And again: Thou

which do err

And to this

bath deceived thee. Jer. xlix. 16. baft rebuked the proud that are cursed, from thy commandments. Pl. cxix. 21. agrees the apostle: If any man teach otherwife, and confent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and ftrifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strifes, railings, evil furmifings, perverse difputings of men of corrupt minds, and deftitute of the truth. 1 Tim vi. 4, 5. The devil is a wife and cunning adverfary, and well knows what is most hateful to God; and there is nothing more hateful to him than pride. It was this very bridle that led the devil from the truth, even to become the father of lies. The Lord fays, He abode not in the truth:what led him from it? The apoftle tells us: Not a novice, left, being lifted up with pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 1 Tim. iii. 6. Pride lifted the devils up into felf-admiration, and for which God charged them with folly. Job iv. 18. And this bridle is in their jaws to this day: hence they aspire even to imitate God, and want to be worshipped as God. The Saviour himself was tempted by the devil to fall down and worship him. When Satan gets this bridle into the jaws of a finner, he is fure to make him hold his head up, and to walk with a ftiff neck. His heart is fwollen, and puffed up like a bladder, until his blafphemy boils up, and runs out of his mouth: hence the warning-Talk no more

Jo exceeding proudly, let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. 1 Sam. ii. 3. A profeffor, reined up with this bridle, is the molt dangerous man in the world among weak believers: hence God bleffes the poor fimple foul that cafts off all love and refpect for him. Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor fuch as turn afide to lies. Pfalm xl. 4. O what a bleffing it is to be kept from the foot of pride, which leads to presumptuous fins, and involves men in the great tranfgreffion. O love the Lord, all ye his faints: for the Lord preferveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Pfalm xxxi. 23.

Men of this caft, and in this ftate, act the fame restless part that the devil does-always meddling with religion, though always confcious that they have none: and fo it is with Satan. Go into what part of the world you may, you shall find Satan. carrying on fome fort or other of falfe religion: among the Turks, the Arabs, the Egyptians, Romans, Ruffians, Indians: go where you will, you fhall find idolatry, fuperftition, will worship, a form of godliness, altars, temples, facrifices, foothfaying, or fomething called devotion; and all against God, and in oppofition to him: and hence Satan is styled the god of this world, and a world of worshippers he has got in it.

A man with this bridle in his jaws is just like a bear with a muzzle; he can eat nothing that is

good.

good. The beft fpiritual provifion that can be dealt out from a pulpit, the moft delicious food or richest fare that was ever fet before the houshold of faith, all paffes by his mouth. The man with this bridle in his jaws is never fuffered fo much as to taste that the Lord is good or gracious.

With this bridle he is reined up fo high, and Satan holds him in fo tight, that he can ftoop to nothing; no, not to divine revelation. There is not one fublime mystery in the kingdom of God,—no revelation that God hath ever made of himself, of his wondrous works of creation, providence, grace, or redemption, that he can fubmit to: he is wife above all that is written.

Let the highway to glory be never fo clearly caft up, and the tumbling blocks removed let the ftandard be erected, and God's banner difplayedlet the door of hope be opened, and the path of life made never fo plain-it is all in vain: an infernal fpirit ruling within perverts every thing; and one check by Satan with this bridle turns him out of the way. This bridle fhall be in his jaws, caufing him to err; for God (in just judgment), by the inftrumentality of Satan, leads him forth with the workers of iniquity; but peace fhall be upon Ifrael, He is given up of God to ftrong delusions, that he may believe a lie, and be damned, for not receiving the truth, but taking pleasure in unrighteousness. And the devil, with this bridle, rides him, curbs him, reins him, and turns him whitherfoever he will. A whip for

the

the borfe, a bridle for the afs, and a rod for the fool's back, faith the wife man.

He is a wonder to himself, and ftands aftonished at his own wifdom. Every falfe ray that the devil (transformed) darts into his heart or head, every time he looks into the fcriptures with his falfe mirror, what wonders does he behold! All his difcoveries are fuch as have lain hid fince the world began, till this wonder of wonders arofe, till he arofe a prophet in Ifrael! Every fervant of God that he hears, every God-fearing man that he converfes with, heightens his aftonifhment and admiration. What fools, what blind bats, what poor idiots, do they all appear to be, when compared to himself, and to that perfection of wifdom that dwells in him! Now and then, indeed, there shall be a discovery made; a ray of light darted, a truth brought forth, or fuch a found fpeech dropped, which he cannot condemn, and which, for a moment, may itagger him; but this is but feldom:-and, as foon as ever the devil perceives this, he sticks his fpurs in his fide, and gives him another check with this double bridle; and away goes Jack, kicking up behind, for he must lift up his heels at every thing that favours of Chrift.

In all his fearches and researches God oppofes him. God refifteth the proud; but he giveth grace to the bumble. He fearches the fcriptures to fupport his damnable herefies, and to ftrengthen himself in his wickedness. God refifts him, and it appears a

fealed

fealed book he rages at it, and ftorms; perverts it, and brings forth his strong reasons against it:— ftill it galls him, till at laft he ridicules it, and rails against it, and defpifes it; and be that defpifes the word fhall be destroyed. He lies in wait to deceive the humble, teachable, tractable foul, that walks in the fimplicity of the gofpel; but God refifts him, and discovers to the meek and lowly believer the hardened state and stinking favour of this tool of Satan; and he fhuns him, and flees from him. Thefe he hates the worst, and tries the hardest to deceive; and with these he has the least fuccefs; for God refists him, and instructs his own children by his Spirit. He guides the meek in judgment, the meek will be teach his way. He labours to enfhrine and exalt himself in the eyes and affections of God's people, in order to exclude them from Chrift, and that he may be looked up to as a wonder from the Lord of hofts: but God refifts him, till every profeffor that has any reverence of God, or refpect for him, despises him, and looks upon him as an incurable leper, with the plague in his head, as a perilous tranfgreffor, a hardened rebel, a curfed vagabond, an incarnate devil, and a walking hell, with every vifible token of perdition upon him; and fhuns him, and dreads him, as he would a fiery flying ferpent.

It is upon these animals that the devil carries on the affairs of his kingdom, and his ftate matters. Without fuch men as thefe he could not well fupport his interest against the glorious light and

power

of