'Voices From The Past' Vol. 1 — April 24

When Satan tempts to sin, and he finds resistance, that initial resistance might be from carnal strength and motives instead of God's strength and armour. Carnal motives have the fear of man more than God: 'How shall I do this and anger man, displease my master, provoke my parents, and lose the good opinion of my minister?’ It should be: 'How can I do this and sin against God?' Herod feared John, and did many things. If Herod feared God, he would have laboured to do everything. Motives of the natural man will not withstand the enemy's arrows. If your strength lies only in yourself, it may soon be cut off. If your strength is in God, you will hold your ground. We must say: ‘I cannot obey my lust, for to do so, I must go over my bleeding Saviour, and therefore, foul tempter, I hate you and your ways!' This is a foundation that will stand. If we do sin, we weep that we have offended so good a God. When a Christian sins, he hates it, and not like Esau; he wept because he lost the blessing, and not because he sold it. Satan trembles to see a soul diligent in the use and exercises of grace; but when the creature trusts in the means, this is dangerous. Many souls do not only perish praying, repenting, and believing after a sort, but they perish by their praying and repenting while they carnally trust in these. If we are to be saved, we must come naked to Christ in regard to our duties; we cannot flee to Christ in truth while trusting in them. Some are so locked into them, that they cannot come without them, and so in a day of temptation are trampled under the foot of God's wrath and Satan's fury. The poor publican threw down his arms with no confidence in himself, and cried for help at the hands of mercy: 'Be merciful to me a sinner!'

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Devotional Readings 'Voices From The Past Vol.1.'
William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour, I:51-57
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