Sermons Preached on Several Occasions Volume 2, Sermon 12
The Twelfth Sermon.
MATTH. IV. 6.
And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thy self down: for it is written, He shall give his Angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
II. WE must also be as careful that we our selves do not imitate this wicked practice of Satan, and write after the Copy which he hath set us. Now this may be done, and is frequently done several ways.
As, 1. When such as are in their own apprehension rejected of God, and hopeless of finding mercy with him, wrest, misunderstand, and misapply all Scriptures to the increasing of their own troubles, and to the confirming of themselves in that black and dismal opinion of their forlorn condition which their dark spirits are possessed with. These distrested Souls will often complain, That they are even afraid to read the Holy Scriptures, or look into the Word, because almost every thing they there met with, seems to be against them, and to speak terror to them. This is many times the case of those who are in a good and safe condition: But partly by the malice and subtilty of Satan, and partly through their own misapplying the Scripture, and their turning the edge of the Sword of the Spirit against themselves, they make the Word of God, which should stay up, comfort, and relieve their drooping Souls, a means of casting them down more, and of plunging them into greater troubles and perplexities.
It will here, I know, be said, They cannot help it; glad they would be if they could apprehend the Scripture to be for them, and not against them; but as their condition is, they can discern no such thing. But though thus it may be with many, yet there is sometimes a degree of perverseness and wilfulness in others. The afflicted and disconsolate Soul sometimes refuseth to be comforted, as the Psalmist complains, Psal. 77.2. A man shuts his heart against those things that should minister relief unto him, and thrusts away from himself those comforts that are offered. And so on the other hand, he industriously catcheth at, and gathers up whatsoever may add to his trouble, and widen the wound that hath been made in his Spirit: And he disputes and reasons against whatsoever is said to shew, That those Scriptures with which he terrifieth himself, are misunderstood, or misapplied: and he obstinately opposeth himself against whatsoever is brought to allay and mitigate his Troubles. Let all troubled Spirits take heed of this practice by which they do the Devil's work, and further his design against their own Souls.
But here I must be understood as speaking to those unto whom the Comforts of the Scriptures belong; that is, to those who are truly humbled for their sins, and are unfeignedly willing and desirous to forsake sin: To those who truly prize and value Christ above all things, and long for nothing more than to be upon good grounds assured of their Interest in him; to these, and to these only, I speak, and not to such as are only terrified and frighted with the sense of their guilt, as Cain and Judas were, but neither hate sin, nor love Christ the more. If I should tell these miserable people, that the terrors of the threatnings belong not to them, and that taking them to themselves, they misapply them, I should grosly abuse and delude them, and take the ready course for hardening them in their sins, to their destruction. These must know, that the threatnings, the severest threatnings in the Word, belong to them, and the terrors of them are their proper and peculiar portion, as long as they continue to be what at present they are.
2. They also are guilty of imitating this wicked practice of Satan, and write after the Copy which he, in abusing and misapplying Scriptures, hath set them, who being in a state of unbelief and impenitency, and going on still in their trespasses, apply to themselves the gracious Promises that only belong to believing and penitent sinners. They are not a few in the visible Church, that put this cheat upon their own Souls, and after Satan's example, perniciously and fearfully abuse the holy Scriptures, to the ruin of their Souls: which if rightly understood, and if duly applied and made use of, are able to make them wise to Salvation. What have they to do with the Comforts of the Promises, who are out of Christ, in whom all the Promises are Yea, and Amen? 2 Cor. 1.20. What have they to do with Peace, who are engaged in open War and Rebellion against God, as all impenitent Sinners, all wicked and ungodly men are? Whatsoever Peace or Comfort these, by the misapplication of Promises, may speak to themselves, God speaks none to them. There is no peace to the wicked, saith my God, Isa. 57.21.
