the valley of Meseck and in tents of Kedar And the Apostle Saint Paul could say O miserable man that I am who shall deliver mee from this body of death Finally the flesh is an enemy exceedingly politique for howsoever the power of the flesh be great yet the policie thereof is greater because it is not a publique enemy but a home-bred and domestique traitor therfore by the subtile sleight cunning undermining thereof many times we fall and are overthrowne From hence it is that the Prophet Ieremy forewarneth us of the policy thereof whilst hee saith The heart of man is desperately wicked and deceitfull above all things none can know it but the Lord that made it Wouldst thou know and try this O man go home to thy heart and see how it dealeth with thee The world is a great temptation and a great tempter Sathan also hath many temptations and is an arch tempter but what can the temptations of the world do to thee or what can all the temptations of the devill do against thee except thy owne heart and thy owne flesh deceive and betray thee for as Sathan said to Christ Cast thy selfe downe c. and as Iohn said to Iesabel Who is there on our side c. so doth Sathan say to man whilst by the flesh hee tempteth him except wee cast our selves downe except the flesh be on his side within us neither prosperity nor adversity famine nor nakednesse life nor death can ever prejudice us But if in these baits hee can hire our owne flesh against us wee are easily overcome and like another Aza hyring a Benhadad against us Israel getteth the foile and the best treasures of Gods house are but a prey to him Vse Thus having deciphered our inbred enemy it becommeth us carefully to watch over it for the spirit may well bee ready but the flesh is weake Let us therefore deale with this our domesticall adversary as the citizens of a besieged city do with their inbred traitors if any city were besieged with forraigne forces and they knew that they harboured a traitor within their bosome they would give no rest to their eye-lids nor slumber to their eyes till they should apprehend disarme condemne and put him to death So is it with us our citadell the soule is besieged by a fierce and for raigne enemy wee have a traitor lurking in our bosome our owne flesh Let us therefore with all speed rise up against it disarme it by fasting and prayer let us beate it downe and bring it in subjection and let us mortifie the lusts thereof by the spirit and wee shall be sure that God shall shortly tread it under foot and give us the victory for it is written The elder shall serve the younger The last enemy we have to fight against is the Devill a chiefe and arch enemy for he goeth about cōtinually seeking how hee may devour us No time can free us from his temptation the morning the noonetide of the day or the midnight of darknes No place not the throne of judgment nor the street of our trade nor the cabinet where wee rest No person also is free from him he spared not the first Adam nor did hee spare the second Adam How are the sonnes of the first Adam according to the flesh and the sonnes of the second Adam according to the spirit free from his assaults No surely wee may not nor cannot be free from them But wouldst thou know O man the manner of his fight Know that the temptations of Sathan have three gradations even the same which every voluntary action of man whether good or bad hath in it For in the soule of man there are 3 faculties one sensitive another appetitive the third locomotive And the actions of these three faculties are accordingly three sense appetite motion For first a man sees or heares an object presented to his eyes or eares the sense representeth the object to our appetite or delight the delight or will either imbraceth or refuseth the object and this wee call the motion Now as it is in every action so is it in the temptations of Sathan for first hee bewitcheth the sense secondly hee inflameth the appetite and thirdly hee procureth the action Would wee have this made more cleare I will Looke on David when hee fell in adultery how playd Sathan the souldier with him Hee first fascined or bewitched his sense for it is written Hee saw a woman washing her selfe and the woman was beautifull Secondly inflamed his delight for it is written Hee sent messengers and enquired after the woman and shee came in unto him Thirdly by both of these and from both of these hee procureth and propagateth the action for it is written And hee lay with her Againe if this one example sufficeth not behold another When the woman saw that the fruit was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to bee desired to make one wise shee tooke of the fruit and did eate Behold here also a third It is confessed by Achan when hee saw amongst the spoyles a goodly Babilonish garment and a wedge of gold of fifty shickles then I coveted them and tooke them These three then sense