8. Ephes. 6. 16. Psal. 91. 13. Thou shalt walk vpon the Lion and Asp the yong Lion and the Dragon shalt thou tread vnder feete Lidia How is this resistance confirmed Paul To confirme this these preseruatiues which follow are very necessary 1. When you are tempted to sinne do not only abstaine from it but earnestly loue and follow after the contrary Iohn 8. 44. 2. Neuer yeeld or consent to Satans words whether he speake the truth accuse falsly or flatter dissemblingly Iohn 8. 44. Ye are of your father the diuell and the lusts of your father ye will do he hath bin a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him when he speaketh a lie then speaketh he of his owne for he is a lier and the father thereof Marke 1. 24. And cried with a loud voice and said What haue I to do with thee Iesus the sonne of the most high God And Iesus said Hold thy peace and come out of him Act. 16. 17. She followed Paul and vs and cried saying These men are the seruants of the most high God which shew vnto vs the way of saluation c. August serm 241. 3. One temptation is to be looked for after another and then especially when our enemie after he hath set his snares is at rest for the diuel neuer maketh an end of his malice 1. Pet. 5. 8. Lidia I haue heard how to resist teach me I pray you what is his fall Paul The fall is whereby the souldier through infirmitie fainteth being subdued by the power of the enemie Gal. 6. 1. Brethrē if a man be fallen by occasion into any fault ye which are spirituall restore such a one with the spirit of meeknesse considering thy selfe least thou also be tempted Lidia If I fall how may I rise Paul To this appertaineth the spirituall remedie now a remedie is a thing hauing aptnesse to restore him which is fallen to his former estate Gal. 6. 1. And here two things must alwayes be thought on 1. If there be a willing mind euery one is accepted for that grace which he hath not for that which he hath not 2. Corint 8. 12 For if there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not 2. In all these things whosoeuer wil leade a godly life in Christ the power of God is to be made perfect through their infirmitie 2. Cor. 12. 9. And he said vnto me My grace is sufficient for thee for my power is made perfect through weaknesse very gladly therefore will I reioyce rather in mine infirmities that the power of God may dwell in me 10. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities in reproches in necessities in persecutions in anguish for Christs sake for when I am weake then am I strong Lidia But since Satan is mine aduersarie instruct me how many his assaults be Paul Assaults are three-fold Lidia VVhich is the first Paul The first is about the Christian mans effectuall calling and the temptation is the enterprise of the Diuell to blindfold mans mind and to harden his hart lest the word of God should work in him to saluation Mat. 1◠4. And as he sowed some fell by the way side and the fowles came and deuoured them vp 5. And some fell vpon stonie ground where they had no◠much earth and anon they sprang vp because they had no depth of earth 6. And when the sun rose vp they were parched for lack of rooting withered away 7. And some fell among thornes and the thornes sprung vp and choked them 19. Whensoeuer a man heareth the word of the kingdome and vnderstandeth it not the euill one cometh and catcheth away that which was sowne in his heart and this is he which hath receiued the seed by the way side Lidia How may I resist this assault Paul A resistance in those that are called is wrought by the spirit of God that causeth men to lend their eares to heare and doth ingraffe the word in their hearts that the immortall seed of regeneration may spring in them Psal. 40. 6. Ioh. 6. 44. Act. 16. 14. Iam. 1. 21. Wherefore lay apart all filthinesse and superfluitie of maliciousnes and receiue with meeknes the word that is graffed in you which is able to saue your soules 1. Pet. 1. 22. Seeing your soules are purified in obeying the truth through the spirit to loue brotherly without faining loue one another with a pure heart feruently 1. Ioh. 3. 9. Whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not for his seed remaineth in him neither cā he sin because he is borne of God A resistance in those that are to be called is when in a sincere heart they do ioyne the word which they haue heard with faith Luke 8. 15. But that which fell in good ground are they which with an honest and good heart heare the word and keepe it and bring forth fruit with patience Heb. 4. 2. Lidia What certaine preseruatiues are to be noted in this resistance Paul 1. Premeditation of the power and vse of the word Eccles. 4. 17. Take heed to thy feete when thou entrest into the house of the Lord and be more neare to heare then to giue the sacrifice of fooles for they know not that they do euil Cha. 5. 