who Besieges a City does always assault the weakest part of the Walls So does he attack the Soul where he perceives its greatest Infirmities Such infinite Reason have we to consider our own Natures and to keep a particular watch on that side where we are most Blind and to set our selves with the greatest Vigour to Resist and Repel the Temptations wherewith he will assault us there And this is the Second way given you in Scripture to Resist Satan's Temptations viz. Watchfulness and Diligence to know our selves and to discern his Temptations that so you may not be Ensnared by them The Third Is by Prayer to God to Protect you from them And Thirdly we must be constant and fervent in Prayer to 〈◊〉 to pro◠us from 〈◊〉 Thus Jam. 4.8 after we are commanded to Resist the Devil and he will Fly from us as an effectual way so to do we are bid to Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to us that is if we will make our humble Addresses to God by Prayer he will be ready to assist us against all his Temptations And indeed there is extraordinary Reason you should diligently and earnestly Pray to God to Protect and Preserve you from Satan's Delusions The Devil is a Spirit and therefore is naturally Endow'd with a great deal of Knowledge abundance more than we Men are capable of attaining to And moreover by the Experience of many Thousand Years from the Creation of the World unto this Day he has greatly Improv'd himself in all manner of mischievous Cunning and Subtlety so as not to be Ignorant of any way whereby he may most successfully prevail over us to draw us into Sin Both which things consider'd we were not capable to Cope with him if left to our selves But our Comfort is this that the Devil can go no farther than his Chain and as the Divine Goodness will not Permit him to attempt whom and how he pleases It was not before he had Leave that he could Tempt Job 2.6 so in reference to all sorts of Temptations whatsoever we have a most sure word of Promise 1 Cor. 10.13 that God is Faithful who will not suffer you to be Tempted above that you are able but will with the Temptation also make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it But then if you would have him a Protector always ready at Hand to assist you you must as was said Draw nigh to him and he will draw nigh to you What shall I say Why what farther Directions are necessary for Resisting of Satan's Temptations together with an earnest Exhortation so to do are given you in those most Excellent words of the Apostle to the Eph. 6.10 11 12. with which I shall conclude Finally Brethren be strong in the Lord and in the Power of his might Put on the whole Armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the Wiles of the Devil For we wrestle not against Flesh and Blood but against Principalities against Powers against the Rulers of the darkness of this world against Spiritual wickedness in high Places Wherefore take unto you the whole Armour of God that ye may be able to stand in the Evil day and having done all to stand And so goes on in several Verses shewing with what Armour you must prepare your selves wherewith to defend your Innocency against the Assaults of Satan viz. with Truth or the Knowledge of the Gospel with Righteousness Charity Faith the Hope of Salvation and the Word of God And then adds as I before directed you That you must Pray always with all Prayer and Supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all Perseverance THE Fourteenth Lecture First That I should Renounce the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh HAVING already in order to the Explication of these Words shew'd you Who the Devil is what are his Works what is meant by Renouncing the Devil and all his Works and how necessary it is we should absolutely do so I come now Secondly In like manner to Explain unto you What 's meant by the Pomps and Vanity of the wicked World and in what sence and how far we must Renounce the wicked world w th its Pomps and Vanity Three things here to be explain'd and accordingly Renounced 1. The world 2. The wicked World and 3. The Pomps and Vanity of this wicked world What is meant by the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and to shew you in what Sence and how far you must Renounce the wicked World with its Pomps and Vanity To Renounce the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World There is not a word here but will require some Explication As to the word Renounce indeed it may suffice what I before told you that it is of various Significations according to the Nature of the Thing to be Renounc'd by us And there being Three Things in these Words necessary to be Explain'd First The World Secondly the wicked World and Thirdly the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World I will Expound to you the Meaning of each and will withal shew you in what sence and how far you are to Renounce every One of them And First