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Of the second way to hinder Peace. Affrightments, the general Nature and Burthen of them, in feveral Particulars. What are the Ways by which he affrights. 1. A3 theistical Injections. Obfervations of his proceeding in them. 2. Blasphemous Thoughts. 3. Affrightful Suggeftions of Reprobation. Obfervations of his proceedings in that course. 4. Frightful Motions to Sin. 5. Strong immediate Impreffions of Fear. 6. Affrightful fcrupu lefity of Confcience.

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"He next rank of troubles, by which the Devil doth endeavour to moleft us, I call Affrightments. It is ufual for those that fpeak of Temptations, to distinguifh them thus: Some are

(fay they) Enticements, fome are Affrightments; but then they ex- Irritamenta tend thefe Affrightments further than I intend, comprehending Teriiculamen under them, all thofe Temptations of fadness and terror, of which ta. I am next to fpeak; but by Affrightments, I mean only these perplexities of Spirit into which Satan cafts Men, by overacting their fears, or astonishing their minds, by injecting unusual and horrid thoughts a gainst their confents. Some there are that have thought those Temptations, of which the Apoftle complains 2 Cor. 12. 7. (there was given me a Thorn in the Flesh, the Messenger of Satan to buffet me) were of this kind, that is, horrid injections frequently repeated, as Men deal their blows in fighting. Gerfon fpeaking of In calce rom.4. thefe, tells us they fometime come from the fole fuggeftion of Satan, troubling the fancy; and faying, deny God, Curfe God, and itimulus datus fuit Apoftolo, then adds, fuch was the Thorn in the Flesh given to the Apostle. But whether this was the trouble of the Apostle, or fome other thing (for feveral things are conjectured, and nothing can be pofitively proved) we are fure (from the fad experience of many) that fuch troubles he doth often give; which I fhall first explain

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in the general, and then give a particular of these frightful injections.

1. To explain the nature and burthen of this kind of trouble, I fhall present you with a few obfervations, about them. As,

1. These aftonishing thoughts, are purely injections, such as Satan cafts into the Mind, and not what the Mind of it felf doth produce, as one expreffeth it, they are more darting than reflecting. Not but that our natural corruption could of it felf beget Blafphemous or Atheistical Thoughts, but when they have their rife from our felves folely, they do not fo ftartle us, having some share (at least) of our confent going along with them, they appear not fo ftrange. But in this cafe in hand, Satan is the Agent,and Men are the Sufferers, their Understandings and Souls being bufied all the while to repel them, with the utmost of their reluctances. And to those that do thus ftrive against them, making resistance with all their ftrength, with Tears and Prayers, they are only their Afflictions, but not their Sins. For the Thoughts are not polluted by the fimple apprehenfion of a sinful Object, no more than the Eye is defiled by bebolding loathfoine and filthy things: for then fhould the Mind of Chrift have been defiled, when Satan propounded himself, blafphemously, as the Object of his Worthip, his Mind as truly apprehended the meaning of that saying [fall down and worShip me as ours can do, when he cafts fuch a thing immediately into our Thoughts. Which is a confideration to be observed diligenty, by thofe that meet with fuch fad exercise; if they do truly apprehend that they are but their sufferings, and that God will not charge the Sin upon them, they will more easily bear and overcome the trouble.

Thefe injections are commonly impetuous and fudden, frequently compared to Lightning: and this is ufually made a note of diftinction, betwixt wicked blafphemous thoughts rifing from our natural corruption, and darted in by Satan; the former being nore leafurely, orderly, and moderate according to the usual course of the procedure of bumane thoughts, the latter ufually accompanied with an hafty violence, fubtilly, and incoherently shooting into our Understandings, as Lightning into an Houfe. So that all the Strength we have, can neither prevent them nor expel them, nor fo much as mitigate the violence of them.

3. They are alfo ter the most part inceffant, and conftant Troublus, where they once begin. Though Satan hath variety, in

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regard of the matter of these amazing injections, (for fometimes he affrights one Man with blafphemous Thoughts, another, with Atheistical Thoughts, a third with grievous unufual Temptations to Sin, as Murther, &c.) yet, ufually, he fixeth his Foot upon what he first undertakes. And as cunning Huntsmen, do not change their Game that they first roufe, that they may fooner fpeed in catching the Prey; fo what frightful thought Satan begins the trouble with, that he perfifts in, and is withal fo vehement in his purfuit, that he gives little intermiffion. He makes thefe unwelcom thoughts haunt them like Ghofts, whitherfoever they go, whatsoever they do, he will give folemn onfets it may be twenty or forty times in a day: and at this rate he continues, it may be for fome confiderable time, fo that they are not quit of the trouble for feveral Months, or it may be Years.

4. The matter of thefe Affrightments, are things moft contrary to the Impreffions of Nature, or Grace, and therefore most odious and troublefome. When he is upon this defign, things that are❤ most contrary to the belief and inclination of Men are beft for his purpose. As Men that intend to affright others, chufe the most ugly vifors, the strangest garbs and postures, and make the most uncouth inhumane noifes; and the more monftrous they appear, the better they fucceed in their purposes. Yet Satan doth not always chule the very worst, for then most of the troubles of this kind, would be about the fame thing, but he confiders the ftrength of our perfwafions, our establishment in Truths, the probability or improbability of an after-game with us; and accordingly fometimes refufeth to trouble us with injections, contrary to what we are most firmly rooted in, chufing rather that which (though contrary to our thoughts and refolves) we have not been fixed in, without a great deal of labour, and which (if there be occafion) might molt fitly be charged upon us as our own, fo that (whereas other Suggestions would be flighted, as apparent Malice, and Scarecrows) thefe are moft afflicting, (as being an affault against fuch a Fort which cofts us much to rear, and which we are most afraid to lofe,) and moft lyable to his accufation after a long continuance, as being the iffue of our own unfetledne fs.

