God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed; though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Ps. xlvi. 1, 2. Behold, God is our salvation: we will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is our strength, and our song: he also is become our salvation; Is. xii. 2. Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered; let them also, that hate him, flee before him: Like as the smoke vanisheth, so shalt thou drive them away; Ps. lxviii. 1, 2.

SECT. 3.

The malice of the evil spirits, and our fears thereof remedied.

BUT, oh, the malice of those infernal spirits, implacable and deadly; whose trade is temptation and accusation; whose delight is torment; whose music is shrieks and howlings, and groans, and gnashing; and whose main drift is no less, than the eternal death and damnation of miserable mankind!

Why should we, my son, expect other from him, who is professedly the manslayer from the beginning; that carries nothing but destruction both in his name and nature; that goes about continually, like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour? Surely, this malignity is restless: neither will take up with any thing on this side hell:

But, comfort thyself in this, that, in spite of all the malice of hell, thou art safe. Dost thou not know, that there stands by thee the victorious Lion of the Tribe of Judah, whom that Infernal Ravener dare not look in the face? Dost thou not remember, that, when the sentence was pronounced of eternal enmity, between the Seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, it was with this doom, It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel? Gen. iii. 15. Lo, a bruise of a man's heel is far from the heart; but a bruise of the serpent's head is mortal: there his sting, there his life lies. Neither did the Seed of the Woman, Christ Jesus, this for himself, who was infinitely above all the power and malice of the Devil; but for us, the impotent and sinful seed of man. The God of Peace shall bruise Satan under your feet, saith the blessed Apostle; Rom. xvi. 20: under your feet; not under his own, only; of whom God the Father had long before said, Sit thou on my right-hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool; Ps. cx. 1.

Yea, what do I speak of the future? Already is this great work done: already is this great work atchieved: for the Lord of Life, having spoiled principalities and powers hath made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them on his cross; Col.

ii. 15. Lo, all the powers of hell were dragged after this Glorious Conqueror, when he was advanced upon that triumphant chariot.

Look, therefore, my son, upon these hellish forces as already vanquished; and know, that in all things we are more than conquerors, through him, that loved us; Rom. viii. 37. Only do thou, by the power of thy faith, apply unto thyself this great work, that thy Victorious Saviour hath done, for the salvation of all the world of believers.

SECT. 4.

The great subtelty of evil spirits, and the remedy
of the fear of it.

POWER, without malice, were harmless; and malice, without power, were impotent: but, when both are combined together, they are dreadful. But, whereas malice hath two ways to execute mischief, either force or fraud; the malice of Satan prevails more by this latter: so as the subtlety of these malignant spirits is more pernicious, than their power. In regard of his power, he is a Lion; in regard of his subtlety, he he is a Serpent; Gen. iii. 1: yea, that Öld Serpent; (Rev. xii. 9. xx. 2.) whose craft must needs be more closely increased, by the age and experience of so many thousand years:

So much the more careful ought we to be, my son, Lest Satan should get an advantage of us; 2 Cor. ii. 11. This is that, he seeks; and, if our spiritual wisdom and circumspection be not the more, will be sure to find.

It is a great word, and too high for us, which the Apostle speaks; For we are not ignorant of Satan's devices; 2 Cor. ii. 11. Alas, he hath a thousand stratagems, that our weak simplicity is never able to reach unto. The wisest of us knows not the deceitfulness of his own heart; much less, can he dive into the plots of hell, that are against us. We hear and are forewarned of the wiles of the devil; Eph. vi. 11: but what his special machinations are, how can we know; much less, prevent? Even the children of this world, saith our Saviour, are, in their generation, wiser than the children of light; Luke xvi. 8: how much more crafty is their Father, from whom their cunning is derived! Be as mean as thou wilt, my son, in thine own eyes: say, with Agur, the son of Jakeh, Surely, I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man: I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy; Prov. xxx. 2, 3.

But, whatever thou art in thyself, know what thou art, or mayest be, in thy God. Consider what the man after God's own heart sticks not to profess: Thou, through thy command

ments, hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for thou art ever with me; Ps. cxix. 98. Lo, the Spirit of Wisdom (Deut. xxxiv. 9. Eph. i. 17.) is ours: and he, who is the Eternal Wisdom of the Father, is made unto us wisdom, as well as righteousness: 1 Cor. i. 30: and he, who overrules hell, hath said, The gates of hell shall not prevail against his Church. What are the gates of hell, but the deep plots and consultations of those infernal powers?

The serpent is the known emblem of subtlety. The serpents of the Egyptian sorcerers were all devoured by Moses's serpent; wherefore? but to shew us, that all the crafty counsels and machinations of hellish projectors are easily destroyed, by the power and wisdom of the Almighty? When all was done it was the rod of God, that swallowed them all and was yet still itself, when they were vanquished: so as that, whereby Satan thought to have won most honour to himself, ended in his shame and loss.

What an infinite advantage did the powers of darkness think to have made, in drawing our first parents, by their subtle suggestions, into sin; and, thereby, into perdition: as imagining, "Either mankind shall not be, or shall be ours!" The incomprehensible wisdom and mercy of our God disappointed their hopes; and took occasion, by man's fall, to raise him up to a greater glory; and so ordered it, that the Serpent's nibbling at the heel cost him the breaking of his head.

