Direct. XIV. Make God's Word your only rule: and labour diligently to understand it.'

Direct. xv. And in doubtful cases, do not easily depart from the unanimous judgment of the generality of the most wise and godly of all ages.'

Direct. xvI. In doubtful cases be not passionate or rash, but proceed deliberately, and prove things well, before you fasten on them.'

Direct. xvII. Be acquainted with your bodily temperature, and what sin it most inclineth you to, or what sin also your calling or converse doth lay you most open to, that there your watch may be the stricter. (Of all which I shall speak more fully under the next Grand Direction.)

Direct. XVIII. Keep in a life of holy order, such as God hath appointed you to walk in. For there is no preservation for stragglers that keep not rank and file, but forsake the order which God commanded them.'-And this order lieth principally in these points: 1. That you keep in union with the universal church. Separate not from Christ's body upon any pretence whatever. With the church as regenerate, hold spiritual communion, in faith, love and holiness with the church as congregate and visible, hold outward communion in profession, and worship. 2. If you are not teachers, 'live under your particular, faithful pastors, as obedient disciples of Christ. 3. Let the most godly, if possible, be your familiars. 4. Be laborious in an outward calling.

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Direct. xIx. Turn all God's providences, whether of prosperity or adversity, against your sins.'-If he give you health and wealth, remember he thereby obligeth you to obedience, and calls for special service from you. If he afflict you, remember that it is sin that he is offended at, and searcheth after; and therefore take it as his physic, and see that you hinder not, but help on its work, that it may purge away your sin.

Direct. xx. "Wait patiently on Christ till he have finished the cure, which will not be till this trying life be finished.'-Persevere in attendance on his Spirit and means; for he will come in season, and will not tarry. "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning, and he shall come unto us as

the rain as the latter and former rain upon the earth"." Though you have oft said, "There is no healing, he will heal your backslidings, and love you freely. Unto you that fear his name, shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings : and blessed are all they that wait for him "."

Thus I have given such Directions as may help for humiliation under sin, or hatred of it, and deliverance from it,

Grand Direction Ix. Spend all your days in a skilful, vigilant, resolute, and valiant war against the flesh, the world and the devil, as those that have covenanted to follow Christ the Captain of your Salvation."

The flesh is the end of temptation, for all is to please it3, and therefore is the greatest enemy. The world is the matter of temptation: and the devil is the first mover, or efficient of it; and this is the trinity of enemies to Christ and us, which we renounce in baptism, and must constantly resist. Of the world and flesh, I shall speak chap. iv. Here I shall open the methods of the devil. And first I shall prepare your understanding, by opening some presupposed truths.

1. It is presupposed, that there is a devil. He that believeth not this, doth prove it to others, by shewing how grossly the devil can befool him. Apparitions, witchcrafts, and temptations, are full proofs of it to sense; besides what Scripture saith.

2. It is supposed that he is the deadly enemy of Christ and us. He was once an angel, and fell from his first estate by sin, and a world of evil spirits with him; and it is probable his envy against mankind might be the greater, as knowing that we were made to succeed him and his followers, in their state of glory: for Christ saith, that we shall "be equal with the angels." He shewed his enmity to man in our innocency, and by his temptation caused our fall and misery. But after the fall, God put an enmity into the nature of man against devils, as a merciful preservative against temptation: so that as the whole nature of man ab

"Hosea vi. 3.

q Mal. iv. 2.

• Jer. xiv. 19.

r Isa. xxx. 18.

P Hosea xiv. 4.

• See my Treatise of "Crucifying the World, and of Self-Denial."

horreth the nature of serpents, so doth the soul abhor and dread the diabolical nature. And therefore so far as the devil is seen in a temptation now, so far it is frustrated; till the enmity in nature be overcome by his deceits: and this help nature hath against temptation, which it seems our nature had not before the fall, as not knowing the malice of the devil against us.

There is a natural enmity to the devil himself put into all the woman's natural seed: but the moral enmity against his sinful temptations and works, is put only into the spiritual seed by the Holy Ghost (except what remnants are in the light of nature). I will be brief of all this and the next, having spoken of them more largely in my "Treatise against Infidelity," Part iii.

The devil's names do tell us what he is. In the Old Testament he is called, 1. The Serpent,' Gen. iii. 2. The Hebrew word translated devils,' in Levit. xvii. 7. and Isa. xiii. 21. signifieth hairy, as satyrs are described; and sometimes he-goats; because in such shapes he oft appeareth. 3. He is called Satan,' Zech. iii. 1. 4. 'An evil Spirit,' 1 Sam. xviii. 10. 5. A lying Spirit,' 1 Kings xxii. 22. For he is a liar, and the father of lies,' John viii. 44. 6. His offspring is called A Spirit of uncleanness,' Zach, xiii. 2. 7. And he (or his spawn) is called A Spirit of fornication,' Hos. iv. 12. that is, idolatry. 8. A perverse Spirit, causing staggering and giddiness Isa. xix. 14.