desire and motion as they are in every action so they are in every temptation For Sathan in his temptations first besiegeth our senses and seeing they are the gates of the soule these being opened hee windes himselfe into our delight and appetite and being there shall wee thinke that he who hath taken paines to gather so many stickes together will not take paines to blow a fire to warme himselfe No no hee is an angell of darknesse but there hee transformeth himselfe into an angell of light there he speaketh evill of Good and good of evill and there hee putteth bitter for sweete and sweet for sowre Last of all when by the abuse of our senses hee hath captivated our affections thinkest thou that hee will leave that fire which hee hath blown so much untill it burn No no I tell thee he will not leave it till it burst forth in a flame and till thou burne in the midst of it Will the husbandman when hee casteth his seede in the ground fall too and plow up the ground againe without hope of harvest No surely in patience hee will wait for it and first let it come to a blade then to a stalke then to an eare then to be ripened and last of all hee cutteth it downe and bringeth it into his barne I will assure thee it is so with Sathan for though hee bee not a husbandman yet hee is an envious man and whilst the husbandman sleepeth hee soweth tares amongst the wheat And though he seeme to mis-know it yet is not he carelesse of it but by all meanes hee watereth it with the stolne waters of pleasure untill hee bring it to harvest and maturity Hee can say to the young man Rejoyce O yong man in thy youth and let thy heart cheere thee
promulgated wee shall finde it that it is onely to the elect vessels of mercy and to the children of Gods free love whereas to the reprobate men and Angels there is neither promise nor hope of pardon left For their judgement is sealed and their condemnation sleepes not Againe as to Jesus Christ the mediator of the new covenant a free pardon hee obtained not he paid the utmost farthing that was requisite for the satisfaction of the justice of God onely to man and the elect amongst the sonnes of men hath God voluntarily and freely forgiven the burthen and the debt of sinne And I call this a voluntary and free forgivenesse for three respects In respect of God the Father in respect of God the Sonne and in respect of God the Holy Ghost For I say first in respect of God the Father for hee who said In the day that thou shalt eate thou shalt surely die said also the seed of the woman shall tread downe the head of the serpent And againe God so loved the world that hee sent his owne Sonne to the death of the Crosse that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have eternall life It is free also in respect of God the Sonne for hee as willingly and freely assented to the great worke of mans redemption howsoever the way was sharpe and thorny as the Father was willing in his eternall wisedome to propose it And therefore it is written of him that he laid his life down and tooke it up againe hee laid it downe for none could take it from him and hee tooke it up againe for it was impossible that hee could bee holden of the sorrows of the grave Lastly the pardon and remission of our sinnes is free in respect of God the Holy Ghost for willingly and freely without any merit on our part he commeth downe and dwelleth in our soules illuminates our understanding rectifieth our will sanctifieth our affections makes intercession for us with sighs and groanes that cannot be expressed and keepes us by the power of his grace through faith to eternall salvation for it is written Because wee are sonnes God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts whereby we cry Abba Father And againe because wee of our selves know neither how to pray nor what to pray the spirit helpeth our infirmities and maketh intercession for us with sighs that cannot bee expressed And also it is written That as hee hath begotten us to a lively hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the death to an inheritance which is immortall and undefiled that withers not away but is reserved for us in the heavens So also he keeps us by the power of the Spirit through faith to eternall salvation Vse Now having thus cleared the meaning of the word it rests that wee make use of it for our instructions and the uses that arise from it are two the one serveth for rebuke the other for comfort the rebuke falleth on the Church of Rome the comfort shall returne to us and to every soule in whom the grace of God dwelleth The rebuke that ariseth to the Church of Rome is this in these words wee are commanded to crave pardon for our debts in the plurall number and indefinitely now wee know this to bee true that those Propositions which are indefinite are universall in correspondence Whilst then wee crave pardon and forgivenesse of our debts wee universally