one and the fame Spirit of Ill-will againft us, we are concerned to look upon them as one Enemy; and therefore the Catechifm fpeaks of them as fuch.

What Means they ufe to tempt us, we are not diftinetly informed and it is great Folly, either, on the one Hand, to doubt of the Reality of the Fact, because we know not the Manner; or on the other, to entertain groundless Imaginations, or believe idle Stories; and afcribe more to evil Spirits, than we have any sufficient Caufe. For there is no Religion in favouring fuch Fancies, or giving Credit to fuch Tales; and there hath frequently arifen a great Deal of hurtful Superstition from them. This we are fure of, and it is enough, that neither Satan nor all his Angels have Power, either to force any one of us into Sin, or to hinder us from repenting, or, without God's efpecial Leave, to do any one of us the leaft Hurt in any other Way. And we have no Cause to think, that Leave to do Hurt is ever granted them, but on fuch extraordinary Occafions as are mentioned in Scripture. They are indeed often permitted to intice us to fin, as we too often intice one another. But these Inticements of evil Spirits may be withstood by us juft as effectually, and nearly loy just the fame Methods, as thofe of evil Men. Refift the Devil, and he will flee from you: draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Unquestionably our Danger is the greater, as we have not only Flesh and Blood, our own bad Inclinations, and the Allurements of other bad Perfons to encounter, but the Efforts of an invisible Enemy likewife. And therefore it was great Mercy in God, to grant us the Knowledge of this interefting, and otherwise undiscoverable Circumftance of our Condition, that we may increase our Watchfulness in Proportion. And if we do, greater is he that is in us, than be that is in the World: and he will not fuffer us to be tempted above that we are able to bear e.

Jam. iv. 7. 8.

d

I John iv. 4.

e1 Cor. x. 13.

But,

But, though the Devil hath no Power of his own over us, we may give him as much as we will; and become Slaves and Vaffals to him as long as we please. In this Senfe his Empire is very large and on account of it the Scripture calls him the Prince of the Power of Darkness, and even the God of this World. For he was, and is ftill, in great Propriety of Speech, the God of many Heathen Nations; who, instead of the righteous and good Maker of Heaven and Earth, worship Deities of fuch vile and mifchievous Characters, as we juftly afcribe to the evil one. And even where Faith in the true Deity is profeffed; yet pretended Arts of Magic, Witchcraft, Conjuring, Fortune-telling, and fuch like wicked Follies, approach more or lefs to the fame Crime. For if any of the Wretches, guilty of thefe Things, either have, or imagine they have, any Communication with the Devil; they plainly rebel against God, and endeavour at leaft to confederate with his Enemy. Or if they only pretend a Communication with him; as indeed usually, if not always, it is mere Pretence; yet this is very inconfiftent with renouncing him. And even when they do not fo much as pretend it, and would make us believe, that they have fuch extraordinary Skill and Power derived from more innocent Sources; though they profess no Refpect to his Perfon, they imitate him in one of his worft Qualities, as he is the Father of Lies. And the Lies of this Kind are very pernicious ones. They corrupt the Notions of Religion; give Perfons unworthy Opinions of God; and lead them to imagine, that other Beings, as the Stars, or even mere Names, as Chance and Fate, fhare with him in the Government of the World. But indeed Lies of all Sorts are peculiarly the Works of him, who was a Liar, as well as a Murderer from the Beginning. And other Sins mentioned in Scripture, as more especially diabolical, are, Pride, Envy, Malice, falfe Accufations. Whofoever therefore allows himself in & 2 Cor. iv. 4. b John viii. 44.

Ephef. ii. 2. Col. i, 13.

any

any of these Things, is of his Father the Devil, and the Lufts of his Father he doth. But whoever is by Baptism delivered from the Power of Darkness, and tranflated into the Kingdom of God's dear Son, renounces them all.

Afk yourselves then: Do you renounce them all in Fact? For mere Words are nothing. Do you carefully avoid them, and labour to preferve yourselves free from them; or do live in any you of them, and love them? That is, are you Children of God, or of Satan; and whose are you willing to remain? Make us thine, good. Lord, and keep us fo for ever!

