the great day Secondly they are under a chaine of providence God lets them goe abroad but never without this chain He gives them scope and checks them as himself pleases Wicked men are led captive by Satan at his will 2 Tim. 2. 26. and Satan is led captive at the will of Jesus Christ He cannot act either by himself or by his instruments but as permitted and if Christ oppose both his power and the power of his instruments is stopt and broken Iohn the Apocalypt Rev. 20. 1 2. Saw an Angel Christ come down from Heaven having the key of the bottomlesse pit and a great chain in his hand and he laid hold on the dragon that old Serpent which is the Divel and Satan and bound him a thousand years and cast him into the bottomlesse pit and shut him up and set a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled and after that he must be loosed for a little season Opinions and disputeâ— are very various about the precise time of Satans binding and loosing But we may hence conclude an illustrious proof for this point in generall That Satan is subject to the power of Christ He bindes him from deceiving the nations and he can binde him from troubling either persons or nations This magnifies the power of Christ he makes evil spirits subject This is a conquest beyond all those of the Roman Consuls or Caesars there was never any of them that brought the Divel home in chains Evil spirits were never dragged at their chariots of triumph Those conquerours were themselves captives to these spirits And while they procured liberty for the common-wealth they themselves were the servants of corruption and slaves to Satan for of whom or by what any maie is overcome of the same is he brought in bondage 2 Pet. 2. 19. Secondly This may encourage us in the greatest difficulties If spirits are subject to the power of Christ acted in the Saints then what is there in the world but may be subjected by this power There is no power greater then the power of spirits One spirit destroyed a mighty army in one night 2 King 19. 35. Can flesh and blood can gates of brasse and walls of stone stand out when spirits themselves must yeeld Every creature hath its strength in its spirits There are corporall spirits as well as spirituall spirits There are spirits of the body produced out of the matter being the finer purer and more sublimate parts of it spirits animall in the brain vitall in the heart and naturall in the liver these are the strength of our bodies And there are spirits in things without life These spirits are their strength also the spirit of wine is the strength of the wine so of any other liquour Spirits extracted are the strength of any substance contracted into a narrow room There is a spirit of a spirit The spirit of the minde Ephes 4. 23. Be renewed in the spirit of your minde This spirit of the minde is the strength of the minde To spend spirits is to spend strength and to get spirits is to get strength both of body and minde When the Prophet would shew that the horses of the Egyptians were weak he saith Their horses are flesh and not spirit Isa 31. 3. and the Apostle to shew how strong Devils are Ephes 6. 12. saith We wrestle not against grosse things flesh and blood but against principalities and powers against the rulers of the darknesse of this world against spirituall wickednes in high places Spirituall wickednes is wicked spirits and because they are spirits therefore they are powers In evil spirits there is power much more in good spirits and most of all in the best spirit the Holy Ghost ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you Act. 1. 8. wheresoever spirit is there is power The spirit of a man is of such strength that it is able to beare his infirmity our infirmities are our heaviest part Nothing calls for more strength then the bearing of our own infirmities or the infirmities of other men Yet while a man can hold up his spirit and maintain that he may beare and rejoyce in the heaviest burthen of his own outward infirmities A strong spirit strengthens the weakest and a weak spirit weakens the strongest body or minde The sum of all is this spirits are strong and evil spirits are stronger then all flesh yet these are subject to the power of Christ then never fear flesh and blood fire and sword when you heare spirits must submit When Christ would assure the Church that it should stand against all opposition he promises the gates of hell shall not prevail against it Matth 16. 18. that is the power of evil spirits shall not and if the gates of hell cannot surely gates of earth shall never prevail We may be confident if spirits cannot flesh and blood shall not doe us any hurt while Christ is with us This leads us to the second Observation It is matter of joy to bring spirits evil spirits into subjection The Disciples passion was not without reason when they rejoyced to see spirits stoop it is no small priviledge to make evil spirits stoop whether they be evil spirits tempting and troubling without or moving within us It is matter of joy to subdue any reall enemy but chiefly those First who are most for number Secondly those who are mightiest in strength Thirdly those who are highest in place Fourthly those who are subtillest in projecting Fifthly those who are most malicious and bloody in executing All these meet in evil spirits They are many mighty high subtile and malicious The Devil is a legion by name a Prince by his place A Goliah an Achitâ—phel A Doeg all joyn'd in one It is a glorious victory to overcome a temptation to sinne Every time we doe so we overcome a Devil The Apostle James encourages us Resist the Devil and he will flee from you that is he will be subject to you You drive away the Devil every time you stand it out in a temptation and stand fast It is a great victory to overcome the sinnefull corruptions that are in our own hearts To overcome passion and corruption within is like the overcoming of a temptation from without The evil spirit is vanquished in both The Sadduces denyed all spirits Act. 23. 