A choice Bed of Spices. of their own fouis. He that thail look ferioufly and impar- tially upon the fubtile, clofe, firong, and rhetorical arguings of many diftreffed Chriftians(above their own natural parts) ,againfl the peace, reft, comfort, and fettlement of their own fouls, may fafely conclude, that a hand of TA, a hand of Sa- tan, yea a ftrong hand of Satan, has been with them. He that shall pleafe to read the life of Francis Spira (though he be no great Philofopher) yet he may eafily difcern with what fubtilty and wonderful Sophiftry Satan helpt him to argue againit the pardonablenefs of his fins, and the poffibility of his falvation. Satan knows how to transform himfelf into an Angel of light ; Satan does not alwayes appear in one and the fame faihion ; but he appears in as many feveral fhapes, fafhions and changes, as Proteta did amonc, the Poets :. To deceive Come he has affumed a lightfom body, as if he were an Angel of heaven, as if he had been a holy one, :'cloathed with the brightnefs of celeftial glory. To deceive others, he has appeared as an Angel of light, fuggefling filch things to them, and injeeting fuch things into them, under fair and fpecious thews and pretences of Religion, Piety, Zeal and Holinefs, which have had a dire& tendency to the difhonour of God,the \wounding of Chrift,the grieving of the Spirit,the clouding or denying their evidences for heaven,the Itrangling of their hopes,and the death of all their comforts and joy.But, Seventhly and laftly, Some Chriftians live under high en- joyments and fingular manifeftations of God's love to them, they have God every day a fheddino- b abroad of his love into their hearts by the holy Ghoft. God is every day a filling their fouls :with life, light, love, glory and liberty ; Chrill every d i ay takes them up into the Mount, and makes fuch difcoveries of himfelf and his glory to them, that they are ready frequently to cry out, Bo.nim eft effe hic, It is good to be here. Chrift often whifpers them in the ear with an, 0 man, 0 woman, greatly beloved ; Chrift's left hand is eve- ry day under their heads, and his right hand doth embrace them ; they fit down every day under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit is fweet unto their talle ; he makes out every diy fuch fweet and clear manifeftation't of hi S adiiiird-- bit 34' 1 a Sanl, 2., 19. 7, Rom. 5. T. Pra1.63.2)3.,4. Mat. 17. 4. Dan. 9. 22)23 Cant. a. 6.
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