Book I. <WIJ:n: U\ith Erbtt~. . Chap~ Gen. 3· q. rds which many lcok upon him with. Curfed !halt tb•u /,. ab•ve all tbe Bc.zfhof ;b;; Field. 0 the ill,Curogun:nr, that all ovr Ecemtes (both that Fteld-Serpent, and the old S1rpent called the D.vd) arc under a Dtvme Cmfe. Stllely Gods Curfe is a weak– u!n~thing. Gen. 3·15. 3· He is a wour~ded CreJture. J. Wounded by Chrifl, He {hall break._ thy Head, • and tlmt fln!t bmif•bt< Hrel. The Lord ] ills breaks Sarans He•d, as ne is our H<:ad; he lbth 1 wounded himtor:..ts,and for o.ur fakes. Here is comtoa; Abs! Satan was tuo flron~ lor us.hand to ha";J, and ther~forc our Lord firfi enters che Lill, and ?,ives hm1 a wound; and thell, as Jo(!Jtta, h: btds u> come, and tread on his neck. Thus vir hen we read of Chrills glorious act;, that he •overcame SJtJu, Mattb. ~· 1 t. Lead Captivity captive, Epbcf:4. 8. ~poded Principalities an'd Powers, Colof. 2 , )· M;de his Enemies his Foot-llooi ,M"tb. 2(2· ~4· Overcame thofe that War apinfr him, Re· vrl, 17. 1 +• We arc to undcrlbnd thatJJI thefc acrs were for our benctit, and th1t for us !Jecotllbatcd with, and conquered all thcfc Foes. z. He is wottnded by the McmLuk. Jo. 18, bers ot Chnfi. Sat"'. ii f.•llcn from Heavw lik_e Li;htning, and made fubje{i tJ the 1 9• 00 • Smttr. Hts wtaponsnavebecn ortcn. battered and blunted, not only by Chnfr, but r ]oh 2. q, alfo by Chnlhans. lt<ri~e UI~IJ ym _yo:mc men, bec3ufe Y'u have overcome tht wick.fd q. ""· Orher; have been, and tl we will but wrdlle, we alfo fhJ\1 be more tban ConqucRom. 8 · 3i· rouri thro;ez.b C/mjl tb~t luvctb M. !(eve!. :o. 1 , 2 • 4· .He IS a chailltd Crearurc. The Ang,cl that came down from Heavm had a great 'ChJill in !>id band, a-rd he I•id boU o,z tbc Dt '.~on, that old Serpent, whicb iJ the Devil, a;td S rtan, and bo!ti!d him athon{.nd yarJ. In this Chain he is fo con tined, that he cannot lbr unril God fllcK his Clui n: nor need we trouble our !elves, bccaufe it is fa id :l Pet. 2. 4• Jude 6. Luk.a.,,. Jud< 6· only tor a thou(and )'tJrs; tor iudecd God hath ever Kept him in Fetters !ince hi; fall, either kfs or more, .and he fluli never rhake them olf again uotil Doomsday: He /JJ.tb dc!h:ercd bim imu Cbain1 of d.Jrli..ne{s , ta be referved unto t/;e ]tdgmcm of the great DJY• Oh, wlnt tncouragemen t is rh is! think of it Chrilltans , Devils CJn do nothing withoutaCommiilion trom your God: though they ruined Job! !late. yet they had their power trum God; and though they int~lled hts Body with fad Difc, ks, yet they were fain to ask new leave trom God; they could uot fo much as enter into Swine, but Chrifi mull gtve them Authonty, and bid them gu. How fhould this animate us, rhJt our grc1tell Enemy is lubject to drc power of our befr and deartH Friend' Enou!;l\ for Motives. SECT. V J. Vfe of Dircaion. I . S our Spiritlla\ Combatc a Wrdlltng' then fon:e DireCl'ions how we arc to manage . this Spiritual Con-V;te. This is that fp~cial u!e which I ever aim at in all praClical points. Many are convinc't of fuc~ and fuch a duty, that know but little how to go about it : Oth.rs indeed may abouucl in their own f2ufe, and they may in their ownex– periences find out fome Rules moll proper for their own di!pofiti0n, and moll puwcrful for their own Reformatiou ; and tor my plrt, I !hall g!Jdly leave them to rJJemfdvcs; yet for filCh who are not better fu,miJhed , and yet defirefomc help how to man~ge wifely this great duty of wrejflzng mthDcvzii, I !hall prefcnbe for thetr ufe, and mme own (nsthe Lord !hall enable) thefe following directions. fn our Spiritual Comblte two things art neceffary to be known. 1: Satans affaults. 2 • Our rtpulfes. His affaults I /hall trace, according to rhe feveral pcnods of our !tfe, wherein mare cfpecially he combatcs wit? us in fuch or fuch a kind : As in our In– fancy hecombJteschus; and m ourYoutn ,o:nme of Converfi?~, l~e combates th~s; and in our riper years he combates thus; and m the end and pen_od ot. our hfe he corn– hates thus. Now herein lies our duty. 1. To be acquJmted with hts feveral methods at fi>Ch times. 2.To repel him in loch a manner, and by fuch means, as are moll fi1itable to his methods, And, 0 that the Lord wculd help, and fircngthen me in this work ! . 0 that he would prlfent his Light and Truth, that I may. dilcover m you theft works or darlmefs, both for the avoiding and conquermg of lum, whJ u rt{erved for ever· tJjlingcbailtJunder d"rk.Jtcft, unto the judgmem t~f the great Day. WAR
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=