. Often, during the solemn hours of public worship, he
beguiles our hearts with some scheme for doing good; taking care,
however, that self be uppermost in it. When we are in a bad frame, he
stirs up the unholy tempers of our hearts, and leads us to indulge in
peevishness, moroseness, harshness, and anger, or in levity and
unseemly mirth.

There is no Christian grace which Satan cannot counterfeit. He cares not
how much religious feeling we have, or how many good deeds we perform,
if he can but keep impure and selfish motives at the bottom. There is
great danger, therefore, in trusting to impulses, or sudden impressions
of any kind. Such impressions _may be_ from the Spirit of God; but they
may also be from Satan. The fact that your religious feelings are not
produced by yourself, but that they arise in your mind in a manner for
which you cannot account, is no evidence, either that they come from the
Spirit of God, or that they do not. There are many false spirits, which
are very busy with people's hearts. As before remarked, Satan sometimes
appears to us like an angel of light. He is often the author of false
comforts and joys, very much like those produced by the Holy Spirit. We
are, therefore, directed to "try the spirits, whether they be of God."
Nor is it certain that religious feelings are holy and spiritual because
they come with texts of Scripture, brought to the mind in a remarkable
manner. If the feeling is produced by the truth contained in the
Scripture so brought to the mind, and is, in its nature, agreeable to
the word of God, it may be a spiritual and holy affection. But if it
arises from the application of the Scripture to your own case, on
account of its being so brought to your mind, you may be sure it is a
delusion of the devil. He has power to bring Scripture to your mind when
he pleases, and he can apply it with dexterity, as you see in his
temptations of the blessed Saviour. Our own hearts are exceedingly
deceitful; and our indwelling corruptions will gladly unite with him in
bringing false peace and comfort to our souls. Satan, no doubt, often
brings the most sweet and precious promises of God to the minds of those
he wishes to deceive as to their own good estate. But we must be
satisfied that the promises belong to us, before we take them to
ourselves. We have "a more sure word of prophecy," by which we are to
try every impulse, feeling, and impression, produced upon our minds.
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