Satan's Devices
*I am going to preface this famous sermon by
George Whitefield below with a few comments from my heart. As
you read through this, let it speak to your heart. You may
find yourself wondering why depression has beset you, or why does God not seem
near to me anymore. I have been living this painful experience since June 2012
with only brief reprieves from the evil which besets me. You cannot know the
depths to which my soul has fallen, the weight that crushes my soul, an unseen
force that has a physical weight seemingly unbearable. Taking my own
life was a daily thought, a fantasy, a desire to leave behind the cruelness of
this world. Mind you I have the most beautiful and wonderful wife
God has ever put breath in and my son is equal in value to me! I have had no
earthly reason for these occurrences, NONE! It is SPIRITUAL WARFARE and my EYE
ARE OPEN TO Satan's schemes. Everytime I would get to the point
where I was ready to give up and resign my life, GOD CAME SWIFTLY TO MY RESCUE,
each TIME GIVING ME HIS ALL SUFFICIENT GRACE!!! People, this
is not a game, the enemy of your soul intends you to be blind and to be curious
as to why people like me spend time writing, appealing, pleading with you to let
go of this world and relent to God's Holy Spirit. Satan intends to slay you...
he has been seeking after me for over 3 months now, but the POWER OF GOD resides
in me. He cannot take me but he can plant his thoughts in my head. Whether I
let them seep into my heart is my decision, for God gave me a way out... It is
written, "bring every thought in captivity to Christ." This means if it enters
your mind, it must pass the smell test of God's Truth, His Word. Confusion and
lies come only from our enemy, NEVER FROM GOD!
*It is written, "You must put to death the
flesh", and it is also written that this "mortal must put on immortality", for
in the "twinkling of an eye, we shall all be changed". SATAN is not
IGNORANT, he is a master of treachery, a devious general who patiently
waits to devour you. He seeks your soul! Are you going to give it
to him by default simply because you have not the time to spend with your
Eternal Father? You would be foolish, nay, I say you would be worse than a
foolish to put off for tomorrow what can be done today, even at this moment.
Don't play games with him, Satan will snatch you up and devour
you and he may do so in a way so devious you don't even know it is happening.
(i.e. take EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE UNTO CHRIST)
The only protection from Satan is God
Himself, for there is none other that can beset him. If you
have not the Holy Spirit in your heart, then WOE to YOU!
*Dear reader, don't give up... Your life is
precious to God, He loves you beyond any capacity you could ever imagine! My
torture and my pain shall be a praise unto God for I know He is with me no
matter my circumstances forever, and ever, and ever, AMEN. So to I know that
you will never be alone if you decide to give up everything for Christ the
Messiah! Praise be to the God of
Heaven, to HIM BE ALL GLORY for ETERNITY! In You Father, I lay humbly my life
at your feet. Bless all these dear children and magnify yourself! Praise be to
you for all your loving mercies and tender kindness!
Satan's Devices
by George
Whitefield
2 Corinthians
2:11, "Lest Satan should get an advantage
over us; for we are not ignorant of his devices."
The
occasion of these words was as follows: In the church of Corinth there was an
unhappy person, who had committed such incest, as was not so much as named among
the Gentiles, in taking his father's wife; but either on account of his wealth,
power, or some such reasons, like many notorious offenders now-adays, he had not
been exposed to the censures of the church. St. Paul, therefore, in his first
epistle, severely chides them for this neglect of discipline, and commands them,
"in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when they
were gathered together, to deliver such a one, whoever he was, to Satan, for the
destruction of the flesh, that his Spirit might be saved in the day of the
Lord;" that is, they should solemnly excommunicate him; which was then
commonly attended with some bodily disease. The Corinthians, being obedient to
the Apostle, as dear children, no sooner received this reproof, but they
submitted to it, and cast the offending party out of the church. But whilst they
were endeavoring to amend one fault, they unhappily ran into another; and as
they formerly had been too mild and remiss, so now they behaved towards him with
too much severity and resentment. The Apostle, therefore, in this chapter,
reproves this, and tells them, that "sufficient
to the offender's shame, was the punishment which had been inflicted of
many:" that he had now suffered enough; and that, therefore, lest he
should be tempted to say with Cain, "My
punishment is greater than I can bear;" or to use the Apostle's own
words, "Lest he should be swallowed up with
overmuch sorrow;" they ought, now he had given proof of his repentance,
to forgive him, to confirm their love towards him, and to restore him in the
spirit of meekness; "Lest Satan, (to
whose buffetings he was now given, by tempting him to despair) should get an advantage over us:" and so, by
representing you as merciless and cruel, cause that holy name to be blasphemed,
by which you are called; "for we are not
ignorant of his devices:" we know very well how many subtle ways he has
to draw aside and beguile unguarded unthinking men.
