THE CHRISTIAN IN Compleat Armour Or a TREATISE OF THE Saints War against the Devil wherein a Discovery is made of that grand enemy of God and his People in his Policies Power Seat of his Empire Wickednesse and chief design he hath against the Saints A Magazin open'd FROM Whence the Christian is furnished with Spiritual Armes for the battel help't on with his Armour and taught the use of his Weapon together with the happy issue of the whole Warre The First Part. By William Gurnall Minister of the Gospel at Lavenham Imprimatur EDMUND CALAMY LONDON Printed for Ralph Smith at the Bible in Cornhill near the Royall Exchange 1655. Gurnalls CHRISTIAN ARMOVR I. P. To my Dearly Beloved Friends and Neighbours the Inhabitants of LAVENHAM My Dear Friends SOlomon saith The desire of a man is his kindenesse and a poor man is better then a liar Prov. 19.22 If you be of his minde I dare promise these Notes which I here devote to your service a kinde acceptance at your hands You will finde me to be the poor man by the mite I present you with but the hearty desire of your eternal happinesse from which it comes will I hope clear me from being the liar I never could be so serviceable to you as many Ministers are to their people having been with you in much weaknesse and still it is the good pleasure of God I should be staked down to a short tedder of strength and other abilities I have reason therefore that I may though not recompence that want yet expresse my deep sense thereof to croud the more love into the little I can do for you And truly my heart is enlarged to you and to God for you If any thing makes me loath to be gone into another world which my dropping house bids me above many prepare for it is not the least to think I shall leave no more of you walking in the way to eternal life and you who are on your way thither in no closer Gospel-order for your mutual help and comfort in your journey yea while I am among you little do you think how much of your poor Ministers life lies at your mercy If I should measure my life by the joy of it as indeed who doth not Then in some uprightnesse I can say with Paul I live as I see any of you stand fast in the Lord and die as I see others stand fast in their sins not to be moved with all the entreaties of the Gospel which have wooed you And why my dear friends should not the life of your soules be much more precious in your own sight then mine But I forbear I would not willingly be thought as some husbands are to be kinder to you abroad before strangers then I am at home What I present you with in this Treatise is a dish from your own table and so I hope will go down the better You cannot despise it though the fare be mean except you will blame your selves who chose the Cook I cannot be earnest with others to bestow so much time as to read over these plain Sermons lest it should be to their losse it were but to call them from gathering sheaves in the more fruitful labours of others to glean a few eares and those but thin also in mine yet with you my people I may be a little bold Physicians say the mothers milk though not so weighty as anothers if no noxious humour be tasted in it because natural is more proper for the childe then a strangers And I think it would not be an errour if I should say it held in the milk which the Minister gives to his flock A people conscienciously lying at the breasts of their own Minister if the milk he gives be wholesome may expect the blessing of God for their nourishment though it has not so much lusciousnesse to please the curious taster as some others Well whatever these Sermons were some of those few spirits which you found in hearing will be missing in the reading of them It is as easie to paint fire with the heat as with pen and ink to commit that to paper which occurres in preaching There is as much difference between a Sermon in the Pulpit and printed in a book as between milk in the warme breast and in a sucking bottle yet what it loseth in the lively taste is recompenced by the convenience of it The book may be at hand when the Preacher cannot and truly that 's the chief end of printing that as the bottle and spoon is used when the mother is sick or out of the way so the book to quiet the Christian and stay his stomack in the absence of the Ordinance He that readeth Sermons and good bookes at home to save his paines of going to hear is a thief to his soul in a religious habit he consults for his ease but not for his profit he eats cold meat when he may have hot He hazards the losing the benefit of both by contemning of one If the Spouse could have had her beloved at home she needed not to have coursed the streets and waited on the publick O what need we offer sacriledge for sacrifice rob God of one duty to pay him another He hath laid our work in better order one wheele would not interfere with another if we did more regularly A chief part of Davids Arithmetick of numbring our dayes lies in that which we call division as to cast the account of this our short life so as to divide the little whole summe thereof into the several portions of time due for the performing of every duty in An Instrument is not in tune except it have all the strings and those will not make good musick if the Musician hath not wisdome to cause every string to speak in its due time The Christian is not in tune except he takes in all the duties of his place and calling neither will the performance of them be harmonious in Gods eare if every one be not done in its proper season O my friends labour not only to do the duty of your place but that duty in its own place also Heare when you should hear Know your rime for closet and time for shop and when your retiring houre comes a few minutes now and then spent in taking a repetition of what formerly you heard shall not I hope another day be reckoned with your lost time The Subject of the Treatise is solemn A War between the Saint and Satan and that so bloody a one that the cruellest which ever was fought by men will be found but sport and childes play to this Alas what is the killing of bodies to destroying of soules 'T is a sad meditation indeed to think how many thousands have been sent to the grave in a few late yeares among us by the sword of man But far more astonishing to consider how many of those may be sent to hell by the sword of Gods wrath 'T is
indeed shew one sin thou hast slain by all thy praying Joseph was alive though his coat was brought bloody to Jacob and so may thy sin be for all thy mortified look in duty and out cry thou makest against them If thou wouldest thus try every piece thy credulous heart would not so easily be cheated with Satans false ware Obj. But is all armour that is of God thus mighty we reade of weak grace little faith how can this then be a trial of our armour whether of God or not Answ I answer the weaknesse of grace is in respect of stronger grace but that weak grace is strong and mighty in comparison of counterfeit grace Now I do not bid thee try the truth of thy grace by such a power as is peculiar to stronger grace but by that power which will distinguish it from false true grace when weakest is stronger then false when strongest There is a principle of divine life in it which the other hath not Now life as it gives excellency a flea or fly by reason of its life is more excellent then the Sun in all its glory so it gives strength The slow motion of a living man though so feeble that he cannot go a furlong in a day yet coming from life imports more strength then is in a ship which though it sailes swiftly hath its motion from without Thus possibly an hypocrite may exceed the true Christian in the bulk and out-side of a duty yet because his strength is not from life but from some winde and tide abroad that carries him and the Christians is from an inward principle therefore the Christians weaknesse is stronger then the hypocrite in his greatest enlargements I shall name but two acts of grace when weakest whereby the Christian exceeds the hypocrite in all his best array You will say then grace is at a weak stay indeed when the Christian is perswaded to commit a sin a great sin such a one as possibly a carnal person would not have it said of him for a great matter so low may the tide of grace fall yet true grace at such an ebbe will appear of greater strength and force then the other First this principle of grace will never leave till the soule weeps bitterly with Peter that it hath offended so good a God Speak O ye hypocrites can ye shew one tear that ever you shed in earnest for a wrong done to God Possibly ye may weep to see the bed of sorrow which your sins are making for you in hell but ye never loved God so well as to mourne for the injury ye have done the Name of God It is a good glosse Augustine hath upon Esau's teares Heb. 12. Flevit quòd perdidit non quòd vendidit He wept that he lost the blessing not that he sold it Thus we see an excellency of the Saints sorrow above the hypocrites The Christian by his sorrow shews himself a Conquerour of that sin which even now overcame him while the hypocrite by his pride shews himself a slave to a worse lust then that he resists While the Christian commits a sin he hates it whereas the other loves it while he forbears it Secondly when true grace is under the foot of a temptation yet then it will stir up in the heart a vehement desire of revenge like a prisoner in his enemies hand who is thinking and plotting how to get out and what he will do when out waiting and longing every moment for his delivery that he may again take up armes O God remember me saith Samson this once I pray thee and strengthen me that I may be at once avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes Judg. 16.27 Thus prays the gracious soul that God would but spare him a little and strengthen him but once before he dies that he may be avenged on his pride unbelief and those sins whereby he hath most dishonoured his God but a false heart is so far from studying revenge that he rather swells like the sea against the Law which banks his lust in and is angry with God who hath made sin such a leap that he must hazard his soule if he will have it CHAP. IV. Of the entirenesse of our furniture It must be the whole Armour of God THe third Branch in the Saints furniture is the entirenesse thereof The whole Armour of God The Christians Armour must be compleat and that in a threefold respect SECT 1. First he must be armed in every part cap-a-pe soule and body the powers of the one and senses of the other not any part left naked A dart may flie in at a little hole like that which brought a message of death to Ahab through the joynts of his harnesse and Satan is such an Archer who can shoot at a penny breadth If all the man be armed and only the eye lest without Satan can soon shoot his fire-balls of lust in at that loop-hole which shall set the whole house on flame Eve look't but on the tree and a poisonous dare struck her to the heart If the eye be shut and the ear be open to corrupt communication Satan will soon wriggle in at this hole If all the outward senses be guarded and the heart not kept with all diligence he will soon by his own thoughts be betrayed into Satans hands Our enemies are on every side and so must our armour be on the right hand and on the left 2 Cor. 6.7 The Apostle calls sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an enemy that surrounds us If there be any part of the line unguarded or weakly provided there Satan falls on we see the enemy often enter the city at one side while he is beat back on the other for want of care to keep the whole line Satan divides his temptations into several squadrons one he employes to assault here another to storme there We reade of fleshly wickednesse and spiritual wickednesse while thou repellest Satan tempting thee to fleshly wickednesse he may be entring thy city at the other gate of spiritual wickednesse Perhaps thou hast kept thy integrity in the practical part of thy life but what armour hast thou to defend thy head thy judgement If he surprise thee here corrupting that with some errour then thou wilt not long hold out in thy practice He that could not get thee to profane the Sabbath among Sensualists and Atheists will under the disguise of such a corrupt principle as Christian liberty prevail Thus we see what need we have of universal armour in regard of every part SECT II. Secondly the Christian must be in compleat armour in regard of the several pieces and weapons that make up the whole Armour of God Indeed there is a concatenation of graces they hang together like links in a chain stones in an arch members in the body prick one vein and the blood of the whole body may run out at that sluce neglect one duty and no other will do us good The
flowing from the same enlargement in duty and the like which Satan may for a time disturb yea deprive thee of but he cannot come to the rolls to blot thy name out of the book of life he cannot null thy faith make void thy relation dry up thy comfort in the Spring though dam up the stream nor hinder thee a happy issue of thy whole war with sinne though worst thee in a private skirmish these all are kept in Heaven among Gods own Crown-Jewels who is said to keep us by his power through faith unto salvation SECT III. The third boundary of the devils Principality is in regard of his subjects and they are described here to be the darknesse of this world that is such who are in darknesse This word is used sometimes to expresse the desolate condition of a creature in some great distresse Isa 150. He that walks in darknesse and sees no light sometimes to expresse the nature of all sin so Eph. 5.1 sin is called the work of darknesse sometimes the particular sin of ignorance often set out by the darknesse of the night blindnesse of the eye all these I conceive may be mean't but chiefly the latter for though Satan makes a foule stir in the soule that is in the dark of sorrow whether it be from outward crosses or inward desertions yet if the creature be not in the darknesse of sinne at the same time though he may disturb his peace as an enemy yet cannot be said to rule as a Prince Sin only sets Satan in the Throne so that I shall take the words in the two latter Interpretations First for the darknesse of sin in general Secondly for the darknesse of ignorance in special and the sense will be that the devils rule is over those that are in a state of sin and ignorance not over those who are sinful or ignorant so he would take hold of Saints as well as others but over those who are in a state of sin which is set out by the abstract Ruler of the darknesse the more to expresse the fulnesse of the sin and ignorance that possesseth Satans slaves and the Notes will be two First Every soul in a state of sin is under the rule of Satan Secondly Ignorance above other sins enslaves a soul to Satan and therefore all sins are set out by that which chiefly expresseth this viz. darknesse Every soule in a state of sin is under the rule of Satan under which point these two things must be enquired First the reason why sin is set out by darknesse Secondly how every one in such a state appears to be under the devils rule For the first First sin may be called darknesse because the spring and common cause of sin in man is darknesse The external cause Satan who is the great promoter of it he is a cursed spirit held in chaines of darknesse The internal is the blindnesse and darknesse of the soule we may say when any one sins he doth he knowes not what as Christ said of his murtherers Did the creature know the true worth of the soul which he now sells for a song the glorious amiable nature of God and his holy wayes the matchlesse love of God in Christ the poisonfull nature of sin and all these not by a sudden beam darted into the window at a Sermon and gone again like a flash of lightning but by an abiding light this would spoile the devils market and poor creatures would not readily take this toad into their bosomes sin goes in a disguise and so is welcome Secondly it is darknesse because it brings darknesse into the soul and that naturally and judicially First Naturally There is a noxious quality in sin offensive to the understanding which is to the soule what the eye and palate are to the body It discernes of things and distinguisheth true from false as the eye white from black It tryeth words as the mouth tasteth meats Now as there are some things bad for the sight and others bad for the palate vitiating it so that it shall not know sweet from bitter so here sin besots the creature and makes it injudicious that he who could see such a practice absurd and base in others before when once he hath drunk of this inchanting cup himself as one that hath for done his understanding is mad of it himself not able now to see the evil of it or use his reason against it Thus Saul before he had debauch't his conscience thinks the Witch worthy of death but after he had trodden his conscience hard with other foule sins goes to ask counsel of one himself Again sin brings darknesse judiciously such have been threatened whose eare God hath been trying to open and instruct and have run out of Gods school into the devils by rebelling against light that they shall die without knowledge Iob 36.10 12. What should the candle burn wast when the creature hath more minde to play then work Thirdly Sinne runs into darknesse Impostors bring in their damnable Heresies privily like those who sell bad ware loath to come to the Market where the Standard tries all but put it off in secret so in moral wickednesse sinners like beasts go out in the night for their prey loath to be seen afraid to come where they should be found out Nothing more terrible to sinners then light of truth John 3.19 because their deeds are evil Felix was so netled with what Paul spake that he could not sit out the Sermon but flings away in haste and adjourns the hearing of Paul till a convenient season but he never could finde one The Sun is not more troublesome in hot Countreys then truth is to those who sit under the powerful preaching of it and therefore as those seldome come abroad in the heat of the day and when they must have their devices over their heads to skreene them from the Sun so sinners shun as much as may be the preaching of the Word but if they must go to keep in with their relations or for other carnal advantages they if possible will keep off the power of truth either by sleeping the Sermon away or prating it away with any foolish imagination which Satan sends to beare them company and chat with them at such a time or by choosing such a coole Preacher to sit under whose toothlesse discourse shall rather flatter then trouble rather tickle their fancy then prick their consciences and then their sore eyes can look upon the light Froreseentem amant veritatem qui non redarguentem they dare handle and look on the sword with delight when in a rich scabbard who would run away to see it drawn Fourthly Sinne is darknesse for its uncomfortab'enesse and that in a threefold respect First Darknesse is uncomfortable as it shuts out of all imployment What could the Egyptians do under the plague of darknesse but sit still and this to an active spirit is trouble enough Thus in a state of sinne
