A77614:189
Precious remedies against Satan's devices or, salve for believers and unbelievers sores. Being a companion for those that are in Christ, or out of Christ; that are high, or low, learned, or illiterate, staggering, or wandering; that slight, or neglect ordinances, under a pretence of living above them; that are growing (in spirituals) or decaying; that are tempted, or deserted, afflicted, or opposed; that have assurance, or that want assurance; that are self-seekers, or the common-wealths caterpillars; that are in love sweetly united, or that yet have their spirits too much embittered, &c. By Thomas Brooks, a willing servant unto God, and the faith of his people, in the glorious gospel of Christ, at Margarets fish-street hill.Precious remedies against Satans devices or, salve for believers and unbelievers sores. Being a companion for those that are in Christ, or out of Christ; that are high, or low, learned, or illiterate, staggering, or wandering; that slight, or neglect ordinances, under a pretence of living above them; that are growing (in spiritualls) or decaying; that are tempted, or deserted, afflicted, or opposed; that have assurance, or that want assurance; that are self-seekers, or the common-wealths caterpillars; that are in love sweetly united, or that yet have their spirits too much imbittered, &c. By Thomas Brookes, a willing servant unto God, and the faith of his people, in the glorious gospel of Christ, at Margarets fish-street hill.
London: printed by M. Simmons for John Hancock, 1653
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
BY presenting to them the danger,1 the losses, and the sufferings that do attend the performance of such and ⟨p. 142⟩such religious services; by this device Satan kept close those that believed on Christ, from confessing of Christ, in that 12. John 42. Nevertheless, among the chief Rulers also, many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees, they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the Synagogue. I would walk in all the ways of God, I would give up my self to the strictest ways of holiness; but I am afraid dangers will attend me on the one hand; and losses, and happily such, and such sufferings on the other hand, saith many a man. Oh! how should we help our selves against this temptation, and device of Satan.
BY presenting to them the danger,1 the losses, and the sufferings that do attend the performance of such and ⟨p. 142⟩such religious services; by this device Satan kept close those that beleeved on Christ, from confessing of Christ, in that 12. John 42. Neverthelesse, among the chief Rulers also, many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees, they did not confesse him, lest they should be put out of the Synagogue. I would walke in all the wayes of God, I would give up my selfe to the strictest wayes of holinesse; but I am afraid dangers will attend me on the one hand; and losses, and happily such, and such sufferings on the other hand, saith many a man. Oh! how should we helpe our selves against this temptation, and device of Satan.
The first Remedy against this Device1 of Satan, is, to consider, that all the troubles and afflictions that you meet with in a way of righteousness, shall never hurt you; they shall never harm you. And who is he that shall harm 2you, if you be followers of that which is good, saith the Apostle, i. e. none shall harm you; natural conscience cannot but ⟨p. 143⟩do homage to the image of God, stamped upon the natures, words, works, and lives of the godly; as we may see in the carriage of Nebuchadnezzar, and3 Darius towards Daniel. All the afflictions and troubles that do attend men in a way of righteousness, can never rob them of their treasure, of their jewels; they may rob them of some light, slight things; as the sword that is by their side, or the stick that is in their hand, or of the flowers, or ribbons that be in their hats; The treasures of a Saint is the presence of God, the favour of God, union and communion with God; the pardon of sin, the joy of the spirit, the peace of Conscience, which are Jewels that none can give, but Christ, nor none can take away, but Christ. Now, why should a gracious soul keep off from a way of holiness? because of afflictions, &c. when no afflictions can strip a man of his heavenly jewels, which are his ornaments, and his safety here, and will be his happiness and glory hereafter. Why should that man be afraid, or troubled for4 storms at Sea, whose treasures are sure in a friends hand upon land? why, a believers treasure is always safe in the hands of Christ; his life is safe, his soul is safe, his grace is safe, his ⟨p. 144⟩comfort is safe, and his Crown is safe in the hand of Christ. I know him in 5whom I have believed, and that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him, until that day, saith the Apostle. The child's most precious things are most secure in his Fathers hands; so are our souls, our graces, and our comforts, in the hand of Christ.
