in these Questions and Answers now read as the Text beginning First With what pertains to the Nature of the Covenant of Grace And in order to the Understanding hereof it may not be amiss to premise something concerning the more general Notion of such Covenants as are usually made betwixt Governours and their Subjects And such an One if it be perfect in all its Parts and fully exprest may be defin'd to be An Agreement between the Two Parties wherein there are Promises The Notion of a Covenant Rewards or profitable Considerations made over on one Part and certain Conditions to be perform'd on the other And wherein also there is an Obligation on the one side of undergoing some certain Penalties in case of not performing those Conditions consented unto by him and impos'd on him by the other A Covenant I say is a mutual Agreement between Two Parties It is a mutual Agreement for if it be not mutual and both Parties are not consenting to the Terms the One to the making good the Promises the Other to the performing the Conditions the Agreement is none at all or it is not Perfected nor is it Obliging on either side There may be indeed a Law given by one that is Superior in Power and Authority which the Inferior is bound to Obey whether he consent or no because he is plac'd by the Divine Ordinance under the Other 's Command and if he does refuse to Obey he may be justly Punisht but then such a Transaction is to be consider'd as the giving of a Law not as the making of a Covenant Nor is this a slight Difference for where a Superior has given a Law if the Inferior has also Covenanted and consented upon good Considerations and upon the Expectation of promis'd Rewards to obey that Law such a Covenant does withal lay a farther Obligation on the Party on whom the Conditions ly to be perform'd by vertue of his own Consent to do it so that in the Violation of his Duty in such a case he shall be accounted not barely Disobedient but a Covenant-breaker which is added as a more aggravated Sin Rom. 1.31 and therefore deserving a more severe Punishment As there are Conditions therein on our side so express Promises on the other It was farther added in the Definition That in a Covenant there are certain Promises Rewards and profitable Considerations made over on one Part on certain Conditions to be perform'd on the other And herein also with respect to these Promises there seems to be another main Difference betwixt the Imposing of the Law and the Making of a Covenant The Difference seems to be in this That in the Imposing of a Law the Law-giver does not necessarily oblige himself to confer any Benefits more than natural Equity does oblige him to and it is sufficient to the Validity of his Law to render it Obligatory if there be a Threatning of Punishments great enough to deter the Subject from the Violation of that Law But a Covenant does imply something more comfortable in the Notion of it and therein the Party covenanting tho' it be God himself does graciously Condescend to oblige and bind himself by express Promises and usually by some outward Solemnities as visible Signs and Seals to the performance of such Promises And here also is another very considerable Difference betwixt the Obligations of a Law and a Covenant that whereas on performance of Obedience to the Laws of a Superior the Subject upon such his Obedience can have only by vertue of the Law some general and faint Hopes of Benefit so far as is Equitable and as those who do well may expect to receive well But by vertue of a Covenant the Party promising has moreover given to the other a full assurance of certain Benefits to be made good to him insomuch that upon our Repentance and Confession of our Sins God will reckon himself in Justice and Faithfulness bound since the giving of the new Covenant to forgive us our Sins and to cleanse us from all Vnrighteousness 1 Joh. 1.9 So that in short A Covenant lays a greater Obligation than the meer imposing of a Law does upon both the Parties joyn'd in Covenant a greater Obligation I say upon the One to perform the Conditions upon the Other to make good the Promises And let this suffice to have remark'd upon the more general Notion and Nature of a Covenant A View of â—he Covenant â—f Grace But for our better understanding the distinct Nature and Notion of the Covenant of Grace in particular we must take our Rise from the very Creation and consider the several Dispensations of God by way of Covenant with Mankind And to begin with the Covenant made with Adam and in him with all Mankind the whole Proceeding stands thus God having made Man â—pright and â—n a capacity â—ever to have violated his Covenant did Engage him â—o a perfect â—xact and â—nsinning Oâ—edience God having made Man upright