Temptations, Part 1 · Chapter 4 · Section 3

Temptations · Part 1 · Chapter 4 · Section 3

p. 43SECT. III.

Of mixt Tentations wherein Satan joynes with us, and wee with him.

THE next are ſuch Tentations, wherein either Satan begins to us, and wee pledge him, or wee begin to him and hee joynes with us; when wee by diſcontent, or other inward motion, as by offering our ſelves to ſome outward occaſion, expoſe our ſelves; then wee doe light a candle to the divel, then we begin: but when Satan doth make the offer, by moving the fancie with thoughts within, or by propoſing ſome object without, and wee entertaine him, then he doth begin to us: theſe waies are ordinary, and it is but rare that the divell will not interpoſe. Hee dogs us up and downe, and waites upon p. 44his opportunities, by ſin to devoure us; and now becauſe we ſin few ſins where Satan hath not a hand, and Satan ſeldome ſets upon us indeed, but more or leſſe wee hearken unto him: therefore underſtand, all that follow to-bee meant of thoſe Tentations where luſt and Satan joyne hands, the cheefe hand is from our ſelves, the principall lyes in our owne luſt; without us Satan could not have his deſire; but wee may and doe finiſh many ſins without Satan: the cauſe of thoſe ſins is in us, whereof the occaſion is from him, and ſo we finde that people of God in the confeſſion of ſins (we have in the word) doe never ſo much as touch upon the divell, as knowing that to bee but a bare excuſe. Indeed Eve who had not then her heart wrought upon, put off all upon the Serpent, but the Saints charg all on themſelves. David was p. 45by very importunity of the divell wonne to number the people;2 Chro. 21. 1.2 Chr 21:1 the Text ſaith, Satan provoked him: but yet we ſee when hee comes, to confeſſe, not a word of Satan▪ but al is his own, I have ſinned greatly, I have done very fooliſhly, Lord forgive the iniquity of thy ſervant. When the Saints were to ſpeake of the ſins of others, it is often found, that for their encouragement they make Satan an agent: he is not then left out: as Chriſt rebuking Peter, Mat. 16. 23Matt 16:23get thee behind me Satan, becauſe Chriſt ſaw, Satan was too hard for Peter, and wrought him to it: and ſo Paul, leſt Satan tempt you for your incontinency. But when men are on their owne ſins, all is laid on their owne con-nate luſt, nothing ſaid of Satan: he perſwades us we yeeld, the amends is in our owne hands. Now the better briefly to unfold the nature of theſe tentations, I meane to deliver p. 46my ſelfe in theſe ſhort Queſtions.

1. What a Tentation is.

A tentation is the moving of a man to ſome ſin, either by or without the ſenſes with a reaſon to enforce it: it is when luſt and Satan doe ſuggeſt, perſwade and inſtigate a man to the committing of ſome ſinne, with ſome ſhew of reaſon. Every thing is as it is received, that is, a reaſon which is ſo taken, elſe ſin can have no true reaſon for it: who can imagine that there is any reaſon in it, for a man to doe that which in its nature and deſert caſts away his ſoule and body for ever: but yet the tentation would never take, except man, a reaſonable creature were brought over by ſome reaſon in appearance.

Paul cals ſinners abſurd and unreaſonable men:2 Theſ. 3. 22 Thess 3:2 neither can they give a reaſon for any ſin they commit, but becauſe our p. 47apprehenſion is corrupt, and the …culty of diſcerning is loſt,Exod. 1. 10Exod 1:10 therefore Satan may with eaſe put fallacies upon us:The new King ſaid, Come, let us deale wiſely. and under a colour of dealing wiſely, leade us into a fooles paradiſe. Our onelyonly way is then to beleeve,Yet every oppreſſor is a ſoole, Pro. 28. 1… ▪Prov 28:1 that there can bee no reaſon given for ſin; and that it is nothing but very skill in our great adverſary to let in his poyſon.Iſa. 1. 16.Isa 1:16 Come and let us reaſon with GOD, and not with the divell: and then wee ſhall ſoone eſpie the folly, that is in reaſoning with luſt and Satan. Sometimes wee are tempted to ſin, and when wee once yeeld then we are tempted for ſin to doe this, or that, becauſe wee have thus ſinned: when a man is once in a ſin, then we are apt to fall into tentation of diſcouragement or worſe: that now it is impoſſible to get out, I might have kept my ſelfe when I was well, but now there is no hope p. 48it is in vaine now to ſtrive, and ſo the tentation is made a ſnare, or elſe to find ſome end by ſome other wicked courſe and fearefull enterpriſe, to breake out of ſin by ſome other ſin, and this indeed is all the reaſon that is for ſinning.

Who are ſubject to be tempted.

No man free, our Apoſtle ſaith, [Every man is tempted being drawne aſide, and entiſed by his owne luſt.] The beſt men are often tempted, and that when they are at the beſt: Satan was neither aſhamed nor afraid to ſet on the LORD IESUS himſelfe; his malice is mighty towards the godly, and if hee can but get one of them downe, he is made, he hath enough by the end to weaken the hearts of weaker Chriſtians, to diſcredit the Goſpell; and the beſt men are apt to be lifted up and carried away with ſome pangs of ſpirituall pride, and then they p. 49are in a foule way for one tentation or other, there is as Satan thinks ſomething to be had thence. Theeves rob not outhouſes where there is nothing but dung or ſtraw, the godly have in them the riches of the ſpirit, gold and ſilver, and that makes the divell to carry an evill eye to them, and he is ever ſicke to ruine ſuch a Chriſtian; and God who ſits Moderator in all our tentations, orders all according to his holy wiſdome; if he ſuffer ſuch to be tempted, it is for their good, to let them bloud to purge their choler, to fit them for himſelfe. Pyrats ſet not on an empty Veſſell, but on Merchants laden as deepe as they can ſwimme. Doe not dreame that any perfection ſhal priviledge thee frō being tempted: thou that art a ſpirituall man, conſider with thy ſelfe leſt thou be alſo tempted, and ſo tempted as overcome; that p. 50muſt be the Apoſtles meaning, No man can ſay when he is tempted that hee ſhall not bee overcome, Gal. 6. 1.Gal 6:1in and by the tentation: He then is wiſeſt that doth keep off tentations all hee can; and that way goes S. Pauls exhortation: Hee that thinkes that hee is ſo good that hee ought not to bee tempted, or ſo ſtrong, that hee need not feare to bee tempted, hath need of a tentation, that by experience in himſelfe hee may prove what hee ought to have found in the word, that of our ſelves wee have no ſtrength, that our goodneſſe is not our owne.2 Cor. 3. 5.2 Cor 3:5 Watch and pray ſaith Chriſt,Ioh. 15. 5.John 15:5 leſt yea fall into tentation. Non ait ſine me de…iClius poteſtis facers: ſed ait, ſine me nihil poteſtis facere. Concil. Milevit. cap. 5.Leade me not, muſt every Chriſtian ſay, into tentation; of our ſelves and of others, wee muſt not Iudg raſhly, as though either wee or they were not good, becauſe frequently and greevouſly tempted; every man whilſt hee hath luſt in him p. 51and divels about him, muſt bee in his armour, have all in a readineſſe, ere he be a day elder; a ſtorme may come: Ship-men when in a calme, or at an haven, uſe to looke to their tacklings, make all ſure againſt a tempeſt: no grace, no place can exempt any living wight: wee muſt take our turnes and it is our beſt to bee arming and preparing; what ever is paſt, all is not paſt, a thouſand to one the fits will come againe. He went away from Chriſt but for a ſeaſon,Luk. 4. 13.Luke 4:13 and after a ſeaſon hee came to him, and will to us: the elder wee grow becauſe wee have moſt faith, the more (uſually) and the ſtronger are our tentations; when we are ſeaſoned wee heare of thoſe tentations which we had no acquaintance w^th when we were green;1 Cor. 10. 13.1 Cor 10:13 we ſhall not have more, but we ſhall have as much as wee can beare, we muſt bee put to it to p. 50the very backe, and after ſome greater matter done, either for us or by us: it is common for to heare of Satan, as inaa2 Chron. c. 18.2 Chr 18 Iehoſophat, he fell; ſo didbb2 Chron. c. 16.2 Chr 16 Aſa after God had done great things for them; and when Peter made thatccMat. 16. 16.Matt 16:16 noble confeſſion,ddMat. 16. 22, 23.Matt 16:22Matt 16:23 Satan begins to be both bold and buſie with him preſently. Make a ſtand then; as we may and muſt fly from the outward occaſions yet from our luſts within,Eph. 6. 4.Eph 6:4 or our ſpirituall enemy without; wee neither may, nor can fly, except we flye to heaven.

How Tentations to unnaturall ſinnes, may bee ſaid to come from our owne luſts.

A man is to expect if hee live out his daies, to be urged to all ſinnes: to the breach of every branch of every one of the ten Commandements, he is like to runne thorow them all, more or leſſe; and for his faith, Luſt and Satan cannot abide faith, and p. 53we muſt arme our ſelves for all aſſaults that way, wee ſhall bee put to it, in reſpect of every Article of our Creede: Satan and our owne luſt will try, whether they can bring us, to queſtion all the Articles concerning God, concerning Chriſt, or concerning the Church. All ſins are in a ſenſe againſt nature, as nature was and ſhould be: theſe are ſo called becauſe they are againſt natures law, as nature is. Vid. Aquin. in Rom. 1.Rom 1But for ſinne againſt nature, it is not ſo eaſie to ſee how our owne luſt may bee ſaid to move, and to entice us to them: I may ſay, that all our tentations if they may be let runne, will become unnaturall, they will end there in ſomething, which is unnatural touching God; as Atheiſme and Blaſphemy; or touching men, as others or our our ſelves,Rom. 1. 26.Rom 1:26 as unnaturall killings, ſelfe murthers, pollutions againſt nature, paſſions of diſhonour and the like: Satan hath no naturall affection in him, nor luſt (as luſt) hath none neither: Satan hath no naturality in him, for he loſt all p. 54in his fall: the law of nature was not given to him, hee was not to hold order and termes of civillity and humanity amongſt men, and therefore there was not uſe of any ſuch law to bee given to him. All wee can ſay of him, is, that Satan is kept under, held in awe by God, reſtrained by feare within, and ordered by Gods providence without; it is awe, not naturall law that keepes Satan within bounds. Man hath indeed in him naturalneſſe, but luſt which is our Originall ſin, hath no naturall affection in it: ſome ſins then are called unnaturall, becauſe they are againſt the law of nature in us, which law of nature is no part of Originall ſin; for in it ſelfe it is good and the very unwritten law of God, which law of nature as it is now in us, doth neither ſee nor greeve at all ſinnes, but only at ſome greater ſins, which ſins p. 55are therefore called unnaturall. In every man there are two things;Vid. Sclater on Rom. p. 170, 171. the law of nature is one,Ames Theolog▪ l. 2. c. 2▪ Sect. 15. Originall ſin the other; for the law of nature ſome ſay it is a relique of the old Image left in Adam, This law of Nature tho it bee good in it ſelfe, yet in us it is no part of our Regeneration, nor of our New man.I thinke not: for then man in Adam loſt not all the Image of God, then in man by nature there is ſome peece of goodneſſe, but the frame of mans heart is onelyonly evill.Vid. Twiſſe Vindie. … lib. 3. errat 8. Sect. 11. There is none that doth good, no not one, wee are all together become filthy. Then it would follow that man brings w^th him of his own into the world,Vid. Scla. o… Rom. 1. v. 31Rom 1:31 the ſeeds of vertue,Gen. 6. 5.Gen 6:5 ſome roots of goodneſſe,Pſ. 14, 1. 3.Ps 14:1Ps 14:3 which is Pelagianiſme,Contr. Collator: c. 27. Sclat. of Tythes pag. 171, 172, 173, 174. and condemned by the Church of God. The ſeeds of vertue are not (ſaith Proſper) in the ſoule of man,Morton Appeale l. 5 c. 17. Sect. 2. Sclat. of Tythes p. 171, 172, 173, 174. becauſe they are utterly loſt in the firſt ſin of Adam, neither can wee come by them, except GOD who firſt gave them, reſtore them againe;Feild Appendix part 2. Sc. 6. p. 54▪ I thinke rather p. 56to ſay, that in things uſefull to hold in the wild luſts that be in man,Vid. Harris Serm. on the Covenant. pa. 15. GOD preſently after all was loſt by the fall, (all and every peece of the Image of God) I ſay to maintaine diſcipline amongſt men, GOD planted in the heart of all mankinde, an inward law, checking many ſins againſt God, but more againſt men; and accordingly GOD hath made a fuller and greater revelatiō to nature in the things of the ſecond Table, than in the firſt: and what elſe is meant by the phraſe, where ſpeaking of the power of nature, to ſee into the booke of the creature, it is ſaid, God ſhewed it unto them, viz. by the law and light of nature which God hath given to all men, as men; they ſhewed it not to themſelves, God is ſaid to ſhew it unto them. Now then to come home to ou… point Sins againſt nature are ſuch, as are againſt the law of nature: p. 57luſt hath in it all ſins; and when it is ſo great and breaketh out ſo groſſely that nature cries ſhame of it, why then wee call that ſin an unnaturall luſt a ſinne againſt nature; which ſinnes have their roote in Original ſin, and would ſhew themſelves and appeare were there no divell, albeit herhaps not in that manner and meaſure: as wee ſee ſome men who cannot bee ſaid to bee haled to it by the divell, but onelyonly by their owne wicked luſts, who when their luſts are in, care no more for wife, children, friends, brother, father, than they doe for a dog; are moved no more with the teares of their owne bowels, than with the whinening of a pigge. Let luſt alone, and without any help from Satan, it will make a man give over to bee a man: ſhake off all humanity, go beyond all ſhame, all ſenſe, put off all naturall affection, deliver p. 58a man up to obdurate heart, not diſcerning betwixt good and evill, either in morall or naturall reſpects,Rom. 1. 17.Rom 1:17 as Paul ſhewes; how ſome men put off all manhood,Deu. 23. 18Deut 23:18 become dogs,The price of a Dog, id eſt of a Buggerer. Iun. & Deodare in Loc. yea worſe than dogges; for dogge with dogge uſeth not to commit filthineſſe, and ſome women ſhaketh off all woman-hood alſo:foreign Phocil. for there is no who with luſt, for were it not for the watching providence of God over us, and the reſtraining power of God with us, and the law of nature in us; men would fling out into all kind of wickedneſſe, there would bee no being, no living amongſt men; we would all bee ſuch fooles as to thinke with our hearts, and ſay with our mouthes there is no God. Originall ſin, hath all Atheiſme in it: there will bee nothing but murther amongſt us:Pſa. 14. 1.Ps 14:1 Husband would kill the wife; and wife the husband, father p. 59ſon, ſonne the father; brother, brother, Caine, Abel, our houſes and townes, would bee full of parracides, and fratricides, and men would doe execution on themſelves as common as might be: oh the bottomleſſe depth of Originall ſin! Our own luſt is a fearefull murtherer, it comes immediately from Satan at the firſt, and he is a murtherer from the beginning. Ioh. 8. 44.John 8:44Men would bee Wolues, Homo homini Lupus.Beares, Tygers, Divels, one to another: neither would any ſhame keepe men and women from monſtrous adulteries, moſt infamous uncleaneneſſe, Inceſts, Rapes, Beaſtiality, what not? Looke wee what is in any man, that is by nature in the heart and luſt of every man, were it not for God reſtraining, and natures law curbing: ſhould our Originall ſinne be drawne forth and let out, we ſhould all doe as Caine did, as Abſalom did, as p. 60Ammon did, as the Sodomites did; for what ſin ſoever is forbidden in the Word, and hath bin ever practiſed in the world, that ſin every man carries in his boſome:2 King. 8 13.2 Kgs 8:13 there is no man but is of himſelfe a dead dogge; for why ſhould God forbid that in the word to all, if the nature of all were not ſubject to it? Beſtiality (the fouleſt ſin) is forbidden to thee as well as to any other;Lev. 18 23Lev 18:23 therefore it is in thy corrupt nature,The morall law was indeed given immediately to Moſes: but Moſes ſtood as a common father, and was then and there every man repreſentative. as well as in the nature of any other: Beſides wee are cut all out of the ſame cloth, we are al alike in the guilt of Adams ſinne, one man hath not ſinned more in Adam than another, and therefore our Originall ſin being the penalty of Adams ſin, muſt needs bee one and the ſame in all; where the cauſe is juſt the ſame,Maiemonid in more Nevochim, part 2. c. 33. there the effect muſt needs bee the ſame, Originall ſin then by nature is no more, no worſe, in p. 61one than in another; it differs not ſo much as Magis & minus: In ſome what by reaſon of the tempter of the body, education, occaſion, tentations, influences of Gods providence, and chiefly by reaſon of the liberty of mans will, (man having his will at ſome command to ſin,) I ſay by reaſon of that and other things, luſt is drawne forth more in one than in another, and more to one ſinne than another, and that breakes out in the life of one, which doth not in another: but as the plot of all diſeaſes lyes in the humours of the body, ſo for certaine in the luſt of the ſoule: there is in all a kinde of proneſſe, a very aptitude to the worſt of ſinnes. I know that the power of man is finite, and no way able to runne upon divers horrible impieties in all extremitie at once, chiefly ſith many ſinnes in the act doe croſſe one another, (though all p. 62concurre in the Roote as in a Common Center) but yet now one then another: there is no ſinne under heaven, but man is ſubject unto, by turnes chiefly; ſhould the LORD give Satan leave to blow the fire, and to baite our luſt, man would preſently ſhew himſelfe in his colours, and ſinne many diveliſh ſins: That which is ſaid is true, that there is no ſin, ſo bad, ſo baſe, ſo unnaturall, but mans nature is, if no enclinable to it, yet capable of it: If the ſin bee but ſo,Adrian the Emperour canonized Antinous his Catamite for a God Spartian. in Adrcano Iulian: in Caeſaribus. ſo, an ordinary crime, that then our nature is inclinable to it: but if moſt unnaturall and moſt abhorrent from the principles of nature, yet wee are capable of it in ſome degrees: Luſt is of it ſelfe paſt ſhame and paſt ſenſe;Tertu. Apol. c. 13. The like did Alexander for his boy Epheſtion. Iuſtin hiſt. l. 12. I may adde that though at firſt ſin againſt nature ſit not with us, taſt not of our nature by reaſon of that law and light that is in p. 63us; yet after a little ſpace, when luſt hath overcome the law of nature,Alii morboſi vel ex conſuetudine quem-ad modum pilorum evulſiones, & ungnium eſus, praeterea vero Carbonum & terrae. Adhaec autem libidin…ſorum concubitus cum ma…ibus: aliis enim quidem natura, aliis vero ex conſuetudine contingunt utii qui aſſueti fuerint a pueris. a man is as ſicke after ſins againſt nature, as hee was after common ſins and worſe, for the greater and fowler a ſin is, the more headlong is our luſt after it, wee being by Originall ſin, moſt eager after thoſe tranſgreſſions which are worſt: an ordinary ſtomacke is moſt (of it ſelfe) earneſt after uſuall dyet that is wholeſome; but wee ſee a cuſtome brings children to eate coales, and an humour in the ſtomacke, makes young women eate leather to chooſe, and what more uſuall, than for breeding women to luſt after ſuch things which would make the ſtomacke of another to riſe:Ariſt. Eth. l. 7. c. 5. ſo I may ſay, that as long as our luſt is kept in, and held downe, it is for ordinary faults, while the law of nature can rule it againſt the force and cunning of Originall p. 64ſinne, ſuch unnaturall, paſſions ſeeme to finde ſome Antipathy in us; but when by cuſtome, occaſion, or tentation, luſt ſhewes it ſelf and the light of nature can doe little, why then man is not onelyonly capable of unnaturall ſins, but inclinable to them, and more impudent and impotent that way than after other ſinnes. As wee ſee Ammon is ſick after his owne Siſter, an unnaturall crime, and hungers more after her than ordinary; and Caine had rather kill his owne brother than any man elſe in the world had there bin any. Many are more mad after Hee luſts,Gen. 19. 8. 9.Gen 19:8Gen 19:9 who care not for Shee luſts: as in Sodome we ſee Lots daughters were not worth the looking after, they muſt know the men; they went after ſtrange fleſh ſaith Iude, ſtrange in their Sex and kinde, ſo Paul ſaith Rom. 1. 26. that women (more ſhamefaſt and modeſt by nature than p. 65men) did not care for the naturall uſe which they had lawfully,V. 7. Non ſolum jure ſed natura fiet. but changed it into that w^ch is againſt nature; thus we ſee delights againſt nature are (when Originall luſt is let out) more looked after than naturall;Quod dicit mutaverunt naturalem uſum ad habentes illum ſpectat Chryſ. in loc. our corrupt affections are not more capable of, but more inclinable at laſt to unnaturall ſins, which they did ſtare at at the firſt: as long as the law of nature doth fight it out againſt Originall ſin and can carry it,1 Cor. 6. 1.1 Cor 6:1 we love not to heare theſe ſins named, but when nature in the Law of it is ſuppreſſed and our luſt rules all,Rom. 1. 29Rom 1:29 no ſinne in ſuch requeſt as ſome unnaturall ſinne or other,Non dicit quoniam, a maverunt aut de…ideraunt ſed exarſerunt Chryſ. in loc. theſe paſſions of fedity and diſhonour doe then burne, as it is in Saint Pauls Engliſh: Wee reade much of Ganimedes, and the jeſt went of Nero and his Sporus; that it had beene well for the world,Sueton in Neron. c. 29. if Domitius Neros father had had no other p. 66wife: In a word, a man whoſe Originall ſinne is kept in order, doth but hunger after ſins of ordinary quality: but when nature is out of office and luſt doth all, men will then long after unnaturall luſts: Paſſions worke more ſtrongly the wrong way, and the ſtreame is moſt ſwift, when it is not in the right channell. And in the other paſſion of bloud, how men do put off all naturall affection wee ſee it; for men are more cruell (when they take) to their own children, their owne parents, than to any enemies, aye the fire of a mans unnaturall ſins are not ſatisfied, but with a mans owne bloud; and many thinke to lay this divell by killing themſelves, who have not a thought of murthering any body elſe. Oh that men could once come within ſight of the depth of their owne luſt! Man would then learne not to bee ſo bold p. 67with occaſions of ſin againſt nature; what if at firſt nature doth even ſpit at them? yet if once they fire and take, they worke ſtrongly and come with a greater ſwing of delights than naturall ſinnes doe, and therefore I would we could learne as to be humble for our Originall ſinne; ſo to thanke GOD for keeping us and ours, that thoſe unnaturall courſes have not bin, and broken forth in our perſons or houſes to our ſhame and ſcandall, as have bin done in houſes and families of better than our ſelves: And to pray that God would keepe us, as from all other, ſo from taking after unnaturall paſſions. What if wee have grace? yet ſith theſe ſinnes are not ſins againſt the holy Ghoſt, tis poſſible for good people to bee infected with them: as long as we have Originall ſin, we want but occaſion, and a tentation, p. 68and Gods permiſſion, and then we fall; ſith Originall ſin is the ſame it was, and was at firſt the ſame it is now: there bee perhaps new actuall ſins, becauſe never drawne out into practiſe before,Bonav…l. 2. D. 33. a. 2. q. …. et. 2. but no new Originall ſin, Originall ſin is but one, and it is the ſelfe ſame in kind and degree, in all perſons and at all times: It may and doth in ſome beare new fruites; but it never had, nor hath, nor ſhall have new rootes: it ever had in it the rootes of all ſins, and it can never have but the rootes of all. Wee muſt ever ſtand bound to the goodneſſe of our God, who hath ſo kept us hitherto that we have not broken forth into more and into worſe ſins than we have. There is no abhomination ſo prodigious, but our Originall ſinne would quickly water at it; it is his meere favour alone, who hath kept us and our families from occaſions p. 69of ſuch ſins, or ſuch occaſions from us. Bleſſe God then, that Caine hath not killed Abel in our houſes: that Ammon hath not defloured our Tamar, that our Abſalom, hath not been the death of his brother Ammon; …, that our brother Abſalom hath not ſought our lives alſo; that Reuben hath not gone up to his fathers Couch. What are we? what are our fathers houſes, that we have beene preſerved in our houſes from ſuch ſcandalous ſins? are we better? are wee ſo good as theſe fathers were? Should God ſit ſtill, and the law of nature ſtand ſtill and looke on, and let our Originall ſin, our luſt within ſhew it ſelfe? the next would be ſin upon ſin; againſt Scripture, againſt Nature, no Bonds, no Bounds, would hold us worſe and worſe ſtill; with greateſt violence we ſhould long after the greateſt ſins, and the end would be a reprobate p. 70ſenſe, from the which good Lord deliver us.