Thus then,
stand the words in relation to the context; but as Satan has many devices, and
as his quiver is full of other poisonous darts, besides those which he shoots at
us to drive us to despair, I shall, in the following discourse,
FIRST,
Briefly observe who we are to understand by Satan. And,
SECONDLY,
Point out to you, what are the chief devices he generally makes use of to draw
off converts from Christ, and also prescribe some remedies against them.
FIRST, Who
are we to understand by Satan?
The word
Satan, in its original signification, meant an adversary; and in its general
acceptation, is made use of, to point out to us the chief of the devils, who,
for striving to be as God, was cast down from heaven, and is now permitted,
"with the rest of his spiritual wickednesses in
high places, to walk up and down, seeking whom he may devour." We hear of
him immediately after the creation, when in the shape of a serpent, he lay in
wait to deceive our first parents. He is called Satan, in the book of Job, where
we are told, that "when the sons of God came to
present themselves before the Lord, Satan also came amongst them." As the
scripture also speaketh in the book of Chronicles; "and Satan moved David to number the people."
In the New Testament he goes under different denominations; sometimes he is
called the evil One, because he is evil in himself, and tempts us to evil.
Sometimes, "the Prince of the power of the
air;" and, "the Spirit that now ruleth in
the children of disobedience;" because he resides chiefly in the air, and
through the whole world: and all that are not born of God, are said to lie in
him.
He is an
enemy to God and goodness; he is a hater of all truth. Why else did he slander
God in paradise? Why did he tell Eve, "You shall
not surely die?" And why did he promise to give all the kingdoms of the
world, and the glories of them, to Jesus Christ, if he would fall down and
worship him?
He is full
of malice, envy, and revenge: For what other motives could induce him to molest
innocent man in paradise? And why is he still so restless in his attempts to
destroy us, who have done him no wrong?
He is a
being of great power, as appears in his being able to act on the imagination of
our blessed Lord, so as to represent to him all the kingdoms of the world, and
the glories of them, in a moment of time. As also in carrying his sacred body
through the air up to a pinnacle of the temple; and his driving a herd of swine
so furiously into the deep. Nay, so great is his might, that, I doubt not, was
God to let him use his full strength, but he could turn the earth upside down,
or pull the sun from its orb.
But what
he is most remarkable for is, his subtlety: for not having power given him from
above, to take us by force, he is obliged to wait for opportunities to betray
us, and to catch us by guile. He, therefore, made use of the serpent, which was
subtle above all the beasts of the field, in order to tempt our first parents;
and accordingly he is said, in the New Testament, "To lie in wait to deceive;" and, in the words
of the text, the Apostle says, "We are not
ignorant of his devices:" thereby implying, that we are more in danger of
being seduced by his policy, than over-borne by his power.
From this
short description of Satan, we may easily judge whose children they are, who
love to make a lie, who speak evil of, and slander their neighbor, and whose
hearts are full of pride, subtlety, malice, envy, revenge, and all
uncharitableness. Surely they have Satan for their father: for the tempers of
Satan they know, and the works of Satan they do. But were they to see either
themselves, or Satan as he is, they could not but be terrified at their own
likeness, and abhor themselves in dust and ashes.
But, the
justice of God in suffering us to be tempted, is vindicated from the following
considerations: That we are here in a state of disorder; That he has promised
not to suffer us to be tempted above what we are able to bear; and not only so,
but to him that overcometh he will give a crown of life.
The holy
angels themselves, it should seem, were once put to a trial whether they would
be faithful or not. The first Adam was tempted, even in paradise. And Jesus
Christ, that second Adam, though he was a son, yet was carried, as our
representative, by the Holy Spirit, into the wilderness, to be tempted of the
devil. And there is not one single saint in paradise, amongst the goodly
fellowship of the prophets, the glorious company of the apostles, the noble army
of martyrs, and the spirits of just men made perfect, who, when on earth, was
not assaulted by the fiery darts of that wicked one, the devil.