2. We renounce, in Baptifm, all the Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World. The World, which God created, was good and fo far as it continues good, we renounce it not. Therefore the innocent Gratifications, which he hath provided for us in it, we ought not to condemn, but to partake of them with Moderation and Thankfulness the Difference of Ranks and Stations, which is requifite for the due Order of Society, we ought to maintain with prudent Humility: and every one should take his proper Part, as Providence directs him, in the various Employments which furnish to us the Neceffaries or Conveniencies of Life. Labouring to procure fuch a Competency for ourselves and ours, as will fupport us comfortably in our present Condition, is what we are bound to. And if, by lawful Methods and reafonable Care, we can rife higher, we may allowably do it, and justly confider it as the promised Bleffing of God upon our Induftry. In thefe Refpects then we do not renounce the World: for in thefe it is not wicked. And we should not affect to detach ourselves too much from the State of Things, in which Heaven hath placed us: but, ordinarily fpeaking, take our Share, (whatever it happens to be,) and that contentedly, of fuch Employments as contribute to the common Good. If we do meet with difficult Trials in our Way; as they. are of God's choofing for us, we are not to fly from them k Col. i. 13.

John viii. 44.

impro

improperly, but truft in him for Ability to go through them well. And they, who refolve to retire out of the Reach of all fuch Temptations, feldom fail to run into more dangerous ones of their own creating.

We ought not therefore to shun what our Maker hath appointed us to engage in: but then we ought to engage in it only in fuch Manner as he hath appointed; and to recollect continually, that we are of God, and the whole World lieth in Wickedness'. Not only the Heathen World had its idolatrous Pomps, or public Spectacles, and its immoral Vanities, which were peculiarly meant in this Renunciation at firft: but that, which calls itself Chriftian, is full of Things, from which a true Chriftian muft abftain. All Methods of being powerful or popular, inconfiftent with our Integrity; all Arts of being agreeable at the Expence or Hazard of our Innocence; all Ways of encroaching on the Properties of others, and all immoderate Defires of adding to our own; all Diverfions, Entertainments and Acquaintances, that have a Tendency to hurt our Morals or our Piety: making common Practice the Rule of our Conduct, without confidering whether it be right or wrong; filling our Time in fuch Manner, either with Bufinefs or Amusements, (be they ever fo innocent in themselves) as not to leave Room for the main Business of Life, the Improvement of our Hearts in Virtue, the ferious Exercise of Religion, and a principal Attention to the great Concerns of Eternity: thefe are the Things, in which confifts that Friendship with the World, which is Enmity with God; and if any Man love it thus, the Love of the Father is not in him". Which then do you renounce, and which do you chufe? The World, or the Maker of it? Surely you will adopt the Pfalmift's Words: I cried unto thee, O Lord, and faid, Thou art my Hope, and my Portion, in the Land of the living.

3. We renounce, at our Baptifm, all the finful Lufts of the Flesh: that is, every unreasonable and forbidden

Gratification of any Appetite or Averfion that belongs to the human Frame. Whatever Inclination is truly primitive in our Nature may be innocently gratified, provided it be in a lawful Manner, and a due Subordination to the higher Principles within us: but when thefe Bounds are tranfgreffed, there begins Sin. All fuch Indulgence therefore in Eating or Drinking, as obfcures the Reason of Persons, inflames their Paffions, hurts their Healths, impairs their Fortunes, or waftes their Time; all Sloth, Indolence, and luxurious Delicacy; all Wantonnefs, Impurity, and Indecency, with whatever tempts to it; these are renounced under this Head and not thefe only; but every other Sin, that hath its firft Rife within our Hearts. For in the Language of Religion, as the Spirit fignifies the inward Principle of all Good, fo doth the Fleb that of all Evil. Therefore Vanity and Self-conceit, immoderate Anger, ill Temper and Hard-heartedness, repining at the Good of others, or even at our own Disadvantages; in short, whatever Difpofition of our Souls is difhonourable to God, prejudicial to our Neighbour, or unreasonable in itfelf, falls under the fame Denomination with the aforementioned Vices. For the Works of the Flesh, faith the Apoftle, are manifeft: Adultery, Fornication, Uncleanness, Hatred, Variance, Wrath, Strife, Seditions, Envyings, and fuch like: of the which I tell you before, as I also told you Time paft, that they who do fuch Things, fhall not inherit the Kingdom of God P. Let us therefore fear, left a Promife being left us of entering into his Reft, any of you should come fhort of it. And let us diligently and frequently examine our Hearts, whether we ufe every proper Method to cleanse ourselves from all Filthiness of Flesh and Spirit, perfecting Holiness in the Fear of God".

in

But before I conclude, I muft defire you to observe, concerning each of the Things, which we renounce in Baptifm, that we do not undertake what is beyond our Power; that the Temptations of the Devil fhall

P Gal. v. 19-21.

ΙΟ

Heb. iv. I..

* 2 Cor. vii. I.

never