Melancholy is balneum diaboli, as Serapio holds, the divels bath, and invites him to come to it. As a sick man frets, raves in his fits, speakes and doth he knows not what, the divel violently compels such crazed souls, to think such damned thoughts against their wils, they cannot but do it; sometimes more continuate, or by fits, he takes his advantage, as the subject is less able to resist, he aggravates, extenuates, affirms, denies, damnes, confounds the spirits, troubles heart, brain, humors, organs, senses, and wholly domineers in their imaginations.

If they proceed from themselves, such thoughts, they are remiss and moderate, not so violent and monstrous, not so frequent. The divel commonly suggests things opposite to nature, opposite to God and his word, impious, absurd, such as a man would never of himself, or could not conceive, they strike terror and horror into the parties own heart.

For if he or they be asked whether they do approve of such like thoughts or no, they answer (and their own souls truely dictate as much) they abhor them as Hell and the Divel himself, they would fain think otherwise if they could; he hath thought otherwise, and with all his soul desires so to think again; he doth resist, and hath some good motions intermixt now and then:

So that such blasphemous, impious, unclean thoughts, are not his own, but the Divels; they proceed not from him, but from a crazed phantasie, distempered humours, black fumes which offend his brain: they are thy crosses, the Divels sins, and he shall answer for them, he doth enforce thee to do that which thou dost abhor, and didst never give consent to:

And although he hath sometimes so slily set upon thee, and so far prevailed, as to make thee in some sort to assent to such wicked thoughts, to delight in, yet they have not proceeded from a confirmed will in thee, but are of that nature which thou dost afterwards reject and abhor.

Therefore be not overmuch troubled and dismaid with such kinde of suggestions, at least if they please thee not, because they are not thy personall sins, for which thou shalt incur the wrath of God, or his displeasure: contemn, neglect them, let them go as they come, strive not too violently, or trouble thy self too much, but as our Saviour said to Satan in like case, say thou, Avoid Satan, I detest thee and them.

Satanæ est mala ingerere (saith Austin) nostrum non consentire: as Satan labours to suggest, so must we strive not to give consent, and it will be sufficient: the more anxious and sollicitous thou art, the more perplexed, the more thou shalt otherwise be troubled, and intangled.

Besides, they must know this, all so molested and distempered, that although these be most execrable and grievous sins, they are pardonable yet, through Gods mercy and goodness they may be forgiven, if they be penitent and sorry for them. Paul himself confesseth, Rom. 7. 19. He did not the good he would do, but the evil which he would not do; ’tis not I, but sin that dwelleth in me.

’Tis not thou, but Satans suggestions, his craft and subtilty, his malice: comfort thy self then if thou be penitent and grieved, or desirous to be so, these hainous sins shall not be laid to thy charge; Gods mercy is above all sins, which if thou do not finally contemn, without doubt thou shalt be saved.

No mans sins against the Holy Ghost, but he that wilfully and finally renounceth Christ, and contemneth him and his word to the last, without which there is no salvation, from which grievous sin, God of his infinite mercy deliver us.

Take hold of this to be thy comfort, and meditate withall on Gods word, labour to pray, to repent, to be renewed in minde, keep thine heart with all diligence, Prov. 4. 13. resist the Divel and he will fly from thee, poure out thy soul unto the Lord with sorrowfull Hannah, pray continually, as Paul injoyns, and as David did, Psal. 1. meditate on his law day and night.

Yea but this meditation is that that mars all, and mistaken makes many men far worse, misconceiving all they read or hear, to their own overthrow; the more they search and read Scriptures, or divine Treatises, the more they pusle themselves, as a bird in a net, the more they are intangled and precipitated into this preposterous gulf:

Many are called, but few are chosen, Mat. 20. 16. and 22. 14. with such like places of Scripture misinterpreted strike them with horror, they doubt presently whether they be of this number or no: Gods eternall decree of predestination, absolute reprobation, and such fatall tables they form to their own ruine, and impinge upon this rock of despair.

How shall they be assured of their salvation, by what signes? If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinners appear? 1 Pet. 4. 18. Who knows, saith Solomon, whether he be elect? This grinds their souls, how shall they discern they are not reprobates? But I say again, how shall they discern they are?

From the divell can be no certainty, for he is a lyar from the beginning: if he suggest any such thing, as too frequently he doth, reject him as a deceiver, an enemy of humane kinde, dispute not with him, give no credit to him, obstinately refuse him, as S. Anthony did in the wilderness, whom the Divel set upon in severall shapes, or as the Collier did, so do thou by him.

For when the divell tempted him with the weakness of his faith, and told him he could not be saved, as being ignorant in the principles of Religion: and urged him moreover to know what he beleeved, what he thought of such and such points and mysteries: the Collier told him, he beleeved as the Church did; but what (said the Divel again) doth the Church beleeve? as I do (said the Collier) and what’s that thou beleevest? as the Church doth, &c. when the divel could get no other answer, he left him.

If Satan summon thee to answer, send him to Christ: he is thy liberty, thy protector against cruell death, raging sin, that roaring Lyon; he is thy righteousness, thy Saviour, and thy life. Though he say, thou art not of the number of the elect, a reprobate, forsaken of God, hold thine own still,

——hic murus aheneus esto,

Let this be as a bulwark, a brazen wall to defend thee, stay thy self in that certainty of faith; let that be thy comfort, CHRIST will protect thee, vindicate thee, thou art one of his flock, he will triumph over the law, vanquish death, overcome the divel, and destroy hell.

If he say thou art none of the elect, no beleever, reject him, defie him, thou hast thought otherwise, and maist so be resolved again; comfort thy self; this perswasion cannot come from the divell, and much less can it be grounded from thy self; men are lyars, and why shouldest thou distrust?

A denying Peter, a persecuting Paul, an adulterous cruell David, have been received; an Apostate Solomon may be converted; no sin at all but impenitency, can give testimony of final reprobation. Why shouldest thou then distrust, misdoubt thy self, upon what ground, what suspicion? This opinion alone of particularity?

Against that, and for the certainty of Election and salvation on the other side, see Gods good will toward men, hear how generally his grace is proposed to him, and him, and them, each man in particular, and to all. 1 Tim. 2. 4. God will that all men be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth.

’Tis an universall promise, God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through him the world might be saved, John 3. 17. He then that acknowledgeth himself a man in the world, must likewise acknowledge he is of that number that is to be saved: Ezek. 33. 11. I will not the death of a sinner, but he that he repent and live: But thou art a sinner, therefore he will not thy death.

This is the will of him that sent me, that every man that beleeveth in the Son, should have everlasting life. John 6. 40. He would have no man perish, but all come to repentance, 2 Pet. 3. 9. Besides, remission of sins is to be preached, not to a few, but universally to all men. Go therefore and tell all Nations, baptizing them, &c. Matth. 28. 19. Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature, Mark 16. 15.

Now there cannot be contradictory wils in God; he will have all saved, and not all, how can this stand together? be secure then, beleeve, trust in him, hope well and be saved.

Yea that’s the main matter, how shall I beleeve or discern my security from carnall presumption? my faith is weak and faint, I want those signes and fruits of sanctification, sorrow for sin, thirsting for grace, groanings of the spirit, love of Christians as Christians, avoiding occasion of sin, endeavour of new obedience, charity, love of God, perseverance.