begge mercy and pardon for all our sinnes for both originall and actuall sins For our sinnes of infirmity and our sins of presumption for sinfull omissions and commissions for the sinfull thoughts of our heart and words of our mouth and actions of our conversation Now in respect of all these wee have need to draw neere unto God and to say Forgive What meane those Doctors of the Romish Church to teach that there is a sort of sinne which in it selfe and of it selfe is veniall and that some onely are mortall but it is cleare out of the word of God that there is not any sin which is not mortall for every sinne is a breach of the law and every sinne and transgression shall receive a just recompence of reward Hee that sinneth without the law shall perish without the law and hee that sinneth under the law shall bee judged by the law and againe The wages of sinne is death I graunt indeed if wee looke to that excellent price that was given for our sinnes no sinnes are mortall for such is the worth and excellencie of that blood of Jesus which speaketh better things then the blood of Abell that whosoever shall have part in it shall stand without spot or blemish before the presence of the glory of God with joy and whosoever shall have but a drop of it to sprinkle on the posts of the doore of his soule the destroying Angell shall not come neere him but though his sinnes were as red as scarlet yet by vertue of his blood they shall bee as white as snow But on the other part if thou shalt looke upon thy sinne in its owne nature and because of thy esteeme and account of it it seeme veniall to thee wilt thou therefore say that it is veniall in it selfe O foole that thou art thou deceives thy owne soule The smallest coyne and the basest bullion that beareth the Kings stampe on it is as currant as the richest and purest gold that is seaven times tryed in the fire and to counterfeit that coyne is as reall treason as hee that either adulterates or falsifies the purest coyne It is so with us in our debts to God the meanest offence wee can commit is as culpable of judgement as those that are of greater nature for wee must not judge of our sinnes according to the quantity number or quality but chiefly according to the person and Majestie against whom they are committed Is not hee as great a theefe that robs the cottage of the poore as hee that robs the Palace of the Prince yes surely and greater for the Prinâ—e hath wherewithall to repaire his losse but the poore hath not Tell mee I pray you is there any sinne in the world smaller then the point of a thorne no surely yet the meanest thorne that was in the crowne of Christ drew blood of him The thornes that were in that crown were thy sinnes it was thy sinnes that drew blood of him and peirced his heart while there came blood and water out of it gushing and yet vaine man that thou art thou wilt say they are veniall how canst thou call that veniall and of no weight which was rated at so great a value as the sufferings of the Sonne of God the least drop of whose blood was of more worth then all the worme-eaten children of men on the earth Looke never therefore O man upon â—hy sinne in the judgement and with the eyes of nature that is but a false prospective and deceiving glasse looke on it as it lay on the backe
in thy young dayes Hee can say to the covetous man Pull downe thy barnes and make them more large and then cry a peace to thy soule Hee can say to the furious man Smite him at once that thou may not smite him the second time And What thou dost do quickly And in a word whatsoever seed of iniquity or bitter root of corruption hee soweth or planteth in our hearts this is his policy hee first bewitcheth the sense then enflameth the appetite or desire and last of all he bringeth sinne to accomplishment Vse In respect hereof it becommeth us carefully to watch over our senses as the gates and dores of our soules Secondly to keepe a guard about our affections that though our senses be infected yet our hearts be not affected Psal 139. And last of all wee should be earnest and carefull to mortifie both of these least their infection prevayling sin in thee come to a maturity and thou reape as thou hast sowne for hee that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption and hee that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reape life and glory and honor and life immortality Thus whilst wee seeke to bee free from temptations wee seek to be freed from the temptations of the devill the world and the flesh And if God at any time shall suffer us to fall into these temptations wee then begge of him that wee may not bee overcome of them Non enim petimus ut non tentemur sed ut a tentatione non vincamur Now followeth the third thing remarkable in the words and that is who are the souldiers that must fight the battell To this I answer all those that are subject to temptation the whole