up is a riddle to any that know what they both are Thirdly the Christian wrongs himself in not endeavouring to repaire his broken armour and recover his declining grace By this he loses the evidence of his inheritance at least so blots it that it cannot be so clearly perceived by him A declining Christian must needs be a doubting Christian because the common symptome of an hypocrite is to wear and waste like a stake set in the ground which rots while true grace like the tree grows Is not this the knot which the devil poseth many poor soules withal and findes them work for many yeares to untie If thou wert a Christian thou wouldest grow Right Saints go from strength to streugth and thou goest from strength to weaknesse They go up the hill to Zion every Ordinance and Providence is a step that bears them nearer Heaven but thou goest down the hill and art further from thy salvation then when thou didst first believe as thou thoughtest and doth it stand wirh thy wisdom Christian to put a staffe into the devâ—ls hand an argument into his mouth to dispute against thy salvation with If you held an estate by the life of a childe which upon the death of it should all go away from you that childe I warrant you should be well look't unto his head should not ake but you would post to the Physician for counsel I pray what is your evidence for that glorious estate you hope for Is it not Christ within you Is not this new creature whâ—ch may well be call'd Christ for its likenesse to him the young heire of Heavens glory and when that is sick or weak is it not time to use all meanes for its recovery while thus thou canst neither live nor die comfortably Not live a man in a consumption has little joy of his life he neither findes sweetnesse in his meat nor delight in his work as a healthfuâ— man doth O how sweet is the promise to faith when active and vigourous how easie the yoke of the Command to the Christian when his conscience is not gall'd with guilt nor hi strength enfeebled by temptation but the Christian in a declining condition he tastes not the promise every command is grievous and every duty burdensome to him he goes in pain like one whose foot is out of joynt though the way be never so pleasant And he is as unfit to die as he is to live such a one can like no more to hear the newes of death then a tenant that wants his rent doth to hear of the quarter-day This made David beg time of God Spare me a little that I may recover my strength Having shewen you why the Christian should endeavour to recover his declining graces it will be very requisite to give a word of counsel to the Christian First to direct him how to judge of the declining state of grace that he may not passe a false judgement upon himself therein Secondly to direct him when he findes grace to be in a declination how he may recover it CHAP. III. A cautionary direction from what we may not as also from what we may judge our graces to be in a declination Quest FIrst of the first How may a Christian judge whether grace be declining in him or no Answ First I shall resolve this negatively and shew by what he is not to judge his grace to decline Secondly positively by what he may certainly conclude a decay of grace First negatively and that in several particulars Frist Christian do not judge grace to be fallen weaker because thy sense of corruption is grown stronger This oft lies at the bottome of poor souls complaints in this case O they never felt pride hypocrisie and other corruptions so haunt them as now none knows how they are vexed with these and the like besides themselves Now let me ask thee who makest this sad moane whether thou doest not think these corruptions were in thee before thou didst thus feel them how oft hast thou prayed as formally and not been troubled how oft hast thou stood chatting with the same lusts and thy soule hath not been laid low before the Lord with such abasement of thy self as now deal faithfully between God and thy soule and tell not a lie for God by bearing false witnesse against thy self If it be thus thou hast rather a comfortable signe of grace growing then decaying Sin cannot be on the getting hand if the sense of sin grow quick this is the concomitant of a thriving soul none so full of complaints of their own hearts as such the least sin goes now to their very soules which makes them think viler of themselves then ever but it is not the increase of sin in them but the advance of their love to Christ makes them judge so when the Sun shines with some power and the year gets up we observe though we may have frosts and snow yet they do not lie long but are soon dissolved by the Sun O 't is a sweet signe that the love of Christ shines with a force upon thy soule that no corruptions can lie long in thy bosome but they melt into sorrow and bitter complaints That is the decaying soul where sinne lies bound up and frozen little sense of or sorrow for it appears Secondly Take heed thou thinkest not grace decayes because thy comfort withdrawes The influence of the Sun comes where the light of it is not to be found yea is mighty as appears in those mines of gold and silver which are concocted by the same And so may the actings of grace be vigourous in thee when least under the shines of his countenance Did ever faith triumph more then in our Saviour crying My God my God here faith was at its meridian when it was midnight in respect of joy Possibly thou comest from an Ordinance and bringest not home with thee those sheaves of comfort thou usest to do and therefore conclude grace acted not in thee as formerly Truly if thou hast nothing else to go by thou mayest wrong the grace of God in thee exceedingly Because thy comfort is extrinsecal to thy duty a boon which God may give or not yea doth give to the weak and deny to the strong The traveller may go as fast and rid as much ground when the Sun doth not shine as when it doth though indeed he goes not so merrily on his journey nay somtimes he makes the more hast the warm Sun makes him sometime to lie down and loyter but when dark and cold he puts on with more speed Some graces thrive best like some flowers in the shade such as humility dependance on God c Thirdly take heed thou doest not mistake and think thy grace decayes when may be it is only thy temptations increase and not thy grace decrease If you should hear a man say because he cannot to day run so fast when a hundred weight is on his back as he could yesterday
of Saints falling from grace gives a sad dash to the sweet wine of the Promises the soul-reviving comfort that sparkles in them ariseth from the sure conveyance with which they are in Christ made over to believers to have and to hold for ever Hence called the sure mercies of David Acts 13.34 mercies that shall never faile This this indeed is wine that makes glad the heart of a Saint though he may be whipt in the house when he sins yet he shall not be turned out of doores As God promised in the type to Davids seed Psal 89.33 Neverthelesse my loving kindnesse will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulnesse to faile and v. 36. His seed shall endure for ever Could any thing separate the believer from the love of God in Christ this would be as a hole at the bottome of his cup to leak out all his joy he might then feare every temptation or affliction he meets would slay him and so the wickeds curse would be the Saints portion His life would ever hang in doubt before him and the fearful expectation of his final miscarriage which he sees may befall him would eat up the joy of his present hope Now how contrary such a frame of heart is to the spirit of adoption and full assurance of hope which the grace of the new Covenant gives he that runs may reade in the Word Vse 2 This truth prepares a sovereign cordial to restore the fainting spirits of weak believers who are surprised with many feares concerning their persevering and holding out to the end of their warfare Be of good cheer poor soule God hath given Christ the life of every soule within the Ark of his Covenant Your eternal safety is provided for Whom he loves he loves to the end Jâ—h 13.1 Hath he made thee willing in the day of his power to march under his banner and espouse his quarrel against sin and hell the same power that overcame thy rebellious heart to himself will overcome all thy enemies within and without for thee say not thou art a bruised reed with this he will break Satans head and not cease till he hath brought forth judgement into compleat victory in thy soule He that can make a few wounded men rise up and take a strong city can make a wounded spirit triumph over sin and devils The Ark stood in the midst of Jordan till the whole Camp of Israel was safely got over into Canaan Josh 3. And so doth the Covenant which the Ark did but typifie yea Christ Covenant and all stand to secure the Saints a safe passage to Heaven If but one believer drownes the Covenant must drown with him Christ and the Saint are put together as co-heires of the same inheritance Rom. 8.17 If children then heires heirs of God and joynt-heirs with Christ. We cannot dispute against one but we question the firmnesse of the others title When you heare Christ is turn'd out of heaven or himself to be willing to sell his inheritance there then poore Christian feare thy coming thither and not till then Co-heires cannot sell the inheritance except both give up their right which Christ will never do nor suffer thee Vse 3 Thirdly this truth calls for a word or two of caution Though there is no feare of a Saints salling from grace yet there is great danger of others falling from the top of this comfortable doctrine into a carelesse security and presumptuous boldnesse and therefore a battlement is very necessary that from it we may with safety to our soules stand and view the pleasant prospect this truth presents to our eye That flower from which the Bee sucks honey the spider draws poison That which is a restorative to the Saints grace proves an incentive to the lust of a wicked man What Paul said of the Law we may truly of the Gospel Sin taking occasion from the grace of the Gospel and the sweet promises thereof deceives the carnal heart and works in him all manner of wickednesse Indeed sin seldome grows so rank any where as in those who water its roots with the grace of the Gospel Two wayes this doctrine may be abused First into a neglect of duty Secondly into a liberty to sin Take heed of both First beware of falling into a neglect of duty upon this score if a Christian thou canst not fall away from grace Take for an antidote against this three particulars First there are other arguments to invite yea that will constrain thee to a constant vigourous performing of duty though the feare of falling away should not come in or else thou art not a Christian what nothing make the childe diligent about his fathers businesse but feare of being disinherited and turned out of doors There is sure some better motive to duty in a Saints heart or else Religion is a melancholy work Speak for your selves O ye Saints is self-preservation all you pray for and heare for should a messenger come from Heaven and tell you Heaven were yours would this make you give over your spiritual trade and not care whether you had any more acquaintance with God till you came thither O how harsh doth this sound in your eares There are such principles engraven in the Christians bosome that will not suffer a strangenesse long to grow betwixt God and him He is under the Law of a new life which carries him naturally to desire communion with God as the childe doth to see the face of his deare father and every duty is a Mount wherein God presents himself to be seen and enjoyed by the Christian Secondly to neglect duty upon such a perswasion is contrary to Christs practice and counsel First his practice Though Christ never doubted of his Fathers love nor questioned the happy issue of all his temptations agonies and sufferings yet he prayes and prayes again more earnestly Luke 22.44 Secondly his counsel and command He told Peter that Satan had begg'd leave to have them to sift them But withal he comforts him who was to be hardest put to it with this But I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not Sure our Saviour by this provision made for him and the rest means to save them a labour that they need not watch or pray No such matter after this as you may see v. 40. He calls them up to duty Pray that ye enter not into temptation Christs praying for them was to strengthen their faith when they should themselves pray for the same mercy not to nourish their sloth that they needed not to pray Christs prayers in Heaven for his Saints are all heard already but the returne of them is reserved to be enclosed in the answer God sends to their own prayers The Christian cannot in faith expect to receive the mercies Christ prayes for in Heaven so long as he lives in the neglect of his duty on earth They stand ready against he shall call for them by the prayer of faith and
