not againe to their folly For being iustified Rom 5. 1. by faith we haue peace towards God through our Lord Iesus Christ I know that Diuel may proceed and say thou art not chosen But you must say vnto him that God chose vs in Eph. 1. 4. Christ that we should be holy and I am sure that God hath chosen to himselfe Psal 4. 3. the man that is godly vertue ioyned to our faith makes our calling and election sure for such as God hath predestinated them hath he called wherefore so long as Gods grace Luke 10. 20. remaineth in me so long I will reioyce that my name is witten in the booke of life But Sathan may obiect suppose thou be now in the fauour of thy God yet thou maist fall away from Rom. 11. 29. grace he may withdraw his spirit To this you may answere this againe the guifts and callings of God are Ier 13. 3. without repentance iâ— he loue vs hee loued vs from euerlasting and loueth Io. 13. 1. vs to the end No creature shal be able Rom. 8. 38. 39. Psal 23. 6. to seperate vs from the loue of God in Christ kindnes and mercy shall follow me all the dayes of my life and this God is our God for euer and euer Psal 48. 14. he shal be our guide vnto the death But he may say that Gods minde may alter and he may hate them for sinne whom he loued of mercy God answereth Mat. 3. 6. for himselfe I am the Lord I chaunge not and ye Sounes of Iacob 1. Sam. 15. 29 are not consumed for God is not as man that hee should repent Iesus Heb. 13. 8. Christ that was yesterday is the same to day the same also is for euer Gods couenaunt of life and peace is euerlasting Ier. 33. 20. â—1 If Sathan thou canst breake Gods couenaunt of the day and night that there shall not be day and night in their season then may Gods couenant be broken with his children for God hath said vnto his chosen The mountaines shall remoue and the hills Esa 54. 10. fall downe but my mercy shall not depart from thee neither shall this couenant of my peace fall away faith the Lord which hath compassion on thee For that mercy and free grace which Rom â— 10. moued God to accept vs when wee were sinners strangers enemies and children of wrath and to reconcile vs by the death of his Sonne must much more moue him being reconciled to accept vs and to saue vs by the life of Christ Thus the foundation of God remaineth sure Yet Sathan may reply suppose there be no alteration or chaunge in God yet in thee there is He is strong but thou art weake But Peter answereth 2. Pet. 1. 5. that we are not kept by our owne strength but by the power of God vnto Saluation and I shall ouercome by Reu. 12. 11. the bloud of the lamb for in his owne 1. Sam. 2. 9. might shall no man be strong suppose then I may fall and that most grieuously as Dauid Salomon and Peter did yet though I fall I shall no be cast Psal 37. 24. 23. off for the Lord putteth his haÌ„d vnder me The pathes of man are directed by the Lord he will keepe the feete of his Saints Wherefore reioyce not against Sam. â— 9. me O mine enemies though I fall I shall rise when I sit in darknes Mica 7. 8. 7 the Lord shal be a light vnto me If Sathan vrge you further thus how darest thou presume of Gods assistance thou hast not Gods grace at thy commaund shew him the couenant of God confirmed and sealed by the bloud of Iesus Christ who saith Ier. 31. 33. I will write my law in their hearts I will make an euerlasting couenant Ier. 32. 40. with them that I will neuer turne away from them to doe them good I will put my feare into their hearts that they shall not depart from me I will giue them a new heart and a new Eze 36. 26. 27. 11. 19 20. spirit I will take the stony heart out of their bodies and I will giue them a heart of flesh I will put my spirit within them and cause â—â—em to walke in my statutes It is most true we are not sufficient of our selues to thinke 2. Cor. 3. 5. any thing of our selues but our sufficiencie is of God As no man cometh vnto Christ except the father drawe Io. 6. 44. 65. Io. 15. 5. him so without Christ we can doe nothing Yet through the helpe of Christ which strengtheneth me I shal be able Phil. 4. 13. Phil. 1. 6. to doe all things And hee that hath begun this good worke within mee will performe it vntill the day of Iesus Christ And his good spirit shall leade Psa 143. 10 Eph. 4. 30. me into the land of righteousnes and seale me to the day of my redemption As for the helpe that Sathan offereth thee Aske him how hee can helpe another that cannot helpe himselfe and how should one trust the faith of a deceauour Hee offered the world vnto our Sauiour Christ and tolde him that the world was his but he tolde a Luke 4. 6. lye for albeit he be called the god of this world because he ruleth in the 1. Cor. 4. 4. children of disobedience yet the earth is the Lords and all that therein is the Eph. 2. 2. Psa 24. 