and entice lis from the strictness and severity of the christian profes- .siou. For ' the lusts of the eye' there are riches and all kinds of profits. For ' pride of life' there are dignities, and superiorities, and popular acclamations, and all sorts of preferments, or anything men are natu- rally proud of ; so that a poor creature living in the midst of so many snares and temptations, may sadly cry out, as Bernard doth, Oh, woe is me ! here are snares and temptations, and there is a sensual nature in us that is strongly drawn forth by all that is about us. It is true, riches, pleasures, and honours were not snares in their original institu- tion or God's intention, but they prove so through our corrupt affection. God ordained them as miserimce necessitatis solatia, as Jerome tells us, to be helps and comforts in our mortal condition ; but through the strong affection we bear to them they prove snares : 2 Peter i. 4, ' The corruptions that are in the world through lust.' It is from unmorti- fied corruption and lustings after them. Here, then, is that which increaseth the difficulty ; these sensible objects to which we have a great inclination by nature, and which are continually present with us, do enchant and divert the heart from God and heavenly things, so that we either sin in them or for them. In the use of them, or for the getting and keeping of them, we offend God many times, and cross the rule that is given unto us ; so that besides the natural impotency that is in us to all things spiritual, the soul is further depraved and corrupted by evil habits, or particular inclinations to any of these sensible objects. This is a superadded impediment to our condition by nature, as a crooked stick by growing becomes more difficult to be made straight. It is impossible for any mere man to receive the things of the Spirit, but much more for one that is wedded to any of these sensible things ; for here Christ puts the impossibility upon a carnal rich man, because he hath so much of the world to divert his heart from God and true happiness. There are degrees of impossibilities ; as some have fewer lets and impediments, and some have more, so it is more or less impos- sible, as they need more or less of God's special and extraordinary grace.' For let us consider any dispositions to these sensible objects. Let us consider any of the dispositions to these sensible things, be it riches, * the lusts of the eye,' so he calls covetousness, or an inclination to riches, for by the eye the heart is wounded, and so the difficulty of salvation is increased. When once men set up this as their scope, and make it their business to be rich and great in the world, ' They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare,' 1 Tim. vi. 9. Or be it an inclination to honour, either to popularity or esteem of the people ; or to ambition, or an inordinate desire of preferment by the magistrates and potentates of the world, John v. 44, ' How can ye believe that receive honour one of another ? ' it makes the impotency the greater. Or if it be an inclination to pleasures, ' Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God,' 2 Tim. iii. 4. But mostly doth our Lord here put the difficulty upon riches. Why ? Because that is a complicate tempta- tion, and that is the fuel of pleasure, and the means by which we get to honours and greatness in the world ; therefore here is the greater difficulty for a rich man in his corrupt estate to enter into the kingdom of God.
[3.] There is inimica oppositio if we would go to heaven, there
76 SERMONS UPON MARK X. 17-27. [SeR. XIV.
are enemies to oppose. The devil : 1 Peter v. 8, ' Your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.' And wicked men: John xv. 19, 'If ye were of the world, the world would love its own, but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you ; ' and ' Whosoever will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution,' 2 Tim. iii. 12. But because the great opposition is from Satan, there- fore I shall insist upon Eph. vi. 12, ' We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places' There is a more terrible and dangerous party against us than bodily and human power. Indeed we have bodily enemies, and they are great lets and great dis- couragements in the way of salvation, when the Lord lets loose their hands against us. These are but Satan's auxiliary forces whom he stirs up and employs ; but the principal part of our conflict and wrestling is against devils and damneCi angels, enemies of great power and strength and influence upon the rulers of the darkness of this world ; they have a mighty power upon the ignorant, carnal, and blind part of the world , and it is with these we contend and wrestle about the things which concern the honour of God, and the eternal welfare of our souls. Now this terrible opposition, how soon will it bear down a poor crea- ture that stands merely by his own strength ! Alas ! set creature against creature, and Satan is too hard for us ; he exceeds us in the rank of beings, and so we are no match for the devil. Our adversary is of a spiritual, immaterial substance, and so invisible both in his nature and approaches, and doth often reach us a deadly blow before we know it is he, and in the very simplicity of our hearts we run into the snare. And again, he is so restless in his assaults, so unwearied in his motions : 1 Peter v. 8, ' Your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.' The best christian will be surprised if there be not a greater than he to stand by him and for him. He is either weakening our comforts, or enticing us to sin, or making us weary of the ways of God. If he cannot pervert us, and draw us by some gross sin to dishonour God, he ceaseth not to vex us, and make our heavenly course uncomfortable to us. The devil never ceases to pursue his designs, but observes all our motions, all the postures of our spirits ; when we are merry and when we are angry, when we are laughing and when we are mourning. He sees how the tree leans, and then joins his force to run us down. And he is of great power, one that can make terrible opposition, of great authority and influence over the carnal world, of great cunning and dexterity in setting our sins a- work. Certainly unless we ' be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might,' there is no standing, Eph. vi. 10-12, compared.