A Christian Directory
36. It is the moral destruction not only of the soul, but of the whole Creation, so far as the Creatures are appointed as the Means to bring or keep us unto God: For the Means, as a Means is destroyed when it is not used to its End: A ship is useless if no one be carried in it: A watch as such is useless, when not used to show the hour of the day. All the world as it is the Book that should teach us the will of God, is cast by, when that use is cast by. Nay sin useth the Creature against God which should have been used for him.
37. It is a contradicting of our own Confessions and Professions: a wronging of our Consciences: a violation of our Covenants, and self obligations to God.
38. It is a preferring of Time before Eternity, and regarding things of a transitory nature, and a moments pleasure, before that which never shall have end.
39. It is a making a breach in the harmony and order of the world: As the dislocation or deformity of a particular member, is the trouble and deformity of all the Body, because the comeliness and welfare of the whole, containeth the comeliness, proportion and welfare of all the parts: And as the dislocation or breaking of one part in a Watch or Clock, is against the use of all the engine; so every man being a part of the Kingdom of God, doth by sin make a breach in the order of the whole: and also giveth an ill example to other parts, and makes himself unserviceable to the body: and dishonoreth the whole body with the blot of Rebellion; and lets in judgment on the world; and kindleth a consuming fire in the place where he liveth; and is cruel and injurious to others.
40. Sin is not only a preferring the Body before the Soul, but it is also an Unmercifulness, or Cruelty against ourselves, both soul and body, and so is contrary to the true use of the indelible principle of self-love: For it is a wounding and abusing the Soul, and defiling the Body in this life, and a casting both on the wrath of God; and into the flames of Hell hereafter, or a dangerous venturing them into the way of endless damnation and despair: and a contempt of those insufferable torments. All these parts of malignity and poison are intrinsical to sin and found in the very Nature of it.
§. 17. The common Aggravations of sin being written of by many, and easily gathered from what is said of the nature of it, I shall briefly name only a few.
1. The Infinite perfection of God in all those blessed Attributes and Relations, which sin is against, is the Greatest Aggravation of sin.
2. The inconceivable Glory of Heaven which is despised is a great aggravation of sin.
3. So is the greatness of the Torments of Hell, which sinners despise and venture on.
4. So is the great Opposition that God hath made against sin, having said and done so much against it, and declared himself to hate nothing else immediately in the world.
5. The clearness of evidence against it, the nothingness of all that can be said for it, is also a great aggravation of it.
6. So is the fullness, and fitness, and power of all the Means in Creatures, providences, and Scriptures that is vouchsased the world against it.
7. So is the experience and warning of all ages, the repentings of the converted, and the disowning it by almost all when they come to die. Wonderful! that the experience of the world for above five thousand years, will teach them no more effectually to avoid so mortal pernicious a thing.
8. The nearness to us also is an Aggravation: It is not a distant evil, but in our bowels; in our very hearts: we are bound so strictly to love ourselves, that it is a great aggravation, to do ourselves so great a mischief.
9. The constant inhaesion of sin is a great aggravation: that it is ever with us, lying down and rising up, at home and abroad, we are never free from it.
10. That it should poison all our common mercies, and corrupt all our duties, is an aggravation. But we shall take up some of these anon.
§. 18. The special Aggravations of the sins of God's own Children are these. 1. They sin against a nearer Relation than others do; even against that God that is their Father by the new birth, which is more heinous than if a stranger did it.
2. They are Christ's own members: and it is most unnatural for his Members to rebel against him, or do him wrong.
3. They sin against more excellent operations of the spirit, than others do, and against a principle of Life within them.
4. They sin against the differencing grace, which appeared in their conversion. God took them out of a world of sinners, whom he past by when he could as well have sanctified them? And should they so quickly thus requite him?
5. They sin against the pardon and Justification which they have already received. Did God so lately forgive them all their former debts? so many, so great and heinous sins, and that so freely to them, when the procurement was so dear to Christ? and should they so soon forget, or so ill requite so great a mercy?
6. They sin against a more serious Covenant which at their conversion they entered into with God, than other men do.
7. They sin against all the heart-breaking or humbling sorrows, which they have tasted of at their conversion and since. They have known more of the evil of sin than others, in their sad experience of its sting.
8. They sin against more knowledge than other men: They have known more what sin is, and what Christ is, and what the will of God is, than others: and therefore deserve to be beaten with many stripes.
9. They have oftener confessed sin than others, and spoke odiously of it, as the vilest thing, and aggravated it to God and man.
10. Their many Prayers against it, and all their labor in hearing, and reading, and Sacraments, and other means, do aggravate it.
11. They make a greater Profession of strict obedience, and therefore sin against their own profession.
12. They have renewed their Promises of obedience to God, in prayer, at Sacraments, and at other times, much more than others.
13. They have had more experience than others of the goodness of obedience, and of the comforts and benefits that attend it, in the favor of God, and communion with him therein.
14. Their sins are aggravated by all the reproofs and exhortations which they have used to others, to tell them how unreasonable and bad it is to provoke the Lord.
15. They sin under greater hopes of glory, than others do: and provoke that God with whom they hope to live forever.
16. The high Titles of love and praise which God doth give them in his Word, do aggravate their sin: That he should call them his treasure, his peculiar people, his jewels, and the apple of his eye, his sons and daughters, and a holy people, and Priests to God, and boast of them as a people more excellent than their neighbors; and after this they should sin against him.
17. They have had audience with God, the answer of prayers, and many a deliverance and mercy in this life, which others have not, which aggravate their sins, as being thus contemned, and as obliging them more to God than others.
18. They dishonor God more than any others by their sins: His honor lieth not so much upon the actions of the ungodly, as on those that are nearest to him.
19. They harden the wicked more than such sins in other men would do: They cause them to Blaspheme, and reproach the godly for their sakes; and say [These are your Religious men! You see now what their strictness is.] And they hinder the conversion and salvation of others: They grieve the godly, and wrong the Church and Cause of God, much more than the sins of others do.
20. Lastly, They please the Devil more than the sins of other men: How busy is he to have drawn a Job to sin? and how would he have boasted against God, and his grace, and his servants, if he had prevailed? when he boasted so much before, in the false presumption of his success? As if he could make the godly forsake God, and be as bad as others, if he have leave to tempt them.
§. 19. II. I shall next give you some particular Directions, besides those fore-going, to help you to think of sin as it is, that you may hate it: For your cleansing and cure consisteth in this: so far as you hate sin, it is mortified, and you are cured of it. And therefore as I have anatomized it, that you may see the hatefulness of it, I shall direct you to improve this for your cure.
§. 20. Direct. 1. Labor to know God, and to be affected with his Attributes, and always to live as in his sight. No man can know sin perfectly; because no man can know God perfectly. You can no further know what sin is, than you know what God is whom you sin against. For the formal malignity of sin is Relative, as it is against the Will and Attributes of God. The godly have some knowledge of the malignity of sin, because they have some knowledge of God that is wronged by it. The wicked have no practical prevalent knowledge of the malignity of sin, because they have no such knowledge of God. They that fear God, will fear sinning: They that in their hearts are bold unreverently with God, will in heart and life be bold with sin: The Atheist that thinketh there is no God, thinks there is no sin against him. Nothing in the world will tell us so plainly and powerfully of the evil of sin, as the knowledge of the Greatness, Wisdom, Goodness, Holiness, Authority, Justice, Truth, &c. of God. The sense of his presence therefore, will revive our sense of sins malignity.
§. 21. Direct. 2. Consider well of the office, the bloodshed and the holy life of Christ: His office is to expiate sin, and to destroy it: His blood was shed for it. His Life condemned it. Love Christ, and thou wilt hate that which caused his death. Love him, and thou wilt love to be made like him, and hate that which is so contrary to Christ. These two great Lights will show the odiousness of darkness.
§. 22. Direct. 3. Think well both how Holy the office and work of the Holy Ghost is, and how great a mercy it is to us: Shall God himself the Heavenly light come down into a sinful heart, to illuminate and 〈◊〉 it? and yet shall I keep my darkness and defilement, in opposition to such wonderful mercy? Though all sin against the Holy Ghost be not the unpardonable blasphemy, yet all is aggravated hereby.
§. 23. Direct. 4. Know and consider the wonderful Love and Mercy of God, and think what he hath d • ne for you, and you will hate sin, and be ashamed of it. It is an aggravation which makes sin odious even to common reason and ingenuity▪ that we should offend a God of infinite Goodness; who hath filled up our lives with Mercy? It will grieve you if you have wronged an extraordinary friend? His Love and kindness will come into your thoughts, and make you angry with your own unkindness. Here look over the Catalogue of God's mercies to you, for soul and body. And here observe that Satan in hiding the Love of God from you, and tempting you under pretence of humility, to deny his greatest special mercy, doth seek to destroy your repentance and humiliation also, by hiding the greatest aggravation of your sin.
§. 24. Direct. 5. Think what the soul of man is made for, and should be used to, even to Love, obey and glorify our Maker: and then you will see what sin is which disableth and perverteth it. How excellent, and high, and holy a work are we created for and called to? and should we defile the Temple •• God? and serve the Devil in filthiness and folly, where we should entertain, and serve and magnify our Creator?
§. 25. Direct. 6. Think well what pure and sweet delights a holy soul may enjoy from God, in his holy service: and then you will see what sin is, which robbeth him of these delights, and preferreth fleshly lusts before them. O how happily might we perform every duty? and how fruitfully might we serve our Lord? and what delights should we find in his Love and acceptation, and the foresight of everlasting blessedness, if it were not for sin? which bringeth down the soul from the doors of Heaven, to wallow with Swine, in a beloved Dunghill.
§. 26. Direct. 7. Bethink you what a life it is which you must live forever, if you live in Heaven; and what a life the Holy ones there now live: and then think whether sin, which is so contrary to it, be not a vile and hateful thing? Either you would live in Heaven, or not. If not, you are not those I speak to▪ If you would, you know that there's no sinning! No worldly mind; no pride, no passion, no fleshly lust or pleasures there. O did you but see and hear one hour, how those blessed Spirits are taken up in loving and magnifying the glorious God, in purity and holiness? and how far they are from sin? it would make you loath sin ever after, and look on sinners, as on men in Bedlam wallowing naked in their dung. Especially to think, that you hope yourselves to live forever like those holy Spirits, and therefore sin doth ill beseem you.
§. 27. Direct. 8. Look but to the state and torment of the damned, and think well of the difference betwixt Angels and Devils, and you may know what sin is. Angels are pure; Devils are polluted: Holiness and sin do make the difference. Sin dwells in Hell, and holiness in Heaven: Remember that every temptation is from the Devil, to make you like himself; as every holy motion is from Christ to make you like himself. Remember when you sin, that you are learning and imitating of the Devil, and are so far like him. John 8. 44. And the end of all is, that you may feel his pains. If Hell fire be not good, then sin is not good.
§. 28. Direct. 9. Look always on sin as one that is ready to die, and consider how all men judge of it at the last. What do men in Heaven say of it? And what do men in Hell say of it? And what do men at death say of it? And what do converted souls, or awakened consciences say of it? Is it then followed with delight and fearlesness as it is now? Is it then applauded? Will any of them speak well of it? Nay, all the world speaks evil of sin in the general now, even when they love and commit the several acts. Will you sin, when you are dying?
§. 29. Direct. 10. Look always on sin and judgment together. Remember that you must answer for it before God, and Angels, and all the world; and you will the better know it.
§. 30. Direct. 11. Look now but upon sickness, poverty, shame, despair, death, and rottenness in the grave, and it may a little help you to know what sin is. These are things within your sight or feeling: You need not saith to tell you of them. And by such effects you might have some little knowledge of the cause.
§. 31. Direct. 12. Look but upon some eminent holy persons upon earth, and upon the mad, profane, malignant world; and the difference may tell you in part what sin is. Is there not an amiableness in a holy blameless person, that liveth in love to God and man, and in the joyful hopes of life eternal? Is not a beastly Drunkard, or Whoremonger, and a raging Swearer, and a malicious persecutor, a very deformed loathsome creature? Is not the mad, confused, ignorant, ungodly state of the world a very pitiful sight? What then is the sin that all this doth consist in?
Though the principal part of the Cure is in turning the Will to the haired of sin, and is done by this discovery of its malignity, yet I shall add a few more Directions for the executive part, supposing that what is said already have had its effect.
§. 32. Direct. 1. When you have found out your disease and danger, give up yourselves to Christ as the Savior and Physician of souls, and to the Holy Ghost as your Sanctifier, remembering that he is sufficient and willing to do the work which he hath undertaken. It is not you that are to be Savior's and Sanctifiers of yourselves (unless as you work under Christ). But he that hath undertaken it, doth take it for his glory to perform it.
§. 33. Direct. 2. Yet must you be willing and obedient in applying the Remedies prescribed you by Christ, and observing his Directions in order to your Cure. And you must not be tender, and coy, and fineish, and say, This is too bitter, and that is too sharp; but trust his Love, and skill and care, and take it as he prescribeth it, or giveth it you, without anymore ado. Say not, It is grievous, and I cannot take it: For he commands you nothing but what is safe, and wholesome, and necessary, and if you cannot take it, you must try whether you can bear your sickness, and death, and the fire of Hell! Is humiliation, confession, restitution, mortification and holy diligence, worse than Hell?
§. 34. Direct. 3. See that you take not part with sin, and wrangle not, or strive not against your Physician, or any that would do you good. Excusing sin, and pleading for it, and extenuating it, and striving against the Spirit and Conscience, and wrangling against Ministers and godly friends, and hateing reproof, are not the means to be cured and sanctified.
§. 35. Direct. 4. See that malignity in everyone of your particular sins, which you can see and say is in sin in general. It's a gross deceit of yourselves, if you will speak a great deal of the evil of sin, and see none of this malignity, in your Pride, and your worldliness, and your passion, and pievishness, and your malice, and uncharitableness, and your lying, backbiting, slandering, or sinning against conscience for worldly commodity or safety. What self-contradiction is it for a man in prayer to aggravate sin, and when he is reproved for it, to justify or excuse it? For a Popish Priest to enter sinfully upon his place, by subscribing or swearing the Trent Confession, and then to preach zealously against sin in the general, as if he had never committed so horrid a crime? This is like him that will speak against Treason, and the Enemies of the King, but because the Traitors are his friends and kindred, will protect, or hide them, and take their parts.