The second Remedy against this device1 of Satan, is, to consider, that other precious Saints, that were shining2 lights on earth, and are now triumphing in Heaven, have held on in religious services, notwithstanding all the troubles and dangers that have surrounded them; Nehemiah, and Ezra were surrounded with dangers on the left hand, and on the right; and yet in the face of all, they hold on building the Temple, and the wall of Jerusalem: so Daniel, and those precious worthies, in the 44 Psal. under want of outward encouragements, and in the face of a world of very great discouragements, their souls clave to God, and his ways; Though they were sore broken in the place of dragons, and covered with the shadow of death; yea, though they were all the day long counted as sheep for the slaughter, yet their hearts were not turned back, neither did their steps decline from his ways. Though bonds and ⟨p. 145⟩imprisonment did attend Paul, and the rest of the Apostles in every place; yet they held on in the work, and service of the Lord; and why then should you degenerate from their worthy examples, which is your duty, and your glory to follow.
The second Remedie against this device1 of Satan, is, to consider, that other precious Saints, that were shining2 lights on earth, and are now triumphing in Heaven, have held on in religious services, notwithstanding all the troubles and dangers that have surrounded them; Nehemiah, and Ezra were surrounded with dangers on the left hand, and on the right; and yet in the face of all, they hold on building the Temple, and the wall of Jerusalem: so Daniel, and those precious worthies, in the 44 Psal. under want of outward incouragements, and in the face of a world of very great discouragements, their souls clave to God, and his wayes; Though they were sore broken in the place of dragons, and covered with the shadow of death; yea, though they were all the day long counted as sheep for the slaughter, yet their hearts were not turned back, neither did their steps decline from his wayes. Though bonds and
The third Remedy against this device1 of Satan, is, solemnly to consider, that all the troubles, and dangers that do attend the performance of holy duties, and heavenly services, are but temporal, and momentary; but the neglect of them may lay thee open, to all temporal, spiritual, and eternal dangers. How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation? He saith not, if we reject, or renounce so great salvation; but if we neglect, or shift off (as the word is) so 2great salvation; he doth not say, how shall we escape, if we oppose, or persecute so great salvation? no, but if we let slip, or neglect so great salvation, how shall we escape? that is, we cannot by any way, or means, or device in the world, escape; divine Justice will be above us, in spite of our very souls. The doing of such, and such heavenly services may lay you open to the frowns of men; but the neglect of them will lay you open to the frowns of God; the doing of them may render ⟨p. 148⟩you contemptible in the eyes of men;3 but the neglect of them may render you contemptible in the eyes of God; the doing of them may be the loss of thy estate; but the neglect of them may be the loss of God, Christ, Heaven, and thy soul for ever; the doing of them may shut thee out from some outward, temporal contents; the neglect of them may shut thee out from that excellent, matchless glory, that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive. Remember this, there is no man that breaths, but shall suffer more, by neglecting those holy, and heavenly services that God commands, commends, and rewards, then possibly he can suffer by doing of them, &c.