I am to shew you what is meant by the World and in what Sence and how far you are to Renounce the World The World in Scripture does generally pass under a very bad Character and for the most part is mention'd as what does directly oppose God's Glory and our own Happiness Thus Jam. 4.4 Know ye not that the Friendship of the World is Enmity with God and whosoever therefore will be a Friend of the World is an Enemy of God And on the contrary Gal. 6.16 St. Paul gives this Character of himself The World a great Enemy to God's Glory and our own Happiness That through the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ the World is Crucified unto him and he unto the World And 1 Joh. 5.4 it is universally declar'd that Whosoever is born of God overcometh the World And therefore in the Second Chapter of the same Epist 15 16. we are commanded Not to love the World neither the Things that are in the World being assur'd that If any man love the World the love of the Father is not in him And indeed if we shall search throughout the whole Book of God we shall find such frequent and earnest Commands to Renounce this World and to beware of its Temptations that nothing except Satan the Ring-leader of all our Adversaries seems to be a more Mortal Enemy to the Happiness and Salvation of Mankind than this World And all this consider'd as also that it is made so material a Part of our Baptismal Covenant to Renounce as the Devil so the World I think it concerns you to be well informed what is meant both in Scripture and your Catechism by that World which you are so
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
any Sin he is to be Suspended from Communion in that till he amends Scandalous Members to be suspended from the Lord's Supper So it is order'd in the Rubrick before the Communion Service that if any be an open and notorious Evil-Liver so that the Congregation be thereby Offended The Curate having Knowledge thereof shall Call him and Advertise him that in any-wise he presume not to come to the Lord's Table until he hath openly declared himself to have truly Repented and Amended his former Naughty Life that the Congregation may thereby be saisfy'd which before were Offended And the same Order shall the Curate use with those betwixt whom he perceiveth Malice and Hatred to reign not suffering them to be Partakers at the Lord's Table till he Knows them to be Reconciled But otherwise till a Member become Notorious and Scandalous for his Evil Principles or Practices he may claim the Right to be Admitted to the Lord's Supper for even Judas himself before he Betray'd our Saviour did Partake with him at the first Institution of the Supper as you will find Matth. 26.25 26. So that as to the Outward Institutions and Ordinances of Christ they are Priviledges you see that do belong to all the Members of Christ's Church to all such as have been Baptized and Profess themselves to be Christians And now Secondly If we compare but these Outward Priviledges of God's Holy Ordinances with what others do want of this Nature they are indeed most singular Favours vouchsafed only to such as are Members of Christ's Church and which Aliens and Strangers have no Right nor Admittance to I. Christian Ordinances are a singular Favour which Aliens and Vnbelievers do not nor have any Right to enjoy For alas The Infidel part of the World whether Jews Turks or Pagans have none of these Divine Ordinances amongst ' em They neither Know the Lord's Day nor Hold any Assemblies thereon for the Instruction in his Laws neither do they Profess Belief in nor Pray to the One True God Father Son and Holy Ghost and they are utter Strangers to our Holy Mysteries And hence it comes to pass that those miserable People continue still in Blindness Ignorance and Barbarity remain perfect Slaves to Satan and their own Brutish Lusts and for the most part of 'em are degenerated into such Inhumanity Cruelty and Brutality that Tygers Wolves and Vipers the most Devouring and Venemous Creatures in the World are not so mischeivous to Mankind as that Part thereof who either know not or contemn God's Holy Ordinances are one to another So true it is what Solomon has Observ'd Prov. 29.18 that Where there is no Vision or no Word and Ordinances of Divine Revelation the People perish Which brings me Lastly To consider What excellent Priviledges they are in themselves II. They are excellent Advantages consider'd in themselves And that they are upon Two accounts First As being most admirable Advantages towards the Observation of God's most Holy Laws Secondly As being exceedingly comfortable to those who Enjoy ' em I. â—onducing â—htowards 〈◊〉 Edificaâ— And First Divine Ordinances are most Excellent Priviledges as being most admirable Advantages towards the Observation of God's most Holy Laws and in order to a Holy and Good Life For why In these Holy Ordinances we have all the Means both Outward and Inward afforded for