A treatise on Satan's temptations - Gilpin - XXIII - Chapter 8 of Part 2 concluded

Required reading
A treatise on Satan's temptations by Richard Gilpin (Available from Amazon or free here) - Conclude Chapter 8 of Part 2.

My summary
This week Gilpin continues to explore the various ways by which Satan undermines the people of God.

Last week we started hearing about the third way that Satan molests the people of God: spiritual sadness. 

Gilpin taught us about:
(i) the degrees of spiritual sadness for God's children;
(ii) the frequency of spiritual sadness for God's children;
(iii) the usual occasions that invite Satan to give spiritual sadness to God's children.

This week he finishes the point by teaching us the engines by which Satan works spiritual sadness.  There are two engines Satan uses:
(i) sophistry;
(ii) fears.

What grabbed me
There was much helpful material in today's reading.

I particularly appreciated the point that Satan causes spiritual sadness by abusing and perverting Scripture: 'His way is not only to suggest that they [the saints] are unregenerate, or under an evil frame of heart, but to offer proof that these accusations are true. And because he hath to do with them that profess a belief of Scriptures as the oracles of God, he will fetch his proofs from thence, telling them that he will evidence what he saith from Scripture. Thus sometimes he assaults the weaker, unskilful sort of Christians, Thou art not a child of God ; for they that are so are enlightened, translated from darkness, they are the children of the light; but thou art a poor, ignorant, dark, blind creature, and therefore no child of God. Sometimes he labours to conclude the like from the infirmities of God's children, abusing to this purpose that of 1 John iii. 9, ' He that is born of God doth not commit sin,' and ' he cannot sin, because he is born of God.' Thus he urgeth it. Can anything be more plainly and fully asserted ? Is not this scripture ? Canst thou deny this ? Then he pursues. But thou sinnest often ; that is thine own complaint against thyself, thy conscience also bearing witness to the truth of this accusation ; therefore thou canst be no child of God. Sometimes he plays upon words that are used in divers senses — a fit engine for the devil to work by — for what is true in one sense will be false in another ; and his arguing is from that which is true to that which is false. '

Watch out. 

You think you know your Bible.  So does Satan. 

And he will use your limited knowledge to his advantage.

Next week's reading
Read Chapter 9 of Part 2.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.