winde himself out of his trouble by sordid flattery of or sinful compliance with the great ones of the times Some would have used any pick-lock to have opened a passage to their liberty and not scrupled so escape they might whether they got out at the door or window But this holy man was not so fond of liberty or life as to purchase them with the least hazard to the Gospel He knew too much of another world to bid so high for the enjoying of this and therefore he is at a point what his enemies can do with him well knowing he could go to heaven whether they would or no No the great care which lay upon him was for the Churches of Christ as a faithful Steward he labours to set this House of God in order before his departure We reade of no dispatches sent to Court to procure his liberty but many to the Churches to help them to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ had made them free There is no such way to be even with the devil and his instruments for all their spite against us as by doing what good we can wherever we become The devil had as good have let Paul alone for he no sooner comes into prison but he falls a preaching at which the gates of Satans prison flie open and poor sinners come forth Happy for Onesimus that Paul was sent to Jaile God had an errand for Paul to do to him and others which the devil never dream't of Nay he doth not only preach in prison but that he may do the devil all the mischief he can he sends his Epistles to the Churches that tasting his Spirit in his afflictions and reading his faith now ready to be offered up they might much more be confirmed amongst which Ephesus was not least in his thoughts as you may perceive by his abode with them two yeares together Acts 19.10 as also by his sending for the Elders of this Church as far as Miletus in his last journey to Jerusalem Acts 20.17 to take his farewel of them as never to see their face in this world more And surely the sad impression which that heart-breaking departure left upon the spirits of these Elders yea the whole Church by them acquainted with this mournful newes might stir up Paul now in prison to write unto this Church that having so much of his Spirit yea of the Spirit of the Gospel left in their hands to converse with they might more patiently take the newes of his death In the former part of this Epistle he soares high in the mysteries of faith In the latter according to his usual method he descends to Application where we finde him contracting all those truths as beams together in a powerful exhortation the more to enkindle their hearts and powerfully perswade them to walk worthy of their vocation chap. 4.1 which then is done when the Christians life is transparent that the grace of the Gospel shines forth in the power of holinesse on every side and from all his relations as a candle in a Crystal glasse not in a dark Lanthorn lightsome one way and dark another and therefore he runs over the several relations of Husband Wife Parents Children Master and Servants and presseth the same in all these Now having set every one in his proper place about his particular duty as a wise General after he hath ranged his Army and drawn them forth into rank and file he makes this following speech at the head of this Ephesian Camp all in martial phrase as best suiting the Christians calling which is a continued warfare with the world and the Prince of the world The speech it self contains two parts First a short but sweet and powerful encouragement ver 10. Secondly the other part is spent in several directions for their managing this war the more succesfully with some motives here and there sprinkled among them To begin with the first 1. The word of encouragement to battel With this he begins his speech Finally my brethren be strong in the Lord the best way indeed to prepare them for the following directions A soul deeply possest with fear and disspirited with strong impressions of danger is in no posture for counsel As we see in an Army when put to the run with some sudden alarm and apprehensions of danger 't is hard rallying them into order while the scare and feare is over therefore the Apostle first raiseth up their spirits Be strong in the Lord as if he should say perhaps some drooping soules finde their hearts faile them while they see their enemies so strong and they so weak so numerous and they so few so well appointed and they so naked and unarmed so skilful and expert at armes but they green and raw souldiers Let not these or any other thoughts dismay you but with undaunted courage march on and be strong in the Lord on whose performance lies the stresse of the battel and not on your skill or strength It is not the least of a Ministers care and skill in dividing the Word so to presse the Christians duty as not to oppresse his Spirit with the weight of it by laying it on the creatures own shoulders and not on the Lords strength as here our Apostle teacheth us In this verse First here is a familiar Compellation My brethren Secondly here is the exhortation Be strong Thirdly here is a cautionary direction annexed to the exhortation In the Lord. Fourthly here is an encouraging amplification of the direction And in the power of his might or in his mighty power CHAP. I. Of Christian Courage and Resolution wherefore necessary and how obtained WE shall wave the Compellation and begin with the Exhortation Be strong that is be of good courage so commonly used in Scripture-phrase 2 Chron. 32.7 Be strong and couragious So Isa 35.4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart Be strong or unite all the powers of your souls and muster up your whole force you will have use of all you can make or get From whence the Point is this The Christian of all men needs courage and resolution Indeed there is nothing he doth as a Christian or can do but is an act of valour A cowardly spirit is beneath the lowest duty of a Christian Josh 1.7 Be thou strong and very couragious that thou mayest what stand in battel against those warlike Nations No But that thou mayest observe to do according to all the Law which Moses my servant commanded thee It requires more prowesse and greatnesse of spirit to obey God faithfully then to command an Army of men to be a Christian then to be a Captain What seems lesse then for a Christian to pray yet this cannot be performed aright without a Princely Spirit As Jacob is said to behave himself like a Prince when he did but pray for which he came out of the field Gods Bannarite Indeed if you call that prayer which a carnal person performes
weak prone to be worsted O how careful will this should this make such a one of every company of every occasion Such a one had not need give his enemie any advantage Secondly God may deny the Christian such assisting strength in duty or mortifying strength of corruption as he desires purely on a gracious design that he may thereby have an advantage of expressing his love in such a way as shall most kindly work upon the ingenuity of the soule to love God again Perhaps Christian thou prayest for a mercy thou wantest or for deliverance out of some great affliction and in the duty thou findest not more assistance then ordinary yea many distractions of spirit in it and mis-giving thoughts with unbelieving feares after it Well notwithstanding those defects in thy duty yet God heares thy prayer and sends in the mercy on purpose that he may greaten his love in thine eye and make it more luscious and sweet to thy taste from his accepting thy weak services and passing by the distempers of thy spirit Here is lesse strength for the duty that thou mayest have more love in the mercy nothing will affect a gracious heart more then such a consideration See it in David Psal 116.11 12. I said in my haste All men are liars What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me As if David had said notwithstanding all the comfortable messages I had from God by his Prophets concerning this matter my own prayers and those remarkable providences which carried in them a partial answer to them and performance of what was promised yet I betray'd much unbelief questioning the truth of the one and the return of the other and hath God notwithstanding all my infirmities fulfill'd my desire and performed his promise O what shall I render unto the Lord Thus David reades Gods mercy through the spectacles of his own weaknesse and infirmity and it appears great whereas if a mercy should come in as an answer to a duty managed with such strength of faith and height of other graces as might free him and his duty from usual infirmities this might prove a snare and occasion some self-applauding rather then mercy-admiring thoughts in the creature Thirdly God may communicate the lesse of his assisting strength that he may shew the more of his supporting strength in upholding weak grace We do not wonder to see a man of strong constitution that eats his bread heartily and sleeps soundly live But for a crazie body full of ailes and infirmities to be so patcht and shored up by the Physicians Art that he stands to old age this begets some wonder in the beholders It may be thou art a poor trembling soule thy faith is weak and thy assaults from Satan strong thy corruptions stirring and active and thy mortifying strength little so that in thy opinion they rather gain ground on thy grace then give ground to it ever and anon thou art ready to think thou shalt be cast as a wrack upon the devils shoare and yet to this day thy grace lives though full of leaks now is it not worth the stepping aside to see this strange sight A broken ship with masts and hull rent and torne thus towed along by Almighty power through an angry sea and Armadoes of sins and devils safely into its harbour To see a poore dilling or rush candle in the face of the boisterous winde and not blown out In a word to see a weak stripling in grace held up in Gods armes till he beats the devil craven This God is doing in upholding thee thou art one of those babes out of whose mouth God is perfecting his praise by ordaining such strength for thee that thou a babe in grace shalt yet foile a giant in wrath and power Thirdly if after long waiting for strength from God it be as thou complainest enquire whether the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which hinders be not found in thy self The head is the seat of animal spirits yet there may be such obstructions in the body as the other members may for a time be deprived of them till the passage be free between Christ thy head and thee thy strength will not come and therefore be willing to enquire First hast thou come indeed to God for strength to performe duty to mortifie corruption and the like perhaps thou wilt say Yes I have waited on those Ordinances which are the way in which he hath promised to give out strength But is this all thou mayest come to them and not wait on God in them Hast thou not carnally expected strength from them and so put the Ordinance as she her husband in Gods stead Hath not the frame of thy spirit some affinity with theirs in James 4.13 We will go into such a city and buy and sell and get gaine Hath not thy heart said I will go and hear such a man and get comfort get strength and doest thou wonder thou art weak barren and unfruitful Are Ordinances God that they should make you strong or comfortable Thou mayest heare them answer thee poor soul as the King to the woman in the siege of Samaria Help O prayer sayest thou or O Minister How can they help except the Lord help These are but Christs servants Christ keeps the Key of his wine-cellar they cannot so much as make you drink when you come to their Masters house and therefore poor soul stay not short of Christ but presse through all the croud of Ordinances and ask to speak with Jesus to see Jesus and touch him and vertue will come forth Secondly ask thy soule whether thou hast been thankful for that little strength thou hast though thou art not of that strength in grace to run with the foremost and hold pace with the tallest of thy brethren yet art thou thankful that thou hast any strength at all though it be but to cry after them whom thou seest out-strip thee in grace this is worth thy thanks All in Davids army attained not to be equal with his few Worthies in prowesse and honour and yet did not cashiere themselves thou hast reason to be thankful for the meanest place in the army of Saints the least communications of Gospel mercy and grace must not be over-look't Assoon as ever Moses with his army was through the sea they strike up before they stir from the bank-side and acknowledge the wonderful appearance of Gods power and mercy for them though this was but one step in their way a howling wildernesse presented it self to them and they not able to subsist a few dayes with all their provision for all their great victory yet Moses he will praise God for this handsel of mercy This holy man knew the only way to keep credit with God so as to have more was to keep touch and pay down his praise for what was received If thou wouldest have fuller communications of divine strength owne God in what he hath done Art thou weak
charge the Gospel gave to the Kingdom of darknesse shak't the foundations thereof and put the legions of hell to the run The seventy whom Christ sent out bring this speedy account of their ambassage Lord even the devils are subject unto us through thy Name and Christ answers I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven As if he had said 't is no newes you tell me I beheld Satan falllng when I sent you I knew the Gospel would make work where it came and therefore no wonder Satan labours to dispossesse the Gospel which dispossesseth him he knows that army is near lost whose magazine is blowen up 'T is true indeed under the very Gospel the devil rageth more in such swinish sinners as are given over of God to be possest of that fiend for rejecting of his grace but he is cast out of others who before the loving kindnesse of God to man appeared in the Gospel were commanded by him serving divers lusts and pleasures But now by the light of the Gospel they see their folly and by the grace it brings are enabled to renounce him This this is that which torments the foule spirit to see himself forsaken of his old friends and servants and this new Lord to come and take his subjects from him and therefore he labours either by persecution to drive the Gospel away or by policy to perswade a people to send it away from their coasts and was he ever more likely to effect it among us What a low esteem hath he brought the preaching of the Gospel unto the price is fallen half in half to what it was some yeares past even among those that have been counted the greatest Merchants upon the Saints Exchange Some that have thought it worth crossing the seas even to the Indies almost as far as others fetch their gold to enjoy the Gospel are loath now to crosse the street to hear it at so cheap a rate And some that come who formerly trembled at it make it most of their errand to mock at or quarrel with it Nay it is come to such a passe that the Word is so heavy a charge to the squeamish stomacks of many Professors that it comes up again presently and abundance of choler with it against the Preacher especially if it fall foule of the sins and errours of the times the very naming of which is enough to offend though the Nation be sinking under their weight What reproaches are the faithful Ministers of the Gospel laden withal I call heaven and earth to witnesse whether ever they suffered a hotter persecution of the tongue then in this apostatizing age A new generation of Professours are started up that will not know them to be the Ministers of Christ though those before them as well in grace as time more able to derive their spiritual pedigree then themselves have to their death owned them for their spiritual fathers And must not the Ark needs shake when they that carry it are thus struck at both in their person and office what are these men doing alas they know not Father forgive them They are cutting off their right hand with their left they are making themselves and the Nation naked by despising the Gospel and those that bring it Vse 3 Consider your deplored estate who are wholly naked and unarm'd Can you pity the begger at your door when you see such in a Winter-day shivering with naked backs exposed to the fury of the cold and not pity your own far more dismal soul-nakednesse by which thou liest open to heavens wrath and hells malice Shall their nakednesse cover them with shame fill them with feare of perishing which makes them with pitiful moanes knock and cry for relief as it is reported of Russia where their poor through extreme necessity have this desperate manner of begging in their streets Give me and cut me give me and kill me and canst thou let Satan come and cut thy throat in thy bed of sloth rather then accept of clothes to cover yea Armour to defend thee I mean Christ and his grace which in the Gospel is tendered to you And do not lightly beleeve your own flattering hearts if they shall tell you you are provided of these already I am afraid many a gaudy Professour will be found as naked in regard of Christ and truth of grace as drunkards and swearers themselves Such there are who content themselves with a Christ in Profession in gifts and in duties but seek not a Christ in solid grace and so perish those indeed are an ornament to the Christian as the scarfe and feather to the souldier but these quench not the bullet in battel 't is Christ and his grace doth that therefore labour to be sound rather then brave Christians Grace embellisht with gifts is the more beautiful but these without grace only the richer spoile for Satan The second Branch of the first general part of the words followes and that is the quality or kinde of that Armour the Christian is here directed to provide It is not any trash will serve the turn better none then not Armour of proof and none such but Armour of God In a twofold respect it must be of God First in institution and appointment Secondly in constitution CHAP. II. Sheweth that the Armour we use against Satan must be divine in the Institution such only as God appoints FIrst the Christians Armour which he weares must be of divine Institution and appointment The souldier comes into the field with no armes but what his General commands 't is not left to every ones fancie to bring what weapons he please this will breed confusion The Christian souldier is bound up to Gods order though the army be on earth yet the Councel of War fits in Heaven This duty ye shall do that means ye shall use and to do more or use other then God commands though with some seeming successe against sin such shall surely be call'd to account for this boldnesse The discipline of war among men is strict in this case Some have suffered death by a Councel of war even when they have beaten the enemie because out of their place or beside their order God is very precise in this point he will say to such as invent wayes to worship him of their own coyne meanes to mortifie corruption obtain comfort in their own mint Who hath required this at your hands this is truly to be righteous over-much as Solomon speaks when we will pretend to correct Gods Law and adde supplements of our own to his rule Who will pay that man his wages that is not set on work by God God tells Israel the false Prophets shall do them no good because they come not of his errand so neither will those wayes and meanes help which are not of Gods appointing Gods thoughts are not as mans nor his wayes as ours which he useth to attain his ends by If man had been to set forth the
