A sanctuary for the tempted: being a discourse on Christ's friendly admonition to Peter Wherein the fall and rising of Peter, is at large considered: the craft, potency, and malice of Satan (that arch-enemy of our salvation) discovered: his various wiles. stratagems and machinations invalidated: several choice and excellent Gospel-truths handled, and cleared (from the calumnies and objections of gainsayers.) ... Delivered in sundry sermons, at first; and now, published for the benefit of God's church in general. To which is added, four sermons, preach'd upon sacramental occasions. By Thomas Powel, preacher of the Gospel, and one, whom Satan hath winnowed.

SECT. III.

There are Three things, which are very convenient for the Christian Souldier, and which are included in the Spiritual Armour above said.

First, Addict your selves to a Holy Vigilancy and Watchfulness: Stand therefore. And in the 1 Cor. 16. 13. Watch ye, stand fast in the Faith, quit your selves like Men, be Strong.

There are Three things, that the Christian Souldier should Watch over. * 1.1 1. The Forts or Bulwarks of the Soul. 2. The Ports of the Soul. 3. The Ad∣jacent Out-works.

First, The Christian's Watch must be set over the Understanding; for the Understanding or Intellectual Part of Man is the First Door, that the De∣vil knocks at; or it is the Fist Custo∣mer, that he opens his Wares unto: It is the First Shop, wherein Sin is Anvil'd; the Conceptions of Sin be∣gin there. At this also do all Here∣ticks let fly their Cunning and Poy∣sonous Arrows: Nay, Original Cor∣ruption breaks out of thence, infinite Swarms of vile, vain, strange, hide∣ous Cogitations.

And therefore above all the Watch∣ings, watch the Understanding; that first Wheel, common Spring, or

prime Commander in the Soul. Watch for it, that the Saving Light of the Knowledge of Iesus Christ may arise, and dwell within it; and that there may be wrought in it not only an Apprehension of Divine Truths, but also a Subjection unto them, Practical Convictions of Good and Evil; with that Efficacious Success, that what is Good, may be Approved; and what is Evil, may be Condemned by you. More-over, that your Understandings may be the Seat of Heavenly Wis∣dom, Divine Meditations, and Right Principles to direct the Will, compose the Affections, and lead your Conver∣sations in the many particular Acts and Wayes of them, according to that Righteous and Un-erring Rule, I mean, the Word of God.

Watch over it, that it be not Cap∣tivated by the Powers of Ignorance and Blindness, (How can you obey that Will of God, which you know not?) nor be ensnared by the Sub∣tilty of Heresies, or Apostacies; much∣less, that it be over-run with A∣theism, Profaneness, Blasphemies a∣gainst

God, his Truths, Wayes, or Servants.

Yea, Watch it against all Idle and Unnecessary Surveys of Contempla∣tive Evils (Sparks of Sin dallied with in the Understanding, may easi∣ly beget Flames of Wickedness in the Heart); and against all indiscreet Parleys with Satan's Temptations: It is easier to Reject, than to Debate the Devil's Arguments: He is sooner Conquered by Prayer, than by Dis∣pute.

Watch it against all Curiosities, and Extream Itchings: In the Practi∣cals of Religion, it is commendable to be Fervent; but in some Doctrinals, Moderation and Sobriety is best. There are some Divine Mysteries, which with the Strength of our short Reason to dive into and fathom, it is Dangerous: They may be a a Consuming Fire, if we presume to come too near. Revealed Things are enough for our Faith and Life: Leave the Secret unto God alone. VVatch it against Wavering Lusts after Novelties.

Once more; VVatch it against the Insolent Intrusions of Corrupt and Proud Reasonings. Take not all upon Trust or Semblances.

Secondly, The Watch must be also set over the Will; that Great Faculty, which will either be the Chair of Lust, or Throne of Grace: VVe may say of it, what the Prophet did of the Figs; Those which were Good, were very Good; and those that were Bad, were very Bad.

