open to his Affaults. Whereas if the Mind bufieth it felf continually either in pious Meditations, lawful Concerns of the Body, Knowledge and Profecution of useful Arts and Sciences, in a chafte Society, or innocent Recreations; the Imagination being prepoffeffed with the Conception of those Objects wherein the Mind is employed, leaves no room for the Suggestions of the Devil, and happily precludes them.

Man is a thinking Being, enjoying an active and immaterial Soul; which as fuch, must neceffarily be always employed in fome Cogitation or other. If then Men will take no care to direct and regulate their Thoughts at all times, the infallible effect will be, that they must blindly follow, either the fortuitous Conceptions of a roving Imagination, or the Impreffions of external Objects, or the fecret Infinuations of fubtle and wicked Spirits. In this Condition Man inconfiderately follows that Idea which first strikes him; and then no wonder the Devil makes ufe of this favourable opportunity to take Poffeffion of his Imagination, and turn it to his own Destruction.

Having thus reprefented to you the principal and moft effectual Methods of refifting our grand Adverfary the Devil, arifing from our own natural Power and Faculties; I proceed to confider the external Affiftances, whereby Man is enabled to carry on the fame Defign with Succefs; and these are

chiefly

chiefly two, the Grace of God, and the Affiftance of good Spirits. And of thefe briefly in their Order.

The Grace of God and the Infpirations of his Holy Spirit, are never wanting to faithful Chriftians in this spiritual Combat. He hath engaged that he will never fuffer us to be tempted above what we are able, but will with the temptation also make a way for us to escape. And this Promise he obferves inviolably; by enlightening our Minds, by directing our Thoughts, by influencing our Wills. Not that all the aforementioned Faculties of the Soul of Man, and Abilities of refifting the Temptations of evil Spirits, are lefs owing to him, than these more extraordinary Emanations; both equally proceed from his Gift, both are to be afcribed to his Liberality. But the former are the natural Faculties of Man, which cannot be wanting to him while he is Man; which depend not upon the good or bad use of them, and are never withdrawn from us, nor denied to us. The latter are the fupernatural Gift of God, which Man cannot claim in right of his Nature, are conferred only to the worthy Receiver; and are withdrawn upon the abuse or neglect of them.

It is no hard matter to conceive, how God herein influenceth the Soul of Man, after it hath been fhewed, that even finite Spirits can effect it. If they could by long Experience find out what Cogitations of the Mind

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Mind were annexed to fuch Motions in the Brain; He furely, who did at firft unite them, cannot be ignorant of them. If evil Spirits, by the Privilege of immaterial Beings, can communicate Thoughts to the Soul of Man by immediate influence; He certainly who is the fupreme Lord of all, can do much more. He may proceed in other Methods, nothing being impoffible to him, nor himself fubject to the Laws of Nature. However, this we muft affuredly believe, that God changeth not the Order of Nature herein, in violently with-holding our Wills from confenting to the Sollicitations of the Devil. He deals with us as with rational Beings, pointeth out the right way to us, perfuadeth us to enter into it, fixeth Rewards at the End of it, moveth us gently by his Holy Spirit to embrace it: But after all, will not forcibly carry us into it. And thus he deals with us when tempted by the Devil, he giveth us fufficient ftrength to withstand him, enlightens our Souls with a full Profpect of thofe Arguments which may withdraw the Will from his Sollicitations; but after all leaves it at Liberty, and awaits the Iffue. Not that this extraordinary Affistance is given to all who are tempted of the Devil; but that it is denied to none who rightly feek it. He withdraws his Grace, if it be not earnestly defired, if it be not thankfully received, if it be not foberly used, if it be not rightly improved; as he formerly

delivered up the rebellious Ifraelites to their · own hearts lufts, and to follow their own Imaginations; and as ftill by the folemn Cenfures of the Church, when rightly applied, wicked Chriftians are delivered up to Satan, to he led captive by him at his Will.

Another Method whereby God affifteth Mankind extraordinarily against the Temptations of the Devil, is by restraining his Force and limiting his Malice. The Devil cannot perform any Act of Temptation without the ordinary Permiffion of God; and .oft-times he is extraordinarily restrained by his Almighty Power from tempting faithful Men beyond the proportion of their Ability to endure. God putteth a Hook in the Nofe of this Leviathan, and fixeth his bounds unto him, how far he shall pass, and no farther; as in the Cafe of Job, where he determined how far his Power of Temptation fhould extend, and forbad him to proceed any farther than to fuch a Degree.

And

this is one of the general and most confpicuous Benefits of Chriftianity, that by the Reception and publick Profeffion of it, the Devil, that old Dragon in the Revelations, is chained up, his Power abridged, his Malice weakned.

Before the Promulgation of the Chriftian Religion, he had procured to himself an univerfal Worship in the World, except in the fmall Spot of Judea, erected Oracles, and daily effected lying Wonders. Men L 4

were

were from their Infancy trained up to his Service, and to be fubject to him was the Unhappiness of their Education. If any oppofed his Worship, he was prefently decried as an Atheist, as an Introducer of new Religions, obnoxious to fevere Punishments by the Laws of the Empire; if Men entertained a Sufpicion of that irrational Worship which he had formed, he could amufe the Minds of his Followers by seeming Miracles, fright them into his Obedience by Prodigies, keep up the Reputation of Divinity by Sorceries and Predictions. All this was then permitted to him, till the glorious Light of the Gofpel appeared; his Power then fenfibly decreased, until the open Exercife of it was wholly determined, by the publick Profeffion of Christianity in the World. He was then remanded to the bottomless Pit, ceased to be the Prince of the Air, deprived of the Power of working apparent Miracles, at least in Chriftian Countries; confined to fecret and dark Operations only; and even thofe in great measure enervated and defeated by that ordinary Grace, which is bestowed on all Chriftians in the publick Sacraments and Offices of the Church.

It remains that I add fomewhat of the Affiftance given to us by good Spirits against the Temptations of evil Spirits; of which the Solemnity of this Day doth particularly require a grateful Acknowledg

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