thus watch and observe Christ from time to time doth it not behove thee to look about thee lest he take thy grace at one time or other napping what he misseth now by thy watchfulnesse he may gain anon by thy negligence Indeed he hopes thou wilt be tired out with continual duty Surely saith Satan when he sees the Christian up and servent in duty this will not hold long When he findes him tender of conscience and scrupulous of occasions to sin This is but for a while ere long I shall have him unbend his bowe and unbuckle his armour and then have at him Satan knows what orders thou keepest in thy house and closet and though he hath not a key to thy heart yet he can stand in the next room to it and lightly hear what is whispered there He hunts the Christian by the sent of his own feet and if once he doth but smell which way thy heart enclines he knows how to take the him if but one door be unbolted one work unmann'd one grace of its carriage here is advantage enough Thirdly because it is so awky a businesse and hard a work to recover the activity of grace once lost and to revive a duty in disuse I have put off my coat saith the Spouse Cant. 5.3 She had given way to a lazy distemper was laid upon her bed of sloth and how hard is it to raise her her beloved is at the door beseeching her by all the names of love which might bring to her remembrance the near relation between them My Sister my Love my Dove open to me and yet she riseth not he tells her his locks are filled with the drops of the night yet she stirs not What is the matter her coat was off and she is loath to put it on she had given way to her sloth and now she knows not how to shake it off she could have been glad to have her Beloveds company if himself would have opened the door and he desired as much hers if she would rise to let him in and upon these termes they part The longer a soule hath neglected duty the more ado there is to get it taken up partly through shame the soul having played the truant now knows not how to look God on the face and partly from the difficulty of the work being double to what another findes that walks in the exercise of his grace here is all out of order It requires more time and pains for him to tune his instrument then for another to play the lesson He goes to duty as to a new work as a Scholar that hath not look't on his book some while his lesson is almost out of his head whereas another that was but even now conning it over hath it ad unguem Perhaps 't is an affliction thou art called to bear and thy patience unexercised little or no thoughts thou hast had for such a time while thou wert frisking in a full pasture and now thou kickest and flingest eeven as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke Jer. 31.18 whereas another goes meekly and patiently under the like crosse because he had been stirring up his patience and fitting the yoke to his neck You know what a confusion there is in a town at some sudden alarm in the dead of the night the enemie at the gates and they asleep within O what a cry is there heard one wants his clothes another his sword a third knows not what to do for powder thus in a fright they run up and down which would not be if the enemie did finde them upon their guard orderly waiting for his approath Such a hubbub there is in a soule that keeps not his armour on this piece and that will be to seek when he should use it Fourthly we must keep grace in exercise in respect of others our fellow-souldiers Paul had this in his eye when he was exercising himself to keep a good conscience that he might not be a scandal to others The Cowardise of one may make others run the ignorance of one souldier that hath not skill to handle his armes may do mischief to his fellow-souldiers about him some have shot their friends for their enemies the unwise walking of one Professor makes many other faire the worse But say thou doest not fall so far as to become a scandal yet thou canst not be so helpful to thy fellow-brethren as thou shouldest God commanded the Reubenites and Gadites to go before their brethren ready armed until the land was conquered Thus Christian thou art to be helpful to thy fellow-brethren who have not it may be that settlement of Peace in their spirit as thy self not that measure of grace or comfort Thou art to help such weak ones and go before them as it were arm'd for their defence now if thy grace be not exercised thou art so far unserviceable to thy weak brother Perhaps thou art a Master or a Parent who hast a family under thy wing they fare as thou thrivest if thy heart be in a holy frame they fare the better in the duties thou performest if thy heart be dead and down they are losers by the hand So that as the Nurse eats the more for the Babes sake she suckles so shouldest thou for their sake who are under thy tuition be more careful to exercise thy own grace and cherish it SECT 2. Object O but may some say this is hard work indeed our armour never off our grace alwayes in exercise Did God ever mean Religion should be such a toilsome businesse as this would make it Answ Thou speakest like one of the foolish world and shewest thy self a meer stranger to the Christians life that speakest thus a burden to exercise grace why it is no burden to exercise the acts of nature to eat to drink to walk all delightful to us in our right temper if any of these be otherwise nature is opprest as if stuff't then dfficult to breath if sick then the meat offensive we eate so take a Saint in his right temper 't is his joy to be employed in the exercise of his grace in this or that duty Ps 122.1 I was glad when they said unto me Let us go into the house of the Lord. His heart leap't at the motion When any occasion diverts him from communion with God though he likes it never so well yet it is unwelcome and unpleasing to him as you who are used to be in your shops from morning to night how tedious is it for you to be abroad some days though among good friends because you are not where your work and calling lies A Christian in duty is one in his calling as it were in his shop where he should be yea where he would be and therefore far from being tedious Religion is burdensom to none as to those who are infrequent in the exercise of it Use makes heavy things light we hardly feel the weight of our clothes because fitted to us
and worne daily by us whereas the same weight on our shoulder would trouble us thus the grievousnesse of religious duties to carnal ones is taken away in the Saints partly by the fitnesse of them to the Saints principles as also by their daily exercise in them The disciples when newly entered into the wayes of Christ could not pray much or fast long the bottles were new and that wine too strong but by that time they had walk't a few yeares they grew mighty in both doest thou complain that heaven-way is rugged be the oftner walking in it and that will make it smooth But secondly were this constant exercise of grace more troublesome to the flesh which is the only complainer the sweet advantage that accrues by this to the Christian will abundantly recompence all his labour and pains First the exercise of thy grace will encrease thy grace The diligent hand makes rich A provident man counts that lost which might have been got not only when his money is stole out of his chest but when it lies there unimproved Such a commodity saith the Tradesman if I had bought with that money in my bags would have brought me in so much gaine which is now lost so the Christian may say My dawning knowledge had I followed on to know the Lord might have spread to broad day I have more understanding saith David then all my teachers How came he by it he 'll tell you in the next words for thy testimonies are my meditation He was more in the exercise of duty and grace The best wits are not alwayes the greatest Scholars because their study is not suitable to their parts neither alwayes proves he the richest man that sets up with the greatest stock A little grace well-husbanded by daily exercise will encrease when greater neglected shall decay Secondly as exercise encreaseth so it evidenceth grace Would a man know whether he be lame or no let him rise he 'll be sooner satisfied by one turn in a room then by a long dispute and he sit still Wouldest thou know whether thou lovest God be frequent in exerting acts of love the more the fire is blown up the sooner 'tis seen and so of all other graces Sometimes the soule is questioning whether it hath any patience any faith till God comes and puts him into an afflicted estate where he must either exercise this grace or perish and then it appeares like one that thinks he cannot swim yet being thrown into the river then uniting all his strength he makes a shift to swim to land and sees what he can do How oft have we heard Christians say I thought I could never have endured such a pain trusted God in such a strait but now God hath taught me what he can do for me what he hath wrought in me and this thou mightest have known before if thou wouldest have oftner stirred up and exercised thy grace Thirdly exercise of grace doth invite God to communicate himself to such a soul God sets the Christian at work and then meets him in it Vp and be doing and the Lord be with you He sets a soul a reading as the Eunuch and then joynes to his chariot a praying and then comes the messenger from heaven O Daniel greatly beloved The Spouse who lost her Beloved on her bed findes him as she comes from the Sermon Cant. 3.4 It was but a little that I passed from them but I found him whom my soule loved SECT 3. Vse 1 This falls heavy on their heads who are so far from exercising grace that they walk in the exercise of their lusts their hearts are like a glasse-house the fire is never out the shop-windows never shut they are alwayes at work hammering some wicked project or other upon the anvil of their hearts there are some who give full scope to their lusts what their wretched hearts will they shall have they cocker their lusts as some their children deny them nothing who as it is recorded of David to Adonijah do not so much as say to their souls Why doest thou so why art thou so proud so covetous so prophane They spend their dayes in making provision for these guests as at some Innes the house never cooles but as one guest goes out another comes in as one lust is served another is calling for attendance as some exercise grace more then others so there are greater traders in sin that set more a work then others and return more wrath in a day then others in a moneth Happy are such in comparison of these who are chain'd up by Gods restraint upon their outward man or inward that they cannot drive on so furiously as these who by health of body power and greatnesse in place riches and treasures in their coffers numbnesse and dedolency in their consciences are hurried on to fill up the measure of their sins We reade of the Assyrian that he enlarged his heart as hell stretching out his desires as men do their bags that are thrack't full with money to hold more Hab. 2.5 Thus the adulterer as if his body were not quick enough to execute the commands of his lust stirs it up by sending forth his amorous glances which come home laden with adultery blows up this fire with unchaste sonnets and belly-chear proper fuel for the devils kitchin and the malicious man who that he may lose no time from his lust is a tearing his neighbour in pieces as he lies on his bed cannot sleep unlesse some such bloody sacrifice be offered to his ravening lust O how may this shame the Saints how oft is your zeal so hot that you cannot sleep till your hearts have been in heaven as you are on your beds and there pacified with the sight of your dear Saviour and some embraces of love from him Vse 2 It reproves those who flout and mock at the Saints while exercising their graces None jeer'd as the Saint in his calling Men may work in their shops and every one follow his calling as diligently as they please and no wonder made of this by those that passe by in the streets but let the Christian be seen at work for God in the exercise of any duty or grace and he is hooted at despised yea hated Few so bad indeed but seem to like Religion in the notion they can commend a Sermon of holiness like a discourse of God or Christ in the Pulpit but when these are really set before their eyes as they sparkle in a Saints conversation they are very contemptible and hateful to them this living and walking holinesse bites and though they liked the Preachers Art in painting forth the same in his discourse yet now they run from them and spit at them this exercise of grace offends the prophane heart and stirs up the enmity that lies within As Michal she could not but flout David to see him dancing before the Ark. He that commended the Preacher for making a learned discourse of
if he cannot trip up so as to hinder his arrival in heaven yet at least to bruise it that he may go with more pain thither CHAP. II. Satans subtilty in managing his temptations where several stratagems used by him to deceive the Christian are laid down THe second way wherein Satan shews his tempting subtilty is in those stratagems he useth to deceive the Christian in the act of temptation First he hangs out false colours and comes up to the Christian in the disguise of a friend so that the gates are opened to him and his motions received with applause before either be discovered therfore he is said to transform himself into an Angel of light 2 Cor. 11.14 Of all plots 't is most dangerous when he appears in Samuels mantle and silvers his foul tongue with faire language Thus in point of errour he corrupts some in their judgements by commending his notions for precious Gospel-truths and like a cunning Chapman puts off his old ware errours I mean that have layen long upon his hand only turkening them a little after the mode of the times and they go for new light under the skirt of Christian liberty he conveys in Libertinisme by crying up the Spirit he decries and vilifies the Scripture by magnifying faith he labours to undermine repentance and blow up good works by bewailing the corruption of the Church in its administrations he drawes unstable souls from it and amuseth them till at last they fall into a vertigo and can see no Church at all in being And he prevails no lesse on the hearts and lives of men by this wile then on their judgements Under the notion of zeal he kindles sometimes a dangerous flame of passion and wrath in the heart which like a rash fire makes the Christians spirit boile over into unchristian desires of and prayers for revenge where he should forgive of which we have an instance in the disciples Luke 9.55 where two holy men are desiring that fire may come down from heaven Little did they think from whence they had their coal that did so heat them till Christ told them Ye know not what Spirit you are of Sometimes he pretends pity and natural affection which in some cases may be good counsel and all the while he desires to promote cowardise and sinful self-love whereby the Christian may be brought to flie from his colours shrink from the truth or decline some necessary duty of his calling this his wile Christ soon spied when he got Peter to be his spokesman saying Master pity thy self who stop't his mouth with that sharp rebuke Get thee behinde me Satan O what need have we to study the Scriptures our hearts and Satans wiles that we may not bid this enemy welcome and all the while think it's Christ that is our guest A second policie he useth is to get intelligence of the Saints affairs This is one great wheele in the Politicians clock to have Spies in all places by whom they are acquainted with the counsels and motions of their enemies and this gives them advantage as to disappoint their designes so more safely to compasse their own 'T is no hard matter for him to play his game well that sees his enemies hand David knew how the squares went at Court Jonathans arrowes carried him the newes and accordingly he removed his quarters and was too hard for his great enemy Saul Satan is the greatest Intelligencer in the world he makes it his businesse to enquire into the inclinations thoughts affections purposes of the creature that finding which humour abounds he may apply himself accordingly which way the stream goes that he may open the passage