3. They also imitate Satan, who plead the Scriptures for the justification of themselves in any sinful practice. Thus, for example, they who are not willing to come up in all things to the strictness of the Rule, but take liberty to allow themselves in some sins which they account small and inconsiderable, will for their excuse be ready to plead that of Solomon, Eccles. 7.16. Be not righteous overmuch. As if his cautioning men against needless scrupulosity in things which may be done without sin, did warrant a man to allow himself in any thing, how small soever, that is really sinful. So they who indulge themselves in excess, will in justification of their intemperate abuse of the Creatures, plead the Counsel of St. Paul unto Timothy, 1 Tim. 5.23. Drink no longer water, but use a little wine. But what is there in St. Paul's advice, to encourage or plead for excess in drinking, who only counsels Timothy to use a little Wine, and that also, as he there adds, for his Stomach's sake, and for his often Infirmities? The like abuse of Scripture, after Satan's example, are they chargeable with, who addicting themselves to Covetousness, to Oppression, unjust dealing, and unwarrantable Artifices for improving their Estates, under a pretence of making provision for their Families and Relations, in justification of their unlawful Practices, urge that of the Apostle, 1 Tim. 5.8. If a man provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. As if the Apostle thereby gave men encouragement to provide for their Families by rapine, violence, oppression, fraudulent and injurious dealing, and any how. This indeed were to be worse than many Infidels, who have not allowed themselves in Practices so contrary to the very Light of Nature.
4. They also imitate Satan, who wrest and abuse Scripture for the maintaining of any false Doctrin, or unsound Opinion. And this generally all Hereticks and erroneous Persons do, there being no Tenet or Opinion so notoriously false, or prodigiously wicked, which the Abetters and Defenders thereof will not pretend to be grounded on Scripture. The Arians, Samosatenians, Eutychians, Sabellians, Macedonians, Photinians, Socinians, and the whole Herd of all sorts of Hereticks, alledg Scripture for what they hold, and pretend to make it the bottom and foundation of their Belief, even in those things that are most contrary to the Scriptures rightly understood, and duly applied.
And so much concerning that Observation, That the Devil knows how to abuse the most excellent and comfortable Scriptures to the most horrid and prodigious ends and purposes. Now concerning his notorious abuse of the particular Scripture here by him cited, there remains only one thing more to be spoken to, which also I have pointed at before; and 'tis his false and fraudulent dealing, in taking only that part of the promise which he thought made for his purpose, and leaving out that which was against him. Cast thy self down, saith he; for it is written, He shall give his Angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone; whereas the intire Promise, as we read it in the Psalm, runs thus: He shall give his Angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways; they shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. So then those words, They shall keep thee in all thy ways, the Devil craftily and fraudulently left out; for he knew very well, that it was none of Christ's ways, to cast himself down headlong from a Pinacle of the Temple. In so doing, he should have gone out of his way, and consequently he should also have deprived himself of the safeguard and protection of the Angels in that place promised. Hence we may learn two things:
1. To beware how we take up pieces of Promises, running away with what pleases us, and serves our turn, and leaving out the rest. This is a dangerous thing, which may quickly hurry us on to do that which may prove our destruction.
2. It may teach us to beware how we take up any Promise, without the condition of the Promise. The safeguard of Angels is promised unto God's Children, but 'tis no longer to be expected or relied on than they keep themselves within the bounds of their Duty. The Angels have a charge to keep them in all their ways, but not when they ramble and wander out of their way. That Men have a care to be always found in the way of their duty, is the condition of that Promise. If they take liberty to go astray, to range, and rove up and down at pleasure, turning aside into every by-path they meet with, they must know, they do it at their own peril; as for the Angels, they have no charge to attend them, or look after them in all their Aberrations and Extravagancies.
And thus I have done with the consideration of the Promise as abused by the Devil. I come now to consider it as it lies in the Psalm, without relation to the use that Satan made of it.
