holiness for us, and through faith and patience in their holy course, have at last obtained the comfort of the promises in Heaven's bliss, to the unspeakable encouragement of all that are ascending the hill after them. To the threatenings are annexed many sad examples of unholy souls, who have undone themselves, and damned their own souls in unholy ways, whose carcases are as it were thrown upon the shore of the Word, and exposed to our view in reading and hearing of it, that we may be kept from being ingulphed in those sins that were their perdition: "these were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted." 1 Cor. x. 6. Thus we see how the whole contents of the Scripture befriends holiness, and speaks what the design of God therein is, which yet to carry on the more strongly, God hath appointed many holy ordinances to quicken the Word upon our hearts. Indeed all of them are but the Word in several forms: hearing, prayer, sacraments, meditation, holy conference, the Word is the subject matter of them all; only as a wise physician doth prepare the same drug several ways, sometimes to be taken one way, sometimes another, to make it more effectual, and refresh his patient with variety: so the Lord, consulting our weakness, doth by his Word, administering it to us now in this and anon in that ordinance for our greater delight and profit, aiming still at the same end in all, even the promoting of holiness in the hearts and lives of his people; what are they all but as veins and arteries, by which Christ conveys the life-blood and spirits of holiness into every member of his mystical body? The church is the garden, Christ the fountain, every ordinance has a pipe from him, to water all the beds in this garden; and why, but to make them more abundant in the fruits of righteousness?

SECT. V.

Fifthly, It is his design in all his providences. "All things (that is all providences especially) work together for good to them that love God." Rom. viii. 28. And how do they work for their good, but by making them more

good and more holy? Providences are good and evil to us, as they find or make us better or worse; nothing is good to him that is evil. As God makes use of all the seasons of the year for the harvest, the frost and cold of the winter as well as the heat of the summer, so doth he of fair and foul, pleasing and unpleasing providences, for promoting holiness: winter providences kill the weeds of lusts, and summer providences ripen and mellow the fruits of righteousness; when he afflicts, it is for our profit, to make us partakers of his holiness. Heb. xii. 10. Afflictions Bernard compares to the tezel, which, though it be sharp and scratching, is to make the cloth more pure and fine. God would not rub so hard if it were not to fetch out the dirt that is ingrained in our natures. God loves purity so well, that he had rather see a hole than a spot in his child's garments; when he deals more gently in his providences, and lets his people sit under the sunny bank of comforts and enjoyments, fencing them from the cold blasts of affliction, it is to draw forth the sap of grace, and hasten their growth in holiness. Paul understood this, when he besought the saints at Rome, "by the mercies of God, to present their bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God," Rom. xii. 1. implying that mercies came from God to us on this very errand; God might reasonably expect such a return. The husbandman, when he lays his compost on his ground, looks to receive it at harvest again in the fuller crop: and so doth God by mercies; therefore he doth so vehemently complain of Israel's ingratitude, "she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver, which they prepared for Baal." Hosea ii. 8. God took it ill, and well he might, that they should entertain Baal at his cost; if God sends in any cheer to us, he would have us know, that it is for his own entertainment, he means to come and sup upon his own charge. And what dish is it that pleaseth God's palate? Surely he that would not have his people eat of any unclean thing, will not himself. They are the pleasant fruits of holiness and righteousness, which Christ comes into his garden to feed on: "I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse, I have gathered my myrrh and my

spice, I have eaten my honey with my honeycomb, I have drunk my wine with my milk." Cant. v. 1.

CHAP. IV.

SHOULD

THE SECOND REASON WHY THE CHRISTIAN WEAR THIS BREAST-PLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND MAINTAIN THE POWER OF HOLINESS SO CAREFULLY, TAKEN FROM SATAN'S GREAT DESIGN AGAINST IT.

