1Jire8ions for a JVe!l grounded Faitb. may do much. Therefore we fee that Husbands, and Wives if ~hey Iov_c eAtirely,. do ufually clofc in the fame Religion, opinion or way, though when they were firfi marned they d1ffered from.each other. . · 9· 41 • to. As oft as he can the Devil maketh th~ Multitude .his lnjlrument: that the crowd and noife ml}' carry us on and make men valiant, and put away then ~ear ?f p~ntChmenr. . . 9· 42 . 11. He is very defirous to make the Embaifadors of Chnfi h1s ~mfoners, and to h1re th~m ~0 fpeak againH their ma!lers c~u_fe: that in Chrijf1 namt they ~ay d~ce1ve the filly ft.ock,_fPeaL-Jng pcrver[t rbiJJgi to draw awa-1 difctplu after the?', ACts 20. 30. Sornetnnes by prerence of.h1s A_utbu– rity :tnd Comm~ffion;. m1k1~g poor peopl_c beheve, that not to he~r thetn, and ob~y them m t~c1r er– rors is to be d1fobed1ent rt)~l1er! of Chrljl; (and thus. the RomiJ!' parry carry_ It)•. Sometxm~ by their parii and pla4Gble pedwahvc Jpuclm : And fometJme by tbe~r fervency, fnghtnmg people mto error: And by thefe two ways moll Hereticks prevail. None fo fuccesfully ferverh Satan, as a falfi er bribed Minijler of Cbrifi. 4. 43· 12· He is exceeding dc!irous to make Parent! themfelvu his InjlumentJ for their childrens fin and ruine: And alas how commonly doth he fuccced! He knowcth that Parents have them under their hands, in the moll ductile malleable age : and that they have a concurrence of alJrnoll all ad~ vantages : They have the purfe, and the portion of their children in their power ; They have rhein.. terefl of Love, and Reverence, and eflimation : They arc fij}) with them, and ~an be often in their follicitings: They have the rod and can compel them: Many thoufands are m Hell, through the means of their own Parents; fuch cruel monllers will they be to the fouls of any QthcrJ, that are firfi [o to their .own. If the Devil can get the Parents robe curfers, fwcarers, garnefiers, drunkards, worldlings, prond, deriders, or raile'rs at a holy liff, what a fnare is here for the poor chil– dten! 9· 44· V. In the Method of Satan, the next thing is to (hew you how he labours to keep off all the forces of Chrifi which fhould refill him and dcfiroy his work, and to frullrate their .endeavours, and fortifie himfelf; And among m:my others, thefe means are notable. §. 45~ I • He would do what he can to weaken even natural Rea[o,, that men may be blockilh and uncapable of good ! And it is lamentable to obferve how hard it is to make feme pecple either underfiand or regard I And a beafily kind of education doth much to this : and fo dorh cu,Qom in fcn– fual courfes; even turn men intobruitf. 9· 46. 2. He doth what he can to hinder Parents and bl.JftcrJ from doing their part, in the in– flru8:ing and a~moni£hi11g of Children and fervants, and dealing wifely and zealoufly with them for their falvatiQn : Either he will keep Parents and Mafiers ignorant and unablt; or he will make them w·ck..td and unr:Pilling; and perhaps engage them to oppofe their children in all that,s good: or he will make them like Eli rtmiji and 1ttgligent, indifferent, formal, cold and dull; and fo keep them from faving their childrens or fuvants fouls. . 9· 47· 3· Hedoth all that ponlbly he can to keep the finner'in[tcurity, pre[umptiolt and [enfelcfitefi, (VCn afleep in fin ; and to that end to keep him .qNirt ,and in the darlz, without any light or noifc which may awake him; that he may live aJleep as without a God, a Chrift, a Heaven, a Soul, or any fuch thing to mind. His great care is to keep him from Confulering: and therefore he keeps him tlill in company, or fpon, or bufinefs, and will not let him be oft lllone, nor retire into a fober conference with his confcicnce ; or ferious Thoughts of the Life to come. 9· 48. 4·. He doth his befi to keep foul·fearching lively Minijlers out of theCountry, or out of that Place; and ~o filence them, if there be any fuch : and to keep the £inner under fome ignorant or dead·htarted Mini(ler, that hath not himfelf that faith or repentance, or life, or love, or holindS, or zeal, which he fhould be a means to work in others: And he will do his utmoll to draw himw be a leader of men to fin. 9· 49• 5· He doth his worfi, to make Minijlers weal(_, to difgracc the cau[e of Chrill, and hinder his work by their bun:z.ling, and umkjiful management, that there may be none to lland up againft fin, but ~ome unlearned or halfwitted men, that can fcarce fpeak fenfe, or will provoke cOntempt or laughter m the hearers. 9· 5o. 6. He doth his worfi to make Minijlers [candalotH, that when they tell men of their fin and duty, they may thmk fuch mean not as they fpeak, and believe not thernfclves, or make no great I?atter of it; but fpeak for cuflom, credit, or for their hire. And that the people by the wicked h~es of the Preachers, may be emboldned to difobcy their doChinc, and to imitate them, and live without Repentance. 9· 51· 7· He wiliJabour to lo~d the ablcjl Minijlers with reproaches and Jlaltdm; which thoufand• {hall hear, who never hear the truth in their defence: And fo making them odiour, the people will ~cccivc no ~ore good by t_heir prcac~ing, than from aT 11 rk,_, or Jew, rill the very trutb it [elf, foi– lt filf preva1J. And to th1s end efpec1ally he doth all that he can to foment continual divifiom in the Church; that whi_le every party is engaged againll the other, the lnterefi of their fevera! caufes may make them think Jt necdfary ro make the chief that are againfi them ft:ern. odious, or concemprible to the people, that fo they may be able to do their caufc, and them no harm: And fo they difablc them from ferving Chrift and faving fouls, that t.hey may difable them to hurt thcmfeit•er or their f,;llion, or their impotent caufc. . ' . 9· 5Z· S. He doth what he ea~ to keep the mojl.holy Miniftm under prr[<eulion; that the~ may be as the wounded Deer whom all the reil ol the herd wtll 01un ; or hke a worried dog ..-horn the rell •vill
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