§. 36. Direct. 5. Keep as far as you can from those temptations which feed and strengthen the sins which you would overcome. Lay siege to your sins, and starve them out, by keeping away the food and fuel which is their maintenance and life.
§. 37. Direct. 6. Live in the exercise of those graces and duties which are contrary to the sins which you are most in danger of. For grace and duty is contrary to sin, and killeth it, and cureth us of it, as the fire cureth us of cold, or health of sickness.
§. 38. Direct. 7. Hearken not to weakening unbelief and distrust, and cast not away the comforts of God, which are your cordials and strength. It is not a frightful dejected despairing frame of mind, that is fittest to resist sin; but it is the encouraging sense of the love of God, and thankful sense of grace received (with a cautelous fear).
§. 39. Direct. 8. Be always suspicious of carnal self-love, and watch against it. For that is the burrow or fortress of sin; and the common Patron of it; ready to draw you to it, and ready to justify it. We are very prone to be partial in our own cause; as the case of Judah with Tamar, and David when Nathan reproved him in a Parable, show. Our own passions, our own pride, our own censures, or back-bitings, or injurious dealings, our own neglects of duty, seem small excusable, if not justifyable things to us: whereas we could easily see the faultiness of all these in another, especially in an enemy: when yet we should be best acquainted with ourselves, and we should most love ourselves, and therefore hate our own sins most.
§. 40. Direct. 9. Bestow your first and chiefest labor to kill sin at the Root: To cleanse the Heart, which is the fountain: For out of the heart cometh the evils of the life. Know which are the Master-Roots; and bend your greatest care and industry to mortify those: And that is especially these that follow; 1. Ignorance. 2. Unbelief. 3. Inconsiderateness. 4. Selfishness and Pride. 5. Fleshliness, in pleasing a brutish appetite, lust or fantasie. 6. Senseless, hard-heartedness and sleepiness, in sin.
§. 41. Direct. 10. Account the world and all its pleasures, wealth and honors no better than indeed they are, and then Satan will find no bait to catch you. Esteem all as dung with Paul, Phil. 3. 8. And no man will sin, and sell his soul, for that which he accounteth but as dung.
§. 42. Direct. 11. Keep up above in a Heavenly conversation, and then your souls will be always in the light, and as in the sight of God, and taken up with those businesses and delights, which put them out of relish with the baits of sin.
§. 43. Direct. 12. Let Christian watchfulness be your daily work; And cherish a preserving, though not a distracting and discouraging fear.
§. 44. Direct. 13. Take heed of the first approaches and beginnings of sin: Oh how great a matter doth a little of this fire kindle? And if you fall, rise quickly by sound repentance, whatever it may cost you.
§. 45. Direct. 14. Make God's Word your only Rule: and labor diligently to understand it.
§. 46. Direct. 15. In doubtful Cases, do not easily depart from the unanimous judgment of the generality of the most wise and godly of all ages.
§. 47. Direct. 16. And in doubtful Cases be not passionate or rash, but proceed deliberately, and prove things well, before you fasten on them.
§. 48. Direct. 17. Be acquainted with your bodily temperature, and what sin it most inclineth you to, and what sin also your Calling or converse doth lay you most open to, that there your watch may be the stricter: (Of all which I shall speak more fully under the next Grand Direction. )
§. 49. Direct. 18. Keep in a life of holy Order, such as God hath appointed you to walk in. For there is no preservation for stragglers that keep not Rank and File, but forsake the order which God commandeth them. And this order lieth principally in these points: 1. That you keep in Union with the Universal Church. Separate not from Christ's body upon any pretence whatever. With the Church as Regenerate, hold spiritual communion, in faith, love and holiness: with the Church as Congregate and Visible, hold outward Communion in Profession, and Worship. 2. If you are not Teachers, live under your particular faithful Pastors, as obedient Disciples of Christ. 3. Let the most godly, if possible, be your familiars. 4. Be laborious in an outward Calling.
§. 50. Direct. 19. Turn all God's Providences whether of prosperity or adversity against your sins. If he give you health and wealth, remember he thereby obligeth you to obedience, and calls for special service from you. If he afflict you, remember that it is sin that he is offended at, and searcheth after; and therefore take it as his Physic, and see that you hinder not, but help on its work, that it may purge away your sin.
§. 51. Direct. 20. Wait patiently on Christ till he have finished the cure, which will not be till this trying life be finished: Persevere in attendance on his Spirit and Means; for he will come in season, and will not tarry: Hos. 6. 3. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning, and he shall come unto us as the rain: as the later and former rain upon the earth. Though you have oft said, There is no healing, Jer. 14. 19. He will heal your backslidings, and love you freely, Hos. 14. 4. Unto you that fear his name, shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings. Mal. 4. 2. And blessed are all they that wait for him. Isa. 30. 18.
Thus I have given such Directions as may help for Humiliation under sin, or hatred of it, and deliverance from it.
DIRECT. IX. Spend all your days in a skillful, vigilant, resolute and valiant War against the Flesh, the World and the Devil, as those that have covenanted to follow Christ the Captain of your Salvation.
§. 1. THe Flesh is the End of Temptation, for all is to please it, Rom. 13. 14. and therefore is the greatest enemy: The world is the Matter of Temptation: And the Devil is the first mover, or efficient of it; and this is the Trinity of enemies to Christ and us, which we renounce in Baptism, and must constantly resist. Of the world and flesh I shall speak Chap. 4. Here I shall open the Methods of the Devil. And first I shall prepare your understanding, by opening some presupposed truths.
§. 2. 1. It is presupposed, that there is a Devil. He that believeth not this, doth prove it to others, by showing how grossly the Devil can befool him: Apparitions, Witchcrafts and Temptations are full proofs of it to sense; besides what Scripture saith.
§. 3. 2. It is supposed that he is the deadly enemy of Christ and us: He was once an Angel, and sell from his first estate by sin, and a world of evil Spirits with him; and it is probable his envy against mankind might be the greater, as knowing that we were made to succeed him and his followers, in their state of glory: For Christ saith, that we shall be equal with the Angels, Luke 20. 36. He shown his enmity to man in our innocence, and by his temptation caused our fall and misery. But a • ter the fall, God put an enmity into the nature of man against Devils, as a merciful preservative against temptation: so that as the whole nature of man abhorreth the nature of Serpents, so doth the soul abhor and dread the diabolical nature. And therefore so far as the Devil is seen in a temptation now, so far it is frustrated; till the enmity in nature be overcome by his deceits: And this help nature hath against temptation, which it seems our nature had not before the fall, as not knowing the malice of the Devil against us.
§. 3. There is a Natural enmity to the Devil himself put into all the woman's natural seed: But the moral enmity against his sinful temptations and works, is put only into the spiritual seed by the Holy Ghost (except what remnants are in the light of Nature.) I will be brief of all this and the next, having spoken of them more largely in my Treatise against Infidelity, Part. 3. page 190. §. 13, &c.
§. 4. The Devils names do tell us what he is. In the Old Testament he is called, 1. The Serpent, Gen. 3. 2. The Hebrew word translated [ Devils ] in Levite. 17. 7. and Isa. 13. 21. signifieth [ •• i • y ] as Satyrs are described, and sometime [ He-goats: ] Because in such shapes he oft appeareth. 3. He is called [ Satan, ] Zech. 3. 1. 4. [ An evil Spirit ] 1 Sam. 18. 10. 5. [ A lying Spirit ] 1 Kings 22. 22. For he is a liar, and the Father of it, John 8. 44. 6. His offspring is called [ A Spirit of uncleanness ] Zech. 13. 2. 7. And he (or his Spawn) is called [ A Spirit of fornication ] Hos. 4. 12. that is, Idolatry. 8. [ A perverse Spirit causing staggering and giddiness as a drunken man, ] Isa. 19. 14.
§. 5. In the New Testament, 1. He is sometimes called simply [ a Spirit ] Mar. 9. 20, 26. Luke 9. 39. & 10. 20. 2. Sometimes [ 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , unclean Spirits ] Luke 6. 18. as contrary to the Holy Spirit: and that from their Nature and effects. 3. And after [ 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , Doemons ] a word taken in a good sense in Heathen Writers, but not in Scripture, because they worshipped Devils under that name, (unless perhaps Acts 17. 18. 1 Tim. 4. 1.) And [ 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ] with respect to their knowledge, and as some think to the knowledge promised to Adam in the temptation. 4. [ 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 : the Tempter ] Mat. 4. 5. [ Satan ] Mat. 4. 1 Pet. 5. 8. 6. [ 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 : an enemy ] Mat. 13. 28, 39. 7. The strong man armed, Mat. 12. 8. [ Angels ] 1 Cor. 6. 3. 2 Pet. 2. 4. Angels which kept not their first state, Jude 6. 9. A Spirit of divination, Acts 16. 16. 10. A roaring Lyon, 1 Pet. 5. 8. 11. A Murderer, John 8. 44. 12. Belial, 2 Cor. 6. 15. 13. Beelzebub, Mat. 12. the God of flies. 14. The Prince of this world, John 12. 21. from his power over wicked men. 15. The God of this world, 2 Cor. 4. 5. because the world obey him. 16. The Prince of the power of the air, Eph. 2. 2. 17. The Ruler of the darkness of this world, Eph. 6. 12. Principalities and powers. 18. The Father of the wicked, John 8. 44. 19. The Dragon and the old Serpent, Rev. 12. 20. [ 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ] the calumniat • r or false accuser, often. 21. [ 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ,] the evil one, Mat. 23. 19. 22. An evil Spirit, Acts 19. 15. 23. [ 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ,] the destroyer, and Abaddon, the King of the Locusts, and Angel of the bottomless pit, Rev. 9. 11. (unless that speak of Antichrist.)
§. 6. 3. He is too strong an enemy for lapsed sinful man to deal with of himself. If he conquered us in innocence, what may he do now? He is dangerous, 1. By the greatness of his subtlety. 2. By the greatness of his Power. 3. By the greatness of his Malice. And hence 4. By his constant diligence, watching when we sleep, Mat. 13. 25. and seeking night and day to devour, 1 Pet. 5. 8. Rev. 12. 4,
§. 7. 4. Therefore Christ hath engaged himself in our Cause, and is become the Captain of our salvation, Heb. 2. 10. And the world is formed into two Armies, that live in continual War: The Devil is the Prince and General of one, and his Angels and wicked men are his Armies: Christ is the King and General of the other, and his Angels, ( Heb. 2. 14.) and Saints are his Army. Between these two Armies are the greatest conflict in the world.
§ 7. 5. It is supposed also that this War is carried on on both sides within us, and without us; by inward solicitations and outward means, which are fitted thereunto.
§. 8. 6. Both Christ and Satan work by Officers, instruments and means. Christ hath his Ministers to preach his Gospel, and pull down the Kingdom of Satan: And Satan hath his Ministers to preach licentiousness and lies, and to resist the Gospel and Kingdom of Christ. Christ hath his Church, and the Devil hath his Synagogue. Christ's Soldiers do everyone in their places fight for him against the Devil: And the Devils Soldiers do everyone in their places fight against Christ. The Generals are both unseen to mortals: and the unseen Power is theirs: but their Agents are visible: The Soldiers fight not only against the Generals, but against one another; but it is all or chiefly for the Generals sakes: It is Christ that the wicked persecute in his Servants, Acts 9. 4. And it is the Devil whom the godly hate and resist in the wicked.
But yet here are divers notable differences. 1. The Devils Servants do not what they do in love to him, but to their own flesh: but Christ's Servants do what they do in Love to him, as well as to themselves: 2. The Devils Army are cheated into Arms and War; not knowing what they do: But Christ doth all in the open light, and will have no servants, but those that deliberately adhere to him▪ when they know the worst. 3. The Devils servants do not know that he is their General; but Christ's followers do all know their Lord. 4. The Devils followers disown their Master and their work: they will not own that they fight against Christ and his Kingdom while they do it: But Christ's followers own their Captain, and his cause, and work: for he is not a master to be ashamed of.
§. 9. 7. Both Christ and Satan work persuasively, by moral means, and neither of them by constraint and force. Christ forceth not men against their wills to good; and Satan cannot force them to be bad, but all the endeavor is to make men willing; and he is the Conqueror that getteth and keepeth our own consent.
§. 10. 8. Their Ends are contrary, and therefore their ways are also contrary. The Devils end is to draw man to sin and to damnation, and to dishonor God: And Christ's end is to draw men from sin to Holiness and salvation, and to honor God. But Christ maketh known his end, and Satan concealeth his End from his followers.
§. 11. 9. There is somewhat within the good and bad for the contrary part to work upon: and we are, as it were divided in yourselves, and have somewhat in us that is on both sides. The wicked have an honorable acknowledgement of God, and of their greatest obligation to him; a hatred to the Devil; a love of themselves; a willingness to be happy, and an unwillingness to be miserable; and a conscience which approveth of more good than they do, and condemneth much of their transgression. This is some advantage to the persuasions of the Ministers of Christ to work upon: And they have Reason capable of knowing more.
The Soldiers of Christ have a fleshly appetite, and the remnants of ignorance and error in their minds, and of earthliness, and carnality, and averseness to God in their wills; with a nearness to this world, and much strangeness to the world to come. And here is too much advantage for Satan to work on by his temptations.
§. 12. 10. But it is the predominant part within us, and the scope of our lives which showeth which of the Armies we belong to: And thus we must give up our names and hearts to Christ, and engage under his Conduct against the Devil, and conquer to the death, if we will be saved. Not to fight against the bare Name of the Devil; for so will his own Soldiers, and spit at his name, and hang a Witch that makes a contract with him: But it is to fight against his cause and work, which is by fighting against the World and the Flesh, and for the glory of God.
§. 13. In opening to you this holy War, I shall 1. Shew you what we must do on the Offensive part: 2. What on the Defensive part. And here I shall show you, I. What it is that the Tempter aimeth at as his End. II. What matter or ground he worketh upon. III. What are his Succours and Assistants. IV. What kind of Officers and Instruments he useth. V. What are his Methods and actual Temptations, 1. To actual sin, 2. Against our duty to God.
§. 14. 1. Our offensive arms are to be used, 1. Against the power of sin within us: and all its advantages and helps: For while Satan ruleth and possesseth us within, we shall never well oppose him without. 2. Against sin in others as far as we have opportunity. 3. Against the credit and honor of sin in the world: As the Devils Servants would bring Light and Holiness into disgrace, so Christ's Servants must c • si disgrace and shame upon sin and darkness. 4. Against all the Reasonings of sinners, and their subtle fallacies whereby they would deceive. 5. Against the passions and violent lusts which are the causes of men's other sins. 6. Against the holds and helps of sin, as false Teachers, profane R • vilers, ignorance and d • c • it. Only take heed that on this pretence we step not out of our ranks and places, to pull down the powers of the world by rebellions: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, 2 Cor. 10. 4.