Though God hath been pleased by many gracious Promises to assure his Children of his care of them, and of his watching over them to safeguard and protect them; yet for the strengthning of their weak Faith, and the more to encourage them to depend on him for protection, he hath also been graciously pleased to declare, that he employs his Angels to take care of them, and preserve them. So in the place alledged, He shall give his Angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways; in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And so Psalm 34.7. The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. Thus, Matth. 18.10. our Saviour speaking of God's care of the preservation of little ones, and the provision he hath made for their safety, saith, Their Angels do always behold the face of my father which is in heaven. The blessed Angels therefore are deputed to take care of them, and preserve them when they are in danger. All the blessed Angels are Servants to the most high God, sent forth and employed by him for the good of his People, as there is occasion. Of this Ministration of the Angels for the benefit of God's Church and People, we have many instances both in the Old Testament, and in the New, which are so well known, that I need not mention them.
Now though in these later Ages of the Church, we have no such visible Apparitions of Angels, as in former times; yet that they do upon all occasions help and relieve, protect and safeguard Believers in their dangers and distresses, as powerfully as ever heretofore, though invisibly, cannot in the least be questioned; for they are all ministring Spirits, sent forth to minister for them that shall be heirs of Salvation; that's their Office and Imployment, Heb. 1.14. Neither is their Ministration confined to any certain Times or Ages of the Church; as long as God hath a Church here, as long as there are those upon the Earth that shall be Heirs of Salvation, so long will the Ministration of Angels for their good continue. Hence it is that in the Book of the Revelations of St. John, which contains a Prophecy of the Future State of the Church to the end of the World, the Angels are, upon all occasions, brought in as the great Instruments, whose Ministration God is pleased to make use of for the good of his Church, and for the execution of his judgments upon the Enemies thereof.
But not any longer to insist on the Ministration of Angels for the Church, and against the Enemies thereof in the general; I return to speak of it as it ralates to the preservation and safeguard of God's people, as 'tis promimised in the place alledged out of the 91 Psalm. That God is pleased to employ his Angels for the good of his people, and particularly for their preservation in times of danger, needs not any further proof, than what the Scriptures before mentioned afford us; and indeed if there were no other Scripture to confirm it, than that passage quoted out of the Psalm last mentioned, yet that alone were sufficient. Wherefore all that remains to be added, is only to answer such Questions as may be moved, for the better understanding of that Scripture, and then to make Application.
Quest. 1. To whom is this promise of the safeguard and protection of Angels made; and who are they that may take to themselves the Comfort of it?
Ans. It doth not belong to all men, whether good or bad, but only to such as are truly pious and sincerely godly. These are they which in the first Verse of the Psalm are described by their trust in God; they dwell in the secret place of the most High; that is, they make God their shelter and refuge: He is their dwelling-place, where they may be safe from whatever evils may threaten them. This sense of the first Verse is more plainly expressed in the second Verse; where the Psalmist, speaking in his own person, saith, I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, in him will I trust. And again, Verse 9, 10. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation, there shall no evil befal thee. And this is agreeable to the petition of the Psalmist, Psal. 31.2. where by Prayer recommending himself to the Protection of God, he saith, Be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. In short, to dwell in the secret place of the most High; to make the Lord our Habitation; to make him our Rock, and House of Defence, is nothing else but to trust in him, to rely on him, and upon all emergent dangers to have recourse to him for safety; as a man when any peril threatens him, betakes himself to his House, or his Castle, where he may be secured against what might befal him. In this sense, to dwell in the secret place of the most High, and to make the Lord his Habitation, or House of Defence, is the property and character of a godly man; and to such a one, to a person thus described, doth the promise of the protection of Angels belong. And thus is the promise restrained, Psal. 34.7. The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. Wicked men therefore, that have no fear of God before their eyes, have nothing to do with the Comforts of this promise. So again, in the place beforementioned, Heb. 1.14. the Angels are said to be ministring Spirits, sent forth to minister for those that shall be Heirs of Salvation; where in like manner their Ministration, so far as helpful and beficial, is limited to those that shall be saved.
Now if you should here ask, Whether the protection of the Angels be so limited to those that are sincerely pious and religious, as that no wicked man is ever safeguarded or protected by them.