our Conversion As to the Outward you have the very Scriptures themselves the Body of those Holy Laws publickly Proclaim'd and Read out to you the Scripture it self I say Which was given by Inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works 2 Tim. 3.16 17. In these Holy Ordinances again you are not left to the Deceits and Whispers of a private Spirit but you have the Doctrine of the Church collected into a Form of sound Words and containing all that is necessary whether as to Faith or that Love which is in Christ Jesus or which is required in the Christian Religion 2 Tim. 1.13 You have this Collected I say partly by the Apostle's themselves and partly by others the wisest and best Divines out of the Holy Scriptures and propos'd to you as a Rule to walk by And moreover you have the Ministers of Christ constantly Applying both to your direction The Ministers of Christ I say who as his Ambassadors do Pray you in Christ's stead to be Reconciled to God 2 Cor. 5.20 Again In these Holy Ordinances you do not wrestle with God for his Mercies in the strength only of your own private Prayers but you have your Devotions mingled with the concurrent Prayers of all God's People and so by your joint Forces after an humble but powerful manner do Besiege Heaven for the joint and united Prayers of Christians have above all others the Promise of a Gracious Answer Matth. 18.20 Our Saviour assuring us there that Where Two or Three are gather'd together in his Name there he will be in the midst of them And lastly You receive herein from the Blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ that Food which is necessary to the Nourishment of the Soul as Meat is to the Strength of the Body the same Blessed Saviour of the World assuring us as you will see John 6.55 and the 63. compar'd together that His Flesh is Meat indeed and that his Blood is Drink indeed And then as to the Inward Means of performing God's Laws viz. The Grace and Assistance of his Holy Spirit this as it is absolutely necessary to enable our Weakness in this our faln State so it is no otherwise to be expected than in the Use and Ministry of Divine Ordinances as shall be presently seen In a word The outward Ordinances and Institutions of the Gospel together with the Holy Spirit accompanying them are the only ordinary Means of Conversion Some may pretend to be above Ordinances but Experience tells us that accordingly as Men do slight and neglect 'em accordingly do they decay in Grace and Vertue and when once they begin wholly to lay them aside they become perfectly Graceless and are given up to a Reprobate Mind as is daily seeni in such as make nothing of Profaning the Lord's Day and do totally lay aside Prayers and Sacraments â—ost comâ—ble to Souls of those who enjoy them Secondly And they are not more Profitable and Edifying than they are Comfortabler to the Spirits of all Pious Souls who Enjoy ' em Holy David was a most eminent Instance of this My Soul thirsteth for God for the living God when shall I come and appear before God Psal 42.2 See what earnest Longings he had for the publick Service And I was glad when they said unto me let us go to the house of the Lord Psal 122.1 And Psal 65.4 he expresses his sense of this Matter thus Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest to
that no Man's Condition be it never so Plentiful will excuse him in Idleness The last Thing to be Renounced with reference to a Calling is the Living above it Lastly no Man must live above his Calling This is what the Vanity and Pride of many both Gentlemen Tradesmen and others do Tempt 'em to but the Issue thereof is in a short time to be Needy and Borrowing and consequently Contemptible and to meet with Scorn instead of that Respect they seek by making an outward Appearance and Flourish But the worst of it is when Men are of this Humour to live above their Calling in order to maintain their Port and Pride they are forc'd if Gentlemen to oppress their Tenants if Tradesmen to cheat and over-reach their Customers and to use all the evil Arts of Getting And as to the latter when they so far scorn the Meanness of their Profession as to throw it aside it is not seldom that in the End they take to the High-way as the only Means of maintaining themselves In short therefore to prevent the fatal Effects of both these last Evils Idleness and living beyond a Man's Calling my Advice to young Persons is to be Industrious till such time at least as they have laid up a Stock whereby they may afford to live more at Ease and not to throw off the meanest Calling till they are able to live Creditably without it And so much for the Callings of the World and what is to be Renounced with Relation to them Secondly Let us consider amongst those Things of the World of a middle Nature the different Conditions and States of Men therein II. Amongst those things of the World of a middle Nature the the different Conditions and States