If the Will be Corrupt, it is the only of Slaves, the Sink of the deep∣est Rebellion, Perversness, Resistance, and Extreamest Malice against Christ, and his Doctrine and Precepts: No∣thing makes us more Desperately to hold out against all Heavenly Counsels, Discoveries, Mercies, Entreaties, Moti∣ons, than it. How often (saith Christ) would I have gathered your Children, and ye would not. But if it be Re∣newed, and made Good, it is now a Vital Spring, and of a large Use and Service to Christ and Grace. As when a great City yields, this brings many

Dorps or Villages under Contribution: So when the Will yields to Christ, acknowledgeth his Scepter, and em∣braceth his Laws, all the Faculties of the whole Man fall in with it, and become Tributaries.

We commonly affirm the Will to be a Royal Faculty, (the most Noble, so the School-Men): O VVatch, that it doth not Dis-noble and Stain its Excellency by a Sordid League and Affinity with sinful Lusts; but ra∣ther raise and felicitate us by a Be∣lieving Consent and Acceptance of that great Match betwixt our Souls, and our Blessed Saviour.

We likewise say, That it is a Free Faculty, free from Co-action, no Man doubts it; Free, when Freed, we all with St. Augustine profess it: If the Son shall make you Free, you shall be Free indeed.

In that Sense it is Free to Spiritu∣als, but not in St. Paul's Sense: I was Free-Born, Act. 22. 28.

Now VVatch, lest while you vain∣ly Boast in the Strength and Liberty of your Wills, you be not at the same

time invasall'd and imbondaged to the Service of your Vile and Car∣nal Affections. It is a Ridiculous thing, to hear a Iay-Bird vaunt of his Descent and Blood; and it is as sad a thing, to observe a person proudly arguing for Liberty, whose Will yet is fetter'd and intangled, and held with the strongest Bonds of foulest Sins.

Lastly, You say, That the Will is a Commanding Faculty; The School-Men generally give Imperium unto it: And you know, Sic Volo, sic Iubeo. Que∣stionless, it is of great Power with all the Faculties in Man, and for all his Actions: But then Watch, that you may rather Glory in this, That you have a Will able to Fall down and Obey God, than that you have a Power to Resist and Defeat his In∣tention of Mercy and Goodness. Let Men wrangle as much as they please; of this I am sure, It is a Miserable Dignity, that I am able to Dis-obey God, and to Damn my Soul.

Thirdly, The Watch must be enlar∣ged unto a Third Fort, which is our Affections; which are to the Soul, as the Souldier to the Centurion:

If he said to one, Go, he went; if to another, Come, he came.

Some call them, the Messengers of the * 1.2 Will; others call them the Wheels, the Chariots, the Wings, the Feet of the Soul.

They are (for their Motions) like to those Two Elements of Fire and Water: Whiles kept under, the best Servants; whiles keeping us under, the worst Masters.

Dis-ordered Affections and Predomi∣nant, they are nothing else, but so many Fire-Brands of Confusion, Land-Floods exceeding all Reason; yea, Deluges to bear down our Graces. What Euripides spake of Sorrows, is as true of all Inordinate Affections, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. As in a sudden Fray many a Man is woun∣ded, so by Tumultuous Affections ma∣ny a Sin is increased; and the De∣vil (like Thieves in Uproares) is most diligent about us, when our

Affections are Distempered within us: He can Master us most easily, when we can most difficultly Master our selves. But if the Affections be right∣ly set and composed, they are then the sweetest Spring of Duty, the gentlest Hand-Maids of Grace, our best Sails for a Course of Piety, the Activest Weapons against Iniquity; our Flames in Prayer, and Wings to Heaven. Therefore Watch these Af∣fections: They are a Cole quickly Kindled, but not so quickly Extin∣guished.

Your Safety lies much in this, How they are Set, and how they Work. The same Strings may make Pleasant Musick, or a Jarring Discord: All is as they are Set and Fingred. Your Affections may be either your Plea∣sant Garden, or your Turbulent Ocean: Therefore Watch them for Rectitude of Motion, for Measure of Motion, and for Order of Motion.

