Imatges de pàgina
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injuries; fay thus in thyself. This is from God for my good, as fometimes old Eli faid, It is the Lord, let him do what feemeth him good. 2. Look on man, and make the best construction thou canst of any wrong done by him; if the party that hath wronged thee be a young man, impute it to his rafhnefs, and want of experience; if he be an old man, impute it to his weakness, fenes bis pueri, old men are twice children; he might do thee wrong, and yet mean thee no harm; if he be a good man, impute it to fome mistake, for certainly he would not purpofely do thee any evil; if he be a wicked man, impute it to the enmity betwixt the feed of the woman, and the feed of the ferpent; if he do thee harm, fay it is no more than thou expected from him. If thus thou wouldst make the best construction of every thing, how mightest thou overcome paffion, and procure to thyself a great deal of peace and patience all thy life long?

8. Take unto you the fword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, Ephef. vi. 17. Satan provokes men that they may be provoked, he would have them yield to anger, and then they yield to him; but that you may wrestle and prevail, take up your weapons, have your fword (which is the word of God) in your hands and heart. It is the fword that flays corruptions, and fatanical temptations, as David faid of Goliah's fword, There is none to that, 1 Sam. xxi. 9. fo may we fay of the fword of the Spirit, There is none to it. If you ask, how may I furnish myfelf with this weapon? or how may I cut afunder by this fword this temptation of anger? I answer,

1. Obferve the temptation: Satan usually comes in with many motions or objections, and fo puts on to wrath, or makes apologies for wrath. Now these in the first place we muft obferve.

2. Seek out a fuitable word, and with that answer him as Chrift answered, faying, Avoid Satan, for thus it is written, I fhall name two, for they are main points.

Object. 1. Satan in the objects, Yea hath God faid, that whofoever is angry with his brother without a cause, fhall be in danger of the judgment, Mat. v. 22. Why alas! is it but one fin, and is it not a little one? it

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thou art paffionate, but thou faileft only in this; hark bu what others fay of thee, fuch a man is a very good man, only he is of an hafty fpirit, or fuch a woman is a very gracious woman, only she is of an hafty spirit. So they fay, and fo I fay, thou mayft be angry, and godly, hafty, and holy, and therefore fin on.

Anfw. How? angry and godly? hafty and holy? Surely if this anger be ordinary, conftant, and reigning, they are not confiftent. Oh what need have I to look to my evidence! the word faith, They that are Chrift's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lufts, Gal. v. 24. And what are thofe affections and lufts, but among the reft, Hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, ftrife? Now if thefe be not crucified, if these be not in fome good measure mor tified, how should I be good, or gracious, or godly, or holy? This is certain, when grace comes into the heart it works a change, and a new frame of fpirit: The word faith, The wolf fhall dwell with the Lamb, and the leopard • fhall lie down with the kid, and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together, and a little child fhall lead 'them,' Ifa. xi. 6. The meaning is, that furious fpirits fhall then become meek, and hafty fpirits fhall then become gentle, grace will tame men; thofe that were in difpofition like wild beafts, and hurtful creatures, hall by his powerful work be metamorphofed and become meek and harmlefs And doth Satan tell me, I may be gracious and peevish! Would he flatter me, that a conftant, ordinary, reigning, paffionate fpirit, may confift with the truth of grace? Avoid Satan, for it is written, this luft must be mortified, my lion-like nature must become lamb-like, or I cannot be faved.

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Object. But Satan puts into thee another plea, and tells thee, That if thou art angry, thou art thereto provoked, thou could live quietly enough in thy family, and amongst thy neighbours, if thou wert not provoked, it is their fault that provoke thee, and not thine, that thou art thus angry with them.

Anfw. How am I angry? and may be angry, because I am provoked? what a reafon is this? I would rather fay that God now calls on me for meeknefs, and not for an

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ger; any one can be meek, when they are not provoked (as we fay, the devil is good when he is well pleased) but if I am provoked, then is the feafon, if ever, to exercise meeknefs: The word faith, That a godly man is like 'tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth 'his fruit in his feafon,' Pfal. i. 3. It is the excellency of grace to work in due feafon, for then is every thing beautiful; and when is the due feafon of meeknefs, but only when I am provoked? or if this be a plea, why might it not be Mofes's plea as well as mine? T'he word faith, 'They angred him at the waters of ftrife, they provoked 'his fpirit fo that he fpake unadvisedly with his lips,' Pfal. cvi. 33. Meek Mofes is now angry, and he was provoked unto it, but that will not excufe him before God; for the word faith, It went ill with Mofes for their fakes. God would never be entreated to let him go into the land of Cannan for this very fin; and therefore avoid Satan, for it is written if I am provoked, then is the feafon for meeknefs, for if I am provoked to anger, it will go ill with me, as it went ill with Mofes, and no provocation will be my excufe.