1. world and all that dwell therein Wherefore although the wicked of the world fall downe and worship him to gaine farre smaller matters then the world by lying swearing and forswearing deceiuing and oppressing and such euil courses yet you must vtterly refuse this offer with auoide Sathan and come behinde me Sathan for it is written thou shalt worship the Mat. 4. 10. Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue If Satans helpe might stand a man in steede hee must haue no fellowship with his vnfruitfull workes of darkenes Our Sauiour Christ his Apostles would none of his assistance to helpe Eph. 5. 11. to publish the Gospell to the world It was the bane of Saul and Ahaziah Kings of Iudah to seeke for helpe of Sathan It is better to trust in the Mat. 1. 25. 1. Cor. 10. 13 Lord then to put any confidence in man or euil spirit for diuels cannot free vs from the hands of God 2. Kin. 1. 4. but God can keepe vs from the power of diuels For if God be with vs who Psa 118. 8. Rom. 8. 31. can be against vs Hee is not farre from euery one of vs he is as our shadow Act. 17. 27. at our right hand He is a shield to them that trust in him He keepeth Psal 121. 5. his people as the apple of his eye vnder Pro. 30. 5. the shadow of his wings and as the mountaines about Ierusalem so is Psal 17. 8. the Lord about his people henceforth Psal 125. 2. and for euer Say therefore vnto Sathan I defie thy power and renounce thy helpe as I am none of thine because I am bought with a price so will 1. Cor. 6. 19. 20. Psal 181. I none of thee nor of thy helpe The Lord is my helper my rocke my fortresse my deliuerer mâ— strength my shield the horne of my saluation and Psal 17. 1. my refuge my light saluation and strength of my life my defence is in God who preserueth the vpright in Psal 78. 1â— heart The God whom I serue is able to deliuer me and though he slay Dan. 3. 17. me I will trust in him Hee onely maketh me to dwel in safety the Lord is with me therefore I will not not feare what man or Sathan can doe vnto me For when my flesh faileth and Iob. 13. 15. my heart also then God is the strength Psal 4. 8. Psal 73 26. of my heart and my portion for euer So the father of mercyes and the God of all comfort prosper sanctifie that I haue written vnto you Amen FINIS
THE CHRISTIAN SWORD AND BVCKLER OR A Letter sent by D. SPRINT to a man seuen yeares grieuously afflicted in conscience and fearefully possessed by the Diuel Very comfortable and commodious to withst and the assaults of Sathan LONDON Printed by B. Alsop for Samuel Rand and are to be sold at his shop at Holborne Bridge 1623. THE CHRISTIAN SWORD AND BVCKLER SIR I am not vnmindfull of your Letter though by occasion of busines I haue beene let I commend your care to seeke comfort from the ordinance of God that is his 1 Thes 5. 14. Ministers who are commaunded of God to comfort the feeble minded Esa 10. â— â— and to speake comfortably to Hierusalem and to cry vnto her that her warfare is accomplished that her iniquitie is pardoned As Christ was annoynted so are his Ministers appointed to preach the Gospell to the Luke 4. 1â— poore deliuerance to the captiue recouery of fight to the blinde and to set at libertie such as are brused Wherefore seeing you haue entreated me helpe I will by Gods assistance satisfie your desire Your case was strange to be holden as a creature sencelesse for seuen whole yeares But others also haue beene holden with the like Nabuchadnezar Dan. 4. 29. King of Babell was turned out a grazing among beasts 7. yeares yea Gods children haue beene far worse afflicted as that Daughter of Abraham was for 18. yeares bound of Sathan The man Luke 13. 16 40. 5. whom our Sauiour cured had beene diseased 38. yeares which are far aboue the distance of your sicknes wherefore you ought not to thinke the worse of your selfe for nothing hath befallen vnto you but that which appertaineth 1. Cor. 10. 13. vnto man Nay you ought to comfort your heart in your affliction for as you know the sender which is God and the cause which is your sinne So now you know your deliuerer and the cause which is his mercy for it is the Lord who killeth and 1. Sam. 2. 6. maketh aliue bringeth downe to the graue and raiseth vp And by how much greater your crosse hath beene by so much the greater was your deliuerance The mighty power of God vpon your body and his rich mercy on your soule hath the more appeared that so the more he might be glorified and your heart comforted for you may argue thus The Lord might haue in iustice destroyed me yet hee hath in mercy spared me the Lord might haue chosen whether hee would haue deliuered me or not But in great mercy he rather chose to deliuer mee The Lord might haue left mee my health and withdrawne his grace from me and giuen â—he ouer to the power of Sathan But hee hath restored my health and vnderstanding and renued my Grace Hereby I see God dearely loueth me which I could neuer see if I had not thus beene afflicted How should I hence forth distrust his prouidence doubt of his promises dispayre of his mercy why would I not rest assured and secured of his present and perpetuall loue to imbrace me his mercy to pardon me his prouidence to defend me his goodnes to compasse me and to worke all euils for my good Therefore my soule returne vnto thy rest for Psal 116. 