The Summe is, that the cauſe why wee feele not ſuch proneneſſe to the ſin againſt nature is, not becauſe Originall luſt is not as prone in it ſelfe (if not more prone) to thoſe ſins as to others, but becauſe there is by God for neceſſary cauſes a law of nature ſuperadded to Originall ſin in all mankinde, holding us off from ſuch unnaturall paſſions, which law of nature doth ſuffer when ſuch ſins are committed,Aq…in. in Rom. 1. Lect. 8. Dicuntur paſſiones, ſecundum quod proprie paſſio dicitur, ex eo quod aliud trahi…ur extra ordinem ſuae naturae, puta cum aqua cale…it, aut cum homo infirmatur.Rom 1 and therefore the Apoſtle fitly cals them Paſſions; as water ſuffers when it is made hot, and therfore as long as the law of nature is not ſuppreſſed, a man is not patient about ſuch luſts: But when our luſt hath gotten the better of natures law, then to what ſins are ſuch men more eager, than to thoſe? Therefore ſuch luſts are by the Apoſtle ſtiled, the luſts of their p. 71aaRo. 1. 24.Rom 1:24owne hearts. We ſaid with St. Paul that God doth deliver men into a reprobate ſenſe, and then they fall into ſuch luſts. Here a doubt may ariſe, whether ſuch ſins are done onelyonly by thoſe who are Reprobates, ſith one would thinke, that this Reprobate ſenſe were onelyonly in Reprobates, and therefore ſo named.

This is I confeſſe out of my way, yet becauſe I would not ſtumble any mans conſcience, I am bold to ſpeak a word to the point, and the thing I affirme is, that unnaturall ſinnes are done ſometimes by ſuch as are no Reprobates: and I thinke there are many reprobates, who nein all their lives committed and acted theſe ſins. It is a fearfull eſtate to be caſt by God into a reprobate ſenſe; and the danger is ſo much, that hee is not himſelfe, who dares to venture on ſuch rocks becauſe ſome p. 72onelyonly eſcape. There is no ſin (except the ſin againſt the holy Ghoſt) but an elect perſon may commit, all ſins elſe may ſtand with the grace of Election, but this reprobate ſenſe, is not that ſin againſt the holy Ghoſt what ever it bee; what ever a man may repent of may ſtand with our eſtate in Chriſt. Now to ſay that this is a condition which admits not of repentance is hard, neither can it be proved, and 1 Cor. 6. Inſtance is given in one of the worſt of all unnaturall ſins, and yet the Apoſtle ſaith, Such were ſome of you, and they were Elect, repented, and are now in heaven: GOD forbid then, that we ſhould bee ſo ſ…uer to the conſcience of man, as to thinke that all thoſe Rom. 1. and all others like to thoſe who are in Gods Iuſtice for a time given up to a reprobate minde, are paſt all hope of reconciliation and ſalvation. p. 73There is a ſacrifice for thoſe ſins,Heb. 10. 26.Heb 10:26 ſome have gotten out of that eſtate and others may. It is then called a Reprobate minde; not becauſe it is the minde of none but Reprobates; but becauſe ſuch have in regard of their preſent condition,Sclat in Rom. 1. 28. Aquin. in Rom. Lect. 8 Dicitur Reprobus ſenſus, quo aliquis reprobandum judicium habet de agendis, ſecundum illud, 2 Tim. 3.Rom 1:282 Tim 3 a mind (as one ſaith) rejected, diſallowed, abhorred of God; yet not a mind paſt all hope of cure and recovery, or if you will a minde as another ſpeakes worthy of reprobation, making choice of matters reprobated: Wee have a phraſe in St. Paul, That Chriſt is in you, Homines mente corrupti, reprobi circa fidem, Cajetan. in Loc.except you bee reprobates: but ſuch are in ſuch an eſtate, that except they get Chriſt into them, it is all one with them as with Reprobates;2 Cor. 5. 13. 5.2 Cor 5:132 Cor 5:5 they are (as it were) for the pre…ent in the ſtate of reprobation for any goodneſſe that is in them, but Reprobates they are not, and as Beza notes, the ſcope and diſpute of the Apoſtle p. 74will not beare this ſenſe, ſith hence hee proves that no man can be juſtified by the law of nature, becauſe it is in all men to breake the law of nature, and that the Apoſtle proves by this, that all men, except GOD ſtay them, all run on to a reprobate minde, by a reprobate minde then he will have meant a mind, going againſt the dictates of conſcience, and the principles of Nature, out of which eſtate it pleaſeth GOD to call ſome to grace: God doth call in ſome that are caſt farre behind hand by their ſins; and therefore we muſt not ſay that there is ſuch a point of ſinning, that no man doth ever come backe from it againe, for no man goes ſo far but hee might have done worſe and gone farther; and therefore when and where can one fix the meaſure to reſt, that a man going ſo farre can never come to good againe? There is a fullneſſe p. 75I know of ſinning which ſome muſt come unto, ere the Iudgement can come on them; but that all who fill up ſinne or ſins to the height are Reprobates, or that none are reprobates, but ſuch as make up the extremity of ſinning I deny: for the conſcience muſt have ſome where to reſt, and to pitch a degree of ſinning, that hee that comes not to that degree may repent, and returne: hee that comes to that degree of ſinning and may not returne, would trouble the wit of the acuteſt Diſputer in all the world.

Neither doth indeed the Greeke word properly carry the ſenſe of one caſt away, but of one reproved; not as contrary to the word Elect, but as contrary to the word reproved: ſo Paul uſeth it, 1 Corin. 9. 27. Leſt I my ſelfe be a Reprobate, that is, reproved; for Paul knew full well by confeſſion of all Papiſts, p. 76that hee neither was nor could be a Reprobate,Vid. Rittez. in Salvian. pag. 10. and the learned Borgius expounds foreign the Reprobates minde to be a minde, that no man hath cauſe to glory in, but rather to be much aſhamed of, which is indeed the right and full ſenſe of the Greeke word.Artic. 36. Contra. L… ther Roffenſis therefore is in an uncomfortable errour; who writes, that when a man is hardened as Pharaoh was, or given up to a Reprobate ſenſe, as thoſe of whom Saint Paul ſpeakes, were; that God doth caſt them off for ever without ever tendring to them the offer of his grace again: that God doth forſake ſome ſuch is true, but that hee doth forſake all ſuch (which is his aſſertion) is falſe. And ſundry learned amongſt the Papiſts have a dreame; that when a man comes to ſuch a number, and ſuch a meaſure of ſinnes, then God is bound in Iuſtice, not onelyonly not p. 77to give him (though that were too much) but to deny him favour and grace ever after, aud ſo (ſaith Abulenſis) it is all one as though ſuch a man were already actually in hell.Quaſt. 12. in Exod. 4. Cajetan. jentac. 8, q. 1.Exod 4 This unſound and unſafe opinion is alſo confeſſed to be held by great Divines amongſt them, as by Tapper in art.De lib. Arbit. Medin. l. 3. de recta in deum fide c. By Dried. de Captiv. cap. 3. vid. To caſt all into a briefe; I ſay that God is not bound to give place of repentance unto diſpiſers and breakers of his covenant. 2. Hee may in Iuſtice abſolutely deny it them,Valcut. To. 2. Diſ. 8. q. 3. punct. 4. and many times doth: as to Caine, Gen. 4. 11. to Eſau, Heb. 11. 17. to Corah and his complices, Num. 16. 27. to Ananas and Zaphira, 2. 2. q. 2. art 5. ad 1.Acts 5. 5. and infinite others, … ſaith Aquinas, God (if he will) may doe it, for no ſin, but for to puniſh Originall ſinne onelyonly. 3. God doth give place and time, and the grace of repentance to moſt indurate ſinners, and to ſuch as p. 78for the juſt guerdon of ſome former ſins have bin given up to a reprobate minde, and albeit ſuch bee farre ſpent, yet they are not paſt cure, the diſeaſe doth admit of a remedy, the ſin is not the ſin againſt the holy Ghoſt, it is pardonable by a kinde of violent worke of the Law and Goſpell, by a ſtrong and compacted force of the Spirit of God, ſuch hurts are ſometimes cured, and ſuch ſinnes are healed; and therefore to avoide the blow of Satans tentations that we are in a reprobate mind and therefore paſt all remedy: Let us ſay,Ezek. 10. 2.Ezek 10:2 yet there is hope in Iſrael concerning this ſin; repent wee and returne and God will ſhew us mercy. For though God may leave ſuch a man utterly in his ſins, yet that he muſt and will give men up, when their ſins are come to ſuch or ſuch a paſſe: is a Doctrine fit for none to teach but Papiſts, p. 79whoſe religion was and is, as Luther once noted, a Slaughter-houſe of the conſcience of man.

Queſt. On Gal.What be the remedies againſt tentation.

They are either Generall, or elſe Particular, for ſome certaine caſes, as for the Generall, there are Rules to be obſerved; ſome before, ſome in, others after the tentation.

Generall Rules and Remedies for prevention before.

All I cannot, neither would I if I could, the chiefe are:

1. Beware of ſpirituall pride, the diſeaſe of ſuch as have ſomething to be proud of: for when men grow into a big conceite of themſelves, then there needs a tentation to pricke the bladder. Swelling in the body is a dangerous Symptome, tis no leſſe ominous to the ſoule: for if once wee come to pleaſe our ſelves with our well doing, the p. 80heart preſently ſwels up into a puffe of ſpirituall pride, which is the greateſt enemy to the free grace of God, that is; which ſpirituall pride is uſually cured w^th a ſpirituall fall. See in the ſtories of the Saints in the bleſſed Bible, and we ſhall finde that their pride of ſpirit hath ever likely had a fall; it was for the pride of wit that thoſe Rom. 1. were given over to paſſions of diſhonour:V. 21. 22. walke humbly with thy GOD and feare nothing. What was in Adam, Gen. 3. 5.Gen 3:5is rife in us ſtill; yee ſhall bee as gods was his diſeaſe and it is ours ever after.

2. The next thing wee muſt ſee to is,Mar. 14. 38.Mark 14:38 Security, and here the precept is, Watch: When men thinke there is leaſt danger, then the danger is greateſt; ſin and Satan are ever watching their oportunities, which is, when we watch not: and is it not fit ſin and Satan ſhould bee p. 81let looſe upon us, to feare us out of our ſecurity, and chiefly ſuch luſts as fire the conſcience. A man in a ſwoone muſt wee know bee rubbed and chafed, and ſome ſtaring luſts which will trouble the ſpirits of a man and chafe his very ſoule, are a fit of burning fever to cure this ſpirituall Lethargie. Security will ruſt us, undoe us, and eate out all that good is out of us, and if the word will not doe it, nor a croſſe will not worke it; then comes a ſharpe tentation to ſee what that will doe, and if any thing will firſt awake, and then humble the drowſie and ſleepy heart of a man, it is ſome vexing ſin or other.

3. Wee muſt not abuſe any mercy what ever it be, for that bringes in a tentation: hee that will not uſe lawfull things lawfully, it is juſt with God that hee ſhould, and ten to one hee ſhal fal into the unlawfull act of p. 82the thing abuſed. Bee it Wife, or Name, or Goods, or any mercy, if wee abuſe it and doe not uſe it aright: the next is to bee ſet upon with ſome act of ſin in the matter it ſelfe. What ever wee enjoy, if we enjoy it not holily and thankefully, we ſhall bee ſore tempted about it, in one ſinfull veine or other.

4. Looke not diſdainefully on any ſin in another, bee the ſin what it will, bee the ſinner who he will, our nature ſtands not free from the ſame, we are ſubject to that very malady and to puniſh us for looking upon the fals and faults of others with ſcornes; firſt or laſt wee are like to bee tempted to and with the ſame offence, that we may learne to know our ſelves, and to bee more mercifull to others,Gal. 6. 1.Gal 6:1 againſt another time. A common thing for a man out of paſſion, not compaſſion, to let flye at anothers ſins to day, p. 83and to fall, or bee ready to fall into the ſelfe ſame ſin to morrow. We find that we are ſollicited to a ſinne, that we never yet from our youth felt any motion too till now; to let us ſee, that we beare about us not only the rootes of thoſe ſins which our complexion hath enclined us unto, but alſo of thoſe ſinnes wee never thought of, nor dream'd of, that ſo wee may learn to conſider others in their corruptions with meekeneſſe to day, ſith it may bee our caſe to take their turne to morrow.

5. Keepe off from us, and our ſelves off from all occaſions of any ſinne, to ruſh into harmes way, is to tempt our ſelves, and to tempt Satan to tempt us. He that will dare to runne into the mouth of any ſin, he doth conceit that hee is free from that ſinne, and the next newes hee heares is, to heare of that very ſin, that he may know by experience p. 84what a creature man is;keepe and doth not he who ventures on occaſions of ſin, take himſelf free from the danger of that ſin? whereas the very deed is, that the man who doth dare to venture on the occaſion of ſinne, ſhewes that there was in the heart an implicite likening of that ſinne, though hee neither thinke it nor feele it, but rather dreame the contrary; for when the occaſion is once afoot, then preſently comes in mighty provocations to that ſin, and then the hidden corruption opens and manifeſts it ſelfe: it is our wiſdome as we would ſhun ſin to avoid all occaſions of all ſins whatſoever: For if wee will not keepe our ſelves from the occaſion, God will not keepe us from the ſin; and if God do not keep us, we cannot be kept, we cannot, we will not chooſe but fall.

6. Keep all our armour about p. 85us, and put ſin and Satan out of hope: the divell is wiſer, than uſually to tempt where he hath no hope to ſpeed. Iudah went about an honeſt buſineſſe:Gen. 28.Gen 28 yet becauſe hee tooke not his armour with him in the morning, he fell ere night: we muſt carry our Antidotes about us, becauſe wee walke in places that are infectious; and chiefly we muſt ſee to our matters in ſins wee are given unto, if to pride, then goe not where faſhions are, without a commiſſion and weapon; if wee be apt to quarrell, goe without a ſword, and when we have not our weapon about us, wee ſhall not bee ſo tempted to brawle; if to the luſt of unelcanneſſe, come not neere the doores of her houſe, and that will keepe our hearts free, having our hearts ſtill an end full of ſerious meditation of the preſence of God Almighty; ſith our nature is ſo apt to p. 86be tempted by our luſt, and we are ſo ſoone afoot after every ſin, that like children wee had rather be in the dirt than in the cleane: have wee not cauſe to looke after theſe directions, and ſuch as theſe are, that we may not be lead into tentation; that our luſt may not draw us aſide frō God, and entiſe unto evill.

