The Fray to Tranquility. 359 himfelfagaitift thefeed of the woman; efpeciallyg againff the promifed feed, (brig, he will alway be at his heel, Gen.3. tá: and in hìs oppoftion againft Cheiff; he fets againft the veryglory ofChrift among men, and that is his léingdom, he wouldnot haveChrift exalt his kingdom over men. - Nowthekingdomof ChriftconftftsastheApolflefpeaks, not in meatand drink, p, in righteoufnefiandpeaçe;andjoin the HolyGhofb; if he cannotkeep a Chriftian, a true believer, fromunrighteoufnefs, he will labour to interrupt his peace : -if he .cannotkeep him from the habit ofpeace, peace in thegrounds ofit,yet he will keen him from the exercife and effe&s ofthat peace,from joy,he will hinder that as much as he can, that he may not have the fenfe ofhis b'leffednefs: he knòws that fpiritual joy ftrengthens a man to all fpiritual duties; and his endeavour is to weaken all the fervants of Chriff, inall their fervices ; and therefore hedoth, at leafs labour againft that withal! his might, that ifthey will needsgo on, yet neverthelefs to propound, and occafion as many things that may be troublefome to them, and difquiet their hearts, as he can. And thereare twoprincipal wayes (that I may but touch them) whereby Satan wondroufly prevails in this particular. Theoneis by ftealingout oftheir hearts thofe precious promifes,thofecomforts, whereby theWord of God revives the foul. rou haveforgotten (faith the Apoftle) the confolàtions of God. And the devil meets inman with two advantages, to help him in the effe&ing of this ; Firft he turns thethoughts uponnew obje&s,and.here. in he dothdiametrically ,anddireelly fet himfelf againftGod in the way ofhis fpecial providence : that very thing that God in wonderful wifdom hash wrought in the heart for the cafe ana comfort ofman, Satan makes it anoccafion of trouble, and that is this, thevariety ofmans thoughts ; what is the reafon that-Godhath framed the mind of man to change his thoughts continually, and o have innumerable thoughts? Certainly for theverycafe of the Spirit ofman, for the very care of the Soul of man : For if the mind should keep intent upon any one thought long, it would fo workupon that,that it would weary it felfout in working,as we fee men by excels oforief in particular cafes, grow to be phrenfie, and diftraaed, and the like:.. Now this aptnefs of the mind to run to variety of thoughts that God bath made for the cafeof man, Satanturns it as a help to hurthim. A man (hall, run on into a world ofbufinefs, of temptations, and diflra&ions that thall draw him from the thought of thofethings that he hash heard for the relievingofhis Spirit wherein God fpake comfort to hisheart,that hemay the betterfaften thofe difcouragements on him, that hedefres. Secondly, another advantagehe hath for this end is this, that is, hewondroufly prevails uponthe heart ofman bya carelefs neglea that is in men: every man loves eafe ; There is fuch a fpirit inman, fuch a difpofition in the fpirit ofman, that he avoids the thingsordinarily that havegreat labour : this difpaftion to cafe, and reff, Satan ferves himfelfon, andmakes great ufe of ; fo when a man hathcome from hearingtheWord, and reading the Scriptures, whereashe fhould now be ex- crcife d,and labour in meditation to work thofe things on his heart,that now theroot might fallen, and things might fettle on the foul, he paffeth by there cafly ; now the heart of a man lies open as thehigh way : you know the parable, e/`Ket.t3. Match. when the tied fell on the high.may, the Fowlsofthe air came, and picked it up, and it wasgone prefently, where there is no pains taken with the heart ofman, asthere is none taken with thehigh-way,that the feed that falls there might grow, as in the plowed ground, when there is no pains taken with the heart, now every notion, every dire&ion,and every fpiritualinffrnEtion it lies lightly there,and is fooncarried out, thins advantage that Satan makes of a mans loveofcafe. Dut there is-another thingconcerning the way that Satantakes, not only toReal it out of the mind by thofe two wayes, but again by prefenting the verytruths of God to men in Falk gloflés, fo asamancannot difcern'them in their own lhape,and nature, but in fisch colours as he prefents them to them. Ifthe time would have ferved, Insight inftance in feveralparticulars; I will but touch upon one or two, and leave the inlargement to your.ownmeditations. Sometimes, things that are great Hots Satan caufnhtrouble in the beans of Godsforums. t. By flealing' our of their hearts the pro. miles of the Gofpel. Heb.ra. a. By prefent. ing to the foul the truths of God in falte gloffcs.
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