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.

CHAP. VII.

IN the Third place, Satan is a ‖ 1.1 Po∣tent Enemy; which appears from 1. His Names. 2. His Nature. 3. His Number. 4. His Order and Unity. 5. The Mighty Works that are Attri∣buted to him.

SECT. I.

First, Satan by reason of his Pow∣er, Might and Strength hath Names, which denotes the same unto us. Hence it is, that he is called, The Strong Man, Luk. 11. 21. The Prince of the Air, Ephes. 2. 2. The God of this World, 2 Cor. 4. 4. All which Titles do shew, that the Devil is a Potent Spi∣rit, and an Enemy not to be Con∣temned either by Godly or Ungodly: Whence it is, that we are all Com∣manded to Watch, 1 Pet. 5. 8.

SECT. II.

Secondly, The Devil's Nature shews his Power: 'Tis Angelical. Bless the Lord, ye his Angels, that excel in Strength, Psal. 103. 20: Strength is put for Angels. Psal. 78. 25. They did eat Angels Food: Hebr. The Food of the Mighty. In two things the Power of Angelical Nature will ap∣pear; In its Superiority, and in its Spirituality.

First, Its Superiority. Angels are the Top of the Creation: Man himself made a little lower, than the Angels. Now, in the Works of Creation, the Superiour hath a Power over the In∣feriour; the Beasts over the Grass and Herb, Man over the Beasts, and An∣gels over Man.

Secondly, The Spirituality of their Nature. The Weakness of Man is from his Flesh: His Soul made for great Enterprizes, but weighed down with a Lump of Flesh, is forced to

Row with a Strength suitable to its weak Partner: But now, the Devils being Angels, have no such Incum∣brances; no Fumes from a Fleshly Part to cloud their Understanding, which is Clear and Piercing; no Clog at their Heel to retard their Motion, which for Swiftness is set out by the Wind, and Flame of Fire: Yea, being Spiritual, they cannot be Resisted with Carnal Force; Fire and Sword hurt not them. The An∣gel which appear'd to Manoah, went up in the Fire that consumed the Sa∣crifice; though such hath been the Dotage, and is at this Day of Su∣perstitious Ones, that they think to Charm the Devil with their Carnal Exorcisms. Hence the Romish Reliques, Cross, Holy-Water; yea, and among the Iews themselves in Corrupter Times, who thought by their Phi∣lacteries and Circumcision to scare a∣way the Devil; which made some of them Expound that Cant. 3. 8. of Circumcision: Every Man hath his Sword on his Thigh, because of Fear in the Night.

By Sword on the Thigh, they ex∣pound Circumcision, which they will vainly have given as a Charm against Evil Spirits, that affright them in the Night. But, Alas! the Devil cares for none of these; no, not for an Ordinance of God, when by Fleshly Confidence we make it a Spell: He hath been often bound with these Fetters and Chains, (as it is said of him in the Gospel) and the Chains have been plucked asunder by him; neither could any Man thus tame him. He esteems (as Iob saith of the Leviathan) Iron as Straw, and Brass as Rotten Wood: It must be a Stronger than the Strong-Man, that binds him; and none Stronger but God the Father of Spirits. The De∣vil lost indeed by his Fall much of his Power, in relation to that Holy and Happy Estate in which he was Created; but not his Natural Abili∣ties: He is an Angel still, and hath an Angel's Power.

SECT. III.

Thirdly, The Number of Devils adds to their Power. What Lighter than the Sand? yet Number makes it Weighty. What Creature less than Lice? yet what Plague greater to the Egyptians? How Formidable then Devils be, who are both for Nature so Mighty, and for * 1.2 Number such a Multitude? There are Devils enough to Beleague the whole Earth: Not a Place under Heaven, where Satan hath not his Troops; Not a Person, without some of these Cursed Spirits haunting and watching him where-ever he goes: Yea, for some special Service he can send a Legion, to keep Garrison in one Single Per∣son, as Mark 5. And if so many can be spared to attend One, to what a Number would the Muster-Role of Satan's whole Army amount, if known? And now tell me, If we are not like to find our March diffi∣cult to Heaven, (if ever we mean to go thither) that are to pass through

the very Quarters of this Multitude, who are scattered over the Face of the Earth? When Armies are Dis∣banded, and the Roads full of De∣bauch't Souldiers, wandring up and down, it's dangerous Travelling; we hear then of Murders and Robberies from all Quarters. These Powers of Hell are that Party of Angels, who for their Mutiny and Disobedience were cashier'd Heaven, and thrust out of that Glorious Host; and ever since they have straggled here Be∣low, endeavouring to do Mischief to the Children of Men, especially them that Travel in Heaven-Road.

