let us crown ourselves with rofe-buds before they be withered, let none of us go without his part of our vo luptuoufnefs, let us leave tokens of joyfulness in every place, for this is our portion, and our lot is this," Wil. ii. 6, 7, 8, 9. Or if thou fayeft all these are carnal, and thy forrow is fpiritual, and there is no proportion betwixt thefe two; why then, faith Satan, go to the word and prayer, and other means, Kindle a fire and compafs thyfelf about with sparks, and then walk in the light of thy fire, and in the sparks which thou haft kindled,' Ifa. 1. 11. Go thy ways to duties, and rest in duties, and never talk more of a principle of grace, or of love to God, fetch'd from Chrift Jefus as the fpring of all. Thus Satan tempts, this is his method and malice in this cafe, he plots first to allay and take away the fmart which God hath made, by' outward mirth: But if he finds the foul bleeds still, and will not be frenched, but only by the blood of Chrift, and that is it which it is bufily enquiring after, then by way of diverfion he bids fuch pray, and hear, and confer, and joy in them, and reft in them. He cares not where they have comfort, fo it be on this fide Jefus Chrift; well he knows, that a reaching out of the foul towards the merciful hand of Chrift holden out to help it up in the next and immediate act, by which a man is quite and for ever pulled out of Satan's power, and put into the paradife of grace; and therefore here now he beftirs himself, and to the foul that cries after eafe and comfort, he offers comforts of thefe feveral forts, carnal and spiritual outward mirths, and resting on means of grace.

T

SECT. IX.

Of the Soul's Wrestling with Satan as to thefe Affaults. O these two affaults you must ufe fuitable repulfes, To the first then of wicked companions and their temptations, confider of these particulars:

1. It is not fo much a companion, a friend, a loofe company of men, as the devil in and by them, that tempts thee to carnal comforts. When Chrift began to fhew to his difciples, how that he must go into Jerufalem and fuffer many things of the elders, and chief priests, and scribes; then Peter took him afide, and would needs comfort him

with,Be it far from thee Lord, this fhall not be unto thee. But he turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me Satan, thou art an offence unto me, thou favoureft not the things of God, but those that be of men,' Mat, xvi. 21, 22, 23, 24. Peter in his diffuafion was an oftrument of Satan, and fet on work by Satan, and therefore Chrift calls him Satan; no lefs are they that bring caraal comforts to spiritual fores.

2. In feeking comfort, it is no way of God, to advise with carnal and unregenerate friends. Alas! they think thou art mad, they know not what trouble for fin means, why then fhould thou difcover thy difeafe to fuch who are no phyficians: When God wrought wonderfully from heaven, in the converfion of Paul, it is faid, that he obeyed, God immediately, and never confulted with flesh and biood, Gal, i. 16. Thus do thou. Doth God by his miniftry convince thee of thy finful ways, of becoming a new man, of coming to him for ease and refreshment? Give up thyfelf to this call immediately, and confult not with flesh and blood.

3. There is no fuitableness of what they offer to the healing of thy forrowful and fin-fick foul. What idle companions can quiet thy confcience, forgive thy fin, fupport thy fpirit, or fill thee with fpiritual joy? Alas! all their joys are but as the crackling of thorns under a pot; 'Vanity, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. I faid of laughter, It is mad, and of joy, what doth it?' Eccl. ii. 1, There is no more agreement betwixt carnal mirth and a fpiritual fore, than betwixt light and darkness. Away then, Depart from the tents of thefe wicked men, and ' touch nothing of theirs, left thou shalt be confumed in all their fins,' Numb. xvi. 26.

4. It was the apoftle's advice to them, who upon the prick of the heart enquired for cure, Save yourselves from this crooked generation. And this he did very earnestly, for with many words did he testify and exhort, faying, Save yourselves from them, Acts ii. 40. He infifted much on it, and seriously charged, adjured, and intreated them, as knowing it to be a business of very great importance in what company fuch young beginners lighted; furely this

concrras

concerns thee as much as him. Oh that when fuck temp tations are abroad, thou wouldft think as if thou heardft that question put to thee, Why feek ye the living among the dead? Luke xxiv. 3. What living lafting joys can be found with them that are dead in fins? Oh fave thyfelf from them!

To the fecond affault of going to duties, and refting on duties for eafe and comfort. Confider,

1. This is a feeking for righteousness, as it were, by the words of the law, not directly, but as it were, it fets up one thing for another; Being ignorant of the righte oufnefs of God, we establish our own righteoufnefs, and are not fubject to the righteoufaels of God,' Rom. ix. 31. and x. 3.

3. Duties may pacify confcience for a time, but certainlý it will not hold: Then Ephraim faw his fickness, and Judah faw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Affy. ⚫rian, and fent to king Jareb, yet could they not heal him, * nor cure him of his wound,' Hof v. 13. It is natural to men to rest on duties, fo it was at first, Adam and all his pofterity was to be faved by doing; Do this and live: And hence all to this day seek in like manner to be saved by doing; but if this were fufficient, what need of a Saviour? If we rest on duties, or any thing this fide Chrift, wê fhall find them as weak as the Affyrian, or as Jareb, they cannot heal us, they cannot cure us of our wounds.