The third Remedie against this device1 of Satan, is, solemnly to consider, that all the troubles, and dangers that doe attend the performance of holy duties, and heavenly services, are but temporall, and momentary; but the neglect of them may lay thee open, to all temporall, spirituall, and eternall dangers. How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation? He saith not, if we reject, or renounce so great salvation; but if wee neglect, or shift off (as the word is) so
The fourth Remedy against this device1 of Satan, is, to consider this, that God knows how to deliver from troubles, by troubles; from afflictions, by afflictions; from dangers, by dangers; God by lesser troubles and afflictions doth oftentimes deliver his people from greater: So that they shall say, we had perished, if we had not perished; we had been undone, if we had not been2 undone; we had been in danger, if we had not been in danger; God will so order all the afflictions that befall you ⟨p. 149⟩in the way of righteousness, that your3 souls shall say, we would not for all the world, but that we had met with such, and such troubles, and afflictions; for surely, had not these befallen us, it would have been worse, and worse with us; Oh! the carnal security, pride, formality, dead-heartednesse, lukewarmness, censoriousness, and earthliness, that God hath cured us of, by the troubles and dangers that we have met with, in the ways and services of the Lord. I remember a story of a godly man, that as he was going to take shipping for France, he broke his leg, and it pleased Providence so to order it, that the ship that he should have gone in, at that very time, was cast away, and not a man saved; so by breaking a bone, his life was saved. So the Lord many times breaks our bones, but 'tis in order to the saving of our lives, and our souls for ever; he gives us a potion that makes us heart-sick, but 'tis in order to the making us perfectly well, and to the purging of us from those ill humours, that have made our heads ache, and Gods heart ache, and our souls sick, and heavy to the death, &c. Oh! therefore, let no danger, or misery hinder thee from thy duty.
The fourth Remedie against this device1 of Satan, is, to consider this, that God knows how to deliver from troubles, by troubles; from afflictions, by afflictions; from dangers, by dangers; God by lesser troubles and afflictions doth oftentimes deliver his people from greater: So that they shall say, we had perished, if wee had not perished; we had been undone, if we had not been
The fifth Remedy against this device ⟨p. 148⟩of Satan, is, solemnly to consider, that you shall gain more in the service of God, and by walking in righteous, and holy ways, though troubles and afflictions should attend you, then you can possibly suffer, or loose, by your being found in the service of God. Godliness is great gain; Oh the joy, the peace,1 the comfort, the rest, that Saints meet with in the ways and service of God; they find that Religious services are not empty things, but things, in which God is pleased to discover his beauty and glory to their souls. My soul thirsts for God (saith David) that I might see thy beauty, and thy glory, as I have seen thee in thy Sanctuary. Oh! the sweet looks, the sweet words, the sweet hints, the sweet joggings, the sweet influences, the sweet love-letters, that gracious souls have from Heaven, when they wait upon God, in holy and heavenly services, the least of which will darken, and outweigh all the bravery and glory of this world, and richly recompense the soul for all the troubles, afflictions, and dangers, that have attended it in the service of God; oh! the Saints can say under all their troubles, and afflictions, that they have meat to eat, and drink to2 drink, that the world knows not of; that they have such incomes, such refreshments, ⟨p. 149⟩such warmings, &c. that they would not exchange for all the honours, riches, and dainties of this world: Ah! let but a Christian compare his external losses with his spiritual, internal, and eternal gain, and he shall find, that for every penny that he loses in the service of God, he gains a pound; and for every pound that he looses, he gains a hundred; for every hundred lost, he gains a thousand; we loose pins in his service, and find pearls; we loose the favour of the creature, and peace with the creature, and happily the comforts and contents of the creature; and we gain the favour of God, peace with conscience, and the comforts and contents of a better life; Ah! did the men of this world know the sweet that Saints enjoy in afflictions, they would rather choose Manasseh iron chain, then his golden Crown; They would rather be Paul a prisoner, then Paul rapt up in the third Heaven; for light afflictions, they shall have a
for a few afflictions, they shall have those joys, pleasures, and contents, that are as the stars of heaven, or as the sands of the sea, that cannot be numbered; for momentany afflictions, they shall have an eternal Crown of glory; 'tis but winking, and ⟨p. 152⟩thou shalt be in heaven presently, said the Martyr; oh! therefore, let no afflictions, nor troubles work thee to shun the ways of God, or to quit that service, that should be dearer to thee then a world, yea then thy very life, &c.
for a few afflictions, they shall have those joyes, pleasures, and contents, that are as the stars of heaven, or as the sands of the sea, that cannot be numbred; for momentany afflictions, they shall have an eternall Crown of glory; 'tis but winking, and ⟨p. 152⟩thou shalt be in heaven presently, said the Martyr; oh! therefore, let no afflictions, nor troubles work thee to shun the wayes of God, or to quit that service, that should be dearer to thee then a world, yea then thy very life, &c.