§. 15. 2. As to our Defense, I. The ends of the Tempter which must be perceived, are these. 1. In general, his a • m is at our utter ruin and damnation, and to draw us here to dishonor God as much as he can. But especially his aim is to strengthen the great heart-sins, which are most mortal, and are the root, and life, and spawners of the rest: Especially these: 1. Ignorance, which is the friend and cloke to all the rest. 2. Error, which will justify them. 3. Unbelief, which keeps off all that should oppose them. 4. Atheism, profaneness, unh • liness, which are the defiance of God and all his Armies. 5. Presumption, which emboldeneth them, and hides the danger. 6. Hardness of heart, which fortifieth them against all the batteries of Grace. 7. Hypocrisy, which maketh them serve him as Spies and Intelligencers in the Army of Christ. 8. Disaffection to God and his ways and servants, which is the Devils colors. 9. Unthankfulness, which tends to make them irreconcilable and unrecoverable. 10. Pride, which commandeth many Regiments of lesser sins. 11. Worldliness, or love of money and wealth, which keepeth his Armies in pay. 12. Sensuality, Voluptuousness, or flesh-pleasing, which is the great Commander of all the rest. For selfishness is the Devils Lieutenant General, which consisteth chiefly in the three last named; but especially in Pride and Sensuality. Some think that it is outward sins that bring all the danger; but these twelve heart-sins, which I have named to you, are the twelve Gates of the infernal City, which Satan loveth above all the rest.
§. 16. II. The Matter and Grounds of his Temptations are these. 1. The Devil first worketh upon the outward sense, and so upon the sensitive appetite: He showeth the Cup to the Drunkards eye; and the bait of filthy lust to the fornicator; and the riches and pomp of the world to the covetous and proud: The Glutton tasteth the sweetness of the dish which he loveth: Stage-plays, and tempting sports, and proud attire, and sumptuous buildings, and all such sensual things are the baits by which the Devil angleth for souls. Thus Eve first saw the fruit, and then tasted, and then did eat: Thus Noah, and Lot, and David sinned. Thus Achan saith, Josh. 7. 21. I saw (the Garments, Silver and Gold) I coveted them, and I took them. The sense is the door of sin.
§. 17. 2. The Tempter next worketh on the Fantasie or Imagination; and prints upon it the loveliest image of his bait that possibly he can, and engageth the sinner to Think on it, and to roll it over and over in his mind, even as God commandeth us to Meditate on his Precepts.
§. 18. 3. Next he worketh by these upon the Passions or affections: which fantasie having enflamed they violently urge the Will and Reason; and this according to the nature of the passion, whether fear or hope, sorrow or joy, love or hatred, desire, or aversation: but by none doth he work so dangerously as by Delight, and Love, and Desire of things sensual.
§. 19. 4. Hence he proceedeth to infect the Will (upon the simple apprehension of the understanding,) to make it inordinately cleave to the temporal good, and to neglect its duty in commanding the understanding to meditate on preserving objects, and to call off the Thoughts from the forbidden thing: It neglecteth to rule the Thoughts and Passions according to its office and natural power.
§. 20. 5. And so he corrupteth the understanding itself first to omit its duty, and then to entertain deceit, and to approve of evil: And so the servant▪ is put into the Government, and the commanding powers do but serve it. Reason is blinded by sensuality and passion, and becomes their servant, and pleads their cause.
§. 21. By all this it appeareth, 1. That Satan's first bait is ordinarily some sensible or imaginary good, set up against true spiritual good. 2. That his first assault of the Reason and Will, is to tempt them into a sluggish neglect and neutrality, to omit that restraint of Sense, Thought and Passion, which was their duty. 3. And that lastly he tempteth them into actual compliance and committing of the sin: And herein 1. The bait which he useth with the understanding is still [ some seeming Truth ]. And therefore his art and work is to color falsehood, and make it seem Truth: For this is the deceiving of the mind: And therefore for a sinner to plead his mistake for his excuse, and say, I thought it had been so or so; I thought it had been no sin, or no duty: this is but to confess, and not to excuse: It is but as much as to say, my Understanding sinned with my Will, and was deceived by the Tempter, and overcome. 2. And the bait which he useth with the Will, is always some appearing good: And self-love and love of good is the principle which he abuseth, and maketh his ground to work upon; as God also useth it in drawing us to good.
§. 22. III. The Succours and Auxiliaries of the Devil, and his principal means are these: 1. He doth what he can to get an ill tempered Body on his side: For as sin did let in bodily distempers, so do they much befriend the sin that caused them. A choleric temper will much help him to draw men to passion, malice, murder, cruelty and revenge. A sanguine and bilious temper mixed, will help him to draw men to lust and and filthiness, and levity, and wantonness, and time-wasting pleasures: A sanguine temper mixed with a pituitous, much helpeth him to make men blockish, and regardless, and insensible of the great concernments of the soul: A flegmatick temper helpeth him to draw people to drowsy sluggishness, and to an idle slothful life, and so to ill means to maintain it, and to a backwardness to every work that is good. A healthful temper much helpeth him to draw people to gluttony, drunkenness, lust, ambition, covetousness, and neglect of life eternal: A sickly temper helpeth him to tempt us to pievishness and impatiency: And a Melancholy temper helpeth him in all the temptations mentioned but even now,
§. 23. 2. He useth his greatest Skill to get the greatest fleshly interest on his side: so that it may be a matter of Great pleasure, Great advancement, and honor and applause, or Great commodity to a man, if he will sin: Or a matter of Great suffering, and Great disgrace, and Great loss to him that will not sin, or that will be holy and obedient to God: For Fleshly Interest being the common matter of all his Temptations, his main business is to greaten this as much as may be.
§. 24. 3. He maketh very great advantage of the Common Customs of the Country that men live in: This carrieth away thousands and millions at once. When the common vote and custom is for sin, and against Christ and holiness, particular persons think themselves excused, that they are no wiser, or better than all the Country about them. And they think they are much the safer for sinning in so great a crowd, and doing but as most men do; and he that contradicteth them, cometh on great disadvantage in their eye, when he is to oppose an Army of adversaries, and seemeth to think himself wiser than so many.
§. 25. 4. Also he is exceeding industrious to get Education on his side: He knoweth how apt men are to retain the form which they were molded or cast into at first: If he get the first possession, by actual as well as Original sin, he is not easily cast out. Especially when Education doth conspire with Common Custom, it delivereth most of the people and Kingdoms of the Earth into his hands.
§. 26. 5. Also he is industrious to get the approved Doctrine of the Teachers of the people on his side. If he can get it to pass once for a Revelation or Command of God, he will quickly conquer conscience by it, and take down all resistance: He never doth war more successfully against God, than when he beareth the name of God in his colors, and fighteth against him in his own name. Mohammedans, Jews, Papists, and all Heretics are the Trophies and Monuments of his victories by this way. Mischief is never so much reverenced, nor proceedeth so successfully, as when it is made a Religion! When the Devil can charge men to do his business in the Name of God, and upon pain of damnation, he hath got the strongest weapons that ever he can make use of. His ordinary bait is some fleshly pleasure; but he goeth high indeed when he presumeth to offer the everlasting pleasures: He tempted Christ with all the Kingdoms and glory of the world: But he tempteth many millions of souls, with the offers of the Kingdom of Heaven itself. For he will offer it to them that he is endeavoring to keep from it; and make it the bait to draw men from it into the way to Hell.
§. 27. 6. He is exceeding diligent to get the wealth and prosperity of the world on his side: That he may not seem to flatter his servants with empty promises, but to reward them with real felicity and wealth. And then he would make the sinner believe, that Christ is the deceiver, and promiseth a Kingdom which none of them ever saw, and which he will not give them; but that he himself will not deceive them, but make good his promises even in this life without delay: For they see with their eyes the things which he promiseth, and they shall have them presently in possession, to secure them from deceit.
§. 28. 7. He is exceeding industrious to get common fame and reputation on his side: That he may be able to keep his cause in credit; and to keep the cause of Christ, and holiness in disgrace: For he knoweth how exceeding prone men are, to fall into the way of honor and esteem, and which most men praise; and how loath they are to go in the way which is hated and evil spoken of by the most of men.
8. He is very diligent to get the Sword and Government of Kingdoms, and States, and Countries, and Cities, and Corporations into his hands, or on his side: For he knoweth the multitude of the ignorant and vulgar people, are exceeding prone to be of the Religion of those that are able to help or hurt them; and to follow the stronger side: And that the will and example of the Ruler is as the first sheet or stamp, which all the rest are printed after. Therefore he will do his worst, to give the greatest power to the most ungodly: If the Turk be the Emperor the most of the vulgar are like quickly to be Turks: If a Papist be their King, the most of them are likely to be Papists. Look into the present state of the Heathen, Infidel, Mahometane, Papal, and profane parts of the world, and into the History of all ages past, and you will see with grief and admiration, how much the Devil hath got by this.
§. 29. 9. Also he is very desirous to get our Society and Companions on his side; who are near us, and have frequent opportunities to do us good or hurt. For he knoweth by long and great experience how powerfully they draw, and how frequently they speed.
§. 30. 10. And he is very industrious to get our friends that have power over us, and greatest interest in us on his side. For then he hath won our out-works already.
§. 31. 11. Lastly, he is desirous sometimes to get the name, and appearance of virtue, and piety on his side: That those that are to do his work, may have a winning carriage, and so a venerable name, and the cloak of virtue may serve his turn for the promoting of the destruction of piety itself.
§. 32. IV. By what hath been said you may understand what kind of Officers and Instruments the Tempter useth. 1. He commonly useth men that are themselves first deceived and corrupted, as fit instuments to deceive and corrupt others: These will carry it on with confidence and violence: The employment seemeth Natural to them, they are so fit for it: They will be willing to make other men of their mind, and to have the company of others in their way. A drunkard is fit to make a drunkard: and a filthy fornicator to entice another into the sin: and a gamester to make a gamester: •• d a wanton time-waster to draw another to waste his time in wantonness and foolish sports: An ambitious or proud person is fit to kindle that fire in others: A swearer is fittest to make a swearer; • nd so of many other sins.
§. 33. 2. The Devil usually chooseth for his Instruments, men that have no great tenderness of conscience, or fear of sinning or of hurting souls. He would have no such Cowards in his Army, as men fearing God are as to his Ends: It must be men that will venture upon hell themselves, and fear not much the loss of their own souls; and therefore must not be too tender or fearful of destroying others. Butchers and Soldiers must not be chosen out of too tender or loving a sort of people: such are not fit to go through his work.
§. 34. 3. He usually chooseth Instruments that are most deeply engaged in his cause: whose preferment, and honor, and gain, and carnal interest shall be to them, as Nature is to a dog, or wolf, or fox, or other ravenous creature: who think it a loss, or danger, or suffering to them, if others be not hundred in good, or made as bad as they. Thus Demetrius and the other crafts-men that lived upon the trade, are the fittest to plead Diana 's cause, and stir up the people against the Apostles. And the Jews were the fittest Instruments to persecute Christ, who thought that if they let him alone, all men would believe on him, and the Romans would come and take away both their place and nation: and that it was expedient for them that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. John 11. 48, 49. And Pilate was the fittest Instrument to condemn him, who feared that he should else be taken to be none of Caesar's friend. And Pharaoh was the fittest Instrument to persecute the Israelites, who was like to lose by their departure.
§. 35. 4. when he can he chooseth such Instruments as are much about us and nearest to us, who have opportunity to be oft speaking to us, when others have no opportunity to help us: The fire that is nearest to the wood or thatch is liker to burn it than that which is far off: Nearness and opportunity are very great advantages.
§. 36. 5. If it be possible he will choose such Instruments as have the greatest Abilities to do him service: One man of great wit, and learning, and elocution that is nimble in disputing, and can make almost any cause seem good which he defendeth, or bad which he opposeth, is able to do more service for the Devil, than an hundred Idiots.
§. 37. 6. If possible he will choose the Rulers of the World to be his Instruments; that shall command men, and threaten them with imprisonment, banishment, confiscation or death if they will not sin: as the King of Babylon did by the three witnesses and Daniel; Dan. 3. & 6. and all persecutors have done in all ages against the holy seed. For he knoweth that (though not with a Job, yet with a carnal person) skin for skin, and all that a man hath will he give for his life: And therefore they that have the power of life, and liberty, and estate, have carnal men by the handle that will rule them.
§. 38. 7. He maketh the Rich his Instruments that having the wealth of the world, are able to reward and hire evil doers: and are able to oppress those that will not please them. Landlords and Rich men can do the Devil more service than many of the poor: They are the Judas's that bear the bag. As the Ox will follow him that carrieth the hay, and the Horse will follow him that carrieth the provender, and the Dog will follow him that feedeth him, and the Crow will be where the carrion is; so carnal persons will follow and obey him that bears the purse.
§. 39. 8. The Devil if he can will make those his Instruments whom he seeth we most Esteem and Reverence: Persons whom we think most wise and fit to be our Counselors: we will take that from these, which we would suspect from others.
§. 40. 9. He will get our Relations and those that have our Hearts most to be his Instruments: A Husband, or a Wife, or a Delilah, can do more than any others: and so can a bosom friend, whom we dearly love: when all their Interest in our affections is made over for the Devils service, it may do much. Therefore we see that Husbands, and Wives if they love entirely, do usually close in the same Religion, opinion or way, though when they were first married they differed from each other.
§. 41. 10. As oft as he can the Devil maketh the Multitude his Instrument: that the crowd and noise may carry us on and make men valiant, and put away their fear of punishment.
§. 42. 11. He is very desirous to make the Ambassadors of Christ his prisoners, and to hire them to speak against their masters cause: that in Christ's name they may deceive the silly flock, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them, Acts 20. 30. Sometimes by pretence of his Authority and Commission; making poor people believe, that not to hear them, and obey them in their errors is to be disobedient rejecters of Christ: (and thus the Romish party carry it). Sometime by their parts and plausible persuasive speeches: And sometime by their fervency, frightning people into error: And by these two ways most Heretics prevail. None so successfully serveth Satan, as a false or bribed Minister of Christ.
