3 Isa. lxiii. 10 ; Ps. lxxiii. 23 ; 1 Thes. v. 19 ; Acts ii. 13.
4 If men could but see the fair face of wisdom with mortal eyes, they would be in love with her, saith Plato. 6 Sine prudentia simplicitas stultitiaest — Drusius.
6 Malim prxidentice guttam qnam fozeundioris fortunes pelagus, said Nazianzen. A ser- pent's eye is a singular ornament in a dove's head.
2 Cor. II. 11.] against satan's devices. 159
had need of a great deal of heavenly wisdom, to see where and how Satan lays his baits and snares ; and wisdom to find out proper reme- dies against his devices, and wisdom to apply those remedies season- ably, inwardly, and effectually to your own hearts, that so you may avoid the snares which that evil one hath laid for your precious souls.
The fourth help. If you would not be taken with any of Satan's devices, then make present resistance against Satan's first motions. It is safe to resist, it is dangerous to dispute. Eve disputes, and falls in paradise, Gen. iii. ; Job resists, and conquers upon the dunghill. He that will play with Satan's bait, will quickly be taken with Satan's book. The promise of conquest is made over to resisting, not to dis- puting : ' Resist the devil, and he will fly from you,' James iv. 7. Ah, souls ! were you better at resisting than at disputing, though happily you were not very expert at either, your temptations would be fewer, and your strength to stand would be greater than now it is, &c.
The fifth help. If you would not be taken with any of Satan's devices, then labour to be filled with the Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord is a Spirit of light and power ; and what can a soul do without light and power 'against spiritual wickedness in high places'? Eph. vi. 12. It is not enough that you have the Spirit, but you must be filled with the Spirit, or else Satan, that evil spirit, will be too hard for you, and his plots will prosper against you. That is a sweet word of the apostle, 'Be filled with the Spirit, Eph. v. 18 ;* i.e. labour for abundance of the Spirit. He that thinks he hath enough of the Holy Spirit, will quickly find himself vanquished by the evil spirit. Satan hath his snares to take you in prosperity and adversity, in health and sickness, in strength and weakness, when you are alone and when you are in company, when you come on to spiritual duties and when you come off from spiritual duties, and if you are not filled with the Spirit, Satan will be too hard and too crafty for you, and will easily and frequently take you in his snares, and make a prey of you in spite of your souls. Therefore labour more to have your hearts filled with the Spirit than to have your heads filled with notions, your shops with wares, your chests with silver, or your bags with gold ; so shall you escape the snares of this fowler, and triumph over all his plots, &c.2
The sixth help. If you would not be taken in any of Satan's snares, then keep humble. An humble heart will rather lie in the dust than rise by wickedness, and sooner part with all than the peace of a good conscience. Humility keeps the soul free from many darts of Satan's casting, and snares of his spreading ; as the low shrubs are free from many violent gusts and blasts of wind, which shake and rend the taller trees. The devil hath least power to fasten a temptation on him that is most humble. He that hath a gracious measure of humility, is neither affected with Satan's proffers nor terrified with his threatenings.3 I
1 irXn^ovah. To be filled with the Spirit, as the sails of a ship is filled with wind.
2 Luther saith, a holy gluttony is to lay on, to feed hard, and to fetch hearty draughts, till they be even drunk with loves, and with the abundance of the Spirit. Oh that there were more such holy gluttony in the world !
3 It is reported of Satan that he should say thus of a learned man, Tu me semper vincis, thou dost always overcome me ; when 1 would exalt and promote thee, thou keepest thy- self in humility ; and when I would throw thee down, thou liftest up thyself in assurance of faith.
160 PRECIOUS REMEDIES [2 COR. II. 11.
have read of one who, seeing in a vision many snares of the devil spread upon the earth, he sat down, and mourned, and said in himself, Quis peHransiet ista ? who shall pass through these ? whereunto he heard a voice answering, Humilitas peiiransiet, humility shall. God hath said, that ' he will teach the humble/ and that ' he will dwell with the humble,' and that 'he will fill and satisfy the humble.'1 And if the teachings of God, the indwellings of God, if the pourings in of God, will not keep the soul from falling into Satan's snares, I do not know what will. And therefore as you would be happy in resisting Satan, and blessed in triumphing over Satan and all his snares, keep humble ; I say again, keep humble, &c.
The seventh help. If you would not be taken in any of Satan's snares, then keep a strong, close, and constant watch, 1 Thes. v. 6.'2 A secure soul is already an ensnared soul. That soul that will not watch against temptations, will certainly fall before the power of temptations. Satan works most strongly on the fancy when the soul is drowsy. The soul's security is Satan's opportunity to fall upon the soul and to spoil the soul, as Joshua did the men of Ai. The best way to be safe and secure from all Satan's assaults is, with Nehemiah and the Jews, to watch and pray, and pray and watch. By this means they became too hard for their enemies, and the work of the Lord did prosper sweetly in their hands. Remember how Christ chid his sluggish disciples, ' What ! could you not watch with me one hour V what, cannot you watch with me ? how will you then die with me ? if you cannot endure words, how will you endure wounds ? drc. Satan always keeps a crafty and malicious watch, ' seeking whom he may devour (xaram^ or whom he may drink or sip up, as the apostle speaks in that 1 Peter v. 8. Satan is very envious at our condition, that we should enjoy that paradise out of which he is cast, and out of which he shall be for ever kept.
Shall Satan keep a crafty watch, and shall not Christians keep a holy spiritual watch ?3 Our whole life is beset with temptations. Satan watches all opportunities to break our peace, to wound our consciences, to lessen our comforts, to impair our graces, to slur our evidences, and to damp our assurances, &c. Oh ! what need then have we to be always upon our watch-tower, lest we be surprised by this subtle ser- pent. Watchfulness includes a waking, a rousing up of the soul. It is a continual, careful observing of our hearts and ways, in all the turn- ings of our lives, that we still keep close to God and his word.