What then
has been the common lot of all God's children, and of the angels, nay, of the
eternal Son of God himself, we must not think to be exempted from: No, it is
sufficient if we are made perfect through temptations, as they were. And,
therefore, since we cannot but be tempted, unless we could unmake human nature,
instead of repining at our condition, we should rather be inquiring, at what
time of our lives Satan most violently assaults us? And what those devices are,
which he commonly makes use of, in order to "get an advantage over us?"
As to the
first question, what time of life? I answer, we must expect to be tempted by
him, in some degree or other, all our lives long. _ For this life being a
continual warfare, we must never expect to have rest from our spiritual
adversary the devil, or to say, our combat with him is finished, 'till, with our
blessed master, we bow down our heads, and give up the ghost.
But since
the time of our conversion, or first entering upon the spiritual life, is the
most critical time at which he, for the most part, violently besets us, as well
knowing, if he can prevent our setting out, he can lead us captive at his will;
and since the wise son of Sirach particularly warns us, when we are going to
serve the Lord, to prepare our souls for temptation, I shall, in answer to the
other question, pass on to the
SECOND
general thing proposed; and point out those devices, which Satan generally makes
use of at our first conversion, in order to get an advantage over us.
But let me
observe to you, that whatsoever shall be delivered in the following discourse is
only designed for such as have actually entered upon the divine life; and not
for carnal almost Christians, who have the form of godliness, but never yet felt
the power of it in their hearts. This being premised, The
FIRST
device I shall mention, which Satan makes use of, is, to drive us to
despair.
When God
the Father awakens a sinner by the terrors of the law, and by his Holy Spirit
convinceth him of sin, in order to lead him to Christ, and show him the
necessity of a Redeemer; then Satan generally strikes in, and aggravates those
convictions to such a degree, as to make the sinner doubt of finding mercy thro'
the Mediator.
Thus, in
all his temptations of the Holy Jesus, he chiefly aimed to make him question,
whether he was the Son of God? "If thou be the
Son of God," do so and so. With many such desponding thoughts, no doubt,
he filled the heart of the great St. Paul, when he continued three days, neither
eating bread nor drinking water; and therefore he speaks by experience, when he
says, in the words of the text, "We are not
ignorant of his devices," that he would endeavor to drive the incestuous
person to despair.
But let
not any of you be influenced by him, to despair of finding mercy. For it is not
the greatness or number of our crimes, but impenitence and unbelief, that will
prove our ruin: No, were our sins more in number than the hairs of our head, or
of a deeper die than the brightest scarlet; yet the merits of the death of Jesus
Chris are infinitely greater, and faith in his blood shall make them white as
snow.
Answer
always, therefore, his despairing suggestions, as your Blessed Lord did, with an
"It is written." Tell him, you know that
your Redeemer liveth, ever to make intercession for you; that the Lord hath
received from him double for all your crimes: And tho' you have sinned much,
that is no reason why you should despair, but only why you should love much,
having so much forgiven. A
SECOND
device that Satan generally makes use of, to get an advantage over young
converts, is, to tempt them to presume, or to think more highly of themselves
than they ought to think.
When a
person ha for some little time tasted the good word of life, and felt the powers
of the world to come, he is commonly (as indeed well he may) most highly
transported with that sudden change he finds in himself. But then, Satan will
not be wanting, at such a time, to puff him up with a high conceit of his own
attainments as if he was some great person; and will tempt him to set at nought
his brethren, as though he was holier than they.
Take heed
therefore, and let us beware of this device of our spiritual adversary; for as
before honor is humility, so a haughty spirit generally goes before a fall; and
God is obliged, when under such circumstances, to send us some humbling
visitation, or permit us to fall, as he did Peter into some grievous sin, that
we may learn not to be too high minded.
To check
therefore all suggestions to spiritual pride, let us consider, that we did not
apprehend Christ, but were apprehended of him. That we have nothing but what we
have received. That the free grace of God has alone made the difference between
us and others; and, was God to leave us to the deceitfulness of our own hearts
but one moment, we should become weak and wicked, like other men. We should
farther consider, that being proud of grace, is the most ready way to lose it.