BY presenting to the soul the difficulty of performing them; saith Satan, 'tis so hard and difficult a thing to pray as thou shouldst, and to wait on God as thou shouldst, and to walk with God as thou shouldst, and to be lively, warm, and active in the communion of Saints, as thou shouldst, that you were better ten thousand times to neglect them, then to meddle with them; and doubtless by this Device Satan hath, and doth keep off thousands from waiting on God, and from giving to him that service that is due to his name, &c.
BY presenting to the soule the difficulty of performing them; saith Satan, 'tis so hard and difficult a thing to pray as thou shouldst, and to wait on God as thou shouldst, and to walke with God as thou shouldst, and to be lively, warm, and active in the communion of Saints, as thou shouldst, that you were better ten thousand times to neglect them, then to meddle with them; and doubtlesse by this Device Satan hath, and doth keep off thousands from waiting on God, and from giving to him that service that is due to his name, &c.
The first Remedy against this device1 of Satan, is, to dwell more upon the necessity of the service, and duty, then on the difficulty that doth attend the duty; you should reason thus with your souls; oh! our souls, though such and such duties and services be hard, and difficult, yet are they not exceeding necessary for the honour of God, and the keeping up of his name in2 the world? and the keeping under of sin, and the keeping under of weak graces, and for the reviving of languishing comforts, and for the keeping clear and bright your blessed evidences, and for the scattering of your fears, and for the raising of your hopes, and for the gladding the hearts of the righteous, and stopping the mouths of unrighteous souls, who are ready to take all advantages, to blaspheme the name of God, and throw dirt and contempt upon his people, and ways? oh! never leave thinking on the necessity of this, and that duty, till your souls be lifted ⟨p. 152⟩up far above all the difficulties that do attend religious duties.
THe first Remedie against this device1 of Satan, is, to dwell more upon the necessity of the service, and duty, then on the difficulty that doth attend the duty; you should reason thus with your soules; oh! our soules, though such and such duties and services be hard, and difficult, yet are they not exceeding necessarie for the honour of God, and the keeping up of his name in2 the world? and the keeping under of sin, and the keeping under of weak graces, and for the reviving of languishing comforts, and for the keeping clear and bright your blessed evidences, and for the scattering of your fears, and for the raising of your hopes, and for the gladding the hearts of the righteous, and stopping the mouths of unrighteous souls, who are ready to take all advantages, to blaspheme the name of God, and throw dirt and contempt upon his people, and wayes? oh! never leave thinking on the necessity of this, and that duty, till your souls be lifted ⟨p. 152⟩
The second Remedy against this device1 of Satan, is, solemnly to consider, that the Lord Jesus will make his services easy to you, by the sweet discovery of himself to your souls, whilst you are in his service. Thou meetest him that rejoiceth, and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways, as the Prophet Isaiah saith; if meeting with2 God, who is goodness it self, sweetness it self, beauty it self, strength it self, glory it self, will not sweeten his service to thy soul, nothing in Heaven or Earth will. Jacob's meeting with Rachel, and enjoying of Rachel, made his hard service to be easy, and delightful to him; and will not the souls enjoying of God, and meeting with God, render his service to be much more easy and delightful? doubtless it will. The Lord will give that sweet assistance, by his Spirit and grace, as shall make his service joyous, and not grievous, a delight, & not a burden; a Heaven, and not a Hell to believing souls; the confidence of this divine assistance raised up Nehemiah's spirit, far above all those difficulties, and discouragements that did attend him in the work and service of the Lord, as you may see in that 2 Nehemiah, ⟨p. 153⟩vers. 19, 20. But when Sanballat 3the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, what is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the King? Then answered I them, and said unto them, the God of heaven he will prosper us, therefore we his servants will arise, and build: but you have no right, nor portion, nor memorial in Jerusalem. Ah souls! while you are in the very service of the Lord, you shall find by experience, that the God of Heaven will prosper you, and support you, and encourage, and strengthen you, and carry you through the hardest service, with the greatest sweetness and cheerfulness that can be. Remember this, that God will suit your strength to your work, and in the hardest service you shall have the choicest assistance.
