him by common authority. No not fo, we ought to let him have his duty, but when he is naught, or unmeet to be in the place of a Curate, then we may complain to the Ordinary, and defire a better for him. Likewife between married folks there must be justice, that is to fay, they must do the duties, the man muft love his wife, and honour her, he must not be rigorous, but admonifh her lovingly. Alfo the wife shall be obedient, loving, and kind towards her husband, not provoking him to anger, with ill and naughty words. Farther, parents ought to do juftice towards their children, to bring them up in godlinefs and virtue, to correct them when they do ill: likewife the children ought to be obedient unto their parents, and be willing to do according to their commands. Mafters alfo ought to do justice unto their fervants, to let them have their meat and drink, and their wages. Again, the fervant ought to be diligent in his master's bufinefs, to do it truly, and not to be an eye-servant only. Likewife fubjects ought to be obedient to their King and Magiftrate; again, the King ought to do justice, to fee that juftice hath place. Finally, one neighbour ought to have juftice with another; that is, to give him what pertaineth unto him, not to deceive him in any thing, but to love him, and to make much of him: when we do fo, then are we fure we have the fecond part of this armour of God.

Thirdly, "we must be fhod," we must have shoes; that is to say, we must be ready to hear God's holy word, we must have good affections to hear God's word, and we must be ready to make provifion for the furtherance of the preaching of God's holy word, as far forth as we be able to do. Now all these that have fuch lufts and defires to God's word; alfo all thofe that are content to maintain the office of preaching, to find scholars to school, all

thefe

thefe have their battling fhoes, which St Paul requireth of them.

Now when we be fhod, we must have a buckler; that is, faith; and this must be a right faith, a faith according unto God's word: For the Turks have their faith, fo likewife the Jews have their faith. Alfo the falfe Chriftians have their faith, but they have not the right faith: not that faith of which St Paul speaketh here, but they have

Many learned men have ftiled the Jews the elder brethren of the Chriftians; and there is fo great an agreement between the faith of the one and the other, that I muft, with the reader's leave, tranfcribe from the Rabbins. their Articles of Faith, as a demonftration thereof. The Jews believe, 1. That there is a God, the Creator of all things; the first principle of all beings, able to exift without any other part of the universe; tho' without him nothing can exist. 2. That God is one fole and indivisible being, but of an unity different from all other unities. 3. That God is incorporeal, and that he has no corporeal quality whatfoever, either poffible or imaginable. 4. That God is from all eternity; and that all things exifting, himself only excepted, had a beginning in time. 5. That God alone is to be ferved and worshipped; and that no other thing is to be ferved or worshipped, either as a Mediator or Interceffor. 6. That there have been, and may ftill be, Prophets, qualified to receive the infpiration of God. 7. That Mofes was a greater Prophet than any other; and that the degree of prophecy which God honoured him with, was peculiar, and far above what he granted, or will grant to any other Prophet. 8. That the Law, which Mofes left them, was intirely dictated by God himself; and that it does not contain one fyllable belonging to Mofes; and confequently, that the explanation of thefe precepts, handed down by tradition, came wholly from the mouth of God, who delivered it to Mofes., 9. That the Law is immutable, nor can any thing be added to, or taken from it. o. That God knows all human actions. 11. That God rewards fuch as obferve his Law, and punishes thofe who tranfgrefs its that the best and greateft reward is the life to come, and the feverest punishment the damnation of the foul. 12. That a Meffiah fhall come, endowed with far greater merit than all the Kings that have lived before him: and though his coming be delayed, none ought therefore to doubt his coming, nor fix a time for it; much lefs to guefs at it from fcripture. There never will be any King in Ifrael, but fuch as fhall be of the line of David and Solomon. 13. That God will raife the dead: the time of fuch refurrection is uncertain, but it will be when it fhall please God eternally blessed.

a false faith, a deceivable faith; for it is not grounded on the word of God: therefore the right faith cannot be gotten, except by God's word. And the word that worketh not, hath no good in it, except it be taken with faith. Now we may try ourselves whether we have this faith or not, if we lie in fin and wickedness, care not for God's word and his holy commandments, but live only according to our lufts and appetites, then we have not this faith: when we be flothful, when we be whoremongers, fwearers, or unmerciful unto the poor, then we have not this faith, as long as we be in fuch customary fins.