"For God resisteth the proud, and giveth more
grace only to the humble." And were we endowed with the perfections of
the seraphim; yet if we were proud of those perfections, they would but render
us more accomplished devils. Above all, we should pray earnestly to Almighty
God, that we may learn of Jesus Christ, to be lowly in heart. That his grace,
through the subtlety and deceivableness of Satan, may not be our poison. But
that we may always think soberly of ourselves, as we ought to think. A
THIRD
device I shall mention, which Satan generally makes use of, "to get an advantage over us," is to tempt us
to uneasiness, and to have hard thoughts of God, when we are dead and barren in
prayer.
Though
this is a term not understood by the natural man, yet, whosoever there are
amongst you, who have passed through the pangs of the new birth, they know full
well what I mean, when I talk of deadness and dryness in prayer. And, I doubt
not, but many of you, amongst whom I am not preaching the kingdom of God, are at
this very time laboring under it.
For, when
persons are first awakened to the divine life, because grace is weak and nature
strong, God is often pleased to vouchsafe them some extraordinary illuminations
of his Holy Spirit; but when they are grown to be more perfect men in Christ,
then he frequently seems to leave them to themselves; and not only so, but
permits a horrible deadness and dread to overwhelm them; at which times Satan
will not be wanting to vex and tempt them to impatience, to the great discomfort
of their souls.
But be not
afraid; for this is no more than your blessed Redeemer, that spotless Lamb of
God, has undergone before you: witness his bitter agony in the garden, when his
soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. When he sweat great drops of
blood, falling on the ground; when the sense of the Divinity was drawn from him;
and Satan, in all probability, was permitted to set all his terrors in array
before him.
Rejoice,
therefore, my brethren, when you fall into the like circumstances; as knowing,
that you are therein partakers of the sufferings of Jesus Christ. Consider, that
it is necessary such inward trials should come, to wean us from the immoderate
love of sensible devotion, and teach us to follow Christ, not merely for his
loaves, but out of a principle of love and obedience. In patience, therefore,
possess your souls, and be not terrified by Satan's suggestions. Still persevere
in seeking Jesus in the use of means, though it be sorrowing; and though through
barrenness of soul, you may go mourning all the day long. Consider that the
spouse is with you, though behind the curtain; as he was with Mary, at the
sepulcher, though she knew it not. That he was withdrawn but for a little while,
to make his next visit more welcome. That though he may now seem to frown and
look back on you, as he did on the Syrophonecian woman; yet if you, like her, or
blind Bartimeus, cry out so much the more earnestly, "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on us;"
he will be made known unto you again, either in the temple, by breaking of
bread, or some other way.
But
amongst all the devices that Satan makes use of, "to get an advantage over us," there is none in
which he is more successful, or by which he grieves the children of God worse,
than a
FOURTH
device I am going to mention, his troubling you with blasphemous, profane,
unbelieving thoughts; and sometimes to such a degree, that they are as
tormenting as the rack.
Some
indeed are apt to impute all such evil thoughts to a disorder of body. But those
who know any thing of the spiritual life, can inform you, with greater
certainty, that for the generality, they proceed from that wicked one, the
devil; who, no doubt, has power given him from above, as well now as formerly,
to disorder the body, as he did Job's, that he may, with the more secrecy and
success, work upon, ruffle and torment the soul.
You that
have felt his fiery darts, can subscribe to the truth of this, and by fatal
experience can tell, how often he has bid you, "curse God and die," and darted into your
thoughts a thousand blasphemous suggestions, even in your most secret and solemn
retirements; the bar looking back on which makes your very hearts to
tremble.
I appeal
to your own consciences; Have not some of you, when you have been lifting up
holy hands in prayer, been pestered with such a crowd of the most horrid
insinuations, that you have been often tempted to rise off from your knees, and
been made to believe your prayers were an abomination to the Lord? Nay, when,
with the rest of your Christian brethren, you have crowded round the holy table,
and taken the sacred symbols of Christ's most blessed body and blood into your
hands, instead of remembering the death of your Savior, have you not employed in
driving out evil thoughts, as Abraham was in driving away the birds, that came
to devour his sacrifice; and thereby have been terrified, lest you have eat and
drank your own damnation?
But marvel
not, as though some strange thing happened unto you; for this has been the
common lot of all God's children. We read, even in Job's time, "That when the sons of God came to appear before their
Maker, (at public worship) Satan also
came amongst them," to disturb their devotions.