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as

a drunken man,'

In the New Testament, 1. He is sometimes called simply A Spirit,' Mark ix. 20, 26. Luke ix. 39. x. 20. 2. Sometimes. Tvεvuara axálapra, unclean Spirits,' Luke vi. 18. as contrary to the Holy Spirit; and that from their nature and effects. 3. And after Aaquóviov, 'Demons,' a word taken in a good sense in heathen writers, but not in Scripture; because they worshipped devils under that name, (unless perhaps Acts xvii. 18. 1 Tim. iv. 1.) And Aaiuwv with respect to their knowledge, and as some think to the knowledge promised to Adam, in the temptation. 4. Ilapálov, the Πειράζων, '

Of the Temptations to hinder Conversion, see before, chap. i.

" Vide Pool's Synopsis Critic. in Levit. i. 17. In these latter the word 'Spirit' signifieth the ill disposition, which satan as a tempter causeth, and so he is known by it as his offspring.

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Tempter,' Matt. iv. 5. Satan,' Matt. iv. 1 Pet. v. 8. Expos, An Enemy,' Matt. xiii. 28. 39. 7. The strong man armed,' Matt. xii. 8. Angels,' 1 Cor. vi. 3. 2 Pet. ii. 4. Angels which kept not their first state,' Jude vi. 9. 'A Spirit of divination,' Acts xvi. 16. 10. A roaring lion,' 1 Pet. v. 8. 11. A murderer,' John viii. 44. 12. 'Belial,' 2 Cor. vi. 15. 13. Beelzebub,' Matt. xii. the 'god of flies.' 14. The prince of this world,' John xii. 21., from his power over wicked men. 15. The god of this world,' 2 Cor. iv. 5., because the world obey him. 16. The prince of the power of the air,' Ephes. ii. 2. 17. The ruler of the darkness of this world.' Ephes. vi. 12. Principalities and powers.' 18. The father of the wicked,' John viii. 44. 19. The dragon, and the old serpent,' Rev. xii. 20. AtáBolos, the calumniator' or 'false accuser,' often. o Tovηpos, 'the evil one,' Matt. xxiii. 19. 22. An evil spirit,' Acts xix. 15. 23. Aπolλuwv, 'the destroyer,' and 'Abaddon,' the 'king of the locusts,' and 'angel of the bottomless-pit,' Rev. ix. 11., (unless that speak of antichrist.)

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21.

3. He is too strong an enemy for lapsed, sinful man to deal with of himself. If he conquered us in innocency, what may he do now? He is dangerous, (1.) By the greatness of his subtlety. (2.) By the greatness of his power. (3.) By the greatness of his malice: and hence, (4.) By his constant diligence; watching when we sleep", and "seeking night and day to devour"."

b

4. Therefore Christ hath engaged himself in our cause, and is become the "Captain of our salvation "." And the world is formed into two armies, that lies in continual war : the devil is the prince and general of one, and his angels and wicked men are his armies: Christ is the king and general of the other, and his angels, and saints are his army. Between these two armies, are the greatest conflicts in the world e.

5. It is supposed also that this war is carried on, on both sides, within us, and without us; by inward solicitations, and outward means, which are fitted thereunto.

And satan hath

lies, and to reChrist hath his Christ's soldiers against the devil.

6. Both Christ and satan work by officers, instruments, and means. Christ hath his ministers to preach his Gospel, and pull down the kingdom of satan. his ministers to preach licentiousness and sist the Gospel and kingdom of Christ. church, and the devil hath his synagogue. do every one, in their places, fight for him And the devil's soldiers do every one, in their places, fight against Christ. The generals are both unseen to mortals: and the unseen power is theirs : but their agents are visible. The soldiers fight, not only against the generals, but against one another; but it is all, or chiefly, for the generals' sakes. It is Christ that the wicked persecute in his servants ; and it is the devil whom the godly hate and resist in the wicked.

But yet here are divers notable differences. 1. The devil's servants do not what they do in love to him, but to their own flesh; but Christ's servants do what they do in love to him, as well as to themselves. 2. The devil's army are cheated into arms and war, not knowing what they do; but Christ doth all in the open light, and will have no servants, but those that deliberately adhere to him, when they know the worst. 3. The devil's servants do not know that he is their general; but Christ's followers do all know their Lord. 4. The devil's followers disown their master and their work: they will not own that they fight against Christ and his kingdom, while they do it; but Christ's followers own their Captain, and his cause, and work; for he is not a master to be ashamed of.

7. Both Christ and satan work persuasively, by moral means, and neither of them by constraint and force. Christ forceth not men against their wills to good, and satan cannot force them to be bad; but all the endeavour is, to make men willing; and he is the conqueror that getteth and keepeth our own consent.

8. Their ends are contrary, and therefore their ways are also contrary. The devil's end is, to draw man to sin and to damnation, and to dishonour God: and Christ's end is, to draw men from sin, to holiness and salvation, and to honour God. But Christ maketh known his end, and satan concealeth his end from his followers.

f 1 Cor. iii. 5. iv. 1. 2 Cor. ii. 15. Acts. xiii. 8-10.

g Acts ix. 4.