Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n
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A93753
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A sermon on 2 Cor. 2. XI.
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Stafford, Richard, 1663-1703.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing S5131B; ESTC R42862
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27,033
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33
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any thing that may displease and lose the favour of God and by consequence fall under his wrath and future Punishment These and such like things are obvious and commonly known already And so where we Read in several places of Scripture concerning the Serpent Satan the Devil the Adversary the Evil one the Great Dragon All this is commonly expressed in very plain Words that any one may understand that it is all meant and intended of him For whosoever hath constant Recourse unto the written Word of God and doth read diligently therein he will not be Ignorant of the Devices of Satan Thus Paul and the Christians of his time came not to be Ignorant of the Devices of Satan as indeed there are so many things scattered up and down therein which are spoken concerning them that whoso readeth will quickly find them And the Great Dragon was cast out the Old Serpent called the Devil and Satan which deceiveth the whole World he was cast out into the Earth Therefore rejoyce ye Heavens and ye that dwell in them Wo to the Inhabitants of the Earth and of the Sea because the Devil is come down unto you having great wrath because be knoweth that he hath but a short time Rev. 12. 9 12. And deceiveth them that dwell on the Earth Rev. 13. 14. And these are they by the way side where the word is sown but when they have heard Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts Mark 4. 15. Not to multiply many more Texts to the same purpose we may find and feel enough of the workings and suggestions of Satan within our selves When at any time we are kept off hindred and neglect any good It is commonly through this Temptation and Instigation of the Evil one as also he doth miserably perplex and deceive in the things pertaining to God Simon Simon Satan hath desired to sift thee as Wheat but I have prayed that thy faith fail not and when thou art converted strengthen thy Brethren Now this Simon Peter was a Disciple and Precious Servant of Jesus Christ and from thence we see that Satan is as busy with the Children and Servants of God as with other People Yea rather more in that he hath already taken the others Captive at his Will And hereby also we are given to understand that God hath reserved to himself the Power over him He can go no further then God suffers and permits Tho' Satan for these Five or Six Thousand â—ears hath been let loose among the Inhabitants of the Earth yet God can tye him up again whensoever he will and he doth walk about with a hook in his Jaws to be turned back or about whither soever doth please the Great Creator of all things But I know thy abode and thy going out and thy coming in and thy Rage against me Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into my Ears therefore will I put my Hook in thy Nose and my Bridle in thy Lips and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest Isa 37. 28 29. Holds equally true of the infernal accursed Spirit himself as it did of Senacherib or Rabshakeh through whom he Acted For every Man is Acted either by God or the Devil according as the thing which he doth is Good or Evil Lawful and Right or else sin And so it is of all the Created things they have but a stinted and limited Commission and Power given to them by the Great and Sovereign Creator of all things whither they do obey or Act in Rebellion against him Both which will tend to the Great Ends of his own Glory God hath suffered such an Infernal and Invisible Spirit as the Devil or Satan is to prove the Children of Men more perfectly to know what is in their heart whither they will keep his Commandments or no. That according as it is written He that is unjust let him be unjust still and he that is righteous let him be righteous still and He that is Holy let him be Holy still Rev. 22. 11. But the wicked shall do wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand but the wise shall understand Dan. 12. 10. So these things seem to be suffered so on set purpose that they which are good may be better and so may have more favour from God and a greater reward to themselves and the bad may be worse and consequently be beaten with more stripes and receive yet a greater Condemnation This last seems to be an hard saying but it is according to the order and decree of God and according to the Scriptures of Truth It is evident by the Example and History of Job particularly in the first and second Chapters that by there being a Devil and by his being permitted to afflict the Body and Tempt his Soul The Good and Righteous are hereby proved and they will have yet more favour and a greater Crown from the Lord who suffered it so to be that the Trial of their Faith being much more Precious then of Gold that Perisheth might be found unto Praise and Honour and Glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ When this Job was proved he did approve himself unto God What an excellent Character is that left recorded of him That amidst his very Great Afflictions and Troubles In all this Job sinned not nor charged God Foolishly And how comfortable is that after all And the Lord tuâ—ned the Captivity of Job Also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more then the beginning Hereby Confirming what he afterâ—ards spoke by his Apostle James Behold we count them happy which endure Yâ—… have heard of the Patience of Job and have seen the End of the Lord that the Lord is very Pitiful and of tender mercy James 5. 11. Blessed is the Man that endureth Temptation for when he is tried he shall receive the Crown of Life which the Lord hath promised to them that Love him James 1. 12. Happy was it for Job that ever there was a Sâ—tan to torment him though perhaps himself could not think so aâ— the very Instant Fâ—r no Chastening for the present seemeth Joyous but Grievous Nevertheless afterward it yeildeth the Peaceable Fruits of Righteousness unto them which are Exercised thereby Heb. 12. 11. For it waâ— made double to him in thâ—s Life and much more will be added unto him in the restitution of all things Indeed it must be acknowledged to speak as a Man that no one who did throughly consider of things would choose to bear Afflictions Trouble or Loss in his Youth or in the foregoing time of his Life if he was sure to have towards his latter days double or two fold as much for the loss he sustained For Fifty Pounds a Year in Youth is better then an hundred in declining Years or Old Age not only because of what Barvillai said we cannot then so