§. 43. 12. He is exceeding desirous to make Parents themselves his Instuments for their children's sin and ruin: And alas how commonly doth he succeed! He knoweth that Parents have them under their hands, in the most ductile malleable age: and that they have a concurrence of almost all advantages: They have the purse, and the portion of their children in their power: They have the interest of Love, and Reverence, and estimation: They are still with them, and can be often in their solicitings: They have the rod and can compel them: Many thousands are in Hell, through the means of their own Parents; such cruel monsters will they be to the souls of any others, that are first so to their own. If the Devil can get the Parents to be cursers, swearers, gamesters, drunkards, worldlings, proud, deriders, or railers at a holy life, what a snare is here for the poor children!
§. 44. V. In the Method of Satan, the next thing is to show you how he labors to keep off all the forces of Christ which should resist him and destroy his work, and to frustrate their endeavors, and fortify himself: And among many others, these means are notable.
§ 45. 1. He would do what he can to weaken even natural Reason, that men may be blockish and uncapable of good! And it is lamentable to observe how hard it is to make some people either understand or regard! And a beastly kind of education doth much to this: and so doth custom in sensual courses; even turn men into bruits.
§. 46. 2. He doth what he can to hinder Parents and Masters from doing their part, in the instructing and admonishing of Children and servants, and dealing wisely and zealously with them for their salvation: Either he will keep Parents and Masters ignorant and unable; or he will make them wicked and unwilling; and perhaps engage them to oppose their children in all that's good: or he will make them like Eli remiss and negligent, indifferent, formal, cold and dull; and so keep them from saving their children's or servants souls.
§. 47. 3. He doth all that possibly he can to keep the sinner in security, presumption and senselessness, even asleep in sin; and to that end to keep him quiet and in the dark, without any light or noise which may awake him; that he may live asleep as without a God, a Christ, a Heaven, a Soul, or any such thing to mind. His great care is to keep him from Considering: and therefore he keeps him still in company, or sport, or business, and will not let him be oft alone, nor retire into a sober conference with his conscience; or serious Thoughts of the Life to come.
§. 48. 4. He doth his best to keep soul-searching lively Ministers out of the Country, or out of that Place; and to silence them, if there be any such: and to keep the sinner under some ignorant or dead-hearted Minister, that hath not himself that faith or repentance, or life, or love, or holiness, or zeal, which he should be a means to work in others: And he will do his utmost to draw him to be a leader of men to sin.
§. 49. 5. He doth his worst, to make Ministers weak, to disgrace the cause of Christ, and hinder his work by their bungling, and unskillful management, that there may be none to stand up against sin, but some unlearned or half-witted men, that can scarce speak sense, or will provoke contempt or laughter in the hearers.
§. 50. 6. He doth his worst to make Ministers scandalous, that when they tell men of their sin and duty, they may think such mean not as they speak, and believe not themselves, or make no great matter of it; but speak for custom, credit, or for their hire. And that the people by the wicked lives of the Preachers, may be emboldened to disobey their doctrine, and to imitate them, and live without Repentance.
§. 51. 7. He will labor to load the ablest Ministers with reproaches and slanders; which thousands shall hear, who never hear the truth in their defense: And so making them odious, the people will receive no more good by their preaching, than from a Turk, or Jew, till the very truth itself, for itself prevail. And to this end especially he doth all that he can to foment continual divisions in the Church; that while every party is engaged against the other, the Interest of their several causes may make them think it necessary to make the chief that are against them seem odious, or contemptible to the people, that so they may be able to do their cause, and them no harm: And so they disable them from serving Christ and saving souls, that they may disable them to hurt themselves, or their faction, or their impotent cause.
§. 52. 8. He doth what he can to keep the most holy Ministers under persecution; that they may be as the wounded Deer whom all the rest of the herd will shun; or like a worried dog whom the rest will fall upon▪ or that the people may be afraid to hear them lest they suffer with them; or may come to them only as Nicodemus did to Christ, by night.
§. 53. 9. Or if any Ministers, or Godly persons warn the sinner, the Devil will do what he can that they may be so small a number in comparison of those of the contrary mind: that he may tell the sinner, D • st thou think these few self-conceited fellows are wiser than such, and such, and all the country? Shall none be saved but such a few precise ones? Do any of the Rulers or of the Pharisees believe in him? But this people that knoweth not the Law are cursed, John 7. 48, 49. That is (as Dr. Hamm • nd noteth) This illiterate multitude are apt to be seduced, but the Teachers are wiser.
§. 54. 10. The Devil doth his worst to cause some falling out, or difference of interest or opinion, between the Preacher or Monitor, and the sinner; that so he may take him for his Enemy: And how unapt men are to receive any advise from an Enemy or Adversary, experience will easily convince you.
§. 55. 11. He endeavoreth that powerful preaching may be so rare, and the contradiction of wicked cav • llers so frequent, that the Sermon may be forgotten or the impressions of it blotted out, before they can hear another to confirm them, and strike the nail home to the head: and that the •• re may go out before the next opportunity come.
§. 56. 12. He laboreth to keep good books out of the sinners hands, or keep him from reading them, le • t he speed as the Eunuch, Acts 8. that was reading the Scripture as he rode in his Chariot on the way. And instead of such books he putteth Romances and Play-books, and trifling, or scorning, contradicting writings into his hands.
§. 57. 13. He doth what he can to keep the sinner from intimate acquaintance with any that are truly Godly▪ that he may know them no otherwise than by the image which ignorant or malicious slanderers or scorners, do give of such: And that he may know Religion itself but by hearsay, and never see it exemplified in any holy diligent believers. A holy Christian is a living image of God, a powerful convincer and teacher of the ungodly: And the nearer men come to them, the greater excellency they will see, and the greater efficacy they will feel. Whereas in the Devils army, the most must not be seen in the open light, and the Hypocrite himself must be seen, like a picture, but by a side-light and not by a direct.
§. 58. 14. Those means which are used, the Devil labors to frustrate, 1. By sluggish heedlessness and disregard, 2. By prejudice, and false opinions which prepossess the mind, 3. By diversions of many sorts, 4. By pre-engagements to a contrary interest and way; so that Christ comes to late for them. 5. By worldly prosperity and delights. 6. By ill company. 7. And by molesting, and frighting the sinner when he doth but take up any purpose to be converted: Giving him all content and quietness in sin, and raising storms and terrors in his soul, when he is about to turn.
The Methods of Christ against the Tempter.
§. 59. Before I proceed to Satan's particular Temptations, I will show you the contrary Methods of Christ in the conduct of his Army and opposing Satan.
I. Christ's Ends are ultimately, the Glory and Pleasing of his Father, and himself, and the saving of his Church; and the destroying the Kingdom of the Devil; and next the purifying his peculiar people, and calling home all that are ordained to eternal life.
§. 60. But more particularly he looketh principally at the heart to plant there. 1. Holy Knowledge. 2. Faith. 3. Godliness or holy devotedness to God and Love to him above all. 4. Thankfulness. 5. Obedience. 6. Humility. 7. Heavenly-mindedness. 8. Love to others. 9. Self-denial and Mortification, and contentment. 10. Patience. And in all these, 1. sincerity, 2. tenderness of heart, 3. • eal, and holy strength and resolution. And withal to make us actually serviceable, and diligent in our masters work, for our own and others salvation.
§. 61. II. Christ's order in working is direct, and not backward as the Devils is: He first revealeth saving truth to the understanding, and affecteth the will •• showing the Goodness of the things revealed: And these employ the Thoughts, and Passions, and Senses, and the whole body, reducing the inferior faculties to obedience, and casting out by degrees those images which had deceived and prepossessed them.
§. 62. The matter which Christ presenteth to the Soul, is 1. Certain Truth from the Father of Lights, set up against the Prince and Kingdom of darkness, ignorance, error, and deceit. 2. Spiritual and everlasting Good, even God himself to be seen, and Loved, and Enjoyed forever, against the Tempters temporal, corporal and seeming good. Christ's Kingdom and work are advanced by Light: He is for the promoting of all useful knowledge: and therefore for clear and convincing Preaching, for reading the Scriptures in a known tongue, and meditating in them day and night, and for exhorting one another daily; which Satan is against.
§. 63. III. The Means by which he worketh against Satan, are such as these. 1. Sometime he maketh use of the very temper of the body as a preparative; and (being Lord of all) he giveth such a temperature as will be most serviceable to the soul: As a sober, deliberate, meek, quiet and patient disposition. But sometime he honoreth his Grace by the conquest of such sins; as even bodily disposition doth entertain and cherish.
§. 64. 2. Sometimes by his providence he withdraweth the matter of temptations: that they shall not be too strong for feeble souls: But sometimes his Grace doth make advantage of them all, and leave them for the magnifying of its frequent victories.
§. 65. 3. Sometimes he giveth his cause the major vote among the people, so that it shall be a matter of dishonorable singularity not to be a professed Christian: and sometime, but exceeding rarely, it is so with the life of Godliness and practice of Christianity also. But ordinarily in the most places of the world, Custom and the Multitude are against him, and his grace is honored by prevailing against these bands of Satan.
§. 66. 4. He maketh his Ministers his principal Instruments, qualifying, disposing and calling them to his work, and helping them in it, and prospering it in their hands.
§. 67. 5. He maketh it the duty of every Christian to do his part to carry on the work; and furnisheth them with Love, and Compassion, and Knowledge, and Zeal in their several measures.
§. 68. 6. He giveth a very strict charge to Parents to devote their Children with themselves to God; encouraging them with the promise of his accepting and blessing them; and commandeth them to teach them the word of God with greatest diligence, and to bring them up in the nurture and fear of God.
§. 69. 7. He giveth Princes and Magistrates their power, to promote his Kingdom, and protect his servants, and encourage the good, and suppress iniquity, and further the obedience of his Laws: Though in most of the world they turn his enemies, and he carrieth on his work without them, and against their cruel persecuting opposition.
§. 70. 8. His Light detecteth the nakedness of the Devils cause, and among the Sons of Light, it is odious, and a common shame: And as wisdom is justified of her children, so the judgment of holy men condemning sin, doth much to keep it under in the world.
§. 71. 9. His providence usually casteth the sinner that he will do good to, into the bosom and communion of his holy Church, and the familiar company and acquaintance of the Godly, who may help him by instruction, affection and example.
§. 72. 10. His providence fitteth all conditions to their good: but especially helpeth them by seasonable quickening afflictions. These are the means which ordinarily he useth. But the powerful inward operations of his Spirit, give efficacy to them all.
Tit. 2. Temptations to particular sins; with Directions for preservation and Remedy.
IN Chapter 1. Part 2. I have opened the Temptations which hinder sinners from Conversion to God: I shall now proceed to those which draw men to particular sins. Here Satan's Art is exercised 1. In fitting his baits to his particular use: 2. In applying them thereto.
§. 1. Tempt. 1. The Devil fitteth his Temptations to the sinners age: The same bait is not suitable to all. Children he tempteth to excess of playfullness, lying, disobedience, unwillingness to learn the things that belong to their salvation, and a senselessness of the great concernments of their souls. He tempteth youth to wantonness, rudeness, gulosity, unruliness, and foolish inconsiderateness. In the beginning of manhood he tempteth to lust, voluptuousness and luxury; or if these take not, to designs of worldliness and ambition: The aged he tempteth to covetousness, and unmoveableness in their error, and unteachableness and obstinacy in their ignorance and sin: Thus every age hath its peculiar snare.
§. 2. Direct. 1. The Remedy against this is, 1. To be distinctly acquainted with the Temptations of your own age: and watch against them with a special heedfullness and fear. 2. To know the special duties and advantages of your own age, and turn your thoughts wholly unto those. Scripture hath various precepts for the various ages: study your own part. The young have more time to learn their duty, and less care and business to divert them: Let them therefore be taken up in obedient learning. The middle age hath most vigor of body and mind, and therefore should do their masters work, with the greatest vigor, activity and zeal. The Aged should have most judgment▪ and experience, and acquaintedness with Death and Heaven: and therefore should teach the younger both by word and holy life.
§. 3. Tempt. 2. The Tempter also fitteth his Temptations to men's several bodily tempers, (as I shown §. 22.) The hot and strong he tempteth to lust: The sad and fearful to discouragement and continual self-vexations; and to the Fear of Men and Devils: Those that have strong appetites, to Gluttony and Drunkenness: Children, and Women, and weak-headed people, to Pride of Apparel and trifling Complement: And masculine wicked-unbelievers, to Pride of Honor, Parts and Grandeur, and to an ambitious seeking of Rule and Greatness. The meek and gentle he tempteth to a yieldingness unto the persuasions and will of erroneous and tempting persons: And those that are more stiff, to a stubborn resistance of all that should do them good. He found it most suitable to tempt a Saul to malice, David by a surprise to lust, Absalom to ambition▪ Peter to fearfulness, and after to compliance and dissimulation to avoid the offense and displeasure of the weak: Luther to rashness, Melancthon to fearfulness; Carolostadius to nnsetledness: Illiricus to inordinate zeal, Osiander to self-esteem; ( if Historians have given them their due): One Sh •• e fitteth not every foot.
§. 4. Direct. 2. Let your strictest watch be upon the sins of your temperature: Far greater diligence and resolution is here necessary, than against other sins. And withdraw the fuel, and strive against the bodily distempers themselves. Fasting and labor will do much against lust, which Idleness, and fullness continually • eed. And so the rest have their several cures. Know also what good your temper doth give you special advantage for: and let it be turned unto that, and still employed in it.
§. 5. Tempt. 3. The Temptor suiteth his Temptations to your Estates, of Poverty or Riches: The p •• r he tempteth to murmur and be impatient under their wants, and distress themselves more with griefs and cares: and to think that their sufferings may save them without holiness, and that necessary labor for their bodies, may excuse them from much minding the concernments of their souls: And either to censure and hate the Rich through envy, or to flatter them for gain. The Rich he tempteth to an idle, time-wasting, voluptuous, fleshly, brutish life. To excess in sleep, and meat, and drink, and sport, and apparel, and costly ways of pride, and idle disc • urse, and visits, and complements; to love the wealth and honors of the world, and live in continual pleasing of the flesh, to fare deliciously every day, and to waste their time in unprofitableness without a con • taunt Calling; and to be unmerciful to the poor, and to tyrannize over their inferiors. Prov. 30. 8, 9. Luke 16.
