A caveat to all true Christians: against the spreadings of the spirit of Antichrist, and his subtile endeavours to draw men from Jesus Christ / propounded to them by J. Horn, one of the unworthiest of Christs servants in his gospel, a preacher thereof in South Lin, Norfolk ; together with some brief directions for their orderly walkings.

Sect. 2. Of the Spiritual Armour, Ephes. 6.

THat we might be induced not to desist, but go on vigorously against our spiritual ene∣mies

I shall briefly propound the consideration of the Armor of Light and Righteousness that God hath made ready for us in Christ, in putting on, and resisting in which, no evil shall reach us; the Apostle hath laid down the several peices of it to our hands, with an exhortation to make use of them. Ephes. 6.13. Put on therefore the whole armor of God, the girdle of Truth, th•• Breast-plate of Righteousness, &c.

1. The girdle of Truth: Let the Truth of God cleave close unto us as girdle about our loyn•• let not it, or what it brings unto us to gird up the loyns of our minds, and to make our hear•• true, sincere, and upright be neglected by us Drink we in the love of it, that we may deligh•• in it, and it may strengthen and preserve us▪ where the Truth of God is slighted, and no•• prized, men will easily part with it, and imbra•…•… error though they perish for it; yea God (a•• hath been noted) often punisheth the not receive∣ing in the lone of the Truth so as to be saved by is with giving them up to strong delusions that they might be damned, 2 Thes. 2.10,11. The Hypocrit•• in heart will surely be snared; that very secre•• evil that makes him not down-right for th•• Truth, will betray him to Satan and delusio•• when he presents baits suitable to it. Buy th•• Truth therefore, and sell it not, Prov. 23.23. wh•…•… we see once to be truth, that keep fast, and it will keep us; Let it be in our inward parts and it will

preserve us. The Spirit of truth will insinuate it self into us, and lead us into all Truth; and Error and Delusion shall have no power over us. He will present that in the truth (even in Christ truly declared to us) that will tie and binde us up unto God, and set us free from the power of Satan and his seducements; and thats freedom indeed: put we away guil and hypocrisy then, that we may the more earnestly covet after, and drink in the Word of Truth, the sincere milk of the Word that we may grow therein. The pro∣mise of defence is to the upright-hearted, that inwardly and sincerely love the Truth; yea the Truth it self shall be their defence: we cannot defend the Truth so much as it will defend us; His Truth shall be thy Shield and Buckler, Psal. 91.3. &c.

2. Put on also the Breast-plate of Righteous∣ness, to guard your hearts that Satans temptati∣ons pierce them not. Let the comfort, consola∣tion and strength that righteousness affords be in your hearts and consciences; O how chearful will that make us! how useful will that be to us in the worst trials and bickerings, when our con∣sciences guarded with the Breast-plate Faith and Love, 1 Thes. 5.8. give a good answer to God, and do not reprove us. VVhen the Son of God made to us of God Righteousness, imboldens us toward God, and stands between us and all Law∣charges, when the beholding him as dead for our

sins, and risen again for our justification, and me∣diating the new Covenant for us (as the truth declares to us) gives us good hope, and makes us triumph over all accusations that would af∣fright us.

By him we have access to God with con∣fidence, and are preserved that the sight of our own evils doth not overwhelm us, especially while we walk in his Spirit, and are led by his grace to do the thing that is well pleasing in his sight, and whereof our hearts shall not reproach us: for if our hearts condemn us not, then have we boldness; 1 Joh. 3.21. And that inward boldness is an undauntedness of Spirit, by which we are carried to overlook and rejoyce against all those things by which our adversaries either outward or inward would discourage us.

A good heart or conscience, made such by Christs blood washing it, and Christ himself made of God righteousness unto it, and leading it in paths of righteousness, is a continuall feast, and will bear a man up under all other infirmi∣ties. Let this therefore be put on by us, that it may cloth and fence us; as also,

3. Shod we our feet with the readiness or prepa∣ration of the Gospel of peace, that so we may not be offended in our walkings; the hardships we meet with may not make us go on lamely: the scratching thorns of cares and griefs may not rent and tear us, the Gospel of peace having

effected peace within us, and prepared and fit∣ted us to bear with patience all adversities and tryals from without us.

Let the operations of it in you by which it prepareth and fitteth you for God, and for his way, making you ready for his work and service, and steeling you with patience, fortitude, and courage against all oppositions and sufferings, be as shoes to your feet in all your goings: with that Gospel also be ye prepared and furnished, yea and made stedfast and setled for the spirituall conflict: count it not an empty thing, but in the firmness and preparedness it hath in it, and that it being minded, effecteth, let your steps be strengthened that you slide not, and your wayes both in judgement and practice be directed that you erre not: in the knowledge and minding of this, your feet shall be guided through all assaults and temptations unto peace and quietness. Let the firmness brought thereby keep you from un∣setledness. It is the power of God unto salvation to every one that beleeveth, Rom. 1.16. That be∣leeveth I say; for without faith we cannot re∣ceive the benefit thereof and therefore,

4. In all (or above all) take to your selves the shield of faith by which ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one: whether ye understand this shield for faith it self, or for God in Christ as the shield that faith useth, they both come to one, for faith is not the faith, ex∣cept

it beleeve God & rest in on him as declared in Christ: so that its God in Christ closed with and rested on, that makes faith as a shield: thence the works of Christ are often attributed to faith, because Christ doth them in and by this faith, which hath God in Christ inclosed in it.