1. Be not rash with thy mouth n◠let thine heart be hastie to vtter a thing before God for God is in the heauen and thou art 〈◊〉 the earth therefore let thy words be few 2. Diligent attentiō of the mind Act. 16. 14. 3. An hungring desire of the heart Ioh. 7. 37. Now in the last and great day of the feast Iesus stood and cried saying If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke 4. Integritie of life Psal. 26. 6. 5. The casting away of euill affections Iam. 1. 22. And be ye doers of the word and n◠hearers onely deceiuing your owne soules 6. The inward consent and agreement of the heart with the word preached Act. 2. 37. 7. An hiding of the word in the heart lest we should sinne Psalm 119. 11. I haue hid thy word in mine heart that I might not sinne against thee 8. A trembling at the presence of God in the assembly of the Church Esa. 66. 2. For all these things hath mine hand made and all these things haue bene saith the Lord and to him will I looke euen to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my words Act. 10. 33. Then sent I for thee immediatly and thou hast well done to come now therefore are we all here present before God to heare all things that are commaunded thee of God Lidia The God of power preserue me from this assault by these preseruatiues but how may I fall in this temptation Paul Your fall is either by a coldnesse in receiuing the word and a neglect therof or else by falling into errors Lidia What
in the world that the diuell can carrie a man or woman from one countrey to another if God giue him leaue but so as he cannot do it with such celeritie and expedition as men imagine Some foolishly thinke he can carrie one many hundred miles in an houre which is a thing impossible for such a violent motion would stop a mans breath as we see if a man fall from the toppe of an high steeple his wind is gone ere he come halfe the way to the ground Againe hence we see that the diuell may by Gods permission haue power ouer the bodies of godly men and those which haue greatest graces and strongest faith in God For seeing he had power ouer the bodie of Christ to transport it from place to place by the permission of God why may he not if God giue him leaue haue power of any mās bodie though he be neuer so true a beleeuer If he had power in the head why not in the mēbers if he had power to annoy Iob to kill his childrē destroy thē though they were no doubt the holy seruants of God why may not the diuell haue power ouer our bodies to carie a mā frō one place to another If the Diuell could by Gods permissiō tormēt the bodie of one that was a daughter of faithfull Abraham and euen 18. yeares afflict her so as she was bruised and bowed together by Satan then no doubt he can do the lesse to remoue mens bodies from place to place And this may serue to admonish those who thinke their faith is so strong that the diuel cannot annoy thē or any way bewitch them But if the diuell haue power by Gods permission to torment the bodies of the faithfull yea to destroy the bodies of Iobs childrē who no doubt were the true seruants of God he may if God giue him leaue bewitch the godliest man that liueth For we know what the holy Ghost faith that all things fall out and all things come alike to good and bad and there is no difference in outward things oftentimes betweene the children of God and the wicked To the holy citie That is Ierusalem Luk. 4. 9. Now this citie was called holy for sundrie causes First because in Ierusalem was the temple of the Lord where were the sacrifices and other ceremonies prescribe◠by God for his own worship Secondly i◠the temple they had the law of God and the bookes of Moses and the Prophets read an◠expounded vnto them Thirdly becaus◠Ierusalem was a mother Church frō whenc◠religion did flow and was dispersed into many places of the world Now for these considerations Ierusalem is called the holy citie This church at Ierusalem though it hao many corruptions in it yet our Sauiour Christ cals it holy and it was a true Church of God Then hence I conclude that the Church of God in England though there be in it many blemishes corruptions yet may it be and in truth is the true Church of God For the Church of God in England is proprotionable to the Church at Ierusalē for as they had Moses and the Prophets read and expounded so haue we nay we haue the Gospell now soundly preached which they then had not in so plaine and plentifull manner as we haue They had the Sacraments of the old Testament so we haue Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord. Their Church was a mother church to deriue Religion to many other and though our Church cannot be called a Mother church yet it may be truly called a nourcing Church to many neighbour churches round about vs. As Christ and his Apostles did