[2.] As to confirmation and perseverance, Christ will not lose the prey that he hath recovered out of the hands of Satan. Indeed, while anything of sin remaineth, there is somewhat of Satan left, which he worketh upon. There is a remnant of his seed in the best. The godly are yet in the way, but not at the end of the journey ; therefore Satan hath leave to assault them while they are here, but Christ will perfect the conquest which he hath begun, and the very being of sin shall at length be taken away. At death sin is totally disannulled : Jude 24, ' And to pi-esent you faultless before the presence of his glory;' Eph. v. 27, ' That he may present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be
24 SERMON UPON PSALM VIII. 2.
holy, and without blemish.' When the veil of the flesh is rent once, there is a ceasing from sin. The physician of souls will then perfect the cure, and finish the work. The question then is, How far Satan's power is destroyed as to the converted ? I answer — Nega- tively, not so far as to exclude our duties or trials ; but affirmatively, the victory is secured by promise to the striving christian.
(1.) Negatively, not to exclude our duty. There is still room left for prayer, watchfulness, sobriety, serious resistance, that we may use the means appointed for our safety.
(1st.) There is required of us sobriety, or an holy moderation of the comforts and delights of the present life. The devil, the flesh, and the world join in conspiracy against us. By the baits of the world Satan enticeth our flesh to a neglect of God and heavenly things, there- fore we must be sober, 1 Peter v. 8, use the world as not abusing it, 1 Cor. vii. 31, that our hearts be not depressed and disabled from looking after our great end and happiness.
(2(i.) Vigilance and watchfulness is necessary, that we may stand upon our guard, avoiding snares, forecasting hazards, lest we fall as a ready prey into the mouth of the tempter : 1 Cor. xvi. 13, 'Watch ye, stand • ye fast in the faith ; quit you like men, and be strong.' The first point of a christian soldier is to watch. Conscience must stand porter at the door of the soul, examining what goeth in and what cometh out. The devil watcheth all advantages against us to espy where we are weakest. Men that have no great tenderness of conscience fear not much the loss of their souls, and are most easily wrought upon by Satan : Eph. iv. 27, ' Neither give place to the devil' If you but set open the door to Satan, the capital enemy of man's salvation, he will re- enter his old possession, and seek to exercise his old tyranny ; there- fore watch.
(3d) A steadfast resistance : ' Whom resist, steadfast in the faith.' When we are yielding, Satan gets ground, but he is discouraged by steadfast resistance. This must be in the faith, or by a close adherence to God's word : 1 John ii. 14, ' I have written to you, young men, because j^ou are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.' Adhering to the privileges of the gospel as our happiness, and persevering in the duties as our work, or resolving by a constant continuance in well-doing to wait for Christ's mercy.
{4th.) We are also to pray earnestly: Ps. cxix. 133, * Order my steps in thy word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me.' We had need to pray earnestly, because sin will put strongly for the throne again ; therefore beg direction.
(5//i.) All is bound upon the conscience by continual mindfulness of our baptismal vow and covenant, which must be often called to remem- brance : Kom. vi. 11, ' Likewise also reckon yourselves dead unto sin, and alive unto God ; ' Eom. viii. 12, 'We are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.' If Christ had so destroyed the devil as to exclude our endeavours and our duty, the whole gospel would be in vain, and the promises and precepts of it to no purpose, and all that furniture of grace which he hath provided for us lost and useless. Surely the enemy and avenger is not so stilled but that we need to
SERMON UPON PSALM VIII. 2. 25
be sober and watchful, and steadfast in the faith, and much in prayer, and ever mindful of our covenant and vowed death to sin. A man that is baptized, he hath a debt and bond upon him. Secondly, Christ hath not so stilled the enemy and the avenger to exempt us from trials of our sincerity. God will have all obedience to be tried and honoured by opposition, and sometimes sharp and grievous opposition : Rev. ii. 10, ' The devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried.' Job was permitted to Satan for his trial, Job i. 12. Paul had his messenger of Satan for his trial, to see what shift he could make, with suflScient internal grace, under outward and vexatious evils, 2 Cor. xii. 7-10. Now it is better to undergo the fiery trial than the fiery torment : tried we are, but not destroyed, exercised with tempta- tion, but not overwhelmed.