And think
not that God is angry with you for these distracting, though ever so blasphemous
thoughts: No, he knows it is not you, but Satan working in you; and therefore,
notwithstanding he may be displeased with, and certainly will punish him; yet he
will both pity and reward you. And though it be difficult to make persons in
your circumstances to believe so; yet I doubt not but you are more acceptable to
God, when performing your holy duties in the midst of such involuntary
distractions, than when you are wrapped up by devotion, as it were, into the
third heavens; for you are then suffering, as well as doing the will of God at
the same time; and, like Nehemiah's servants at the building of the temple, are
holding a trowel in one hand, and a sword in the other. Be not driven from the
use of any ordinance whatever, on account of those abominable suggestions; for
then you let Satan get his desired advantage over you; it being his chief
design, by these thoughts, to make you fall out with the means of grace; and to
tempt you to believe, you do not please God, for no other reason, than because
you do not please yourselves. Rather persevere in the use of the holy communion
especially, and all other means whatever; and when these temptations have
wrought that resignation in you, for which they were permitted, God will visit
you with fresh tokens of his love, as he met Abraham, when he returned from the
slaughter of the five kings; and will send an angel from heaven, as he did to
his Son, on purpose to strengthen you.
Hitherto
we have only observed such devices as Satan makes use of immediately by himself;
but there is a
FIFTH I
shall mention, which is not the least, tempting us by our carnal friends and
relatives.
This is
one of the most common, as well as most artful devices he makes use of, to draw
young converts from God; for when he cannot prevail over them by himself, he
will try what he can do by the influence and mediation of others.
Thus he
tempted Eve, that she might tempt Adam. Thus he stirred up Job's wife, to bid
him "Curse God and die." And thus he made
use of Peter's tongue, to persuade our blessed Lord "to spare himself," and
thereby decline those sufferings, by which alone we could be preserved from
suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. And thus, in these last days, he often
stirs up our most powerful friends and dearest intimates, to dissuade us from
going in that narrow way, which alone leadeth unto life eternal.
But our
blessed Lord has furnished us with a sufficient answer to all such suggestions.
"Get you behind me, my adversaries;" for otherwise they will be an offense unto
you; and the only reason why they give such advice is, because they "favor not
the things that be of God, but the things that be of men."
Whoever,
therefore, among you are resolved to serve the Lord, prepare your souls for many
such temptations as these; for it is necessary that such offenses should come,
to try your sincerity, to teach us to cease from man, and to see if we will
forsake all to follow Christ.
Indeed our
modernisers of Christianity would persuade us, that the gospel was calculated
only for about two hundred years; and that now there is no need of hating father
and mother, or of being persecuted for the sake of Christ and his gospel.
But such
persons err, not knowing the scriptures, and the power of godliness in their
hearts; for whosoever receives the love of God in the truth of it, will find,
that Christ came to send not peace, but a sword upon earth, as much now as ever.
That the father-in-law shall be against the daughter-in-law, in these latter, as
well as in the primitive times; and that if we will live godly in Christ Jesus,
we must, as then, so now, from carnal friends and relations, suffer persecution.
But the devil hath a
SIXTH
device, which is as dangerous as any of the former, by not tempting us at all,
or rather, by withdrawing himself for a while, in order to come upon us at an
hour when we think not of it.
Thus it is
said, that he left Jesus Christ only for a season; and our blessed Lord has bid
us to watch and pray always, that we enter not into temptation; thereby
implying, that Satan, whether we think of it or not, is always seeking how he
may devour us.
If we
would therefore behave like good soldiers of Jesus Christ, we must be always
upon our guard, and never pretend to lay down our spiritual weapons of prayer
and watching, till our warfare is accomplished by death; for if we do, our
spiritual Amalek will quickly prevail against us. What if he has left us? It is
only for a season; yet a little while, and, like a roaring lion, with double
fury, he will break out upon us again. So great a coward as the devil is, he
seldom leaves us at the first onset. As he followed our blessed Lord with one
temptation after another, so will he treat his servants. And the reason why he
does not renew his attacks, is sometimes, because God knows we are yet weak and
unable to bear them, sometimes, because our grand adversary thinks to beset us
at a more convenient season.
