"the body, and I had no hope, but in this life. Be "merciful to me, O good God, I befeech thee, and "forgive and heal me; and turn again my captivity, "and fet me free from the thraldom of my lufts; " and help me to mortify my members, which are "upon the earth; and fo to keep under my body,

that my foul may be at better liberty, to proceed in thy holy ways, to thy heavenly glory.

"Amen."

THA

MEDITATION LXX.

Of refifting the devil.

HAT malignant fiend which heads the infernal regiments of apoftate fpirits, who have utterly loft themselves to every thing that is good, and holy, and happy; and fo are fired with an everlafting enmity against all the children of God; and are for plucking as many as ever they are able into their curfe and condemnation; he is the most formidable foe, that has not only flain his thousands and ten thousands already; but ftill goes go on to undo so great a part of the world, as a roaring lion, hungry after prey, and mighty to devour; and as the red (or bloody) dragon, yea, the prince and god of this world, lording it over the children of difobedience; and nearer to us than we are apt to imagine, has his hell even over our heads, and about our ears. And it is not an empty name, called legion, that we are to encounter; but mighty armies lying in our way to heaven, that would hinder us from ever gaining that there, which themselves

have for ever loft. This adverfary that is all againft us, ftill walks about (though never out of hell, because he carries his hell about him, and within him;) never finding reft, yet always feeking it, in hunting after the blood of fouls: which too much do perceive the force of those hellifh powers, that now efcape their fight; though living in their quarters, and there doing nothing but evil; nor ever ceafing to do it; but all the pleasure they have, is that right devilish pleasure of seeking whom to devour.

O my foul, how wilt thou ftand before them? and what wilt thou do to fecure thyfelf from them? there is an expedient proposed, Jam. iv. 7. which though it does not seem to promise any great fuccefs, where the combat is so very unequal; nor to make it likely that I should prevail, by refifting the devil; yet where the promise of God gives me affurance of victory, that I fo refifting, the devil will fly from me; it is not only worth while, but a thing moft needful (for my duty and fafety) that I fhould make the experiment. And now, what is this refiftance, my foul? It is not only to fhew difturbance at the name of the devil, and in words to fet him at defiance; which fome may be forward to do, that are too great with him otherwife; but it is the refusing of my confent, and not yielding to the motions and fuggeftions of the wicked one. For temptation is a moving us to fin with fome colour of reason for it, to make it look eligible, and fit to be embraced, for fome good that is like to come by it. And when thus folicited and urged, the fufpending our confent, and holding back our wills from giving admittance to the motion, that is our refiftance. And here, if we but ftand our ground, we get the day. If we maintain our own, and reject the devil's prof fers, and will not be parties to our own ruin, he cannot undo us. So has the almighty, gracious Lord reftrained and chained him up, that he can

not,

not, without us, gain his mifchievous points upon us. No, he must bring our wills firft to join iffue with his, and that by force he cannot do. For it were no will, if it could be fo conftrained. Nor were it fin, fhould we (whether we will or not) be neceffitated to it. For it is the will that makes the fin. And the devil himself cannot break open the doors upon me, without mine own leave. But here is the comfort, my foul, that I do not fo lie at his mercy; if I will not expofe myfelf to it. "Sa"tan has defired to have you, faith our Lord," Luke xxii. 31. He would fain be at it, but cannot without permiffion from above. No, nor without my leave. If I do not " give place to the devil," Eph. iv. 27. He muft ftand without till I let him in. To refift the devil then, I must refift myself, for he tempts me by myself, and fets me to do my own work. But when I turn away and fcorn his baits, and tell him flatly, I muft not meddle; I will not be fo concerned; away from me, thou wicked one; I will keep the commands of my God; this refolution fets him packing, when he finds not the temper eafy, and fequacious, to be led about as he pleafes. O then here be ftiff and inflexible, my foul; give him no encouragement, let him not get in a foot; but abhor the motion at the very firft propofal; frown upon it, utterly declare againft it, fling it away with deteftation, and do not fo much as ftand to capitulate or parley about the matter, to make it any difputable cafe or moot-point; but difclaim and renounce the vile inftigations, throw out the wild fire as fast as he throws it in. And in this refiftance, O take the fword of the Spirit, the Word of God; quote that against him, (fcriptum eft) it is written; and this will make him quit the field : for Satan cannot ftand before this breath of the Lord's noftrils. No, the holy, awful Word of God (thus faith the Lord, fee thou do it not) is that, which

VOL. I.

U u

ftrikes

ftrikes all dead. Keeping upon this holy ground, thou wilt make him keep his distance. And O may not I, who am called the foldier of Chrift, ever fly from the Chriftian colours, nor fwallow the baits, even as faft as they are caft before me; but ftand to my arms, and refift ftedfaft in the faith.

Of fome I am told, Rom. xiii. 2. "Who refifting, "fhall receive to themselves damnation; " but here the damnation comes from non-resistance. O then animate thyfelf to the battle, my foul; and from hence take courage, "That greater is he who is "in thee, than he that is in the world," I John iv. 4, Go forth in the ftrength of the Lord God, and take the fhield of faith, even faith in that Saviour, who has destroyed the destroyer. And he that faw him, “ fall like lightening from heaven," Luke x. 18. will make him fo fall before thee. O look up, by this faith, to that eternal heavenly glory, which will make the devil's offer, even of all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, very contemptible in thy eyes. And ftill fly, fly from the tempter, to thy Saviour, to engage his help, by thy fervent prayer; that he may be to thee a ftrong tower of defence, against the face of all thy infernal foes; and rebuke Satan, and repel his force, and disappoint his malice, and shortly bruise him under thy feet.

UN

THE PRAYER.

NLESS I give place to the devil, he cannot break in upon me, to carry me captive at "his will, against my own will. O Lord, I befeech thee, deliver me from the traitor in my own bo"fom, this depraved will, and the enticement of "my own lufts; and give me power from on high, "to withstand the affaults of the roaring lion, that

66 goes

goes about, seeking whom to devour. O rebuke. "the deadly enemy, and break his ftrength, and "defeat his fpite, that he may never have his will upon me, but be driven back; because thou, O "God, art for me. And be graciously pleased, to "make me fuch a way of escape; that I, a feeble "wretch, may be enabled to overcome, through "thy grace; and to triumph in Chrift Jefus, the "Lord my ftrength and my Redeemer. Amen."

T1

MEDITATION LXXI.

Of the neceffity of regeneration.

HAT a man must be born again, that is, born of the Spirit of God, or he cannot enter into the kingdom of God; our Lord Jefus exprefsly affirms it, John iii. 5. But fo harfh did it found in the ears of Nicodemus, that he stumbled at it; and could not tell how to believe, or conceive it. And, O what abundance ftill, even of those that profess the Chriftian faith, are yet mere ftrangers to the new birth, and know not what to make of it, but reckon upon doing well enough without it? It is fo abftrufe, like the formation of the foetus in the womb, and like the rife and progrefs of the wind, that it is wholly hid from the world, and in fo great a measure hid even from thofe in whom it is wrought; that though they are affured of the thing, yet are they not able to account for the manner.

The patrons of nature, they flatter themselves, that they need no change, but what they have in their own hands to effect; as if they could not only transform but new-create themselves, and change