of temptation and cut the channel to the fall of the creatures affections and not force it against the torrent of nature Now if we consider but the piercing apprehension of the Angelical nature how quick he is to take the sent which way the game goes by a word drop't the cast of an eye or such a small matter signal enough to give him the alarm his experience in heart-anatomy having inspected and as it were dissected so many in his long practice whereby his knowledge is much perfected as also his great diligence to adde to both these being as close a Student as ever considering the Saints and studying how he may do them a mischief as we see in Jobs case whom he had so observed that he was able to give an answer ex tempore to God what Jobs state and present posture was and what might be the most probable means of obtaining his will of him and besides all this the correspondence that he hath with those in and about the Christian from whom he learnes much of his state as David by Hushai in Absaloms counsel all these considered 't is almost impossible for the creature to stir out of the closet of his heart but it will be known whither he enclines some corrupt passion or other will bewray the soule to him as they did David to Saul who told him where he might finde him in the wildernesse of Engedi Thus will these give intelligence to Satan and say If thou wouldest surprize such a one he is gone that way you shall have him in the wood of worldly employments over head and eares in the desires and cares of this life see where another sits under such a bower delighting himself in this childe or that gift endowment of mind or the like lay but the lime-twig there and you shall soon have him in it Now Satan having this intelligence lets him alone to act his part he sure cannot be at a losse himself when his scholars the Jesuites I mean have such agility of minde to wreath and cast themselves into any forme becoming the persons they would seduce Is ambition the lust the heart favours O the pleasing projects that he will put such upon how easily having first blown them up with vain hopes doth he draw them into horrid sins Thus Human that he may have a monopoly of his Princes favour is hurried into that bloody plot fatal at last to himself against the Jewes Is uncleannesse the lust after which the creatures eye wanders Now he 'll be the Pander to bring him and his Minion together Thus he finding Amnon sick of this disease sends Jonadah a deep-pated fellow to put this fine device into his head of feigning himself sick whereby his Sister fell into his snare Thirdly in his gradual approaches to the soul When he comes to tempt he is modest asks but a little he knows he may get that at many times which he should be denied if lie ask't all at once A few are let into a city when an army coming in a body would be shut out and therefore that he may beget no suspition he presents may be a few general propositions which do not discover the depth of his plot these like Scouts goe before while his whole body lies hid as it were in
some swamp at hand Thus he wrigled into Eves bosome whom he doth not at first dash bid Take and eat no he is more mannerly then so this would have been so hideous that as the fish with some sudden noise by a stone cast into the river is scared from the bait so would she have been affrighted from holding parley with such a one no he propounds a question which shall make way for this Hath God said art not mistaken could this be his meaning whose bounty lets thee eat of the rest to deny thee the best of all Thus he digs about and loosens the roots of her faith and then the tree falls the easier the next gust of temptaâ—ion This is a dangerous policy indeed Many have yielded to go a mile with Satan that never intended to go two but when once on the way have been allured further and further till at last they know not how to leave his company Thus Satan leads poor creatures down into the depths of sin by winding staires that let them not see the bottom whither they are going First he presents an object that ocasions some thoughts these set fire on the affections and these fume up into the braine and cloud the understanding which being thus disabled now Satan dares a little more declare himself and boldly solicite the creature to that it would even now have defied Many who at this day lie in open profanenesse never thought they should have roll'd so far from their Profession but Satan beguiled them poor souls with their modest beginnings O Christians give not place to Satan no not an inch in his first motions he that is a beggar and a modest one without doors will command the house if let in yield at first and thou givest away thy strength to resist him in the rest when the hem is worne the whole garment will ravel out if that be not mended by timely repentance The fourth way wherein Satan shews his subtilty in managing his temptations is in his Reserves A wise Captain hath ever some fresh troops at hand to fall in at a pinch when other are worsted Satan is seldom at a losse in this respect when one temptation is beat back he soon hath another to fill up the gap and make good the line Thus he tempts Christ to diffidence and distrust by bidding him turne stones into bread as if it were time now to carve for himself being so long neglected of his Father as to fast fourty dayes and no supplies heard of No sooner had Christ quench't this dart with that It is written Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God but he hath another on the string which he let flie at him tempting him to presumption v. 5. Then the devil taketh and sets him on a pinacle and bids Cast thy self down headlong for it is written He shall give his Angels charge over thee c. As if he had said If thou hast such confidence on God and his Word as thou pretendest shew it by casting thy self down for thou hast a Word between thee and the ground if thou darest trust God and truly though Christ had his answer ready and was prepared to receive his charge on the right hand and on the left being so compleatly arm'd that no temptation could come amisse yet note we Satans temptations on Christ were like the Serpents motion on a rock of which Solomon speaks that makes no impression no dint at all but on us they are as a Serpent on sand or dust that leaves a print when not in the heart yet in the fancy colours that which is next door to it and so the object there is ready to slip in if great care be not observ'd especially when he doth thus change his hand as when we have resisted one way fall on afresh another yea plant his succeeding temptation upon our very resistance in the former Now it requires some readinesse in our postures and skill at all our weapons to make our defence like a disputant when he is put out of his road and hath a new question started or argument unusual brought now he is tried to purpose And truly this is Satans way when he tempts the Christian to neglect of duties of Gods worship from his worldly occasions the multitude of them or necessity of following them and this takes not then he is on the other side and is drawing the Christian to the neglect of his worldly calling out of a seeming zeale to promote his other in the Worship of God Or first he comes and labours to dead the heart in duty but the Christian too watchful for him there then he is puffing of him up with an opinion of his enlargement in it and ever he keeps his sliest and most sublimated temptations for the last Fifthly in his politick retreats you shall have an enemy flie as overcome when it is on a design of overcoming this was Joshua's wile by which he catcht the men of Ai in a trap Josh 3.8 We reade not only of Satans being cast out but of the uncleane spirits going out voluntarily yet with a purpose to come again and bring worse company with him Matth. 12.43 Satan is not alwayes beat back by the dint and power of conquering grace but sometimes he drawes off and raiseth his own siege the more handsomely to get the Christian out of his fastnesses and trenches that so he may snap him on the plaines whom he cannot come at in his works and Fortifications Temptations send the Saint to his Castle as the sight of the dog doth the coney to her Burrough Now the soule walks the rounds stands upon its guard dares not neglect duty because the enemy is under its very walls shooting in his temptations continually but when Satan seems to give the soule over and the Christian finds he is not haunted with such motions as formerly truly now he is prone to remit in his diligence faile in his duty and grow either infrequent or formal therein As the Romanes whose valour decayed for want of the Carthaginian troops to alarm them let Satan tempt or not tempt assault or retreat keep thou in order stand in a fighting posture let his flight strengthen thy faith but not weaken thy care The Parthians do their enemies most hurt in their flight shooting their darts as they run and so may Satan do thee if thy seeming victory makes thee secure CHAP. III. Of Satans subtilty in choosing instruments fit for his turne to carry on his tempting design THe third particular in which Satan shewes his subtilty as a Tempter is in the choice of those instruments whom he useth for the carrying on this his design he as the Master-workman cuts out the temptation and gives it the shape but sometimes he hath his Journeymen to make it up he knows his work may be carried on better by others when he appears not above-board himself
choice notions and excellent truthes Arrius himself and other dangerous instruments of Satan were too wise to stuffe their discourses with nothing but heterodoxe matter precious truths dropt from them with which they sprinkled their corrupt principles yet with such Art as should not easily be discerned This as one observs our Saviour warns his disciples of when he bids them beware of the leaven of the Pharisees that is of their errours But why leaven for the secret mixture of it with the wholesom bread you do not make your bread all of leaven none would then eate it but crumble a little into a whole batch which sowers all thus Christ doth tell the disciples that the Pharisees among many truths mixe their errours and therefore it behoves them to beware lest with the truth the errour goes down also Again leaven is very like the dough of the same grain with it only differs in age and sourenesse thus Christ intimates the resemblance of their errours to the truth scraped as it were out of the Scriptures but sowered with their own false glosses This indeed makes it easie for Christs sheep to be infected with the scab of errour because that weed which breeds the rot is so like the grasse that nourisheth them Thirdly their subtilty appears in holding forth such principles as are indulgent to the flesh This brings in whole shoales of silly soules into their net the heart of man loves of life to shape a Religion according to its own humour and is easie to believe that to be a truth which favours its own inclination Now there are three lusts that Satans instruments labour to gratifie in their doctrine Carnal Reason Pride and steshly Liberty First Carnal reason this is the great idol which the more intelligent part of the world worship making it the very standard of their faith and from this bitter root have sprung those Arrian and Socinian heresies And truly he that will go no further then reason will carry him may hold out in the plain way of the Moral Law but when he comes to the depths of the Gospel must either go back or be content that faith should help reason over Secondly another lust that Satan cockers is pride Man naturally would be a god to himself though for clambering so high he got his fall and whatever doctrine nourisheth a good opinion of man in his own eye this is acceptable to him and this hath spawned another fry of dangerous errours The Pelagian and semi-Pelagian which set nature upon its own legs and perswade man he can go alone to Christ or at least with a little external help of an hand to lead or argument to excite without any creating work in the soule O we cannot conceive how glib such stuffe goes down If one Workman should tell you that your house is rotten and must be pull'd down and all new materials prepared and another should say no such matter such a beam is good and such a sparre may stand a little cost will serve the turne it were no wonder that you should listen to him that would put you to least cost and trouble the faithful servants of Christ tell sinners from the Word that man in his natural state is corrupt and rotten that nothing of the old frame will serve and there must needs be all new but in comes an Arminian and blows up the sinners pride and tells him he is not so weak or wicked as the other represents him if thou wilt thou mayest repent and beleeve or at least by exerting thy natural abilities oblige God to superadde what thou hast not This is the Workman that will please proud man best Thirdly Satan by his instruments nourisheth that desire of fleshly liberty which is in man by nature who is a son of Belial without yoke and if he must wear any that will please best which hath the softest lining and pincheth the flesh least and therefore when the sincere teachers of the Word will not abate of the strictnesse of the command but presse sincere obedience to it then come Satans instruments and say these are hard task-masters who will not allow one play-day in a yeare to the Christian but tie him to continual duty we 'll shew you an easier way to heaven Come saith the Papist confesse but once a year to the Priest pay him well for his paines and be an obedient son of the Church and we 'll dispense with all the rest Come saith the Familist the Gospel-Charter allows more liberty then these legal Preachers tell you of they bid you repent and believe when Christ hath done all these to your hand What have you left to do but to nourish the flesh something sure is in it that Impostors finde such quick return for their ware while Truth hangs upon the log and is it not this that they are content to afford heaven cheaper to their disciples then Christ will to his He that sells cheapest shall have most customers though at last best will be best cheap Truth with self-denial a better penny-worth then errour with all its flesh-pleasing Thirdly Satan makes choice of such as have a great name for holinesse none to a live bird to draw other birds into the net But is it possible that such should do this work for the devil yes such is the policy of Satan and the frailty of the best that the most holy men have been his instruments to seduce others Abraham he tempts his wife to lie Say thou art my Sister The old Prophet leads the man of God out of his way 1 Kings 13. the holiness of the man and the reverence of his age 't is like gave authority to his counsel O how should this make you watchful whose long travel and great progresse in the wayes of God have gained you a name of eminency in the Church what you say do or hold because you are file-leading men and others look more on you then their way Fourthly Satan chooseth such as by relation or affection have deep interest in the persons he would gain Some will kisse the childe for the Nurses sake and like the Present for the hand that brings it 'T is like David would not have received that from Nabal which he took from Abigail and thanks her Satan sent the apple by Eves hand to Adam Delilah doth more with Samson then all the Philistines bands Jobs wife brings him the poison Curse God and die Some think Satan spared her life when he slew his children and servants though she was also within his Commission as the most likely instrument by reason of her relation and his affection to lead him into temptation Satan employes Peter a disciple to tempt Christ at another time his friends and kinsfolk Some Martyrs have confest the hardest work they met withal was to overcome the prayers and tears of their friends and relations Paul himself could not get off this snare without heart-breaking What mean ye to weep and to