§. 6. Direct. 3. Here also observe regardfully where your danger lieth, and there keep a continual watch. L • t the poor remember, that if they be not Rich in grace, it is long of themselves; and if they be, they have the chiefest Riches, and have learnt in all estates to be content: And have great cause to be thankful to God that thus helpeth them against the love and pleasures of the world. Let the Rich remember, that they have not less to do than the poor, because they have more committed to their trust, nor may they ever the more satisfy the inordinate desires of the flesh: But they have more to d • , and more dangers to fear and watch against, as they have more of their Masters Talents to employ, and give account for at the last.
§. 7. Tempt. 4. The Devil suiteth his Temptations to men's daily work and business. If it be low, to be ashamed of it through Pride; If it be high, to be Proud of it: If it be hard, to be weary and unfaithful in it; or to make it take up all their minds and time: If it be about worldly things, he tempteth them to be tainted by it with a worldly mind: If they labor for themselves, he tempteth them to ever-do: If for others, he tempteth them to deceitful unfaithful negligence and sloth. If they are Ministers, he tempteth them to be idle, and unfaithful, and senseless of the weight of truth, the worth of souls, the brevity of time, that so their sin may be the ruin or the loss of many. If Rulers, the Devil useth his utmost skill, to cause them to espouse an interest contrary to the interest of truth and holiness, and to cast some quarrel against Christ into their minds, and to persuade them that his interest is against theirs, and that his servants are their enemies.
§. 8. Direct. 4. See that your work be lawful, and that God have called you to it, and then take it as the service which he himself assigneth to you, and do it as in his sight, and as passing to his judgment, in obedience to his will: And mind not so much whether it be hard or easy, low or high, as whether you are faithful in it. And if it be sanctified to you, by your intending all to the pleasing of God, remember that he loveth and rewardeth that servant that stoopeth to the l • west woe • k at his command, as much as him that is employed in the highest: Do all for God, and walk in Holiness with him, and keep out selfishness (the poison of your Callings) and observe the proper danger of your places, and keep a constant watch against them.
§. 9. Tempt. 5. The Devil suiteth his Temptations to our several Relations: Parents he tempteth to be cold and regardless of the great work of a wise and holy education of their Children: Children he tempteth to be disobedient, unthankful, void of natural affection, irreverent dishonourers of their Parents: Husbands he tempteth to be unloving, unkind, impatient with the weaknesses of their Wives, and Wives to be peevish, self-willed, proud, clamorous, passionate and disobedient: Masters he tempteth to use their servants only as their Beasts, for their own commodity, without any care of their salvation and God's service: And servants he tempteth to be carnal, untrusty, false, slothful, eye-servants, that take more care to hide a fault, than not to commit it. Ministers and Magistrates he tempteth to seek themselves, and neglect their charge, and set up their own Ends, instead of the common good▪ or to mistake the common good, or the means that tendeth to it. Subjects and People be tempteth to dishonor and murmur against their Governors, and to censure them unjustly, and to disobey them, and rebel; or else to honor, and fear, and serve them more than God and against God.
§. 10. Direct. 5. Here learn well the duties and dangers of your own Relations; and remember that it is much of your work to be faithful and excellent in your Relations. And mind not so much what other men owe to you, as what you owe to God and them. Let Masters, and Ministers, and Magistrates first study and carefully practice their own duties, and yet they must next see that their Inferiors do their duties, because that is their office: But they must be more desirous that God be first served, and more careful to procure obedience to him, than that they be honored, or obeyed themselves. Children, Servants and Subjects must be taken up in the well doing of their proper work: remembering that their good or hurt lieth far more upon that, than upon their superiors dealings with them, or usage of them. As it is your own Body, and not your superiors which your soul doth animate, nourish and use, and which you have the continual sense and charge of; so it is your own duty, and not your superiors, which you have to do, and to answer for, and therefore most to mind and talk of.
§. 11. Tempt. 6. The Tempter also suiteth his Temptations, to our advantages and hopes of rising or thriving in the world: He seeth which is our rising or thriving way; and there he layeth his snares, accommodate to our designs and ends; making some sinful omission or commission seem necessary thereto: Either Balaam must prophesy against the people of God, or else God must keep him from honor, by keeping him from sin: Numb. 24. 11. If once Judas be set on, What will you give me? The Devil will teach him the way to gain: His way is necessary to such sinful ends.
§. 12. Direct. 6. Take heed therefore of overvaluing the world, and being taken with its honor, pleasure or prosperity: Take heed lest the Love of earthly things, engage you in eager desires and designs, to grow great or rich. For if once your heart have such a design, you are gone from God: The heart is gone, and then all will follow as occasion calls for it. Understand these Scriptures, Prov. 23. 4. Labor not to be rich: Prov. 28. 20, 22. He that maketh haste to be rich, shall not be innocent: He that hasteth to be rich, hath an evil eye: 1 Tim. 6. 9. But they that will be rich, fall into Temptations and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition: For the love of money, is the root of all evil. But godliness with contentment, is great gain: Seek not great matters for yourselves: Jer. 45. 5. Be dead to the world: Fear more the Rising, than the falling way. Love that condition best, which fitteth thee for communion with God, or maketh thee the most profitable servant to him: and hate that most, which is thy greatest hindrance from these, and would most enslave thee to the world.
§. 13. Tempt. 7. The Tempter suiteth his Temptations to our company: If they have any error, or sin • r are engaged in any carnal enterprise, he will make them snares to us, and restless till they have ensnared us: If they love us not, he will make them continual provocations, and set before us all their wrongs, and provoke us to uncharitableness and revenge. If they love us, he will endeavor to make their Love to us, to be the Shooing-horn or Harbinger of their errors and evil ways, to draw us to their imitation. He findeth something in all our company to make the matter of some Temptation.
§. 14. Direct. 7. Converse most with God: Let faith make Christ and Angels your most regarded and observed company; that their mind, and presence may more affect you, than the mind and presence of mortal men. Look not at any man's Mind, or Will, or Actions without respect to God who governeth, and to the Rule by which they should all be suited, and to the Judgment which will open and reward them as they are. Never see man without seeing God: see man only as a creature dependant on his Makers will. And then you will lament and not imitate him, when he sinneth; and you will oppose (and Christ saith Hate, Luke 14. 26.) and not be seduced by him, when he would draw you with him to sin and Hell: Had Adam more observed God, than Eve, he had not been seduced by his helper. Then you will look on the proud, and worldly, and sensual, as Solomon on the slothful man's Vineyard, Prov. 24. 30, 31, 32. I saw and considered it well; I looked on it, and received instruction. You would not long for the Plague or Leprosy, because it is your friends disease.
§. 15. Tempt. 8. The Tempter maketh advantage of other men's Opinions or Speeches of you, or dealings by you; and by everyone of them would ensnare you in some sin: If they have mean thoughts of you, or speak despising or dishonoring words of you, he tempteth you by it to hate them, or love them less, or to speak contemptuously of them. If they applaud you, he tempteth you by it to be proud: If they wrong you, he tempteth you to revenge: If they enrich you, or are your benefactors, he would make their benefits a price to hire you to some sin, and make you pay as • e •• r for them, as your salvation cometh to. If they scorn you for Religion, he would make you ashamed of Christ and his Cause: If they admire you, he would draw you by it to hypocrisy. If they threaten you, he would draw you to sin by fear, as he did Peter: If they deal rudely with you, he tempteth you to passion, and to requite them with the like: And even to distaste Religion itself, if men professing Religion be against you, or seem to do you any wrong. Thus is every man a danger to his brother.
§. 16. Direct. 8. Discern in all men what there is of God, to be your help, and that make use of; and what there is of Satan, sin and self, and that take heed of. Look upon every man as a Helper and a Tempter; and be prepared still, to draw forth his Help, and resist his Temptation. And remember, that man is but the Instrument: It is Satan that Tempteth you, and God that trieth you by that man! Saith David of Shimei, The Lord hath bidden him: that is, He is but God's Rod to scourge me for my sin, as my Son himself is: As Satan was his instrument in trying Job, not by God's effecting, but permitting the sin: Observe God and Satan in it, more than men.
§. 17. Tempt. 9. His Temptations also are suited, to our fore-received opinions and thoughts: If you have but let in one lustful thought, or one malicious thought, he can make great advantage of that Nest-Egg, to gather in more: as a little leaven to leaven the whole lump: He can roll it up and down, and do much to hatch it into a multitude. If you are but tainted with any false opinion, or prejudice against your Teacher, your Ruler, or your Brother, he can improve it to such increase, and raise such conclusions from it, and more from them, and reduce them all to practice, as shall make observers with astonishment say, Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth.
§. 18. Direct. 9. Take heed what Thoughts you first admit into your mind: And especially cherish and approve none but upon very good trial and examination. And if they prove corrupt, sweep clean your fantasie and memory of them, that they prove not inhabitants, and take not up their lodgings in you, or have not time to spawn and breed. And fill up the room with contrary thoughts, and useful Truth▪ and cherish them daily, that they may increase and multiply: And then your Hearts will be like a well-peopled Kingdom, able to keep their possession against all enemies.
§. 19. Tempt. 10. Also he fitteth his Temptations to your natural and acquired parts: That if you are weak, he may either discourage you; or (which is more usual and dangerous) make you think better of them than they are, and to think you know much, when its next to nothing; and to make you wise in your own eyes, and easily to receive an error, and then to be confident in it: not to discern between things that differ; but to be deceived into false zeal, and false ways by the specious pretences and shows of truth, and then to be zealous for the deceiving of others: Also that you may be a dishonor to truth and godliness, by your weakness and ill management of good causes; and may give them away through your unskillfulness to the adversary. If you are of stronger wits and parts, the Tempter will draw you to despise the weak, to take common gifts for special grace; or to undervalue holiness and humility, and overvalue learning and acuteness: He will tempt you (dangerously) to loath the simplicity of Christianity and • f the Scriptures, as to style and method; and to be offended at the Cross of Christ. So that such persons are usually in greater danger of Infidelity, Heresy, Pride, and insolent domineering over the flock of Christ, than vulgar Christians that have lower parts.
§. 20. Direct. 10. Labor to be well acquainted with yourselves: If you are weak, know your weakness, that you may be humble, and fearful, and seek for strength and help: If you are comparatively strong, remember how weak the strongest are: and how little it is that the wisest know! And study well the Ends and use of knowledge; that all that you know may be con •• cted into Love and Holiness; and use it as remembering that you have much to give account of.
§. 21. Tempt. 11. Moreover the Tempter will fetch advantage against you from your former life and actions. If you have gone out of the way to Heaven, he would harden you by custom, and make you think it such a disgrace or trouble to return, as that its as good go on, and put it to the venture: If you have done any work materially good, while your heart and course of life is carnal and worldly, he would quiet you in your sinful miserable state, by applauding the little good that you have done. If a good man have erred or done ill, he will engage his honor in it, and make him study to defend it, or excuse it, left it prove his shame; and tempt men as he did David, to hide one sin with another: If he g • t h • ld of one link, he will draw on all the chain of sin.
§. 22. Direct. 11. Take heed therefore what you do; and foresee the end: Let not the Devil get in one foot: Try your way, before you enter it. But if you have erred, come off, and that thoroughly and betime, whatever it cost; for be sure it will cost more to go on. And if he would make a snare of the good that you have done, remember that this is to turn it into the greatest evil: And that there must be a concurrence and integrity of good to make you acceptable, and to save you: Heart and life must be good to the End.
§. 23. Tempt. 12. Lastly, He fitteth his Temptations to the season. He will take the season just when an evil thought is likest to take with you; and when the Winds and Tide d • serve him: that will take at one time, (when a man hath his wits and heart to seek) which would be abhorred at another: In afflicting Times he will draw you to deny Christ with Peter, or shift for yourselves by sinful means: In prosperous Times he will tempt you to security, worldliness and forgetfulness of the night and Winter which approacheth: The Timing his Temptations is his great advantage.
§. 24. Direct. 12. Dwell as with God, and you dwell as in Eternity, and will see still that as Time, so all the pleasure, and advantages, and dangers, and sufferings of Time, are things in themselves of little moment: Keep your eye upon Judgment and Eternity, where all the errors of Time will be rectified, and all the inequalities of Time will be levelled, and the sorrows and joys that are transitory will be no more: And then no reasons from the frowns or flatteries of the Times will seem of any force to you. And be still employed for God, and still armed and on your watch, that Satan may never find you disposed to take the bait.
The Tempters Method in applying his prepared baits.
§. 25. Tempt. 1. The Devils first work, is to present the Tempting bait in all its alluring deceiving properties: To make it seem as true as may be to the understanding; and as good and amiable as may be to the will. To say as much as can be said for an evil cause; He maketh his Image of Truth and Goodness as beautiful as he can: Sin shall be sugared, and its pleasure shall be its strength, Heb. 11. 25. Sin shall have its wages paid down in hand, 2 Pet. 2. 15. He will set it out with full mouthed praises: O what a fine thing it is to be rich, and please the flesh continually! to have command, and honor, and lusts, and sports, and what you desire! Who would refuse such a condition that may have it? All this will I give thee, was the Temptation which he thought fit to assault Christ himself with. And he will corrupt the History of Time past, and tell you that it went well with those that took his way, Jer. 44. 17. And for the future, he will promise them, that they shall be gainers by it (as he did Eve) and shall have peace, though they please their flesh in sinning: See Deut. 29. 19.
§. 26. Direct. 1. In this case, first inquire what God saith of that which Satan so commendeth. The commendations and motions of an enemy are to be suspected. God is most to be believed. 2. Then consider not only whether it be good, but how long it will be good; and what it will prove at the end; and how we shall judge of it at the parting: And withal consider what it tendeth to; whether it tend to good or evil: and whether it be the greatest good that we are capable of: And then you will see, that if there were no good, or appearance of good in it, it could do a voluntary agent no hurt, and were not fit to be the matter of a Temptation: And you will see that it is temporal good set up to deceive you of the Eternal Good, and to entice you into the greatest evil, and misery. Doth the Devil sh • w thee the world, and say All this will I give thee? Look to Christ who showeth thee the glory of the world to come, with all things good for thee in this world, and saith more truly, All this will I give thee: The world and Hell are in one end of the balance, and Pardon, Holiness, and Heaven are in the other. Which now wilt thou prefer? If the Devil have more to give thee and bid •• r thee than Christ, let him take thee.