not therfore separate themselues or refuse to ioyne with them in the seruice of God because of the corruptions in this church at Ierusalem but did teach and preach in the Temple so none may therefore separate themselues and refuse to ioyne with the people of God in his seruice and worship because of some few corruptions that remaine in it Nay such as for these do separate themselues from Gods people do cut themselues from Christ himselfe seeing they seuer themselues from the Church of God If any shall say that the church of Rome is the true Church of God as well as the Church of Ierusalem seeing the Romish church hath as many priuiledges as the Church at Ierusalem I answer By examining the particulars it will appeare to the contrarie As first the Church of Rome braggeth that she hath her succession from the Apostles but I answer succession from persons without succession in the Apostles doctrine can be no true note of the Church Secondly the Church of Rome hath the sacrament of Baptisme yet that proues he◠not the true Church for in Samaria they had the Sacrament of circumcision and so in other places and yet it cannot be proued that they were the true Churches of God Besides I answer the church of Rome hath baptisme no otherwise then a theefe hath a true mans purse now it cannot be said that a theefe is therefore a true man because he hath a true mans purse Lastly though the Church of Rome haue the outward baptisme yet she in doctrine ouerturnes the inward baptisme namely the true imputed iustification and inherent sanctification of Christ by the spirit 3 The Church of Rome holdeth the Apostles Creed but it is onely in word for the truth is their God whome they worship is an Idoll and their Christ is a false counterfeit Christ forged by their owne braine as may appeare to all that will search their doctrine 4 She saith that they hold the word of God and the writings of the Apostles but it will appeare in their writings that they hold it but in shew not in truth for in the maine grounds of religion they ouerturne the doctrine of the Prophets Apostles Againe they hold the Scriptures but as a lanthorn holds the candle not for it selfe but for those that passe by so the Church of Rome haue the word of God not for themselues but for the good of Gods children which euer lye hid in the middest of Poperie 5 She brags that she is the mother-church of many Churches I answer we must consider that citie as Rome is and as Rome was the old Rome which was in the time of Paul was the true Church of God but as for that old Rome it is dead and buried and this new Rome is that whore of Babylon no mother-church but a cruell step-mother to Religion By al this we may see that the present church of Rome is no Church of God but onely in name and outward shew And seeing that the Diuell tempts our Sauiour Christ in the holy citie we learne that there is no place so holy but the Diuell can broach his temptations in it as we may see Zach. 3. 1. 2. and therfore this condemnes that dotage and sorcery of the Church of Rome who teach that their charmed holy water their
got the victorie Nay all the comfort of Gods children stands in this victorie of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ because now Christ stood in our stead and was tempted for our sakes so that he being our head and getting victorie ouer the diuel the Church euery member of the Church in Iesus Christ got victorie ouer Satan In the victorie we are to obserue two things First that the Diuell departed from him Secondly the Angels ministred vnto him In this departing of the Diuell from Christ we may behold the vnspeakable goodnesse of God to his Church for that which befell Christ befalleth the Church of God Now the Diuell hauing tempted Christ in three seuerall and sore temptations he encountred him in all three and resisted the Diuell in all his temptations and then the Diuell leaueth him and goeth his way Wherein we see the endlesse loue of God in that he puts an end to the afflictions of his Church though they be many and sore yet they shall last but a time and haue an end So the Lord speaketh of Salomon If he sinne I will chastise him with the rods of men and with the plagues of the children of men such as should not be too extreame but that he should be able to beare So the Prophet Habacuck he in the first chapter breaketh out into impatient speeches for the afflictions of the Church but chap. 2. vers 3. the Lord bids him waite and tels him it shall be amended and that he will put an end to their miseries the Lord hath promised that he will not suffer his children to be tempted aboue that they shall be able to beare but shall find a blessed issue of their temptations The two Prophets which were slaine for doing their message and for the testimonie of Iesus lay vnburied three dayes and an