and given him a great measure of Light to direct him and of Strength to enable him to do as he should appoint proceeded then to make this very reasonable Covenant and Agreement with him He agreed to continue and increase that Light and Strength to him and to reward his acting according to it with immortal Life and Happiness provided he making use of his Understanding and Power would persevere to obey his Maker's commands which if he should not do in every particular Instance of Duty he threatned him with Death and eternal Misery But then leaving him to act according to that freedom of Will wherewith as a reasonable Creature he had endow'd him Man did â—iolate it Man did by his own voluntary Disobedience thro' the Cunning of Satan tempting him thereto transgress the Law given him by his Maker Gen. 2.17 and did thereby cast himself into a State of Sin and Misery under the Bondage of Satan without any power or possibility to recover himself out of that wretched Condition And thus he broke his Covenant with God Sinn'd against his Creatour and so forfeited all the Happiness convey'd to him therein both for himself and his Posterity And now was Man in a desperate and forlorn Condition His own Sin had made him liable to the severest Strokes of God's displeasure and the Divine Justice and Wisdom The Divine Justice Wisdom and Holiness requir'd satisfaction and Holiness would not permit the Almighty however his Goodness inclin'd him to Pity to let his Sin go unpunisht and to restore him to a capacity of Happiness without a valuable Satisfaction made to infinite Justice such as should shew the Divine hatred of and severity against Sin for the security of his Government in the World And yet no Creature in the Heavens above or in the Earth beneath was sufficient for so great an Undertaking as to satisfy for him For There is no Man can Redeem his Brother or pay God a Ransom for him for the
to follow his pernicious Counsels The Arch-Rebel prevails and the whole Representative World of Men Adam and Eve Revolted from their God and took part with the Devil And tho' God condescending himself to propose Terms of Accommodation in a Saviour and Redeemer which was for to come recover'd a part of Mankind both before and after the Flood and afterwards selected the whole Nation of the Jews to be a peculiar People unto him set apart to serve him yet through the Instigation of Satan the greater part of Mankind were absolutely the Devil's Vassals And prevailed so far till God's Authority was almost utterly Banished from amongst Men. Which occasion'd the Son of God's coming into the World to recover Mankind serving him in abominable Idolatries Sorceries Witchcrafts and being Instigated by him to all manner of Villanies Vices and Sins whatsoever whereby the Laws of God could be transgress'd or his Authority utterly Banish'd as far as lay in their power from amongst the Sons of Men. And thus the Devil usurpt an Authority over almost the whole World for many Thousand Years till such time as our Saviour came amongst us to Preach Repentance and to recover us to the Knowledge and the Service of the One True God which was the occasion of his Coming So that you see the Devil is that Arch-Rebel who with his whole Legion of Infernal Spirits are continually mustering up all their Forces against the Authority of God and drawing wretched sinful Men into the Conspiracy and whose Quarrel is for no less than Dominion and Empire who shall be King God or Satan And thus you plainly see who the Devil is Secondly Let us enquire what are the Works of the Devil The works of the Devil in general are and from what hath been said his Works in general do appear First To be Sin And Secondly The tempting of us to Sin His first work was to Sin himself by transgressing God's Laws I. Sin and despising his Authority His next work was to Tempt and Inveigle us likewise into the same Violation and Contempt of the Divine Laws and Authority by committing of Sin And the first general Work of the Devil is Sin for so it is expresly affirm'd 1 Joh. 3.8 The Devil sinneth from the beginning and for this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil that is Sin By Sin God's Authority is thrown off which is the Devil 's constant work By Sin the Laws of God are transgress'd his Authority thrown off his Government disown'd and his Power defy'd and as the Devil made himself what he is by thus sinning at first so this is his continual Practice his constant Work ever since And whosoever in imitation of him does likewise at any time Transgress or walk contrary to the Laws the Rules the Ways that God hath set especially if knowingly and wilful does thereby in like manner Whoever â—â—erefore does â—ilfully sin â—oes strike at â—od's Authoâ—ity