6. Both Christ and Satan work by officers, instruments, and means. Christ hath his ministers to preach his gospel, and pull down the kingdom of Satan. And Satan hath his ministers to preach licentiousness and lies, and to resist the gospel and kingdom of Christ, 1 Cor. iii. 5; iv. 1; 2 Cor. xi. 15; Acts xiii. 8-10. Christ hath his church, and the devil hath his synagogue. Christ's soldiers do every one, in their places, fight for him against the devil. And the devil's soldiers do every one, in their places, fight against Christ. The generals are both unseen to mortals; and the unseen power is theirs; but their agents are visible. The soldiers fight not only against the generals, but against one another; but it is all, or chiefly, for the generals' sakes. It is Christ that the wicked persecute in his servants, Acts ix. 4; and it is the devil whom the godly hate and resist in the wicked.
But yet here are divers notable differences. 1. The devil's servants do not what they do in love to him, but to their own flesh; but Christ's servants do what they do in love to him, as well as to themselves. 2. The devil's army are cheated into arms and war, not knowing what they do; but Christ doth all in the open light, and will have no servants but those that deliberately adhere to him, when they know the worst. 3. The devil's servants do not know that he is their general; but Christ's followers do all know their Lord. 4. The devil's followers disown their master and their work; they will not own that they fight against Christ and his kingdom, while they do it: but Christ's followers own their Captain, and his cause, and work; for he is not a master to be ashamed of.
7. Both Christ and Satan work persuasively, by moral means, and neither of them by constraint and force. Christ forceth not men against their wills to good, and Satan cannot force them to be bad; but all the endeavour is to make men willing; and he is the conqueror that getteth and keepeth our own consent.
8. Their ends are contrary, and therefore their ways are also contrary. The devil's end is, to draw man to sin and damnation, and to dishonour God; and Christ's end is, to draw man from sin to holiness and salvation, and to honour God. But Christ maketh known his end, and Satan concealeth his end from his followers.
9. There is somewhat within the good and bad for the contrary part to work upon; and we are, as it were, divided in ourselves, and have somewhat in us that is on both sides. The wicked have an honourable acknowledgment of God, and of their greatest obligation to him; a hatred to the devil; a love of themselves; a willingness to be happy, and an unwillingness to be miserable; and a conscience which approveth of more good than they do, and condemneth much of their transgression. This is some advantage to the persuasions of the ministers of Christ to work upon; and they have reason capable of knowing more.
The soldiers of Christ have a fleshly appetite, and the remnants of ignorance and error in their minds, and of earthliness, and carnality, and averseness to God in their wills, with a nearness to this world, and much strangeness to the world to come. And here is too much advantage for Satan to work on by his temptations.
10. But it is the predominant part within us, and the scope of our lives, which showeth which of the armies we belong to. And thus we must give up our names and hearts to Christ, and engage under his conduct against the devil, and conquer to the death, if we will be saved. Not to fight against the bare name of the devil; for so will his own soldiers, and spit at his name, and hang a witch that makes a contract with him: but it is to fight against his cause and work, which is by fighting against the world and the flesh, and for the glory of God.
[Sidenote: The method.]
In opening to you this holy war, I shall, First, Shew you what we must do on the offensive part. Secondly, What on the defensive part. And here I shall show you, I. What it is that the tempter aimeth at as his end. II. What matter or ground he worketh upon. III. What are his succours and assistance. IV. What kind of officers and instruments he useth. V. What are his methods and actual temptations, 1. To actual sin, 2. Against our duty to God.