ashes but make them flame forth without which diligence in the imployment of grace and of thy spirituall armour The Christians armour against temptations to sinne Psal 51.6 1 His girdle Sincerity Christ and his benefits proue fruitles and vnprofitable Satan preuaileth ouer vs. Art thou strongly tempted to any sin Be thou first then girt about with truth with that truth which God desireth in the inward parts that is with sincerity set thy selfe in Gods presence respect not secrecy with man but in conscience of thy dutie to God answer it and say with good Ioseph in like case How can I doe this great wickednes Gen. 39.9 and sinne against God Thus if we can walke sincerely we may with much comfort for all our failings in our greatest troubles feares say with good King Hezekiah Remember now Isa 38.3 O Lord J beseech thee how I haue walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart c. 2 his Brest-plate a good conscience Againe looke to thy Brestplate of righteousnes namely the righteousnes of a good conscience and doe nothing against conscience alwayes auoyding euill and keeping thy selfe in the wayes of God at least indeauour so to doe and this thine indeauour shall at least keepe thee from being mortally wounded this Breastplate will preserue the vitall parts Thirdly 3 His Shoes Patience if by afflictions for the Gospel thou beest tempted to forsake the Gospell or to curse God as the deuill intended in his tempting of Iob then let thy feet be shod with the preparation of the Gospell of peace that is with true Patience which the knowledge of the Gospell of peace and the assurance of our reconciliation with God will worke in vs arming vs as with shooes and greeues against the stones thornes and prickings of afflictions assuring our selues that neither the afflictions which wee indure nor the temptation to sin by affliction shall hurt vs being in Christ but shall indeed both of them turne to our good Fourthly and aboue all take the Shield of faith looke to Gods power and his assistance Rom. 8.28 4 His Shield Faith look to his gracious promises and so make resistance to the tēptation by faith and herewith you shall bee able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked Though the assault be strong and that the deuill seeme by his temptation neere preuailing to cast thee into the fire of lust and into the waters of flowing pleasures to destroy thee as hee did him that had the dumbe spirit yet if thou canst beleeue as our Sauiour said to that parties father All things are possible to him that beleeueth Mark 9.22 23. Thus by faith thou shalt be able to subdue all enemies and to do all things if therby thou beest in Christ and fleest to Christ thou shalt find thy selfe able to say with Paul Phil. 4 13. I can doe all things through Christ which strengtheneth me But moreouer thou must also take the Helmet of saluation 5 His Helmet Hope which is Hope and being tempted with the vain things of this life which would allure thee and withdraw thee from God look to thy hoped saluation and be content to beare or forbeare any thing for the glory that is set before thee euen as Moses being tempted Heb. 11.24 25.26 yet was hee not ouercome with the honour of being sonne in law to Pharaohs daughter with the pleasures of sin for a season or with the riches and treasures of Egypt the worlds god and trinitie which they adore and for which they forsake the only true God the Loue of the Father the grace of the Son the comforts of the holy Ghost and the hope of glory but why did Moses this or how was he armed against these Syrens the text addes for he had respect to the recompence of reward He did all this by faith beleeuing the promises of God and by hope expecting the accomplishment of those promises But there is moreouer afforded another principal piece of armor 6 His Sword Gods word which is as well offensiue as defensiue and it is the Sword of the spirit which is the Word of God With this spirituall sword we being armed with it and vsing it aright may not onely defend our selues from the enemies of truth who would seduce and perswade to errour in iudgement and of holinesse who would allure withdraw vs to sinne but also offend the aduersary driue him away and confound him without which destroying of them wee shall neuer be free from their assaults Wee must then being tempted to any errour and sinne stoutly resist and repell it by the authority of Gods Word so shall we not onely stand against temptation and enemies but driue them away so that they shall no more be able to stand before or against the Word 1 Sam. 5.3.4 then Dagon before the Arke of God Thus our Sauiour assaulted three times by the Deuill by the authoritie of this Word defended himselfe against him in the first and second incounter and in the third quite droue him away Thus wee Mat. 4 4.-7.