2. Rules for the remedy in the Tentation.

To him that would know what hee is beſt to doe, when the tentation is come or comming, we preſcribe him to follow this order.

1. To make a right uſe of it.

2. To get by good meanes out of it.

For the uſe to be made of the Tentation, doe thus. 1. Know that the tentation is ſuffered to come upon us by God for our humbling, whether it bee to commit a ſin, or, to deſpaire for ſome ſin committed, when it p. 87is to ſome fault, as in this caſe moſt times it is, which is againſt our mindes and to the trouble of our ſoules: God he knowes that if any thing under heaven will humble us, this will doe it; what elſe will ſo gaule and cut the heart of a Chriſtian man? what elſe will ſo ſet us a praying, a whining, a watching, a faſting? this hee ſee, will even vile a man in his owne eyes, and make him baſe to himſelfe: this will ſeaſon and fit us for Gods building, and the uſe wee are to make of it, is; to ſee our ſelves what we are, and to looke up to Chriſt Ieſus: God ſees and wee muſt ſee: that wee cannot well come to heaven without ſuch a purge and therefore wee muſt joyne with God, make his end, our end: hee doth it to breake us and humble us, and wee muſt humble our ſelves: humbly our ſelves ſaith St. Iames, Iam. 4. 10.Jas 4:10and God p. 88will exalt us; it is to humble us and doe us good,Deu. 8. 16.Deut 8:16 when? In the latter end ſaith the Text: this is not done in a day; and therefore we muſt waite Gods time: It is a plaſter and it muſt lye on ſome time, if God meane us any good, the tentation ſhall not over ſtraight, but hover and hang about us ſome long time, ſome good ſpace. GOD doth drive out one naile with another, Pride with a tentation of Luſt, but this is not done in an houre, if it be ſomewhat long a doing, yet it is worth our while. Let us ſtay and waite upon God from whom commeth our humiliation: the cauſe of a tentation is pride, the uſe of the tentation is to take away our pride: there is great diſpute which is, and which is the way to finde out our maſter-ſin, but when all is done, pride is the maſter-ſin in all. Wee all hold of Adam in Capite, pride was the firſt and p. 89and great ſin in Adam, and ſo it is in all his ſee, wee had our luſt from him; He his from the Angels; the ſinne of ſins in the Angels was pride;1 Tim. 3. 6.1 Tim 3:6 it gave them their fall;Auguſt. in Pſa. 58. Caput Omnium peccatorum ſuperbia.Ps 58 ſo it was in Adam, it gave him his fall, and ſo it is in us. There is we ſay in trees a maſter-roote,Aug. tract. 25. in Ioan. Evang. and that roote in Originall ſinne is no other than pride; indeed there is in moſt ſome other particular ſtreame and vaine, which carries, one, one way, another, another; ariſing from Complexion, Education, Condition and other cauſes and occaſions, which often varies as the temper of our bodies, and the order of our eſtate doth change; and this yeere it is one ſin, ſeven yeere henc (as every ſeven yeere there is a ſenſible change in the humour of the body) it is another, when poore it is one, when rich it is another ſin; but that ſin of all ſins which goes thorow all the p. 90race of man kinde is pride, the univerſall and general Captaine, Sin, in all the world: Vnbeleefe may have that name and be well called our maſter-ſin, in reſpect of our Iuſtification, inſtrumentally taken, becauſe it hinders our union with Chriſt: but the chiefe ſin, which is our greateſt morall vice, and carries the greateſt ſtraine and power with it in reſpect of ſanctification, is this ſame ſin of Pride, and ſpirituall pride is the pride of all prides, all other ſins doe a kind of homage to pride, as to their king and Lord.De Civit. Auſtine hath it, that the Romans did forbeare many vices that carried ſhame with them,Dei. lib. 5. cap. 12. and did many commendable acts,Lib. 4. in Iulian. c, 3. and all to ſerve their ſin of of vaine-glory: andaaVal. Mar. l. 4. 26. Lev. l. 26 Scipio by name andbbAlexan. vid Plut. in Alex. others, did abſtaine from that which their nature would have beene right willing to have enjoyed, and all to keepe their name, and to p. 91maintaine their credit, and outward reputation amongſt men: ſo that all other ſins doe as it were vaile to this, and therefore God may bee ſaid to reſiſt all other ſins, but this ſin he reſiſts afarre off;Pſ. 138. 6.Ps 138:6 he cannot abide the ſight of it, and ſo wee ſay that God doth uſe to give us up for ſome time, in ſome meaſure, to ſome baſe tentations, he lets out ſome vile corruptions and why? but all to take down this ſin of pride; it is ſay wee all little enough to humble us: affliction without the true ſight and ſound feeling of ſome of our corruptions will not doe it: a man is then humble, when hee is humbled before his Originall ſin, and amonſt all the bitter fruites of that curſed luſt, pride is chiefe, and doth play the Rex amongſt the reſt: other ſins that wee (ſpeaking from feeling) doe call our maſter-ſin or ſins, our predominant luſts p. 92are but made uſe of by God to humble us, and to eate out this dangerous ſinne of pride; and therefore it cleares it ſelfe, my thinkes to ſay, that this ſinne of pride is in every man his cheefeſt ſin, ſith other beloved ſins are let to have their ſwing in men, all to maſter, this Maſter of ſins, our pride. The uſe then that wee are to put our tentations unto when they come, is: to humble our hearts, to abaſe us, to pluck away the feathers of our pride.

2. The next uſe wee are to make of our tentation, is; that we ſee a mercy in it whatſoever it be, if wee feele nothing but what is common to man, and others have had and have the like, we muſt learne to beare it with a kinde of impatient patience; why ſhould not wee beare what others beare, what are wee? is our nature better than others? here muſt bee a p. 93kinde of content, elſe it is like it will be worſe yet, elſe as yet, we are neither truly nor ſufficiently humble:Phil. 2. 3.Phil 2:3 it muſt teach us to thinke better of others,Vere exiſtimemus aliquid occultum eſſe poſſe in alio quo no bis ſuperior ſit. than of our ſelves; and wee muſt learne to render thanks to God, conſidering what our deſerts are,Aug. 83. Quaeſt. q. 71 and what our nature is; that we are no worſe, that wee are broken out no more.

3. The laſt uſe is, that we muſt conſider a providence in it, in that we are kept from ſinning, by being tempted for ſin, God doth ſuffer us to fall into the thoughts and affections, that ſo we might not fall into the outward deed and action of ſinne: better have a motion in the wil, than the will and the deed too; the will is taken for the deed in good things, but not in ſinne, for that Gods accepting and rewarding our good deeds, comes out of his grace and favour; it is a matter of mercy & drawes p. 94out of the merits of Chriſt, and therefore God may, and doth many times take the hearty will and deſire for the deed: but in ſin it is not ſo, for there the puniſhment is according to the deſert, and merit of the ſin, it is more or leſſe, as the deſert of the ſin is more or leſſe; now there is more guilt in the act and will too, than is in the will alone: evill workes really deſerve puniſhment, and the puniſhment is never more than the guilt that is in the ſin, and therefore the will is not ſo bad as the deed: There be more degrees of malice and evilneſſe in the act, than in the purpoſe alone, and therefore of the two, it is better to have it in the affection within, than in the act without, too chiefly when the thoughts be ſuch as we cannot abide, doe not allow, but abhor; we fall ſooneſt into the outward act of that ſin, which thruſts in p. 95upon us on a ſudden whereof wee felt not the drawing tentation firſt within: had David bin haunted with peſtilent and violent ſuggeſtions & motions to adultery and murther, he had then felt thoſe corruptions to have beene ſtrong in his fleſh; his care then would have been, to have beene earneſt with God by prayer, to be pardoned, healed and preſerved; and ſo hee had found ſuch ſtrength, that hee would not, nor ſhould not have done thoſe faults: what if we finde that wee doe loath ſuch luſts when they begin to fire? yet we muſt not ſtay there as though it were impoſſible that wee ſhould ever fall into the ſinnes themſelves: David would have taken it in as much ſcorne as another, had one ſpoken before to him as touching adultery and murther; our diſliking the inward motion, is not thorow enough, except it p. 96bring us on our knees and beg of God, that it proceed no further,Tentari & in Tentationem non inferri non eſt malum imo etiam bonum eſt, hoc enim eſt probari. and ſo we ſee by accident, it is a mercy to be held under ſome ſuch profitable tentations, and wee muſt make this mercy of it: that the tentation drive us to God, to keepe us from finiſhing the ſin it ſelfe:Aug. l. 2. de bono perſev: c. 6. Non nobis exped it eſſe ſine tentationibus, necro gemus Deum ut non tentemur, ſed ut non inducamur in tentationem. Aug in Pſa. 73.Ps 73 our tentation muſt bee a meanes of our prevention, we muſt take it as a warning peece to arme us againſt falling into the foule fault it ſelfe.

The ſecond maine branch, is, how we ſhould get the tentation off, and draw our ſelves out of the ſnare, and here we are to ſhow what wee muſt not doe, and then what we muſt doe.

1. We muſt not diſpute with ſin nor Satan: Satan when they came to arguing; was too hard for our firſt parents in their innocency, when they had wit at will, and their reaſon, at command, and now that wee are as p. 97we are, we looſe all if once wee begin to enter into diſputation with ſuch an old Sophiſter and crafty fox as Satan is; and our owne luſt is the greateſt, both deceiver and diſtembler in the world.Greeneham. He (as one ſaith) ſhootes with Satan in his owne Bow, who thinkes by diſputing and reaſoning to put off Satan, our reaſon is corrupt, and on his ſide, and it will betray us into his hands.

2. Wee muſt not flye away from Satan, a run-away never makes a good concluſion of his tentations from Idolatry:1 Cor. 6. 8. 10. 14.1 Cor 6:81 Cor 6:101 Cor 6:14 and from Adultery and Fornication wee muſt flye:1 Tim. 6. 11. Flye theſe things.1 Tim 6:11 ſuch ſins are beſt conquered by flying,2 Tim. 2. 22.2 Tim 2:22 and we are to hold our ſelves from all occaſions of all ſins whatſoever,Flye alſo youthfull luſts. when and where we may doe it without offending of God;Libidinem fugiendo ſuperare. but from the divell it is neither poſſible nor lawfull to flye from him;Vid. Aug. De honeſtate mulierum▪ not poſſible becauſe p. 96duplicate page p. 97duplicate page p. 98the divels are exceeding many,Eph. 6. 13.Eph 6:13 and they are ſpirits and there can bee no flying from them;Iam. 4. 7.Jas 4:7 nor lawfull, becauſe wee are bid to reſiſt him,1 Pet. 5. 9.1 Pet 5:9 and therefore forbid to flye from him, and then againe, becauſe it is a kinde of ſervice done to Satan, a yeelding to him ſome kinde of worſhip,VVhen Satan ſeeth his threatnings to be feared, then he terrifies more and more, ſuch as are terrified already Luth. on Gal. ſith that it is to feare him; and we are commanded to feare GOD, and not the divell. A feare there is granted, ſo as to ſend us to God, and to the uſe of Gods meanes: but ſuch a feare as to make us run, (a fainting feare) is unlawfull and dangerous; and after a ſort a ſerving of Satan the deadly enemy of the Lord Iehovah.

Make the caſe thus, a man is on juſt occaſion alone, by himſelfe, aye in the darke too, and hath reaſon ſo to be: now ſinne and Satan let flye at him with their fiery bloudy dartes; here wee muſt not runne, not avoid p. 99the place, it is a kind of ſerving Satan, and a yeelding to the divell, God is angry with it, and it is often the way to great danger; what if by this ſhifting the roome, we finde eaſe for the preſent, yet it is but his skill, like a lightening before death, it leades us ſecurely into the hands of the ſame or ſome other tentation? what muſt wee doe?Eph. 6. 14.Eph 6:14 Even ſtand it out, hold there, as we have a calling to be there, what if wee quake? better quake, than ſerve Satan, better tremble every veine than ſin, better dye in the place, than flye from the place, becauſe it is a flying from Satan, and hee that in this ſenſe flyes from Satan for feare, ſeemes to diſtruſt Gods providence on him, for that particular.

Thus far for what wee muſt not doe; now next is, what we muſt do, and here we have many things, the heads are theſe.

p. 1001. The firſt thing is beleeving;Eph. 6. 16.Eph 6:16 get faith (ſaith Paul and then wee ſhall quench all the fiery darts of the Divell. Our faith will doe wonders if wee apply the victory, that Chriſt hath made over Satan for us; what if wee bee Cowards,In Chriſto tu tentaberis—Si in illo nos tenati ſumus, in illo nos Diabolum ſuperamus, Aug. in. Pſa. 60. Chriſtus Diabolum vicit & pro te vicit, & tibi vicit, & in te vicit. Aug. in Pſa. 49.Ps 60Ps 49 yet Chriſt did not play the Coward; His victory Mat. 4. was ours, and for us: Hee ſtood in our place, plaid our prize, beate Satan to our hands: His glorious triumph over Satan, is a kinde of ſatisfaction for all our yeelding ſo much, aye, too too much to the divell: what if Satan beate mee may a Chriſtian, ſay, yet I paſſe not; ſith my Chriſt in my ſtead, for my part hath beaten Satan all to peeces: In him my head, I have long ſince beaten ſatan hand to hand, hee is then to mee in him (my Captaine) a very vanquiſhed enemy: thus faith makes his victory as touching the price of p. 101it ours, as though we our ſelves had in our own proper perſons, conquered Satan, and beate the Divell. The next thing that we muſt doe by our faith, is, to take Chriſt Ieſus, and ſet him againſt the Tempter, why? Becauſe there is ſcarce any tentation wherein Satan is not: the divell hath put ſome of you in priſon: Get thee behind mee Satan; Rev. 2. 10.Rev 2:10the divell is uſually in it then:Mat. 16. 23.Matt 16:23 We are then by faith to ſet Chriſt againſt Satan: wee are not of our ſelves ſo weake in the hands of Satan, as Satan in the hands of Chriſt; turne him then over to CHRIST, and let Chriſt alone with him; faith will be ſatisfied with none elſe, nothing but Chriſt; and faith is ſaid to be our victory, which neither hope nor charity are ſaid to be,1 Ioh. 5. 4.1 John 5:4 becauſe it doth make Chriſt ours, who is our victory over ſin and Satan both. Faith is not content with the preſence p. 102and aſſiſtance of an Angell neither, except the Lord Ieſus be there himſelfe:Exo. 33. 2.Exod 33:2 for God did promiſe to ſend an Angell with his people, and to drive out the Canaanite and the reſt of that Crue,ver. 3. but hee himſelfe would not goe: the people of GOD were no way content with an Angell, they tooke no comfort in this;V 4. this was ſaith the Text,Deus iratus dioere videtur tu & populus tuus,—alioquin dixiſſet Tu & populus meus. Aug. Queſt. 149. Super Exod. Tom. 4. evill tydings, they mourned and put on blacks, like a loving wife; ſhee muſt have her husband; what do you tell her of ſending a truſty ſervant along with her, nothing will content her but her husband. So when our faith is ſet on worke, it makes us but ſicke to tell us of an Angell, except we may have Chriſt Ieſus alſo, him or none; and therefore wee are not ſafe except we doe and can by faith lay faſt hold on Chriſt Ieſus, and ſet up him and his power againſt the gates of hell and p. 103powers of darkeneſſe. Say an Angel bring ſtrength with him yet an Angell brings no merits, nor that authority with him. Faith muſt have one to ſide it with us againſt Satan, who hath abſolute command over Satan, and merits to make amends and payment to God for all our ſins, (that way) now theſe concurre in none but Chriſt, and ſo we finde that no ſubſtitute, no not an Angell will ſerve, but Chriſt muſt bee ours by faith and by a living faith wee muſt take him, and make him our Buckler and ſword againſt the Divell and his Angels: If Chriſt doe but ſay the word, the Divell himſelfe is ſaid, his tentations dye. To him then who is our refuge and our ſtrength, no creature is to be our refuge, becauſe none can be our ſtrength,Pſa. 46. 1.Ps 46:1 but if wee reſt on them, ſay, on the Angels themſelves,Vid. Aug. in Loc. they will prove our weakeneſſe; but p. 104Chriſt Ieſus the Lord our righteouſneſſe, he will be ſure to be our ſtrength. Say I of my ſelfe, am as weake as water, but in Chriſt,Phi. 4. 13 made mine by faith, I am ſtrong,Lu. 10. 18 can doe all things, can, and ſhall, and will beate downe Satan himſelfe; like lightening from heaven, and treade downe the divell under my feet:Ro. 16. 20.Rom 16:20 but when?Mat. 23. 37.Matt 23:37 Shortly,Aug. in Pſa. 62.Ps 62 Through whom? Through the God of peace, ſo ſaith St. Paul. Let the divell and his angels be unto us as a Kite; yet as long as wee may ſuccour our ſelves under the wings of the Lord Ieſus Chriſt, wee are ſafe, wee are ſure. The laſt remedy that wee have by faith, is, to learne us to rely on that promiſe, that if we fight wee ſhall conquer. The promiſe is, that if we reſiſt Satan ſtedfaſt in the faith, he will flye.Iam. 4. 7.Jas 4:7 Beleeve then that we ſhal overcome; and we ſhall overcome: we are more than Conquerers, p. 105as the Greeke is: We doe over-come; other fighters fight firſt,Rom. 8. 37 foreign.Rom 8:37 and then conquer; but we through faith in Chriſt are ſaid to overcome before we fight, and ſo we are more than Conquerors; this is to be more than a Conqueror, to be ſure of the victory before one fight. Beleeve, and proſper; doe, but by faith ſay it ſhall be ſo, and it ſhall be ſo.2 Chro. 20 20.2 Chr 20:20 A man ſhall not preſently conquer: a man he is to fight with, though he doth beleeve that he ſhall conquer him, becauſe there is no promiſe made by GOD that hee ſhall, there is no covenant paſt betwixt God and us to that end. But now GOD hath ſaid the word, wee have him faſt in a Bond; that if wee fight againſt Satan wee ſhall conquer Satan, reſiſt him and he ſhall flye; war againſt ſin, and ſin ſhall dye: I ſpeake not of preſumption, but faith, when a man hath grounds p. 106for it, uſeth GODS meanes in Gods ſight. Have wee not a command to pray? Lead us not into tentation: If a command, then it is attended with a promiſe; that he that prayes not to bee lead, ſhall not bee lead into the tentation; wee are bound then to beleeve, that following Gods wayes, wee ſhall not bee lead into tentation:Iohn. …. 4. Faith is our victory, and nothing but faith, becauſe it is not hope, but faith which apprehends and applyes the promiſe. Wee ſee then that Saint Paul ſpeakes to great purpoſe, when he cals upon the Epheſians above all things,Eph. 6. 16.Eph 6:16 to get faith and the uſe of faith, to quench not ſome, but all the fiery darts of Satan: reaſon can do nothing; as it is naturall, it is in vaine, and doth no good; the tentation is a ſpirituall thing, reaſon, a naturall weapon: now a naturall thing, can have neither ſtrok nor force p. 107againſt a ſpirituall, and therefore reaſon is a falſe weapon; and as our reaſon is carnall, it is a ſecret friend to Satan, takes part with him againſt us,The weapons of our warfare are not carnall, but mighty, how? Through God. good ſtuffe for a man to thinke to conquer the divell, with a wiſdome which the Apoſtle ſaith is diveliſh: How diveliſh? Becauſe it hath the divell for its damme;2 Cor. 10. 4.2 Cor 10:4 wee muſt not then conſult with fleſh and bloud;Iam. 3. 15.Jas 3:15 downe with reaſon, away with our owne wit, let faith doe all, elſe faith will do nothing; faith never workes ſo well, as when it workes alone: And is it no more, but beleeve the promiſe, and is Sathan gone? No, no more: and muſt wee have all we beleeve? all and more too. All, for it is with us according to our faith, as Chriſt ſaid to the beleeving woman of Canaan; a beleever ſhall have what he will.Mat. 15. 28.Matt 15:28 More than, we beleeve, becauſe wee ſhall have beyond p. 108our faith; above what wee are able to aske or thinke,Eph. 3. 20.Eph 3:20 and that abundantly too. How ſo? muſt we not have a promiſe and faith for all? I anſwer and ſay, wee have more than wee have faith for, in the particulars; a world of matters ther be that come to our hand, that we did not know of nor thinke of in the particular; yet nothing but what wee have faith for, one way or other, if not in the particular, yet in the generall, viz. we beleeve that wee ſhall conquer all the tentations we ſee, and all others wee neither ſee nor feele, ſuch as we doe know and thoſe wee doesSith wee have this in us, that if we did know them we would aske them and doe, do our diligenc to know them. not know of, wherein a kinde of implicite faith is ſufficient, thus and then wee aske nothing, but what wee have faith for, one way or other. In the generall, we aske in the general, and we have many things whereof wee have no faith for in the particulars. Vp then and p. 109bee doing, worke it out by having and uſing our faith; Satan flyes at the ſight of faith, there is ſuch an Antipathy betwixt Satan and the faith of a Chriſtian, that faith no ſooner comes in place, but Satan is gone: Other graces have their uſe, and place to reſiſt the impulſions of the divell; ſome one, ſome another,Eph. 6. 16.Eph 6:16 but faith as Paul ſhowes, doth quench all; I ſay, all the fiery darts of the divell, becauſe it doth take in Chriſt Ieſus with all his merits, Value, Virtue and Power. And thus much for the firſt meanes to get out of tentations which is by Beleeving.

