help, of both which kinds of weak-hearted. we will briefly speak. 1. Some mens hearts are weak through forrow and fear, the remembrance of their frequent Falls, and the terror of their present assaults, doth deject them and almoft make them defpair of Victory,and this makes them resist faintly,and yield basely:Their fear brings that which they fear upon them, and they are conquered,because they doubt they cannot overcome. The affrighted Persians (as Curtius notes) threw away their fhields, their fear making them fo foolish,as to quit themselves of that which should have defended them.So do many faint-hearted Chriftians throw away their faith and hope, their truft in God,and expectations of his ayd, and expose themselves thereby to the malice of their Enemy. But we pray, that God will please to comfort them and encourage them by his promifes and his affiftance, fo that their hearts may be revived and cheared, and then they will begin the fight afresh, maintain it with brave Refolution, yea and come off Conquerors at laft. 2. Others there are whofe Hearts are really weak, and who do want fpiritual ftrength, viz. Young Converts, whofe Faith is tender, and their refolutions not well rooted, whofe Experience of the pleafures of a Holy life hath been but short and flight, now for these we pray, that God will help them,and not permit Satan to affail them too furiously at firft,till he have confirmed their Faith and encreafed their Graces; for they may prove able Champions afterwards, if their firft on-fet be well backed with the Divine Succours. III. The laft and loweft order in this fpiritual warfare are those that fall, that is, those who are worfted by Sathans Temptations,and do commit fome grievous Sin, for Sin is the Fall of the Soul, Adam's Sin is called Adam's Fall, and the primitive Church called offending Chriftians the fallen. Now our gracious Father is not 150 only able to keep us from falling, Jude ver.24. but it is his peculiar Title,that be lifteth up thofe that are fallen. Pfal.cxlv.14. and cxlvi.8. To him therefore we make our applications, that whereas Sathan overthrows many of our Brethren by power or policy, God will not fuffer them to lye ftill, either through negligence or despair, but by his Grace bring them to Repentance,by which the Soul doth rife from Sin to newness of life, and he that falls by Sin is faid to arife, when he doth repent, Luke xv.20. The good Lord grant that their Confciences may check them, and their hearts finite them for their offences, that fo they may by Repentance ftand up in their rank again, and continue the fpiritual fight: And we should the rather pray thus, because it is not only the worfer fort, who thus are fubverted, but the righteous man falleth feven times a day, only by Gods grace, he rifeth up again,Prov.xxiv. 16. The beft Chriftians are weak in themfelves, and would be foiled often, and lye long when they did fall, if the Lords gracious Arm did not raife them; to him therefore we cry to make up the defects, which are made by the malice of Sathan, and to raife up all whom he cafts down. Finally, when we behold the implacable malice of this our Enemy, and confider the infinite mifchief, which he doth to great and finall,attempting the ftrong, difcouraging the weaker, and overthrowing many of both forts, we pray,that he may at laft be brought under our fect: Nor is this an arrogant requeft, because God hath promifed us through Chrift, that we hall bruife his head, Gen.iii. 15. that is, trample upon him,and more plainly,Rom.xvi.20. it is affirmed, that the God of Peace hall bruife Sathan under our feet fhortly; from which gracious Promife,both the Greek(h) Church, (i) Signum plenæ perfecte victoria. Josh. x. 24. Deut. xxxiii.29. Pfal.cx.1. & xci.13. Malach. iv.3. Luke x.19. (k) Et ducis invidi fub pede mafia fedet. Ovid. Trift. 1.4. Et Claud. 4. Colla triumphati pro- dia calcamus in ur- Church, and ours have taken encouragement to pray, that God would beat down Sathan under our feet, that is, give us a compleat Victory over him (i): For so Antiquity was wont to describe an Enemy utterly fubdued, by painting them under the Conquerors feet (k), which was the Embleme alfo by which Joshua chofe to exprefs his abfolute Dominion over the Kings of Canaan, Josh. x.24. and more unjustly one of the Roman Bifhops thus fhewed he had fully fubdued the Emperor. But to return, we may remember, that our Lord Jefus did get a perfect Victory over Sathan, and fo long as we cleave clofe to him, we shall be Conquerors at the last. It is he must beat him down, for he is too ftrong for us, and in due time he will do it,for however when our warfare is accomplished we shall be crowned and advanced above the reach of this malitious Foe, so that he can never affault us more, we now find him daring us and vexing us, but if we will wait a while, and truft in God, he that seems now to be above us in cunning advantages and ftrength, fhall lye grovelling at our feet by the mighty Power of Jefus, and oh how happy fhall we be, when we are never like to be troubled with this Adversary any more? Let us confider every particular, and with refpect both to our felves and others, we shall heartily say here also, We befeech,&c. S.XVII. That it may please thee to fuccour,help, and comfort all that are in danger, necedity and tribulation:] We beseech thee,&c. We have given the Precedence to those dangers and troubles, that concern the Soul, which is our nobleṛ part, and now we must not forget those which concern the body, for they are very many, and very troublefome to the flesh, nor can we well bear up under them without the Divine fupport, fo that those who are afflited,though but with outward Sufferings,are fit objects of cur Charity and our Prayers. Now to reckon up all the varieties of Troubles, where with Mankind is exercifed, would be tedious and next to impotlible, wherefore we have here contrived a general Petition to take in all afflicted Perfons in the world, following therein the Example of the Greek Offices, where they pray, For all afflicted and miferable Chriftians,who need the Mercy and help of God, yea, for all that are in any affliction,neceffity or trouble (1): As we do here, though whofoever doth well weigh the words of this Petition in our Litany, they will confefs, that this delire never was, nor will be expreffed more elegantly, and more briefly than it is here : For thofe three words Danger Pecelity and Eribotation, do comprehend all forts of temporal afflictions. Thofe that are future and feared are fignified by the Word Danger: Thofe that are préfent and felt, are either fuch afflictions as we fuftain for want of fome good thing, ignified by necefity, or elfe by the preffure of fome E vil, which is here called Tribulation: And to every one of these Calamities here is a proper Verb most Rhetorically futed, for the three Verbs luccour, help and comfort,do answer to the three Nouns, Danger,nece¶ltty and Eribulation. First, for those whose miseries are fo near, that they fee and dread them, and know not how to avoid them, these do really fuffer before they fmart, and the Sence of their Danger is as fharp as the blow will be, when it falls on them: And those also, who are near their ruine and do not fee it, but will fall more desperately, because they were not aware of the precipice, what can we wifh fo properly for thefe, as that God should fuccour them ? that is,run in,and catch hold of them, and fnatch them from the approaching Mischief, whether seen or unseen, if the Lord fuccour them, they shall be safe, though they were at the very brink of the Pit. 2.For those in neceflity,that is the poor and needy, who are in great firaits for food and raiment, and are deftitute of Houfes, mony, friends, and other earthly comforts, what can we so futábly ask for these, as that it may please God to help them to what they need? that is, to fupply and furnish them with thofe good things, which they are fo pinched for want of. 3. For thofe in ribulation,that is,all that are injured and wronged, abused and scorned, vexed and grieved, &c. what thould we defire, but that the Lord will please to comfort them, either by enabling them to bear it patiently, or by sending them a gracious deliverance out of their Diftrefs. If we look upon them fingle,no queftion but we know fome Sufferers in every one of thefe kinds, if we put them altogether, they afford us a large field of matter for our Charity and our Devotions, there being farce any man in the World, but he is always in one of thefe Eftates. Those who are not in any trouble at prefent, yet are (it may be) in danger,the rich have many |