-10 hauing put Christ on as our Prophet and being well acquainted with his word by hearing reading meditating and often conferring on it are by it safely fenced against our enemies The weapons of our warfare being mightie through God to pull downe holds 2 Cor. 10.4.5 and to cast downe imaginations and euery high thing that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God Our carnall reason and affections shall not preuaile against vs neither shall we wholly or finally fall into heresie and sinne or be carried away with the errour of the wicked Lastly the true Christian 7. His defence and safty by the benefit of Prayer by vertue of his vnion with Christ hath the benefite of Prayer and priuiledge of comming immediately into the presence of God through Christ in whose Name which is vpon him for whose sake hee may aske any thing and bee assured to receiue it Christ hauing suffered Heb. 2.18 being tempted is able to succour them that are tempted So that we haue not an high Priest which cannot bee touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sinne Heb. 4.15.16 hence riseth our boldnesse and the Apostles exhortation Let vs therefore come boldly vnto the throne of grace that wee may attaine mercy and find grace to helpe in time of need This benefit and priuiledge of Prayer and accesse to God which true Christians haue Ephes 6.18.19 is made by Paul either part of his Spirituall Armour cloathing or at least one principall meanes by which wee come to vse our Armour aright setting it downe in the last place as hauing a reference to all and such as implieth a ioynt vse of it with all the rest Master Gouge on on this place as one well noteth for he vseth the Participle Praying as
puts off sin for euer 2 In putting on Christ and so giues it a Bill of Diuorce but so puts on Christ as that hee marries himselfe vnto him for euer neuer casts him off again which hee doth not by his owne power but by the mercy and constant loue of Christ whom he puts on Hos 2.19 who betroths him vnto himselfe for euer This is from hence because Christ to him is such a garment as neuer either weares being yesterday and to day Heb 1.12 True Christians so put on Christ that they put him not off againe and the same for euer or wearies him that puts it on being euer needfull and neuer out of fashion with him In these and in other regards differing frō ordinary clothes which both weare with vsing and with long vsing prooue noysome as wee see it in beggars and the poorer sort as also if especially we speake of our owne nation in a few yeares grow out of fashion so that in that regard hee shall be accounted to be out of fashion that the fashion altering stil vseth that fashion which not very many yeares before some swaggerer began and first tooke vp As doe hypocrites But we may obserue that many who yet in name are Christians accounting but meanly of Christ and of his righteousnes and holines who put him on off at their pleasure and often quite lay him aside vpon like occasions as they doe their owne apparell Some men so put on Christ 1 Are day Christians as they doe their vpper garments as their clokes or gowns which serue their vse when they goe abroad in company but when they returne home they cast them off againe or as their best clothes which they put on only on good daies as they speake and on holy dayes so these men are Saints in the company of Saints and when they are in the eye of the world but when they are only themselues and in secret they are quite other men their secret practises and affections are quite other then were their outward pretences and semblances Such are those whom wee may call Holiday-Christians Or 2 holy-day Christians whose holines and religion they both put on and put off at the Church doore or at least at night on the Sabbaths with their clothes The next day and all the weeke after they put on againe with their older clothes the old man and thinke their formall seruice on the Lords day may serue and excuse them if all the weeke long they in their ordinary imployments looke not to Christ at all or to his word 3 So such as put of Christ in the heart of persecution When the heat of Sūmer comes men cast off such clothes as they kept on formerly as now prouing but thensome a wearinesse vnto them euen so many who in the Churches peace made faire shewes of constant profession and that they put on Christ yet they being as the times perhaps serued of a luke-warme and Laodican temper when with Peter they come to warme themselues in the high Priests Hall to bee threatned with fire and fagot then with him Christis denied and quite put off though in such case if any be as Peter was Christ will not finally suffer himselfe to be cast off but in mercy will sticke close to them Luk 22 55.56.57-61 and keepe himselfe on by remembring them of their dutie whereas such as are wholly vnsound though they cast off Christ as Peter did yet they put him not surer on againe as he did and therby shew their vnsoundnesse 4 So such as whose graces were out The like is also done when mens apparell either weare away into holes or weare out of fashion strange apparell comming more in fashion and so they becomming ashamed therof cast them off and take other Euen thus it is with hypocrites whose best graces being but in hypocrisie and not deepely rooted in the heart soone weare out when occasion requires they should be much vsed their Faith prooues temporary their Loue cooles their Hope languisheth their Patience is soone wearied and generally being long holden to it they weary of well doing the waters of their Cisterne are soone dried vp with the heate of the Sun and their