if thou seest not more devils encompassing thee than he saw men about Samaria. Thy worldly trade they will not hinder, nay, may be, help thee to sinful tricks in that, to hinder thee in this : but if once thou resolvest to seek out for Christ and his grace, they will oppose thee to thy face ; they are under an oath, as Paul's enemies were, to take away the life of thy sold if they can ; desperate creatures themselves, who know their doom is irrevocable ; and sell their own lives they will as dear as they can. Now what folly is it to betray thy soul into their hands, when Chris stands by to be thy convoy ! Out of him thou art a lost creature, thou canst not defend thyself alone against Satan, nor with Satan against God. Close with Christ, and thou art delivered from one of thy enemies, and him the most formidable, God I mean ; yea, he is become thy friend, who will stick close to thee in thy conflict with the other.
Use 3. Thirdly, To the saints. Be ye not dismayed at this report which the Scripture makes of Satan's power ; let them fear him who fear not God. What are these mountains of power and pride before thee, O Christian, who servesta God that can make a woi-m thrash a mountain ? The greatest hurt he can do thee, is by nourishing this false fear of him in thy bosom. It is observed, Ber- nard saith, of some beast in the forest, Plerunque superant leonem ferientem, quce non sustinent rugientcm ; though they are too hard for the lion in fight, yet tremble when he roars. Thus the Christian, when he comes to the pinch, indeed, is able, through Christ, to trample Satan under his feet ; yet before the conflict, stands trembling at the thought of him. Labour, therefore, to get a right understanding of Satan's power, and then this lion will not appear so fierce as you paint him in your melancholy fancy. Three considerations will relieve you, when at any time you are beset with the fears of his power.
First, It is derived power ; he hath it not in himself, but by patent from another, and that no other but God : * All powers are of him,' whether on earth or in hell. This truth, subscribed in faith, would. First, secure thee, Christian, that Satan's power shall never hurt thee. Would thy Father give him a sword to mischief thee his cliild ? * I have created the smitli,' saith God, ' that bloweth the coals; I have created the waster to destroy;' and there- fore assures them, that ' no weapon formed against them shall prosper,' Isa. liv. 16, &c. If God provides his enemies arms, they shall, I warrant you, be such as will do them little service. When Pilate thought to scare Christ with what he could do towards the saving or taking away of his life, he replies, ' that he could do nothing except it were given from above,' John xix. 10 ; as if he had said. Do your worst, I know who sealed your commission.
Secondly, This considered, would meeken and quiet the soul, when troubled by Satan within, or his instruments without. It is Satan buffets, man perse- cutes me, but God who gives them both power; 'The Lord,' saith David, 'bids him curse;' 'The Lord,' saith Job, 'hath given, and the Lord hath taken.' This kept the King's peace in both their bosoms. O Christian, look not at the jailor that whips thee; may be he is cruel; but read the warrant; who wrote that ? and at the bottom thou shalt find thy Father's hand.
Secondly, Satan's power is limited, and that two ways ; he cannot do what he will ; and he shall not do what he can.
First, He cannot do what he will. His desires are boundless ; they walk not only to and fro here below, but in heaven itself, where he is pulling down his once fellow-angels, knocking down the carved work of that glorious temple, as with axes and hammers; yea, dethroning God, and setting himself in his place : this fool saith in his heart. There is no God ; but he cannot do this, nor many other things which his cankered malice stirs him up to wish ; he is but a creature, and so hath the length of his tether, to which he is staked, and cannot exceed ; and if God be safe, then thou also, for thy life is hid with Christ in fiod ; ' If I live,' saith Christ, ' you shall live also.' You are engraven on the table of his heart; if he pluck one away, he must the other also. Again, as he cannot hurt the being of God, so he cannot piy into the bosom of God. He knows not man's, much less God's thoughts. The astrologers nor their master could bring back Nebuchadnezzar's dream. As men have their closets for their own privacy, where none can enter in but with their key, so God keeps the heart as his withdrawing-room, shut to all besides himself; and
1 02 AGAINST POWERS.