whether Christ were a friend to Satan, or befriended by him, open your eyes, deluded infidels, and see what is the business that he hath set his disciples on, and what is the drift of the lives of his truest followers through the world. What do they but hate the devil and his ways, pray against him, speak against him, withdraw his followers, disgrace his service, pull down his kingdom with all their diligence? I challenge the vilest infidel on earth to show me that society of men, that are so unlike the devil, and so averse to him and his service as the true servants of Christ are again, I challenge them to show me such a society.

20. And as the saints' contrariety to Satan, so the constant conflicts which, by the workings of the Holy Ghost, they feel against him in themselves, is a full evidence of Christ's enmity to him. What true believer doth not perceive a continual war between Christ and Satan in his own soul? Christ is working his heart to God, and Satan is drawing him downwards to the creature: Christ is lifting him heavenward, and Satan clogs him, and draws him to the earth: Christ would possess him with right thoughts of God, and his ways, and the life to come; and Satan would blind him, and possess him with delusions and false conceits. Christ would bring us to a contempt of this world in comparison of a better: Satan would be still setting us upon ambitious, covetous, rising designs, and have us lay up our treasure on earth. Christ is still working us to meekness, humility, and self-denial: Satan is fermenting our hearts with pride, self-esteem, and self seeking. Christ is still working us to unity, love, and peace, to forgive wrongs, and calm and moderate all our passions, and to love our enemies, and study to do all the good that we can: Satan is still sowing the seeds of division, and hatred, and contention, and revenge; breaking in pieces churches, commonwealths, families, and relations, raising tumultuous passions in men's minds, and drawing them from all good, and provoking them to all evil. And though he cannot have his will where Christ hath cast him out, yet doth he by his suggestions let them know what his will is, if he might have it.

Yea, in the very point in hand, about our believing in Christ, we find a war in us between the persuasions of Christ's Spirit and of Satan. So industrious is the enemy to draw us to infidelity, that if the Spirit of Christ did not resist him, and carry on his work, there would not be a believer in the world. truly I cannot believe that the devil would so incessantly tempt us to disbelieve the Scriptures, if they were according to his

And

mind; or to depart from Christ by unbelief, if Christ had been his confederate.

I must profess that this hath been a mighty support to me in temptations of this nature, and hath showed me manifestly the falsehood of the deceiver, and the truth of Christianity: the more the tempter hath importuned me to doubt, the more sensible I have been of this war in my own soul. I daily, also, on other occasions, do find such a conflict between Christ's Spirit and Satan, that my life is a warfare: and the church may well be called militant, while it abides in this condition. I know all these wars in my soul do certainly prove that there are some contrary, invisible powers that raise them, and therefore that there is a spirit of light and of darkness, and a spirit of good and of evil, which are in wars one against another. I find by many passages in the manner of the conflict, that it is not merely from myself, but hath a higher cause. I know also thus much more, that there is no strife, but there is something that is striven for; hence, I am confirmed that the promises of Christ are true, and that there is an everlasting glory and misery. Else, why should Satan keep such a stir to deprive me of the one, and bring me into the other; and why would Christ do so much to save me, if there were no salvation. There is some prize that the enemy expecteth if he could conquer, and that can be nothing but my everlasting undoing. There is also some prize that Christ so contendeth for, and that is certainly my everlasting felicity. So that the very experience of this war in my own soul doth much conduce to the confirming me in the faith.

21. Consider further, that all the wits of men and angels could never have laid such a design for the vanquishing of Satan, as Christ hath revealed in the Gospel, and came down on earth to execute. That so powerful a commander should be made general of the church, that Satan can have no hopes to win the field: that mercy should be so wonderfully maguified in our redemption, and God therein represented amiable to man, when Satan had drawn us, even in our innocency, to look on God as one that envied us our knowledge and delight and thus the heart is drawn up in love to God by the constraining power of his wonderful love. That justice should be so eminently demonstrated, and the lawgiver vindicated, and the breach that was made in the frame of government and morality repaired, and God manifested so holy, and such a hater of sin, and yet the sinner saved from destruction. That so free a pardon should

be tendered to the world, and salvation offered on such gracious terms, without the least derogation from God's law, or the least impediment to holiness and good works, yea, to the greatest promoting and advantage of it that could be imagined: and that free grace should be so far from indulging and strengthening sin, that it is its greatest enemy, and giveth it the most mortal wound; all this was beyond the wit of any creature to have designed. That when man had come short of the glory of God by his fall, the Son of God should become the Captain of our salvation, and lead us up to that, or a greater glory. That by a death which he deserved not he should destroy the death that we deserved. That we should be reconciled to God by his death, and saved by his life. That he should become a sacrifice for sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. That the human nature that was so debased and depressed by the malicious temptations of apostate angels, should, by the occasion of that debasement, receive such advancement, and be set above the angelical nature, in the government of the world, and should judge those eyil spirits that did seduce us. That under this head the eternal God should gather him a selected corporation for his praises, and for this wonderful mercy of redemption should have the thanks of his glorified saints for ever. These, with many other mysterious and wonderful passages of this design, do show the greatest enmity to the kingdom of the devil that can be conceived of, and would convince poor infidels if they did but well discern the perfect, well-jointed frame of the whole design.