7. 8. 9. 12. 13. the Lord hath been beneficiall to thee he hath deliuered my soule from death and mine eyes from teares my feete â—ooâ—â— falling I shall walke before the Lord in the land of the liuing what shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits I will take the cup of Saluation and call vpon the name of the Lord. The Lord was ready to saue mee Psa 38. â—0 therefore I will sing my song all the dayes of my life in the house of the Lord. Thus may you comfort your selfe yet measure not Gods loue so much by your deliuerance as by his grace which nature gaue you not nor hath God taken away For as afflictions are no certaine tokens of Gods anger so deliuerance is not alwayes a token of his fauour For he gaue the Isralites their desires but he sent heauines into their soules God may in mercy lengthen Psal 106. 15 our afflictions in iudgement make an end of it The table of the wicked Psal â—9 â—â— is a snare vnto them and their prosperitie their ruine but it is good for Gods Psal 119. 7â— children that they haue beene afflicted that they may learne his statutes godlines is Gods best portion which is 1. Tim. 6. 6 4. 8. great gaine and is profitable for all things hauing the promises of the life present and of that which is to come Wherefore proue the grace that is in you and to measure the loue of God vnto you Try what godly griefe you haue for sinne what vexation at your wants what feare of God what faith in Iesus Christ what loue of Gods children what delight in the word and Ministery what desire of the grace you lacke what feruency in prayer what chearefulnes in praysing God what care of well doing and readynes to doe the will of God what patience in suffering crosses from God and reproofe from man what holy Meditations what gracious speeches what diligence in your calling what dutifulnes to your superiors what purpose of heart to cleaue vnto the Lord these are the sparkles of Gods Image the fruites of his spirit the effects of his grace the assurance of his election the certaine tokens of his presence For 2. Cor. 1. 5. 2 the Lord is with vs whiles wee are with him and he draweth neare vnto â—â—m 4. 8. vs when we draw neare vnto him Now touching the temptations of Sathan that doe trouble you perceiue when God hath done with you the Diuell taketh you in hand God afflicteth your body and the Diuel your soule But as God brought you from sicknes to health So thinke that God can bring you from temptations to victorie that being prepared by affliction in Soule and body you may both serue him in this life and liue with him in the next Euery temptation of a Christian is a ground of strong consolation because Sathans onsets argue that wee are none of his for the Dragon strikes not at his owne souldiers for Kingdomes Reu. 12. â— deuided are at an end but at Mychaell and his Angels If Christ Math. 12. 25 had not beene the Sonne of God hee would not so fiercely haue affailed him Warryors neuer besiege nor batter Cities they haue woone so Satan seekes not the soules he hath deuored he rageth most at those he cannot get Reuel 12. 13 14. 15. 17. and is most busie with those he hath least to doe when this strong man keepeth his Pallace in mens soules the Luke 11. 21. things that he possesseth are in peace and when he is restrained and muzzeled by the power of God hee rageth at the persons and roareth in the conscience of Gods deere Children your temptations come not
to you by chance but by the will of God without whose leaue he cannot touch either Iob. 1. 10. man or beast But God hath an hand to limit Sathan and direct his Math. 8. 31. temptation for our good as he hath an hand to let him loose for our tryall and vexation Hereby hee humbleth the 2. Cor. 12. 17. pride tryeth the patience sifteth the faith and worketh the victory of his Iob. 1. 11. 12. Luke 22. 31 Reuel 12. 11 Math. 4. 1. beloued Saints It is Gods spirit that leadeth Gods Children to be tempted of the Diuel and he that leades them into the battle can giue them victory 1. Io. 4. 4. For greater is hee that is in vs then he that is in the world The Serpents Gen. 3. 15. head is crushed by the seede of the woman The Diuel is conquered and cast Reu. 12. 10. 12. out of heauen and is come downe into the inhabitants of the earth so that Angels cannot separate vs from the Rom. 8. 38. 39. Luke 22. 31. 32. loue of God in Christ when Sathan hindereth vs Christ prayeth that our faith faile not for he euer liueth to make request for vs when the messenger of Satan is sent to buffet vs Gods grace is sufficient for vs wherefore 2. Cor. 12. 