2. The ſecond is by Reſiſting.1 Pet. 5. 9.1 Pet 5:9 Reſiſt ſaith Peter, Iam. 4 7.Jas 4:7how reſiſt?Reſiſt the divell and he will flee … not onelyonly run, but flye. Stedfaſtly, how ſtedfaſtly? In the faith, and what then? why then Satan will flye. The Apoſtle ſhowes us in another phraſe:Eph. 6. 14.Eph 6:14 Stand, ſaith hee, and then Sathan hee fals. It is not here ſaith Chryſoſtome, as it fares p. 110w^th wraſtlers; for there except we caſt down our adverſity, we conquer not: here wee conquer Satan, if hee caſt not us down, we are then (in acceptation) as though we did caſt him down: alas Satan is quelled, and as it were caſt downe and killed already; he is too far in hell ever to come out againe; Satan can looke for no crowne, hee is in perdition, his aime is to caſt us downe into the ſame deſtruction he himſelfe is in;Iud. 1. 6.Judg 1:6 ſo that if we doe reſiſt and but keepe our Stand, this is our conqueſt: we muſt not looke for a greater victory than is to bee had in this world. That which troubles ſome with diſcomfort, is, becauſe no ſooner doe they begin to reſiſt, but it is rather worſe with them, than it was before, theſe conſider not that it will be thus: for if we will let ſin and Satan alone, they will let us alone, ſleepe in ſinne, and ſpare p. 111not, we may have quiet enough, and come by degrees to be paſt feeling: but reſiſt wee ſin and Satan, and the divell will play his part, to hold his hold: hee is a ſtrong man, and will not out except hee be forced; now poſſeſſion by force, wee know is with ſome ſtir, ſtruggle; ſin will, and muſt, when we labour to caſt the old man off: (it will) becauſe it is now a dying; and all dying things, that dye by peeces, as ſin doth reluct and ſtruggle, and ſtirre for life (it muſt,) becauſe elſe a godly man would not ſo well diſcerne the going out of ſin: the Candle blazeth moſt, & ſtinketh worſt when it burnes in the Socket; and ſo it fares with ſin, when it is towards it's laſt.

There is a double death of ſin: one in reſpect of the guilt of ſinne, which then is killed when we have our pardon, this is in Iuſtification; and when we p. 112beginne to get our pardon, the Conſcience is more out of quiet, greater ſtirs being there, than when wee ſate ſtill and did nothing that way: But when the pardon is had once, then the conſcience is alive, ſin is dead, and our hearts are at quiet; being juſtified by faith, wee have peace with God. The other death of ſin, is in reſpect of the power of ſin, and this is in our ſanctification, and this wee meane chiefeſt here: when a godly man ſets about it to kill up and dry up this running diſeaſe; the plucking out of the weapon, the removing of the guilt of ſin, is done on a ſudden; but the healing of the wound, the mending of the languor, is done gradualy, now a little, and then a little: and when a man is come to abhor his luſts; then he hath given his ſin it's deaths wound as touching the power of it, & ſo on; now ſome, & then p. 113ſome, ſinne doth dye more and more. Now when a man can once come to reſiſt ſinne, hee is dead to ſin both wayes; to the guilt of it, and to the power of it: for had hee not the pardon of it, he could not reſiſt it: had hee not ſome power againſt it, hee could not reſiſt it: Now looke how much power we get to reſiſt it, ſo much power ſin loſeth. And now becauſe ſin will not give ground, and loſe the Field, without fighting and ſome oppoſition; hence it is, that when wee begin to reſiſt, ſin and Satan make (to feele to) the greater head,Rom. 6. 2.Rom 6:2 and wee take our caſe to bee the worſe,Delectationes carnales nobis illicite multa ſuggerent, quibus non conſentimus ſed tamen non conſentiendo contendimus, Aug. in Pſa. 64.Ps 64 wee cannot ſleepe in a quiet skinne here, except wee will ſit downe here by Satans fire, for if wee once goe about to get off from him, hee will not loſe us ſo, but ſome ſtir he will make; but we muſt live by faith, and know that Satan is going, and ſin is a p. 114dying. When the divell went of out of the mans body, he tare him and puld him miſerably; he would not take his far-well, but he ſhould feele it: ſo when wee doe by prayer conjure and charm him out of our ſoules he will make all the hurly burly he can,So. Iſa. 26▪ 16. Prayer is in the Hebr…. called foreign Id eſt a Charme.Isa 26:16 when he is going out; but bee of good heart, our faith doth aſſure us, that there is never a prayer we make, nor act of reſiſting that we doe uſe, but gives Satan a knock, and ſin a mortifying blow: when ones hands do ake for cold, yet when wee come firſt to the fire, the fingers ends ake worſe; which makes children cry when they firſt come to the fire; the cauſe is, becauſe the heat doth draw out the cold, to the utmoſt parts and ends of every finger: like to this it is that our ſinnes doe make us ake worſe; when firſt wee bring our ſelves to the enlightning and healing ordinances p. 115of God, our ſinnes then are drawne out more, therefore they vex more; wee doe ſtirre them more, and therefore they ſtinke worſe; wee ſee them more then, and are troubled at the ſight of them I confeſſe. But yet, ſo as a man is at the ſight of many huge enemies, whom yet hee knowes that through the helpe of his Captaine, by fighting, he ſhall beate and conquer: by reſiſting and fighting what ever we ſee and feele at firſt, wee doe and ſhall conquer ſin and the luſts thereof, and ſave our ſelves from the tentation of the divell. Some queſtions may here come in by the way.

Quest. 1. When luſt is ſufficiently reſiſted.

Anſ. Some kind of faint reſiſting may bee made by generall and common graces; and ſome againe, againſt ſome ſins by the law of nature; but for p. 116the reſiſting that proves effectuall and is againſt all ſin, as ſin is againſt the written Word and Law of God, it is done by faith and ſaving grace, and by the Spirit of GOD giving luſt ſuch a wound, that let Satan lick it all hee can, it never recovers nor comes to it ſelfe againe. Should we take the word (ſufficiently) in a legall ſenſe; then while we breath we neither do, nor can reſiſt ſin, but it may be, and it ought to be, more and better reſiſted ſtill: but if we take it in an Evangelicall ſenſe, ſo as to be ſure that our ſin is dead at the heart, (as ſome trees be that yet carry boughs) that we may bee ſure that wee are in Chriſt: here I ſay, that a man hath ſufficiently reſiſted ſin and Satan, when he doth not allow the ſin, when he doth no way conſent to the tentation. Some expreſſe it by a diſtinction, and ſay, that if a man doe not allow infirmities, p. 117and doe not live in the practiſe of groſſe ſinnes, then all is well and there is comfort enough to bee had, to ſtay our thoughts againſt the day of refreſhing: as a little will ſtay the ſtomacke for a time; ſo will an aſſurance that wee have broken the heart of ſinne, binde in our hearts from deſpaire. The anſwer which is made hath this ſenſe in it: that if we allow not infirmities. 2. If wee doe not practiſe groſſe ſins, then there is ſufficient reſiſting as touching the maine: That there is a difference betwixt infirmities, and preſumpuous ſins is not to be denied;Pſa. 19. 31.Ps 19:31 it is expreſly in the holy ſcripture.Praeſumptuoſus peccat, non aeſtimando nimis miſericordiam Dei: ſed contemnendo juſtitiam ejus. Aquin. 22. q. 21. a. 2 ad. 2. Papiſts ſay that the man who doth a mortal ſin, is not in the ſtate of grace: But for venials a man may commit (in their Divinity) who can tell how many of them, and yet be in Chriſt for all that: I hope there is no ſuch meaning in any p. 118of our Divines as to tye up mens conſciences, to hang on ſuch a diſtinction of ſins, ſith it is beyond the wit of man, to ſet downe a diſtinct point betwixt mortall and veniall ſins; now when it is an impoſſible matter punctually to ſet downe to the underſtanding of man; which is, and which is not a veniall ſin; they muſt pardon mee from giving the leaſt way to ſuch Divinity, as muſt needs leave the conſcience of man in a maze and Labyrinth. I finde that the nature of infirmities doth ſo depend upon circumſtances, that, that is an infirmity in one man, which is a groſſe ſin in another; and ſome men pleade for themſelves, that the things they doe are but infirmities: He that will ſin, and when hee hath done will ſay (not to comfort his ſoule againſt Satan) but to flatter himſelfe in his ſin that it is but an infirmity, for p. 119ought I know, he may goe to hell for his infirmities: Beſides, if that be good, that a man who is in grace may doe infirmities, but not practiſe groſſe ſinnes; Then I would I could ſee a man that would undertake to finde us out ſome Rule out of the word; by which a ſinner may finde by his ſin, when hee is in Chriſt, and when out of Chriſt; at what degrees of ſinning, where lies the Mathematicall point and ſtop, that a man may ſay, thus far I may goe and yet bee in grace, but if I ſtep a ſtep farther, then I am none of Chriſts. Wee all know that ſinnes have their latitude: and for a man to hang his conſcience on ſuch a diſtinction, as hath no rule to define where the difference lyes, is not ſafe Divinity. The conſcience on the racke will not be layd, and ſaid with formes and quiddities; the beſt and neereſt way to quiet p. 120the heart of man, is to ſay that be the ſinne a ſinne of infirmity when we ſtrive and ſtrive; but yeeld at laſt; or, of precipitancy, when we be taken in haſte, as he was, who ſaid in his haſte, all men are lyers; or, a meere groſſe ſin in the matter: aye, ſay it be a preſumptuous ſin, yet if we allow it not, it hinders not, but wee are in Chriſt: though wee doe with reluctancie, act and commit it; and I ſay that we doe reſiſt it, if wee doe not allow it: For let us not goe about to deny, that a godly man during his being, a godly man, may commit groſſe and preſumptuous ſins; and for infirmities, if wee allow them and like them, that we know to be ſinnes, then wee doe not reſiſt them; and ſuch a man, who allowes himſelfe in one, is guilty of all, and is none of Chriſts as yet: bee the ſinne what it will, Iames makes no diſtinction, and p. 121where the law diſtinguiſheth not,Scot. l. 4. D. 22. Qua… tum ad aeternam, &c. there wee muſt not diſtinguiſh. I ſpeake not of doing a ſin, but allowing; for a man may doe it,2. Factus eſt omnium reus, &c. and yet allow it not: as in Paul, that which I would not,Sic Martyr loc. com: part 2. c. 14. Sect. 7. that I doe, and hee that allowes not ſinne, doth reſiſt it, therefore a man may reſiſt it, and yet doe it,3. Diſpoſitive, nam ut ais, &c. all the difference that I know is this.

1. That a man may live after his converſion all his dayes,Vid. Rog: Treat. 6. c. 5. and yet never fall into a groſſe ſin: by groſſe I meane preſumptuous ſinnes,Greg. mor…lw l. 21. c. 9. ſo Pſal. 19. David ſaith; not cleanſe, but keep back thy ſervant from preſumptuous ſins: we may then be kept from them; I ſpeake not that all are, but ſome be, and therefore in it ſelfe all might be.

2. For leſſer ſinnes, ſecret faults, we cannot live without them, they are of dayly and almoſt hourely incurſion, but yet wee muſt bee clenſed from p. 122them, as David ſpeakes: dayly get your pardon; and there is a pardon of courſe for them, and they doe not uſually diſtract and plunge the conſcience, but yet we muſt not ſee them, and allow them; if we do, our caſe is to be pittied wee are none of Chriſts as yet.

3. Great ſtaring ſins, a man cannot uſually and commonly practiſe them, but hee ſhall allow them. So Pſ. 19. 13. Keepe back thy ſervant from preſumptuous ſins, let them not have dominion over mee: Implying, that except wee be kept back from them, they will have dominion over us: it followes, then ſhall I be upright. So that the man, in whom preſumptuous ſinne or ſins have no dominion, he is an upright man. To practiſe a ſin is one thing, to live in the practiſe is another: how farre a man being and remaining in grace, may goe in the committing p. 123of great ſinnes, is paſt my skill to determine: The caſe of Salomon and others, proves that a man may goe farre; tentations may hang long, if a day, a week, if a weeke, a yeere, if a yeere, many yeeres; and how many? Who can ſay, a man lives in a ſin when he loves it, though he doe not practiſe it at all; as hee is a Drunkard, who is never …unke, if hee love drinke; and he Covetous, who loves money, though he have not a penny in his purſe. So, ſay a man never act the ſin, yet if hee love it, if hee doe not hate it, hee lives in it. As in the Body, a man is ſaid to have his health, albeit he hath uſuall infirmities which make no let, but that hee eate, drinke, ſleepe, work; but if a man have great diſeaſes, which take away his ſtomacke and ſtrength, then we ſay he is ſickly, and in danger. In the ſoule, uſuall ſcapes and ordinary infirmities, p. 124wee cannot live without, yet they do not interrupt our peace nor deſtroy the ſtrength of our ſoules; wee pray, reade, heare, nevertheleſſe. But great ſinnes doe diſtract, and diſturbe, doe weaken, & threaten the worſt; and as it is hard I confeſſe, for a man to practiſe them, but hee will bee a lover and an allower of them, a conſenter to them, yet when at the worſt; I ſay … godly man doth not make a trade of them, his heart is not on them, his minde is another way all the while: thus then wee muſt reſiſt leſſer luſts, by diſſenting and ſtriving to weaken them, to leſſen them; but do we our beſt, we cannot poſſibly be free from them: and for greater ſins, a godly man may be kept from them, live and dye without them. But yet we muſt grant, that a man may bee good in the heart, and yet for a time (and how long who can ſay?) p. 125be drawn to practiſe them too, albeit not to allow them. It is enough for either ſort to aſſure a man that hee is a reſiſter of thē; if he pray, or ſigh, or groan againſt them: for the raigne of ſin, is when we love them: now he that ſtrives, loves not ſin, it being not poſſible for the heart of man, to be againſt that which it loves; ſufficient reſiſtance is made, in point of juſtification; when a man doth diſalow them in his judgement, and hates them with his heart, though he cannot ſhake off the practiſe of them. It is not eaſie to put off ones old companions: but in the point of Sanctification, there is not ſufficient reſiſtance made, ſo as to have our peace of ſanctification, till we be able ſo to reſiſt: that for greater ſinnes, groſſer, and more preſumptuous faults, we doe not practiſe them at all, and for leſſer, that wee doe dayly weaken them, p. 126leſſen them, when our Iudgement doth carry a command over our wils, our wils over our affections, our affections, over our actions.

Quest. 2 What order are we to obſerve in making our Reſiſtance.

Anſ. Order is of great uſe, to Reſiſt, is to fight, and the enemies wee are to fight with, are many and mighty, and therefore as in Battels, ſo here: Array and Order, is all in all; the Particulars are theſe.

1. Wee muſt ſet againſt and reſiſt the motion that comes from us; and the ſuggeſtion that comes from Sathan at the very firſt, ere they meete and come together, if we can poſſibly, be it never ſo unlikely and ſo abſurd, yet we muſt tremble at it in reſpect of our owne weakneſſe, ſo as to pray againſt them, at the very firſt ſight of the tentation: the affection is p. 127ſuffered to come to humble us, that ſo wee may walke in feare, uſe the meanes, and not fall into the action. Doe not ſay it is unlikely I ſhall never doe it, this is the way to grow ſecure, and then farewell. Sometimes wee are ſet upon with tentations, likely, that is, ſuch as our particular nature is moſt given unto: for we are many times ſooneſt overtaken with thoſe tentations that our humour doth itch after, and anon againe, wee are urged to thoſe luſts we never had much minde unto, that that ſo we may be taken ſecure, and ere we are aware, and then we are gone: Sith then our enemy never ſleepeth; wee muſt watch, and wake, and bee in a readineſſe, to oberre all the motions of our devouring adverſary: if wee reſiſt at firſt comming, the work is halfe downe, we ſhall finde Satan a coward; if wee reſiſt not, wee ſhall feele p. 128him as a Lion: wee muſt truſt neither our ſelves nor Sathan with any tentation: Wee ſee the tempter changeth hands, a man ſo prodigal, that he waſtes all, when young, when old, quite another way: his life is in his riches; aye, one way to day, to morrow, the winde ſits in a quite contrary point, and therefore wee muſt be provided for all aſſaies, while the tentation is greene and young: and what if we can make no great matter of it as yet, to our thinking? Wee muſt hold out ſtill, for all that, play the man ſtill: God meanes to make a ſound cure, and it may be, hee will ſuffer us to bee held to it ſomewhat with the longeſt; the venome and poyſon muſt out from the very bottome, wee muſt have patience, what? Patience at motions to ſin: yes, ſuch a patience as this is, to thank God it is no worſe, and to bee content to wait the p. 129Lords leaſure, dayes, moneths, yeares, and thanke-yee too, if we may have it at laſt, impatient at the luſt; but yet a patient and long ſuffering minde, that we be not tired out. Begin as ſoone as the tentation begins to peepe, bee at it to day, to morrow, every day, and after a time, the fits will and ſhall breake away. Some Agues a…ured by ſtriving and reſiſting: All tentatiions I am ſure are. Hee that will drive away his ſorry Partner by wreſtling, muſt doe it at the beginning before the Ague be ſetled in the bloud and ſpirits, and in like ſort it is ſooneſt done, to drive away this divell by ſtriving and reſiſting, to doe it at the firſt, while it is young, and not ſtrong, ere it get into an habit, and creepe into the bones, and which is more inward into the marrow; I meane ere it can get any great hand over the ſpirit of our p. 130mind, the boſome and bottome of our ſoules.