8. and others have affirmed that good and evil spirits are onely good or evil motions within us I abominate the errour and yet there is a truth somewhat like it Good or evil motions within us are in a sense good or evil spirits For as that which is borne of the good spirit is spirit Joh. 3. So that which is borne of the evil spirit is spirit too Every evil motion in us is borne of the Devil who though he be not the immediate parent of all such motions yet he was the immediate parent of that corruption from whence such
motions are derived So that though these sinfull passions are not those spirits yet they have the strength and life of evil spirits in them Hence Solomon puts the glory of a conquest over them beyond the glory of earthly conquests Pro. 16. 32. He that is slow to anger is better then the mighty and he that ruleth his spirit that is who overcomes his sinfull spirit and makes it subject to him is better then he that taketh a City We are called to blesse God for taking a City this day if we overcome our selves and rule our own spirits this is a more honourable conquest then that we blesse God for this day the taking of a City He that ruleth his spirit is better then he that taketh a City I beseech you saith the Apostle Peter 1 Ephes 2. 11. As pilgrims and strangers abstain from fleshly lusts which warre against the soul Fleshly lusts are spirituall enemies Abstaining from these is victory over these we kill them by fleeing from them This is the greatest warre and the issues of it are of greatest consequence It is more noble to subdue lusts within us then Armies without us And it is more advantage to us to conquer lusts then to conquer the world Better be a Paul then an Alexander Further It is matter of great joy when the evil spirits of men are overcome This is the hardest part of our warre with men and the best Battels are but half won when onely the bodies of men are wonne then it is a thorow victory when we are victours over their spirits The counsel which that Indian Gymno-sophist Calanus Plutarch gave Alexander about managing of his warre was this Get into the heart of your enemies Countrey which he taught him by the embleam of a great Oxe-hide spread upon the ground He advised Alexander to get into the heart of the Enemies Countrey My humble advice to you Right Honourable is to get into the heart of your Enemies While nothing is conquered but the bodies of men and Cities you are but upon the borders of victory There is a double conquest over spirits one is the chaining of spirits the other is the changing of spirits this later is a blessed conquest not onely to those who conquer but to those who are overcome The Parliament hath cause this day to blesse God for subjecting evil spirits to them but I may say without a figure or the least strain to truth most of those spirits are subject to them but as the Divels were subject to the Disciples 't is but a forced and a constrained subjection a chain is put upon their spirits their spirits are not changed they are subject because they cannot longer prevail and have their wills We have cause I say to blesse God for this The Prophet foretelleth what subjection shall be made at last to the Church Isa 60. 14 The sonnes also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee and all that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet c. It is a mercy when men are made to bow but it will be our glory when all shall willingly bow to the throne of truth and holinesse to the Scepter of judgement and righteousnes It is well for us when fire and sword makes enemies submit but it will be best with all when repentance and sorrow for sinne when honesty and grace makes men submit When men submit from a change of their principles not from a change only of providences from a change wrought in their hearts not from a change wrought in their states God hath fulfilled that prayer of the Psalmist Psal 68. 30. in our dayes He hath rebuked the company of Spear-men or as the letter of the Hebrew gives it the beasts of the reeds of which speares were anciently made and to which they are in fashion like These beasts of the reeds God hath rebuked as also the multitude of the Buls boisterous men and the calves of the people simple men till many of them have submitted themselves with peeces of silver to make their compositions and hath scattered the people who delighted in warre â— that is such as would not submit This the Lord hath done already Now let this be a word to you Right Honourable who are so highly interested in the publique affaires let your designe be especially to make spirits subject to you by a willing subjection Endeavour that in the day of your power as it is in the day of Christs power Psal 110. the people may be not only subject but willing That their subjection to the Parliament may be in its sphear like that of the Corinthians to the Gospel 2 Cor. 9. 13. a professed subjection not a forced subjection The greatest part of your warre is with the spirits of men it is said of Saul 1 Sam 16. 14. That the spirit of the Lord departed from him and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him that evil spirit was it which encreased his envy and continued the warre against David The Pharisees said of Christ Joh. 10. 