fco there can be nothing in the creature to hinder the Ahnighty his performance of them, where and wlien he pleaseth. This act of faith, accompanied with a longing desire after that grace tliou canst not yet find, and an attendance on the means, though it will not fully satisfy all thy doubts, may be, yet will keep thy head above water, that thou despairest not ; and such a shore thou needest in this case, or the house falls.
Fourthly, If yet Satan dogs thee, call in help, and keep not the devil's covmsel. The very strength of some temptations lies in the concealing of them, and the very revealing of them to some faithful friend, (like the opening and pricking of an iniposthume,) gives the soul present ease. Satan knows this too well; and therefore, as some thieves, when they come to rob an house, either gag them in it, or hold a pistol to their breast, frighting them with death, if they cry or speak : thus Satan, that he may the more freely rifle the soul of its peace and comfort, overawes it so, that it dares not disclose its temptation. O, saith Satan, if thy brethren or friends know such a thing by thee, they will cast thee off", others v^fill hoot at thee. Thus many a poor soul hath been kept long in its pangs by biting them in ; thou losest. Christian, a double help by keeping the devil's secret, the counsel and prayers of thy fellow-brethren; and what an invaluable loss is this !
CHAPTER VIII.
OF THE saints' VICTORY OVER THEIR SI'BTLE ENEMY, AND WHENCE IT IS
that creatures so overmatched, should be able to stand against Satan's wiles.
The second branch of the apostle's argument follows, to excite them the more vigorously to their arms, and that is from the possibility, yea, certainty of standing against this subtle enemy, if thus armed, ' That ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.' So that this gives the apostle's argument its due temperament; for he meant not to scare them into a cowardly flight, or sullen despair of victory, when he tells them their enemy is so subtle and politic ; but to excite them to a vigorous resistance, from the assured hope of strength to stand in battle, and victoriously after it; which two I conceive are compre- hended in that phrase, standing against the wiles of Satan. Sometimes ' to stand' implies a fighting posture; so verse 14. Sometimes a conquering pos- ture. Job xix. 25 : ' I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.' That earth, which was the field where all the bloody battles were fought between him and Satan, on it shall he stand, when not an enemy shall dare to shew his head. So that taking both these in, the observation is,
Doct. Satan with all his wits and wiles shall never vanquish a soul armed with true grace ; nay, he that hath this armour of God on, shall vanquish him. Look into the word, you shall not find a saint but hath been in the list with him, sifted and winnowed more or less by this enemy, yet at last' we find them all coming oflTwith an honourable victory; as in David, Job, Peter, Paul, who were the hardest put to it of any upon record ; and lest some should attribute their victory to the strength of their inherent grace, above other of their weaker brethren, you have the glory of victories appropriated to God, in whom the weak are as strong as the strongest, 2 Cor. xii. 9; Jam. v. 21. We shall give a double reason of this truth, why the Christian, who seems to be so over- matched, is yet so unconquerable.
Reas. 1. Fii-st, the curse that lies upon Satan and his cause. God's curse blasts wherever it comes. The Canaanites with their neighbour-nations were ' bread for Israel,' though people famous for war ; and why ? — they were cursed nations. The Egyptians a politic people; ' Let us deal wisely,' say they; yet being cursed of God, this lay like a thorn at their heart, and" was at las't their ruin ; yea, let the Israelites themselves, (who carry the badge of God's covenant on their flesh,) by their sins once become the people of God's curse, and they are trampled like dirt under the Assyrian's foot. This made Balak beg so hard for a curse upon Israel. Now there is an iri-evocable curse cleaves to Satan from Isa. x. ^ ; Gen. iii. 14, 1.5 : ' And the Lord said to the serpent, Because thou
AflAINST THE V.ILES OF THE DEVIL. (]C)