y
strike terror and horror into the parties' own hearts. For if he or they be
asked whether they do approve of such like thoughts or no, they answer (and
their own souls truly dictate as much) they abhor them as much as hell and
the devil 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 intermixed now and then: so that such
blasphemous, impious, unclean thoughts, are not his own, but the devil's;
they proceed not from him, but from a crazed phantasy, distempered humours,
black fumes which offend his brain: [6792]they are thy crosses, the devil's
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 slyly 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 dismayed with such kind of suggestions, at least if they please thee
not, because they are not thy personal 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 thyself too much, but as
our Saviour said to Satan in like case, say thou, avoid Satan, I detest
thee and them. _Satanae 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 solicitous thou
art, the more perplexed, the more thou shalt otherwise be troubled and
entangled. Besides, they must know this, all so molested and distempered,
that although these be most execrable and grievous sins, they are
pardonable yet, through God's mercy and goodness, they may be forgiven, if
they be penitent and sorry for them. Paul himself confesseth, Rom. xvii.
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 Satan's
suggestions, his craft and subtlety, his malice: comfort thyself then if
thou be penitent and grieved, or desirous to be so, these heinous sins
shall not be laid to thy charge; God's mercy is above all sins, which if
thou do not finally contemn, without doubt th