as the Devil did throw off God's Authority disown his Power and defy his Government and so does do the Works of the Devil Which one Consideration should make you abominate even the least Sin but especially it should make you infinitely fearful of Sinning wilfully against your Maker Most People alas In these degenerate Times make but a Mock of Sin For which â—â—ason no Sin â—ught to be â—he subject of â—ny Man's Mirth and make it the subject of their Mirth and Laughter when committed by themselves or others for want of seriously considering this to be its Nature But the Commission of the least wilful Sin would be dreaded by you and frown'd upon in others if you would but consider how high it strikes even at God himself and whom it Advances to his right of Dominion over the World even the Devil Some Sins â—ore particuâ—arly the â—orks of the Devil But as there are some particular Sins which are more directly level'd against God's Authority and express more of the natural Temper and Disposition of Satan and are more his own Practice than others so of those we may say that they are more particularly and especially the Works of the Devil I. â—uch as are â—irectly leâ—el'd against â—od's Authoâ—ity viz. Iâ—olatry And first as to those which are more directly level'd against God's Authority and are therefore Sins of Satan's own Invention to draw us off from God of this sort we are to reckon Idolatry or the Worshiping of other Gods besides him the Only True God whether it be that of the Barbarous Nations who worshipt the Devil himself or whether that of the Gentiles in general and some Gentiliz'd Christians as the Papists who Worshiped the Creature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 above besides or together with the Creator as that place Rom. 1.25 may indifferently be render'd The Idolatry of either Kind either the Worship of Devils Heroes or of Saints departed does more particularly bear upon it the Character of a Work of the Devil because it is more directâ—â— level'd against God's Authority giving his Honour to another And Sorcery â—harming â—itch-craft â—nd Conjurâ—ng as also â—esorting to â—uch as use â—hose unlawâ—ul Arts. Of the same sort is Sorcery and Charming and Witch-craft and Conjuring as also the Sin of those wretchedly wicked Persons who Resort to Conjurers and Charmers and Witches White or Black as some do foolishly distinguish them for both do deal with the Devil by unlawful Arts whoever I say do resort to any such Persons or such as are so reputed to enquire out their lost Goods or what shall be hereafter their Fortune or to receive Directions for Health or Thriving or if they use themselves any Spells and Charms to these or the like Purposes such do commit a principal Work of the Devil because they hold thereby a Commerce and Correspondence with Satan who is God's most bitter Enemy and do put their Faith and Confidence in him for Help making him viz. the Devil instead of God their Staff and Stay And lastly do commit that Sin which is the particular Invention of the Devil and is therefore often in the Holy Scriptures as for Instance Deut. 18. Detested as such an Abomination and Threaten'd with such heavy Penalties as must argue those who can use such unlawful Means for Health or for finding out lost Goods to be even utterly destitute of any Fear of God and such who wholly give themselves up to fear and serve only the Devil and I hope therefore as common as it is it will be Detested by you But the Divine Indignation is so fully Exprest against all the Sins of this Kind in this 18th of Deut. 10 11 12 13 14. that I must not forbear to give you the very Words themselves as those which are most likely to Deter you from such high Provocations There shall not be found amongst you any one that useth Divination or an Observer of Times or an Inchanter or a Witch
Tempting of us to Sin and then I shall have done this Point What it is and how we must Renounce this great Work of the Devil his Tempting of us to Sin The word Renounce I before told you is a Word that bears various Significations according to the Nature of the Thing to be Renounc'd by us And as the Devil being that Arch-Rebel against God whose Quarrel with him is for no less than Dominion and Empire over the World who shall be King thereof God or Satan and who with all his Legions of Infernal Spirits are continually mustering up all their Forces against the Authority of God and drawing wretched sinful Men into the Conspiracy As the Devil being such to Renounce the Devil as I have told you is to disclaim or leave off having any Hand with him in his base and ungrateful Rebellion against God And as to his works of Sin As by Sin God's Laws are Transgrest his Authority thrown off his Government