2. Wee muſt begin where Satan begins,Eph. 4. 23.Eph 4:23 and goe on as hee goes on:The ſpirit of a thing is the quinteſſence of it. Marbury thus, the ſpirit that is the imagination of our minde. wee are to obſerve his motions; if hee begin with a leſſer ſin, we muſt not deſpiſe ſmall things, a little leake drownes all in time, and the prick of a pinne, lets out all the winde … bladder,Rep. p. 20. and therefore wee muſt make up againſt Sathan, even then, when hee comes with the ſmalleſt ſins; and if hee turne to greater and fouler faults, we muſt of all, bee very carefull to keepe off the pikes of more damnable errors and ſinnes: They make fowle holes in the conſciences; and as theeves doe, ſuch g…ſhes let in other ſins,2 Pet.. 2. 1 greater and greater ſtill; when it firſt comes, it appeares great, doe but yeeld to it once or twice and then we begin to thinke it to be, not ſo great a matter: the ordinary p. 131and common tentation, that Satan uſeth to make the foundation of, and to give entry to all the reſt, is to beare us downe in it that wee are not the children of God, and that wee are not in Gods bookes; give him but this, and then we doe in a manner yeeld him all the reſt; for if once we conclude, that God is not our father in Chriſt, then Satan hath us where he would, and hee may leade us into deſpaire, or preſumption which he pleaſeth, and therefore what ever we doe, we muſt hold our owne, and keep in this perſwaſion, to dye for it, that wee are the children God. Say we have ever ſo many afflictions, deſertions, corruptions; yet that ought not to ſhake us out of our aſſurance, for David had as many afflictions as any of us, and more: and for deſertions, wee finde him all over the Pſalmes, making heavy complaints that p. 132way: He that runs, may reade all over that Book, many a dolefull ſong, and for corruptions, and ſuch corruptions too, as uſe to pay us home: ſins, great ſins, I meane committed after his calling and converſion: hee laid hands on another mans wife, hee defiled her, her huſband loving David, as his own ſoule, and then fell upon an horrid plot of murther: he did art it with helliſh skill, and ſhed the bloud of ſundry, that hee might be the death of one: and did hee not number the people againſt all reaſon, and ſtood it out too, ſay all the Captaines what they could?And this was the laſt Act that David did before hee tooke his bed. And yet I hope David added not this ſin to all the reſt, to wit, to queſtion it; whether God were his God or not. I have (ſaith hee) done fooliſhly,2 Sam. 24.2 Sam 24 I have ſinned and that greatly;… Kin. 1. …. Lord forgive, what?2 Sam. 24. 10.2 Sam 24:10 The infirmity: No, the iniquity; of whom? Of thy p. 133Servant. He holds this faſt, that for all his ſins, his great ſinnes, yet hee was Gods ſervant ſtill; let go this, and though our ſins were but a few or but ordinary, yet Satan will ſinke us, with one tentation or other: but now keepe wee our ground in this point, never deny the concluſion that God is our God: and ſay our corruptions were more, were worſe than they are, well may Sathan ſhake his chaine at us, but we ſtand on a rock, and the flouds of his tentations cannot come, ſo much as at our feet: For we know that our ſins are but the ſinnes of a creature, his mercies are the mercies of an infinite Creator, without either banke or bottome: keepe wee the maine chance, that he is our father, and then, well may our ſins humble us, but Satan with all his ſetting on, ſhall never be able to diſcourage us: we know that Chriſt died for ſinners, and p. 134for the chiefe of ſinners: no man was ever kept out of heaven for his confeſſed badneſſe,1 Tim. 1. 51 Tim 1:5 but many are for their ſuppoſed goodneſſe: In a word, this only point, that hee is our father, kept up in our conſciences, will make us fit, and able to daſh, and blow off, al the powers of darknes, and puſh away all the darts of the divell; therefore ſith it is his method to lay all upon this point, hold this faſt, and wee hold all faſt: If the Enemy aſſault one way, and the Garriſon defend another way, the Towne is loſt, the Enemy will carry the ſtrongeſt peece. We muſt not bee taken up about other matters, and lye open here; here Satan will try his skill, and doe his utmoſt to bring us out of conceit with God, and to make us think that God hath no love unto us, no care of us, and then we are gone. Live and dye then with this in thy heart, and p. 135mouth; Hee is my God, and I am his ſervant, and ſo we ſhall bee able to lay all the divels in hell. Say, God hath confirmed his love to mee ſo much, ſo often, that now I hope I ſhall never call that matter into queſtion againe: And next for afflictions, we muſt frame a new Bible, ere we can with any colour finde any thing out of Gods afflicting us, to prove that hee doth not love us; of the two, abundance, and plenty, and outward peace, would yeeld matter to ſay, that God doth not care for us; and yet it would be long, ere a Chriſtian will come to a Miniſter, and ſay, I have ſuch a deale of wealth, of health, and ſo many friends, and ſo much friendſhip, that I feare mee I am not in the right: but when afflictions comes and ſtormes ariſe, then wee come and make a pitious moane: ſure God is not my father, I am not p. 136his child, and grow we doe into hard conceits concerning God, and heavy thought as touching our ſelves: now all this comes out of our fancy who doe ſo highly prize the things of this life, that ſure if God did love us we ſhould not bee in ſuch and ſuch wants.Heb 12. 6.Heb 12:6 A very foolery, the Text is cleere: he correcth every ſon, whom he receiveth; let the word bee heard, ſpeake, and then we may conclude the contrary, and ſay thus, doth God afflict me, and hee doth withall make mee to make a right uſe of his afflictions, (ſay but of one) and by this I am ſure, that he is mine, and I am his: for affliction is a part of the curſe in its owne nature, and God doth never chang the nature of it, and turne it to a mercy but onelyonly to thoſe hee loves, it ſhould, it would hurt me, I finde it did me, doth mee good, and therefore I am a ſon p. 137of his love: And laſtly for deſertion, that is, but a miſt before our eyes. Deſertion is in it ſelfe no ſin: for Chriſt was without ſenſe, aye, he was ſo deepe in it, that when he dyed, he ſaid, why haſt thou forſaken me? A totall, a finall deſertion, ours is not partiall:Pſ. 22. 1.Ps 22:1 the beſt have had and have; GOD turnes away his face, David himſelfe is troubled: The juſt doth live by faith, Pſ. 30. 7.Ps 30:7and not by feeling:Heb. 10. 38Heb 10:38 and in that very Pſalme, where hee complaines that his ſpirit was over-whelmed within him, and that his very heart within him was deſolate: I ſay in that ſelfeſame Pſalme, David ſaith; Thou art my God: I paſſe not whether this Deſertion bee for ſinne or from ſin, a chaſtiſement of ſin, or an effect of ſin, all comes to one for our diſpute;Pſa. 143. 4. 10.Ps 143:4Ps 143:10 it hath, is, and may bee, the caſe of a right godly man. Looke up then, and if from want of ſight and feeling p. 138wee doe ſay, Why haſt thou forſaken me? yet then let us by faith withall ſay,Pſa. 22. 1.Ps 22:1 my God, my God, and we are ſafe. Sith then this is the order Satan uſeth to follow us in his tentations, to make us to diſtruſt our being in Chriſt; and our ſtanding in grace, we muſt make that our method too, and rather ſuffer to dye at Gods feet, than to ſuffer our aſſurance to be taken away from us: Loſe this and loſe all our comfort, hold this and all is ours, let Satan ſay, and doe his worſt. I confeſſe it is a heavy hand, when a man is put to it, to walke without his feeling. David was a man for naturall and ſpirituall cheerefulneſſe both, above men, yet hee had his heart full: and ſay his caſe were ours, that for very ſorrow of heart, ariſing from the abſence of the light of his countenance,Pſ. 119. 83Ps 119:83 wee be like a bottle in the ſmoak, we doe ſhrim away p. 199to nothing, become a very Sceleton, a bagge of bones, an Anatomie of a man,Pſ. 22▪ 17.Ps 22:17 yet then our faith muſt ſhew it ſelfe, and we muſt hold up our heads above water: no great thankes to ſwim, when God doth hold us up by the chin, w^th comfortable feeling: But he is a man of faith that can then ſay, God is my God, my King, when hee ſees nothing but the promiſe;Ioh. 20. 29.John 20:29 Oh, Bleſſed is the man, who beleeves and ſees not: for want of ſenſe their ſong once was;1 Pſ. 69. 3. 119. 82.Ps 69:3Ps 69:119Ps 69:82 mine 1. eyes failes, my 2. fleſh failes, my heart faile,2 Pſ. 73. 28.Ps 73:28 my 2. knees faile, my all failes; but my faith which never failes;3. Pſ. 109Ps 109 well then, though a mans marrow be conſumed like the drought in Summer,Pſ. 32. 4.Ps 32:4 ſay,Pſ. 31. 10.Ps 31:10 not onelyonly ones fleſh be pined, which after ſickneſſe will come againe; but ones very bones be conſumed, which when once dried they ſay, never come to themſelves againe, aye, p. 140and ones juice (whithin the bones) do waſt away,Rom. 4. 18.Rom 4:18 yet there wee muſt hope againſt hope, and ſet faith againſt ſenſe; when wee cannot ſee one ſhine in the face of God, yet we may fetch ſupport out of the promiſe: Gods countenance doth change and turne away, but the promiſe is ever the ſame, and al in al is in the promiſe; we are11Rom. 9. 8Rom 9:8 childern, of what? of the promiſe; 22Gal. 3. 29.Gal 3:29heires, of what? of the promiſe: ſight and ſenſe, lookes onelyonly on the face of God,Heb. 11. 1.Heb 11:1 but our faith lookes onelyonly on the promiſe; and it is the Evidence of thing… not ſeene, it gives a being to that which in exiſtence is not, and thus living by faith, a Chriſtian on all occaſions may ſay, God is mine, and ſo mine, as though hee were nones but mine, he is all mine; and what we ſpeake out of feeling, a tentation may make us unſpeake it againe; but what p. 141we ſay by faith once, wee ſay it ever, and all the tentations Satan can deviſe, cannot make us unſay it againe.Mat. 5. 4.Matt 5:4 I mourne, Bleſſed (not ſhall be) but are thoſe that mourne, why? They ſhall be (not are) comforted. He then is a bleſſed man, who mournes though hee be without preſent comfort.

3. We muſt keepe this order,Medieus quando aegritudine, &c. Aug. in tract. 28. in Evang. as to begin with the right end, and the right end, is then to finde out what the ſin is, that is chaſtiſe or puniſed,Ioan. when the tentation to a luſt is a puniſhment for ſome other ſin: it is all in vaine, and meere loſt labour for a man to thinke, to get off the ſin, which is the puniſhment, when we let the ſin puniſhed alone: hence it is that we doe finde many a good man ſtrive and ſtrive, even his very heart out to maſter a luſt, and are where they were or rather worſe, and why? But becauſe p. 142that vexing ſin, is a correction for ſome other ſin, which wee over-ſee and ſay nothing unto, and thus men run upon flats of diſcomfort, as though they were none of Gods, and all becauſe they cannot conquer a ſin; which is not, becauſe they are not Gods, nor for want of faith neither, but for want of art and method. The effect cannot bee taken away untill ſuch time the cauſe be removed: now wee muſt know, that one ſin is the cauſe of another, two wayes:

1. Firſt, by effecting and producing by a very efficiency another ſin, as Covetouſneſſe is a very Cauſt working oppreſſion, Vſury, rapine, buying and ſelling for dayes and encloſure, now I confeſſe it is hard to bee convinced; that that which is an effect of a former ſin, is a ſin till we be convinced; that the ſin which is the cauſe, is a ſin, as hee that knowes not what p. 143covetouſneſſe is, or is not convinced, that covetouſneſſe is a ſin cannot bee cured of Vſury, Encloſure, hoarding up of Corne, &c. and therefore the ſin which is the cauſe, muſt bee pardoned and healed firſt. So pride of life is the cauſe why men doe follow faſhions; to follow that which was a faſhion is no ſinne, but to bee in that which is the faſhion, whilſt it is called the faſhion is a ſin, elſe there is no ſuch ſin, as following of faſhions, whichaaZeph. 18. Iſa. 15. Vid. Calv. in Zeph. 1. 8Isa 15Zeph 1:8 Scripture, andbbVid. Leges Sumptuarias. Compta & ornata iſta co njugum vita nihil differt a Tragaedorum in Scena verſantium ornatu, Sic. Ariſt. O…con. l. 1. c. 4. Caſ. Theſau. De con. l. 1. c. 4. Nature, have condemed for a ſin. I ſay, this ſin comes out of pride, as out of a working cauſe; and tis not poſſible for a man to bee mended in one, except hee dig out the other: So Paſſion ſprings out of pride of heart, as out of his very next cauſe, and ſo doth Envy too: many are troubled with their Paſſions and diſquieted with Envy, and make a p. 144great marvell of it, that they cannot get the victory all this while, I will tell you the reaſon; they pray againſt paſſion, but not againſt the cauſe, not againſt pride; they ſtop at the ſtreame, but choake not up the ſpring, they lop the boughs, and it growes thicker after, and pluck not up the roote. Therefore if we meane to caſt out of our heart and life ſuch a ſinne, as is an effect of a former ſin, wee muſt firſt begin with the cauſing ſin; or elſe he doth waſh a ſtone, and Satan will hold him where he was, doe what he can; and what a weary hand is this, for a man to pray, to reade, to heare, to faſt againſt a ſinne, and yet to make nothing of it.

2. By meriting,Aug. contra Iulian. l. 5. c. 4. Field. l. 3. c. 24. w^ch Schoole Divines call demeriting; and deſerving to bee caſt into ſome ſin by God, as a juſt Iudge for ſome other offence, and this as it comes from God, is a Good of p. 145juſtice: thinke not that wee meane it, as though God did infuſe,Nec haec quae pa…ris mala, &c. or put into a man, the matter or forme of the puniſhing ſin;Aug. in Pſa. 102.Ps 102 it needs not, there is matter enough in our hearts already: God cannot breath ſin in the minde or breaſt of any man, but by letting luſt out, and ſetting Satan looſe upon us, we are puniſhed and corrected by one ſin for another. Some ſay, it ought not to be ſaid, that God doth puniſh ſin with ſin, why? (then ſay they,) that ſin which is the puniſhment doth deſerve more puniſhment, and ſo it doth: What (ſay they) and doth that deſerve another? no, for albeit God may and doth puniſh ſin with ſin, it followes not, that the ſecond ſin (muſt) bee puniſhed with another ſin, but with ſome other puniſhment it muſt: and what if in ſome caſes, ſins in a row be puniſhed with ſins; yet there is p. 146no proceſſus in Infinitum, becauſe as the Schooles have agreed, when once it comes to hell, there is no demerit:Damnati blaſphemant Deum & in hoc peccant. ſinnes on earth merit further puniſhment, but ſins in hell doe not, becauſe there is ſatisfaction given,Aquin. 2. 2. q. 13. 4. 2. and ſo full a point put to the Iuſtice of God.Aquin. 2. 2. q. 13. 4. 2. 11 & ſupplem. 9. 98. a. 6. Beſides, the damned are in actuall poſſeſſion of their laſt puniſhment, and therefore there is in them no demerit of more or further torment: God in juſtice then doth and may puniſh one ſinne with another here, ſome ſay with a greater; that is not alwaies ſo: for hee puniſheth Idolatry with Fornication, yet Fornication muſt not bee held to bee a greater ſin than Idolatry;De ratione poenae, &c. it is ſufficient, that the ſin which is made the puniſhment,Aquin. 2. 2. q. 94. a. 3. ad. 4. 3. m. be a more vexing ſin, bringing more ſhame, and more inward or outward diſtreſſe, that ſo the ſinner may be made the more deteſtable to p. 147himſelfe or others: the greateſt ſins doe not alwayes vex; they ſhould I know, but they doe not. To come to our point: Wee ſay that ſin doth cauſe ſin, by way of deſert, when GOD doth by Permiſſion, Deſertion, and Tradition, give a man up to ſome ſinne,Can. Loc. l. 2 c. 4. p. 24. of ſhame or inward biting ſorrow,Edit, Colo…. to judge him for ſome other ſin: bare permiſſion it is not; for ſo we ſin all ſins we commit, I hope wee cannot ſin any ſin, except he ſuffer, and his power doe permit: yet wee finde, that Pharaoh had his heart hardened worſe for manner and meaſure, than other common ſinners had;Rom. 1 24Rom 1:24 but all ſinners are ſinners by permiſſion,Aug. con. Iulian. l. 5. c. 3. therefore there was a delivering up,For this ſame purpoſe have I raiſed thee up that I might ſhew my power in thee. an act of juſtice and power in hardening the heart of Pharaoh, and ſo it is, when God doth plague one ſin with another: the thing I educe is this,Rom. 9. 17.Rom 9:17 that it is impoſſible with p. 148all our whining to get off the ſin merited, except we firſt deale with the ſin meriting: we cannot affront the juſtice and power of God, when he doth inflict and lay it on for ſome other fault: it is out of our element to take it off, till firſt wee have removed and done away the guilt and power of the former ſin: when ſin doth worke and produce another ſin by its own force, then it comes from the power of ſin: when ſin doth demerit, to have another ſin made a puniſhment of it, that comes out of the guilt of ſinne and juſtice of God, therefore we muſt make our peace for the ſinne which is is the cauſe, and ſubdue that ere wee can poſſibly make any hand with the other ſin, which is the puniſhment. That then wee may cleere our ſelves of ſome tentations, wee muſt looke & ſee what brought it, if wee try and try and can p. 149make nothing of it, then wee may ſee it is for ſome other ſin; which ſin wee muſt finde out and then caſt out that corruption, and the worke is done: we finde ſome what to the purpoſe in Ionas, a good old Prophet; he fled away from God, was found out, throwen into the Sea, ſwallowed by a Whale, and God in his goodneſſe did deliver him, and yet after hee fell into the like ſin againe: no doubt he did aske God forgiveneſſe in the Whale for his firſt ſin, yet hee after fell into the ſame way againe, and did chafe, becauſe Ninive was not deſtroyed: now ſee here the roote of ſinne was not moared up; he did at firſt flye out of pride, becauſe hee would not bee thought to preach the deſtruction of ſo famous a place, hee thought none would be well pleaſed w^th ſuch a meſſage, and therefore do it whoſe would for Ionas. This p. 150fact hee was ſorry for, but ſaw not the cauſe of all, to be pride; and therefore after, when hee ſaw that Ninive was not deſtroyed, what a chafe was hee in? and was not this horrible pride too? that ſo many muſt be deſtroyed, rather than Ionas ſhould bee thought to miſſe in denouncing a judgment which ſhould not come: had he found out the Canker at the firſt and killed it, he had not fallen this ſecond fall. Tis certaine, that as in diſeaſes in the body, if one diſeaſe bee cauſed by another, that is more in the ſpirits and humours of a man: the diſeaſe cauſing muſt bee done away, ere the diſeaſe cauſed can be remitted, it may be eaſed for a time, but it will returne again, as long as the ſicke matter is there to feed it: and therefore wiſe Phyſitians ſtrike alwayes at the roote; ſo muſt wee, and when Satan is upon us with p. 151ſome vexing luſt, and we cannot with all our power put it off: Let us ſay, ſure it is for ſome other ſinne, that muſt bee killed, ere this will bee cured, and ſo we muſt caſt out the mother-luſt: we muſt not ſay that we cannot find what it is, what the ſin is for which we are vexed, with theſe or thoſe afflictions; for the Word and the Spirit will ſhow it, if wee aske it at the hands of God, the Lord will point it out unto us: ſo David, Pſal. 139. 24. See (ſaith he) if there be any wicked way in mee, and leade me into the way everlaſting. See if there be any wicked way in mee, ſee it, and ſhow it unto me; it being the office of the Spirit,Ioh. 16. 9John 16:9 to convince a man of his ſins, it followes that the Spirit (if we ſecke it in ſincerity with a deſire to be healed) will finde out our ſinnes for us, and ſhew them unto us; and when by the line of the Word p. 152and Spirit, we have found out that Neſt, we are to turne our griefe upon thoſe luſts rather than upon the preſent tentation: the matter is, that when wee are thus haunted and dogged with ſuch tentations as are corrections, ſay, it is rather for ſome ſins, either:

