R. 2. From Satan, that envious one, who, as in the beginning he sought to cast Adam out of Paradise, and to bereave him of his happiness in communion with God, so now, finding believers in the Kingdom of grace, ⟨p. 6⟩which consists in righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, when he cannot deprive them of their righteousness, will endeavour to disturb their peace, and damp their joy, knowing, that when they perform duties uncomfortably, they do them weakly and but by halves. To this end: 1. He strives to hide from them those promises that might comfort them, when they have most need and use of them, and he sometimes prevails herein. Heb. 12. 5. 2. He suggests any word that may terrify them, and presents to their memory and thoughts former sins, to amaze them. 3. He presents all things unto them in false glasses; the comforts of God, in a diminishing glass, that God may seem to them less merciful, less gracious then he is, and the promises of God less free, less general then they are; that all the consolations of God may seem small things to them, Job 15. 11. but he presents to them their sins in a multiplying glass, that they may seem more, and greater then they are; their sins, as impardonable; their ⟨p. 7⟩miseries, as intolerable, incurable; their state, as desperate. 4. He useth his instruments to deal with them, as the Philistines did with Izhack, whose wells they stopped up, to make unprofitable to them those wells of Salvation, from whence believers might draw waters of consolation. Thus he used Saul to banish David from the ordinances, and wicked men to insult and reproach him; saying, Where is now thy God? Psal. 42. 3. So others, to twit them with their Religion, when they are in distress, saying, where are now your prayers, your hearing, reading, meditating, conferring, your conscientious and exact walking, your confidence in God? You live more dejectedly then others, and are as fearful, as others, to die. Thus they thrust, as it were, swords and daggers into their bones, to kill their comforts, as David there complained, verse 10.
R. 2. From Satan, that envious one, who, as in the beginning he sought to cast Adam out of Paradice, and to bereave him of his happinesse in communion with God, so now, finding believers in the Kingdom of grace, ⟨p. 6⟩which consists in righteousnesse, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, when he cannot deprive them of their righteousnesse, will endeavour to disturbe their peace, and damp their joy, knowing, that when they performe duties uncomfortably, they do them weakly and but by halves. To this end: 1. He strives to hide from them those promises that might comfort them, when they have most need and use of them, and he sometimes prevailes herein. Heb. 12. 5. 2. He suggests any word that may terrefie them, and presents to their memory and thoughts former sins, to amaze them. 3. He presents all thimgs unto them in false glasses; the comforts of God, in a diminishing glasse, that God may seem to them lesse merciful, lesse gracious then he is, and the promises of God lesse free, lesse general then they are; that all the consolations of God may seem small things to them, Iob 15. 11. but he presents to them their sins in a multiplying glasse, that they may seem more, and greater then they are; their sins, as impardonable; their ⟨p. 7⟩miseries, as intollerable, incurable; their state, as desperate. 4. He useth his instruments to deal with them, as the Philistims did with Izhack, whose wells they stopped up, to make unprofitable to them those wells of Salvation, from whence believers might draw waters of consolation. Thus he used Saul to banish David from the ordinances, and wicked men to insult and reproach him; saying, VVhere is now thy God? Psal. 42. 3. So others, to twit them with their Religion, when they are in distresse, saying, where are now your prayers, your hearing, reading, meditating, conferring, your conscientious and exact walking, your confidence in God? You live more dejectedly then others, and are as fearful, as others, to die. Thus they thrust, as it were, swords and daggers into their bones, to kill their comforts, as David there complained, verse 10.