disown'd and his Power defy'd So to Renounce his works of Sin must signify to disclaim or abandon every Sin as a thing most dishonourable and provoking to God because it implies a throwing off his Authority and a disowning his Power As this is to Renounce the Devil and all his works of Sin So as to that other great Work of his his Temptations of us â—he Tempâ—ons of the â—vil are 〈◊〉 only proâ—y Renounâ— when 〈◊〉 are Reâ—d by us those will properly be then only Renounc'd when they are Resisted by us a thing which we are Commanded to do Jam. 4.7 Resist the Devil as also 1 Pet. 5.9 Whom Resist stedfast in the Faith But how shall such weak and impotent Creatures as we are be able to Resist such a mighty Spirit or rather such a powerful Host of Spirits as the Devils are For are there not Multitudes of 'em surrounding of us as appears by one Man's having a whole Legion of 'em cast out of him And did not the great Fiend the Ring leader of 'em own to God that it was his Employment to Go to and fro in the Earth and to walk up and down in it Job 1.7 to find out such whom with the greatest Probability of Success he may assault and to see against what weak part of 'em either in Body or Mind he may most advantagiously raise his Batteries Nay and is it not said 1 Pet. 8.9 That as a roaring Lion he continually walks about the Earth seeking whom he may devour So that besides his Industry and Policy he does with the greatest Violence and Fury oftentimes set upon us These things consider'd Is it possible for us to Resist him or is it not then in vain for us to Endeavour it Or by what Means you will say shall we be able to do it But notwithstanding all the Multitude the Policy nor the Fury of Devils we need not be Dishearten'd for as we are Commanded in the fore-cited Place of St. Jam. 4 7. To Resist him So we have a Promise of being successful when we do â—hat they 〈◊〉 be sucâ—fully Reâ—d Resist the Devil and he will fly from you And you will be able effectually to Resist his Temptations these Three ways First By keeping your Selves always Sober Secondly By Watchfulness that you may not be Ensnared by them Thirdly By Prayer to God to Protect you from them I. 〈◊〉 must keep 〈◊〉 selves alâ—ys Sober First If you will effectually Resist Satan's Temptations you must preserve your selves always Sober or else you will be depriv'd of Reason and the Grace of God whereby alone you can Resist them Thus 1 Pet. 5.8 9. Be Sober because your Adversary the Devil as a Roaring Lion â—obriety I 〈◊〉 opposite to â—unkenness 〈◊〉 necessary â—eservative â—ainst Saâ—'s Tempâ—ions walketh about seeking whom he may devour whom Resist stedfast in the Faith And indeed Sobriety as it is contrary both to Drunkenness and Passion is a great and most necessary Preservative against Satan's Temptations Drunkenness is a thing does so Overwhelm all the Powers of the Soul that whilst a Person is in that Condition he has little sometimes no use of his Memory Understanding and Judgment so as to have any Thoughts of Good and Evil or to discern between what is Fit and Reasonable and what is Hurtful and Brutish And only the Lusts and Appetites of a Man are then awake ready to hurry him to whatsoever Extravagancies he shall be Tempted And do you think that the Devil who is so Cunning in Timing his Temptations will then be Idle and not strike in with the Season and at such an Opportunity present to the Wretch when depriv'd of Reason and Grace such Baits as shall be likeliest to take him Why this to be sure he will and hence we hear of so many brutish Extravagancies and sinful Frolicks so much Lewdness Swearing Robberies and Blood-shed acted and committed in Drunkenness Such great Reason there is that as you would preserve your selves from Sin so likewise must you preserve your selves Sober and Free from Drunkenness otherwise you will be Overtaken therewith And likewise Sober and Free from Passion II. As opposite to Passion in which case Persons are as much depriv'd of Reason as in the other and are hurry'd on to the like Commissions and the Devil will be alike ready both to Influence the Passion and to suggest Provocations if Sobriety does not strike in and moderate Hence is the Passionate and Violent Tongue said to be Set on Fire of Hell Secondly Watchfulness is another Means to Resist Temptations II. Watchful over those our weaknesses especially where Satan will be likeliest to Attempt us Thus again in order thereunto in the same Place of St. Peter 1 Ep. 5.8 9. it is said Be Sober be Vigilant He is Vigilant for his Part to do you Mischief and watches all Advantages to get you into his Power and Reach And it lies upon you to be as careful to Guard your selves against all his Batteries which he Plays against you He surrounds the