And now let us fee why it is fatan keepeth roofting in some men's hearts, and fo he stayeth fo much at home; it is because he knows that at fome times he muft bring men to deftruction by fraud, and alfo he knoweth his great fuccefs therein; for with fome men he can do more by fraud, than he can do by force. Fraud it is a white mafk on a black face, and as a sheepskin on a wolf's back. And when the devil he is. thus dizled and dreffed out, now see what a figure he makes. And it yields him pleasure, because in a fhew of holiness he may now work. the more mischief. For this fuits his turn, not to difquiet this fort of men with great capital. fins, no, nor to upbraid them with outward enormities. Eafe and the religion of the world, this filleth their hearts. By this he deceiveth them; fo he maketh them dishoneft to God and their own foul For thefe men they are spiritual thieves, fo the Holy Ghoft calls them robbers of God. 1

h

And yet I fay, that fo far as this touch of re ligion enters into the man, the unclean spirit it. may be faid he is fo far gone out of that man. Though fatan he may be faid to be caft out, in. the opinion of the party in whom he refides; for every such a man will prefume and fay, A devil! there is no devil in me, no, no. The proud her fayeth that there is no Lucifer in him; and the

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covetous he faith he hath no Mammon in him; and the adulterer he faith he hath no Afmodeus or lecherous devil in him and fo they contend. againft God's word. And fome are fo merciful to all forts of wicked men, and they are fo mera ciless against the Almighty holy God, as to his face they give God the lye; and thefe fay, Fie, fie! there is no devil at all; we will not believe it, though God hath faid it; but God will bring thefe wicked men into judgment for all their wicked deeds and cruel fpeaking, Jude xv. And yet these men have learned in their church catechifm to fay, I did promife in my baptifm, to.. forfake the devil and all his works."

But now I fay, why fhould these men be fo fupine and befotted of the devil? for, alas ! whereever the works of the devil are, we may be sure there is the work-mafter. But to thefe I fay, Thou art afleep, poor Samfon, and whilst these Philistines are upon thee: nay awake, for thefer are now within thee: and know this, that the ague it is not gone, though the fit be over; the next fit may be worse than ever; therefore awake, O man, and know for thyfelf, that whilst thou carelefly flumbereft in the steerage, the vessel, thy life in thy body, it is fteered by a wicked. pilot; though it keeps going on for eternity, thou art every moment in jeopardy, on prefumptuous rocks, to fuffer fhipwrecks, and suddenly go

down

down to hell; for fatan he has not left thee, althe thou conceit him gone out from thee, therefore -as it is in our phrase, the unclean spirit goeth out of fome men, but it is only in their own conceit. And yet again I say, this unclean spirit he may seem gone out of a man, in the good opinion of the people of God, or of the church. of Chrift. Yes, and for a time the church had a very good eftimation of Judas, and, for that that he was in the office of the ftewardship, and treasurer of the church, and for that as he was conformable to thefe good outward duties, and thereunto he fhewed much care in filling up his place with outward obedience; but yet before God and his own confcience, he was a double minded man, and a deceitful thief.

So then, if fatan but now and then bend his bow of deceit, and fhoot into an ungodly man an arrow of inftigation, to bring about fome wicked plot or purpose, this will ferve the devil's turn among the godly, that when there is a fit opportunity, this man he is the inftrument, and fatan by him doth the most mischief, for the devil can dwell within him, altho' he standeth not at the door to be feen of others; fo.he may do wrong to the godly, and yet they call him a friend, Matt. xxvi. 50..

And again, this unclean spirit he goeth out of the man in the world's judgment, and of his

carnal

carnal neighbours in particular; for they fay of him, See how the man, why he hath left off his card-playing, his cock-fighting, his horse-racing and wager-betting, and he hath been seen at the church. And thus in the world's opinion the devil is gone out of him; but the man in his. own heart, he knoweth it to be otherwife; for he hath not had fo great fuccefs in his late bettings as he formerly hath had, and now thereforehis card-playing, his cock-fighting, and horseracing, they are to him lefs pleafing than ever; and he hath left his old companions, because they mock at his feveral failings, they laugh at his ill fuccefs and weakness of his judgment, in betting on the lofing fide; and this frets him to the heart; and it greatly adds to his trouble of lofing, that he fhould lofe his large title and boafting fame of all gain by winning; fo now he goeth to church to fee new fafhions and new faces, and to feek for and to make new advantages; and therein he turneth the house of God into a den of thieves, and the houfe of prayer into a change of merchandize; yea, the doth worse, for he maketh it as a brothel; fo with. his eye he feeds the lufts of his heart, and the next holidays they will fhew you by his works, how far the devil was gone out of him; for if he went out, he only left this man for a feafon,. fish oft thoughỉ

though in my judgment he never left him at

all.'

And lastly, fatan is faid to be gone out of a man, fo far as there comes into him an interruption against the raging power and fovereignty of fin; for now the old man he hath left his daily gaddings and his midnight exploits of frolickfome gallantry; fo it is concluded by himfelf and others, now the devil is gone out of him. But all you that think fo, I tell you, look well to it, for you are mistaken in the matter; for old age has outrun the days of youth, and the fprings of nature they are now grown cold and frozen, and therefore with a grim, four look he cafteth his eyes, with rage and anger he contemneth the follies of youth, and not with Solomon's heart, but in Solomon's words, he crieth out, and he faith, "All this is vanity of vanities," Ecclef. i. 25. So I fay, Behold this old man, for the fluices of nature's ftrength they are now fhut down, therefore the floods of youth's iniquity, they run not fo violently as they did in twenty years paft; but alas! the man's free will and his heart is the fame, for the rein-deer runs not fo madly, but fhe flackens her pace, whilst that infernal rider forbears goring her fides with his fpurs of fury.

So now the old man he hath changed his fins, but God the Lord hath not changed his heart,

for