halfe but after the Lord puts into them the spirit of life againe and they reuiued and stood vp before the Lord and they that saw them shall be afraid and see them ascend vp into heauen So that we may see the Lord in mercie puts an end to all the afflictions of his children And this we may see by dayly experience some of Gods children are visited with grieuous and fearefull temptations some halfe a yeare some a whole yeare some two three foure ten yeares yet at length the Lord giues them a good issue and puts an end to their miserie and in stead of horror of conscience sends them comfort in stead of griefe ioy vnspeakable And though the Lord should suffer them to be tempted all their life long til their dying day yet then the Lord would giue them a blessed issue of all their miseries and fill their soules with exceeding comfort Here we see a notable differeÌ„ce betweene the first Adam and the second Adam The first Adam was tempted and yeelded to Satans temptations and suffered the Diuell to enter into his hart the second Adam Iesus Christ he was likewise tempted yet he yeelded not to the least assault of the Diuell neither could he euer enter into his holy heart but departeth from him and is faine to leaue him In this departure of the Diuell from Christ first marke when he departed secondly for how long he departed For the first Then the Diuell left him that is after the three temptations were ended and Christ had in great indignation bid him auoide Satan for his blasphemous speeches then the Diuell departed Here we see the best way to put the Diuell to flight and to giue him the repulse namely to resist him at the first giue him no ground But as S. Iames saith Resist the diuell and he will flie from thee when as we depend on Gods word and the blessed promises of the Gospell praying for grace from God to resist satan he shal neuer preuaile against vs but will depart And therefore it is but foolishnesse to thinke or imagine that he can be put to flight by musick merry companie sports and pastimes or such like vanities but the onely meanes to cause him to depart is the word and prayer by them alone he is resisted They take a bad course who thinke they may yeeld to Satans temptations when they are yong and purpose in their old age to resist him but if we euer yeeld vnto him we do set open the doore of our hearts vnto the Diuel we do willingly receiue him and bid him welcom and then he will not easily be driuen away nay we shal find it a hard matter if not impossible to put him to flight in our old age But as men in a dropsie the more they drinke the more they desire so the more men yeeld to his temptations the more violently will he set vpon them After that our sauiour Christ saith vnto him Auoide Satan presently he departeth and is obedient to his commaundement What was this any vertue in the Diuel to obey Christs commandement No surely it was no vertue in the Diuell for we are to vnderstand there be two kinds of obedience one is voluntary and chearfull the other by constraint and forced Voluntary obedience is that when any of the creatures of God do willingly through Gods grace mouing them obey the commaundement of God as all the good Angels of God and Adam before his fall and all the children of God that be effectually called iustified and sanctified do willingly and with chearfulnesse yeeld obedience vnto God in part Besides this there is a constrained obedience when one is vrged and compelled whether he will or not to obey another as one that is a malefactor being condemned to die he is obedient and yeeldeth himself to death he submitteth him selfe because he must neither will nor choose So the Diuell here obeyeth the voice of Christ and departeth at his commaundement but this obedience in him is no vertue because he was compelled to do it and could do none otherwise And that which here befell the Diuel shall befall all wicked impenitent sinners if they will not now obey the commandement of Christ to repent and beleeue the Gospell they shall one day in spite of their teeth be constrained will they nil they to obey that commandement at the last day of iudgement Depart ye cursed into euerlasting fire prepared for the diuell and his angels The consideratioÌ„ of this one point should 〈◊〉 all men now in the time of grace to yeeld hearty and willing obedience to the voice of Christ in repenting and turning to God leâ—â— one day we be constrained to yeeld to our eternall confusion Luke 4. 13. he saith When the diuel 〈◊〉 ended all the temptation then he departed VVhere we may note that before the Diuelâ— left our Sauiour Christ he imployed all 〈◊〉 might skill subtiltie and fraud in temptiâ—â— of Christ. And from this malicious practâ—â— of the diuell we may gather that Christ was tempted with no smal and easie temptation but that he was tempted in the