III. _High Stations_ in the Church of God, lay men open to violent

and peculiar _Temptations_ of the Devil. When our Lord was upon the _Pinacle_, that is not the _Fane_, or _Spire_, but the _Battlements_ of the _Temple_, there did the Devil pester him, with singular Molestations, and he therein seems to intend an Entanglement for the Jews, as well as for our Lord. Believe me they that stand High, cannot stand safe. The Devil is a _Nimrod_, a mighty Hunter; and common or little Game, will not serve his Turn: he is a _Leviathan_, of whom we may say, as in _Job._ 41. 34. _He beholds all high things._ Men of high Attainments, and Men of high Employments, in the Church of God, must look, like _Peter_ to be more _Sifted_, and like _Paul_, to be more _Buffeted_ than other Men. _Feriunt Summos Fulmina Montes._----The Devil can raise a Storm, when God permitteth it, but as for those Men that stand near Heaven, the Devil will attack them with his most cruel storms of Thunder and Lightening. It was said, _let him that stands take heed;_ but we may say, _They that stand most high, have cause to take most heed_. The Devil is a _Goliah;_ and when he finds a _Champion_, he'l be sure most fiercely to Combate such a Man. He is for, _Killing many Birds with one stone;_ and he knows that he shall hinder a world of _Good_, and produce a world of _Ill_, if once he can bring a Man Eminently Stationed into his Toyls. Hence 'tis that the _Ministers_ of God, are more dogg'd by the Devil, than other persons are. Especially such _Ministers_, as move in the highest Orb of Serviceableness; and most of all such _Ministers_ as have spent many years in Laudable Endeavours to be serviceable; Those Ministers are the _Stars_ of Heaven, at which the _Tayl_ of the _Dragon_, will give the most sweeping and most stinging strokes; the Devil will find that for them, that shall make them _Walk softly_ all their Days. These are the Men, that have creepled, and vexed the Devil more than other Men; for which the Devil has an old Quarrel with them. O Neighbours, little do you think, what black Days of Mourning, and Fasting, and Praying before the Lord, a Raging Devil does fill the lives of such _Men of God_ withall. [92] IV. The Devil will make a deceitful and unfaithful use of the _Scriptures_ to make his _Temptations_ forceable. When the Devil Solicited our Lord, unto an evil thing, he quoted the _Ninty First_ Psalm unto him, tho' indeed he fallaciously clip'd it, and maim'd it, of one clause very material in it. O never does the Devil make such dangerous Passes at us, as when he does wrest our own _Sword_ out of our Hands, and push _That_ upon us. We have to defend us, that Weapon in _Eph._ 6. 16. _The Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;_ but when the Devil has that very Weapon to fight us with, he makes terrible work of it. When the Devil would poyson men with false _Doctrines_, he'l quote Scriptures for them; a _Quaker_ himself, will have the First Chapter of _John_ always in his mouth. When the Devil would perswade men to vile _Actions_, he'l quote Scriptures for them; he'l encourage men to go on in Sin, by showing them, where 'tis said, _The Lord is ready to Pardon_. I say this, The one story of _Davids_ Fall, in the Scripture, has been made by the Devil an Engine for the Damnation of many Millions. The Devil will fright men from doing those things, that are, _the Things of their Peace;_ but How? He'l turn a _Scripture_ into a _Scarecrow_ for them. The Devil will fright them from all constant Prayer to God, by quoting that Scripture, _The Sacrifice of the Wicked, is an Abomination to the Lord;_ the Devil will fright them from the Holy Supper of God, by quoting that Scripture, _He that Eats and Drinks unworthily, Eats and Drinks damnation to himself_. And thus the Devil will by some abused Scripture, Terrifie the Children of God; the Scripture is written as we are told, _For our Comfort;_ but it is quoted by the Devil, _for our terror_. How many Godly Souls have been cast into sinful Doubts and Fears, by the Devils foolish glosses upon that Scripture, _He that doubts is damned;_ and that, _the fearful shall have their portion in the burning Lake:_ The Devil sometimes has play'd the _Preacher_, but I say, _Beware all silly Souls when such a Fool is Preaching_.