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SECT. XXIII.

Of Satan's Affaults to bring ftrong Chriftians to boast and pride themselves in their own Strength. Christians are strong in grace, then Satan tempts them to boast and pride themselves in their strength of grace already received. Thus he dealt with Peter, when he made that bravado, Tho' all fhould forfake thee yet will not I. And as if this were the great defign of the devil in thefe times, thus he hath dealt with thousands: Not that ftrong Chriftians do profeffsdly, ordinarily, or in their right mood either boaft or pride themselves in their mightý ftrength; this were not compatible with true grace in any measure; but in the hour of temptation Satan goes far in prevailing with them; and Peter may be an instance how far the faints may yield to the devil in this very fin; and indeed it is rare to find a ftrong Chriftian that is not at fome time or other puft up with an overweening conceit of his own abillties. But this affault of pride I have already. (poke to And the general rules of wrestling with it, may well ferve to keep down our fpirits from boating or priding ourselves in the ftrength of grace already received: Only I fhall add these few directions more.

SECT. XXIV.

Of our wrestling with Satan as to this Assault.

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ONSIDER, if thou art conceited of thy strength of grace it is the ready way to make thee grow loofe and negligent in thy duty; nay, it is well if it bring thee not further; even to a defpifing of holy ordinances, except that thou haft fome more courtly fare than ordinary: Such a pass were the Corinthians come to, Now ye are fall, now ye are rich, ye reign, like kings without us. One obferves well, how the apoftle lays the accent of thefe words on the particle now. Now ye are full, g d. I knew the time when if Paul had but come to town, and if news had been fpread abroad in the city that Paul was to preach you would have flockt to have heard him, and you would have blessed God for a season, but then you were poor and empty; but, now ye are full, now ye are rich, now ye reign like kings without us,' 1 Cor. iv. 8. Now ye have higher attainment, Paul is a plain fellow now;

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he may carry his chear to an hungry people if he will; but as for your parts, you are well apaid. Thus the apostle fpeaks by way of an ironical reproof, to make way for his following exhortation to humility, exemplified by himself and his mean condition. And oh, that we had not the like occafion to speak to fome, who perfuade they want nothing more of our help; who extol themselves above all others, as a king in his kingdom: The worst we wish you is this. I would to God ye did reign in deed and truth; But alas, if once thou art conceited of thy ftrength, it is to be feared the next news we hear of thee will be fad, either thou wilt be above ordinances, or thou wilt grow loose and negligent in them; we have had woful experience of this.

2. Confider an over- weening conceit of thy own frength of grace, will make thee too bold and prefumptuous. Mr. Gurnal tells us, The humble Chriftian is the wary Chris tian; he knows his weakness and this makes him afraid. I have a weak head, faith he, I may foon be difputed into an error, and herefy, and therefore I dare not come where fuch stuff is broached, left my weak head should be intox. icated. On the other fide, the confident man he'll fip of every cup, he fears no poifon, he is fo established in the truth, that the whole team of heretics shall not draw him afide. I have a vain light heart, faith the humble soul, I dare not come among wicked debauch'd company, left I should bring the naughty man home with me: But one conceited of the strength of his grace, dares venture into the devil's quarters; as Peter into the rout of Chrift's encmies, and how he came off you know; there his faith had been flain on the place had not Christ founded a retreat by the feasonable look of love he gave him. It was a bold fpeech of Mr. Clapham, and yet a good man, as my author faith, If Clapham die of the plague, fay Clapham had no faith; and this made him boldly go among the infected.

3. Confider, a conceit of thy ftrength of grace will make thee cruel to thy weak brethren in their infirmities; and furely this fin leaft becomes a Saint; it is the apostle's counfel, If a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are fpiritual, reftore fuch an one in the fpirit of meekness:

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but how fhall a foul get fuch a meek fpirit? it follows, Confidering thyfelf left thou also be tempted,' Gal. vi. 1. Why are men fo fharp in their cenfures, but because they traft too much to their grace, as if they could never fall? It was otherwife with Bernard, who when he heard of any fcandalous fin of a profeffor, hodie illi, cras mihi, Would he fay, He fell to-day, and I may stumble to-morrow.

4. Turn the eye from the fruitless and dangerous fpeculation of thy own worthiness, and fasten it a while upon thy corruptions and infirmities, upon thy many deficicaces in religious duties, wants and weakneffes in prayer, ormiffions of occafions for the inlarging of the kingdom of Chrift, fear of the vain and wretched imputation of worldlings, and from this confideration thou wilt be fo far from felf-conceitedness of thy own gifts and graces, that thou wilt find much matter, and just cause to renew thy repentance, to continue thy humiliation, and to ftand unto thy guard against this fpiritual pride.