If your Love (which is the Gene∣ral of the Affections) should be set not on God, but the World or Sin:

If your Hatred should be directed

not against Sin, but Good Men; or which is worse, against Goodness it self:

If your Zeal should not be pure Flames for Divine Glory, but a burn∣ing Rage against his Truth. If your Fear should not be a Flight from E∣vil, but an Apostasie from Christ: If your Anger should be a Displeasure at another's Eminencies, and not at your own Exorbitances: If your Hope should not be a well-ballanced Ex∣pectation of Happiness, but a blind and venturous Presumption of Mercy: And if your Grief should be Trouble, that you cannot be, and do more Evil; Ah! how Vile, how Irregular, how Dangerous are Affections thus Routed and Dis-ordered! But if Love and Hatred be lookt unto to Keep their Right Centers, to Move towards their Proper Objects, to Love nothing but Good, to Hate nothing but Evil: Now there is Rectitude; and now there will be Peace and Comfort.

But stay not here; Watch likewise your Aff•…•…ctions for their Order and

Measure: it is difficult to keep and observe these. O! How much Ho∣liness of Heart, and how large an In∣fluence of Spiritual Wisdom is requi∣red to Guide the Affections with an even and befitting Pulse, to keep those Mettals in an Expedient Heat, That I should utterly Hate and Ab∣hor the Sin, and yet Mercifully Pi∣ty and Love the Person! Be at the same time throughly Zealous, and yet abundantly Meek! Contend earnestly for the Faith, & yet all this Contending to be carried without any Contentious∣ness! Beat down Errors, and yet not Revile Persons! Patiently bear Afflictions and Injuries with Silence, and yet not Slight any Suffering with Unsensibleness! That when I do Be∣hold much Mercy, yet I should Fear! And when I Feel much Sin, yet I should Hope! Not Presume, nor yet Despair! But temper Faith and Fear, Grief and Hope together.

This is the Orderly Composure of our Affections; and the Exercise of it is very Difficult, though very Ne∣cessary: And therefore Watch!

The last Bull-Wark or Fort, which you must keep Watch on, is Consci∣ence: Solomon calls it the Heart, which must be kept with all Dili∣gence. There is much to be said, why it is to be Watched, that I will say but little. Is it not God's Vice∣gerent in Man? The Spy up on us? Our Great Counsellour? Our Best Friend, or Worst Enemy? Our Heaven of Peace, or Hell of Torment? Our Wall of Brass, or Prison of Iron?

Know ye not the Vigorous Sup∣ports of its Excusing Testimony? What Confidence it gave to the Martyrs at the Bar? and what Rejoycing even in the Flames?

Have ye not heard the Terrible Affrightments and Amazements of its Condemning Power? How when it hath been awaken'd and stir'd, it hath so Imprinted on the Proud Sin∣ner the Wrath of the Great God, that he hath been driven to Great Con∣sternation?

Well! be Advised in time! Great Sins will make Great Wounds in Con∣science; yea, and Little Sins Com∣mitted

against the Light of Conscience, will occasion great Stirs and Trou∣bles. Speak no more against Consci∣ence! Write no more against Consci∣ence! Flatter no more against Consci∣ence! Live not in any Sin! do no∣thing against Conscience!

Remember what befel Francis Spi∣ra, who adventured against the strong Dictates of his Conscience; he could not Recover Peace to his Dying-Day. Remember what besel Origen, who consented to Sacrifice: But Lord! What Horrors! what Confusions! what Lamentations! what Despairs! what Extream Exigencies in Consci∣ence did attend him for Sinning thus!

Remember Iudas also, who Sold his Master to the High-Priest: He Sold his Master indeed, but Sold his Peace too. Instantly is he Arrested, and Charged by Conscience; and the Guilt of his Sin Crucified Him, be∣fore the Rage of the Souldiers could Crucify his Master. No Rest! no Hope! He chose Death rather than Life; and hastened to Hell it self for some Ease!

O therefore Watch to Conscience! Get it Renewed and Purged from Dead Works! Obey it, when it brings Light from Heaven to Command! Wound it not by Corrupt Errors and Practio•…•…s! Keep it Undefiled, and Resolute. Farewel Peace! farewel Comfort, Hope, God, Heaven, Hap∣piness, if you Sell your Conscien∣ces!

But if you would Live in Life, (Enjoy your Selves!) Live in Death, (Enjoy your Hopes!) Live after Death, (Enjoy God and Christ!) As you desire Comfort from God, from the Creatures, from your Selves, Watch! keep Conscience Right and Sound! No, not for all the World make Shipwrack of Conscience! Thy Ark is Lost, if Conscience be Split.