Soul and views it on all sides And this great Enemy of Mankind says a Father does there lay his Snares of Deceit where there is the greatest Probability they will take us He knows to whom he may best apply the Heats of Lust before whom he may spread the Table of Gluttony and to whose View he may display the Enchantments of all sorts of Luxury He considers the Temper of Men's Minds and whom he can disorder with Grief and whom he may deceive with Joy whom he can oppress with Fear and whom he may seduce with Admiration and into whose Breast he can most easily Infuse the Poison of Envy He examines the Customs of Men he considers what are their Cares and he searches which are our prevailing Affections And by that he takes occasion to do us the greatest hurt to which he sees we are most violently addicted and about which he sees us most industriously Employ'd Like an Enemy
him But this is such a hateful way of performing Obedience as God will never endure nor accept of for He scorns to be served by a slavish Fear and an unwilling Mind No Man as our Saviour says Matth. 6.24 can serve two Masters for if he loves the one he will hate the other Ye cannot serve God and Mammon By this he lets us know that our Love and Obedience must go together and be paid both to one God Lastly As we will give God the Service and Obedience of the whole Man an Entire Obedience such as he will Accept of to our Salvation we must Obey him with all our Strength and bodily Powers That is we must not only Inwardly Approve of God's Commands as good in our Minds and Judgments bear a Love to 'em with our Affections and chuse 'em with our Wills but we must proceed Outwardly to Act and do the Will of God in the Outward and Constant Practice of our Lives we must put to our Strength and bodily Powers and work the Will of God in our Lives and Actions Little Children saith St. John 1 Epist 3.7 let no Man deceive you he that doth Righteousness is righteous That is you will be deceived if you suffer others to persuade you or vainly flatter your selves that there is any thing less than doing and acting vertuously and righteously for which you shall be rewarded as vertuous and religious Persons These Texts besides many others shew you the necessity that our Inward good Motions proceed to Outward good Operations that you must go on to do good Deeds before you are fit for the Great Reward that we must work as well as desire and not only will and like but do our Duty because on nothing less than that we shall at the last Day be accepted This indeed is the severe Service This the distasteful part and the distastful Part of our Duty A secret Wish or a sudden Desire of Obedience may start up in our Souls unawares and there is not much opposition made to it because our Lusts receive no great hurt from it And therefore they will allow us to think of Good to spend a faint Relish a sudden Inclination or fruitless Desire upon it but if once we would go on to do our Duty and to begin Obedience then begins the Conflict our Lusts then bestirr themselves with might and main and set every Faculty on work to resist and defeat it for our Thoughts then begin to argue and to pick Quarrels with our Duty our Wills then begin to be averse and our Affections to cool towards it And because in this Obedience of our Works and Actions And therefore endeavoured to be shifted off there is so much of difficulty therefore are most People so desirous to shift it off and so forward to take up with any thing which will save them the labour of it They persuade themselves that God will admit of easier Terms and build their Hopes on cheaper Services as particularly that it will be sufficient to Salvation that they Believe the Gospel and that Jesus Christ died for them that God will accept of the Will for the Deed that God will excuse their Disobedience because when they fall it is by reason of strong and violent Temptations And lastly that it is not without Reluctancy and great Unwillingness that they disobey But all these are deceitful Imaginations for howsoever we are against Sin in our Thoughts and Minds and Desires the working Wickedness will make us in God's account Sons of Sin and Disobedience and will be sure to render such Children of Wrath and Destruction If you live after the Flesh saith St. Paul you shall die Rom. 8.13 And whatever Men think in their Minds or desire in their Hearts or profess in their Words to the contrary if for all that they continue to commit Sin in their Actions Christ has told them plainly That he will pronounce when he comes to sit as Judge Depart from me all ye that work Iniquity Matth. 