A77614:355
Precious Remedies against Satan's Devices
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.
The third Remedy against this Device 1of Satan is, wisely to consider, that no temptations don't hurt nor harm the Saints, so long as they are not resisted ⟨p. 258⟩by them, and prove the greatest affliction that can befall them; 'tis not Satan's tempting, but your assenting; not his enticing, but your yielding, that makes temptations hurtful to your souls; if the soul when 'tis tempted, resists the temptation, and saith with Christ, get thee behind me Satan; and with that young Convert, I am not the man that I 2was; or as Luther counsels all men, to answer all temptations with these words (Christianus sum) I am a Christian; if a mans temptations be his greatest affliction, then is the temptation no sin upon his soul, though it be a trouble upon his mind: when a soul can look the Lord in the face, and say, ah Lord! I have many outward troubles now upon me, I have lost such and such a near mercy, and such and such dear desirable mercies, and yet thou that knowest the heart, thou knowest that all my crosses and losses do not make so many wounds in my soul, nor fetch so many sighs from my heart, nor tears from my eyes, as those temptations do, that Satan follows my soul with: when 'tis thus with the soul, then temptations are only the souls trouble, they are not the souls sin.
The third Remedie against this Device 1of Satan is, wisely to consider, that no temptations don't hurt nor harm the Saints, so long as they are not resisted ⟨p. 258⟩by them, and prove the greatest affliction that can befall them; 'tis not Satans tempting, but your assenting; not his enticing, but your yeelding, that makes temptations hurtfull to your soules; if the soule when 'tis tempted, resists the temptation, and saith with Christ, get thee behind mee Satan; and with that young Convert, I am not the man that I 2was; or as Luther counsells all men, to answer all temptations with these words (Christianus sum) I am a Christian; if a mans temptations be his greatest affliction, then is the temptation no sin upon his soule, though it be a trouble upon his mind: when a soule can look the Lord in the face, and say, ah Lord! I have many outward troubles now upon me, I have lost such and such a neere mercy, and such and such dear desirable mercies, and yet thou that knowest the heart, thou knowest that all my crosses and losses do not make so many wounds in my soule, nor fetch so many sighes from my heart, nor teares from my eyes, as those temptations doe, that Satan follows my soul with: when 'tis thus with the soule, then temptations are only the souls trouble, they are not the souls sin.