20. He hath a Divel and is mad every man as the learned Mr Mede observeth in one of his Diatribes was thought to have a Divel in those times who did things furiously and madly Many such furious ones are amongst us of whom we may well say they have a Devil for they are mad they would never run such mad courses did not an evil spirit enrage and hurry them I might describe many of these evil spirits I will name a few First the evil spirits of pride and contention These are the cause of wars and troubles in all nations Because of pride commeth contention Natural spirits do not generate but these spirits doe The spirit of pride procreates the spirit of contention Were we more humble we might he more quiet and the reason why so few have their desires is because so many resolve to have their wills Secondly the evil spirits of envy and malice Many are sick of other mens health and poor with other mens riches and disappointed by their neighbours successe impotent envy thus rotting the bones breeds rancorous malice in the heart and both break out to the danger of the whole body Could we bear the good of others it would be better for our selves Thirdly the evil spirits of errour and falsehood unquiet our times What a calmnes would follow if these were cast out of every heart A spirit of errour deserves every mans abhorrence though a person erring may challenge our patience This spirit of errour is extream bad but a spirit of false-hood is farre worse All agree they may be somewhat borne with who erre conscienciously which is very possible But they are insufferable who act unconscionably which is very usuall Fourthly the evil spirits of jealousie and self-love I put these together because ungrounded jealousie of others is commonly accompanied with inordinate love of our selves The spirit of jealousy so it is called Numb
story called Marcion the first-borne of the Devil All ungodly men are of the same line and race There is very little difference between the Devil and a wicked man but flesh and bones Hence in common speech we call very wicked men Devils incarnate I may say without breach of charity Devils incarnate are made subject at this day and their subjection is the subject of this days rejoycing Notwithstanding in this rejoyce not that these spirits are subject to you rejoyce not much in this Christ Mat. 7. 23. speaks of some who had the power and priviledge to make Devils in kinde subject to them many saith he shall come to me in that day and say Lord Lord we have prophesied in thy name and in thy name we have cast out Devils and we have done many wonderfull works yet these wonder-workers had little cause to rejoyce It is possible for a man not only to subdue the evil spirits of men but to subdue evil spirits themselves take them in their naturall notion and yet to have no cause of rejoycing I am sure they had not because while they had power over Devils themselves were under the power of the Devil The Devils were subject to them yet they were the Devils servants Christ discards them under that relation ver 24. Depart from me ye that work iniquity and whose work is that I know none who put men to that imployment or drudgery rather but only Satan his service is the work of iniquity some may cast out Devils who take in the work of the Devil Hence they who have cast out Devils may be cast to the Devil Had we this power to cast out Devils in kinde our joy would quickly over-joy it unlesse we have learned to out-joy it To further which designe upon these worldly joyes I would speak a few words First to those who have more to rejoyce in then victories over men and cities Secondly to those who upon a true account have no more to rejoyce in To the former my motion is Make the mercies of this day an occasion to act your joy upon eternall mercies It is possible for a godly man to suffer the stream of his joy to run more then is meet in a worldly chanell The best have reason enough to be jealous over their own hearts You are called to rejoyce and I am not a forbidder I would be a helper of your joy Joy is comely and the garments of praise in fashion this day Therefore say to your souls Let us rejoyce and let all that is within us blesse the holy name of God for the great things he hath done for us when you have done this speak again to your souls in the language of the text O our souls rejoyce in better things then these Let us rejoyce that our names are written in Heaven Drink not too large draughts of those worldly comforts go to that which is better and richer wine take your fill in the consolations of God To quicken this I might shew you many most desirable objects I will only hint a few rejoyce that Jesus Christ hath made a perfect conquest for you over spirituall enemies rejoyce that Christ hath spoiled principalities and powers and dragged the Devil at his chariot of triumph when he ascended up to heaven rejoyce that Christ hath overcome death and subdued the grave rejoyce that Christ died to free you from death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel rejoyce that Christ hath strengthned you to withstand temptations and given you power to conquer passion rejoyce that Christ by accomplishing the work of redemption hath purchased the pardon of sin peace with God and an inheritance which sadeth not away rejoyce that he hath provided a City for you which no Armies shall lay siege unto or shoot an arrow against rejoyce that he hath provided an estate for you that shall never be spent and a