7.23 And thus you see what is in the first place necessary to make up an Entire Obedience that our Obedience might be that of the whole Man and that it may be such we must have our Minds our Wills our Affections and lastly our outward Actions in Obedience to the Laws of the Gospel that all these several Powers must unite in God's Service before it will be Upright and Compleat such as at present his Law requires and such as at the last Day he will accept of and reward us for 2dly It must be an Obedience to the whole Law Secondly As it is necessary to the Integrity of our Obedience that we Obey his Holy Will and Commandments with our whole Man with our Minds our Souls our Wills and our Strength so that we Obey his whole Law and Conform our selves to every of his Commandments We must not think to pick and chuse in the doing of our Duty for if we do not Obey all we Obey not right in any because all the Laws of God are bound upon us by the same Power and enjoined by the same Authority So that if we fulfill any one upon this account of his having required it the same reason holds for the fulfilling of all the rest This indeed is very hardly believed because it is so hard to practise for almost every Man has some Sin or other which he can as well die as part with It has got his Heart and is become the Master of his Affections and since he loves it so dearly he hopes God will bear with it too And when Men are thus desirous to Obey God by halves and would hope that this might serve the turn they take to themselves false Grounds and Confidences under which they shelter themselves in the allowance or indulgence of such Sins as they are resolved to practise and when they do wilfully continue in the practice of any Sin they usually plead one or more of these Things in excuse This endeavoured to be evaded by Excuses First That they sinn'd for the preservation of their Religion and themselves in times of Danger and Persecution Or secondly for the supply of their Necessities by sinful Arts Compliances and Services and in times of Want and Indigency Or thirdly for the satisfaction of their Flesh in Sins of Temper Age or Way of Life But in vain But whosoever would Obey God's Laws to the Salvation of his Soul must Obey in every Instance and continue wilfully to transgress in none he must never hope to please God in nothing but what he lists himself For the Obedience of the Covenant whereinto Christ commissioned his Apostles to Baptize Converts is nothing below an Entire Obedience Go says he Baptize all Nations teaching them to observe all Things whatsoever I have commanded you Matth. 28.19 20. And threatens Matth. 5.19 That he who breaks the least of these Commandments shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven
Malice against it pag. 108 So that for the first 300 Years we hear of nothing but of bloody Persecutions The Emperors of Rome the Instruments but Satan the Instigator And wheresoever any Attempt is made to Convert a Country from Paganism he does instigate the Princes and People thereof to Persecute and Destroy the Preachers of the Gospel And he is no less Industrious to drive Christianity out of those Countries whereof it had once Possession And he has an Anti-Christian Party within the Bowels of Christendom most sadly weakening Christ's and most effectually promoting the Interest of his own Kingdom pag. 109 And now all Christians are so far to Renounce Satan with respect to those his persecuting Temptations as to submit to the sorest Sufferings which Satan and his wicked Instruments can inflict rather than deny Christ or his Truths Secondly When those bloody Methods fail Satan then does endeavour so to corrupt Mens Notions of God and Religion that by their very Christianity they may dishonour him pag. 110 This Politick Methods of his discover'd to us under the Parable of a malicious Enemy coming privately in the Night and sowing Tares where the Husbandman had before sowed good Seed Like a skilful Husbandman he is choice about the Nature of the Seed the Temper and Preparedness of the Soil the Fitness of the Season and the Skilfulness of the Seeds-man First As to the Nature of the Seed he takes care his Heretical Opinions and Practices should bear some Resemblance of Divine Truth in order to conceal their Discovery Thus especially he Gilds his Errors where the Light of the Gospel does most clearly shine as here First When under the plausible Appearance of Advancing God's Honour in some of his Attributes he renders him odious and despis'd in Others pag. 111 Secondly When under the Colour of Advancing Gospel-Truths he propagates Heresies which do undermine Religion and the Necessity of a holy Life Thirdly When he teaches to prefer some eminent Christian Duty or some part of a Duty or one Way of performing a Duty to the Disparagement of another As to prefer Prayer to the neglect of Preaching or Sermons