an All-wise God that cannot be out-witted and therefore will in the end but pay the workmen in greater damnation The foolishnesse of God is wiser then men yea then the wisdome of men and devils that is the meanes and instruments which God opposeth Satan withal What weaker then a Sermon who sillier then the Saints in the account of the wise world yet God is wiser in a weak Sermon then Satan is in his deep plots wherein the State-heads of a whole Conclave of profound Cardinals are knock't together wiser in his simple ones then Satan in his Achitophels and Sanballats and truly God chooseth on purpose to defeat the policies of hell and earth by these that he may put such to greater shame 1 Cor. 1.21 How is the great Scholar ashamed to be baffled by a plain Countrey-mans argument thus God calls forth Job to wrestle with Satan and his Seconds for such his three friends shewed themselves in taking the devils part and sure he is not able to hold up the cudgels against the fencing-Master who is beaten by one of the scholars God sits laughing while hell and earth sit plotting Psal 2.4 He disappointeth the devices of the crafty he breaketh their studied thoughts and plots as the words import Job 5.12 in one moment pulling down the labours of many yeares policy Indeed as great men keep wilde beasts for game and sport as the fox the boare c. so doth God Satan and his instruments to manifest his wisdom in the taking of them It is observed that the very hunting of some beasts affords not only pleasure to the Hunter but also more sweetnesse to the eater Indeed God by displaying of his wisdome in the pursuit of the Saints enemies doth superadde a sweet relish to their deliverances at last He brake the heads of Leviathan in pieces and gave him to be meat to his people After he had hunted Pharaoh out of all his formes and burrowes now he breaks the very braines of all his plots and serves him up to his people with the garnishment of his wisdom and power about CHAP. IX An Account is given how the All-wise God doth out-wit the devil in his tempting of Saints to sin wherein are laid down the ends Satan propounds and how he is prevented in them all with the gracious issue that God puts to these his temptations Quest But how doth God defeat Satan and out-wit his wiles in tempting his Saints Answ This God doth by accomplishing his own gracious ends for the good and comfort of his people out of those temptations from which Satan designes their ruine this is the noblest kinde of Conquest to beat back the devils weapon to the wounding of his own head yea to cut it off with the devils own sword thus God sets the devil to catch the devil and layes as it were his own counsels under Satans wings and makes him hatch them Thus the Patriarchs help't to fulfil Josephs dream while they are thinking to rid their hands of him To instance in a few particulars SECT I. First Satan by his temptations aimes at the defiling of the Christians conscience and disfiguring that beautiful face of Gods image which is engraven with holinesse in the Christians bosome he is an unclean spirit himself and would have them such that he might glory in their shame but God out-wits him for he turneth the temptations of Satan to sin to the purging them from sinne they are the black soap with which God washeth his Saints white First God useth the temptations of Satan to one sin as a preventive against another to Pauls thorn in the flesh to prevent his pride God sends Satan to assault Paul on that side where he is strong that in the mean time he may fortifie him where he is weak Thus Satan is befool'd as sometimes we see an army sitting down before a town where it wasts its strength to no purpose and in the mean time gives the enemy an advantage to recruit and all this by the counsel of some Hushai that is a secret friend to the contrary side God who is the Saints true friend sits in the devils Councel and over-rules proceedings there to the Saints advantage He suffers the devil to annoy the Christian with temptations to blasphemy atheisme and by these together with the troubles of spirit they produce the soule is driven to duty is humbled in the sense of these horrid apparitions in its imagination and secured from abundance of formality and pride which otherwise God saw invading him As in a family some businesse falls out which keeps the Master up later then ordinary and by this the thief who that night intended to rob him is disappointed had not such a soule had his spirit of prayer and diligence kept awake by those afflicting temptations 't is likely Satan might have come as a seducer and taken him napping in security Secondly God purgeth out the very sin Satan tempts to even by his tempting Peter never had such a conquest over his self-confidence never such an establishment of his faith as after his foule fall in the High Priests hall He that was so well perswaded of himself before as to say Though all were offended with Christ yet would not he how modest and humble was he in a few dayes become when he durst not say he loved Christ more then his fellow-brethren to whom before he had preferr'd himself what an undaunted Confessour of Christ and his Gospel doth he prove before Councels and Rulers who even now was dash't out of countenance by a filly maid and all this the product of Satans temptation sanctified unto him Indeed a Saint hath a discovery by his fall what is the prevailing corruption in him so that the temptation doth but stir the humour which the soul having found out hath the greater advantage to evacuate by applying those means and using those ingredients which do purge that malady cum delectu Now the soule sure will call all out against this destroyer Paul had not took such pains to buffet his body had he not found Satan knocking at that door Thirdly God useth these temptations for the advancing of the whole work of grace in the heart One spot occasions the whole garment to be washed David overcome with one sinne renewes his repentance for all Psal 51. A good husband when he seeth it rain in at one place sends for the Workman to look over all the house This indeed differenceth a sincere heart from an hypocrite whose repentance is partial soft in one plot and hard in another Judas cries out of his treason but not a word of his thievery and hypocrisie The hole was no wider in his conscience then where the bullet went in whereas true sorrow for one breaks the heart into shivers for others also SECT II. Secondly Satan by tempting one Saint hath a mischievous design against others either by encouraging them to sin by the example of such a one or discouraging them
sinners know who that God is they fight against this were enough to breed a mutiny in the devils camp Silly soules they are drawn into the field by a false report of God and his wayes and are kept there together with lies and faire tales but Christ is not afraid to shew his Saints their enemy in all his Power and Principality the Weaknesse of God being stronger then the powers of hell CHAP. I. Sheweth the Christians life here to be a continual wrestling with sin and Satan and the paucity of those who are true Wrestlers as also how the true Wrestlers should manage their combate THe words contain a lively description of a bloody and lasting war between the Christian and his implacable enemy in which we may observe First the Christians state in this life set out by this word wrestling Secondly the Assailants that appear in armes against the Christian who are described First Negatively Not flesh and blood Or rather comparatively not chiefly flesh and blood Secondly Positively but against Principalities Powers c. SECT I. First for the first the wrestling or conflicting state of a Christian in this life is rendered observable here by a threefold circumstance First the kinde of combate which the Christians state is here set out by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which though it be used sometimes for a wrestling of sport and recreation yet here to set out the sharpnesse of the Christians encounter there are two things in wrestling that render it a sharper combate then others First wrestling is not properly fighting against a multitude but when one enemy singles out another and enters the list with him each exerting their whole force and strength against one another as David and Goliah when the whole Armies stood as it were in a ring to behold the bloody issue of that duel Now this is more fierce then to fight in an army where though the battel be sharp and long the souldier is not alwayes engaged but falls off when he hath discharged and takes breath a while yea possibly may escape without hurt or stroak because there the enemies aime is not at this or that man but at the whole heap but in wrestling one cannot scape so he being the particular object of the enemies fury must needs be shaked and tried to purpose Indeed the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies such a strife as makes the body shake again quia corpus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Satan hath not only a general malice against the army of Saints but a spite against thee John thee Joane he 'll single thee out for his enemy We finde Jacob when alone a man wrestled with him As God delights to have private communion with his single Saints so the devil to try it hand to hand with the Christian when he gets him alone As we lose much comfort when we do not apply the Promise and Providence of God to our particular persons and conditions God loves me pardons me takes care of me the water at the town-conduit doth me no good if I want a pipe to empty it into my cisterne so it obstructs our care and watchfulnesse when we conceive of Satans wrath and fury as bent in general against the Saints and not against me in particular O how careful would a soule be in duty if as going to Church or Closet he had such a serious meditation as this Now Satan is at my heels to hinder me in my work if my God help me not Secondly 't is a close combate Armies fight at some distance Wrestlers grapple hand to hand An arrow shot from afar may be seen and shunn'd but when the enemy hath hold of one there is no declining but either he must resist manfully or fall shamefully at his enemies foot Satan comes close up and gets within the Christian takes his hold of his very flesh and corrupt nature and by this shakes him Secondly the universality of the combate We wrestle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which comprehends all on purpose you may perceive the Apostle changeth the pronoune 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the former verse into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this that he may include himself as well as them as if he had said the quarrel is with every Saint Satan neither feares to assault the Minister nor despiseth to wrestle with the meanest Saint in the Congregation great and small Minister and people all must wrestle Not one part of Christs Army in the field and the other at ease in their quarters where no enemy comes here are enemies enough to engage all at onee Thirdly the permanency or duration of this combate and that lies in the tense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not our wrestling was at first Conversion but now over and we past the pikes not we shall wrestle when sicknesse comes and death comes but our wrestling is the enemy is ever in sight of us yea in fight with us there is an evil of every dayes temptation which like Pauls bonds abides us wherever we become So that these particulars summ'd up will amount to this Point SECT II. The Christians life is a continual wrestling He is as Jeremy said of himself borne a man of strife or what the Prophet to Asa may be said to every Christian From hence thou shalt have wars from thy spiritual birth to thy natural death from the houre when thou first diddest set thy face to heaven till thou shalt set thy foot in heaven Israels march out of Egypt was in Gospel-sense our taking the field against sin and Satan and when had they peace not till they lodged their colours in Canaan No condition wherein the Christian is here below is quiet Is it prosperity or adversity here is work for both hands to keep pride and security down in the one faith and patience up in the other no place which the Christian can call priviledg'd ground Lot in Sodom wrestled with the wicked inhabitants thereof his righteous soule being vexed with their unclean conversation And how fares he at Zoar do not his own daughters bring a spark of Sodoms fire into his own bed whereby he is inflamed with lust Some have thought if they were but in such a family under such a Ministery out of such occasions O then they should never be tempted as now they are I confesse change of aire is a great help to weak nature and these forenamed as vantage-ground against Satan but think'st thou to flie from Satans presence thus No though thou should'st take the wings of the morning he would flie after thee these may make him change his method in tempting but not lay down his designe so long as his old friend is alive within he will be knocking at thy door without No duty can be performed without wrestling The Christian needs his sword as much as his trowel He wrestles with a body of flesh this to the Christian in duty is as the beast to the traveller he cannot go his journey
without it and much ado to go with it If the flesh be kept high and lusty then 't is wanton and will not obey if low then it 's weak and soon tires Thus the Christian rids but little ground because he must go his weak bodies pace He wrestles with a body of sin as well as of flesh this mutters and murmures when the soule is taking up any duty Sometimes it keeps the Christian from duty so that he cannot do what he would As Paul said I would have come once and again but Satan hindred me I would have prayed may the Christian say at such a time and meditated on the Word I heard the mercies I received at another but this enemy hindred 'T is true indeed grace swayes the Scepter in such a soule yet as School-boyes taking their time when their Master is abroad do shut him out and for a while lord it in misrule though they are whip't for it afterwards thus the unregenerate part takes advantage when grace is not on its watch to disturb its government and shut it out from duty though this at last makes the soul more severe in mortifying yet it costs some scuffle before it can recover its throne and when it cannot shut from duty yet then is the Christian wofully yok't with it in duty it cannot do what it doth as it would many a letter in its copy doth this enemy spoil while he joggs him with impertinent thoughts when the Christian is a praying then Satan and the flesh are a prating he cries and they louder to put him out or drown his cry Thus we see the Christian is assail'd on every side by his enemy and how can it be other when the seeds of war are laid deep in the natures of both which can never be rooted up till the devil cease to be a devil sin to be sin and the Saint to be a Saint Though wolves may snarle at one another yet soon are quiet again because the quarrel is not in their nature but the Wolfe and the Lamb can never be made friends Sin will lust against grace and grace draw upon sin whenever they meet SECT III. Vse 1 First this may reprove such as wrestle but against whom against God not against sin and Satan These are bold men indeed who dare try a fall with the Almighty yet such there are and a Wo pronounced against them Isa 45.9 Wo unto him that striveth with his Maker 'T is easie to tell which of these will be worsted What can he do but break his shins that dasheth them against a rock A goodly battel there is like to be when thorns contest with fire and stubble with flame But where live those giants that dare enter the list with the great God what are their names that we may know them and brand them for creatures above all other unworthy to live Take heed O thou who askest that the wretched man whom thou seemest so to defie be not found in thy own clothes it self Iudas was the Traitour though he would not answer to his name but put it off with a Master is it I and so mayest thou be the fighter against God The heart is deceitful Even holy David for all his anger was so hot against the rich man that took away the poor mans ewe-Lamb that he bound it with an oath the man should not live who had done it yet proves at last to be himself the man as the Prophet told him 2 Sam. 12. Now there are two wayes wherein men wrestle against God First when they wrestle against his Spirit Secondly when they wrestle against his Providence First when they wrestle against his Spirit We reade of the Spirits striving with the creature Gen. 6.3 My spirit shall not alwayes strive with man Where the striving is not in anger and wrath to destroy them that God could do without any stir or scuffle but a loving strife and contest with man The old world was running with such a cariere headlong into their ruine he sends his Spirit to interpose and by his counsels and reproofes to offer as it were to stop them and reclaim them As if one seeing another ready to offer violence on himself should strive to get the knife out of his hand with which he would do the mischief Or one that hath a purse of gold in his hand to give should follow another by all manner of entreaties striving with him to accept and take it Such a kinde of strife is this of the Spirits with men They are the lusts of men those bloody instruments of death with which sinners are mischieving themselves that the holy Spirit strives by his sweet counsels and entreaties to get out of our hands They are Christs his grace and eternal life he strives to make us accept at the hands of Gods mercy and for repulsing the Spirit thus striving with them sinners are justly counted fighters against God Ye stiffe-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears ye do alwayes resist the Holy Ghost Now there is a twofold striving of the Spirit and so of our wrestling against it First the Spirit strives in his messengers with sinners They coming on his errand and not their owne he voucheth the faithful counsels reproofs and exhortations which they give as his own act Noah that Preacher of righteousnesse what he said to the old world is call'd the Preaching of the Spirit 1 Pet. 3.19 The pains that Moses Aaron and other servants of God took in instructing Israel is call'd the instruction of the Spirit Nehem. 9.20 so that when the Word which Gods Ministers bring in his Name is rejected the faithful counsels they give are thrown at sinners heels and made light of then do they strive with the Spirit and wrestle against Christ as really as if he visibly in his own person had been in the Pulpit and preached the same Sermon to them When God comes to reckon with sinners it will prove so then God will rub up your memories and minde you of his striving with you and your unkinde resisting him They whether they will heare or whether they will forbear shall know they had a Prophet among them Now men soon forget whom and what they hear ask them what was prest upon their conscience in such a Sermon they have forgot what were the precious truthes laid out in another and they are lost well were it for them if their memories were no better in another world it would ease their torments more then a little But then they shall know they had a Prophet among them and what a price they had with him in their hands though it was in fooles keeping They shall know what he was and what he said though a thousand years past as fresh as if it were done but last night The more zealous and compassionate the more painful and powerful he was in his place the greater shall their sin be found to break from such holy violence offered