Kingdom which shall never be shaken When you hear men are made subject to men rejoyce that Christ hath made you subject to himself when you hear strong holds are taken rejoyce that the strong holds of sin are battered down and taken that there is not an evil imagination in you but if it stir you have a weapon in readines to revenge that disobedience When you heare how they who have fought against Christ are brought low rejoyce that you are not fighting against Christ that you are not trampling his precious blood under your feet that you delight not in that by which the holy spirit is grieved Let loose your affections upon these better higher and more noble objects rejoyce here as much as you can It is altogether below the state of a Saint to rejoyce only in things that are below Secondly I would offer a word to those who have none of these mercies to rejoyce in who have nothing but a world to rejoyce in Poor souls what do you rejoycing what do you keeping dayes of thanksgiving for victories obtained against men and Cities can you rejoyce on these terms can you rejoyce in hopes of peace upon earth when war is proclaimed against you in Heaven Can you rejoyce that Cities are subdued when your hearts are unsubdued Can you give thanks this day that the City of Chester is taken in after five or six Moneths siege when as your own hearts have stood out seven and seven yeers siege against the continuall batteries of the Word Can you rejoyce that strong holds are demolished when you fortify and garison strong holds with legions of lusts with covetousnes pride self-love c. When you victuall them and lay in provision to make them hold out as long as you live against Jesus Christ Can you rejoyce Rather go home and weep over these mercies weep over victories and successes Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your song of joy into a lamentation Leave joy to others Will you keep a day of rejoycing who are likely to mourn and weep for ever rest not in restlesse things live not in an estate wherein you are unfit to dy All the world is not worth the rejoycing in unlesse ye have somewhat else to rejoyce in God forbid saith the Apostle Gal 6. 14. That I should rejoyce in any thing save in the crosse of our Lord Jesus Christ If you have not Christ to rejoyce in God forbids all your other joyes and your sorrowes will be the more bitter to you hereafter by how much your joyes have been now more sweet Weep if any such now offer at this duty weep proud hearts covetous hearts envious spirits c. weep till you bring Christ the spoyl of your lusts till you shew him the ruines of your corruptions weep till you bring him broken hearts till you bring him wills stooping to his word and spirits made subject to his spirit weep till you finde such matter of joy as the text speaks of an evidence that your names are written in heaven But rather
IOY OUT-JOYED OR Joy in overcoming evil spirits and evil men Overcome by better Joy SET FORTH IN A SERMON at Martins in the fields to the Right Honourable the Lords Assembled in Parliament upon the day of their Solemn Rejoycing and praising God for reducing the City of Chester by the Forces of the Parliament under the Command of St WILLIAM BRâ—RETON February 19. 1645. By Joseph Caryl Minister of the Gospel at Magnus neer London Bridge LONDON Printed by G. M. for John Rothwel at the Signe of the Sun and Fountain in Pauls Church-yard and Giles Calvert at the Signe of the Black-spread-Eagle at the West end of Pauls 1646. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE The House of PEERS Assembled in Parliament My Lords THE world is too narrow for our passions we may soon over-joy or over-sorrow the best or the worst estate which earth affords or can inflict What an Atome then is it to our understandings The world is too little and too low-prized for the minde of the least of the poorest man who hath the understanding of a man what A nothing then is it to such as yours are Great and noble mindes And yet as inconsiderable as it is they who have only the world to rejoyce in shall not shortly have a world to rejoyce in The fashion of it passeth away daily and the matter of it is of no long continuance The beauty of it was stained in its infancy and the frame of it must be consumed when it is a few who knowes how few years elder This should call off our thoughts from eager earthly pursuits and pitch them upon a higher and more enduring substance This should provoke us to put the moon all changeable excellencies under our feet and make us restlesse till we are cloathed with the Sun an eternall excellency 'T was the designe of the ensuing Sermon to befriend souls with such a change of cloathing and to entice them into the joys of a name written in Heaven that they might not too much read or rejoyce in any no not their own on earth I know the victories and successes of a just warre endebt us not only to Thankfulnes but to Ioy. Such victories are the exactest pieces both of the wisdom and power of God God is called a man of warre but nothing shews him more a God then warre And among all warres a warre with spirits though but with the spirits of men shews most of God The great promise of restoring Ierusalem is thus prefac'd Thus saith the Lord which stretcheth out the Heavens and layeth the foundation of the earth and formeth the spirit of man within him Zech. 12. 