5. Confider the strongest Christian hath not his strength in himself, but only in Chrift; I live, yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me,' Gal. ii. 20. As all the myrrhe, and odours, and inftruments of Efther's purification, and all her rich and coftly apparel,' were given out of the king's houfe, and the royal crown was put upon her head by the kings own hand,' Efther ii. 15, 17. So all the purity and perfection, all the righteousness and holiness, all the dignity and excellency of an holy gracious foul is drawn from Chrift; he, and only he is the root by whom the Chriftian is fuftained, the fpring by whom the Christian is replenished, the fun, by whom the Christian is enlightned, the garment by whom the Chriftian is clad and covered; whatfoever goodnefs, grace, or excellen is in a Chriflian, it is Chrift's, and not his own; and this Paul Was willing to acknowlege; he was not ashamed (faith one wittily) to let the world know, that Chrift carried his parfe for him, Not that we are fufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves, but our fufficiency is of 'God: Yea, after many years trading, this holy man fees nothing he had got, I count not myself to have appre'hended; he is ftill preffing forward, I prefs towards the

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mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Jefus 'Christ,' Phil. iii. 13, 14. How then is it, that the ftrongeft Chriftian be he never fo ftrong, fhould have high thoughts, and an arrogant opinion of himfelf? What is this but to rob God of his glory; and Chrift of his grace? Mayeft thou not fay of every dram of grace, as the young man of his hatchet, Alas mafter, it was borrowed. Oh! why shouldst thou be lifted up on this account? Shall the dunghill because the fun fhines on it? fhall the Chriflian admire himfeif, because the fun of righteoufnefs hath fhined on him? Oh! God forbid.

6. Confider, the ftronger thou art in grace, the more humbly and submissively shouldst thou carry thyself; the old rule of quanto doctior may well here take place, quanto fanétior es, tanto te geras fubmiffius: By how much the more holy, by fo much the more lowly. Was not Christ the fairest of all the children of men (grace being eminently poured into him) an humbled Chrift? and may we not thence learn, that the highest excllency, and the greatest humility, may confift together? Many think, that to be lowly and humble, would argue too mean and ab ject a spirit for a strong Christian, but was ever fpirit fo truly heroical, and fo eminently gracious as Christ's Spi rit? And yet never was fuch an humble lowly spirit in this world; men are mistaken in this thing, for a proud fpirit, is the base spirit, an humble fpirit is the raifed fpirit; humility is the grace that puts a varnish, luftre, beau ty and glory on all other graces; therefore faith the apol tle to strong Chriftians. Be clothed with humility, 1 Pet. v. 5. The propriety of the word fignifies, a cloathing or dreffing with ribbans, with fine beautiful ornaments: it is the beautiful ornament of a Christian, and of all the graces of a Chriftian, it puts off grace, it graceth all graces whatsoever; and therefore by how much the more holy, by fo much the more humbly shouldft thou carry thyself.

7. Confider the ftrength of the ftrongeft Chriftian grows fuitable to his ftrength in humility; if he be humbled, this makes him profitable under afflictions, as the vine under the hand of the pruner dreffing it; this makes him ça

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pable of the word of God, as the broken ground is of feed, and the empty veffel is of water; this makes Chrift very welcome and amiable in the eye of the foul, the faireft of ten thousands; this difpofeth man to every duty, makes the yoke of Chrift very eafy, the foul never thrives more than when it is humble under the ftrength which God hath given it; he fills the hungry with good things;' but on the other fide, if thy heart begin to fwell, it is, time for God to with-hold the infufions of his grace; for all that is poured on fuch a foul, runs over into felf-applauding, and is good for nothing: a proud heart and a lofty mountain are never fruitful; fuch an one goes backward and not forward, he fpends on the old stock, and drives no trade at prefent to bring in more. O the dif

ference betwixt a chriftian humble and one grown proud and infolent! When humble he prayed in the fenle of his own weakness to get ftrength, but when proud he prays to fhew his ftrength, that others may admire him. And O the juftice, if Hezekiah like, he once call in fpectators to fee his treasure, that God, takes away his treasure! Indeed if God love him, he may well take that away from him, which takes away his heart from God, and fo make him humble, that he may become more ftrong. SECT. XXV.

Of Satan's injections by himself.

ATAN's next affaults we call injections, which are. only and immediately by himself: thefe ufually are Satan's referves; when his other affaults prove unfuccefsful, then he opens his quiver, and fends a shower of thefe arrows to let the foul on flame, if not of fin, yet of terror and horror. These injections are terribilia de fide, bor. ribilia de Divinitate, terrible things of faith, and horrible things concerning God; we may call them blafphemies, blafphemous thoughts, which the devil throws into the fantafy, infinitely against our wills, and by which he fets all within on fire; they are fhot in like thunder-bolts, as thick and quick as can be imagined, and they cause trembling, even to flesh as well as fpirit, feeing there is neither plafure nor profit in them, but a fearful expectation of peedy vengeance. But you may wonder, are ever ChriM 3

ftians,