the wickednesse of his heart in this glasse of the devils nature and he will see himself as a great debtor to the mercy of God as Manasses or the worst of sinners as in pardoning so in preventing the same cursed nature with theirs before it gave fire on God with those bloody sinnes which they committed That thou didst not act such outragious sinnes thou art beholden to Gods gracious surprize and not the goodnesse of thy nature which hath the devils stamp on it for which God might have crusht thee as we do the brood of Serpents before they sting knowing what they will do in time Who will say that Faux suffered unjustly because the Parliament was not blown up it was enough that the materials for that Massacre were provided and he taken there with match and fire about him ready to lay the traine and canst thou say when God first took hold on thee that thou had'st not those weapons of rebellion about thee a nature fully charged with enmity against God which in time would have made its own report of what for present lay like unfired ponder silent in thy bosome O Christian think of this and be humbled for thy villainous nature and say Blessed be God that sent his Spirit and grace so timely to stay thy hand as Abigail to David while thy nature meditated nothing but warre against God and his laws Vse 3 Again Thirdly are the devils so wickedly malicious against God himself O Sirs take the right notion of sinne and you will hate it The reason why we are so easily perswaded to sinne is because we understand not the bottome of his designe in drawing a creature to sinne It is with men in sinning as it is with Armies in fighting Captains beat their drummes for Voluntiers and promise all that list pay and plunder and this makes them come trowling in but few consider what the ground of the Warre is against whom or for what Satan enticeth to sinne and give golden promises what they shall have in his service with which silly souls are won but how few ask their souls Whom do I sinne against what is the devils designe in drawing me to sinne Shall I tell thee dost thou think 't is thy pleasure or profit he desires in thy sinning alas he means nothing lesse he hath greater plots in his head then so He hath by his Apostasie proclaim'd warre against God and he brings thee by sinning to espouse his quarrel and to jeopard the life of thy soul in defence of his pride and lust which that he may do he cares no more for the damnation of thy soul then the great Turk doth to see a company of his slaves cut off for the carrying on of his designe in a siege And darest thou venture to go into the field upon his quarrel against God O Earth tremble thou at the presence of the Lord. This bloody Joab sets thee where never any came off alive O stand not where Gods bullets fly throw down thy armes or thou art a dead man Whatever others do O ye Saints abhorre the thoughts of sinning willingly which when you do you help the devil against God and what more unnatural then for a childe to be seen in armes against his father CHAP. VII Of Satans plot to defile the Christians spirit with heart-sinnes The second Point followes THat these wicked Spirits do chiefly annoy the Saints with and provoke them to spiritual sinnes Sinnes may be called spiritual upon a double account either from the subject wherein they are acted or from the object about which they are conversant First in regard of the subject when the spirit or heart is the stage whereon sinne is acted this is a spiritual sinne such are all impure thoughts vile affections and desires though the object be fleshly lust yet are spiritual sinnes because they are purely acts of the soul and spirit and break not forth unto the outward man Secondly in regard of the object when that is spiritual and not carnal such as are idolatry errour spiritual pride unbelief c. both which Paul calls the filthinesse of the spirit and distinguisheth them from filthinesse of the flesh 2 Cor. 7.1 SECT I. First of the first Satan labours what he can to provoke the Christian to heart-sinnes to stirre up and foment these inward motions of sinne in the Christians bosome hence it is he can go about no duty but these his Impes I may call them haunt him one motion or other darts in to interrupt him as Paul tells us of himselfe When he would do good evil was present with him if a Christian should turne back when ever these crosse the way of him he should never go on his journey to heaven It is the chief game the devil hath left to play against the children of God now his field-army is broken and his commanding power taken away which he had over them to come out of these his holds where he lies sculking and fall upon their rear with these suggestions He knows his credit now is not so great with the soul as when it was his slave then no drudgery work was so base that it would not do at his command but now the soul is out of his bondage and he must not think to command anothers servant as his own No all he can do is to watch the fittest season when the Christian least suspects and then to present some sinful motion handsomely drest up to the eye of the soul that the Christian may before he is aware take this brat up and dandle it in his thoughts till at last he makes it his own by embracing it and this he knowes will defile the soul and may be this boy sent in at the window may open the door to let in a greater thief or if he should not so prevaile yet the guilt of these heart-sinnes yea their very neighbour-hood will be a sad vexation to a gracious heart whose nature is so pure that it abhorres all filthinesse so that to be haunted with such motions is as if a living man should be chain'd to a stinking carcase that where ever he goes he must draw that after him and whose love is so dear to Christ that it cannot bear the company of those thoughts without amazement and horrour which are so contrary and abusive to his beloved This makes Satan so desirous to be ever raking in the unregenerate part that as a dunghil stirr'd it may offend them both with the noisome streames which arise from it SECT II. Vse 1 First let this be for trial of thy spiritual state What entertainment findes Satan when he comes with these spirituals of wickednesse and solicites thee to dwell on them canst thou dispense with the filthinesse of thy spirit so thy hands be clean or dost thou wrestle against these heart-sinnes as well as others I do not ask whether such guests come within thy door for the worst of sinnes may be found in the
on the sweet priviledges thou art interessed in by thy marriage to him Doest thou not bewray some of this spiritual pride working in thee O if thou couldest pray without wandering walk without limping believe without wavering then thou couldest rejoyce and walk chearfully It seems soule thou stayest to bring the ground of thy comfort with thee and not to receive it purely from Christ O how much better were it if thou wouldest say with David Though my house my heart be not so with God yet he hath made with me a Covenant ordered in all things and sure and this is all my desire all my confidence Christ I oppose to all my sins Christ to all wants he is my all in all and all above all Indeed all those complaints of our wants and weaknesses so far as they withdraw our hearts from relying chearfully on Christ they are but the language of pride hankering after the Covenant of works O 't is hard to forget our mother-tongue which is so natural to us labour therefore to be sensible of it how grievous it is to the Spirit of Christ What would a husband say if his wife in stead of expressing her love to him and delight in him should day and night do nothing but weep and cry to think of her former husband that is dead The Law as a Covenant and Christ are compared to two husbands Rom. 7.4 Ye are become dead to the Law by the body of Christ that ye should be married to another even to him who is raised from the dead Now thy sorrow for the defect of thy own righteousnesse when it hinders thy rejoycing in Christ is but a whining after thy other husband and this Christ cannot but take unkindely that thou art not as well pleased to lie in the bosome of Christ and have thy happinesse from him as with your old husband the Law Secondly a self applauding pride when the heart is secretly lift up so as to promise it self acceptation at Gods hands for any duty or act of obedience it performes and doth not when most assisted go out of his own actings to lay the weight of his expectation entirely upon Christ every such glance of the soules eye is adulterous yea idolatrous If thy heart Christian at any time he secretly enticed as Job saâ—th of another kinde of idolatry or thy mouth doth kisse thy hand that is dote so farre on thy own duties or righteousnesse as to give them this inward worship of thy confidence and trust this is a great iniquity indeed for in this thou deniest the God that is above who hath determined thy faith to another object Thou comest to open heaven-gate with the old key when God hath set on a new lock Doest thou not acknowledge tnat thy first entrance into thy justified state was of pure mercy thou wert justified freely by hit grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ Rom. 7.24 And whom are thou beholden to now thou art reconciled for thy further acceptance in every duty or holy action to thy duty thy obedience thy self or Christ The same Apostle will tell you Rom. 5.2 By whom we have accesse by faith into this grace wherein we stand If Christ should not lead thee in and all thou doest thou art sure to finde the door shut upon thee there is no more place for desert now thou art gracious then when thou wert gracelesse Rom. 1.17 The righteousnesse of God is revealed from faith to faith for the just shall live by faith We are not only made alive by Christ but we live by Christ faith sucks in continual pardoning assisting comforting mercy from him as the lungs suck in the aire Heaven way is paved with grace and mercy to the end Be exhorted above all to watch against this play of Satan beware thou restest not in thy own righteousnesse thou standest under a tottering wall the very cracks thou seest in thy graces and duties when best bid thee stand off except thou wouldest have them fall on thy head the greatest step to heaven is out of our own doors over our own threshold It hath cost many a man his life when his house on fire a gripplenesse to save some of the stufte which venturing among the flames to preserve they have perished themselves more have lost their soules by thinking to carry some of their own stuffe with them to heaven Such a good work or duty while they like lingring Lot have been loath to leave in point of confidence have themselves perish't O Sirs come out come out leave what is your own in the fire flie to Christ naked he hath cloathing for you better then your own poor to Christ and he hath gold not like thine which will consume and be found drossy in the fire but such as hath in the fiery trial past in Gods righteous judgment for pure and full weight you cannot be found in two places at once choose whether you will be found in your own righteousnesse or in Christs Those who have had more to shew then thy selfe have thrown away all and gone a begging to Christ Reade Pauls Inventory Phil. 3. what he had what he did yet all drosse and losse give him Christ and take the rest who will So Job as holy a man as trod on earth God himself being witnesse yet saith Though I were perfect yet would I not know my own soule I would despise my life He had acknowledged his imperfection before now he makes a supposition indeed quod non est supponendum If I were perfect yet would I not know my own soule I would not entertain any such thoughts as should puffe me up into such a confidence of my holinesse as to make it my plea with God like to our common phrase We say Such a one hath excellent parts but he knows it that is he is proud of it Take heed of knowing thy own grace in this sense thou canst not give a greater wound both to thy grace and comfort then by thus priding thy self in it SECT III. First thy grace cannot thrive so long as thou thus restest on it A legal spirit is no friend to grace nay a bitter enemy against it as appeared by the Pharisees in Christs time Grace comes not by the Law but by Christ thou mayest stand long enough by it before thou gettest any life of grace into thy soule or further life into thy grace If thou wouldest have this thou must set thy self under Christs wings by faith from his Spirit in the Gospel alone comes this kindly natural heat to hatch thy soul to the life of holinesse and increase what thou hast and thou canst not come under Christs wings till thou comest from under the shadow of the other by renouncing all expectation from thy own works and services You know Reubens curse that he should not excel because he went up into his fathers bed when other tribes encreased he stood at a little number By trusting in