9 you must reioyce in these temptations because it is for the tryall of your faith and patience And for Sathanâ— Iam. 1. 2. 3. figge for him resist him onely and hee will flie from you pray to your Father to free you from temptations and iâ— he doe not free you from them yet he Iam. 4. 7. will deliuer you from euill The particuler poynts of his temptations I will briefely touch Hee telâ— you that the word of God is false This is the first lesson that the Diuel teacheth and it is his way to makâ— men Atheist But you must tell hiâ— that God is as true of his word as hâ— is false of his God is the God of truth Psal 31. 5. Io. 8. 44. and the Diuel is the father of a lye Iâ— is not possible that God should lye Iâ— is not possible but the Diuel should lye Heb. 6. 18. say you vnto your soule I must beleeue the truth and not a lye least I turne Rom. 1. 25. Gods truth into a lye for he that beleeueth not God hath made him a lyer 1. Io. 5. â—0 I will rather beleeue the creator then the creature the maker then the destroyer of man and that which will saue me then that which will condemne me yea let God be true euery Rom. 3. 4. Iam. 1. 18. Diuel and man a lyer As for the word of god it is the word of truth it is righteousnes altogether euery word thereof is pure endureth for euer This the Psal 19. 9. godly show who onely loue it this the wicked shew who only hate it this the Pro. 39. 5. 1 Pet. 1. 25. spirit witnesseth in the hearts of Gods Children this the power thereof proclaimeth in the conuersion of soules this experience of all times and places maketh euident the wicked know it to their cost both men and Diuels the faithfull to their comfort Next if Satan seeke to lay your sinnes before your eyes thereto you must lay the sufferings of Christ before your eyes If he accuse you tell him the accuser Reu. 12. 10. of brethren is cast out If hee charge your conscience with your sins aske him who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen If he condemne â—om 8. 33. 34. you for them say it is God that iustifieth who shall then condemne If he say your sinnes are many and more then can be pardoned tell him where Rom. 15. 20. sinne aboundeth grace ouer aboundeth If he say you are the greatest sinner in the world tell him it is true but Christ came into the world to saue sinners whereof I am the chiefe If he 1. Tim. 1. 15. alleadge the greatnes of the guilt say though my sinnes be as red as Scarlet Esa 1 18. yet hee will make them as white as Snowe If he say suppose some of thy sinnes be clensed yet not all say that the bloud of Christ clenseth vs from all 1. Io. 1. 7. sinnes If he say Christ dyed for some but not for all say he is the reconciliation 1. Io. 2. 2. of the sinnes of the whole world he is the Sauiour of all men but specially of them that beleeue If he say suppose God pardon thee it is but for a season till thou sinne againe tell him 1. Tim. 4 10. Ier. 32. 31. 34 againe of the new couenant of God which sayeth I will forgiue their iniquitie and will remember their sinnes no more If he say in all this thou presumest 2. Cor. 7. 10 shew him your godly sorrow which causeth repentance to saluation If he say how knowest thou whether God will accept of thy repentance or not tell him if we acknowledge our 1. Io. 1. â— sinnes God is faithfull and iust to forgiue our Sinnes and to clense vs from all vnrighteousnes If hee say thy sorrow is dispaire examine your selfe 2. Cor. 13. 5 whether you be in the faith and say to God I beleeue Lord helpe my vnbeleife Marke 9. 24 If he say thy faith is fained dead and false say vnto him hee that beleeueth 1. Io. 5. 10. in the Sonne hath witnes in himselfe as for thee O Sathan I will Iam. 2. 18. shew thee my faith by my woâ—kes If he say thy obedience is but fained dead and false and you are but an Hypocrite say of yourselfe I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not thereby iustified 1. Cor. 4 4. Turne vnto God and say O that my wayes were directed to keepe thy Psal 1. 9. 5. 80. statutes Keepe my heart vpright iâ— thy statutes that I be not ashamed if he say thou aâ—t accursed because thou contine west not in all things that are written say againe Christ hath redeemed Gal. 3. 13. me from the curse of the law when he was made a curse for one If he say thy coruptions be strange and Rom. 7. 24. 25. many cry out O miserable man that I am who shall deliuer me from this body of death I thanke God through Iesus Christ Pray vnto God create a Psal 51. 10. cleane heart O Lord â—enue a right spirit within me If he say for all this thou shalt be condemned because Gods iudgements be exact and giueth euery man according to his workes say there Rom. 8. 1. is no condemnation to them that are in Christ to them that walke not after the flesh but after the spirit lastly if he say yet thou canst haue no peace of conscience but perpetuall wound say the Lord speaketh peace to his people Psal 85. 8. and to his Saints that they turne