Part 2 - The Armour We Use Against Satan Must be Divine in the Institution and Only as God Appoints

            

 Reproveth Second.  Those who use the armor of God, but not as God hath appointed; which appears in three sorts.

1. When a person useth a duty appointed by God, not as armor of defence, but as a cover for sin. Who would think him an enemy that wears Christ's colors in his hat, and marcheth after Christ in his exercise of all the duties of his worship?  Such a one may pass all the courts of guard,  without so much as being bid [to] stand.  All take him for a friend.  And yet some such there are, who are fighting against Christ all the while.  The hypocrite is the man; he learns his postures, gets the Word, hath his tongue tipped with Scripture language, and walks in the habit of a Christian, merely on a design to drive his trade the more closely, like some highwayman in our days, who rob in the habit of soldiers, that they may be the less suspected.  This is desperate wickedness indeed, to take up God's arms and use them in the devil's service; of all sinners such shall find least mercy, false friends shall speed worse than open enemies.
2. They use not the armour of God, as God hath appointed, who put a carnal confidence therein.  We must not confide in the armour of God, but in the God of this armour, because all our weapons are only ‘mighty through God,’ II Cor. 10:4.  The ark was the means of the Jews safety, but [being] carnally applauded and gloried in, hastened their overthrow: so duties and ordinances, gifts and graces in their place, are means for the soul's defence.  Satan trembles as much as the Philistines at the ark, to see a soul diligent in the use of duty and exercise of grace; but when the creature confides in them, this is dangerous.  As some, when they have prayed, think they please God for all day, though they take little heed to their steps.  Other have so good an opinion of their faith, sincerity, knowledge, that you may as soon make them believe they are dogs, as that they may ever be taken in such error or sinful practice.  Others, when assisted in duty, are prone to stroke their own head with a bene fecisti Bernarde,and so promise themselves to speed, because they have done their errand so well.  What speak such passages in the hearts of men, but a carnal confidence in their armour to their ruin?  Many souls, we may safely say, do not only perish praying, repenting, and believing after a sort, but they perish by their praying and repenting, &c., while they carnally trust in these.  As it falls out sometimes, that the soldier in battle loseth his life by means of his own armour, [because] it is so heavy he cannot flee with it, and so close buckled to him that he cannot get it off, to flee for his life without it.  If we be saved, we must come naked to Christ for all our duties; we will not flee to Christ while confiding in them.  Some are so locked into them, that they cannot come without them, and so in a day of temptation are trampled under the feet of God's wrath and Satan's fury.  The poor publican throws down his arms, that is, all confidence in himself, cries for quarter at the hands of mercy, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner.’  He comes off with his life—he went away justified; but the Pharisee, laden with his righteousness, and conceited of it, stands to it, and is lost.
3. They do not use the armour of God as such, who in the performing of divine duties, eye not God through them, and this makes them all weak and ineffectual.  Then the Word is mighty, when read as the Word of God; then the gospel preached, powerful to convince the conscience, and revive the drooping spirit, when heard as the appointment of the great God, and not the exercise of a mean creature.  Now it will appear in three things, whether we eye divine appointment in the means.

             (1.) When we engage in a duty, and look not up to God for his blessing.  Didst thou eye God's appointment in the means, thou wouldst say, Soul, if there come any good of thy present service it must drop from heaven, for it is God's appointment, not man's.  And can I profit whether God will or no, or think to find, and bring away, any soul-enriching treasure from his ordinance, without his leave?  Had I not best look up to him, by whose blessing I live more than by my bread?

             (2.) It appears we look not at God's appointment, when we have low thoughts of the means. What is Jordan that I should wash in it?  What is this preaching that I should attend on it, where I hear nothing but I knew before? what these beggarly elements of water, and bread, and wine!  Are not these the reasonings of a soul that forgets who appoints them?  Didst thou remember who commands, thou wouldst not question what the command is. What though it be clay, let Christ use it and it shall open the eyes, though in itself more like to put them out.  Hadst thou thy eye on God, thou wouldst silence thy carnal reason with this, It is God sends me to such a duty; whatsoever he saith unto me I will do it, though he should send me, as Christ to them, to draw wine out of pots filled with water.

             (3.) When a soul leaves off a duty, because he hath not in it what he expected from it.  Oh, saith the soul, I see it is vain to follow the means as I have done; still Satan foils me, I will even give over.  Dost thou remember, soul, it is God's appointment?  Sure­ly then thou wouldst persevere in the midst of discouragements. He that bids thee pray without ceasing; he that bids thee hear, bids thee wait at the posts of wisdom.Thou wouldst reason thus, God hath set me on duty, and here I will stand, till God takes me off and bids me leave praying.