if they be not worth sending this messenger to Heaven truly they are worth little Thirdly consider that although the Christian be secured from a total and final apostasy yet he may fall sadly to the bruising of his conscience enfeebling his grace and reproach of the Gospel which sure are enough to keep the Christian upon his watch and the more because ordinarily the Saints back-slidings begin in their duties As it is with tradesmen in the world they first grow carelesse of their businesse often out of their shop and then they go behinde-hand in their estates So here first remisse in a duty and then fall into a decay of their graces and comforts yea sometimes into wayes that are scandalous A stuffe loseth its glosse before it weares The Christian the lustre of his grace in the lively exercise of duty and then the strength of it Secondly take heed of abusing this doctrine unto a liberty to sin shall we sin because grace abounds grow loose because we have God fast bound in his promise God forbid none but a Devil would teach us this Logick It was a great height of sin those wretched Jewes came to who could quaffe and carouse it while death look't in upon them at the windows Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we shall die They discovered their Atheisme therein But what a prodigious stature in sin must that man be grown to that can sin under the protection of the promise and draw his encouragement to sin from the everlasting love of God Let us eat and drink for we are sure to live and be saved Grace cannot dwell in that heart which drawes such a cursed conclusion from the premisses of Gods grace The Saints have not so learn't Christ The inference the Apostle makes from the sweet priviledges we enjoy in the Covenant of grace is not to wallow in sin but having these promises to cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit 2 Cor. 7.1 'T is the nature of faith the grace that trades with Promises to purifie the heart Now the more certain report faith brings of Gods love from the promise to the soule the mote it purifies the heart because love by which faith works is thereby more inflamed to God and if once this affection takes fire the room becomes too hot for sin to stay there SECT VI. The fourth note and last is That it will abundantly recompence all the hardship and trouble the Christian endures in this war against sin and Satan that he shall be able when the war is ended to stand In mans wars all do not get by them that fight in them the gaines of these are commonly put into a few pockets The common souldiers endure most of the hardship but go away with little of the profit they fight to make a few that are great yet greater and are many times themselves turn'd off at last with what will hardly pay for the cure of their wounds or keep them from starving in a poor Hospital But in this war there is none loseth but he that runs away A glorious reward there is for every faithful souldier in Christs Camp and that is wrapt up in this phrase Having done all to stand Now in this place to stand imports three things which laid together will clear the point First to stand in this place is to stand Conquerours An Army when conquered is said to fall before their enemy and the Conquerour to stand Every Christian shall at the end of the war stand a Conquerour over his vanquish't lusts and Satan that headed them Many a sweet victory the Christian hath here over Satan But alas the joy of these Conquests is again interrupted with fresh alarms from his rallied enemy One day he hath the better and may be the next he is put to the hazard of another battel much ado he hath to keep what he hath got yea his very victories are such as send him bleeding out of the field Though he repulses the temptation at last yet the wounds his conscience gets in the fight do overcast the glory of the victory 'T is seldome the Christian comes off without some sad complaint of the treachery of his own heart which had like to have lost the day and betrayed him into his enemies hand But for thy eternal comfort Know poor Christian there is a blessed day coming which shall make a full and final decision of the quarrel betwixt thee and Satan Thou shalt see this enemies Camp quite broke up not a weapon left in his hand to lift up against thee Thou shalt tread upon his high places from which he hath made so many shots at thee Thou shalt see them all dismantled and demolished till there be not left standing any one corruption in thy bosome for a devil to hide and harbour himself in Satan at whose approach thou hast so trembled shall then be subdued under thy feet he that hath so oft bid thee bow down that he might go over thy soule and trample upon all thy glory shall now have his neck laid to be trodden on by thee Were there nothing else to be expected as the fruits of our watching and praying weeping mourning severe duties of mortification and self-denial with whatever else our Christian warfare puts us upon but this our labour sure would not be in vain in the Lord. Yea blessed watching and praying happy tears and wounds we meet with in this war may they out at last end in a full and eternal victory over sin and Satan Bondage is one of the worst of evils The baser an enemy is the more abhorred by noble spirits Saul feared to fail into the hands of the uncircumcised Philistines and to be abused by their scornes and reproaches more then a bloody death Who baser then Satan what viler tyrant then sin Glorious then will the day be wherein we shall praise God for delivering us out of the hands of all our sins and from the hand of Satan But dismal to you sinners who at the same time wherein you shall see the Saints stand with crowns of victory on their heads must like fettered captives be dragg'd to hells dungeon there to have your eare bored unto an eternal bondage under your lusts And what more miserable sentence can God himself passe upon you Here sin is pleasure there it will be your torment Here a sweet bit and goes down glib but there it will stick in your throats Here you have suitable provision to entertain your lusts withal Palaces for pride to dwell and strut her self in Delicious fare for your wanton palates houses and lands with coffers of silver and gold for your covetous hearts by their self-pleasing thoughts to sit brooding upon but you will finde none of these there hell is a barren place nothing grows in that land of darknesse to solace and recreate the sinners minds You shal have your lusts but want the food they long for O what a torment must
immediately from heaven which would be lost if the Christian had any strength to help himselfe though this stock of strength came at first from God Which think you speaks more love and condescent for a Prince to give a pension to a Favourite on which he may live by his owne care or for this Prince to take the chief care upon himself and come from day to day to this mans house and look into his Cupboard and see what provision he hath what expence he is at and so constantly to provide for the man from time to time Possibly some proud spirit that likes to be his own man or loves his meanes better then his Prince would prefer the former but one that is ambitious to have the heart and love of his Prince would be ravish't with the latter Thus God doth with his Saints the great God comes and looks into their Cupboard and sees how they are laid in and sends in accordingly as he findes them Your heavenly Father knowes you have need of these things and you shall have them He knows you need strength to pray hear suffer for him and in ipsâ horâ dabitur Secondly this way of Gods dealing with his Saints addes to the fulnesse and stability of their strength Were the stock in our own hands we should soon prove broken Merchants God knows we are but leaking vessels when fullest we could not hold it long and therefore to make all sure he sets us under the streamings forth of his strength and a leaking vessel under a cock gets what it loseth Thus we have our leakage supplied continually This was the provision God made for Israel in the wildernesse He clave the rock and the rock followed them They had not only a draught at present but it ran in a streame after them so that you hear no more of their complaints for water This rock was Christ Every believer hath Christ at his back following him with strength as he goes for every condition and trial One flower with the root is worth many in a posie which though sweet yet do not grow but wither as we wear them in our bosomes Gods strength as the root keeps our grace lively without which though as orient as Adams was it would die The second design God hath in his Saints happinesse is that he may so expresse his mercy and love to them as may rebound back to him in the highest advance of his own glory therein Eph. 1.4 12. which is fully attained in this way of empowering Saints by a strength not of their own but of their God his sending as they are put to expence Had God given his Saints a stock of grace to have set up with and left them to the improvement of it he had been magnified indeed because it was more then God did owe the creature but he had not been omnified as now when not only the Christians first strength to close with Christ is from God but he is beholden still to God for the exercise of that strength in every action of his Christian course As a childe that travels in his fathers company all is paid for but his father carries the purse not himself so the Christians shot is discharged in every condition but he cannot say this I did or that I suffered but God wrought all in me and for me The very combe of pride is cut here no room for any self exalting thoughts The Christian cannot say that I am a Saint is mercy but being a Saint that my faith is strong this is the childe of my own care and watchfulnesse Alas poor Christian who kept thine eye waking and stirr'd up thy care was not this the off-spring of God as well as thy faith at first No Saint shall say of Heaven when he comes there This is Heaven which I have built by the power of my might No Jerusalem above is a City whose builder and maker is God Every grace yea degree of grace is a stone in that building the topstone whereof is laid in glory where Saints shall more plainly see how God was not only Founder to begin but Benefactour also to finish the same The glory of the work shall not be crumbled and piece-meal'd out some to God and some to the creature but all entirely paid in to God and he acknowledged all in all SECTION 2. Vse 1 Is the Christians strength in the Lord not in himself Surely then the Christlesse person must needs be a poor impotent creature void of all strength and ability of doing any thing of it self towards its own salvation If the ship launch't rigg'd and with her sails spread cannot stir till the winde come faire and fills them much lesse can the timber that lies in the Carpenters yard hew and frame it self into a ship If the living tree cannot grow except the root communicate its sap much lesse can a dead rotten stake in the hedge which hath no root live of its own accord In a word if a Christian that hath this spiritual life of grace cannot exercise this life without strength from above then surely one void of this new life dead in sins and trespasses can never be able to beget this in himselfe or concur to the production of it The state of unregeneracy is a state of impotency When we were without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly Rom. 5.6 And as Christ found the lump of mankinde covered with the ruines of their lapsed estate no more able to raise themselves from under the weight of Gods wrath which lay upon them then one buried under the rubbish of a fallen house is to free himselfe of that weight without help so the Spirit findes sinners in as helpless a condition as unable to repent or believe on Christ for salvation as they were of themselves to purchase it Confounded therefore for ever be the language of those sons of pride who cry up the power of nature as if man with his own brick and slime of natural abilities were able to reare up such a building whose top may reach heaven it selfe It is not of him that willeth or runneth but God that sheweth mercy God himself hath scattered such Babel-builders in the imaginations of their hearts who raiseth this spiritual Temple in the soules of men not by might nor by a power of their own but by his Spirit that so grace grace might be proclaimed before it for ever And therefore if any yet in their natural estate would become wise to salvation let them first become fooles in their own eyes and renounce their carnal wisdom which perceives not the things of God and beg wisdom of God who giveth and upbraideth not If any man would have strength to believe let them become weak and die to their own for by strength shall no man prevaile 1 Sam. 2.9 Vse 2 Secondly doth the Christians strength lie in God not in himselfe this may for ever keep the Christian humble when most
enlarged in duty most assisted in his Christian course Remember Christian when thou hast thy best suit on who made it who paid for it Thy grace thy comfort is neither the work of thy own hands nor the price of thy own desert be not for shame proud of anothers cost That assistance will not long stay which becomes a nurse to thy pride thou art not Lord of that assistance thou hast Thy Father is wise who when he alloweth thee most for thy spiritual maintenance even then keeps the Law in his own hands and can soon curb thee if thou growest wanton with his grace Walk humbly therefore before thy God and husband well that strength thou hast remembring that it is borrowed strength Nemo prodiget quod mendicat Who will waste what he begs or who will give that beggar that spends idly his almes when thou hast most thou canst not be long from thy God his door And how canst thou look him on the face for more who hast imbezell'd what thou hast received CHAP. III. Of acting our faith on the Almighty Power of God THe third Branch followeth which contains an encouraging Amplification annexed to the exhortation in these words And in the Power of his might where a twofold enquiry is requisite for the explication of the phrase First what these words import The Power of his might Secondly what it is to be strong in the Power of his might For the first the Power of his might It is an Hebraism imports nothing but his mighty Power like that phrase Eph. 1.6 To the praise of the glory of his grace that is to the praise of his glorious grace And his mighty Power imports no lesse then his Almighty Power sometimes the Lord is stiled mighty and strong as Ps 24.8 sometimes most mighty sometimes Almighty no lesse is meant in all then Gods infinite Almighty Power For the second to be strong in the mighty Power or Power of the Lords might implies these two acts of faith First a setled firme perswasion that the Lord is Almighty in Power Be strong in the Power of his might that is be strongly rooted in your faith concerning this one foundation-truth that God is Almighty Secondly it implies a further act of faith not only to believe that God is Almighty but also that this Almighty Power of God is engaged for its defence so as to bear up in the midst of all trials and temptations undauntedly leaning on the arme of God Almighty as if it were his own strength for that is the Apostles drift as to beat us off from leaning on our own strength so to encourage the Christian to make use of Gods Almighty Power as freely as if it were his own when ever assaulted by Satan in any kinde As a man set upon by a thief stirs up all the force and strength he hath in his whole body to defend himself and offend his adversary so the Apostle bids the Christian be strong in the Lord and in the Power of his might that is Soul away to thy God whose mighty Power is all intended and devoted by God himself for thy succour and defence Go strengthen and entrench thy selfe in it by a stedfast faith as that which shall be laid out to the utmost for thy good From whence these two Notes I conceive will draw out the fatnesse of the words 1. That it should be the Christians great care and endeavour in all temptations and trials to strengthen his faith on the Almighty Power of God 2. The Christians duty and care is not only to believe that God is Almighty but strongly by faith to rest on this Almighty Power of God as engaged for his help and succour in all his trials and temptations First it should be the Christians great care in all temptations and trials to strengthen his faith on the Almighty Power of God When God holds forth himselfe as an object of the souls trust and confidence in any great strait or undertaking commonly this attribute of his Almighty power is presented in the promise as the surest hold fast for faith to lay hold on as a Father in rugged way gives his childe his arme to lay hold by so doth God usually reach forth his Almighty power for his Saints to exercise their faith on Abraham Isaac and Jacob whose faith God tried above most of his Saints before or since for not one of those great things which were promised to them did they live to see performed in their dayes and how doth God make known himself to them for their support but by displaying this Attribute Exod. 6.3 I appeared unto Abraham Isaac and Jacob by the Name of God Almighty This was all they had to keep house with all their dayes with which they lived comfortably and died triumphantly bequeathing the promise to their children not doubting because God Almighty had promised of the performance Thus Isa 26. where great mercies are promised to Judah and a Song penn'd before-hand to be sung on that gaudie day of their salvation yet because there was a sharp Winter of Captivity to come between the Promise and the Spring-time of the promise therefore to keep their faith alive in this space the Prophet calls them up to act their faith on God Almighty v. 4. Trust ye in the Lord Jehovah for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength So when his Saints are going into the furnace of persecution what now doth he direct their faith to carry to prison to stake with them but this Almighty power 1 Pet. 4.19 Let them that suffer commit the keeping of their souls to him as to a faithful Creatour Creatour is a name of Almighty Power we shall now give some Reasons of the Point Reas 1 First because it is no easie work to make use of this truth how plain and clear soever it now appears in great plunges of temptation that God is Almighty To vindicate this Name of God from those evil reports which Satan and carnal Reason raise against it requires a strong faith indeed I confesse this principle is a piece of natural divinity That light which finds out a Deity will evince if followed close this God to be Almighty yet in a carnal heart it is like a rusty sword hardly drawn out of the scabbard and so of little or no use Such truths are so imprisoned in natural conscience that they seldome get a faire hearing in the sinners bosome till God gives them a Goal-delivery and brings them out of their house of bondage where they are shut up in unrighteousnesse with a high hand of his convincing Spirit Then and not till then the soule will believe God is holy merciful Almighty nay some of Gods peculiar people and not the meanest for grace amongst them have had their faith for a time set in this slough much ado to get over those difficulties and improbabilities which sense and Reason have objected so as to relie on the Almighty Power of