A SERMON On 2 Cor. 2. XI Least Satan should get an advantage of us for we are not Ignorant of his devices FRom whence we assuredly gather that if St. Paul an Apostle and Servant of the Lord Who would so run not as at uncertainty Who did so endeavour Least by any means whilst he had Preached unto others Himself should be a cast-away Spake thus by the Spirit of the Lord this also is written for our Example and Admonition that every Servant of the Lord who would so run his Christian race not as at uncertainty Who would so wait upon the Lord in all his Ordinances that after all he should not prove a cast-away himself for such a thing is possible and to be feared and care is to be taken against it all our Life long He ought not to be Ignorant of the devices of Satan for it is certain the more we know them the more we may avoid them or render them of none effect It is said Devices in the Plural Number for they are more then one And indeed it is to be thought that as Jesus asked him what is thy Name and he said Legion because many Devils were entred into him Luke 8. 30. So all his several devices are near upon as many Now a Legion according to that Computation which then was is Six Thousand Six Hundred and Sixty Six which is a great and considerable Number And if the devices of Satan are so many as there are Devils to treat of them severally and particularly would make a long and perplex Sermon I shall endeavour to make known unto ye what I find concerning them in the Book of the Lord and according to that knowledge himself shall afford me All the devices of Satan may be reduced to these two General Heads or to these two Principal Intents and Designs which the Enemy of our Souls hath in using his Temptations or Devices against us They are either First To hinder People from coming into the way of the Lord. Or Secondly To turn them aside or back again after they are come into the way of the Lord. In opposition unto and prevention of all which the All-wise God hath two Ends in sending forth his Word and in appointing Ministers for the Ministry thereof which are the Converting of Sinners from the Errour of their way or to bring People over unto God and then afterwards to Perswade them to continue in the Grace of God Acts 13. 43. Both which good Ends do exactly Countermine those two General Devices of Satan afore-mentioned For God our Saviour would as willingly have all Men to be saved and to come to the Knowledge of the Truth As Satan the Destroyer walketh about as a Roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour And therefore he endeavours what he can to turn aside or hinder People from coming to the Knowledge of the Truth The first device of Satan to hinder People from coming into the way of the Lord and how Contrariwise the Wisdom of God cryeth out continually unto them to come we shall not here altogether so much insist on tho' abundance of excellent and useful matter might be drawn from thence Because it doth not quite so closely and immediately appertain to the Subject in hand which is the second Particular Viz. The not being Ignorant how one Principal device of Satan is to turn People aside or back again after they are come into the way of the Lord is a necessary help towards the making a continuing and persevering work of it It is said in the true Proverb forewarned fore-armed And accordingly having received notice before hand of such an Enemy or Adversary We may expect accordingly and be better provided to withstand him or so to order our selves that his Ends shall not be Answered upon us The Great Captain of our salvation the Author and Finisher of our Faith even Christ Jesus hath this manner of Speech to his Disciples and Followers Behold I have told you before Mat. 24. 25. This he spake as to those False Christs and False Prophets which should arise and shew Great Signs and Wonders insomuch that if it were possible they should deceive the very Elect Which hath been literally fulfilled as to the False Christs and False Prophets of the Roman Church For the Priests thereof have pretended to shew Great Signs and Wonders by their forged Miracles which are recorded in their lying Legends which have been just like a Jugler shewing his Hocus Pocus Tricks in order to deceive People into their Idolatry Errour and Superstition And all these altho' perhaps themselves knew it not or at least they did not throughly consider thereof were but Instruments in the hands of the Devil to deceive the Nations and the World Which devices did so far take effect as to deceive the simple Multitude of the several Generations and Countreys and even to this very Day they have near upon as many or rather more in Number as the Protestants of there formed Religion are If these Poor deluded Souls whom I Pity at my heart had kept in mind or had been acquainted with this Caution of our Saviour Jesus Christ then they would not have so soon fallen into that Delusion if they had at all But Satan working in them with Greater deceiveablness kept the Scriptures from them for the way to avoid any Delusion which is as a snare is to see or have knowledge of it before hand As we have Christ for our Lord and Example herein so every Minister of Christ ought to warn the People and tell them before hand what they will meet with and what will come upon them in their way towards Heaven and advertise them what shall befall them in the latter Days Gen. 49. 1. For as it is commonly said If we did know before what would come hereafter we should never do amiss So it would be much more as to the invisible and future things pertaining to the Souls of Men if they were warned throughly and did receive the warning When the Watchman seeth the Enemy coming he is to blow the Trumpet and warn the People according as our God hath commanded and directed us of the Ministry in Ezek. 33. And as we come to know the devices of Satan we are to make them known unto ye also With the well advised is Wisdom And People have begun well when they have resolved so far as this towards Heaven as to choose it for their Everlasting and Final abode and to desire it for their Habitation For the Lord hath chosen Sion He hath desired it fâ—r his Habitation This is my rest for ever here will I dwell for I have desired it Psal 132. 13 14. Now Sion signifies his People And as there is such a choice mind and desire in God towards his People So it is but Natural and Reasonable yea and his Elect Servants have such a reciprocal Love choice mind and desire towards the Lord their God to be with him wherever