Watch
carefully over thy heart, O Christian; and whenever thou perceivest thyself to
be falling into a spiritual slumber, say to it, as Christ to his disciples,
"Arise (my soul) why sleepest thou?" Awake, awake; put on
strength, watch and pray, or otherwise the Philistines will be upon thee, and
lead thee whither thou wouldst not. Alas! Is this life a time to lie down and
slumber in? Arise, and call upon thy God; thy spiritual enemy is not dead, but
lurketh in some secret place, seeking a convenient opportunity how he may betray
thee. If thou ceasest to strive with him, thou ceasest to be a friend of God;
thou ceasest to go in that narrow way which leadeth unto life.
Thus have
I endeavored to point out to you some of those devices, that Satan generally
makes use of "to get an advantage over
us;" many others there are, no doubt, which he often uses.
But these,
on account of my youth and want of experience, I cannot yet apprise you of; they
who have been listed for many years in their master's service, and fought under
his banner against our spiritual Amalek, are able to discover more of his
artifices; and, being tempted in all things, like unto their brethren, can, in
all things, advise and succor those that are tempted.
In the
mean while, let me exhort my young fellow-soldiers, who, like myself, are but
just entering the field, and for whose sake this was written, not to be
discouraged at the fiery trial wherewith they must be tried, if they would be
found faithful servants of Jesus Christ. You see, my dearly beloved brethren, by
what has been delivered, that our way through the wilderness of this world to
the heavenly Canaan, is beset with thorns, and that there are sons of Anak to be
grappled with, ere you can possess the promised land. But let not these, like so
many false spies, discourage you from going up to fight the Lord's battles, but
say with Caleb and Joshua, "Nay, but we will go
up, for we are able to conquer them." Jesus Christ, that great captain of
our salvation, has in our stead, and as our representative, baffled the grand
enemy of mankind, and we have nothing to do, but manfully to fight under his
banner, and to go on from conquering to conquer. Our glory does not consist in
being exempted from, but in enduring temptations. "Blessed is the man, (says the apostle) that endureth temptation;" and again, "Brethren, count it all joy, when you fall into divers
temptations:" And in that perfect form our blessed Lord has prescribed to
us, we are taught to pray, not so much to be delivered from all temptation, as
"from the evil" of it. Whilst we are on
this side eternity, it must needs be that temptations come; and, no doubt, "Satan has desired to have all of us, to sift us as
wheat." But wherefore should we fear? For he that is for us, is by far
more powerful, than all that are against us. Jesus Christ, our great
High-priest, is exalted to the right hand of God, and there sitteth to make
intercession for us, that our faith fail not.
Since then
Christ is praying, whom should we fear? And since he has promised to make us
more than conquerors, of whom should we be afraid? No, though an hose of devils
are set in array against us, let us not be afraid; though there should rise up
the hottest persecution against us, yet let us put our trust in God. What though
Satan, and the rest of his apostate spirits, are powerful, when compared with
us; yet, if put in competition with the Almighty, they are as weak as the
meanest worms. God has them all reserved in chains of darkness unto the judgment
of the great day. So far as he permits them, they shall go, but no farther; and
where he pleases, there shall their proud malicious designs be stayed. We read
in the gospel, that though a legion of them possessed one man, yet they could
not destroy him; nor could they so much as enter into a swine, without first
having leave given them from above. It is true, we often find they foil us, when
we are assaulted by them; but let us be strong, and very courageous; for, though
they bruise our heels, we shall, at length, bruise their heads. Yet a little
while, and he that shall come, will come; and then we shall see all our
spiritual enemies put under our feet. What f they do come out against us, like
so many great Goliaths; yet, if we can go forth, as the stripling David, in the
name and strength of the Lord of hosts, we may say, O Satan, where is thy power?
O fallen spirits, where is your victory?
Once more
therefore, and to conclude; let us be strong, and very courageous, and let us
put on the whole armor of God, that we may be able to stand against the fiery
darts of the wicked one. Let us renounce ourselves, and the world, and then we
shall take away the armor in which he trusteth, and he will find nothing in us
for his temptations to work upon. We shall then prevent his malicious designs;
and being willing to suffer ourselves, shall need less sufferings to be sent us
form above. Let us have our loins girt about with truth; and for an helmet, the
hope of salvation; "praying always with all
manner of supplication." Above all things, "Let us take the sword of the spirit, which is the
word of God," and "the shield of
faith," looking always to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is now sat down at the right hand of God.
To which
happy place, may God of his infinite mercy translate us all, through our Lord
Jesus Christ.
To whom,
with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, three persons and one eternal God, be all
honor and glory, now and for evermore. Amen.
A Treasury of Great Preaching.