1. Paſt, So ſome when maried are tempted, but not brought to adultery, becauſe when ſingle, they were uncleane one way or other, and thought to mend all by marying without repentance; and ſo when once maried, they grow ſecure, and lay all on the Phyſick,2 Chro. 15. 11.2 Chr 15:11 and not on God; as Aſa did in another caſe: and then when they feele that ſinne urgeth, and Satan tempteth; as much, and perhaps, more after, than before, becauſe the ſinne is worſe; men faint and ſing many a heavy ſong, and hang up their ſword, and ſay, as good not at all, as never the better: p. 153Now here the right and ready way to heale all, is to repent truly and thorowly of former uncleanneſſes & luſts, and then the Coaſts will cleere, firſt doe that, and then marry; bring not old ſins to the mariage bed, and when the knot is knit, tentations as many, as ſtrong, perhaps more, perhaps greater may come, but they ſhall not overcome; and therefore they muſt not ſay better, not marry at all if it be ſo; I ſay he that hath the gift let him not marry:Mat. 19. 11Matt 19:11 but hee who hath not the gift,1 Cor. 7. 7.1 Cor 7:7 as all have not,C. Quid propoſuiſti. 32. qu. 7. hee were beſt marry, or he muſt, and will doe worſe: Reſolve the caſe thus;Ambroſ. in 16. Luc. Neceſsitas illius crimen tuum. ſuch a man if hee marry not, uſe what helpes, naturall, morall, ſpirituall,1 Cor. 7. 371 Cor 7:37 he can, yet he burnes ſtill, and the more he oppoſeth, the more ſtrong his affections grow; a man maried cannot ſay, that hee ſhall not bee tempted, to defile the bed; but this p. 154I ſay, that uſing all GODS meanes, and calling in for Gods bleſſing on the ordinance, hee ſhal not fal, his ſoule will heale. Now in caſe one finde that for all his care, his luſts grow exorbitant and violent; look back and humble, for what are paſt before, this is to pluck us by the eares for what we were before we were maried, make all that well, compound with God for old matters, and then eaſe and peace will come.

2. Preſent, As ſay a worldly man to bee told and convinced of his ſin, and yet will not mend; as wee ſee a man may ſee a ſin to be a ſin, and yet goe on in it: witneſſe that young Gentleman, who went away like one well beaten, when it came to ſelling all. Now many times in ſuch a caſe, God will have ſuch an one to be tempted by Satan,Mat. 19. 22.Matt 19:22 as his Inſtrument, with ſtrong paſſions to adultery, p. 155which uſually of all ſins he could never abide,Deus utitur Satana, &c. and this goes to the heart of him: He whines and wrings his hands,Vaſq. 1. d 96 c. 10. 11. 64. teares his haire,Ibid. D. 99. c. 4. n. 22. &. c. 3. n. 9. Can Loc. l. 2. c. 4. ad Arg. 7. is weary of himſelfe, knowes not what to doe, and is even angry with God, becauſe he cannot finde eaſe, and is often upon the point to deſpaire: here I ſay it will not off, the tentation will not away till it hath done its cure; till, I meane, we finde out, that all that is for our covetouſneſſe, by which ſin wee vex and anger God; and therefore hee doth order Satan to follow us with wave upon wave, in that ſinne of uncleanneſſe which God ſees will vex us: Hee would not have us ſit and reſt quiet in that ſinne of earthlineſſe, the worſt of the two, and for that it is, that wee are terrified with thoſe or ſome other paſſions of ſhame & diſhonour.

3. To come (ſo we are tempted) p. 156to ſome ſins, we thought our hearts till now had no minde unto: now in this caſe we muſt know, that it is a mercy, and ſo to be taken, to let us ſee and feele that by tentation, when we might juſtly be ſuffered to fall into the action it ſelf, that we may know, that it was neither in our worth nor in our ſtrength, but onelyonly in the preventing grace of God, that wee have ſtood cleere all this while, and that it muſt bee, by the ſame ſupporting grace of God, that wee muſt ſtand firme for the time to come.

Looke what is paſt, preſent, forward, backward, every way to ſee what it is for, that wee may remove the cauſe for which wee are thus tempted, and then the tentation will away, even of it ſelfe, when that is once cured: of all wee muſt beware of Sathans Sophiſtry, when hee would needs perſwade p. 157us to eaſe our ſelves of the vexation by yeelding once or twice, or ſo, to the ſinne in hand, and then no more; now this is quite againſt Reaſon and Experience; againſt Reaſon, for in all morall acts, whether vertuous and vicious (chiefly vicious, becauſe our nature is ſo ſtrong that way) this is certaine; when we once commit it, it doth leave a wonderfull proneneſſe to doe it againe: When then Satan ſaith, doe it once, and then no more; no Satan, muſt we ſay, ſhould I commit it once, I ſhould be more earneſt to commit it the ſecond time than ever I was the firſt. Againſt Experience, for wee doe finde, that when wee once ſin a ſin, the power of grace and faith doth decay, we have not that heart to pray againſt it, and ſo wee are ready to turne that way againe; as, put fewell to the fire it burnes the more, ſo p. 158doth hee, who thinkes to ſatisfie the motion to a ſinne, by ſinning the ſin, the onelyonly way to ſatisfie a luſt, is not to ſatisfie it.

3. The third Generall Rule is, to make uſe of the Ordinances, to put off the tentation, and they are chiefly two.

1. Prayer:Mark. 14 68.Mark 14:68 Watch and Pray; Watching is but a preparation to, and a fortification of Prayer: Prayer is a turning of our ſelves to God, and ſo a turning of us from the tentation; ſome turne to ſome other ſin, as to thinke of the world when they are tempted to ſome unpleaſing Paſſions: ſome to that which is lawfull in it ſelfe, and here they finde ſome kinde of reſpite, but the cure is not done except we doe by prayer come to God, and call unto him, for favour and ſuccour. A man is never overcome in and by the tentation, as long as one can p. 159pray againſt it; the tentation prevailes not till it pleaſe,Ego Adoleſcens petieram, &c. it pleaſeth not as long as we can pray in earneſt againſt it▪ Some for forme doe pray,Conf. lib. 8. c. 7. as (Auguſtine ſaith) once hee did againſt the luſt, but would not for any thing part with the profit or pleaſure of them as yet, this is to ſay,Rom. 7. 25Rom 7:25 rather than to pray a prayer▪ delight in prayer and in the Lord, and then the tentation doth not delight; wee cannot promiſe that you ſhall pray away the ſuggeſtion, but the conſent and delight you ſhall: But you will ſay, I pray, and yet I finde ſome delight in the ſin: what of that? This is the delight of the fleſh, which Paul inſtancing in himſelfe, dates call it a ſerving the law of ſin with his fleſh; but the matter is, whether we doe take delight in that delight, which way the delight of our inward man is carried, as long as wee p. 160finde that our delighting in the luſt, doth grive and trouble us more, than the luſt it ſelfe doth. Our caſe is good,Tentationi carnis nunquam, &c. and our prayer is of force, and what if for all that,Durand. l. 2. D. 21. q. 11. 4. ſinne bee there, yet it raignes not there? and what if worſe haunted than when I ſet my ſelfe againſt it then before?Rogers Trea. 4. c. 16 Rule. 4. It is common to bee worſe ſick when we firſt take our Phyſick; we thinke of the ſinne and the circumſtances of it moſt, when in our prayers we ſet our ſelves to aggravate it; and out of that Satan picks matter to delight us with, and when we oppoſe the luſt, the luſt then doth moſt oppoſe, us and Satan will come upon us then with his greateſt impreſſions, to ſee if now hee can allure us with ſome fleſhly delight, then hee cals upon us to give over prayer, that ſure our prayer is naught, that wee are naught, that God hath no mind to us, that ſin hath dominion p. 161in us, ſith it ſtirres and pricks moſt, even then when at prayer: but wee muſt beleeve that ſith, we aske according to his will,Ioh. 5. 14, 15.John 5:14John 5:15 hee heareth us, wee know that we have the petitions wee deſire of him,Perk. Caſ. Conſ. l. a. c. 7 what ever wee feele, ſay our prayers prove an occaſion to ripen a diſeaſe, when it muſt ripen ere it will cure; all is to drive us out of all ſelfe confidence and then the malady will heale. Go then on in praying with perſeverance, all manner of prayer, and the end will be, that if we doe not give over to pray, Satan muſt, and will give over to tempt. The three maine matters I could wiſh Chriſtians to ſue for in their prayers are, 1. Strength to conquer ſatan when he ſets upon us, w^th main force, and plaine violence, and ſeidge; I know hee cannot compell us, for then the ſinne were his, not ours; but yet forall that he p. 162can and doth w^th a ſtrong hand drive and make us to conſent, & bringeth us to yeeld,Bonav. l. 2. D. 11. a. 1. q. 1. ad arg. &. D. 25. q. 4. and in that ſenſe we cannot of our ſelves ſtand in his hands, when hee comes againſt us with his power: no ſtanding againſt him and his tentation, except we bee underlaid by the power of God; he wil wreſt a conſent from us, and worke us to a delight, doe we what wee can (for wee can doe nothing of our ſelves,) it is out of our hands to bee able to gaine ſay him, when he comes with his authority, and frights us with his power, wee muſt then pray in the power of God, and when wee ſee Satan come roaring like a Lion, cry out and ſay, helpe, helpe, though it bee as much as ever wee can doe to ſpeake. If a woman cry ſhee is faultleſſe,Vid Aug. de Civ. Dei. l. 1. c. 17. 18. ſimply faultleſſe; we are, if we cry as ſoone as the Satanical impulſion doth appeare, but in the tentations of the fleſh p. 163which are ſins in themſelves, there ſome ſecret conſent goes with them as far as they move and goe; a woman may, but the will of a man cannot be raviſhed, becauſe it cannot poſſibly bee forced, Satan muſt by his ſtrength and terrifying draw a conſent from us, elſe wee are free and the ſin cannot be done, and that he will doe, except we do beſpeake by prayer the power of God: But now ſith that we have by reaſon of Gods promiſe the power of God at command, it is in our ſelves, if wee want his ſtrength in our ſoules, it is, becauſe wee will not doe ſo much as aske for it:Phi. 2. 13. if wee find that he hath given the Wil, he will give the Deed,Rom. 7. 18.Rom 7:18 though not ever anſwerable to our wil; as we ſee in Paul, to will, is preſent with me, but how to performe that which is good, I finde not; that is not anſwerable to my deſire, ſimply then he p. 164doth not deny us all performance, nor ſuch as ſhall be accepted to our comfort, pray then for ſtrength and Sathan will prove but weake, either God will weaken him, or elſe he will further ſtrengthen us.

2. The next thing we muſt pray for, is Wiſdome, that we may not bee ignorant of his wiles, which if we be, he will coozen and cheate us: Sathan comes not ever as a Lion, but rather moſt an end, like a Serpent, a Fox, with all his art and skill that hee may circumvent us, and bring his ends together, by reaſon of our ſimplicity and folly: we muſt up, to the onelyonly wiſe God by prayer, that he would enrich us, with the wiſdome that commeth from aboue: if any man ſaith Iames want:Iam. 3. 17.Jas 3:17 What? Wiſdome, Let him aske of God: Iam. 1. 5.Jas 1:5but he will not give me, yes, he giveth to all: and what if our wants that p. 165way bee great? why, hee gives liberally: and ſay we have bin great ſinners, are as unworthy as they that are moſt, if followes; (he upbraideth no man) hee will not hit us in the teeth with old matters: all want wiſdome, but he that is ſenſible of his want, let him aske and hee ſhall have wit enough, to prevent the Stratagems of the divell: the Lord God is too wiſe for Satan; hee will make children of us, if we ſet to him hand to hand, our wit to his will come to nothing: looke how a crafty pate, may coozen a child of all that he hath for an apple, or ſo; In like manner, Satan with a toy, will deceive us of our ſoules, and beguile us of our peace; there is then neither wit nor grace in it, for a man to venture on him without prayer to God, for the ſpirit of wiſdome, and in particular, with a ſpeciall ſtraine of ſpirituall underſtanding p. 166to be able to wind out of the pollicies of the divell. What with his naturall wit, Age, Time, Experience; Satan is full of depths and profundities, we cannot hold our owne, if wee have no better skill to plead with him than our owne; Prayer will make us wiſe to ſalvation, and helpe us to that underſtanding in the Myſteries of his iniquity,2 Tim. 3. 152 Tim 3:15 that wee ſhall ſoone finde him out, and ſave our ſelves.

3. The third thing wee are to aske for, is Long-ſuffering; for when Satan cannot have his will by Violence, by Craft, then he will ſee what he can doe by Continuance and meere Importunity: I cannot expreſſe my ſelfe better, than in the words of Martin Luther: On Gal.when the divell (ſaith he) cannot by force overcome thoſe that he tempteth; then ſeeketh hee to overcome them by long continuance, p. 167for he knoweth that wee bee earthen veſſels which cannot long endure, and hold out many knockes and violent ſtrokes; therefore with long-continuance of tentations, hee overcommeth many and therefore long-ſuffering is needfull to wait for the end of thoſe tentations,Pſa. 30. 18Ps 30:18 which the divell raiſeth up againſt us.1 Cor. 10. 13.1 Cor 10:13 So he, how long wee ſhall bee put to it to waite, I know not; the beſt is, if we dye while we are waiting we goe to heaven, for ſuch are happy and bleſſed; but uſually and commonly, God gives us an iſſue here, firſt or laſt: wee muſt then pray that it may bee, and waite with patience till it ſhall bee, which will bee, and ſhall be in Gods time: hee never comes too ſoone, nor never ſtayes too long: We ſay, Lord how long; but GOD ſaith, in the appointed time; therefore waite and pray: and in ſome p. 168caſes where ſingle prayer will not doe, as in ſome, it will not, there helpe it with a faſt.Mat. 17. 21.Matt 17:21

2. The next Weapon, is the word,Eph. 6. 17.Eph 6:17 Read, Heard, Meditated; Paul cals it, the ſword of the Spirit; a fit inſtrument for a man to enter into the Combate with: for Satan being a Spirit, our weapons muſt not be carnall,2 Cor. 10. 42 Cor 10:4 but ſpirituall, & the Word of GOD is the ſword of the Spirit,Gladius dicitur ſermo divinus, &c Chryſ. in Mat. Hom. 8. which being had and uſed, kils up all the luſts of the fleſh, and hee that kils ſin, doth in a ſort kill the divell. A man that is to ride where Theeves way lay him, will bee ſure to have his ſword: Wee are to paſſe up and downe where we ſhall light upon the divell, and ſinfull occaſions at every turne; he is ſtill at the hedge corner as we travell, hee is at home, hee is at Church, hee miſſeth not a Sermon, hee is the god of this world, under the great GOD p. 169of Heaven and Earth as he ſhall give way, and there is no place priviledged from him;2 Cor. 4. 42 Cor 4:4 we cannot take Sanctuary any where under Heaven, and therefore we muſt ever have the ſword of the Spirit about us, in all readineſſe; wee muſt not onelyonly have it,Heb. 4. 1….Heb 4:1 but we muſt have the heart to draw it, and the skill to uſe it, wee muſt bee able to fence with this weapon of proofe, and then the divel will be gone, this two-edged ſword will make him run. Wee finde that Chriſt, Mat. 4. being at it with the divell, did not make uſe of his authority or power, to command or to force him away,Ideo Ieſus omnes has tentationes, &c. Cajetan. in Mat. 4. & Ia…ic…. in L…c.Matt 4 but to ſanctifie the uſe of this weapon to us, ſtops his mouth with (thus it is written, Satan doth vow and ſweare our death, therefore it ſtands us upon to looke to our heads, and we muſt not thinke with a few big words of our own to make p. 170this mighty and crafty foe to flye the field, it muſt bee done by the word of God which is mighty through God;2 Cor. 10. 42 Cor 10:4 Sathan comes with his Bible too, as wee ſee Mat. 4. but hee doth corrupt and falſifie the Text; the word uſed aright ſets him going, it hath to back it, the Almighty power of God, and Satan cannot ſtand before this breath of the Lords noſtrils: we deceive o…r ſelves, if we thinke that Reaſon is of any force, that Inconveniences will hold againſt Satan; to ſay, ſhame will follow, danger will come, I ſhall but create trouble to my ſelfe; ſhould I kil, or whore, or ſteale, Satan will come within us, for all theſe; hee will ſet ſuch a gloſſe on the matter, that wee ſhall thinke wee have greater reaſon to ſin the ſinne, than we can ſhow to the contrary: Reaſon was never appointed or ſanctified to this uſe: diſpute but p. 171with Satan and hee will ſo befoole us, that we ſhall think we cannot live, no, nor ſcarce goe to heaven neither, except wee ſin ſome ſins for a time, or ſo. Beware then of going that way to worke, wee have a better courſe, that is, to runne to the Word; the Word will doe it, (it is written) will pack him away: but what if he come againe and againe with the ſelfe-ſame tentation, as Satan both may and doth, why, the ſame places of the word will doe the deed againe; Satan is not afraid of big lookes and words; circles and holy water are but toyes to him, but it is the word of GOD which makes him avoid: Chriſt wee ſee, did not pray; hee could have prai'd, I hope, none the like; but onelyonly the word is his defence, being thus to grapple and enter into duell with the divell; I ſpeake not, that prayer is not of great p. 172uſe, I have ſet downe my mind of that already, but that with our prayer muſt be joyned; the word; and the word will doe it, and of theſe two, if both by ſtrictnes of time cannot be uſed, bee we ſure to make uſe of the Word of God: the words and experience of Luther, On Gal.are juſt to our purpoſe, when (ſaith he) the motions of the fleſh doe rage; the onelyonly remedy is to take to us the ſword of the Spirit, that is, the word of ſalvation, and to fight againſt them, which if wee doe, let us not doubt but we ſhall obtaine the victory, although ſo long as the battell endureth, wee feele quite the contrary: but ſet the Word out of ſight and there is no help nor counſell remaining; of this that (I ſay) I my ſelfe have good experience; I have ſuffered many great paſſions, and the ſame alſo very great and vehement, but ſo ſoone as I …aid hold p. 173of any place of Scripture, and ſtaid my ſelfe upon it, as upon my chiefe Anchor-hold, ſtrait-wayes my tentation did vaniſh away, which without the word it had beene impoſſible for me to endure any little ſpace, and much leſſe to overcome them. Thus Luther; A brave ſpeech, and fitting the Author of it: Learne of him, to have our Bible at command, and Satan dares not ſtay. I ſpeake not, as though we were to turne the Text of Scripture into a charme, as though to repeate a place by rote, and in a heartleſſe manner, would prove a bug-beare to Satan.VVier. de praeſtig. Daemon. l. 5. c. 4 No, no, Satan hath gotten much amongſt the ſuperſtitious and ignorant by that conceit;Phi. 2. 16. but the Word muſt bee held out by faith: it was not ſo much Scanderbegs ſword as his arme that held it, which gave him ſuch victories; it is the hand of faith, and of the ſpirit p. 174by which the word of God is held out, which doth the deed; wherefore we ſee what reaſon we have, ſith wee have ſuch an adverſary, who is (though not ſimply every where) yet in every place where we be, hee is, or ſome of his Angels are: great reaſon I ſay there is,Heb. 4. 13, 14.Heb 4:13Heb 4:14 that we ſhould bee expert in the word of righteouſneſſe, to have places at our fingers ends ready to draw out as occaſions ſhall require, that we may have a fit & a pat place to meet with the ſeverall impulſions of the fleſh, and objections of the divell: there is neither ſin or tentation, neither inward corruption nor outward motion, but the word hath a ſoveraigne remedy for it, to be fitted in a peculiar ſort to the nature of the diſeaſe;Omnis morbus animae habet in ſcripturis medicamentum ſuum, Aug. in Pſa. 36.Ps 36 it is not for nothing, that we are commanded to ſearch the Scriptures, and as Chryſostome often p. 175notes, as men doe in Mynes for gold, and the rather, becauſe here is all gold and no droſſe;Ioh. 5. 39John 5:39 and as there is an art in mining for gold;De verb. Iſaiae, vidi Dominum. Hom. 3. ſo there is an holy skill to finde out golden places fit for our preſent purpoſe: and thus a godly wiſe Chriſtian, ſay hee bee often in the fire, yet he is like the burning buſh, never conſumed; and why? becauſe one place or other of the word comes in to his ſuccour; the particulars that wee are to follow are three.

