they are coming at first, may be greatly cast down: "O my God, my soul is cast down within me." (Ps. xlii. 6.) They may be cast down with a multitude of perplexing thoughts, despairing thoughts, and manifold objections and scruples their mind raises, or rather unbelief frames within them.

2. They may not only be thrown down, but torn by the way: "The devil threw him down, and TARE him." Whenever a man begins to come to Christ, and the devil begins to fear he shall lose his possession, then he rages against that man, and would tear him to pieces. Therefore think not strange, that beginners in religion, and such as are coming, or but lately come to Christ, or even those who have come formerly, and are coming again to him, may be mightily assaulted and attacked by all the powers of hell. So long as people remain at a distance from Christ, the devil does not meddle with them: "He keeps the house, and the goods are in peace;" but in coming to Christ, they may lay their account to be torn by torments, torn by terrors, and blasphemous suggestions; they may lay their account with fiery darts. When we expect the Lord is about to remove one burden, he may lay on another, that he may have the more mercy on us.

III. The next thing proposed was, To enquire into the reasons whence it is that people who, coming to Christ for help, and whom he undertakes to help, may find their distress grow before their deliverance come. Whatever malicious hand the devil hath in this matter, God hath a holy hand in permitting it.

1. God's design in it is, to show his wisdom and power. i. It is to manifest his wisdom. How he can advance his work, by the stops in the way of it, and enrich his people, by impoverishing them; enlarge them, by imprisoning them, and give them meat out of the eater, and sweet out of the strong.

ii. It is to evince his power. How he can support them under, and deliver them from their distresses, which would not appear so much, if their distress came not to a height. He suffers them to be dejected and torn, that his wisdom and power may appear the more evidently in lifting them up and healing them.

2. It is to check the unbelief that attends our faith in coming to Christ. Sometimes when we commit our case

to him by faith, we do not exercise this faith to a patient waiting for the Lord. Christ's first word to his people is, "Come unto me;" (Mat. xi. 28.;) and his last word is, "Abide in me." (John xv. 4.) It is well done to come, but, alas! we do not abide; and therefore, to check our unbelief in coming, as it were, but one step and going back the next step, he shows the need of going forward, by letting loose the enemy and suffering matters to grow worse with us.

3. It is to raise the worth and esteem of his mercies in the heart of these who come to him. We usually do not know the worth of mercy till we are deprived of it; nor the worth of deliverance, till the distress be extremely great. Help is then highly esteemed, when we can say, "I was brought low, and he helped me.”

4. It is to try our faith, whether or not it be such as will not only come to Christ, but also abide with him till he work the deliverance; and if we can keep our eye upon the Deliverer, when the deliverance is delayed; our eye upon the promise, when cross providences appear; and can hope against hope. He designs the trial of faith for the present, and a more glorious issue thereafter.

IV. The last general head proposed was, To make some application. Is it so, that people who come to Christ, and whom he undertakes to heal and help, may have their distress growing on their hand, before the deliverance come, which yet will certainly come? Hence we may see.

1. What a cruel enemy the devil is to immortal souls, and their eternal salvation; for, whenever a soul begins to mind religion in earnest, and to come to Christ for help and deliverance, then that soul becomes the object of the devil's spite and malice. As long as people remain graceless, and Christless, and formal, the devil will let them enjoy themselves, and hugs them asleep in their security; but as soon as they begin to come to Christ, then he will attempt to cast them down and tear them, and stirs up all his wicked instruments, either to discourage and ridicule them, or to tear their name and reputation to pieces, and to persecute them with tongue or hand, or to raise a hue and cry against them, as if they were turned distracted, and out of their wits. As they are coming, the devil throws them down and tears them.

2. Hence see the reason of all the melancholy moods,

heavy damps, and great discouragements of many beginners, that are setting on in the Lord's way. Though Wisdom's ways be ways of pleasantness, yet Satan, who is a liar from the beginning, would make the world believe, that it is a bitter and unpleasant way; and that the beginning of religion is but the beginning of sorrows.