hastie crop soon withereth like the grasse on the house top their thinne and fine clothes soone weare to pieces when they come to labour and worke in the furnace of affliction for the Gospell Or otherwise before persecution comes strange outlandish apparell 3 Such as change good customes for bad Heathenish or Popish customes of seruing God come in fashion with men of this world and so they grow ashamed of their older but better clothes and putting them off by littles take on them the Popish guise and habite being told hee is no Gentleman that is no Papist and thus shaming to professe Christ in the simplicitie of the Gospell and to be clothed as he himselfe was clothed on earth with a plaine coat without seame welt or gard they now serue God according to the pompe pride of Popery where in their Priestes vestments Christ is put on onely on the backe and outside not in the heart and in the puritie of his worship so when they in their Massings or otherwise haue played their pageants they put him off againe till the next act comes to be plaid And thus generally doe many Christians clothe themselues with Christ as Actors on the Stage 6 Such as hauing acted their parts put off their apparell and are vnmasked going of the stage of the world from whence as is said they haue their name of Hypocrites in borrowed apparell whereby they act the parts of great men and holy of the sonnes it may bee of the most High but if not before yet when by death they goe off the stage of this world they leaue their masks and dissembled habit go as naked of Christ as they came Others againe 7 Such as laying aside profession fashion themselues to the company in companies where they would not be knowne dissemble themselues to bee what they are and I wish euen good Christians otherwise did not practise this too much and so putting off the vpper garment of profession fashion themseles if not to the religion yet to the corrupt and sinfull fashions of the company being to the eye of any indifferent beholder as profane as the company is bee it as profane as it will be and yet the same againe out of such companies take to them the habit of sober and good Christians Of all others the dissembling of the Familists is most wicked and odious who pretending such a perfection on earth as Adam had in his innocencie yet frame themselues to the customes yea religions of the place where they please to liue in so much that if one once an Anabaptist very nigh as he confesseth one of themselues Edm. Iessop in his discouery of the
Hope from which it is inseparable saith the Apostle will make you that yee shall neither be barren nor vnfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ 2 Pet. 1.8 It ouercomes all difficulties and expells all feares and discouragements and addes courage constancie to the weakest and furthereth our going vp into Christ Ephes 4.15 which without it would not bee But the Hypocrite because he hath not this Spirit of Loue Reuel 21.5 hee is timerous and his character is fearefull hee dares not venture vpon necessarie duties if once they threaten him with danger hee shewes no courage for the truth and goodnesse because indeed he loues them not 1 Ioh. 4.18 for themselues feare makes him abstaine from doing good whereas if the loue of God and goodnesse were indeed in him it would make him couragious for God and goodnes and fill him with an holy zeale and not at all careful for the pleasing or yet displeasing of man as it was an euident signe of Ionathans true loue to Dauid when he feared not the displeasure of Saul his Father for the loue hee shewed to Dauid Section 27. 2. The godly mans faith is followed with desire of good 2 Desire which being strong in him he hungring and thirsting after righteousnes will not let him take any repulse Par. 3. §. 27. how difficult soeuer the duty bee as we vse to say hunger will make a man breake through a stone wall This makes him poure out strong cries to God by the prayer of Faith and whiles hee wrestles hee prayes and fights crying as did Moses Iâ—hosaphat 1 King 22 32. but especially Iacob who would not let God goe till hee blessed him wherefore his name was called Israel for saith God to him Gen. 32.26.28 as a Prince hast thou power with God and with men and hast preuailed Such in their measure are al the true Israelites of God whilest they striue with the difficulties of their duty and herevnto take vnto them other parts of their spirituall Armour they feeling themselues weake and neare foyled haue recourse presently to their Generall and grand Captaine Christ Iesus who is euer when he is farthest off in the Rere and of him by prayer obtaine new forces ayde and strength whereby they are vndoubtedly conquerours in the end But on the other hand Hypocrites and counterfeit Christians wanting this spirit of Prayer as not truly longing after righteousnesse they are as faint and languishing in all good endeauours as they are in their desires and so for want of true desire and of faith whereby they should in their faintings retire to God seeke for strength according to his promise they quite giue ouer the pursuite of goodnes when especially it proues difficult or preiudiciall to their naturall carnall or earthly desires and thus by their want of desire to goodnesse they shew they haue no courage for it and by their want of courage they shew themselues deuoid of Gods spirit which is a spirit of streÌ„gth and so consequently that by it they haue not put on Christ so do they also by their want of Ioy Delight and sweete content in the doing of their duty for it selfe Par. 3. §. 