SECONDLY, In regard of Satan, whose design is as much against the saint's holiness, as God is for it. He hath ever a nay to God's yea; if God be for holiness, he must needs be against it; and what should be our chief care to defend, but that which Satan's thoughts and plots are most laid to assault and storm? There is no creature the devil delights so to lodge and dwell in as man when he enters into other creatures, it is but on a design against man; as when he entered the serpent, it was to deceive Eve; the swine, Matth. viii. 32. he possessed them on a design to dispossess the Gergesenes of the Gospel; but might he chuse his own lodging, none pleaseth him but man, and why? because man only is capable by his rational soul of sin and unrighteousness. And as he prefers man to quarter in above all inferior creatures, so he had rather possess the souls of men than their bodies; none but the best room in the house will serve this unclean spirit to vomit his blasphemies and spit out his malice in against God, and why? but because the soul is the proper seat of holiness and sin. This one gives as the reason why amongst all the ways that Satan plagued Job, he did not chuse to make a forcible entry into his body, and possess him corporeally, for certainly he might, that being short of taking away his life (the only thing reserved by God out of his commission), and being in his power, sure it was not to spare Job that trouble: no pity dwells in a devil's heart; but

the very reason seems to be, what an ancient hath noted, the devil waited for higher preferment; he hoped to possess his soul, which he longed for a thousand times more; he had rather hear Job himself blaspheme God, while he was compos mentis, his own man, than himself in Job to belch out blasphemies against God, which would have been the devil's own sin, and not Job's. Thus you see, it is holiness and righteousness his spite is at; no gain comes to the devil's purse, no victory he counts got, except he can make the Christian lose his holiness. He can allow a man to have any thing, or be any thing, rather than be truly powerfully holy. It is not your riches and worldly enjoyments he grudges so much as your holiness. Job, for ought we know, might have enjoyed his flocks and herds, his children and servants, without any disturbance from Hell, if the devil had not seen him to be a godly man, one fearing God, and eschewing evil. This angered the wicked spirit; now he tries a fall with Job, that if possible he may unsaint him, and despoil him of his breast-plate of righteousness. His plundering of his estate, butchering his children, carbonadoing, as I may say, his body with sores and boils, which were as so many deep slashes in his flesh, was but like some thieves' cruel usage of men whom they would rob, on a design to make them confess and deliver up their treasure; would but Job have thrown the devil his purse, his integrity, I mean, and let Satan carry away his good conscience, Satan would soon have unbound him, and not have cared if he had his estate and children again. The wolf tears the fleece, that he may come to raven on the flesh, and suck the blood of the sheep: the life-blood of holiness is that which this hellish murderer longs to suck out of the Christian's heart. It is not a form of godliness, or goodly shews of righteousness, the devil maligns, but the power; not the name, but the new nature itself brings this fell lion out of his den. Satan can live very peaceable as a quiet neighbour by the door of such as will content themselves with an empty name of profession; this alters not his property, nor toucheth his copyhold. Judas's profession (he knew) did not put him a step out of his way to Hell; the devil can shew a

inan a way to damnation through duties and ordinances of God's worship. That covetous traitorous heart which Judas carried with him to hear Christ's sermon, and preach his own, held him fast enough to the devil; and therefore he gives him line enough, liberty enough to keep his credit awhile with his fellow apostles; he cares not though others think him a disciple of Christ, so he knows him to be his own slave.

In a word, it is not a superstitious holiness which offends him; how can it, when he is the institutor of it himself? and that on a subtle desigu to undermine the true genuine holiness in the hearts of men; and by this time the church of Christ hath found how deep a contrivance it is. This in all ages hath been to the power of holiness what the ivy is to the oak; the wanton embraces of this mock holiness about religion hath killed the heart of scriptural holiness wherever it hath prevailed; it is to the true holiness, as the concubiue is to the true wife, who is sure to draw the husband's love from her. This brat the devil hath long put out to nurse to the Romish church, which hath taken a great deal of pains to bring it up for him; and no wonder when she is so well paid for its maintenance, it having brought her in so much worldly treasure and riches. No, it is holiness in its naked simplicity, as it is founded upon Scripturebottom, and guided by Scripture-rule, that he is a sworn enemy against. Indeed this is the flag which the soul hangs out, and by which it gives defiance to the devil; no wonder if he strives to shoot it down. Now and not till now the creature really declares himself a friend to God, and an enemy to the kingdom of darkness; and here is the ground of that quarrel, which will never cease so long as he continues an unclean spirit, and they to be the holy ones of God: "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution," 2 Tim. iii. 12. Mark, first, what it is that makes the devil and his instruments take arms, and breathe slaughter against Christians, it is their godliness; many specious pretences persecutors have to disguise their malice, but the Spirit of God, that looks through all their hypocritical mufflers, is privy to the cabinet-counsels of their hearts, and those instruc