I Answer; God is at liberty to imploy them as he pleaseth; and as it seemeth good to him to give wicked men some very signal deliverances, so I know nothing to the contrary but that he may sometimes imploy his Angels to safeguard and protect them, especially when in their safety the safety of his own People is highly concerned, or when he intends to make them eminent Instruments of good to his People. But though God may sometimes imploy his Angels to preserve them in their dangers; yet have they no promise to rely on. 'Tis no where said, that God hath given charge to his Angels to keep them in safety; or that the Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them to deliver them. And therefore whatsoever the dangers of a wicked man may be, or how much soever he may at any time stand in need of the safeguard of Angels, he cannot either rest on, or plead any Promise of God to that purpose, as a man that is sincerely godly may do. And so much by way of Answer to that Question.
Quest. 2. What are those ways of a good man in which the Angels have charge to keep him? And why are they called his ways?
I Answer; Though the words run in general terms, He shall give his Angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways; yet we may not understand it of whatsoever ways a man shall make choice of, and put himself into, how rashly, unadvisedly, and headily soever; much less may it be understood of those ways that directly cross the Rule which God hath laid before us to frame our actions by. These and the like, are not the ways here intended; the safeguard of Angels is not promised in such cases, nor indeed in any wicked undertaking, or rash and precipitant Adventure. The ways in this promise intended, are,
1. The ways of a man's particular Calling, that honest Imployment, whatever it be, in which the Providence of God hath engaged him.
2. All those other ways, which beside the ordinary ways of his particular Calling, a man is upon any special occasion, any just and lawful occasion, ingaged in. These a man's ways are called his ways, because they are such as God hath chalked out to him, and assigned him to walk in; because they are the ways of his Duty, Place and Calling; or the ways in which upon some special, just, and warrantable occasion the Providence of God hath set him. And this may suffice in Answer to that Question.
Quest. 3. How far may the safeguard and protection of Angels be expected by a good man that is careful to keep himself in these his ways? Is a man by virtue of this promise, absolutely and universally secured against miscarrying, or against all hurt, while he is found in these his ways, and hath a care not to turn aside into any by-way?
Ans. Not so; neither this nor any other promise of preserving his, that God hath made, can be so absolutely understood, but that still God reserves a liberty to himself to deal otherwise with his Servants than the Letter of this Promise seems to import, where and when to his Wisdom it shall seem good. All promises of Temporal things are to be understood with this limitation; namely, so far as it shall be for God's Glory, and our own good, and no further. A man that is required to serve his Prince in a just and a lawful War for the defence of his Country, hath as good a call to that undertaking as can possibly be; and yet he may be slain by the Sword of the Enemy. There is no Enterprize so prudent and advisable, so just and necessary, so honest and laudable; but that a man may sometimes miscarry in it, notwithstanding all the security that the promise of the safeguard and protection of the Angels gives him.
But you will say, What then is there in this Privilege, that a good man hath the protection of Angels to keep him in all his ways? What doth the Promise avail him, if however such Calamities may befal him? I answer; You may as well ask, What there is in any Promise which God hath made concerning Temporal things? Will you say, that it had been as good that no such Promises had ever been made, because notwithstanding them, God reserves to himself a liberty in some cases of dealing otherwise with his Children? Is it nothing worth to be assured of the safeguard and protection of Angels, to preserve you in all your ways, and secure you against whatsoever evils you may be subject to, as far as it shall be for God's glory, and your good? What can you rationally desire more? Would you have God secure you against all Dangers, and give charge to his Angels to keep you in safety, though it be neither consistent with his Glory, nor with your Good, that it should so be? Be not so unreasonable as to desire it; nor so wretchedly unthankful, as to slight the Promise as worth nothing, unless it reach so far. I will at present suppose you to be one whose particular Calling and Employment lies much abroad, and engageth you to undertake many Journies. Now tho you never travel but upon very just and necessary occasions, What if some time or other it should seem good unto God that you should take a dangerous Fall from your Horse to the breaking of a Limb, or the bruising of your Body, so as your Life is thereby endangered? Is it nothing in your account that you have been preserved in a hundred other Journies, so as nothing of that nature ever befel you in any of them before? Besides all other preservations from the danger of Waters, and Highway-Robbers, and the like, Is there nothing in the promise of God that hath so often and so many ways preserved you? Yea, that hath perhaps secured you from a hundred dangers more that you never took notice of? And again, tho for the present you suffer, yet it may be you are however more beholden to the Protection of Angels than you are aware of. Tho it be ill with you, yet who knows but that it might have been a great deal worse with you, if the care of the Angels had not interposed? You broke a Leg or an Arm; but had it not been for the Ministration of Angels, perhaps you had broken your Neck. Besides, you all this while consider not the wise and gracious ends of God in the hurt which befel you.