1. We muſt have ready the precept, and ſtatute of God forbidding the ſinne to which we are ſolicited, as ſay, it be to Sabbath breaking, then ſay, it is written, thou ſhalt keepe holy the Sabbath day; or to murther ones ſelfe or ſome other, ſay, it is written, thou ſhalt not kill; or to uncleanneſſe, urge the place, avoid Satan, it is written, thou ſhalt not commit adultery, p. 176and ſo, thou ſhalt not ſteale, and the like, in the ſpeciall branches of every Commandement.

2. Wee muſt have at hand, the promiſe too, that in caſe we conſent and obey not, and refuſe the divels offer, wee ſhall have comfort here, and heaven hereafter. The divell will come with his hands full of glorious proffers, but we muſt out of the Word, ſet againſt him the faire and certaine, and goodly promiſes of the Word, as there is no ſinne but we ſhall finde one promiſe or other made in plain termes to us, if we reſiſt it; reſiſt the divell and GOD will draw neere to you: hee offers the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; God offers the kingdome of heaven and the glory of it.

3. The threatning, that if we yeeld, we endāger al, that we do ſubject our ſelves to the curſe of God; ſay we doe beleeve the p. 177Commandement, yet except wee doe beleeve the threatning, and doe ſet the commination againſt the tentation, wee are not like, nor ſure to hold; here Eve loſt her ſelfe; in whoſe loſſe we all loſe our ſelves; the commandement ſhee did hold, that ſhee was not to eate of the for bidden fruit; but now for the threatning, that in the day ſhee did eate thereof ſhe ſhould dye the death, there ſhe came ſhort and ſo yeelded: that ſhee was quick and ſtrict in the precept, it is plaine by the words of the Text;Gen. 2. 17.Gen 2:17 for whereas it is in the charge of the Lord, of the tree of knowledge, of good and evill, Thou ſhalt not eate of it; Eve having occaſion to urge this divine prohibition, doth not onelyonly ſay, that God ſaid, Ye ſhall not eate of it, but to ſhew her pious minde to the mandat of the Lord, ſhe ſaith more and addeth,Gen. 3. 3.Gen 3:3 yee ſhall not touch it; p. 178which words wee finde not in the letter of that law, but when it came to the commination,Parae. in Gen. 3. 3.Gen 3:3 ye ſhall dye the death: Satan was too hard for her, and put her off from that, and ſo ſhe fell; perhaps ſhe halted in adding to the Lords words, for IEHOVAH had forbid them to eate it, but hee did no where forbid them to touch it, yet this ſhewes, that therein ſhe was ſtrict, and more ſtrict than the words wil beare; but for the theatning, where God ſaid, yee ſhall dye, ſhe falters, and hath it thus, leaſt yee dye: and for certaine, when we doe not keep to the threatning, wee ſhall not hold our ſelves to the commandement: it goes with us as it did with our firſt fathers, a want of holding the threatning faſt did caſt them downe; and if we be ſhort there, and doe not oppoſe the threatning, wee cannot ſtand: as ſoone as ever Satan is at us to p. 179yeeld to our luſt, ſay no, it is forbidden by God: let it be to Adultery; anſwer, it is written, thou ſhalt not commit adultery;Heb. 13. 4.Heb 13:4 then adde to the prohibition the commination, Adulterers and Fornicators God will judge. I muſt not, I am forbidden, I dare not yeeld, if I do, I ſhall dye the death, I ſhall damne, and ſo Satan hath his anſwer.

The laſt generall Rule wee propoſe, is to aske helpe of other men, and the directions which come in here to bee ſet downe are theſe. 1. Never to let any man know what the matter is, if by any meanes we can have comfort from GOD, acquaint no man with it; if we can get him to doe the cure in ordinary matters, ſee what the uſe of ordinary prayer will doe; in caſes extraordinary, ſtretch our ſtrength to the moſt, that our prayers may bee ſtrong and long, let us wing them with p. 178duplicate page p. 179duplicate page p. 180faith, and with a faſt, that they muſt up to the boſome of the father; to ſay, I have prayed and can finde no eaſe, and therefore I will make uſe of a friend is well enough; but I have prayed, faſted, and waited too, as long as ever. I can, and yet it will not come, then we muſt, but til then till we have tried the utmoſt, I could wiſh men to ſecret their tentations from the world: God will not take himſelfe to be wel uſed, for us to goe to others, when wee may have it for the comming at his hands, with comfort and encouragement. A father loves not a child ſhold run to neighbours for phyſick, when hee may have it of him; beſides, it is ſweeteſt, when we have it immediately from the hands of God our father: when a child is ſick, the ſame cordiall or ſweet meat ſent by a ſervant, is not ſo accepted when father or mother brings it and gives it p. 181with their owne hands; we ſee many muſt have mother give it, elſe they will not take it: ſo it is with us, it cannot but be beſt welcome, when God doth give us our comforts with his owne hands, and tell us good tydings of peace and mercy with his owne mouth; and then againe, we do not conceive, how it wil wound out hearts, that we have let any man know our ſtate and caſe, when wee are to come to our ſelves againe; if ſo be then wee finde and conceive that all might have beene well, and the cure done betwixt God and our ſelves, without the knowledge of any man, the trouble that way many times, wounds more than ever the tentation did, and ſome have even wiſhed them dead and fairely buried, to whom in times of their heavineſſe they have broken their mindes, and therefore the counſell I give is, firſt, to try all meanes, to uſe all p. 182patience, to watch, to pray, to faſt, to waite, and if God at any time will come in with comfort, let him doe all, and have all the praiſe, we hiding our grifes from all the world, in great inward ſorrowes wee are too apt to open our ſelves more than needs, therefore this counſell is in ſeaſon. 2. See whether we can cure our ſelves (as thus) what would I ſay to, or think of another, ſhould he come to me with my ſore complaint, the ſame, ſay wee to our ſelves, and ſee what that will do. 3. When all will not doe, and we finde that GOD doth look ſtraying yet; and wee can hold no longer, then wee muſt know, that GOD doth call us to vent and open our griefe to ſome one or other; now the griefe muſt be opened, God doth call us to a free diſcovery of our ſelves to another, and without wee doe breake open the matter, the end p. 183is not like to be good. So Iames, Confeſſe your ſinnes one to another, and pray one for another, Ch. 5. 16.and there ſhall bee an healing; and in this caſe, without this mutuall and reciprocall confeſſion, there ſhall not be an healing; I know God could make all well without this, but he will not: there is a naturall reaſon, why we find eaſe by this venting, becauſe it doth open the ſore, and make it as it were runne, and ſo there comes ſome eaſe, but the ſpirituall cauſe is it, which carries it, and it is becauſe God will have acommunion of Saints amongſt us; he will not have us ſtraying one to another, and hee knowes that by curing another, we cure our ſelves, & upon that it is, that the pain of the foule in this caſe doth not nor ſhall not ſtake, till we have acquainted one or other with our caſe; ſo wee ſee, that tho the party to whom we confeſſe, ſay no more to us than p. 184wee knew before, yet the very venting brings ſome eaſe: Satan I know cannot abide this, for few ever open all, but there is a remedy, and his tentation is at an end, and therefore hee urgeth hard upon the point, to hinder us by all meanes from telling any body: What (ſaith he) it will all the Country over; hee will tell his friend, and that friend another friend, and out it will, and thou art either ſhamed or undone for ever. Indeed, when God doth not call us to this, it is dangerous to tell our verieſt friend; for though he be our friend, yet commonly we are not his confident friend, but he bath ſome other, and hee muſt know it under benedicite, and then he is ſick, til his friend knowes it too; who is commonly ſome third man, and ſo there is great danger that it will abroad; wherefore if wee can doe up our matters by telling p. 185God alone, let no man know: but now when wee have tried and it will not be, then ſay, God hath called mee to out with it, and out with it I muſt, and will live by faith,The way to have our ſecrets kept, is not to keepe them but to reveale them. that God will make them keepe my counſell; or if they doe not, yet ſhame mee no ſhames, I will follow God,Vid. Hook. on Act. 2. 37 p. 243.Acts 2:37 and confeſſe I will, what ever comes of it: and here we muſt know; that when we find a great diſpoſition in us, to keep it from all the world; that then Satan meanes us ſome great danger, and therefore hee will fill our heads, with a thouſand proclamations of ſhames and dangers, and all to make us keepe all cloſe to our owne undoing and ruine, ſay then, I know by this, that great hurt comes by my hiding, and great good is to be had by my confeſſing, in that I finde my ſelfe ſo unwilling to confeſſe it to men, and therefore becauſe I finde my p. 186ſelfe ſo loth, I will ſure confeſſe, I ſee, I muſt tell it ſome body, elſe all will bee naught, there lies danger, elſe Sathan would not keepe ſuch adoe at mee to hide it, and by no meanes to diſcloſe it to any man living. I thinke I may ſay it, that never any who diſcloſed all to ſome godly friend did ever yet miſcarry; but many who, out of ſome conceits, or of the power of Satan, cannot be brought to open the veine, after long languiſhing, have made away themſelves; when then we find a great unwillingneſſe (after we have bin with God) to let any man know our minde, ſay, there is a miſchiefe meant to mee by Satan; I know by this, in that, it is ſo ſore againſt my will to diſcloſe, and therefore to prevent the worſt, I will breake thorow, and out of hand confeſſe to ſome friend; and in our confeſſing, we muſt confeſſe all p. 187that paines our ſoules, in telling Phyſicians wee muſt leave nothing materiall as touching our diſeaſe, that will endanger all; ſo wee muſt not tell ſome peeces onelyonly, but for the ſubſtance and circumſtances, all that is to the purpoſe we muſt diſcover, elſe a naile, a ſtub left in the conſcience, will hold the fire burning; many have undone themſelves by this, in that they have left ſome maine matter out: by maine matter I meane, that which turnes the conſcience out of its peace: thinke not that we would have Chriſtians run up and downe to Preachers for every thing that moves in the conſcience: hee makes worke, who will to the Phyſician for every ſtitch and ache; but when the trouble of minde is ſuch, that it wounds the conſcience (as Salomons phraſe is,Pro. 18. 14.Prov 18:14 and every ſore is not a wound you know) when it doth ſo p. 188diſtreſſe the heart of man, that hee cannot enjoy God, cannot doe his duty as a Chriſtian, nor enjoy himſelfe, cannot live in his calling as a Man; then it is high time, firſt to make up to God, and if we be kept off there, then to make out to Man: when then we finde it ſuch a burthen to the conſcience that we cannot ſtand under it, (For a wounded ſpirit who can beare?) there diſpute no longer, but away to ſome one or other; now for the choice we muſt make.

1. Firſt, if all circumſtances concurre, let it bee ſome godly & learned Miniſter, for though that another ſpeake the ſame words of comfort, yet they will ſound better out of his mouth, and it is his office, and he hath a more particular promiſe that his words ſhall proſper; every thing workes much; what as it is taken, what he ſaith becauſe he is a Miniſter, will bee better p. 189taken, and diſgeſt better with our conſciences: ſo wee finde in Iob, that it is principally and uſually the Meſſenger, the Interpreter, the one of a thouſand that doth it.

2. If wee ſee that a Miniſter cannot be had, or not truſted, or not comfortably uſed, any godly Chriſtian will ſerve: Iames ſaith to private men; Confeſſe your ſins one to another, and pray one for another: Writing, and ſpeaking to private Chriſtians, hee doth not tye us to any auricular confeſſion to the Prieſt, for then the Prieſt were alſo by the place in Iames, bound to confeſſe to private men alſo; for here is a mutuall confeſſing one to another, and here they are to pray one for another,Scot. Sent. l. 4. D. 17. q. 1. Aug. Conf. l. 10. c. 3. Ambro. Serm. 2. in Pſa. 119. Sozom Hiſt. l. 7. c. 16.Ps 119 which cannot bee to abſolve: For if to pray were to abſolve, then their Laity hath as great authority by that place to abſolve their Prieſts, as their p. 190Prieſts their Laity: but to paſſe them, wee ſay, that a private man may ſerve as well, and ſometimes better, to let us ſee that all is from God, and from his grace alone; a ſimple Chriſtian man or woman ſhall do it by ſpeaking a few plaine words out of the Scripture, when many great Divines have bin uſed, and can make nothing of it; as ſomtimes, whē the Chirurgion gives the cure over; ſome woman makes the party as whole as a fiſh: and what if wee our ſelves, can at other times ſay as much or more than we can, yet we muſt uſe Gods way; he is a ſtander by, and ſees more than we can, in and by our ſelves, and no man is ſo fit a Phyſitian of himſelfe,Ad ſeipſos adhibent medici; aegroti medicos alios. whether ſoule or body; but whether it be Miniſter or private Chriſtian, who is uſed, the care muſt bee, that a wiſe choice bee made,Ariſt. polpit l. 3. c. 12. and for our choice, let the party be ſome p. 191godly humble man, and one who hath bin in the fire himſelfe, and then hee will (as hee ſees it to bee his duty) confeſſe the ſame or the like to us, and comfort us with the comfort, hee himſelfe hath beene comforted by. Take a man of whom we have the opinion, that hee is the ſure ſervant of God, and then when we finde by his free confeſſion to us, that hee hath had the ſame or worſe corruptions and tentations, then wee ſhall ſoone joyne hand with him, that for all this, wee may be the ſervants of God too, and that we ſhall ſee day, and comfort againe; and then wee will waite with content and comfort, as the watchman doth for the light, becauſe he knowes, that be it ever ſo darke, it will be day againe: when wee have an aſſurance for the preſent, that when we are at the worſt, wee are the ſervants of God, and p. 192that wee ſhall in good time bee as well and as comfortable as ever we were; as we ſee by experience in our friend, whom now wee make our Comforter and Phyſitian, it is eaſie for us then, to poſſeſſe our ſoules with quiet and comfort.

Another thing, that wee are to looke to, is, that he be a man who can and will keepe our councell; for if hee bee a blab, the more wee conjure him all ſecreſie, the more ſick hee will bee (like thoſe in the Goſpell) to out with it all abroad; and it may be, he would keepe counſell better if wee did not binde him: and by the way I could wiſh, that whom ſoever wee make uſe of; that wee bee not too too ſtrict to binde them to ſecreſie (except in ſome things the danger be ſo great that there may bee need of an oath,) for it is our nature, the more wee are kept from a thing, the more p. 193earneſt wee are after it, and therefore too too ſevere termes that way, are not ſo fit. Well, wee muſt then doe what wee can, to chuſe out a man that can hold; and herein I thinke wee ſhall doe wiſely to doe as they doe, who doe try a new veſſell, prove it with Water firſt, before they truſt it with Wine; thus we ſhall do well and wiſely to ſound them, with ſome leſſer matters, and if wee finde them wanting in ſecreſie there, then truſt them no further; ſome cautions are delivered here, as that wee meddle not with men who are full of tongue, of a talkative diſpoſition,Pro. 11. 13Prov 11:13 for ſuch cannot hold for their lives, nor ſuch as can keep nothing from their wives or husbands (for women may bee fitter, and in ſome caſes make uſe of women rather than men) nor ſuch as bee of an inquiſitive diſpoſition; a man willing to p. 194fiſh out our counſels, is not a likely man to keepe our counſels; indeed, if we come to a man of purpoſe, to reveale our ſelves, and when wee come to the Tooth-drawer, our teeth leave aking for a time: if the tentation withdraw for the preſent, or that wee are ſo oppreſſed that wee cannot utter; in this caſe, the friend ſhall doe full wiſely to pierce us, to draw it out of us, to bid us write our minde, lay it down, and leave it behind us,Epiſtola non …rubeſcit. Cic. epiſt. l. 5. ep. 12. Lucceio. but except in ſome caſes, as theſe; the man who hath this in him, that he is deſirous to know our minde, who doth even itch after our ſecrets, buſie and inquiſitive to know what aiſes us,Percuncta …orem fugito, nam garrulus idem eſt. Mor. lib. 1. Epiſt almoſt whether we will or not; that man is not to be uſed, he wil ten to one, tell it to one or other: looke out then for a man godly, wiſe, ſecret, one who hath been ſick of the ſame, or the like himſelfe, p. 195an experienced man in himſelfe and others, a Phyſitian in practice, and a friend too, a boſome friend; and if wee have him a David, a Ionathan, a ſworne-brother, a ſtill, grave, ſober ſpirited, and humble-minded man, and then confeſſe to him and ſpare not, confeſſe to him and feare nothing; and when wee have ſo done, let us not diſtruſt but wee ſhall ſee a good end; and when we have ſpoken our minde to one or two, and wee have our comfort under two or thee witneſſes, let's not out with it to any body elſe in the world; I know ſpirituall ſorrowes are apt to vent themſelves when once we beginne, for when wee finde a little eaſe by opening the ſore to one, we thinke that the more wee open unto, the more eaſe wee ſhall have, and ſo wee are in danger to ſhew our caſe to all we meet, and here Satan hath a Stratagem p. 196that when hee ſees hee cannot make us ſecret our matters from a friend, then hee will urge us to out with it to all, and after wound us with a ſore and heavy tentation, that now wee have ſhamed our ſelves for ever: and therefore my counſell here is,Pro. 11. 13Prov 11:13 that when wee have found a faithfull friend, that then we begin and end with him, except wee call in one or two at the moſt, to have the matter under the teſte of two or three witneſſes; and before I leave the particular, I muſt make bold to call upon ſuch, as are made Phyſitians to the ſoules of their friend, to make uſe of theſe things.