3 Duties muft be ufed, but carnally applauded and gloried in, they will undo fouls. Duties are to Satan as the ark of God was to the Philiftines: He trembled to fet a foul diligent in the use of duties, but when the creature Confides in them, and refts on them, he hath his design. This was Bernard's temptation, when being affifted in duty, he could stroke his own head with Bene fecifi Bernarde, O Bernard, this was gallantly done, now chear up thyfelf. Many a poor foul would have comfort, and knows not whither to go for it but to prayer, hearing, reading,

c. and that done, he goes away and ftrokes himself, Surely I fhall do well now, I fhall be able to wrestle with devils. This is the very way to mifcarry. One speaks it out boldly, but truly, Many fouls de not only perifh pray

ing and repenting, but they perish by their praying and repenting, while they carnally truft, and comfort them. felves in them. I defire to be rightly underflood in this point; fome because they must rely on duties, let go their duties, because their comfort ought to be all in Chrift, therefore they imagine a Christ talked of, and not defired, loved, believed in, or prayed to, will folidly comfort. Oh take heed of Satan's deceit either way! What, is thy foul fad, and feeks to be comforted? Go to Christ, but go to him in a way of duty, not refting on the duty, but only on him; hear a fermon to bring thee to Christ, faft and pray, and get a full tide of affections in them to carry thee to the Lord Jefus Chrift; in this doing, Satan will vanith and depart from thee, at least for a feafon, as he did from Chrift, the Captain of thy foul's falvation.

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་

SECT. X.

Of Satan's Affaults upon the fight of Sin. HE foul now understanding that there is no folid, fuitable comfort on this fide Chrift, begins therefore to look out for Chrift, Hof. vi: 1, 2, 3. Come, fay converts, let us return unto the Lord, for he hath bro'ken us, and he will heal us; he hath fmitten us, and he 'will bind us up: After two days he will revive us, in 'the third day he will raife us up, and we shall live in his fight; then shall we know, if we follow on to know the 'Lord, his going forth is prepared as the morning, and he shall come unto us as the ram, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.' Well, faith Satan, if it be thus, if nothing but Jefus Chrift will ferve the turn, if a fight of Chrift be the next thing looked for, then take a view of Chrift in his beauties, graces, fweetneffes; acquaint thyfelf with the hiftory of Chrift from firft to laft; learn bim in his natures, perfon, incarnation, offices, endowments; for his nature, he is God and man, [Theanthropos] God manifefted in the flesh; for his perfon, he is the fecond perfon in the Trinity, in which perfon both the natures are united; for his incarnation, he was conceived. of the Holy Ghoft, born of the virgin Mary; for his office, he is a king, a prieft, and a prophet; and for his endowments, he received the Spirit without measure, in him are

hid all the treasures of wifdom and knowlege, in which refpect he is faid to be fairer than all the children of men. Why all this, faith Satan, I am willing thou shouldst learn, ftudy and gain as much of the fpeculative, notional knowlege of Chrift as poffible thou canft; launch out (if thou wilt) into the deep queftions and controverfies of three perfons in one nature, and of two natures in one perfon: Confult all schoolmen in their hot difputes and new opinions, there thou mayft hear enough of the found of his name. Oh the temptations of Satan when he hears finners complain! What, no remedy for a fin-fick foul? is there no balm in Gilead, no phyfician there? And when the answer is given no, there is no other name under hea ven, whereby poffibly thou canst be faved, but only Jefus Christ. Why then, let me fee Chrift, faith. the foul, give me a view of Jefus, or I die, I am undone, I perish everlastingly. Hereupon fteps in Satan, faying, Come, thou shalt have a view of Chrift, I am no enemy to a general, notional, hiftorical, fpeculative knowlege of Jefus Chrift, only content thyfelf with Chrift as an object of knowlege, and not of faith. And thus Satan deals with fouls, as we do with furveyors of lands, that take an exaft compafs of our grounds or lands, of which they fhall never enjoy a foot; and many are taken in this foare. There is much talking of Chrift, many luxuriate into a theoretical knowlege, a meer brain knowlege of Chrift, that have no right or title to Chrift, nor ever look after it,' and fo they mifcarry.

y

Of the Soul's Wrestling with Satan as to this Af

fault.

O this affault you must use these repulfes,

To th

your

1. Labour fo to know Chrift, as to have y hearts taken up with the practical admiration of the glory of Chrift above all the glories in the world, that is true knowlege which ftirs up.affections in the heart, and the effects thereof in your life; and the firft affection that is ftirred up in the hearts of men at the fight of Chrift, it is a wondering and admiring at the glories, fplendors, and excellencies that are in Chrift, Ifa. ix. 6. His name fhall

be