3. Hence see the difference between the conviction of the Spirit and the temptation of Satan; and the difference between the distress of soul that arises from a law-work before conversion, and that which arises from the assault of the enemy of our salvation. Whenever conviction begins, and the soul comes to be troubled for sin and under fear of hell and wrath, Satan indeed fishes in the muddy water, and mixes his temptations with the Spirit's convictions; and if he can bring all convictions to nothing, either by force or fraud, he will do it, that the convinced soul may never come to Christ for a cure; Satan will stand at his right hand to resist him. But the difference between them is,

i. The convictions of the Spirit are before a man come to Christ, and tend as a severe school master to lead him to Christ. (Gal. iii. 24.) But the temptations of the devil are especially when a man is coming to Christ, in order to keep him from coming. If the Spirit of God by a lawwork seem, as it were, to cast down the man, and tear him to pieces, the design is to oblige him to go to Christ for help and healing, and to provoke him to come to the Saviour and fly to the city of refuge. But the design of the devil's temptations, when he throws down and tears the soul is, when he is coming, or as he is coming to Christ, in order to detain him from coming, or discourage him in coming.

ii. The convictions of the Spirit are humbling, tending to make the soul despair of help in himself, or in God out of Christ. The temptations of the enemy are terrifying, tending to make the soul despair of help in Christ, or in God through him. The former shuts the door of hope by the law; but the devil would shut the door of hope by the gospel.

4. Hence see there is no ground to blame religion and religious duties, notwithstanding discouragements and downcasting trials in the way of duty. Though matters grow worse with you in the way of duty, and in the way of com

ing to Christ, blame not yourself for coming to Christ, because the devil attacks you by the way. You have enough to charge yourself with, though you charge not yourself foolishly. It would be far worse with you, if the devil and your own wicked heart should prevail to take you off from the use of promising means. When, like Peter, you cast yourself upon the water to come to Christ, be not terrified, though the devil raise a storm; the Lord Jesus sits upon the floods, and is mightier than the noise of many waters. (Ps. xciii. 4.) Never think the worse of Christ, though matters seem to grow worse with you when you come to him for rest, and yet find trouble; for it is the devil and the ill heart that breeds all the trouble. Keep honourable thoughts of the Lord Jesus; believe he can do for you, and wait till you find that he will do. Bring wind from all cross providences to hasten you nearer to your resting-place; for all that come to him shall find rest in spite of the devil; some have begun rest here in time, however disturbed by the devil from time to time, and by unbelief, until rest be perfected in heaven.

5. Hence see an evidence of a true believer and comer to Christ; if the devil be no enemy to your faith, you may know it is a false faith. Many have a faith that the devil is well enough pleased with; and therefore he never troubles them nor it. But if you have saving faith, it will be the eye-sore of hell; or if you be truly coming to Christ, you may expect the devil to be upon your top. No sooner doth true faith begin, but the fight of faith begins. Some may bless themselves they were never assualted by the devil, and yet they are but sleeping, as it were, in the devil's cradle; he is rocking them. Try your faith; if it be from heaven, it will meet with opposition from hell: "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Eph. vi. 12.) Therefore we are called, as part of the Christian armour, to take the shield of faith, whereby we shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (Ver. 16.) The devil may let you peaceably go about duty, read, and pray, and communicate, because you may do these things carnally and formally, and go to hell when all is done; but if once you begin to come to Christ, or to go about any duty believingly, then you are on the way to heaven, and if the devil can he

will draw you back, and throw you down with discouragements, and tear you with temptations, either as you are coming or after you are come. But it is always the best faith that is most opposed by the devil.

This doctrine may be applied by way of address: 1. To these who never yet came to Christ for help and salvation. 2. To these who are coming in obedience to his call.

1. To you who never yet came to Christ for help and salvation. Oh! stay not away from him for fear of the devil, lest he throw you down and tear you. Better be thrown down by the way in coming to Christ, than thrown down to hell with the devil at last, by the hand of God, who will throw you and the devil down to hell if you do not come to Christ. Better that the devil tear you to pieces, when there is a Deliverer, even Jesus, at hand to deliver you from him, than that God himself tear you to pieces when there shall be none to deliver: "Consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver." (Ps. i. 22) Come, otherwise you remain slaves to the devil and your lusts. O be sensible of your slavery and malady! Know none can save you but our Lord Jesus Christ; he is a mighty Saviour, and a merciful one: "None other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Put the work in his hand; put your soul in his hand. "Bring him here to me," says Christ to the man here. Hear him saying, "Bring your son to me, bring your daughter to me, bring your soul and your case to me; O bring your disease to me; bring your hard heart to me, and I will soften it; bring your filthy heart to me, and I will cleanse it; bring your heart possessed of the devil to me, and I will cast out the devil; bring your seven devils to me, and I will cast them out."

2. We address ourselves to you who are coming in answer to his call. O be not dismayed, though the devil throw you down and tear you as you are coming. Here is a Saviour ready to lift up whom the devil throws down; ready to heal whom the devil tears; ready to help all that are hurt by the old serpent. It is his trade to destroy the works of the devil. You may be always sure that it is an evil spirit that is dealing with you, that would mar and hinder you in your coming to Christ; for the voice of the Spirit of God is, "Come; The Spirit and the bride say, Come."