§. 27. Tempt. 2▪ The Tempter laboreth to keep God, and Christ, and Heaven out of sight, that they 〈…〉 t the splendor of his bait; and to hide those potent reasons from them, by which they might ea •• lie r • p • l the temptation: so that though they are well known and sure, and Scripture be full of them, they shall n • ne of them be ready at hand to use, when the temptation cometh; so that to them they shall be all as nothing: and this he doth by unbelief and inconsiderateness.
§. 28. Direct. 2. Live by faith: see that God the Father, the Redeemer and the Holy Spirit, dwell within you, and take up your hearts, and your hopes be placed all on Heaven, and that these be • our very Life and business; and then you will always have that at hand, which may ref • l the Tempter. A heart taken up with God and Christ, conversing in Heaven, is always fortified, and prepared to meet every Temptation with abhorrence. Let your souls be still possessed with as constant apprehensions of the evil of sin, the danger of sinning, the presence, authority and holiness of God, the wrong that sin doth him, the hurt it doth ourselves and others, and what it did to Jesus Christ, as you have of the danger of fire, and water, and poison; and then the Tempter will not speed.
§. 29. Tempt. 3. It is the great care of the Devil to keep out of sight, that he be not seen himself in the Temptation: As the Angler keepeth himself behind the bush, and the Fowler hideth himself from the birds, or else they would fear, and fly, and escape: so doth the Devil use all his art, to hide himself from the sinners observation; that the deluded soul shall little think that the Devil is so near him, and hath so great a hand in the business. If the ambitious or Covetous worlding saw the Devil offer him the bait, and heard him say▪ All this will I give thee; he would have the smaller list to take the bait. If the Devil appeared to the Whoremonger, and brought him his Whore, and encouraged him to his filthiness, it would cool his lust: Or if he appeared to the drunkard, and presented him the cup, he would have but little list to drink: If the proud and the malicious saw the Devil at their backs, rejoicing in their sin, and putting them on, it might affright them half into their wits. Therefore the great endeavor of the Devil is, to persuade men that it is not he that makes the motion to them: It is such a friend, or such a neighbor, or gentleman, or minister, or wise man; it is not the Devil! Till the Fish is catched, and the bird is in the net; and then the author of all appeareth, to kill them, and carry them away, without any concealment.
§. 30. Direct. 3. Mark but the tendency and the manner of the Temptations, and you may perceive the Author: Who else is it that is so much against God, and against your everlasting happiness? Who else is it that would so abuse your Reason, to prefer things temporal, before things eternal, and the brutish pleasures of a corruptible flesh, before the interest of immortal souls? Who else so contradicteth all the word of God? Read God's warnings, and he will tell you who it is. Take every Temptation then (whoever be the messenger) as if thou sawest the Devil standing by, and making the motion to thee, and heardest himself exhort thee to the sin, suppose you saw him conducting you to the Whore-house, the Play-house, the ALE-house, and making you entertainment as the Master of the game! How then would you take it? And what would you do? Would you go, and be angry at the precise Preacher that would hinder you? And would you take the Devils part? No, nature hath possessed you with a fear of him and an enmity to him: use it for your safety: It cannot be good for you that comes from him! He hath a fouler face to appear to you in, than ever yet you saw, when you have done his work and are where he would have you. O know with whom you have to do.
§. 31. Tempt. 4. The Tempter is most careful also to hide from men the nature and tendency of the Temptation itself; that they shall not know that it is a Temptation when they are tempted, but shall have nothing in sight but the bait which they desire. The Angler doth not only hide himself from the fish, but also his rod, and line, and hook as much as he can: The Fowler covereth his nets; so that either the fish and bird shall not see the snare, or shall not know what it is, and what it is there laid for: so when the bait of pleasure, and honor, and wealth is presented by the Devil, to the fornicator, gamester, proud or covetous, they shall not see what the Devil is doing now, and what a game he is playing for their souls! They shall not perceive the connection that there is between the pleasure and the sin, and the sin and the threatening, and the threatening and the judgment, and the judgment and the everlasting punishment; when Judas was bargaining with the Pharisees, he knew not that the Devil was in him driving on the match.
§. 32. Direct, 4. Be wise and suspicious: Blindness or fool-hardiness will lead you into the snare. Be wise that you may know the tendency of everything that is presented to your thoughts, and may be able to perceive a danger: Be suspicious and cautelous, that you may make a sufficient trial, and go upon sure grounds, and avoid the very appearance of evil: when it is Hell that you fear, come not too near. Play not as the fly about the Candle: salvation is necessary; but preferment, or wealth, or liberty, or credit, or life itself are not necessary to you! Prove all things: Flatter not yourselves into the snares by foolish hopes, and judging of things as the flesh would have them to be, rather than as they are. It no danger appear, turn up all coverings, and search and see that none be hidden. The Devil hath his gun-powder-plots, and mines, which may blow you up before you are aware. Not only Lawfullness and Indifferency, but great Good is the pretence for greatest evil.
§. 33. Tempt. 5. It is the Tempters care to bring the tempting object near enough, or draw the •• nner near enough to it: The net must come to the fish, or the fish to the net: The distant fire will not burn the w •• d. The Devils chief confidence is in the sensitive appetite, which worketh strongliest at hand. If he get the drunkard into the ALE-house and show him the cup, he hath half conquered him already: But if he • e scrupulous and modest, someone shall drink a health or importune him, and put the cup into his hand. The thief with Achan shall see the bait, and the sight will work a Coveteous desire. The glutton shall have the Tempting dishes before him, and be at a Table which by variety of delicious food, is fitted to become his snare, whereas if he had nothing set before him, but the poor man's simple food which hath nothing in it fit to tempt him, he might easily have escaped. The fornicator shall have his beautiful dirt brought near him, and presented to him in a tempting dress; for at a sufficient distance there had been little danger. The ambitious person shall have preferment offered him, or brought so fair to his hand that with a little seeking it may be attained. The fearful coward shall be threatened with the loss of estate or life, and hear the report of the Cannons, Guns and Drums of Satan. Peter is half conquered when he is got among questioning company in the High-Priests Hall. Thus David, thus Lot, thus ordinarily sinners are drawn into the snare.
§. 34. Direct. 5. As ever you would preserve your innocence and your souls, fly as far from tempting objects as you can: I say as you can without distrusting God in the neglect of a certain duty: A Wife, or a servant that are bound cannot fly: nor must we leave undone our certain duty upon an uncertain danger, which may otherwise be avoided: But keep off from the Temptation at as great a distance as you can: The safest course is the best when your souls lie at the stake: If it be not Necessary, plead not the Lawfulness of what you do, when it is a Temptation to that which is unlawful. You say, It is lawful to wear such curious ornaments, and set out yourselves in the neatest dress: But is it lawful to be Prowd or Lustful, or to consume your time unprofitably? If not, tempt not yourselves or others to it. Keep away from the place where the snare is laid. Look first to the end before thou meddle with the beginning. Why should I eat that which I know I cannot digest, but must cast it up again? And why should I taste that which I must not eat? And why should I desire to have that set before me, and to look upon it which I must not taste? Come not near if thou wouldst not be taken? What dost thou at the ALE-house with a cup before thee, if thou wouldst not be drawn to excess of drink? If thou be subject to excess in eating, make not thy own table thy Temptation. Fly from the Temptation as thou wouldst do from Hell, or from the Devil himself. See not the bait of lust, or come not near, if thou be inclinable to lust, saith Solomon, Rem •• e thy way far from her, and come not near the door of her house, Prov. 5. 8. For her end is bi • er as wormwo • d, sharp as a two edged sword▪ Her feet go down to death, her steps take hold on Hell, verse 4, 5. Her house inclineth to death and her paths unto the dead: None that go to her return again, neither take they • old of the paths of Life. Prov. 2. 18, 19. Her house is the way to Hell, going down to the chambers of Death, Prov. 7. 27. Whoso is simple let him turn in hither, and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant: But he knoweth not that the dead are there, and that her guests are in the depths of Hell: Prov. 9. 16, 17, 18. Lust not after her beauty in thy heart, neither let her take thee with her eye-lids:—Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burnt? Can one go upon hot coals and his feet not be hurt? Prov. 6. 25, 27, 28. Remember that you pray daily Lead us not into Temptation: And if you will run into it yourselves, are not your prayers hypocritical and an abuse of God? If you would be saved from sin, you must be saved in God's way: and that is by flying from Temptations; and not drawing near, and gazing on forbidden objects, and tempting yourselves: Even as God's holy means must be used by all that would come to holiness and Heaven; so the Devils must be avoided by him that would would scape sin and Hell. 2. But if you cannot remove far enough from the snare, then double your f •• r, and watchfulness, and resolution: Fly with Joseph from the sin, if you cannot go out of the house. How carefully should every foot be placed, when we know that every step we tread is among snar • s? Rule your senses if you cannot remove the bait: Make Job's covenant with your eyes, that you look not on that which would allure? Job 31. 1. Let every sense have a constant watch.
§. 35. Tempt. 6. The next great work of the Tempter is, to give us the fairest opportunities to sin, and to remove all impediments, and show men encouraging hopes and invitations. He will show the thief which way he may steal; and show the covetous man which way he may thrive, and deceive, and over-reach: and the ambitious man which way he may rise; and the fornicator how he may obtain his desire, and sin unknown: and then he tells them how easy it is; now no one seeth you; you may do it without fear or shame. It is the Devils great care to take all things out of the way that would affright, or hinder sinners: That they may have full opportunity to invite them. Therefore he is very desirous that public impediments should be all removed; especially a godly Magistrate and Minister, and that the common disgrace of sinning may be taken off, and if it may be, turned against Religion, or fall on them that are the greatest adversaries to sin.
§. 36. Direct. 6. It is therefore a principal part of your wisdom and watchfulness, to avoid the opportunities of sinning, and keep out as many impediments as may be in your own way. It is a most foolish and sinful thing in some men, who think it a brave thing to have power to do hurt, though they pretend that they abhor the doing of it: He that saith he hateth oppression, yet would have a Power to oppress: To have all men at his will and mercy he thinks is brave: so they that would not be gluttonous would have a tempting table still before them, presuming that their own will is a sufficient preservative against the sin: so they that would not be ensnared with lust, have yet a desire to appear as comely, and lovely, and desirable as may be, and to be as much beloved, that they may have others affections at command; and also to have opportunity offered them, that they may sin if they will. And is thy will so well established, mortified and unchangeable, as to be so far trusted? O foolish sinner that no better knowest thyself; nor observest thy danger? Nor perceivest that this very desire to have the Power to do evil showeth a degree of the evil in thy heart, and that thou art not yet s • t so far from it as thou must be, if thou wouldst be safe. Contrive thyself, (if thou be wise and love thyself) into the greatest difficulties of sinning that thou canst: Make it Impossible if it may be done. The Power is for the act. Desire not to be able to sin, if thou wouldst not sin. Not that Natural power to do go • d should be destroyed because it is also a power to do evil, but cast as many bl • cks in the way of thy sinning as thou canst, till it amount to a moral impossibility. Desire the strictest Laws and G • vern • rs, and to be still in the eye of others; and contrive it that thou mayest have no hope of secrecy: Contrive it so that it may be utter shame and l • ss to thee if thou sin: If thou be tempted to fornication, never be private with h • r or him that is thy snare: If thou be tempted to deceive and rob those that trust thee, avoid the trust, or if ever thou have done it, restore and confess that shame may preserve thee.
§. 37. Tempt. 7. Next the Tempter importunately soliciteth ou • Thoughts or fantasies to feed upon the tempting thing: That the lustful person may be thinking on the objects of his lusts, and the ambitious man thinking on his desired honor, and the covetous man of his desired wealth, his house, or lands or gainful bargains; and the malicious man be thinking of all the real or imaginary wrongs, which kindle malice.
§. 38. Direct. 7. Keep a continual watch upon your thoughts: Remember that this is the common entrance of the greatest sins: And if they go no further, the searcher of hearts will judge thee for the adultery, murder, and other sins of thy heart, But especially see that your thoughts be so employed on better things, that sin may never find them vacant.
§. 39. Tempt. 8. The Tempter also is diligent to keep the end from the sinners eye, and to persuade him, that there is no danger in it, and that it will be as good at last as at first: He cannot endure a thought, a word of death or judgment, unless he can first fortify the sinner by some presumptuous hope, that his sons are pardoned, and his case is good: either he will make them believe him that there is no such danger to the soul as should deter them; or else he keepeth them from thinking of that danger. He is loath a sinner should so much as look into a grave, or go to the house of m • urning, and see the end of all the living, lest he should lay it to heart, and thence perceive what worldly pleasure, wealth and greatness is, by seeing where it leaveth sinners. If one do but talk of death or judgment, and the life to come, the Devil will stir up some scorn, or weariness, or opposition against such d • scourse: If a sinner do but bethink himself in secret, what will become of him after death, the Devil will either allure him, or trouble him, and never let him rest, till he have cast away all such thoughts as tend to his salvation. He cannot endure when you see the pomp and pleasure of the world, that you should think or ask▪ How long will this endure? And what will it prove in the latter end?
§. 40. Direct. 8. Go to the holy Scriptures, and see what they foretell concerning the end of Godliness and sin: God knoweth better than the Devil, and is more to be believed. You may see in the word of God, what will come of Saints and sinners, Godly and ungodly at the last, and what they will think and say when they review their present life; and what Christ will say to them, and how he will judge them, and what will be their reward forever. This is the infallible Prognostication, where you may foresee your endless state. In this glass continually foresee the end. Never judge of anything by the present gust alone. Ask not only how it tasteth, but how it worketh, and what will be the effects: Remember that God's Law hath inseparably conjoined Holiness, and Heaven, and sin▪ unrepented of, and Hell; and seeing these cannot be separated indeed, let them never be separated from each other in your thoughts. Otherwise you will never understand Christ or Satan: When Christ saith, wilt thou deny thyself and take up the Cross and follow me; his meaning is, shall I • eal thy carnal worldly heart and life, and bring thee by grace to the sight of God in endless Glory! You will never understand what prayer, and obedience, and holy living mean, if you see not the End, even Heaven conjoined to them. When the Devil saith, to the Glutton, eat also of this pleasant dish; and to the Drunkard, take the other cup, and to the Fornicator, take thy pleasure in the dark, and to the Voluptuous, go to the Play-house, or the Gaming-house; come play at Cards or Dice▪ his meaning is, Come, venture upon sin, and fear not God's threatenings, and refuse his word, and spirit, and grace, that I may have thy company among the Damned, in the fire which never shall be quenched. This is the true English of every temptation. Open thy ears then, and when ever the Devil or any sinner tempteth thee to sin, hear him as if he said, I pray thee leap into the flames of Hell.