28. which is a third affection which the godly haue to helpe and further them withall which those other want Section 28. This comfort from well doing from the spirit of comfort 3 Ioy and delight in doing his duty or the Comforter both quickens heartens them to it through Hope and in the doing of their duty sweetens it to them and so lessens the irkesomenesse of it when it is done it both giues good content wherby they thinke their labour and paines well bestowed as also leaues in them a desire and readinesse to set vpon it againe or the like duty and in the comfortable experience of Gods assistance not to despaire or yet to be discouraged but more eagerly and couragiously to performe the same againe All things are contrary in the Hypocrite he doth the strictest duties if at all then with little chearfulnesse Par. 3. §. 29. or delight he halfe-repents of his labour losse cost c. and in regard of former discouragements attending or following them he hath lesse heart then before whilest he foresaw not the inconueniences he now finds to returne to or to doe the same or like duties againe the oftner he doth them the more hee wearies of them and lesse reioyceth in them vnlesse perhaps it be vpon carnall and by-respects Section 29. 2 Gods spirit shewes it selfe strong in regard of Temporall good Thus we haue shewed how the good Christian manifests himself to bee inwardly cloathed with Christs spirit of might in regard of Spirituall good touching which it maks him hardy and truly bold to vndertake it though difficult Now we must shew the like in regard of Temporall good things which it teacheth him in comparison of the other to contemne These I call not only freedome and deliuerance from euils which are outward as from sicknesse pouertie disgraces feares imprisonments troubles Which in comparison it makes him contemne but also and chiefely wealth long life power and authoritie pleasures and delights fauour of Princes and of great men and the like in one word Outward prosperitie in three words the Honours Pleasures and Profits of the world which are as the worlds Trinitie which the men of the world doe worship For prosperitie in the generall and generally all good things of this life though the godly man and he onely haue the promise of them by vertue of his faith in Christ haue right vnto them 1 Tim. 3.8 yet he hath so much spirituall wisedome giuen him as in his iudgement to prefer spiritual good things before them and so much spirituall strength and grace giuen him as in his choyce will pursuites indeauours after such things yea in his possession and injoyment of them so to order guide himselfe as that they haue not the first place in his thoughts yea in case of competition and when a good conscience God fauour or our spirituall good and they cannot stand together then in such a case to contemne and to account basely of the best of these things nay of them all though they fawne on him neuer so much and promise all content possible If he cannot haue such things as seruants to godlinesse to further his good and godly intents and indeauours he scornes to make them the Masters of his affections and through a magnanimous and generous spirit in him which is this spirit of strength I speak of he labours to make them seruants to godlinesse or els quite to abandon and put them out of seruice He knowes that if he be Gods hee cannot and therefore must not serue two Masters Mat. 6.24 God and Mammon and so consequently holding to the one which is God and to Christ whose disciple he is he in comparison despiseth the
other as otherwise making himselfe vnworthy of Christ vers 10 37. If therefore the deuill come to him with the bait of prosperitie and present vnto his thoughts shew him all the kingdomes of the world 4.8.9.10 and the glory of them and so all things els desireable in the world saying and promising All these things will I giue thee if thou wilt fall downe and worship me Suppose withall it were in the deuils power to performe what he promised yet the true Christian being sealed with Gods Spirit and hauing receiued his badge cognizance reiects in a holy scorne all such offers from him from the world vpon such tearmes and will either haue them of God his owne Masters giuing or hee will none of them as preferring better and spirituall good things before thē Hee will worship the Lord his God and him only wil he serue and herein follow his Master Iesus Christ who thus repelled that temptation He will leaue these things vpon such tearmes for the followers of Mammon and for worldlings to accept of Whence we see that this contempt of the world is a note and a distinguishing marke of Gods child our Sauiour expresly saying Ye cannot serue God and Mammon Mat. 6.24 no man can serue two Masters though the Mammonists of this world will not see and acknowledge so much The contempt of the world a distinguishing note of one