1. It may be it was to correct and chasten you for some Sin before committed by you. Or,
2. To prevent some Sin which God saw you were in danger of running into. Or,
3. To try and exercise, to increase and improve your Faith, Patience, and other Graces. Or,
4. To make you more sensible of, and thankful for all your former Preservations, which perhaps you took little notice of, much less were duly thankful for. Or,
5. To give you experience of his Care of you, of his gracious Providence, and tender Compassions towards you in that your Affliction.
But suppose you lose your Life by your Fall, and the Angels that attended you carry your Soul to Heaven, is it not your gain? Is not that Office of the Angels much better to a man, than to have kept him from danger? A Death we owe to God and Nature, and there is no other ordinary passage hence to Heaven but by Death. And so we get safely to Heaven, we may be well contented that God should bring us thither by what kind of Death he pleaseth. It is most fit that he in whose hands our times are; and whose free gift Eternal Life is, should determine the circumstances of our Death, and bring us to Heaven as he pleaseth. In a word; tho the holiest man in the World is not by any promise absolutely and universally secured from suffering, yet is every good man secured from perishing, and everlastingly miscarrying by suffering.
Now it remains that I make some Application of what hath been said. Hath God been pleased to give his Angels charge over his Servants to keep them in all their ways?
Then let them be thankful to God for this inestimable privilege. And to the end they may be the more thankful for it, let them consider both how great an Honour, and how great a Security it is to them to be thus looked after, and guarded.
(1.) 'Tis a great Honour that God herein casts upon them. If an Earthly Prince should give a charge to one of his chief Servants, to attend the concernments of a poor despicable man, to look after him, and secure him from all dangers and hazards that he might be obnoxious to, though he were enjoined to do it but for one Month, or a Week, it were a singular favour, and a great honour to so mean a person. What an Honour then is it to weak and sinful men, that are subject to a thousand dangers and casualties, to be continually fafeguarded and protected by Angels, unto whom God hath assigned that employment, and charged them to attend it! The Blessed Angels are the most noble and excellent Creatures in the whole Creation. The greatest Potentates, Princes, or Emperors in the World, what are they in comparison of the Angels? They are indued with all manner of Perfections and Excellencies sutable to the high dignity of their Natures, and that eminent rank which advanceth them far above all the Creatures in the visible or invisible World, (the human nature of Christ only excepted) Eph. 1.20, 21. Besides, these Glorious Spirits are God's own immediate Retinue, that have the happiness to behold his Face always, Mat. 18.10. and to stand before him, and minister to him continually, Dan. 7.10.
(2.) 'Tis a great security to them to be so guarded; for such is the knowledg and strength of Angels, and such their faithfulness in the discharge of the trust committed to them, that nothing more can be desied in order to our safety, than that the Angels undertake our Protection. These things considered, the honour and the security of the Angels in being charged to take care of us, and preserve us in all our ways, how can we be thankful enough to God for this high favour and singular dignation? And yet 'tis much to be feared that few of God's Children have ever been in any measure duly affected with, or sensible of this great mercy.
2. Hath God been pleased to give his Angels charge over his People, to keep and preserve them in all their ways? This then may encourage them to trust in God at all times, even in the greatest dangers; as also freely and holdly to hazard themselves in his service upon all just occasions. Tho we live in perilous times, and we know not how soon our dangers may be much greater than they are; tho as our present circumstances are, we know not what dismal things a day may bring forth; yet having the Angels of God present with us to protect us, we may say with David, Psal. 3.6. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of People that should set themselves against me round about. We read Isa. 37.36. that one Angel could do more for God's People, than an Army of a hundred fourscore and five thousand could do against them. But that you may be able upon good grounds to expect the protection of the Angels, be ever carefull to walk with God, and not to turn aside out of those ways which he hath appointed you. In all dangers which at any time you expose your self unto, be sure that you have God's call thereunto, and that you never presume to hazard your self rashly or unwarrantably.