§. 41. Tempt. 9. If the Tempter cannot quickly draw men to the sin, he will move them at least to abate their resolution against it, and to deliberate about it, and hear what can be said, and enter into a dispute with Satan or some of his instruments; telling them that it is a sign of falsehood which will not endure the trial, and that we must prove all things. And while the sinner is deliberating and disputing, the v •••• me is working itself into his veins, and sense is secretly undermining and betraying him, and deceiving his mind, br • bing his reason, and seducing his will: Just as an enemy will treat with those that keep a Garrison, that during the treaty, he may send in spies, and find out their weakness, and corrupt the soldiers: So doth the Devil with the sinner.
§. 42. Direct. 9. Remember that it is Christ and not Satan that you are to hear. Truth is strong and can bear the trial, before any competent judge: but you are weak, and not so able to judge as you may imagine. Ignorant, unskillful and unsettled persons are easily deceived be the cause never so clear. If it be a cause untryed by you, it is not untryed by all the godly, nor unknown to him that gave you the holy Scriptures: If it be fit to be called in questim and disputed, take the help of able godly Teachers or friends, and hear what they can say: Matters of endless life or death, are not rashly to be ventured on▪ But if it be a thing past dispute, in which you have been already convinced and resolved, reject the Tempter, and tell him, that you owe him not so much service, as to dispute with him whether you should care for your salvation? Else there will be no end, till you are betrayed and undone: Innocent Eve is deceived when once it comes to a dispute. Be not like Balaam that tempted God, and would not be satisfied with his answer.
§. 4 • . Tempt. 10. Also the Tempter overcometh very many, by making them presumptuously confident of their own strength: saying, Thou art not so weak as not to be able to bear a greater temptation than this? Canst thou not gaze on beauty, or go among vain and tempting company, and yet choose whether thou wilt sin: It's a child indeed that hath no more government of themselves! Cannot thy Table, thy Cup, thy House, thy Lands, be pleasing and delectable, but thou must needs over-love them, and turn them to sin?
§. 44 Direct. 10. O know thy own weakness! the treacherous enemy which thou still carriest about thee, who is ready to open the back-door to the Devil: Remember that flesh is on the Tempters •••• e, and how much it can do with thee before thou art aware. Remember what an unsettled wretch thou art, and how many a good purpose formerly hath come to nothing; and how oft thou hast •••• ned by as small a temptation: Remember that without the Spirit of Christ, thou canst do nothing nor stand against any assault of Satan: And that Christ giveth his Spirit and help in his own way, and not to those that tempt him to forsake them, by thrusting themselves into temptations. Shall ever mortal man presume upon his own strength, after the falls of an Adam, a Noah, a Lot, a David, a Solomon, a Hezekiah, a Josiah, a Peter? and after such ruins of multitudes of professors as our eyes have seen? All these things happened unto them for ensamples, and they are written for our admonition on whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed l •• t he fall, 1 Cor. 10. 11, 12.
§. 45. Tempt. 11. It is a great project of the Devil, and successful with many, to draw them to venture on the s • n, by showing them first the effectual Remedy, the abundant Mercy of God, the sufficient satisfaction made by Christ, the full, and free, and universal promise; that these are sufficient to cleanse the soul of any s • n: therefore you need not fear.
§. 46. Direct. 11. But God is just, as well as merciful; and there are vessels of wrath, as well as vessels of mercy: Judge how God will use his mercy, and who shall have it, by his own word: For he knoweth better than you, to whom, and how far to show mercy. Is the Tempter himself saved, for all God is merciful? And the Gospel hath far sorer punishment than the Law, to the abusers of grace: Christ is the most dreadful Judge to the wicked, as well as the tenderest Savior to his own. There is enough in his grace to save the penitent; but if you will sin upon presumption that grace will save you, you have small reason to think that you are penitent, or ever will be, without a very merciful change: How many can you name that ever were converted and forgiven, that lived willfully in sin, because the Remedy was sufficient? I doubt not but many such have been recalled; but this is not the way to hope: It's a terrible thing to sin deliberately and willfully, because of the greatness of mercy, or the sufficiency of the death of Christ! No man but the Penitent Convert is saved by Christ; and this is clean contrary to penitence and conversion. Christ doth not as Mountebanks, that wound a man to show people how quickly their balsoms can cure him; or make a man drink a Toad, to show the power of their Antidotes: But he cureth the Diseases which he findeth (in believers) but causeth none.
§. 47. Tempt. 12. Also the Tempter telieth the sinner, how certain, and easy, and speedy a remedy he hath in his own power: It is but R • penting, and all sin is pardoned.
§. 48. Direct. 12. 1. Is it in thy power? If so, the greater is thy sin that sinnest more when thou shouldst repent: If it be cas • e, what an inexcusable wretch art thou that wilt not do it, but go on. 2. But Repentance is the gift of God, 2 Tim. 2. 25, 26. And is he like to give it to them that willfully abuse him in expectation of it? 3. As easy as it is, it is but a few that truly repent and are forgiven, in comparison of those that go on and perish. 4. The easiest Repentance is so bitter, that its far easier to forbear the sin: Its better not wound yourselves, than have the best salve if you were sure of it. 5. The Repentance which is caused by mere fears of death and Hell, without the power of Heavenly Love to God and holiness, is but the Repentance of the damned, and never procureth pardon of sin: The Devil hath such a Repentance, as well as such a faith, which will not save him.
§. 49. Tempt. 13. Satan also emboldeneth the sinner, by telling him how many have Repented and sped well, that sinned as bad or worse than this: He tells him of Noah, and Lot, and David, and Peter, and the Thief on the Cross, and Paul a Persecutor, yea, and Manasseh, &c.
§. 50. Direct. 13. But consider whether any of those did thus sin, because that others had scapt that sinned before them. And think of the millions that never repented, and are condemned, as well as of the few that have repented. Is Repentance better than sin? Why then will you sin? Is sin better than Repentance? Why then do you purpose to repent? Is it not base ingratitude, to offend God willfully, because he hath pardoned many offenders; and is ready to forgive the penitent? And should a man of reason willfully make work for his own Repentance; and do that which he knoweth he shall wish with grief that he had never done? If some have been saved that fell into the Sea, or that fell from the top of Steeples, or that drunk poison, or were dangerously wounded, will you therefore cast yourself into the same case, in hope of being saved?
§. 51. Tempt. 14. The Tempter persuadeth the sinner, that it cannot be that God should make so great a matter of sin: because the thoughts of a man's heart, or his words or deeds are matters of no great moment, when man himself is so poor a worm; and whatever he doth, it is no hurt to God: Therefore you need not make such a matter of it.
§. 52. Direct. 14. If God so much regard us as to make us, and preserve us continually, and to become our Governor, and make a Law for us, and judge us, and Reward his servants with no less than Heaven; than you may easily see that he so much regardeth us, as to observe whether we obey or break his Laws: He that so far careth for a Clock or Watch, as to make it and wind it up, doth care whether it go true or false. What do these men make of God, who think he cares not what men do? Then he cares not if men beat you, or r • b you, or kill you, for none of this hurteth God? And the King may say, if any murder your friends or children; why should I punish him? he hurt not me. But Justice is to keep order in the world, and not only to preserve the Governor from hurt: God may be wronged, though he be not hurt. And he will make you pay for it, if you hurt others; and smart for it, if you hurt yourself.
§. 53. Tempt. 15. The Tempter laboreth to extenuate the sin, and make it seem a little one; and if every little sin must be made such a matter of, you will never be quiet.
§. 54. Direct. 15. But still remember, 1. There is deadly poison in the very nature of sin, as there is in a Serpent, be he never so small: The least sin is worse than the greatest pain that ever man selt; and would you choose that and say, its little? The least sin is odious to God, and had a hand in the death of Christ, and will damn you if it be not pardoned: and should such a thing be made light of? And many sins counted small, may have great aggravations, such as the knowing, deliberate, willful committing of them is. To love a small sin, is a great sin: specially to love it so well, that the remembrance of God's Will and Love, of Christ, and Heaven, and Hell, will not suffice to resolve you against it. Besides, a small sin is the common way to greater: James 1. 14, 15. When lust hath conceived, it brings forth sin, and sin when it is finished, brings forth death. James 3. 5. Beh • ld how great a matter a little fire kindleth? The horrid sins of David and Peter had small beginnings? Mortal sicknesses seem little matters at the first: Many a thousand have sinned themselves to Hell, that began with that which is accounted small.
§. 55. Tempt. 16. Also the Devil draweth on the sinner, by promising him that he shall sin but once, or but a very few times, and then do so no more: He tells the Thief, and the Fornicator, that if they will do it but this once, they shall be quiet.
§. 56. Direct. 16. But O consider, 1. That one stab at the heart may prove uncurable. God may deny thee time or grace to repent. 2. That it is easier to forbear the first time than the second: For one sin disposeth the heart unto another: If you cannot deny the first temptation, how will you deny the next? When you have lost your strength, and grieved your helper, and strengthened your enemy and your snare, will you then resist better wounded, then now when you are whole?
§. 57. Tempt. 17. But when the Devil hath prevailed for once with the sinner, he makes that an argument for a second: He saith to the Thief, and Drunkard, and Fornicator, It is but the same thing that thou hast done once already: and if once may be pardoned, twice may be pardoned; and if twice, why not thrice, and so on?
§. 58. Direct. 17. This it is, to let the Devil get in a foot: A spark is easier quenched than a flame but yet remember that the longer, the worse: the oftener you sin, the greater is the abuse of the Spirit, of God, and the contempt of grace, and the wrong to Christ, and the harder is repentance; and the sharper if you do repent, because the deeper is your wound: Repent therefore speedily, and go no further unless you would have the Devil tell you next, It's now too late.
§. 59. Tempt. 18. The Tempter maketh use of the greater sins of others to persuade men to venture upon less: Thou hearest other men curse, and swear, and rail, and dost thou stick at idle talk? How many in the world are enemies to Christ, and persecute his Ministers and Servants, and dost thou make so great a matter of omitting a Sermon, or a prayer, or other holy duty?
§. 60. Direct. 18. As there are degrees of sin, so there are degrees of punishment: And wilt thou rather choose the easiest place in Hell, than Heaven? How small soever the matter of sin be, thy willfulness and sinning against conscience, and mercies, and warnings may make it great to thee? Are great sinners so happy in thy eyes, that thou wouldst be as like them as thou darest.
§. 61. Tempt. 19. Also he would embolden the sinner, because of the Commonness of the sin, and the multitude that commit either that or worse, as if it were not therefore so bad or dangerous.
§. 62. Direct. 19. But remember, that the more examples you have to take warning by, the more inexcusable is your fall. It was not the number of Angels that fell, that could keep them from being Devils and damned for their sin: God will do Justice on many, as well as on one. The sin is the greater, and therefore the punishment shall not be the less. Make the case your own: Will you think it a good reason for any one to abuse you, beat you, rob you, because that many have done so before? He should rather think, that you are abused too much already, and therefore he should not add to your wrongs: If when many had spit in Christ's face or bufletted him, someone should have given him another spit or blow, as if he had not enough before, would you not have taken him to be the worst and cruellest of them all: If you do as the most, you will speed as the most.
§. 63. Tempt. 2 • . •• is a dangerous Temptation when the Devil prop • seth some very good end, and m • k • t • 〈…〉 the 〈◊〉 , or the necessary means to accomplish it: when he blind • th men s • far as t • •••• k t •••• it is necessary t • their salvation, or to other men's, or to the welfare of the Church, or pro 〈…〉 , o • the pleasing of God, then s • n will be committed without regret, and continued in •••• •• 〈…〉 ▪ O • this account it is that •• re •• e, and will-worship, and superstition are kept up •••• . 2. 18, 21, 22, 23. Having a show of wisdom in will-worship, and humility, and neglecting the body. It is for God that much of the wickedness of the world is done against God: Its for the Church a •• Truth, that Papists have murdered and persecuted so many.
§. 64. Direct. 20. Remember that God needeth no sinful means to attain his ends: He will not be beholden to the Devil to do his work: He would not have forbad it, if he would have had you done it. He is never at such a loss, but he can find right means enough to perform his work by: It is a great p •• t of our wisdom which our salvation lieth on, to choose and use right means, when we are resolved on a right end. It's a horrible injury against God, to entitle him to sin, and make it seem necessary to his ends and honor. Good ends will not justify evil actions. What sin so odiou • that hath not had good ends pretended for it? Even Christ was murdered as a malefactor 〈…〉 ds, at least pretended; even to vindicate God's honor from blasphemy, and Caesar from •••••• , and the nation from calamity▪ And his disciples were killed that God might be served by it, •• d ••••• ent troublers of the world taken away.
§. 65. Tempt. 21. He would make us presume because we are God's children, and special grace • a •••• t be wholly l •• t, and we have found that once we had grace; therefore we may venture as being safe.
§. 66. Direct. 21. But many a thousand shall be damned that once thought they had the truth of Grace: It is a hard controversy among learned and godly men, whether some in a state of saving grace do not fall from it and perish: But it is past controversy that they shall perish that live and d •• imp • nitently in willful sin. To plead truth of grace, for encouragement in sin, is so much against the nature and use of grace, as may make you question the truth of it. You can be no su •• r that you have true grace, than you are sure that you hate all known sin, and desire to be free from it. Christ teacheth you how to answer such a horrid temptation, Mat. 4. 6▪ 7. I • th •• • e the Son of God cast thyself down: For it is written, • e shall give his Angels charge over th •• —Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God: Son-ship, and promises, and truth of grace, are incongruous arguments to draw you to sin: and heinous aggravations of sin so committed.
§. 67. Tempt. 22. The Devil • ft most dangerously imitateth the Holy Ghost, and comes in the shape of • n Angel of light: He will be for knowledge in the Gnostics; for Unity and Government in the Papists; for Mortifcation in the Friars; for free grace and tenderness of our Brethren's Consciences in the Liberti •• s▪ for Peace and Mutual forbearance in the Socinians; for Zeal, Self-den • all, and fearfulness of men, and pretended revelations and spirituality in the Quakers; He will be against heresy, schism, error, disobedience, hypocrisy, pretendedly, in haters and persecutors of holiness and reformation. And when he will seem religious, he will be superstitious, and seem to out-go Christ himself.
