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Show Sol, Thel"e Foxes are then taken, whea they do not take. A Solli-citarion to !in fignifies nothi11g of hurt to the tempted, unlei5 it prevailcrh. To prevent which, 1. As before, the firfi thing to be done is to difcrrn it. The Chrillian that hath not ( to ufe the great Apofiles exprellion) his [enfcr r:mci[td to difcrrn good and evil, will never know how ro tight, rdill and conquer his enemy: If we do net know that it is tvil, 10 which we are folicitcd, we !hall never make any ret!· fiance to it. But this is plain. Stcnndly, N·Jihing can be more effc&ualln order 10 thi·s, than the mortification of that IN/i, which the tt"!ptation is fuited to, This is cer!ain, that every temptation is proportioned to tome fpccia! JuH ; and if we difcern the rcmpration, it is an eafy matter to difcern rhar lull in our Souls ro which it is fuited. As now fi•p. pofea Chriflian hath a ttmptation upon him to/lral or cheat; The lull in our hearrs now,which ifit be not the author yet it is of party to this temptarioo,mul\ be an unbtli<f or di/frufi in the promifes of God for a fupply of the good things of this life, or elfe a too much Jove of mo•ey or the things of this life: mortify this dilhufi, tbis Jove of the things of the world,and you take this Fox. Ciirifi faith of himfelf, Job. ''~-' ;o. Tbt Prince ofthir world c•mer, and he fotdtth 1lotbin~ in me. I !hall only allude to k : The Devil is called the God of this r»orld, the Princt of&be powt• of 1he Air ,he cometh ro tempt; but if he can find nothing in the Soul, he can do norhing again£\ the Soul. They fay that witches ( thofe milerablc Souls that alive have. given up themfelves op to theDevil can do no hurt to any. rill.they have g0t.fometbing oflbeir.J1thatit feems is-one of the Ia ws of that black Society : how unlvetfally true thatis 1 cannot tell ; bnt J. am fure the Devil their Father can do nothing -again£\ a Soul if he lind· nothing in. them, if. he falls not in with fome lulls in their hearts, making tinder for his Sparks ; he {hikes lire in vain and this. was the cafe as to Chrill, Matt.4. (ph. 6.11.14. 3. The third thing-to be done, Is, Fighting the good fight,ptttting ' •nthefPholearmour oJGod\ lhatwe may bt able to (land againlhbt rpi/u of tbt Vevih ; then llanding, relifling !led fall in the Faith, 1 Pet, 5· 9• This again is too large a.geneul for me to open in the feverat branches ; you have the feveral pieces of this armour defcribed, Eph. 6- the girdle of truth, the brtf/plak of Rigb~toufiujr, the Shitld •f fpith, the Htlmel of Salvatioll, the Sword oftbe Spi-rit. W!Jal the priv4te c!J,..iflian's dN~is,&.c. ri~. · l have formerly opened all to· you : I lhll only further now mt~ you as to the Sword of Spiril, which t e Apofile hath dercnnmed to be the word ofG?d: there' -ut! orne fpecial portions of the _word of God'· both tn the precepts and promi!es, and threatmngs of God, whtch God hath left us as a fpecial armour ,and tha~ bo.th offtnlive, and defenfivc againll fame fpecial temptations, ~htch It wtll be the great prudence of a Chritlian in the hour of hts temptation to fearch for, and to hold up: you kr.ow rhus <:hri~ wok. the .old F~K, Matt. 4· he conllantly replied upon hu~, tt 11 ""'"'?•."" wrztten, and urged him with fome appolire Sc~1pt~re, reqmnng duty oppo!ite to the lin for whicb rhc: temp-tau on ts levelled. 4- When you hav7 done t~is, you have nothing to do but to f•/1 and .f>r"J· That rs, to calltn the help of him who was therefate tempted, that he might be able to fuccour rhofc that are tempted. I proceed to the third ~efiion. · Wbatfh•ulda Chri{liaJJ do in ordtr to the takjn[ oftbt tbirdjort of 3· ~Foxu, Per[ecHtorJ l Perflcutors arc taken,truly taken, when their hearts are challf_ed, and of Saul1 they become Pauls. Give me leave to tell you this is a rare work, of all forts of finners, I am apr to rhink that in the Kingdom of Heaven another day, there will be found the fewell of rhof~ who were Perfecutors on earth; but however this is Gods work 111 whofe hand the Perfecutors heart is as well as any other ('llans.Per[teutorJ are alfo taken when they are cutol£and rhus they are very ordinarily taken hy the remarkable hand o'f God Dritten ebildleji, cut off as God hath faid b!ood-thirfly men lhould be fore they have lived ha/fthrirdays. But thisisalfoGodswo and doth not often fall under the Magillrates power. I have only to difcourfe to yQII co!'cerning your duty, as to the raking of them. Three or four rl11ngs you may do, and give me leave to tell you rhofe things well done, will quickly rid any portion of the Lords ground of thefe Foxes, and hath cleared fcveral Churches from one age to another. r. :Che firfi is a bold anJ mtt~ cgnft!Jion •f tbe trutbr o[Cbri{f, forwhrchr••re purjUed. I fa~, r. bold in oppolirion ro fear, and, 2 · meek tn oppoliuon to pa·flron. When I mention boldnefs I underfland not impudent,. and irreverent behaviour to Supe~io~ rs ; but boldnejsan the fmb, or bo!dnefs in the' conf•f!ion, as it is fatd, J.]oh.2o. hetoafefTed and denitd nor. Thus it is faid of G g g 2 Chrifi, |