Religion our true interest, or, Practical notes upon the third chapter of Malachi the…Religion our true interest, or, Practical notes upon the third chapter of Malachy the…

5th. Snare, if Satan cannot take a Christian off from duty, he will put him on too far in duty. Humiliation is a duty, but Satan suggests that the Soul is not humbled enough: and indeed he never thinks it humbled enough till it despairs. Satan comes thus to a man: Thy sins have bin great, and thy Sorrow should be proportionable; But is it so? canst thou say thou hast bin as great a Mourner as thou hast bin a Sinner? what is a drop of Sorrow to a Sea of Sin? This is laid only as a Snare: the subtle enemy would have a Christian weep himself ⟨p. 62⟩blind, and in a desperate humour throw away the Anchor of Hope. And if Satan hath such fallacies, and as a Decoy draws so many Millions into his snares, is there not cause of jealous fear lest we should be trapanned? The fear of God will make us Fear Hells stratagems. Satan's snares are worse than his darts.

5th. Snare, if Satan cannot take a Christian off from duty, he will put him on too far in duty. Humiliation is a duty, but Satan suggests that the Soul is not humbled enough: and indeed he never thinks it humbled enough till it despairs. Satan comes thus to a man: Thy sins have bin great, and thy Sorrow should be proportionable; But is it so? canst thou say thou hast bin as great a Mourner as thou hast bin a Sinner? what is a drop of Sorrow to a Sea of Sin? This is laid only as a Snare: the subtil enemy would have a Christian weep himself ⟨p. 62⟩blind, and in a desperate humour throw away the Anchor of Hope. And if Satan hath such fallacies, and as a Decoy draws so many Millions into his snares, is there not cause of jealous fear lest we should be trappan'd? The fear of God will make us Fear Hells stratagems. Satans snares are worse than his darts.

2. The Fear of God will make a man afraid of his own Heart. Luther used to say, he feared his Heart more than the Pope or Cardinals,