Christ is either transient, or mixed; but we count that we cannot
be loved long, unless something better than yet we see in us, be
found there, as an inducement to Christ to love, and to continue
to love our poor souls (Isa 64:6). But these the Christian at length
gets over; for he sees, by experience, he hath no such inducement
(Deu 9:5); also, that Christ loves freely, and not for, or because
of such poor, silly, imaginary enticements (Eze 16:60-62). Thus
therefore the love of Christ may be known, that is, in the nature
of it: it may, I say, but not easily (Eze 36:25-33). For this
knowledge is neither easily got, though got, nor easily retained,
though retained. There is nothing that Satan setteth himself more
against, than the breaking forth of the love of Christ in its
own proper native lustre. For he knows it destroys his kingdom,
which standeth in profaneness, in errors and delusions, the only
destruction of which is the knowledge of this love of Christ (2 Cor
5:14). What mean those swarms of opinions that are in the world?
what is the reason that some are carried about as clouds, with a
tempest? what mean men's waverings, men's changing, and interchanging
truth for error, and one error for another? why, this is the thing,
the devil is in it. This work is his, and he makes this ado, to
make a dust; and a dust to darken the light of the gospel withal.
And if he once attaineth to that, then farewell the true knowledge
of the love of Christ.

Also he will assault the spirits of Christians with divers and sundry
cogitations, such as shall have in them a tendency to darken the
judgment, delude the fancy, to abuse the conscience. He has an art
to metamorphose all things. He can make God seem to be to us, a
most fierce and terrible destroyer; and Christ a terrible exactor
of obedience, and most amazingly pinching of his love. He can