have no neede of the physitian but the sicke if any man therefore thinke himself free from the dint of temptation forbeare to say Lead us not into temptation but if none can exempt himselfe then what I say to one I say to all Watch and pray that yee enter not into temptation But that I may speake more clearely The souldiers of this Christian warfare are all those who are members of the mysticall body of Jesus To what end else hath hee clothed them with his livory put his badge on them given them their earnest and covered them under his banner hee hath clothed us with his livory whilst he hath imputed to us his righteousnesse hee hath put his badge on us whilst hee hath baptized us in his name hee hath given us earnest whilst hee hath given us the first fruits of the Spirit to dwell in us and hee hath convocated us under his banner whilst hee calleth to bee within the pale and precinct of his Church But this is not all thou wilt enquire yet who are those to whom hee hath concredited these endowments I answer the Saints militant and tryumphant By the Saints militant I understand men and women on earth By the Saints tryumphant I understand those who fought the fight finished their course and now are entred into their masters joy But here two questions may arise the first is this Have none beene tempted but the sonnes and daughters of men I answer none for howsoever it be true that Jesus Christ was the Sonne of God yet as the sonne of man hee was also tempted with us and that for these foure causes First Ad cautelam 2. In auxilium 3. Ad exemplum 4. In fiduciam The sonne of God was tempted in our flesh for our caution and for warning sake that looking on him no man might thinke himselfe set free from temptation for if hee hath not spared the Cedar of Lybanon how shall hee spare us poore Isop bushes Secondly hee was tempted for our assistance and aid for what shall it availe a man to know that his enemy approacheth against him unlesse hee be able to resist him therefore Christ came and in our flesh was tempted also that hee might deliver us in all our temptations both from the feare of death and from him who had the power of death the devill Thirdly hee was tempted for our example for as hee said of himselfe learne of me for I am mecke and lowly and as the Evangelist St Iohn saith of his washing of his disciples feet I have given you an example that you should do one to another as I have done to you So also hath hee suffered our temptations and was tempted like unto us that hee might leave us an example to follow his foot steps 1. Pet. 2.21 Fourthly hee was tempted for our comfort and assurance of victory for it is written Heb. 4.15 Wee have not such an High Priest as cannot be touched with our infirmities but hee was tempted in all things like unto us yet without sinne Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace and wee shall finde grace to helpe us in the time of need The second question is this Who are those amongst the sonnes and daughters of men who can truly say that they are tempted to this I answer If temptation be a fight those onely are truly said to be tempted who do bravely couragiously resist and fight against their adversary It is not the sluggard that lyeth down to sleepe nor the coward that rūneth away nor the feeble hearted that yeeldeth that can truly be called the souldies of God but they only who hold fast what they have received who stand fast within the liberty wherewith they are made free and who continue constant unto the end that as the good souldiers of Jesus Christ shall receive the crowne Seeing then amongst the sonnes of men there are some who are in the gall of bitternesse who are taken captive of Sathan at his will who are given over to their vile affections and to the power of error 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sure I am these are not worthy of the title of this fight nor to have their names billeted for the souldiers of Jesus onely they then in whom though sinne dwell yet doth not raigne are the true soldiers of Jesus who can with Abraham refuse to be enriched from Sodome and with Moses refuse to leave a howfe behind him are worthy and shall be clothed in white and receive a white stone and in it a new name which no man knoweth but hee that possesseth it Vse Now what shall I say concerning man the Christian souldier and the necessity of his resistance Alas there is so much in man enemy to man and so little left in him that is able to resist or fight for him much lesse to triumph and conquer or subdue his enemy to him I thinke I can onely intreat man to looke continually on his captaine And yet because hee must either fight or else never tryumph there are two things of which I would advertise him First let him not thrust himselfe into temptation unlesse as David said There be a cause And that with Jesus hee bee led with the spirit For our adversaries are