to the contempt of Prayer As also Praying in Spirit to the regard of Bodily Worship And Extemporary Prayer to the utter Contempt of Forms of Prayer pag. 112 By this latter Means Satan has utterly Defeated those excellent Helps we have in our Church and brought in a great Neglect of Publick Family and private Devotion pag. 113 Secondly As to the Temper and Preparation of the Soil in Churches where the Scriptures are Lockt up and Ignorance prevails he imposes the grossest Heresies as Articles of Faith Especially he introduces Idolatry and Superstition whereby he is most immediately and directly serv'd Thirdly As to the fitness of the Season he is dexterous in Accommodating his Counsels his Actions and his manner of Acting to such Seasons as are most proper to his Purpose of seducing Mankind pag. 114 Hence in dark and ignorant Ages nothing so common as the Apparitions of Saints as was Pretended to introduce the Belief of Purgatory Image-worship and the like Superstitions And in Learn'd and Philosophical Ages he is as shy in appearing lest she should destroy the prevailing Sadducism Fourthly As to the Skilfulness of the Seeds-man Satan is wonderfully Cunning in making choice of fit and proper Instruments and in furnishing those with the proper Arts of Deceiving and with suitable Qualities whom he employs to sow the Seed of corrupt Doctrine in the Souls of Men. pag. 115 Such as place all Religion in Morality shall be adorned with Humanity Such as turn it all into Mystery shall be Gifted with Canting pag. 116 And yet sometimes the Crooked Serpent by Men seeming Godly will propagate Principles extreamly Immoral The most difficult Part of a Christian's Warfare is to preserve One self untainted with Heretical Pravity colour'd over with the Varnish of Gospel-Truth But yet by Trying it by proper Rules it may be done viz. First By its Tendency to an ill Life Secondly By its taking off from our Dependance upon the Mediation of Christ for the Acceptance of a good One pag. 117 LECT XII Thirdly Satan's great Industry is to gain over to his Party or to Tempt to some scandalous Enormity such Persons as are more than ordinarily Eminent for their Rank their Order or their Piety in the Church First Such as are most Eminent for their Station or Quality pag. 119 Such Men's Wickedness not altogether from the Temptingness of Riches but the Industry of Satan to get over such leading Men to his Party Such Men's Examples if bad of malignant Influence because Conspicuous And will bring upon 'em the Guilt not only of their own but of other Men's Sins because Their Actions have the force of a Precept as well as of a Pattern which Inferiors are afraid to shew their dislike of pag. 120 Great Men therefore must of all others Renounce the Temptations of Satan Secondly Such as are most Eminent on the account of their Order viz. the Ministers of Religion He is doubly Enrag'd against such both because in the Nature and Design of their Office they are to destroy his Kingdom and because the rest of the World do altogether Eye them for their Pattern Hence no Temptation left untried to withdraw such into some scandalous Enormity pag. 121 And hence the more Industrious a Minister is the more Industrious is Satan to overcome him And in the very way wherein he is most serviceable to the Church of God Satan does endeavour to make him most Mischievous As by turning his Zeal into Faction His spiritual Mindedness into Enthusiasm If he cannot prevail over him by real Miscarriages he will render him useless by forged Calumnies pag. 122 It wonderfully concerns the Interest of Religion that the Reputation of its Ministers be kept unsullied Hence Satan and Satanical Men so Industrious to blast it And slanderous Reports lessen the Authority and Influence of the Clergy almost as much as real Sin pag. 123 It behoves the Clergy therefore so far to Renounce and Resist the Devil's Temptations as to take care not only to be really Blameless but also to abstain from all appearance of Evil. Thirdly Such as are signal for their extraordinary Piety and Vertue Good Men the Devil knows will be scandaliz'd at such a One's Fall And the Atheistical will triumph therein And withal the lapst Person will be rendered almost incapable ever after of Converting others by his Example or Exhortations pag. 124 Against this Bulwark of Religion therefore the Devil draws up all his Artillery The Pride and Pains he takes in overcoming such a One represented in a Parable pag. 125 The more Exemplarily Pious therefore any Man is the more it concerns him to beware of the Devil and all his Temptations pag. 126 LECT XIII Lastly what Temptations Satan levels against all Persons indifferently consider'd The Devil's Temptations not easily known to be his nor