3. Are Angels, those Excellent Creatures, those Glorious Spirits, in obedience to God's Command, and the charge that he hath given them, willing to stoop so low as to watch over, and take care of such poor and vile Creatures as sinful men, dust and ashes, are in comparison of themselves? How ready and willing then should we be to stoop to the performance of the meanest offices of love to any that may stand in need of our help, and to whom by our assistance we may be any way useful? How mean soever the persons are that stand in need of our assistance, and how mean soever the services are in which we are helpful to them, our condescension therein is nothing in comparison of the condescension of the Angels to do us good.
4. Are the Angels upon all occasions at hand to watch over, take care of, and preserve God's people? Then let the consideration hereof ingage us to carry our selves with so much the more holy watchfulness and circumspection. If the Presence of a good man hath some influence upon us to make us careful how we carry and demean our selves in his Eye; how much more should the Presence of the Holy Angels, those pure and spotless Creatures, that cannot endure to behold our sinful Excesses and Miscarriages! In 1 Cor. 11.10. the Apostle persuading Christians, and especially Women, to a becoming and modest carriage, and demeanor of themselves in the Assemblies of God's People, saith; for this cause ought the Woman to have power on her head, because of the Angels. That is, according to the interpretation of Learned men, she ought to have a vail or covering on her Head, which the Apostle calls by the name of Power, because 'tis a sign of the Man's power over her, the sign being put for the thing signified. Now this decency and modesty in her attire the Apostle urgeth in regard of the Angels, who are present in holy Assemblies, and observe the carriage and dresses of such as there present themselves before God. So then if the consideration of God's Presence will not prevail with them so far as to make them attire themselves modestly, and demean themselves reverently; yet the consideration of the Presence of the Holy Angels should do it. But such is the vanity and immodesty of the Age in which we live, that many come to the Publick Assemblies in such a manner, and in such disguises, as if they neither regarded the Presence of God, nor of the Holy Angels.
5. Are all God's Children under the safeguard and protection of the Holy Angels? are the Angels charged to keep them in all their ways? Then let wicked men take heed how they attempt to wrong or injure them: There is no safe medling with those who have such a Guard about them. This Argument our Saviour made use of when he would caution men against despising little ones, Mat. 18.10. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in Heaven their Angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in Heaven. If that consideration should keep us from despising them, how much more from injuring them?
6. Are the blessed Angels charged to keep God's People in all their ways? As there is occasion, doth God send forth some of these Ministring Spirits to safeguard and protect them? Then let this, amongst other things, stir up such as are yet in ways of Enmity and Rebellion against God, to labour to make their peace with him, that so God being their Friend, they may come to be under the care and protection of his Angels. If an interest in this great privilege were ever desirable, certainly 'tis at present, when our fears and dangers are so great.