§. 68. Direct. 22. Kerp close to Christ, that you may know his voice from the voice of strangers: And get • o • y wisdom to try the spirits, and to discern between things that di •••• r: Let the whole frame of Truth and Godliness be in your Head and Heart, that you may perceive when any would make a breach in any part of it. The Devil setteth up no good but in order to some evil. Therefore examine whither it tendeth; and not only what it is, but what use he would have you make of it. And love no evil, because of any Go • d that is pretended for it: and dislike or reject no good because of any evil use that is by others made of it. And whatever doctrine is brought you, try it thus. 1. Receive none that is against the certain Nature, Attributes and honor of God. 2. Nor any that is against the Light or Law of nature. 3. Nor any that is against the Scripture: 4. Nor any that is against Holiness of heart and life, 5. Nor any against Charity and Justice to men. 6. Nor any (about matters to be ordered by men) that is against order; nor any against Government and the peace of Church and State. 7. Nor any that is against the true Unity, Peace and Communion of Saints. 8. N • r any that is certainly inconsistent with great and certain truths. Thus try the spirits whether they be of God.
§. 69. Tempt. 23. The Tempter usually dra • eth men to one extreme, under p • etense of avoiding another▪ causing men to be so fearful of the danger on one side, as to take no heed of that on the other s • de.
§. 70. Direct. 23, Understand all your danger; and mark the latitude or extent of God's commands: and watch on every side: And you must know in what duties you are in danger of extremes and in what not: In th • se acts of the soul that are purely rational about your ultimate end, you cannot do too much: as in knowing God, and Loving him, and being willing and resolved to please him: But passions may possibly go too far, even about God; especially fear and grief; for they may be such as nature cannot bear without distraction, death or hindrance of duty: But few are guilty of this: But towards the creature passions may easily exceed: And in external actions towards God or man there may be excess. But especially in point of Judgment, its easy to slide from extreme into extreme. 2. And you must know in every duty you do, and every sin which you avoid, and every truth you receive, what is the contrary or extreme to that particular truth, or sin, or duty: and keep it in your eye. If you do not thus watch, you will r •• l like a drunken man from side to side, and never walk uprightly with God. You will turn from Prodigality to Covetousness▪ from cruel persecution to Libertinism, or from Libertinism to persecuting cruelty; from hypocritical formality to hypocritical pretended spirituality; or from enthusiasms, and faction to dead formality: But of this I have spoke at large Chap. 5. Part. 2. Dir. to Students.
§. 71. Tempt. 24. On the contrary, the Tempter usually pleadeth Moderation and Prudence against a holy life, and accurate zealous obedience to God: and would make you believe that to be so diligent in duty and s • rupulously afraid of sin, is to run into an extreme, and to be righteous over much, and to make Religion a vexatious or distracting thing, and that its more a do than needs.
§▪ 72. Direct. 24. This I have answered so oft, that I shall here say but this: that God cannot be too much loved: nor Heaven too much valued, nor too diligently sought or obeyed: nor sin and Hell be too much avoided: nor doth any man need to fear doing too much, where he is sure when he hath done his best to do too little: Hearken what men say of this at death.
§. 73. Tempt. 25. The Tempter would persuade us that one sin is necessary to avoid another; and that of two evils you must choose the l • ss: as if there were no other way: Thus James and John did by sinful unch • ritable zeal desire to punish sin, Luke 9. 54. Peter would sinfully fight against the sinful Jews, Mat. 26. 52. Thus he bids men lie to avoid some dishonor to God and Religion; and persecute to preserve the unity of the Church, and keep out sin; and commit a lesser sin themselves to escape a greater.
§. 74. Direct. 25. This is to abuse God, as if he had made that necessary which he forbids, and had not provided you lawful means enough to use against every sin! This is willfully to do that which you pretend you are unwilling to do, even to sin: Of two evils avoid both, but be sure you consent to neither.
§. 75. Tempt. 26. He pleadeth Christian Liberty to entice to sin: especially to sensuality: Hath not Christ purchased you Liberty to use the Creatures? all things are yours. No men but the godly have just title to them.
§. 76. Direct. 26. He never purchased us Liberty to abuse the Creature, as poison to hurt our selves; to hinder Mortification, and strengthen our enemy, and our snare, and to steal away our hearts from God: It's a Liberty from sin, and not a Liberty to sin that Christ hath purchased us.
§. 77. Tempt. 27. He pleadeth the Necessity of Wife, Children, Estate, Life, &c. Necessity makes it Lawful.
§. 78. Direct. 27. There is no Necessity of sinning. He cannot be Christ's Disciple, that thinks it more necessary to save his life, or provide for Wife, and Children than to obey his Lord, Luke 14. 26, 33. God must be Trusted with these.
§. 79. Tempt. 28. But, saith the Tempter, it's Natural to Lust, to love Honor, Ease, Pleasure, &c. Therefore it's no sin.
§. 80. Direct. 28. Nature is corrupted and sinful: And it's Natural to you to be Rational, and to rule your sense and appetite by Reason, and not to do what lust or appetite desireth. Else man is but a beast.
§. 81. Tempt. 29. But, saith the Tempter, Authority commandeth it: It is your Parents, or Masters will, and you must obey.
§. 82. Direct. 29. There is no power but from God: Therefore none against him or above him: They must be obeyed in all things lawful, but not in sin: They cannot save you nor themselves from the wrath of God.
§. 83. Tempt. 30. But, saith the Tempter, you have promised or vowed that you will do it, and are not at liberty.
§. 84. Direct. 30. The vow of a lawful thing must be kept: but if you vow to sin, it's another sin to perform it, and to wrong God or man because you have vowed to wrong him.
§. 85. Tempt. 31. But, saith the Tempter, it is a controversy, and many learned and good men think it is no sin.
§. 86. Direct. 31. You have the more reason to be fearful and cautelous, when you see that the case is so obsure, and the snare so subtle, and are sure that many learned and good men on one side or other are deceived before you: Remember God is your King and Judge; who will not take it for an excuse for sin, that learned or good men did it, or defended it. Consult not with flesh and blood, but with God.
§. 87. Tempt. 32. But, saith the Tempter, will you be singular, and be p • inted or hooted at by all?
§. 88. Direct. 32. In doctrine I will not be singular from the Holy Catholic Church of God: In worship I will not in singularity or schism separate from the Communion of Saints: But in doctrine I will be singular from Infidels and Heretics: and in a holy life I will be singular from the ungodly, and profane, and sensual; lest if I do as they, to avoid their scorns, I speed as they.
§. 89. Tempt. 33. But you are weak, and you cannot help it, till God will give you grace to do it?
§. 90. Direct. 33. Therefore I must not be willful, and negligent, and rash, and do that evil which I may forbear, nor resist and refuse that Grace, and help, and mercy without which I can do nothing.
§. 91. Tempt. 34. But you repent and ask God forgiveness through Christ, every night for the sins of the day.
§. 92. Direct. 34. Repenting is a sorrowful turning of the heart from sin to God. You Repent not if you turn not. To mock God with such Hypocritical praying and repenting is itself a 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈…〉 us si • . Will you take it for Repenting if a man that spits in your face and beateth you, shall d • it every day, and ask you forgiveness at night, and purpose to do it still, because he asked forg • v • n •• .
§. 93. Tempt. 35. B • t every man s • nneth daily: You do but as the best men in the world do.
§. 94. Direct. 35. No true Christian that is Justified hath any sin but what he hateth more than •••• th, •••• d would •• in be rid of, and striveth against in the use of holy means. He hath no be •••• d 〈◊〉 which he would not part with, but had • ather keep than leave.
§. 95. Tempt. 36. But th • se that seem strict and godly are hypocrites and s •• r • tly as bad as you.
§. 96. •••• ct. 36 This is just like the Devil, the accuser of those that are sanctified and justified by Christ, the father of malice and li • s; to charge that on them, which he conf • sseth is se • r • t and he cannot prove. So he said of Job that i • he were touched in his • state or body he would forsake his godliness; but he was found a liar. But be it how it will, I am sure I must be H •• y •• I shall not see God, and if I live after the flesh I shall die: and other men's misery will be no • as • t • me.
§. 97. Tempt. 37. But, saith the Tempter, if you will not sin, come but near it, and do that which i • la •• ul.
§. 98. Direct. 37. Indeed we must not run into a contrary extreme, under pretence of flying far • noug • from sin: But if you keep out of other sin, you cannot go too far from any. To be near sin, is to be near God's wrath, and near that which tendeth to H • ll fire. And to come near it is the c • mmon way of coming to it. He that could wish he might do it, is infected at the heart allr •• dy. K • ep a tender conscience, and a constant sense of the danger of sinning.
§. 99. Tempt. 38. It's a great snare, when sin is got into credit, 1. By putting fair names upon it, • alling • uxu • y and Glu • tony keeping a good house, and a good table; tippling is called, drinking a cup with a friend: Lust and filthiness is called Love: worldliness is called thriftiness and good husbandry: Idleness and loss of Time, is called the leisure of a Gentleman: slothfulness is called, a n • t being too worldly: Time wasting sports are called, Recreations: Pride is called, Decency and Handsomness: Proud revenge is called Honor and Gallantry: Romish cruelty, and persecution, and 〈…〉 ing the Church, is called, keeping up order, obedience and unity. Disobedience to superiors is c • ll • d, not •• a • ing m • n: Church-divisions are called strictness and zeal. 2. Specially if a s • n be not i • dis 〈…〉 among the stricter sort, it greatly prepareth men to commit it, As breaking the Lord's day beyond s •• in many r • f • rm • d Churches: And at home, spiritual pride, cens rious •• ss, ba • k • iting, disobedience •• d Church-divisions, are not in half that disgrace among many professors of strictness, as they deserve, and as swearing &c. is
§. 100. Direct. 38. Remember that what ever be the Name or Cloak, God judgeth righteously, according to the truth: Names may deceive us, but not our Judge. And sin is still in disgrace with God, however it be with men. Remember the comlier the paint and cover is, the greater is the danger, and the more watchful and cau •• lous we should be. It is not imperfect man, but the perfect Law of God, which must be our Rule. The great succ • ss of this Temptation should deter u • from entertaining it! What abundance of mischief hath it done in the world?
§. 101. Tempt. 39. Sometime the Devil tempteth men to some •• ynous sin, that if he prevail not, at l •• st he may draw them into a less: As cheating chafferers will ask twice the price of their commodity, that by abating much they may make you willing to give too much: He that would get a little must ask a great deal. He will tempt you to drunkenness, and if he draw you but to tippling or time-wasting he hath got something. If he tempt you to fornication, and he get you but to some filthy thoughts or immodest lascivious talk or actions, he hath done much of that which he intended: If he tempt you to s • me horrid cruel • y, and you yield but to s • me less degree, or to some unjust or uncharitable censures, you think you have conquered, when it's he that conquereth.
§. 102. Direct. 39. Remember that the least degree of sin is sin, and death the wages of it, Romans 6. 23. Think not that you have scapt well, if your heart have taken any of the infection, • r if you have been wounded anywhere, though it might have been worse. If the Tempter had tempted you no further but to a lustful, malicious or proud thought or word, you would perceive that if he prevail, he conquereth: so may you wh • n he getteth this much by a shameless asking more.
§. 103. Tempt. 40. He tempteth us sometime to be so fearful and careful against one sin, or about s • me • ne danger, as to be mindless of some other, and lie open to his temptation: Like a F •••• r that will seem to aim all at one place that he may strike you in another while you are guarding that: Or like an enemy that giveth all the allarm at one end of the City, that he may draw the people thither, while he stormeth in another place: So Satan makes some so afraid of worldliness that they watch not against Idleness; or so fearful of hard-heartedness, and deadness, and hypocrisy, that they watch not against Passion, neglect of their callings, or dejectedness; or so fearful of sinning or being deceived about their salvation, that they fear not the want of Love, and Joy, and Thankfulness for all the mercy they have received, nor the neglect of holy Praise to God.
§. 104. Direct. 40. Remember that as obedience must be entire and universal, so is Satan's temptation against all parts of our obedience; and our care must extend to all if we will escape. It would cure your inordinate fear in someone point, if you extended it to all the •••• t.
§. 105. Tempt. 41. Sometime by the suddenness of a temptation he surpriseth men before they are aware.
§. 106. Direct 41. Be never unarmed nor from your watch: especially as to Thoughts or sudden Passions, or rash words, which are used to be committed for want of deliberation.
§. 107. Tempt. 42. Sometime he useth a violent earnestness, especially when he getteth Passion on his side: So that Reason is born down; and the sinner saith, I could not forbear.
§. 108. Direct. 42. But remember that the very eager unruliness of your passion is a sin itself: and that none can compel you to sin: and that Reason must deliberate and rule; or else any murder or wickedness may have the excuse of urgent passions.
§. 109. Tempt. 43. Sometime he useth the violence of men: They threaten men to frighten them into sin.
§. 110. Direct. 43. But is not God and his threatenings more to be feared? Do men threaten imprisonment or death or ruin? And doth not God threaten everlasting misery? And can he not defend you from all that man shall threaten if it be best for you? See the portion of the fearful, Rev. 21. 8.
§. 111. Tempt. 44. Sometime variety of temptations distracteth men, that they do not look to all at once.
§. 112. Direct. 44. Remember that one part of the City unguarded may lose the whole in a general assault.
§. 113. Tempt. 45. Sometime he ceaseth, to make us secure, and lay by our arms, and then surpriseth us.
§. 114. Direct. 45. Take heed of security, and Satan's ambushments. Distinguish between cessation and conquest. You conquer not every time that you have rest and quietness from temptation: Till the sin be hated, and the contrary grace or duty in practice, you have not at all overcome: And when that's done, yet trust not the Devil or the flesh; nor think the war will be shorter than your lives: For one assault will begin where the former ended. Make use of every cessation but to prepare for the next encounter.
§. 115. Tempt. 46. He will tempt you to take striving for overcoming: and to think because you pray and make some resistance that sin is conquered: And because your Desires are good, all is well.
§. 116. Direct. 46. But all that fight do not overcome: If a man strive for Masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully, 1 Tim. 2. 5. Many will seek to enter and shall not be able, Luke. 13 24.
§. 117. Tempt. 47. He followeth the sinner with frequency and importunity, till he weary him and make him yield.
§. 118. Direct. 47. Remember that Christ is as importunate with thee to save thee, as the Devil