Now this faith is in all things usefull, yea in all the other pieces of the spiritual armour, its that by which they are taken and put on by us; for nei∣ther can truth be as a girdle to us, not our con∣sciences be made good, nor Christ be as a brest∣plate thereupon, or the Gospel of peace firm strengthen and prepare us without faith receive them and thereby close us with God in Christ Jesus; nor can we put on the helmet of salvati∣on, wield the sword of the Spirit, or make an acceptable prayer except faith be in us: so that in all these things we are to put on or exercise faith.

Beleeve the truth and Gospel of God, and give glory to him, and therein let the heart stay and rest on him; minding, viewing and consider∣ing what a one God is, yea is become to us i•• Christ: what strength, power, mercy, good∣ness, and faithfulness and truth are in him; how he is love and hath shewed forth his power and wisdom towards us and for us in acts of love and mercy to us, and all this in his Christ, his salvation, his anointed, who hath born our sin•• for us and offered up himself a spotless sacrifice

unto God, and is become the propitiation for our sins, the Mediator between God and men, the high priest over his house, full of mer∣cy and grace, ability and faithfulness for saving to the utmost those that come to God by him; one that mediates the new Testament for his cal∣led ones that they may receive the promise of the eternall inheritance; in him it is that God is a shield to us and shineth forth his grace and glory upon us.

Let not Christ and God in Christ then be heedlesly disregarded by you, but consider him and hold fast to him; beleeve in God and beleeve in Jesus Christ: take to you the shield of faith: Joh. 14.1. What good will a shield do a man if he throw it on the ground and use it not? but if he take it to him, it will profit him, it will defend him; therefore take to you the shield of faith; for thereby ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of temptation that come from Satan, whether more immediately by his own suggestions, or more mediately by his messengers: though their words be filled with never so much spirituall force and fiery burning, ready to overturn men into delusi∣ons, hold fast: God in Christ as revealed and named to us in the truth, by faith cleaved to, will put them all to flight, and certainly safeguard us. Resist Satan with this, and stand stedfast here in the use and exercise of faith (as weapons are made for use in a day of battell and not to lie

and rust by us) and though he be never so dili∣gent, vigilant, malicious, subtile, yet he will be foiled. Resist the Devil, and he will flie from you.

5. Have upon your head also the helmet of sal∣vation: or as in 1 Thes. 5.8. for an helmet th•• hope of Salvation: that your mindes be not cor∣rupted from the faith, nor you struck down from your resolution of following after Christ; remem∣ber Gods salvation, look to Christ himself the Author and finisher of your faith, appointed of the Father to be his salvation to the ends of the earth.

He himself is complete armour, girdle, brest∣plate, shoes, shield, helmet, &c. Truth, Righ∣teousness, Peace, Salvation; Heart peece and Head-peece too; fit to guard the mind as well as the conscience. Remember his love, and what therein he hath done for you; what contradictions of sinners, what fights and temptations, what try∣als and agonies he passed through before he en∣tred into his glory, all which he endured for us, that overcoming the world, sin, Death, Devil and hell, he might give us the victory over them▪ and we might be encouraged to lean upon him (remembring that he was raised again the thir•• day from the dead) 2 Tim. 2.8. for full and glorious deliverance from them.

Let the Salvation wrought by him for us both in his Death and Resurrection, and in Gods

gracious calling us out of Egyptian darkness, delivering us from our fears and bondage into his light and conduct, be minded by us; so shall our faith be strengthened and our hearts quick∣ned up to a more lively hope of his further saving us, both by way of preservation here from the evil of temptations, and full and finall freedom from them hereafter to the full posses∣sion of eternall happiness.

Consider what a great salvation, what an ex∣ceeding g glorious reward is promised to us in Christ as the upshot of our conquest: what joy, what satisfaction, what conformity to Christ in soul and body: what an infinite portion and in∣heritance, when we have finished our course, and fought the good fight of faith, the righteous Judge will give unto us in the day of his appear∣ance, to be like him, to see as we are seen, to reign upon the earth, to be with him on his throne in his glory, joy and felicity: a glory that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor can enter into the heart of man to conceive, yea, though we have the Spirit of wisdom and Reve∣lation in the first fruits given us, & so are helped in some measure to apprehend the riches of that glory: yet it appears not what we shalbe, nor can it be fully here comprehended by us. The lively hope of this if it abide & remain in us will be as an helmet and defence unto us: it wil make us lift up our heads with boldness, and not fear to pass

through sufferings and difficulties: it will pre∣serve us also from the temptations to worldli∣ness, and to the worshipping of Satan in the Beast, and from those too that lead to distrust and desperatness. If by any means we should be corrupted from this hope, and be drawn to think there is no other life but this present, no great∣er happiness and perfection, then is here at∣tained, no other heaven but our present injoy∣ment, that when this life is done all is done with us, or all shall be alike to all; the Spirit shall return to God as every other mans, and the body to the dust there to be consumed, and from thence never more to be raised, we must needs then stagger and be dazzeled, yea quite knockt off from our cleaving unto Christ; such are in the snare of Satan already, and will be overthrown by it.

If the hope of the resurrection and following glory be let go, a man will be unstable and not regard the work of the Lord, forasmuch as he will judge it in vain and profitless: yea if the hope of Salvation be neglected and parted with by us any other way, that we walk not in it, or that it be as a thing disregarded by us, if we fear that God will not assist and help us in what he leads us to meet with, nor save us by his power from the evils set before us, our hands wil hang down, and our heads also and our hearts will fail us; and we shall rather as the Israelites

of old, talk of going back again to the world, or sit us down in a sullen desperate neglect of our selves and of God, then hold on our resolution to go forward in the call of God, and in the way in which he would lead us. Hold fast then your hope in God, that good hope begot in you through the knowledge of his grace, both of pre∣servation here, and full deliverance in Gods sea∣son, and it will be to you a Helmet of salvation.