But if we hear God's word, believe and be content to live after it, leave our fins and iniquities, then we have that faith of which St Paul fpeaketh here, then we shall be able to quench the fiery arrows of the devil.

So ye have heard what the armour of God is, namely, truth, juftice, readiness to hear God's word, and faith: but this faith muft not be only in our mouth, and our tongue, but in our hearts; that is to say, we must not only talk of the gospel, but also we must follow it in our converfations and livings.

Now then, we must have the helmet of falvation; that is, whatsoever we do, we must confider whether it may further or hinder us of our falvation: when it may hinder thee of thy falvation, leave it, when it may further thee, then do it: So throughout all our life, we must have a refpect, whether our doings may ftand with our falvation or not.

When we are now ready armed round about, fo that our enemy cannot hurt us, then we must have a fword in our hands to fight withal, and to overcome our ghoftly enemy. What manner of fword is this? It is God's word. It is a fpiritual fword, which all people ought to have. Here we hear

that

that all men and women ought to have that fword, that is the word of God, wherewith they may fight against the devil.

Now I pray you, how could the lay people have that sword, how could they fight with the devil, when all things were in Latin*, fo that they could not understand it? How needful it is therefore for every man to have God's word, it appeareth here, for only with the word of God we must fight against the devil, which devil intendeth daily to do us mifchief: how could now the unlearned man fight against him, when all things were in Latin, fo that they might not come to the understanding of God's word?

Let us therefore give God moft hearty thanks that we have his word, and let us thankfully use the fame, for only with God's word we fhall avoid and chace the devil, and with nothing else. Our Saviour when he was tempted, what were his weapons wherewith he fought, nothing else but even God's word? When the devil tempted, he ever said, “It "is written:" When the devil would have him to caft himself down from the temple, he said unto him, "It is written, Thou shalt not tempt thy "Lord God:" that is to fay, we may not put God to do any thing miraculously, when it may be done other ways.

Again, upon the mountain, when the devil would have him to worship him, he faid, "It is written, "Thou shalt honour thy God only:" So likewise we must have God's word to fight with the devil,

and

* It certainly appears to us of this age very ridiculous to have the public fervice of the Church celebrated in a language the people do not understand. But this was not the cafe at Rome when the Liturgy was firft compiled; then all the people understood Latin. it being their mother tongue; and it was probably the intention of the fathers to introduce into chriftendom one univerfal language; the benefits of which to fociety, if it had fucceeded, would have been very great.

and to withstand his temptations and affaults; as when the devil moveth me to commit adultery, I must fight against him with the word of God: "It "is written, Thou shalt not commit adultery :" Thou devil, thou shalt not be able to bring me unto it, to do against my Lord God. So likewife, when the devil moveth me to make lies, I muft confound him with God's word. St Paul faith," Speak the truth every one to his neigh "bour."

As there is a common faying amongst us, "Say "the truth and fhame the devil:" fo every one, man and woman, muft fight against the devil. But we Preachers, we have a greater and higher degree, we are Magiftrates, we have the fpiritual fword of God, in a higher degree than the common people; we must rebuke other men, and fpare no man: our office is, to teach every man the way to heaven and whofoever will not follow, but live ftill in fin and wickednefs, him ought we to ftrike, and not to fpare. Like as St John Baptift did, when he faid to the great proud King Herod;

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Sir, "it becometh not thee to do fo." So we that be Preachers, muft ufe God's word to the correction of other mens fins; we may not be flatterers or clawbacks: Other people that have not this vocation, may exhort every one his neighbour, to leave their fins; but we have the fword, we are authorised to strike them with God's word.

Now the last part of this armour is prayer; and I warrant you it is not left out, for it is the Chriftian man's fpecial weapon, wherewith to ftrike the devil, and vanquish his affaults: And if we be weak and feel ourselves not able to withstand our enemy, we must fall to prayer, which is a fure remedy, to defire God to help for his own fake, for his Christ's fake, and for his promife fake; for he were not God, if he fhould not keep his promises. ThereN° 23. VOL. II. L

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