The tenth help. If you would not be taken in any of Satan's snares, then be much in prayer. Prayer is a shelter to the soul ; a sacrifice to God and a scourge to the devil. David's heart was oft more out of tune than his harp. He prays, and then, in spite of the devil, cries, ' Return unto thy rest, O my soul.' Prayer is porta cosli, clavis para- disi, the gate of heaven, a key to let us into paradise. There is nothing that renders plots fruitless like prayer ; therefore saith Christ, ' Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation/ Mat. xxvi. 41. You must watch and pray, and pray and watch, if you would not enter into temp- tation.2 When Sennacherib and Hamanhad laid plots and snares to have destroyed the Jews, they prayed, and their souls wrere delivered, and Sennacherib and Haman destroyed. David had many snares laid for him, and this puts him upon prayer. ' Keep me,' saith he, ' from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of ini- quity.' ' Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I escape,' Ps. cxli. 9, 10. 'The proud/ saith he, 'have hid a snare for me, and cords :. they have spread a net by the wayside ; they have set gins for me. Selah. I said unto the Lord, Thou art my God : hear the voice of my supplication, O Lord !' Ps. cxl. 5, 6. Saul and many others bad laid snares for David, and this puts him upon prayer, and so the snares are broken and he is delivered.3 Ah, souls ! take words to yourselves, and tell God that Satan hath spread his snares in all places and in all companies ; tell God that he digs deep, and that he hath plot upon plot, and device upon device, and all to undo you ; tell God that you have neither skill nor power to escape his snares ; tell God that it is a work too high and too hard for any created creature to work your
1 John xv. 5, xui>f lP<>"< is seorsim a me, separate from me, or apart from me, ye can do nothing.
* Of Carolus Magnus it was spoken, Carolus plus cum Deoquam cum hominibus loquitur, that he spake more with God than with men. Ah ! that I could say so of the Christians in our days.
* Nunquam abs te, absque te recedo.— Bernard. O Lord ! saith he, I never go away from thoe, without thee. Let us, saith Basil, with a holy impudence, make God ashamed, that he cannot look us in the face, if he do deny our importunity : Jacob-like, ' I will not let
hee go, unless thou bless me.'
2 Cor. II. 11.] against satan's devices. 163
deliverance, unless lie put under his own everlasting arms ; tell God how his honour is engaged to stand by you, and to bring you off, that you be not ruined by his plots ; tell God how the wicked would triumph, if you should fall into Satan's snares ; tell God of the love of Christ, of the blood of Christ, and of the intercession of Christ for you, that a way may be found for your escape ; tell God if he will make it his honour to save you from falling into Satan's snares, you will make it your glory to speak of his goodness and to live out his kindness. Chris- tians must do as Daedalus, that when he could not escape by a way upon earth, went by a way of heaven,1 and that is, the way of prayer, which is the only way left to escape Satan's snares, &c.
Use. The next use is a use of thankfulness to those that escape Satan's snares, that are not taken by him at his will. Ah ! Christians, it stands upon you with that princely prophet David, to call upon your souls, and say, ' Bless the Lord, 0 our souls ; and all that is within us, bless his holy name ! Bless the Lord, O our souls, and forget not all his benefits !' Ps. ciii. 1,2; who hath not given us to be a prey to Satan, and to be ensnared by those snares that he hath laid for our souls. The sense of this great favour did work up David's heart to praises : ' Blessed be the Lord,' saith he, ' who hath not given us a prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snares of the fowlers : the snare is broken, and we are escaped,' Ps. cxxiv. 7. Ah ! Christians, remember that the greatest part of the world, yea, the greatest part of professors, are taken in Satan's snares. Can you think seriously of this, and not blush to be unthankful ? What are you better than others ? and what have ye deserved of God, or done for God more than others, that you should by the help of a divine hand escape the snares, when others are taken and held in the snares of the devil to their eternal overthrow ? &c.
Willyou be thankful for the escaping the snares that men spread for your lives or estates, &c, and will you not be much more thankful for escaping those snares that Satan hath laid for your precious souls ? Ps. lxxi. 14.2
Remember this, that deliverance from Satan's snares doth carry with it the clearest and the greatest evidence of the soul and heart of God to be towards us. Many a man by a common hand of providence escapes many a snare that man hath laid for him, but yet escapes not the snares that Satan hath laid for him. Saul, and Judas, and Demas, doubtless escaped many snares that men had laid for them, but none of them escaped the snares that the devil had laid for them. Many men are lifted up above the snares of men by a common hand of providence, that are left to fall into the snares of the devil by a hand of justice ; your deliverance from Satan's snares is a fruit of special love. Can you thus look upon it and not be thankful, 0 precious soul ? I judge not.
Use. The last use of this point is, To bespeak Christians to long to be at home.3 Oh ! long to be in the bosom of Christ ! long to be in the
1 The well-known legend of the ' wax-fixed wings' of Dasdalus and Icarus. — G.
8 The ancients use to say, Ingratum dixeris, omnia dixeris, say a man is unthankful, and say he is anything. Ps. lxxi. 14, « I will yet praise thee more and more.' In the original it is, 1 will add to thy praise. The stork is said to leave one of her young ones where Bhe hatcheth them ; and the elephant to turn up the first sprig toward heaven, when he cometh to feed, out of some instinct of gratitude. Ah ! souls, that these may not bear witness against you in the day of Christ.
8 Austin wished that he might have seen three things : Rome flourishing, I aul preacu-
1G4? PRECIOUS REMEDIES [2 COR. II. 11.