SECT. IV.

Fourthly, Their Unity and Order makes their Number Formidable. We cannot say, there is Love a∣mong them, that Heavenly Fire can∣not live in a Devil's Bosom; yet there is Unity and Order as to this: They are all agreed in their Design against God and Man: So their Uni∣ty and Consent is knit together by

the Ligaments not of Love, but of Hatred and Policy; Hatred against God and his Children, which they are filled with; and Policy, which tells them, That if they agree not in their Design, their Kingdom can∣not stand. And how true they are to this their Wicked Brother-hood, our Saviour gives a fair Testimony, when he saith; Satan Fights not a∣gainst Satan. Did you ever hear of any Mutiny in the Devil's Army? or, That any of these Apostate An∣gels did freely yield up one Soul to Christ? They are many, and yet but one Spirit of Wickedness in them all. My Name, said the Devils, (not Our Name) is Legion.

SECT. V.

Fifthly, The Mighty Works that are Attributed to these Evil Spirits in Scripture, declare their Power; and these either respect the Elementary, Sen∣sible or Intellectual Part of the World. The Elementary: What dreadful Effects this Prince of the Power of the Air is

able to produce on that, see in the Word: He cannot indeed make the least Breath of Air, Drop of Water, or Spark of Fire; but he can, if let loose (as Reverend Mr. Caryl saith on Iob 1.) go to God's Store-House, and make use of these in such sort, as no Man can stand before him: He can hurle the Sea into such a ‖ 1.3 Commotion, that the Depths shall Boyl like a Pot, and disturb the Air into Storms and Tempests, as if Hea∣ven and Earth would meet. Iob's Children were Buried in the Ruins of their House by a Puff of his Mouth; yea, he can go to God's Ma∣gazine, (as the same Author saith) and Let off the Great Ordinance of Heaven; causing such dreadful Thun∣der and Lightning, as shall not only Affright, but do real Execution, and that in a more dreadful Way, than in the Ordinary Course of Nature. If Man's Art can so sublimate Nature, as we see in the Invention of Powder, that hath such a strange Force; much more able is he to draw forth its Power. Again, Over the Sensitive

World his Power is Great; not only the Beasts, as in the Herd of Swine, hurried by him into the Deep; but over the Bodies of Men also, as in Iob; whose sore Biles were not the Breakings-out of a Distempered Na∣ture, but the Print of Satan's Fangs on his Flesh; doing that suddenly, which in Nature would have requi∣red more time to Gather and Ri∣pen.

Notes

• ‖ 1.1

  The De∣vil is a Po∣tent Enemy.
• * 1.2

  Est au∣tem horum (i. e. malo∣rum Ange∣lorum) quo∣que numerus magnus, sed in Scriptura non defini∣tus. Piscat. in Calvin Institut. pag. 20.
• ‖ 1.3

  In sum∣ma, triplici∣tur possunt nocere, su∣pra nos, in∣tra nos, & circa nos. Supra nos; tempestates & procellas ciendo, ful∣gura & to∣nitrua ejam∣laudo, frago∣res horrendos edendo, nu∣bes cogendo. Intra nos; sensus inter∣nos & ex∣ternos volun∣tem{que} mo∣vendo & im∣pellendo, si∣ve id fiat ex parte orga∣ni, sive ex parte obje∣cti; turban∣do humores, loco moti∣vam impel∣lendo, vitio▪ rum somites submini∣strando. Cir∣ca nos; loco movendo bono nostra, edes concutere & convellere, fluvio∣rum cursus & alveos mutare, pascua noxiis succis imbue∣re, fructus mutare & excutere, pecudes morbis afficere. Alsted. Syst. Theolog.