If that snare do not succeed, he will draw them aside, after some points of less importance, or " matters of doubtful disputa- tion." Multitudes of false apostles has he at his command, who will gladly aid him in this accursed work'", and concur with him in his endeavours to " corrupt their minds from the sim- plicity that is in Christ °." But, if we are following the Lord fully, he will not leave us " ignorant of Satan's devices, or suffer him to get his wished-for advantage over us°." He will arm us against that adversary, and enable us to withstand him p. He will give us " the shield of faith, whereby we shall ward off and quench all his fiery darts *!," and be able so to " resist him, that he shall flee from us"^."]
3. The mysteries of grace —
[" Great is the mystery of godliness," and great the mystery of grace, whether we consider the work xorought for us by Jesus Christ, or the work ivrought in us by his Holy Spirit. These constitute that " wisdom, which is foolishness with man," and which " the natural man cannot receive, because it is spiritually discerned^." To know this, we must be taught of God: " We must receive, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, before we can know the things that are freely given to us of God*." And O! how wonderful a work does this appear, when " God shines into our hearts to reveal it to us^!" How worthy of God! how suitable to man! how passing the comprehension, whether of men or angels ! Verily, the man whose eyes are thus opened, seems to be brought into a new world: " old things are passed away, and all things are become new." The ignorant world are amazed at the new line of conduct he pursues, just as Elisha's servant was at his master's confidence in the midst of danger. But, if their eyes were opened to see, as the Believer does, the invisible God^ above him and within him, they would wonder rather, that there were any bounds to his transports, or any limit to his exertions.]
4. The beauties of holiness —
[All who are warped by their prejudices, or blinded by their lusts, are incapable of estimating aright the beauty and blessed- ness of true piety: it appears to them little short of madness. And even those who make a profession of godliness, but possess not truth in their inward parts, have very erroneous conceptions of true holiness. Some place it in a confident espousal of certain principles, or a zealous attachment to a particular party: others, inclining more to practical religion, make all duty to centre in
'" 2 Cor. xi. 13. " 2 Cor. xi. 3. ° 2 Cor. ii. 11.
P Eph. vi. 11. q Eph. vi. 16. ^ jam. iv. 7.
^ 1 Cor. ii. 7, 8, 9, 14. ' 1 Cor. ii. 10, 12.
" 2 Cor. iv. 6. ^2 Kings vi. 15—17. Heb. xi. 27.