sanctified but do please themselues with their formal seruice of God whose loue they often iudge of by their outward prosperitie in the meane time the world hath the chiefe roome best welcome and respect giuen in their hearts which for all their faire shewes and leaues of religion goe after their couetousnesse Ezek. 33.31 But they who thus spiritually go a whoring from God after the world must know and acknowledge so much if they wil be Gods therfore saith God by Saint Iames to them Iam. 4.4 Ye adulterers adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmitie with God Whosoeuer therefore wil be a friend of the world is for all his faire shewes the enemy of God The like is said elsewhere 1 Ioh. 2.15 Yet this is not so said or meant but that sometimes Gods seruant shews too much loue to the world and to the things of it and in that regard walkes not so euenly as he should so humbly so stedfastly with God but that he will be nibling at that bait and is sometimes insnared and intangled in some measure therewith yea sometimes foyled by prosperitie as it was with Dauid who in his prosperity could say I shall neuer bee mooued Psal 30.6 2 Sam. 11.2.3 24.2 yea he grew secure thence lesse watchfull ouer himselfe as do many his like and so was fowly ouertaken by Bathshebas beauty as also in pride numbred the people so it was with King Hezekiah 2 Chro. 32.25 27.30.31 whose wealth prosperity for it is said he prospered in all his works it seemes made him proud for his heart was lifted vp and so doubtles it is with many other of Gods children in whom Gods Spirit is yet though God sometimes for a while leaue them verse 26. to trie what is in their hearts as hee left Hezekiah yet they liue not long in such sins but as hee did they also by the strength of Gods grace in them humble themselues for their pride their hearts smite them 2 Sam. 24.10 and they are bettered and made more carefull and watchfull by their former worldlinesse and failings through such temptations So that generally it is true of all Gods children and of each of them for the most time of their Christian course and pilgrimage that they are so fenced and armed by Gods grace and spirit How Gods Children vse the world that the baits allurements of prosperitie preuaile not with them that they should with their hearts and constantly doe any thing contrary to a good conscience either first by seeking to attaine to such things as to honours and high places whether in Church or Common-wealth by vngodly and vnlawfull meanes as by briberies simony flattery seruile base dependance on great mens humours for aduancement secret vnderminings or the like and so to wealth and their owne ends by deceits cosinage wrōgs extortion vsury falsifying of wares or waights c. Or secondly when they haue them by setting their hearts too much vpon them by resting on them by trusting in vncertaine riches by placing their felicitie or happinesse in them Or thirdly by suffering their delight in them and cares about them to drowne and choke the seed of Gods word in them by distracting them from a constant and serious performance of good duties that they should not mind the best things with greatest seriousnesse Or fourthly by waxing proud presumptuous secure carelesse iniurious to others by abusing their wealth power and authority to the preiudicing of good men and good causes Or lastly by misimploying and mispending of their wealth wit strength to the satisfying of their owne lusts and desires in euill All these euils they are carefull to auoyd and though the world and the deuill promise them faire yet they will not by the power of grace in them accept of them vpon such conditions or vse them to such ends as whereby God is dishonoured and their owne soules preiudiced And how the wicked abuse it Whereas all is contrary in the wicked who notwithstanding all his faire shewes of outward religious profession and it may bee protestations to the contrary is so intised by these baits that he is also catched and choked with the hooke whiles in a manner he maidenly acepts of the deuils offer vpon the deuils conditions and so 1. Hauing in the want of such things a moneths minde as we vse to say to them and seeing by what meanes ordinarily they are obtained he neuer examining the lawfulnesse or vnlawfulnesse of the meanes measures all by the euent successe and desired end and so setting downe with himselfe hee will be hee must be rich high and aboue the common rancke of men he aduentures vpon all meanes good and bad and by them furthers his owne ends end so falls into temptation and a snare 1 Tim. 6.9.10 and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts and in all euill whiles no meanes how euill or indirect soeuer but they shall bee vsed and thus doe wicked men compasse their ends and become great and rich and why because Ier. 5.26.27 as a Cage is full of birds so are their houses full of deceit as God by Ieremy speaketh of them who brandeth them with the note of wicked men among his people Thus Iudas will betray his Master for siluer and Doeg will flatter Saul Mat. 26.15 1 Sam. 22.10 and speake euill of Dauid in hope of preferment and Diotrephes will hinder preaching that he may be chiefe himselfe and for fat Bishopricks