of Men therein are to be considered And the greatest Part are in the State either of Masters or of Servants And the whole World are either Single or Married Persons And First as to the State and Condition of a Master there are very great Advantages and Opportunities which the Head of a Family has of doing Good amongst those of his Houshold insomuch that if he keep up an orderly and religious Discipline in his Family it will be no hard matter for him so to form the Principles and Practices of his Servants and Dependants as to be able to undertake with Joshua 24.15 that he and his House shall serve the Lord. But yet this as all other Conditions of Men in this World I. A Master has great advantages of doing Good is liable to be Abused to great degrees of Dishonour to God and Injury to the Souls of Men as namely when those who are Masters do so far exceed in their Commands as to give no leisure to their Servants to provide for the Good of their own Souls But such a Dominion as this must be utterly Renounced and it should be a Thing never heard of amongst Christians that a Servant should be such a Slave as to be treated no better than a Brute But all that Dominion is to be utterly Renounced amongst Christians which treats Servants no better than Slaves and Brutes And as Pasture is the only thing provided for the latter so bodily Necessaries should be the only thing took care of for the former No every one that will expect Abraham's Blessing and Favour with God must have Abraham's pious Care of the religious Education and Government both of his Children and Servants concerning whom it is Recorded that God did Impart unto him a very great secret under the Notion of a singular Favour upon this very Account That He knew he would command his Children and his Houshold after him that they should keep the way of the Lord to do Justice and Judgment Gen. 18.19 So that when any of you shall grow up or arrive to that Condition to be the Heads of a Family this must be also your Care and you must utterly Renounce the Treating your Servants at that Distance as if they were not Fellow-servants with you to the same God Secondly The next Condition or State of Life in this World to be consider'd of is that of Servants Now a Servant amongst Christians if he be not Barbarously and Un-christianly us'd is not the most unhappy State The State of Servants not in it self unhappy Tho' he has not his Master's Liberty yet if he has less of his Licentiousness he is the happier Man But yet if it falls out so that the Master and Family he happens into be Disorderly Debauched and Wicked he is in a State of mighty Temptation and in great danger of being Corrupted And therefore First It concerns every Person who is to live by a Service I. It concerns every Person who is to live by a Service to avoid such where there is neither the means of Religion nor restraints upon Sin to Renounce and Refuse those if extream Necessity and want of Better do not compel him to Accept of such where a great deal of Wickedness is practiced without Controul and little of the Fear of God is to be seen amongst Masters or Servants We do daily pray to God Not to lead us into Temptation and those who are sincere in their Prayers will not voluntarily throw themselves into such a dangerous place of Temptation as is a wicked Family where not only the ordinary Means of Grace the reading of the word of God and daily Prayers are wanting But the Examples of both Head and Members do influence to an Imitation in Lewdness Drunkenness Injustice Cursing Swearing and all Impiety and where Profaneness does so far prevail as to instigate 'em to break their Jests upon Religion and Vertue Alas it is a very difficult thing for Youth to be throughly season'd with Principles of Vertue even by all the Instruction and Care of Ministers Parents and Masters How then must it be next to a Miracle if they fly not out into all manner of Licentiousness when the Corruption within is heighten'd with the Examples and Encouragements of all about 'em and those too Persons upon whose Favour they depend Secondly But since Idleness and want of Employment does expose a Person to Temptation even more than such Services and if Necessity shall force you into those where little of spiritual Improvement but all manner of Temptations to Sin is to be expected why then with Joseph in the House of Potiphar Gen. 39.8 you must put on the most stedfast Resolutions to preserve your Innocence II. In the most Irreligious Families a Servant shall happen into he must put on a stedfast resolution to preserve his Innocence and must make a Covenant with your Eyes Ears and all your Senses that they do not Offend And when Divine Providence has dispos'd you there Divine Grace will not be wanting to your own honest Endeavours to preserve you from Evil. Thirdly The next State and that wherein the greatest part of Mankind in this World are found is the State of Celibacy