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But Satan hath thousands of pleas, and ten thousands of either to put thee into paffion, or to justifie thee in it. It is impoffible for me to inftance in all, but against them all I would have thee lay up, and to make ufe of feveral fcriptures; turn them down in thy book, or learn them by heart (as we fay) that thou mayest still have them in readinefs; they are fuch as thefe: Pride, and arrogan. 'cy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth do I hate. -They that are of a froward heart, are abomination to the Lord, but fuch as are upright in their way, are 'his delight.Ceafe from anger, and forfake wrath, 'fret not thyself in any ways to do evil. Ye have heard, 'it was faid by them of old time, thou shalt not kill, and 'whofoever shall kill, fhall be in danger of the judgment; 'but I fay unto you, that whofoever is angry with his bro'ther without a caufe, fhall be in danger of the judgment ' and whosoever (hall fay, thou fool, fhall be in danger of hell fire. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, 'and clamour, and evil fpeaking, be put away from you,

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* with all malice; and be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Chrift's * fake hath forgiven you,' Prov. viii. 13. and xi. 20. Pfal. xxxvii. 8. Mat. v. 21. 22. Eph. iv. 31, 32. Are not these fcriptures as fo many fwords? why then, wield them, and in the use of them cut afunder all temptations of Sa

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9. Set before thee the example of Chrift, till thou find eft it to work upon, and to change thy Spirit: Chrift's example, if rightly eyed and improved, doth not only work morally, but efficacioufly, by way of efficiency. It is reported of a noble earl Elftarius, that he had fuch a quiet fpirit, that all wondred, his wife and others afked him, how he came to that meek, humble, and quiet frame? To whom he anfwered thus, When any one wrongs me, faid he, I presently turn my thoughts to the injuries that Jefus Chrift fuffered, and I never leave off ruminating and remembring the injuries of Chrift, until I find my heart wholly quiet. Learn of me, faid Chrift; for I am meek, Mat. xi. 29 Chriftians, according to the example of Jefus Chrift, ought to be meek ones; indeed, meeknefs is that evangelical grace that Chriftians ought to imitate Jefus Chrift in; and therefore learn of me, faith Christ, set me before you; learn, and never cease learning, till of that fulness that is in me, you receive grace for grace, even meeknefs for meeknefs.

10. Pray conftantly in this, as in other like cafes; pray down the fin of anger, pray for a spirit of meekness entreat the Lord to quiet and fweeten thy froward nature; pray also for heavenly mindednefs, and thou wilt not be difquieted with worldly troubles: As the upper region of the air is not molefted with wind, rain, hail, &c. fo nei ther is an heavenly minded Chriftian, who is lifted up far above these fublunary things, afflicted with them, or pe rifh for them: Pray alfo for faith, that thou mayft roll thyfelf upon him and his promifes, who hath faid, That all things fhall work together for their good who love God and are called according to his purpose, Rom. viii. 28. Why then fhouldst thou be angry, feeing God will turn the injuries of men into bleffings and mercies? Let him

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* alone, and let him curfe, it may be the Lord will look on thine affliction, and that the Lord will requite good for his curfing this day,' 2 Sam. xvi. 11, 12. Pray also for Love, which is of more force to restrain thee from revenge than any injury to provoke thee to anger, for love fuffers long, yea, love fuffers all things, 1 Cor. xiii. 3, 7. It will make thee to look upon him with whom thou art angry as a brother, and therefore forgive him as thou wouldst have God to forgive thee; it will make thee to meditate on the unbounded mercy of God, whofe virtues thou must imitate if thou art his child; he forgives thee, and he forgives thy enemies their many fins, and canft not thou forgive them? Thou ftandest in need of infinite mercy to wash away thy many foul offences, and wilt thou not let one drop of mercy fall upon thy brother to forgive him in fome trif ling wrongs? O pray for love, and pray for patience, and pray for the affiftance of God's Spirit to mortify thy anger, and to fanctify thy nature, that thou mayst be ferviceable to God's glory, the good of thy brethren, and the furthe rance of thy own falvation in Jefus Christ.

SECT. XV.

Of Temptations in respect of our outward Conditions. ITHERTO of temptations in respect of our natu ral difpofitions; the next have a respect to our out. ward conditions. Now thus we are either in profperity of adverfity; if we are in profperity, then Satan tempts us to thofe fins whereto that ftate is moft fubject, as to forgetfulnefs of God, contempt of our poor brethren, love of the world, pride, &c. If we are in adverfity, then he tempts us to the ufe of unlawful means for the repairing of our efates, or to distrusting in God, or to stealing, defrauding, murmuring, repining, what not? I cannot in fift on all thefe particulars, for I intend brevity, only I fhall mention one affault in reference to profperity, and another as to adverfity, and then have done with this head.

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SECT. XVI.

Of Satan's Affaults of Contemning our Brethren. we are in profperity, it is one affault of Satan, and it our common fin to contemn our brethren; the very cafe of the Corinthians, who in their love-feafts carried it

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