The second Remedie against this device1
THe first Remedy against this Device1 of Satan, is, to consider, that all the troubles and afflictions that you meet with in a way of righteousnesse, shall never hurt you; they shall never harm you. And who is he that shall harme 2you, if you be followers of that which is good, saith the Apostle, i. e. none shall harme you; naturall conscience cannot but ⟨p. 143⟩doe homage to the image of God, stamped upon the natures, words, workes, and lives of the godly; as we may see in the carriage of Nebuchadnezzar, and3 Darius towards Daniel. All the afflictions and troubles that do attend men in a way of righteousnesse, can never rob them of their treasure, of their jewels; they may rob them of some light, slight things; as the sword that is by their side, or the stick that is in their hand, or of the flowers, or ribbons that be in their hats; The treasures of a Saint is the presence of God, the favour of God, union and communion with God; the pardon of sin, the joy of the spirit, the peace of Conscience, which are Jewels that none can give, but Christ, nor none can take away, but Christ. Now, why should a gracious soule keep off from a way of holinesse? because of afflictions, &c. when no afflictions can strip a man of his heavenly jewels, which are his ornaments, and his safety here, and will be his happinesse and glory hereafter. Why should that man be afraid, or troubled for4 stormes at Sea, whose treasures are sure in a friends hand upon land? why, a believers treasure is always safe in the hands of Christ; his life is safe, his soule is safe, his grace is safe, his ⟨p. 144⟩comfort is safe, and his Crown is safe in the hand of Christ. I know him in 5whom I have beleeved, and that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him, untill that day, saith the Apostle. The childes most precious things are most secure in his Fathers hands; so are our soules, our graces, and our comforts, in the hand of Christ.
The fifth Remedie against this device ⟨p. 148⟩of Satan, is, solemnly to consider, that you shall gaine more in the service of God, and by walking in righteous, and holy wayes, though troubles and afflictions should attend you, then you can possibly suffer, or loose, by your being found in the service of God. Godlinesse is great gaine; Oh the joy, the peace,1 the comfort, the rest, that Saints meet with in the wayes and service of God; they find that Religious services are not empty things, but things, in which God is pleased to discover his beautie and glory to their soules. My soul thirsts for God (saith David) that I might see thy beauty, and thy glory, as I have seen thee in thy Sanctuary. Oh! the sweet looks, the sweet words, the sweet hints, the sweet joggings, the sweet influences, the sweet love-letters, that gracious soules have from Heaven, when they waite upon God, in holy and heavenly services, the least of which will darken, and outweigh all the bravery and glory of this world, and richly recompence the soul for all the troubles, afflictions, and dangers, that have attended it in the service of God; oh! the Saints can say under all their troubles, and afflictions, that they have meate to eate, and drinke to2 drinke, that the world knows not of; that they have such incomes, such refreshments, ⟨p. 149⟩such warmings, &c. that they would not exchange for all the honours, riches, and dainties of this world: Ah! let but a Christian compare his externall losses with his spirituall, internall, and eternall gain, and he shall find, that for every penny that he loses in the service of God, he gaines a pound; and for every pound that he looses, hee gains a hundred; for every hundred lost, he gains a thousand; wee loose pins in his service, and find pearls; we loose the favour of the creature, and peace with the creature, and happily the comforts and contents of the creature; and we gain the favour of God, peace with conscience, and the comforts and contents of a better life; Ah! did the men of this world know the sweet that Saints injoy in afflictions, they would rather chuse Manasses iron chaine, then his golden Crown; They would rather be Paul a prisoner, then Paul rap't up in the third Heaven; for light afflictions, they shall have a3 weight of glory;
