Page:Comer's conflict, or, The beginner's battle with the devil, when essaying to come to Christ by faith.pdf/22

 22 The Comer's Conflict ; or,

abhor this, why will you leap into hell, a place of ever- laſting blaſphemy? I read of one who having been a long time tempted to make away with herſelf, at laſt reſolved to do it, for the thoughts of the torments of hell were not prevalent enough to deter her; but as ſhe was going to deſtroy herſelf, it was brought to her mind, that in hell ſhe ſhould blaſpheme God for ever, which ſhe abhorring to do, upon that very account forbore the wicked action. If you were only to be in a ſtate of horror and torment, it were fad enough; but for thee to put thyſelf into a ſtate of blaſphemy, how can't thou endure to think of it. 7. Take heed of fighting againſt Satan with human reaſon, for this leviathan laughs at the ſhaking of this ſpear; his ſcales are too cloſe to be pierced by it; but take the ſword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, which divides between the joints and the marrow; fay to Satan, It is written, thou ſhalt not kill. 8. Pray, pray much for the ſword of the Spirit muſt be wielded by the ſkilful arm of the Spirit. If thou goeſt out in confidence of thy being able to manage fcripture by thy own ſtrength and ſkill, it will fare with thee as it did with theſe, Aets xix. 15, 16. They thought to caſt out devils by the name of Jeſus, but the devil rent and wounded them and made them to fly, ſaying Paul, and Jeſus I knot; but who are ye? The great argument that the devil uſes to perſuade thee to ſelf-murder, is by perſuading thee that thou art a repro- bate; but thou mayeſt conſider that Satan cannot know that thou art a reprobate: was Satan, think you in God's council when he made his eternal decrees? Satan, who is not ſo much as one of God's hired ſervants, but a ſlave and a malefactor kept in chains, he is ſo far from being of God's council, that he is not ſo much as one of his family. If thou ſayeſt, thy conſcience tells thee that thou art a re- probate; know that no man living can tell who are repro- bates; nor can any man know himſelf to be a reprobate, except he hath committed the ſin againſt the Holy Ghoſt, which no man hath committed that is sorry to think he hath committed it; for it is impoſſible that ſuch a man ſhould be renewed either by or to repentance, Heb. vi. 6. Ye that walk in darkneſs and ſee no light, that are haunt- ed with theſe temptations, confider what a God we have