And thus I have done with Satan's second Temptation, together with his enforcement of it from Scripture. I now come to our Saviour's Reply thereunto in the next words, Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Here first we may observe, That whereas our Saviour might have excepted against Satan's allegation of the passage out of Psal. 91. now last insisted on; I say, whereas our Saviour might have excepted against Satan's allegation of that passage of Scripture, both because it was by him misapplied, and because it was imperfectly and fraudulently alledged, that part of it being left out, which made against the Tempter; he passeth by both the one and the other, and takes no express notice of either, but only opposeth a plain and pertinent Scripture against his Temptation, as also he doth in his Reply to both the other Temptations. Herein no doubt his design was by his own example to teach us what the best and safest course is when we are tempted by Satan; that is to say, not to reason or dispute the matter with the Devil, how much reason soever we may think we have on our side, but to betake our selves immediately to the Sword of the Spirit, and to resist him with that Weapon; to oppose Scripture against his Temptations. The Devil is a most subtil and cunning Sophister, and therefore 'tis a dangerous thing to enter the Lists with him in way of dispute; so weak and unexperienced are we, and so dexterous is he at that way of fencing, and so long exercised and vers'd in it, that 'tis great odds but that he will be too hard for us. Wherefore if we be wise, when we are tempted, let us not venture the issue of our Contests with him upon our own skill or ability in disputing; but let us presently run to God's Armory, the Holy Scriptures, and take thence such Weapons as are sittest for the present use we are to make of them. And here it will be our concernment, and our wisdom, to labour to be throughly acquainted, and compleatly furnished with those passages of Scripture that we most need, and which we find will be of most advantage to us in respect of the frequent occasions we shall have of imploying them, and making use of them. More plainly; every man should be in some good measure acquainted with his own particular weaknesses, and the temptations with which he is most often assaulted. Now where he is weakest, and where he finds by experience that the Devil most lays at him, and assaults him, there especially should he be provided and furnish'd with whatever Weapons the holy Scripture supplies him with for his own defence. He that is not thus provided and furnished, is like a City broken down, and without Walls, that lies open to every incursion of the Enemy. Most sad and miserable therefore is their condition who either have no acquaintance with their own weaknesses and temptations, or are so careless and regardless of their own safety, that they make no provision to secure themselves against their spiritual Enemy.
In the 2d place we may observe, That tho the Devil abused Scripture, yet our Saviour makes use of it still; Jesus said unto him, It is written again. Good things are never the worse for being abused by the Devil and his wicked Instruments. It is a great mistake to think, That things through the abuse of them either by Satan himself, or by his Agents, are so polluted and defiled, as they must immediately be thrown aside with detestation and abhorrence, and never be taken up again, or made use of any more. What if some parts of St. John's Gospel be horribly abused and prophaned by Witches in their Charms and Spells, must the whole Gospel be laid aside, or those abused Passages be removed? What if the Devil abuse a Passage out of the Psalms; must we therefore lose a most sweet and comfortable Promise, and blot it out of our Bibles? After this rate it would be in the power of the Devil to deprive us of all the Holy Scriptures, by abusing one part after another, till no part remained. So, what if Idolaters and Superstitious people abuse the Scriptures, and many Passages of Publick Liturgies agreeable to Scripture, by taking them into the Mass-Book, and making use of them in their Idolatrous Worship, are these things by their horrid abuses of them made uncapable of being made use of without Sin? Have they by that abuse contracted such pollution and defilement, as renders them for ever so abominable, as that henceforth no man may lawfully touch them, or make use of them in the service of God? No such matter: Wicked men have no such power to alter the nature of things good in themselves meerly by their abuse of them. If they were good before, they are so still; and if there might be a lawful use of them before, there may still be. I shall both illustrate and prove this by what the Apostle determines concerning Meats offered to Idols, about which there were some scruples among Christians in the Primitive Church. It was the judgment of some men, That Meats offered to Idols were so defiled thereby, that it was sinful for any man to eat them. But St. Paul states the matter far otherwise; In 1 Cor. 10.25. he bids them eat whatever is sold in the Shambles, asking no question for conscience sake; that is, without any scrupulous enquiry whether it had been sacrificed to Idols or no. And then v. 30. he adds, If I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil-spoken of for that for which I give thanks? And in the same manner he states the Controversy in 1 Cor. 8.4. where he saith, That an Idol is nothing; thereby giving us to understand, that seeing 'tis nothing, it may not be thought to have any power of polluting those things that are offered to it. And then v. 8. Meat, saith he, commendeth us not unto God; for neither if we eat are we the better; neither if we eat not, are we the worse. Only he adds, That tho the thing be lawful in it self, yet in case of offence a man ought to forbear. So then from the whole of the Apostle's Discourse 'tis evident, That the abuse of a thing to Superstitious and Idolatrous purposes, doth not render the use of it unlawful; which was the thing to be proved.