22. Consider yet further; what admirable helps hath Christ vouchsafed us in his word for the vanquishing of Satan, by the repelling of his temptations. What is a great part of this Gospel, but a directory to his church for the management of this war, and how we may so demean ourselves as to conquer ?

1. He doth unmask the deceiver, and telleth us, both generally and particularly, of his stratagems, depths, methods, wiles, and snares. (Rev. ii. 24; 1 Cor. vii. 5, 6; 2 Cor. ii. 11.) Never were his destroying projects so disclosed: so that now we may escape unless we will either wilfully wink, or put our foot into the snare when we see it, or swallow the bait when we know of the hook.

2. He hath opened unto us the ends of the tempter, and the danger of yielding, and told us of the everlasting misery that he would lead us into.

3. He calleth on us frequently to take heed, to watch, and

stand on our defence, and to beware of carelessness and sleeping in this danger.

4. When we fall asleep, he giveth us the loudest alarums and warning-pieces to awake us, enough, one would think, to rouse up the most careless soul alive!

5. He telleth us of the devil's malice and design, that he is our adversary, and walketh about like a roaring lion, night and day, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Pet. v. 8.)

6. He furnisheth us with all the christian armour for defence and offence.

7. He teacheth us how to put it on and use it. Let us transcribe one direction. "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil: for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breast-plate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints." (Eph. vi. 10—20.)

8. Also he doth animate and encourage us to be valiant and stand to it, and not to turn our backs or yield. Not to give place to the devil, (Eph. iv. 24,) nor forsake our ground. He telleth us into how many shapes he will turn himself to deceive: sometimes into a serpent, and sometimes a roaring lion, and sometimes into an angel of light, pretending to bring us a greater light than Christ hath given us, as he would give Adam a greater knowledge and wisdom, and as the first heretics were made believe by him, they knew more than the apostolical churches, and therefore were called gnostics. His ministers also do transform themselves into the ministers of righteousness, and will pretend to preach righteousness, and justification, more exactly than Christ's ministers do. (2 Cor. xi. 14-16.) But into how many shapes soever he shall turn himself, Christ telleth us, if we do but resist the devil, he will fly. (Jam. iv. 7.)

9. Yea, he is pleased himself to lead us on, and to bid us follow him and trust him, and hath given us an example for us to imitate.

10. Yea, and he giveth us a promise, not only of his assistance, but of a certain victory, assuring us, that "Greater is he than is in us, than he that is in the world ;" (1 John iv. 4;) and that the God of peace will bruise Satan under our feet; and bids us be of good cheer, for he hath overcome for us, and will overcome in us, and in the greatest trials we shall be over-conquerors through him, (Rom. viii. 37,) and that none shall pluck us out of his hands, (John x. 28, 29) nor the gates of hell be able to prevail against his church.

23. If all this be not yet enough, consider the work, the havoc, the destruction, that Christ hath already made against Satan in his kingdom, and the success that the aforesaid means have had. When he was on earth himself, though he did many great works, yet still he omitted not the casting out of devils: and the same power he gave to believers, when he was ascended; (Mark xvi. 17, 18) he commanded them forth, and they could not resist the power of his word; he forced them to confess his superiority and prevailing power; he made them acknowledge that he did torment them before the time of his full and final conquest, by casting them out of their possessions, and overcoming their cruel, malicious endeavours; (Matt. ix. 32, 33; xii. 22, &c.; xv. 22, &c.; xvii. 17-19, &c.; Mark v. 15-18; Luke iv. 33, 34, &c.; iv. 42, &c.; xi. 14, &c. ;) and he healed all that were possessed with devils; (Acts x. 38;) and the principal enemies that his apostles set against, were conjurers, that worked by the help of the devil, as you may find by the foil they gave to Simon Magus, the leader of them, and to Elimas, the sorcerer, whom Paul blinded; (Acts xiii. 9-12 ;) and they forced out the devil from a damsel that had the spirit of divination, and got her masters much gain by soothsaying, when they were confessed by him to be the servants of the living God; (Acts xvi. 16-18;) when the Jewish exorcists thought to do the like by the bare name of Jesus and Paul, the devil prevailed over them, and caused them to fly naked and wounded. (Acts xix. 13-16.) So many books of magic and conjuration, or their black art, did the Gospel cause them at once to bring forth and burn at Ephesus, that the price of them came to fifty thousand pieces (or shekels) of silver (Acts xix. 18, 19) a mighty blow to the devil's kingdom.