Secondly, The Ports or Gates to be Watched and Guarded; by which We Go out, and an Enemy may Come in. These Ports are our Outward Senses, by which the Soul Goes out, and Objects Come in.

I cannot so distinctly Prescribe for these, as for the rest; only this we know, That Sensible Objects have great Force to actuate and excite Peculiar Corruptions; and Vile Temptations u∣sually slip in, and Co-operate with Outward Representations. Satan by the Goodly Fruit deceived the Eye of Eve, and Corrupted her to Trans∣gression. David's wandring Eye oc∣casioned two Horrid Sins, one of Adultery, the other of Murder.

Therefore set a Strict Watch upon this Port, or Sense of Seeing. Iob did so: He made a Covenant with his Eyes. And Solomon Advises the Iunk∣er not to Look on the Wine, when it gives its Colour in the Glass: And al∣so not to Come near the Doors or Pre∣sence of the Strumpet. Epiphanius saith, That in the Old Law, when any Dead Body was carryed by any House, they were enjoyned to shut their Doors and Windows. And in a Moral Sense the same Counsel were good for us: When any Objects are apt to come in at the Windows of our Eyes, En∣tising,

Alluring us to Sin, shut the Windows presently, lest Death should Enter by them.

My Eye (saith Ieremy the Prophet) affects my Heart: Some read it thus; My Eye hath Sacked or † 1.3 Rifled my Soul. How Genuine that Reading is, I stand not on; only this, A Careless Eye may quickly make a Graceless Soul.

The same might be said for ano∣ther of our Ports, viz. our Hearing: It is a double Wicket, and hath a double Lock. Not that we should be ready to Hear Much, but Well. Generally we account Hearing the Sense of Discipline; and so it is, ei∣ther of Good or Evil: But Natural∣ly more open to Syren's Songs, than to Heavenly Ditties; to Ziba's Slan∣ders, Doeg's Informations; to Flatte∣ries, to Evil Counsels, Speeches, Se∣ductions; rather than to the Precepts, and Afflictions, and Reproofs of God. And therefore not without Cause doth Christ double the Guard at this Port: Take heed, what you Hear; and,

Take heed how you Hear. He Watch∣eth well at this, who delights to Hear the Voice of Christ, and to follow it.

Thirdly, The Out-works to be Watch∣ed.

The Out-works are our Conversati∣ons: These Works of ours are that Part of our Camp, which faces to∣wards the World, the Eyes of Men.

There are some Internal Operations of the Soul, as the Thoughts and De∣sires, &c. which only God can see, and our own Consciences: And there are other Operations, as Words and Actions, which are External; which all the World may see: And accord∣ing to the Difference of our Relation to God, and Condition of Place with Men they are more or less Conspi∣cuous or Observable.

Christ gives this general Advice: Let your Light (he meaneth princi∣pally that Light of Life) so shine a∣mongst Men, that they may see your Good VVorks, and Glorify your Father.

Answerable to it is St. Pauls Ad∣monition to the Philippians:

Let your Conversation be such, as be∣cometh the Gospel of Christ.

Men judge of our Inward Temper by our Outward Pulse: Not what we are, but what we do, is the Object of their Eye, and the Copy of their Imitation.

I will say no more of this; but let your Conversations be as straight a Line, as may be, still drawn by the Rule: As Fair a Letter as may be, still written without Just Rebuke or Spot: As even a Ballance as may be, hanging without Fraud and Injustice: As Fruitful a Grape as may be, drop∣ping out into all the Good Works of Piety and Charity: And as Sober a March as may be, without Vain Ex∣cesses, and Boisterous Luxuriousness.

And thus you have heard touching Christian VVatchfulness and Vigilancy; what it is they are to VVatch; and how they must VVatch it.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Vide Sedg∣wick's Mi∣litary Dis∣cipline. pag. 27, &c.
• * 1.2

  Doubt∣less, as that Systole and Dyastole (of which the Anato∣mists speak) are to the Heart, so the Affections are to the Will; the Openings & the Contract∣ings of it.
• † 1.3

  Oculus meus deprae∣datus est a∣nimam me∣am.