58 Put on the whole Armour ofGod. againft its command fet open the City gate to the enemie, and fo deliver traiteroufly their confcience prifoner to their lufts:But whenChrift comes to demand the foul,he meets afcornful anfwei: depart from us, we dafire not the knowledge of the moil High. We will not have this man to reign over cu. With one content they vote againft him, and rife up as the Philtflines againft Sam/on whom they call'd the Defiroyer of the countrey. Ye Will not come, unto me, faith Chrift. 0 how true are poor fanners to the de- vils trufl 1 They will not deliver the Caftle they hold for Satan, till fired over their heads. Pharaoh oppofeth itiofeJ on one hand, and lfraelay out uponhim on the other. Such meafure bath Chrift both at Satans hand, and the finners. That which lefre- ned Alcxanders Conquefts, was, he overcame a people buried in barbarifme, without armes or difciplineof war ; and that which heightened ('(far), (though not fo many) he overcame a people more warlikeand furnifift Satans vi6tories are of poor igno- rant, graceleffe fouls, who have neither armes, nor hands, nor hearts to oppofe; but when he affaults a Saint, then he fits down before a citywith gates and bars, and ever rifeth with fhame ; unable to take the weakeft hold, to pluck the weakeft Saint out of Chrifts hands ; but Chrift brings fouls out of his dominion with a high hand, in fpite ofall the force and fury of hell,which like Pharaoh and his hoffe purfue them. Vfe 2. Secondly, this vies us a reafon why the devil bath fo great a fpite againft the Gofpel. Why ? becaufe this opens a magazine of armes and furniture for the foule ; the Word is that To'er of David, Cant. 4 4. built for an crirmourie, wherein there hang a thoufand bucklers; all the !hie Ids of mightymen. Hence the saints .have ever had their armour, and the preaching of the Gofpel un- locks it. As Gofpel light afcends, fo Satans fhady Kingdomof darkneffe vanifileth. Rev. 11.6. there one Angel comes forth to preach the everlafling Gcfpesl, and another Angel followes at his back,verfe 8. cr) ing W./arid, Babylon is fallen, is fallen. The very firft charge the Gofpel gave to the Kingdom of darkneffe, fbak't the foundations thereof, and put the legions of hell to the run. The feventy, whomChrift fent out, bring this fpeedy account of their ambaffage ; Lord,even thedevils arefulijetl unto as through thy Name: and Chrift anfwers, .1 beheld Satan 4$ lightning fall from "'coo?. As if helad faid,'cis no newes you
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