1. All reforming about spiritualls begins at the forming of spirits Whether God forms spirits or breaks spirits which will not receive his form his work is admirable God hath begun a warre with and a work upon spirits in our dayes Some spirits are beautifully formed others are justly broken T' is a duty to rejoyce in both chiefly in the former We must rejoyce for the Angels in heaven do when we hear the spirits of other men are formed but the best cause of joy is when we finde our own are How much soever the publike is reformed without or how many soever are formed within yet if any heart lie ruin'd or life unshap't he may in the midst of all these joys and triumphs for he shall lie down in sorrow That your Lordships may have many rejoicing daies and a rejoycing eternity That your Names may be written in the fairest and greatest letter which Honour can make on earth and that they may be written in the fair-est and greatest letter which Glory Shall make in Heaven is the prayer of Your Honours humbly devoted Joseph Caryl A SERMON PREACHED to the Right Honourable the House of PEERS assembled in Parliament Upon the Day of their solemne Thanksgiving for the reducing of the City of CHESTER LUKE 10. 20. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you but rather rejoice because your names are written in Heaven THE King of Saints and Captain Generall of our salvation Iesus Christ having called commission'd and sent out twelve Apostles as great Commanders to subdue his native Kingdom of Israel to himself at the sixth Chapter of this Gospel He at the first verse of this prepareth and sendeth forth a band of seventy Auxiliaries to prosecute and advance the same designe After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also and sent them two and two before his face into every City and place whither he himseâ—f would come And to shew that the weapons of their warfare were not carnall but mighty through God these seventy returning victors report the successe of their expedition and shew Christ the Trophies of their conquest at the 17 verse And the seventy returned again with joy saying Lord even the devils are subject unto us through thy Name Yea saith Christ I know it to be so this is not a vain boast of valour like theirs who will vaunt they have kill'd the Devil and run strange adventures when they scarce dare look an enemy in the face I my self can bear you witnesse that you have faithfully and effectually acted your commission the issues of your service have been glorious in mine eye And he said unto them I beheld Satan like lightning fall from Heaven vers 18. The powers of darknesse cannot stand before the Gospel of light The Devil the prince of the ayr is no match for Christ no nor for the meanest of the servants of Christ who go forth armed with his name and power And because Christ found that these servants of his had managed their former commission so well therefore he is so far from calling it in that he inlargeth it at the 19 verse Behold I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you Go forth again in this armour of power with which I have girt you and I warrant you sword-free and shot-free nothing either on earth or in hell shall by any means strength or stratagem hurt you all the world will be against you but I am with you take courage nothing shall hurt you therefore on again in this warfare you shall as my self go forth conquering and to conquer Now who was able to bear such a burden of honour from these past and promised victories with moderation How many by hearing a report of their own conquests over other men have been overcome with their own pride It is an easier matter to gain successes then to bear them well Christ who knows the measure of every spirit seems to suggest that even the good spirits of his Disciples began to over-act upon these victories over evil spirits Hence he gives them an allay by counsel and caution not to raise their joy too high upon this point And more he diverts their joy which he saw ready to overslow the banks
of that chanell wherein it was into another chanell wide and capacious enough to hold all the inundations of it Notwithstanding in this rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you but rather rejoice in this that your names are written in Heaven I shall not stay upon any anxious division of the text There are two clear parts in it The one Corrective The other Directive The Corrective part lies in the first words wherein Christ checks and stops the suspected excesses of their joy for victories gained over evil spirits Notwithstanding in this rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you The Directive part lies in the later words shewing them a joy wherein there could be no excesse but rather rejoice in this because your names are written in Heaven Notwithstanding in this rejoice not Joy is the opening and dilatation of the heart upon the receiving of some present good thing as sorrow is the coarctation the shutting or locking up of the heart upon the pressure of some present evil Rejoice not that is let not your hearts open too much in receiving this object The negation is not absolute but only comparative so it is expounded in the next clause Rejoice not but rather He doth not forbid but qualifie and moderate their joy That the spirits are made subject to you Angels are spirits and they are either good or bad That these spirits were bad Angels we have warrant at the 17 verse The Devils are subject unto us These were once good Angels Now they are fallen and by their fall they have lost their condition but not their constitution their honour but not their nature they are spirits still The spirits are made subject to you Subjection is two-fold Either compulsory or voluntary The subjection here meant is a compulsive subjection