What trophies did that Wicked Spirit think to erect upon the ruins of miserable Job! and how was he baffled by the patience of that Saint! and how was that Saint doubled, both in his estate and honour, by his conquering patience!

How confidently did the subtlety of hell say, concerning the Son of God exhibited in the flesh; This is the Heir; cone, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours! Matt. xxi. 38. Mark xii. 7. Luke xx. 14. How sure work did they think they had made, when they saw him, through their subtle procurement, nailed to the Cross, and dying upon that tree of shame and curse; when they saw him laid dead under a sealed and guarded gravestone! And now, behold, even now begins their confusion, and his triumph: now doth the Lord of Life begin to trample upon death and hell: and to perfect his own glory, and man's redemption, by his most glorious Resurrection.

And, as it was with the Head, so it is with the members. When Satan hath done his worst, they are holier upon their sins, and happier by their miscarriages. God finds out a way to improve their evils to advantage; and teaches them, of these vipers, to make sovereign treacles, and safe and powerful trochisees.

Shortly, the temptations of Satan sent out from his power,

malice, subtletly, are no other than fiery darts; for their suddenness, impetuosity, penetration. If we can but hold out the shield of faith before us, they shall not be quenched only, but retorted into the face of him that sends them; Eph. vi. 16. and we shall, with the Chosen Vessel, find and profess, that, in all things, we are more than conquerors, through him, that loved us; Rom. viii. 37: and, in a bold defiance of all the powers of darkness, shall say, I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord; vv. 38, 39: To whom be all honour, glory, praise, power, and dominion, now and for evermore.

CHAP. XVIII.

THE UNIVERSAL RECIPE FOR ALL MALADIES.

THESE are, my son, special compositions of wholesome Recipes, for the several maladies of thy soul: wherein it shall be my happiness, to have suggested unto thee such thoughts, as may any whit avail to the alleviation of thy sorrows.

But, there is an Universal Remedy, which a skilfuller Physician hath ordained for all thy grievances; and I, from his hand, earnestly recommend to thee: Is any among you afflicted? let him pray; James v. 13. Lo here the great and sovereign Panpharmacum of the distressed soul; which is able to give ease to all the fore-mentioned complaints.

Art thou cast down upon thy sick bed? Call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray; James v. 14. This was Hezekiah's recipe, when he was sick unto death: He turned his face to the wall, and prayed; 2 Kings xx. 1, 2. This was David's recipe: Have mercy on me, O Lord; for I am weak; O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed; Ps. vi. 2. Take, therefore, the counsel of the Wise Man: "My son, in thy sickness be not negligent; but pray unto the Lord, and he will make thee whole;" Ecclus. xxxviii. 9.

Art thou soul-sick? Pray. So did holy David: The sorrows of hell compassed me about; and the snares of Death prevented In my distress, I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God; Ps. xviii. 5, 6. cxvi. 3, 4.

me.

Art thou infested with importunate temptations? Pray. So did St. Paul, when the messenger of Satan was sent to buffet him: Thrice I besought the Lord that it might depart from me ;

2 Cor. xii. 8. So did David: While I suffer thy terrors, I am distracted, Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; Ps. lxxxviii. 15, 16: But unto thee have I cried, O Lord; and, in the morning, shall my prayer prevent thee; v. 13.

Art thou disheartened with the weakness of grace? Pray. So did David: I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared, by reason of the disquietness of my heart: Lord, all my desire is before thee; Ps. xxxviii. 8, 9.

Art thou afflicted with the slanders of evil tongues? Pray. So did David: The mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the Deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue; Ps. cix. 2. Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise; v. 1.

Art thou grieved or affrighted with the public calamities of war, famine, pestilence? Pray. So good Jehosaphat presseth God with his gracious promise, made to Solomon: 2 Chron. vii. 13, 14, 15. If, when evil cometh upon us; as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine; we stand before this house, and in thy presence, and cry unto thee in our affliction; then thou wilt hear and help; 2 Chron. xx. 9. and shuts up his zealous supplication with, neither know we what to do, but our eyes are upon thee; v. 12.

Art thou afflicted with the loss of friends? Pray, and have recourse to thy God, as Ezekiel, when Peletiah, the son of Benaiah, died: Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah, Lord God! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel? Ezek. xi. 13.

Art thou distressed with poverty? Pray. So did David: I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. I became also a reproach to them; when they, that looked upon me, shaked their heads. Help me, O Lord my God: Oh, save me, according to thy mercy; Ps. cix. 22, 25, 26.

Art thou imprisoned? Pray. So did Jonah, when he was shut up within the living walls of the whale: I cried, by reason of my affliction, unto the Lord; Jonah ii. 2. So did Asaph: Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee: according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou them, that are appointed to die; Ps. lxxix. 11.

Art thou driven from thy country? Pray. This is the remedy prescribed by Solomon, in his supplication to God: If thy people be carried away into a land far off, or near: Yet if they bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried, and turn, and pray to thee in the land of their captivity: If they return to thee with all their hearts, and pray toward the land which thou gavest to their forefathers, &c. Then, hear thou from heaven their prayer, and their supplication; 2 Chron. vi. 36--39.

Art thou bereaved of thy bodily senses? Make thy address