that great trial and temptation; and accordingly he was delivered by the grace of God; though God fuffered Satan to proceed fo far as to make St. Peter to deny his Lord against his moft folemn promifes and resolutions. But then this was to fhew us two things; first, what poor weak creatures we are when left to ourselves, and to Satan to govern us; and Secondly, that the devil's malice is restrained God, who permits him to make use of just so much malice as will anfwer God's ends, and ferve his glory.

III. That God permits the devil to make ufe of both his malice and power, for the trial of good men, and for the punishment of the wicked, is what we now come to confider, and to prove by the word of God.

And in the first place, this is what the Spirit of God foretold the church of Smyrna: Fear none of those things which thou shalt fuffer. Bebold, the devil will caft fome of you into prifon, that ye may be tried. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

This was the cafe of Job, and this was the great mistake of his friends, who thought that punishment was always for the faults of him that fuffered. And yet our bleffed Saviour, by the decree of God, was to be the moft afflicted, while he was the most innocent of men. And his apostle St. Paul had a meffenger of Satan, that is, a disease, by God's permiffion, inflicted on him by Satan, to pre

f Rev. ii. 10.

vent

vent that pride which otherwise would have ruined him.

In all these cafes, good men have a fure promife to fupport their fpirits: God is faithful, who will not fuffer you to be tempted above what ye are able; but will with the temptation alfo make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

But then this is not always the design of God's permitting the devil to have his liberty; it is very often to punish the wicked, that he takes off his restraining power. He caft upon finners (faith the Pfalmift) the fierceness of his anger, by fending evil angels among them. And God had no fooner decreed to destroy Ahab for his wickedness, but an evil spirit forthwith undertakes to bring him to deftruction, by becoming a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets, whofe advice he followed to his ruin.

k

By this time you will perceive, good Chriftians, that God has mercifully provided for our inftruction, in preferving this history in all its particulars for the ufe of his church. Here is the great power and malice of the devil. Here is the providence of God reftraining and limiting him, how far he shall go, and no farther. Here is God's fovereignty over all creatures, let who will be the owners of them. Lastly; here is the miferable state of those that are under the power of the devil,

and are led captive by him at his will. All these things are fet forth in this history, so as to affect our minds after the most fenfible

manner.

You cannot think that this history was recorded by three Evangelifts, only to entertain our curiofity, only to be read and forgot, and the thoughts of it laid aside. Pray then, let us confider the use we ought to make of what at present you have heard.

us.

And firft, the power of Evil Spirits is made known to us, in order to make us more careful of our ways, left they get an advantage over Be fober, be vigilant, (faith the apoftle') because your adverfary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about feeking whom he may devour. If people will live as if they had no enemies, notwithstanding the warning God has given them, their ruin is plainly of themselves.

We have need, you fee, to mind the apostle's directions, To put on the whole armour of God, that we may be able to ftand against the wiles of the devil. Particularly, a ftedfaft faith in the power of God, which will oblige us to depend upon him as a child upon his father, and not fuffer us to doubt either his good-will, or his readiness to fuccour us.

The text faith, Jefus gave them leave. You fee then that without God's leave they cannot hurt the meaneft of his creatures. How careful then fhould we all be to put ourselves,

! I Pet. v. 8.

m

Eph. vi. 12.

and

and all that belong to us, under God's protection every day of our lives; how eafy and fecure when we have done fo! Being well affured, that it is not in the power of the devil, or his agents, to go any farther than God permits them.

You fee, thirdly, how careful we should be, not to grieve the Holy Spirit, by which we are fealed unto the day of redemption. For when the Spirit of God forfakes us, there are other fpirits very ready to take the government of us. It is faid of Saul, that when the Spirit of the Lord departed from him, an evil Spirit from the Lord troubled him;" and it may be as truly faid of all wicked men, that when they forfake God, God will forfake them, and then they are under the power of the devil.

And indeed all the world are under the government of God and his good angels, or under the direction of Satan and his evil fpirits; and therefore, before we are received into the church of Chrift, we do folemnly renounce the devil at our baptifm; by which facrament we are put under the immediate government of God and his good angels, who are by God appointed to minifter unto them that are heirs of falvation. Now, if we force these good angels to forfake their charge, there are others always ready to take us again into their

power. And here I fhall take occafion to explain the meaning of two paffages in the New Teftament, and of speaking upon a fubject which

- 1 Sam. xvi. 14.

• Heb. i. 14.

is

is not fo well understood by Christians as it ought to be. The paffages I mean are, I Tim. i. 20. and I Cor. v. 5; in both which places we have mention made of delivering wicked men to Satan.

Now, because this is laughed at by profane people, who do not know the Scriptures, I will fhew you what this means.

The Spirit of God then tells us, that the devil hath a kingdom and fubjects, over which he reigns; that is, over the children of difobedience: And that Jefus Chrift has alfo his kingdom and fubjects, even all that obey his laws. And therefore, when the apostles and ministers of Chrift gained any of the fubjects of Satan unto Chrift, they are faid in fcripture, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God.

Now; when any of Chrift's fubjects fhall become rebellious, and refuse to obey his laws, his minifters are directed to admonish them of their fin, and of the dishonour they do their Prince and Saviour; and if they fhall refuse their godly admonitions, then they are to turn them out of the church, that is, that fociety which Chrift governs by his laws, protects by his power here, and intends to blefs with eternal happiness hereafter.

Being thus turned out of Christ's church, (that is, excommunicated) they are faid to be delivered to Satan, not to be damned, as blafphemous people love to charge the minifters

of