They are not subject to you as the Saints are to Christ by a professed subjection of their wills but they are subject as a slave to his Lord whether they will or no by an imposed subjection Good Angels faithfully serve the Saints and evil Angels are made subject to them The former are ministring spirits sent out for theâ— good of those who are the heirs of salvation The later are kept by the power of Christ and the ministry of his servants from doing hurt to the heirs of salvation To be enabled for this is a great priviledge yet the Disciples must not rejoice greatly in this In what then Christ shews them a better and a nobler object of joy But rather rejoice that your names are written in Heaven There are no literall records in the Court of Heaven there is no pen or ink no paper or parchment there To be written in Heaven is only this to be elected unto eternall life and adopted sons of God to an inheritance among the Saints in light Moses of old spake this language Exod. 3â— 23. Blot me out of thy book which thou hast written David in allusion to this phrases a prayer against his enemies Let them be blotted out of the book of the living and not be written among the righteous Psal 69. 28. And Christ promises the Sardian victor That he will not blot his name out of the book of life Rev. 3. 5. God is said to have two books in Heaven First He hath a book of those things which we have done or the book of conscience Rev. 20. 12. I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the books were opened and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works Secondly He hath a book of what himself hath done or the book of election called often in Scripture the book of life Phil. 4. 3 Rev. 13. 8. c. â—7 8. c. 20. 15. c. 21. 27. c. 22. 19. Further God may be said to have in Heaven a black book wherein every word is a blot a blot fallen from the lives of wicked men here upon the earth And he hath as I may so speak a white book a book written with the fair letters of all the holy acts which his Saints have done upon the earth Again God hath a book of death wherein all the names of reprobates are written with the gall and wormwood of his everlasting wrath And he hath a book of life in Heaven written with the golden raies and beams of his own eternall love Our being written in this book of life is the matter of that exceeding joy to which Christ calls his Disciples in the text But rather rejoice in this that your names are written in Heaven The words thus opened yeeld plenty of seasonable and profitable instructions First this Evil spirits are subject to the power of Christ working in his Saints and servants The Devil is subject not only to the immediate and personall power of Christ but to his mediate and ministeriall power The subduing of the Devil was not a businesse confined to that age wherein Christ sojourn'd on earth such victories are obtained every day Such conquests as the Disciples obtained are very rare And I intend not a discourse about the possession or dissposession of evil spirits but there is an ordinary way of subduing the power of the Devil in the ministration of the Gospel The Gospel is the ministration of the holy Spirit and therefore it must needs be victory over the evil spirit Thus the unclean spirit is made to dislodge The Divel is seldom permitted to possesse the body of any man but he possesses the souls of all wicked men And though the Divel be cast out of the souls of all beleevers yet he never ceases to oppose their souls Every time a sinner is converted an evil spirit is subdued and every time a temptation is resisted by the Saints an evil spirit is foiled The Divel is a great prince and he hath more then halfe the world his subjects Many millions and among them many Kings of the earth doe him homage and stoop to his commands But how great soever he is and how many soever follow him yet he is made to stoop to the least of the Saints That roaring Lion couches to them and they tread upon this serpent The God of peace bruises Satan under their feet Rom. 16. 20. Besides as evil spirits are subdued which work in or against the souls of men So evil spirits are kept from hurting and afflicting the bodies and outward estates of men For as good Angels incamp about the godly to guard and protect them so evil Angels incamp against the godly to anoy and vex them If the power of Christ to this day did not master and subdue the power of those evil spirits they would make strange confusions in the world quickly The Divels are under a twofold chaine First under a chain of justice So the Apostle Iude at the sixth verse of his Epistle They are reserved in everlasting chains they can never wear them out or file them off under darknes to the judgement of
5. 14. is the disturber of Kingdomes as well as of families And self-love is set in the head of that black Army which is prophesied to make perillous times in the last dayes 2 Tim. 3. 