The Devil a Hunter

    THE DEVIL A HUNTER

    "He will deliver thee from the snare of the Hunter," Ps 91:3.

    "Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the Hunter" Pr 6:5.

    BY the Hunter in these places, I see no ground to doubt, but that the Holy Ghost principally intends the Devil, who is the great Hunter and destroyer of men's souls, out of whose hand, i.e., power, Wisdom advises her Son to deliver himself.

    P AK ALLEL S.

    I. A Hunter is one that pursues, or eagerly follows after his prey, what sort of beasts soever he hunts, he seems unwearied in his pursuit, his heart is affected with his game, and hence takes great delight in it: so the Devil pursues sinners, nay and the godly too, for they are part of his game, and howeagerly doth he pursue them, it is the only thing he seems to delight in, he is never weary of his work, nor in the work.

    II. A Hunter in pursuing after the poor sensitive beast, designs to kill and destroy them, it is to take their lives away, &c. So the Devil in hunting after the souls of men, his grand design is to destroy them, "He seeketh whom he may devour," 1Pe 5:8, it is the soul, the life of the soul, he strives to destroy. As David speaks of his enemy, "Thou huntest after my soul to take it," 1Sa 24:11; so may every man and' woman say of Satan.

    III. A Hunter has many devices and cunning stratagems to ensnare the game he pursues: so the Devil hath many snares and cunning wiles to catch and destroy the souls of men. Hence he is compared to a serpent: "We are not ignorant," saith Paul, "of his devices," 2Co 2:11; and in another place, he exhorts the saints to put on the whole armour of God, that they may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil. The Greek work signifies such snares as are set to catch a man, "He will deliver thee," saith the psalmist, "From the snare of the Hunter," Ps 91:3, meaning, saith Ainsworth, the Devil. Satan hath many devices and snares to draw men into Sin. 1. By pursuading the soul it is no great matter, it is, saith he, but a little one. 2. By presenting the pleasure and profit of sinful practices, and hiding the shame thereof, and the wrath and misery they will certainly bring on the soul at last. 3. He lays before a man the sins of good men, saith he, do you not find that such and such godly men have done as bad as this; was not David overcome with adultery, Hezekiah with pride, and Noah with drunkenness, &c.; but all the while he strives to hide from them their virtue and unfeigned repentance, and utter abhorrence of these sins afterwards. 4. He presents God to the soul, as one made up all of mercy, and that repentance will make all whole again; but afterwards, it may be, when the soul is defiled by yielding to his temptation, persuades souls, the sin is so great, and God so just, that he will not pardon sin, it is little before committed, but great when it is committed, and this way he seeks to ensnare the sinner. 5. Another way he hath to catch his prey with, is by leading the soul into the way of sin, it may be, to the harlot's door, he allures into the company of sinners, and entices the soul to contemplate upon sin, to toy a little with Delilah, as it were, and a multitude of other snares he hath.

    IV. A Hunter that he may the better catch his prey, hath not only his snares, but also his dogs, and them of every sort fit for his sport and enterprise, he hath his setting-dogs, and scenting-dogs, his race-dogs, some to start his game, and others to pursue his game, &c. So the Devil, the great Hunter of souls, hath, besides his subtle wiles and snares, fit instruments to accomplish his design; he has his dogs, for so as we have showed you elsewhere, wicked men are called, and them also of every sort, some great ones, and some small ones, some that are like setting-dogs, who watch how they may trepan, and prey upon the godly to draw them into sin, or into sufferings: and others, who are like cruel blood-hounds, who, as being void of mercy, endeavour to tear the saints in pieces.

    V. Some Hunters mind little else, save hunting; it is said of Nimrod, he was a mighty Hunter, &c., Ge 10:9. So the Devil, he is a mighty Hunter, he minds nothing more than the hunting of the souls of men; the millions that he hath caught and destroyed, he is a most cruel Hunter.

    VI. Some Hunters are very swift and diligent in the pursuit of their prey, they will ride over many fields in a day, they will search and heat about with abundance of diligence, to find out their game; they are, it may be, here now, and a few hours hence many miles off, and hardly allow themselves time to eat their meat, &c. So the Devil is a swift Hunter, he is like lightning, as it were, swift in motion, he is a spirit, and so has the advantage to leap suddenly upon his spiritual prey, he has his eyes upon all the ways of men; he is here to tempt this man, and presently in another place to catch unwary and secure souls.

    VII. A Hunter is diligent to observe the disposition of the creature he hunts, and also the places where he haunts: so the devil, he observes the dispositions and natural inclinations of men and women, and also all their haunts, that so he may the better prey upon them, he knows what men are prone to lying, and what men are addicted to covetousness, and who are naturally inclined to the lusts of uncleanness, and who ars subject to passion, &c., and according to the various tempers and inclinations of persons, he suits his temptations.

    VIII. A Hunter seeks to come sometimes, if possible, on his prey unawares, when they are secure, to steal as it were upon them: so the Devil comes upon Christians many times when they are asleep and in a secure state; an enemy hath done this whilst men slept. And hence Solomon's advice is to the sons of wisdom, not to "Give sleep to their eyes, nor slumber to their eye-lids, and to deliver themselves from the hand of the Hunter," &c. Pr 6:4-5.

    DISPARITY.

    Other Hunters generally hunt for their recreation, it is not out of envy and hatred they bear to the creatures they hunt: but the Devil hunts the souls of men out of that implacable hatred he bears to them, it is not his pleasure, but his malice, which stirs him up to kill and destroy poor sinners, he knows he is miserable himself, and he would make, if le could, all the children of men as miserable as himself.

    INFERENCES.

    This may serve to awaken all men, to take heed and deliver themselves from this mighty Hunter; soul! fly to Christ, he is able to save thee, who hath promised to deliver thee from the snare of the Hunter, &c. Labour to be like the roe, swift-footed, labour with David for hind's feet.