5. The firft and moft obvious effects of thefe injections, are the utmost abhorrency of the Mind, (which presently tartles at the appearance of fuch odious things,) and the trembling of the Body, fometimes to an agony and fainting. The invafion of one fingle

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injection, hath put fome into fuch an heart-breaking affrightment, that they have not recovered themfelves in a whole days time. This trembling of the Body, and agony of the Mind, are the ufual confequences of any thing that is furprifing, ftrange and fearful and therefore is trembling of the Body made, by Divines,

a mark to difcover, that thefe hideous blafphemous thoughts are Horrore fuific caft in by Satan, and have not their rife from our own hearts; implent ani- for the horror of the mind is ufually fo great, when it is fpoken mum, ut tan- to in this language, that it cannot bear up under its astonishment tum non pe- and trouble. Yea thofe very Men that are otherwife prophane,and &tus ipfum expectorate vide- can with boldnefs commit great iniquities; cannot but shake, and antur ad inwardly concieve an unfpeakable hatred at these monstrous fuggeftions.

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6. These Affrightments are more common than Men are ufually pravatiffima aware of; they are by fome thought to be rare and extraordinary; contremifcit. but this miftake arifeth from the concealment of thefe kind of Arrowsmith Troubles, thofe that are thus afflicted, are often ashamed to speak to others what they find in their own hearts: but if all would be fo ingenuous as to declare openly what fearful imaginations are obtruded upon them, it would appear that Satan very frequently endeavours to trouble Men this way.

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7. Thefe are very grievous Burthens, and hard to be born many accounts. (1.) Who can well exprefs the inward torture and moleftation of the Mind, when it is forced against its own natural bent and inclination, to harbour fuch Monsters within it felf? how would nature reluct and abominate the drinking down. of noifone pudled Water, or the fwallowing of Toads and Serpents? (and hence was it that Perfecutors in their devilith contrivances invented fuch kind of Fortures) and what lefs doth the Devil do, when he forceth Blafphemies upon their Thoughts? and commits a rape by a malicious violence upon their Imaginabions? David under thefe Temptations, Pfal. 73.21. crys out, Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins: and it cannot be otherwife, for the reafon already mentioned. Nature abhors to be forced to what is molt contrary to it felf, and fo doth Grace. Now the things by which Satan works thefe Affrightments are contrary to Nature or Grace, or both together; and as they will frive to the utmost of their ability to call out what is fo oppofite to them, fo muft the Devil to the utmost of Lis ability (if he would carry his defign) ftrengthen himself in

his force, and from hence (as when Fire and Water are com mitted together) arifeth a most troublesome conflict; and indeed if there were a compliance of our confent, there would be no Affrightment; neither can this kind of Temptation be managed, except there be the utmost diffent of the Mind. If any think there is no great ground for thefe Temptations, becaufe fome of the particulars by which he is faid to affright Men are natural to us, as (for inftance) Atheistical Thoughts (which are by fome called the Mafter-vein of our original Corruption, and by others, faid to be in the heart of every Man naturally) and then confequently not so troublesome as is imagined, &c. I answer, That when Divines call thefe, or blafphemous Thoughts, natural, they do not mean that they are natural impreffions engraven on us by Creation (for they affert the contrary) that 'tis a natural and unextinguish- Perkins Cafes able impreffion upon every Man that there is a God, &c. and ufually 1.cap.10.5 2. of Confcience. give in this for proof,that the greatest Atheists in fear and extremity will manifeft a fecret belief of a Deity, by calling out,O God, &c. or by fome other posture, (as Caligula by hiding himself when it thundered) but they mean only, that our natural corruption may produce thefe Thoughts, and that they are the natural iffues thereof; and therefore Perkins in answer to a question of this nature, tells Treatife of 1us, that these two Thoughts [there is a God] and [there is no maginations. God may be, and are both in the fame heart. Now as this will cap. 3... give us the reason why Satan doth make choice of thefe Thoughts to trouble us withall, which may also rise from our selves, (which I have hinted before, and fhall presently again touch upon:) foit tells us ftill, that whether thefe Thoughts arife from our own Corruption, or from Satan, our natural impreffions are ftrong against them, and withall that they cannot be fo affrightful but when Satan doth manage them, and when the contrary impreffions of Nature are awakened to give strong refiftance, and then that strugling must be as the tearing of our Bowels, and ftill the worse in that we are inceffantly purfued: Satan ftill cafting back (with unwearied labour) the fame Thoughts as they are repulfed and rejected; as Souldiers that befiege Cities ufe to caft over the Walls their fir'd Granado's. (2.) Thefe are alfo grievous, as they fet the Mind upon the Rack, and ftretch it under laborious and doubtful enquiries after the grounds or caufes of this kind of trouble, for the Heart aftonished with fuch curfed Guefts against his Will, prefently reflects upon God and it felf, What have I done? and

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