1 2. Above all there is an evil spirit which I may call the Beelzebub of this generation or the Prince of Devils that is a spirit of division This workes in all places almost in all hearts Division seems to be the great designe against us That while we act simply we may be universally overcome This spirit is grown so cunning that it can work distances by a motion or an endeavour for union While many are ready to say and pray Let us not divide though we cannot agree yet are most ready to divide upon every disagreement And while it is almost in every mans mouth Let us be one in affection though we cannot be one in opinion yet every man almost acts as if neither one earth nor one heaven could hold those who hold not one opinion These spirits and such as these are the troublers of our peace and unlesse these spirits are changed or at least chained all flesh is in danger to perish among us The chaining of them may make our times peaceable but the change of them will make our times glorious How happy should we be if a spirit of humility and meeknes of charity and brotherly kindnes of truth and uprightnes of self-deniall and ardent desires of maintaining the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace possessed all our hearts Right Honourable if once you had received letters of credit and good assurance that evil spirits were foiled and had received a blow either in the east or west north or south and that a better spirit were acting in this Nation you would have cause to keep such a day of Thanksgiving and praise to God as you never kept to this day Till a conquest be gained over the spirits of men our conquests over men will not give us rest And though I would not lessen the mercies of God especially at this time when we come to blesse him for so great a mercy as we this day commemorate yet I say what heart almost can we have to blesse God or be enlarged in his Praises for subduing bodies Towns and Cities while legions of evil spirits in camp in so many places and quarter in so many hearts A conquest over spirits is the glory of all our other conquests Therefore Right Honourable I say it again let the stresse of your counsels and designes be laid against these spirits The sword may work an unwilling subjection God only can work a subjection of the will Yet two things done by men by men as your Selves are in Dignity and Authority will contribute much towards this subjection First justice done and done impartially for and upon all Secondly countenance and encouragement given to all that are good and do good When spirits are overcome upon these terms I know not who shall have greater cause to rejoyce they who are subject or they who have made them so But though this would be matter of great joy yet this must not be either the totall or the chief matter of our rejoicing The next words of the Text lead us to this modification of our joy Notwithstanding in this rejoyce not but rather rejoyce that your names are written in Heaven The connexion tells us we are very apt to overact outward comforts and overjoy our worldly joy The whole world is too narrow for the heart of man Our joys may quickly exceed it and we be more taken with it then it is worth Christ saw his Disciples in danger of taking in too much of the world The creature gets quickly into our hearts and our hearts may quickly get beyond the creature Onely God is an object which we cannot overjoy or stretch our affections too far towards It is seldom that we can rejoyce at all we can never rejoyce enough while we are in the flesh in spirituall mercies and it is seldom but we rejoyce too much in temporall The world is so much of kin to us and is so like us worldly comforts suit us so well and are so neer us that while we deal about them we need a bridle not a spurre It is one of the greatest priviledges which we wait for in Heaven that our affections may bee ever kept in a due temper There we shall love and rejoyce in nothing but God or for God And as we cannot love and rejoyce in God too much so there we shall not love or rejoice in him too little But while we converse with creatures we are apt to feed too heartily upon them and to drink larger draughts of the wine of their consolation then becomes us The way to lessen earthly joy is to stirre up heavenly As when love is divided upon many objects of the same worth it cannot run so strongly to any one so much more when it is carryed to a more worthy object will it abate towards those which are lesse worthy The Text is clear for it teaching us That our receits of temporall and outward mercies should be but as an occasion to raise our hearts higher in rejoycing for spirituall and eternall mercies Notwithstanding rejoyce not in this that spirits are subject to you but rather rejoyce c. All creatures and comforts on earth should be but as foils to set off the glory of Heaven How good is grace and glory if there be so much good in nature It was Christs art to do thus when he came to the well Joh. 4. and was thirsty he riseth from that water and the thirst he had to it to tell the woman of another water which if she could once drink she should never thirst And Joh. 6. 27. when he saw his followers so hungry after loaves of bread which is perishing meat He took an occasion to exhort them to labour for the meat that perisheth not but endures to everlasting life It is safest for us as well as our duty to bestow the strength of our sorrowes upon our sinnes and the strength of our joyes upon Christ There is a double ground or reason why we should thus in our receits of temporall mercies get our hearts off or get our hearts above them First spirituall mercies are the best mercies They are best in their nature and they are best in their enjoyment they are lasting mercies The joy of the hypocrite all his joy is but for a moment and the worldly joy of the sincere is but for a moment That cannot last long whose bottom and foundation cannot last long the world passeth away and the fashion of it therefore the joy that ariseth out of the world and the goodly fashions of it must needs passe away too When one of the Ancients stood by Caesars tomb who had the honour while he lived of so many victories and triumphs he cries out O Caesar where is now thy magnificence