Part 3 - SATAN'S SECOND MAIN DESIGN: Is To Accuse, Vex and Trouble The Saint For Sin.

Third Wile.  Another wile of Satan lies in cavilling at the Christian's duties and performances, by which he puts him to much toil and trouble.  He is at church as soon as thou canst be, Christian, for thy heart; yea, he stands under thy closet-window, and hears what thou sayest to God in secret, all the while studying how he may commence a suit against thee from thy duty.  [He is] like those who come to sermons to carp and catch at what the preacher saith, that they make him an offender for some word or other misplaced; or like a cunning opponent in the schools, while his adversary is busy in reading his position, he is studying to confute it.  And truly Satan hath such an art as this, that he is able to take our duties in pieces, and so disfigure them that they shall appear formal, though never so zealous; hypocritical, though enriched with much sincerity.  When thou hast done thy duty, Christian, then stands up this sophist to ravel out thy work; there, will he say, thou playedst the hypocrite, zealous, but serving thyself, here wandering, there nodding, a little further puffed up with pride.  And what wages canst thou hope for at God's hands, now thou hast spoiled his work, and cut it all out into chips?  Thus he makes many poor souls lead a weary life; nothing they do but he hath a fling at, that they know not whether [it be] best to pray or not, to hear or not; and when they have prayed and heard, whether it be to any purpose or not.  Thus their souls hang in doubt, and their days pass in sorrow; while their enemy stands in a corner, and laughs at the cheat he hath put upon them; as one, who by putting a counterfeit spider into the dish, makes those that sit at table either out of conceit with the meat, that they dare not eat, or afraid of themselves if they have eaten, lest they should be poisoned with their meat.

             Question.  But you will say, What will you have us do in this case to withstand the cavils of Satan, in refer­ence to our duties?

             Answer 1.  Let this make thee more accurate in all thou doest.  It is the very end God aims at in suffering Satan thus to watch you, that you his chil­dren might be the more circumspect, because you have one [who] overlooks you, that will be sure to tell tales of you to God, and accuse thee to thy own self. Doth it not behove thee to write thy copy fair, when such a critic reads and scans it over?  Doth it not con­cern thee to know thy heart well, to turn over the Scriptures diligently, that thou mayest know the state of thy soul-controversy in all the cases of conscience thereof, when thou hast such a subtle opponent to reply upon thee?

             Answer 2.  Let it make thee more humble.  If Satan can charge thee with so much in thy best duties, O what then can thy God do!  God suffers sometimes the infirmities of his people to be known by the wicked, who are ready to check and frump them for them, for the end of humbling his people. How much more low should these accusations of Satan, which are in a great part too true, lay us before God?

             Answer 3.  Observe the fallacy of Satan's argument, which discovered, will help thee to answer his cavil.  The fallacy is double.

             (1.) He will persuade thee that thy duty and thyself are hypocritical, proud, formal, &c., because something of these sins are to be found in thy duty. Now, Christian, learn to distinguish between pride in a duty, and a proud duty; hypocrisy in a person, and a hypocrite; wine in a man, and a man in wine.  The best of saints have the stirrings of such corruptions in them and in their services.  These birds will light on an Abraham's sacrifice, but comfort thyself with this, that if thou findest a party within thy bosom pleading for God, and entering its protest against thee, thou and thy services are evangelically perfect.  God beholds these as the weaknesses of thy sickly state here below, and pities thee, as thou wouldst do thy lame child.  How odious is he to us that mocks one for natural defects, a blear eye, or a stammering tongue! such are these in thy new nature.  Observable is that in Christ's prayer against Satan, ‘And the Lord said unto Satan, Zech. 3:2, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; is not this a brand plucked out of the fire,’.  As if Christ had said, Lord, wilt thou suffer this envious spirit to twit thy poor child with, and charge him for, those infirmities that cleave to his perfect state?  He is but new plucked out of the fire.  No wonder there are some sparks unquenched, some corruptions un­mortified, some disorders unreformed in his place and calling; and what Christ did for Joshua, he doth incessantly for all his saints, for apologizing for their infirmities with his Father.    

 (2.) His other fallacy is in arguing from the sin that is in our duty, to the non-acceptance of them.  Will God, saith he, thinkest thou, take such broken groats at thy hand?  Is he not a holy God?  Now here, Christian, learn to distinguish and answer Satan. There is a double acceptance.  There is an acceptance of a thing by way of payment of a debt, and there is an acceptance of a thing offered as a token of love and testimony of gratitude.  He that will not accept of broken money, or half the sum for payment of a debt; the same man, if his friend sends him through but a bent sixpence, in token of his love, will take it kindly. It is true, Christian, the debt thou owest to God must be paid in good and lawful money, but for thy comfort, here Christ is thy paymaster.  Send Satan to him, bid him bring his charge against Christ, who is ready at God's right hand to clear his accounts, and show his discharge for the whole debt.  But now thy performances and obedience come under another no­tion, as tokens of thy love and thankfulness to God, and such is the gracious disposition of thy heavenly Father, that he accepts thy mite.  Love refuseth nothing that love sends.  It is not the weight or worth of the gift, but ‘the desire of a man in his kindness,’ Prov. 19:22.