Works (Vol 7) - Goodwin - XV - Book III continued (Of gospel holiness)

Required reading
The Works (Vol 7) by Thomas Goodwin (Available from Amazon or free here) - Continue Book III (Of gospel holiness) by reading Chapters 4 and 5.

My summary
Today Goodwin continues to teach us motives for obedience.

In Chapter 4 we are told that God's love in giving his son to be a propitiation for our sins is a great motive for obedience.  Particularly as God delighted in doing it and this love is eternal and unchangeable.

Then in Chapter 5 Goodwin discusses Satan's involvement in sin and how that should lead us to holiness.  Thus Goodwin shows:
(i) there is a general engagement of all Christians against Satan, as against a common enemy, against whom as such they should all direct, intend, and point their opposition in fighting against sin, and the force of that engagement;
(ii) the encouragements we may take to ourselves in this great conflict.

What grabbed me
It was horrible to consider the delight that Satan receives from our sin: 'Our sinnings through his temptations are the greatest, if not the only delight and pleasure he hath. They are as meat and drink to him, his food and nourishment, and we thereby become caterers and providers for the devil's banqueting. This is founded on 1 Peter v. 8, for wherefore is it that Peter gives him here the character of a roaring lion, and compares him thereunto, but to represent him as one that seeks for a prey ! for roaring is here attributed to him, as to terrify, in respect of the dreadfulness of the danger, so in relation to his own hungering after a prey ; a soul acting sin is his prey: Ps. civ. 21, ' The young lions roar after their prey,' and so the devil doth too ; for it follows in 1 Peter v. 8, that he seeks whom to devour, and to that end walks up and down, and seeks a prey both by spying out a Christian's looseness of spirit, and also by eyeing God to have a commission from him to fall upon him...When a lion is hungry, he roars more terribly ; and as roaring is from the speediness and impatiency of desire, so the satisfaction of that appetite is delight, and devouring the prey is his pleasing enjoyment ; suitably his pleasure is sin, that is his prey, and when you sin much, and draw others to sin, you feast the devil with the blood of your own souls. His curse was to eat dust for his food. Gen. iii. 14 ; being banished heaven, he lives on men's lusts, and on things earthly, in which yet he delights not, for he tastes not meat or drink ; but to tempt others herewith, and to draw them to sin, this delights him, and is a joy to him. The apostle termeth all our righteousness subala, dogs'-meat ; but sins are the devil's meat, and therefore he walks to and fro seeking it, as lions do their food, Ps. civ. 22 ; yea, he calls other devils to feast with him. Plutarch says, the manner of young lions is, when they have their prey, to roar to invite other lions to come and eat with them ; so the devil brings seven other devils worse than himself; and as there is joy in heaven if a sinner be converted, so in hell when a converted sinner falls into sinning.'

Want to give Satan a feast and make him happy?  Sin.

Next week's reading
Continue Book III (Of gospel holiness) by reading Chapter 6.

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