mercies are surrounded with snares. There are snares about our tables and snares about our beds, &c. ; yea, Satan is so powerful and subtle that he will oftentimes make our greatest, nearest, and dearest mercies to become our greatest snares. Sometimes he will make the wife that lies in the bosom to be a snare to a man, as Samson's was, and as Job's was. Sometimes he will make the child to be a snare, as Absalom was and Eli's sons were ; and sometimes he will make the servant to be a snare, as Joseph was to his mistress. Ah ! souls, Satan is so cunning and artificial1 that he can turn your cups into snares, and your clothes into snares, and your houses into snares, and your gardens into snares, and all your recreations into snares, &c. And oh ! how should the consider- ation of these things work all your souls to say with the church, ' Make haste, my beloved, and be like a roe, or a young hart upon the moun- tain of spices,' and to love, and look, and long for the coming of Christ, Cant. viii. 14.2 Shall the espoused maid long for the marriage day ? the servant for his freedom ? the captive for his ransom ? the traveller for his inn ? and the mariner for his harbour ? and shall not the people of the Lord long much more to be in the bosom of Christ ? there being nothing below the bosom of Christ that is not surrounded with Satan's snares, Philip, i. 23, and 2 Cor. v. 2, 4.
What Paul once spake of bonds and afflictions, that they attended him in every place, Acts xx. 23, that may all the saints say of Satan's snares, that they attend them in every place, which should cause thei to cry out, Migremus hinc, Tinigremus hinc, let us go hence, let us gc hence ; and to say with Monica, Austin's mother, What do we here ? why depart we not hence? why fly we no swifter?3 Ah ! souls, till you are taken up into the bosom of Christ, your comforts will not be full, pure, and constant ; till then, Satan will still be thumping of you, and spreading snares to entangle you ; therefore you should always be crying out with the church, ' Come, Lord Jesus !' Rev. xxii. 20. Is not Christ the star of Jacob, that ' giveth light to them that are in darkness V that Prince of peace who brings the olive branch to souls that are per- plexed ? Is not the greatest Avorth and wealth in him ? Is not the petty excellencies and perfections of all created creatures epitomized in him ? Is not he the crown of crowns, the glory of glories, and the heaven of heavens ? Oh then, be still a-longing after a full, clear, and constant enjoyment of Christ in heaven ; for till then, Satan will still have plots and designs upon you. He acts by an united4 power, and will never let you rest till you are taken up to an everlasting rest in the bosom of Christ.5
ing, and Christ conversing with men upon the earth. Bede comes after, and, correcting iliis hist wish, saith, Yea, hut let me see the King in his beauty, Christ in his heavenly kingdom.
1 ' Artful.' — G. " mi ni2, berach dodi ; flee away speedily, my heloved.
a Quid hie faciamus ? cur nou oeius migramus? cur non hinc avolamus *?
b It is as easy to compass the heavens with a span, and contain the sea in a nutshell, as to relate fully Christ's excellencies, or heaven's happiness.
2 Cor. II. 11.] against satan's devices. 165
THE STATIONER TO THE READER.
Christian Reader, — I thought good to present to thy view this letter following, which came to my hands, being sent from one in Devon- shire to his brother in London, returning him much thanks for this book, and declaring the great benefit he received by it, and the com- fortable effects it wrought upon him, — and I may say, not upon him only, for I have heard of several others that have reaped much profit and comfort from it and the other works of this author's lately pub- lished,— through the Lord's blessing, to whom be ascribed all the glory. I was induced to publish it, that so others may be encouraged to a more serious perusal of this and other solid practical divinity books, which may tend to their, eternal welfare.
For as there are good and bad men in the world, so there are many good and bad books, and our time is a precious thing. Therefore we ought to 'redeem it,' Eph. v. 15, 16, and improve it to our best ad- vantage.1 I deny not but there are many moral historical books extant of very good use, yet it is too apparent that there are divers vain, idle, amorous romances, lascivious and vicious poetry, and profane play- books, which chiefly tend to the corruption of youth, the mis-spending their precious time, and undoing their immortal souls. As I have known some foolish, ignorant people that have made earnest inquiry for merry books to pass away the time, Honest Reader, let me advise thee, next to the Bible, let it be thy chief care, as thou art curious and care- ful for wholesome food, for the health and preservation of thy body, so be no less careful to make sound and solid divinity books thy chiefest study and delight ; which will be most for thy profit and edification, especially if thou readest them not for notion-sake, only to know, but to practise ; then, as in this following young man's example, thou mayest have cause to bless God, and to be thankful to the author or instrument of thy good. Vale, J. H.a
A TRUE COPY OF THE LETTER ABOVE MENTIONED.
Brother ! — I thank you most kindly for that book of Mr Brooks's ' Precious Remedies' — you sent me ; and I think I can never recompense you in a better manner than to acquaint you with what benefit I have received by it ; for it was a great awaking of me, to see in what a lost condition I was without Christ, and how many ways Satan hath de- ceived me, in making me delay my careful providing for eternity. Brother ! I was made within these few weeks so sensible of my condition, that for a week's space I was almost ready to despair of God's mercy ; I was sore troubled that I had sinned so much against the mercy of the Lord, who had afforded me so much means of grace, and followed me
1 See Mr Brooks's ' Apples of Gold.' Eccles. i. 2, ' Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth,' &c. See Mr Philip Goodwin in his ' Mystery of Dreams,' p. 50. Satan sends out his books as baits, by which many are cunningly caught, with the venom of which so many are poisoned.
2 John Hancock. See title-page in note prefixed to the book, ' Precious Remedies,' &c— G.
1G6 PRECIOUS REMEDIES. [2 COR. II. 11.