1. That they bee not over-earneſt to fiſh out mens ſecrets, for if wee meane honeſty and ſecrecy, they are more bound to us, that wee will heare them than wee, that they will tell us, p. 197for wee are thereby, bound to one great duty more than wee were, and that is to keepe ſecrecy.

2. Wee muſt bee willing to bee made uſe of by men, as by women, by poore, as well as by rich.Greeneham. For as one ſpeakes, who was of great experience this way; there lyes a great corruption in it, when wee finde our ſelves more ready, to take the confeſſions of Women, than of Men, of young women, than of old, of faire than of foule, of Gentlemen, and rich men, than of poore: and which we muſt ſee that wee humble for and avoid, and bee rather for the poore than the rich, for Men than Women, &c.

3. By all meanes wee muſt keepe councell, except the matter ſtand ſo, that wee ſin in keeping cloſe their ſecrets; and here if wee have cauſe to doubt any thing; as though his ſecrets p. 198would be pernicious, wee ſhall doe well to tell him, that if he aske for counſels ſake, that then we will heare him; but if that he have a farther intent and his plot bee dangerous, aſſure him we will breake friendſhip with him; and rather loſe a friend of him, than keepe his ſinfull ſecrets, and loſe a friend of God: but if it may bee done, then by all meanes keepe it from all, and chiefeſt of all, ſome ſecrets of the wife from the husband, of the husband from the wife.

4. Confeſſe againe to them when we our ſelves have beene healed of the like; and ſay I was ſick of the ſame diſeaſe, and by taking ſuch or ſuch things, by uſing my ſelfe to theſe or thoſe courſes, I was cured, and am as comfortable as ever I was in all my life: ye would not beleeve how this will ſettle the heart of a poore Chriſtian, who hath a good opinion of us and our ſincerity: p. 199doe not ſtand thinking, that they will never think well of us againe, if they doe not, an happy loſſe, if we may thereby bring them to peace and comfort; but the truth is, theſe are but fancies. If a man have a calling from God for the good of mens ſoules, to open all his heart, in the ſight of all the Pariſh, men will thinke never the worſe of him, but the better; and indeed we can confeſſe nothing one to another, but what we may in a manner know one by another before hand, ſith we have all one and the ſame heart, cut out of the ſame rock, of the ſame complexion and diſpoſition, as touching our luſt and Originall ſinne, and therefore if they confeſſe to us, to have comfort from us, wee may doe well to tell them our ſinnes and errours in a mutuall manner,Cartw. in Iam. 5. v. 16Jas 5:16 as they doe their wounds to us.

5. We muſt pitty them and p. 200pray for them, and helpe to carry their burdens: wee of our ſelves can doe nothing,Gal. 6. 2.Gal 6:2 but we muſt commend their ſtate and caſe to God; as hee is to pray for himſelfe, ſo we are to pray to God for him,Iam. 5. 16.Jas 5:16 and the prayer of a righteous man availeth much, and is of force: where many may fitly come together in prayer, the more the better: but in this caſe of ſecrecy, one onelyonly is made acquainted with the matter, and in this matter, the prayer of one righteous man ſhall do the deed; for it is not the worth or force of prayer, but the promiſe of GOD which is all in all, here we have a promiſe, and by vertue of that promiſe the prayer of one will carry it.

The Generall Rules after the Tentation is over.

1. Wee muſt not bee coozened ſo as to think the tentation is reſiſted and conquered, when p. 201it is not, nor yet ſuffer our ſelves by Satans deceipt, and that of our owne hearts, to be made beleeve it is not conquered, when it is: ſometimes Satan doth for a time withdraw himſelfe, hee may, and doth in skill, ceaſe to ſolicit; and luſt may ſit ſtill for a ſpace, and all to lull us aſleepe, as though all were done, when nothing is done, as though all were killed, when it is as live as ever it was. The tempter will come, and bring ſeven worſe with him than before; and our luſt will come againe, and take us at ſome advantage, and doe us a ſpoile: in caſe wee thinke the tentation ended, when there is a politike giving over to bite for a ſeaſon onelyonly: What muſt wee doe, to know when the ceaſing is, becauſe the tentation is conquered, and when it is onelyonly by withdrawment for a time? Many things might here bee ſaid; that which ſatisfies p. 202is to affirme, that if wee have taken paines, uſed Gods meanes, waited Gods time, then the worke is done as it ſhould be; but if meanes, or all ordinary meanes to bee had have not beene uſed, wee have not ſet God and prayer, againſt the motion: if we find that the luſt is gone, we know not how on a ſudden, no ſooner come almoſt but gone, hereis cauſe of ſuſpicion, to feare that all is but a practiſe of our great enemy, a purpoſe to rock us in ſecurity, that he may come and take us in the ſinne or ſome other, when we leaſt thinke of it, and and ſtand unprepared. Againe, if wee finde no good fruits and effects to follow, no good to come of it to our heart and life, that wee are no more humble, no more (if not leſſe) ſpirituall than before; here is great doubt that the tentation is gone the wrong way; for if we do drive p. 203this Divell away by GODS meanes, which are ſpirituall, as prayer, reading, watching; ſpirituall ſeed-corne, will leave behind it, ſome ſpirituall fruit; prayers, and holy exerciſes uſe not to bee loſt, they fall not in the duſt, but mortifie, and ſanctifie, they both muſt and doe, and therefore if wee finde eaſe, but not grace,Heb. 12. 11Heb 12:11 ſome quiet, but not the quiet fruit of righteouſneſſe; for all that I know, as good the tentation had ſtayed, as depart thus. But if we finde that we have not onelyonly a bare freed once from the ſtirre and power of the tentation; but the tentation is over, and good, is left behind, more modeſt, humble, fearefull of ſin, carefull of God; then the worke is done by God, and we have our comfort: when a man then doth finde ſome reſpit by turning his thoughts over, to thinke of the world, that this or that is to be p. 204got or ſaved, be ſet or ſold, here or there is a purchaſe to bee made; this is not Gods cure, but if the liberty we now have, over we had, be made ours by turning to God and his wayes, then wee may boldly tell our ſelves, and bid our conſciences reſt upon it, that we have gone the right way to worke, and that there is no miſtake in the matter: and as wee muſt not thinke wee have it, when wee have it not; ſo wee muſt not think we have it not, when indeed and in truth we have. Satan doth play on both ſides, and his devices to coozen us of our comfort this way are many: what ſaith hee, all that is nothing but a forbearing of old and wonted occaſions, and a wicked man may doe this; indeed, we muſt not lay the fault on the occaſion, as the Tipler doth on drinke, that it is made ſo ſtrong; and the Glutton on p. 205his fare, it is ſo choice, that who can chooſe but feed by the belly, for the creatures are no kind of cauſe. Before the Floud, when men did (as great Divines conceive) drinke water and feed upon plants;Chryſ. in Gen 9. hom. 29. Rain. Apol. Theſ. Sect. 33.Gen 9 wee ſee there was a world of abominations, and therefore we muſt lay the fault on our luſts within, not on the occaſions without: yet this I ſay, that if a man finde, that by the uſe of prayer and the word, a man doth in conſcience and with conſtancy ſhun all the occaſions of that ſin, which heretofore hee neither could nor would; there is a cure wrought, for a brunt in ſome fit, an unregenerate man may; but to doe it ſtill, alwayes, forever hereafter: thus to doe is a ſigne of power, of grace; and after conſtancy we muſt ſee that wee doe it in conſcience, that we do not avoid the thing or perſon, which were to us occaſions p. 206of ſinning out of hatred, to the perſon or to the thing, but to the ſin; that our ſtomack doth not riſe at them, as they are ſuch or ſuch things materially, but formally as they are to us occaſions of offending, and that by reaſon of coruption, not in them, but in us: He that can doe that, that man may ſay that Sathan lyes when hee tels him, that a wicked man may ſurceaſe, by hiding himſelfe from his old occaſions: for in this ſenſe, nothing but grace and the ſpirit, and ſome power of the Holy Ghoſt, can make a man ſhake off his old occaſions a man in his ſins will be ſo far from refuſing occaſions when they come in his way, that hee will look and make after them, and have them he will,Pro. 23 35Prov 23:35 if hee may have them for love or money. An hungry man, will thorow ſtone wals for meate; ſo where the love and raigne of p. 207ſin is, there a man will and muſt breake thorow fire and water to have his deſires finiſhed; the occaſions of that ſin, hee muſt and will follow, what ever come of it: I ſay it, that nothing but grace, can make a man abſtain from the occaſions of ſinne when hee is tempted; when not tempted, the matter is not ſo much, and ſome men without the ſtrength of grace may forbeare, but when the tentation is up, and the paſſion is on fire, though a man dye, and (without Gods mercy) damne in the place, he cannot poſſibly forbeare without the force of the ſpirit: I dare affirme it, that hee that can, and doth, in the order and manner I have ſet down either put the occaſion from him, or himſelfe from the occaſion of a ſin he hath been and is tempted unto, that man hath made an acceptable conqueſt of that luſt: and wee doe wrong p. 208our ſelves I cannot ſay how much, when we ſuffer Satan to perſwade us the contrary. The next thing wee are to looke to, is, that we doe not coozen and deceive our ſelves, ſo as to thinke we have not overcome the tentation: why? Becauſe we are not rid of evill thoughts; it is conqueſt enough, that evill thoughts are borne as a burthen and that luſt and Satan for their hearts are not able to bring it any further than thoughts. I know God could if he would, and would if hee ſaw it good and fit, take away the ſwarme of evill thoughts; but for our good they are ſuffered to flye up and down in our imaginations, not onelyonly to humble us, for as the thoughts are, ſo we ſhould be if we were let alone; they ſhow our nature, and when wee are come to ſome practiſe and growth, wee are then apt to heave up with conceits p. 209of our ſelves above what is written, to thinke that wee are not as other men are, and therefore to prevent and diſcure the malady, evill thoughts are left in us, to remember us what wee are of our ſelves; as alſo that by feeling the thoughts ſtirring within, and praying againſt them, we may be kept from acting the ſin in it ſelfe, in the deed: This muſt be borne, for wee muſt know that our inward luſt, ever foameth out a loathſome fume, (loathſome I ſay, even to the naturall conſcience of a man) and would if it were poſſible defile (as one notes) the very regenerate part;Greeneham. ſin is to be in us till we dye, and therefore evill motions, ſuggeſtions, and deluſions of Satan muſt be borne withall: the help is, that wee doe delight in the law of God,Rom. 7. 22Rom 7:22 as touching the Inner man; and what if we ſee them to bee more than they p. 210were before, yet it, is becauſe our light is more, our ſight is cleerer, our ſpirituall ſenſe quicker; ſo that if wee have by prayer wonne then, delight and conſent away from ſinne, the more grace we have, the more ſinnes wee have not; but the more ſins wee ſee, for that if God ſhould let us ſee the ſinnes heretofore, when we had little or no grace, wee ſee now, wee then muſt needs have deſpaired we could not have borne it, it being a great worke and power of grace, to be able to ſtand before the ſight of our ſins: and againe wee can diſcerne more corruption now, than we could then, becauſe our eyes are now more open, wee muſt not goe about, then to conclude againſt the haire: that ſure the victory is not got, becauſe wee ſee, and feele (perhaps) more evill thoughts, or our evill thoughts to ſtir more than before; alas, p. 211did we not feele them, and the burthen of them, we would never care to come to God, to have them done away: and therefore it is rather an argument, that the conqueſt is comfortably made, and that the Lord doth intend us a good turne, even to helpe us away with our luſt, more and more every day, for that wee finde that our luſts doe burthen us, and appeare in their odious colours more and more every day: make not that then an argument againſt us, which is rather for us: & ſay that I find it, and feele it more and worſe, I hate it more, I delight in it leſſe, I conſent not at all; this is ſufficient for our comfort for the preſent, and that man who hath gone thus far, may well be ſaid to overcome the tentation.

2. The ſecond thing to bee conſidered of, after the tentation, is, that in caſe we do catch a p. 212fall, and the tempter without, luſt within, doe blow and puſh us downe, yet wee muſt not make the matter worſe by deſpairing, for to deſpaire is a greater fall, than the fall it ſelfe; this were to leape into the fire, to ſave our ſelves from the blame: I know a godly man can never utterly deſpaire, there is ſtill a ſeed in him,2 Cor. 4. 8.2 Cor 4:8 and where faith is, there is ſome hope, where hope is, there is not a totall deſpaire; but doubt wee doe ſaith Paul, yet not deſpaire, and ſuch doubtings we have as do make our life uncomfortable and ſome degrees of deſpaire we do admit, and for every degree of deſpaire that wee doe ſuck in, wee doe ſuffer the loſſe of a degree of comfort: wherefore wee muſt hold out againſt thoughts & propoſitions tending to deſpaire, riſe with David, riſe with Peter, and grow better after-than before the maine puſh is given, becauſe p. 213we ſin after knowledge, ſo did theſe two Worthies, and they are in heaven and dyed for all that in peace and honour. Davids conſcience when hee came to dye, was troubled about a leſſer matter, I meane the caſes of Shimei and Ioab: as for his bloud and murther, not a word, why? Becauſe hee had made a thorow-peace with God: for thoſe ſins in his life and health-time, he had compounded with his Iudge: let us doe ſo in any hand, reſiſt, hold out, doe and ſuffer any thing, rather than ſin: but if Satan hath gone beyond us, lye not in ſin, up againe; it is not death to commit ſin, but it is, to lye in ſinne; repentance doth give the ſoule a vomit,Sicut hi qui habent incluſam, &c. Orig. in Pſ. 31. &. Hier. in Eccl. c. 10.Ps 31Eccl 10 up comes all againe; it ſhowes great love in God, and great faith in us, to riſe up againe out of great fals; and when up once, then fortifie our ſelves we muſt againſt relapſes: there is a ſe… p. 214depth of trouble in minde will follow, if after our riſing we fall againe into the ſame or the like offence, this will coſt deare: but yet by the way I affirme, that this may befall the child of God. In the ſtory of the Iudges, the Church up and downe did ſin the ſin of Idolatry; repented,Perk. Eſtate of a Chriſtian Sect. 16. Pige at ſane peccare rurſus, &c. Tertull. de poenit. c. 7. and yet fell, againe and againe: and this were to unchurch the Church of the Iewes, to ſay, that Gods people cannot doe that ſin after repentance which they did doe before. And who can thinke, that Abraham did not repent of that his ſin in the matter of Sarah? yet the next occaſi…n, he ſinned the very ſinne againe: and was not that a groſſe ſinne, to tell a tale as hee did, to lay his wife open to adultery to ſave his life? which many heathens would rather have loſt their lives than have endured, and what? to make a bargain, p. 215that not for once or ſo, but where ever we come,Ge. 20. 30. doe thou ſay, thou art my ſiſter. If this were not in ſubſtance, in circumſtance a groſſe ſin, I know not what is: they did as it were conſent unto it: and that Abraham finding ſo ſtrange a deliverance by God as he did, repented not, were ſtraying; and yet after, he fell into the very ſame ſinne againe: and one dares ſay, that David committed adultery often, becauſe he took Bethſheba and had ſix wives beſides, and ten Concubines: and for murther,Perk. Conflict of Satan with a ſtrong Chriſtian. deny it who can, that David went far, when hee ſaid and ſwore that he would be the death of Nabal, Vid Perk. Caſ. Conſc. lib. 1. c. 11. Sect. 1 pag. 284. Latinae Edit.and all his innocent family, wherein was a godly and right vertuous wife, and ſome religious ſervants: this was a groſſe ſin, and what if hee did not act the deed? No thankes to him; he was reſolved if ever man were: and p. 216yet after hee fell into the foule murther of Ʋriah; the Church in Nehemiah and Ezre fell the ſecond time, after ſolemne repentance, into the groſſe fact of having many wives: and for the word, wee have nothing againſt it, God will forgive us ſeventy times, that is, infinite times; a certaine number being put for an uncertain: me thinks it is a ſinfull limiting the holy one of Iſrael in his free and infinite mercies; of Chriſt our redeemer in his merits, to ſay the contrary as though GOD did forgive us, becauſe wee have done the groſſe ſin, but once after wee are in Chriſt; and for reaſons I propoſe but theſe. 1. What ever ſin wee may repent of, that God may and will pardon: but the ſinne of falling againe after repentance into the ſelfeſame great offence, is a fault that a man may repent of, which I thus prove; becauſe it p. 217is not the ſin againſt the Holy Ghoſt, or there is no ſinne, but that ſinne which doth exclude repentance: and that every groſſe ſin done after true repentance, could not be the ſinne againſt the Holy Ghoſt. I need not prove, becauſe no mā can or wil affirme it. 2. Tis on al hauds granted, that a man may fall into ſome other groſſe ſinne, but not (ſay they) into the ſame: But of this they neither can nor doe give good reaſon, there being no place in the word, nor no ground in the nature of faith or of repentance; but that a man may as well fall into the ſame groſſe ſin as another; as great, becauſe that another ſinne as great, is as contrary to the habit of grace and act of repentance as the ſame. 3. What may ſtand with the grace of God, that a godly man may do; but to ſin the ſame groſſe ſin after repentance, is not incompatible p. 218with the grace of God as now it is in us; for what may ſtand with Chriſt, may ſtand with grace.Prin. perpet. p. 3. 5. It is written, that one act of ſinne cannot deſtroy the habit of grace, as though many might: indeed one act of a great and foule fault hath done it; as we ſee, the Angels fell in heaven; and the fall of Adam in Paradiſe, in whom, one act did caſt out grace; there grace being not the grace of Chriſt, the grace of juſtification:Vitia Ferina. and Philoſophers hold it, in ſome ferall vices: but now as the caſe ſtands with us, to double that act againe and often, and I cannot ſay how often, cannot of it ſelfe thruſt a man out of Chriſt: why? Becauſe wee are kept in him, and his graces in us, by the power of God and the ſpirit of Chriſt: now for a man to ſay, to ſin ſuch a ſin wee treat of, cannot ſtand with grace in us, ſith that grace is kept in by the p. 219power of God and of Chriſt, is to me uncomfortable divinity. 4. That Doctrine cannot hold, which leaves the conſcience of man without a ſtay, and ſo doth this: when a man ſhall be ſet on the rack for ever, that he is not in Chriſt, & why? Becauſe hee doth ſinne the ſame groſſe ſin after true repentance, or at leaſt, that his repentance was not true; and if I were not a true Chriſtian, I know not when I ſhall be; and if this my repentance were not true, I feare I ſhal never repent aright. It muſt bee held againſt all true repentance, or elſe there can be no ſtate of the queſtion made: for true repentance hath a breadth with it, and doth admit of degrees: and if they ſay, that when a man hath attained to a great meaſure of repentance, then it will carry it for him, that he ſhall never ſin the ſame groſſe ſin againe. Here the p. 220heart of a man can finde no ſooting, becauſe by this their aſſertion, no man can poſſibly ſet downe, when a man hath attained to the point and degree of true repentance, and therefore they muſt affirme it of any true repentance; that whoſoever hath truly in the leaſt degree, and meaſure repented for a groſſe ſinne, ſhall never while hee lives, commit the ſame againe; and if hee doe, then as yet he is not, nor never yet was in Chriſt: which is a tenet very uncomfortable, and no way agreeable with the ſweet principles of the covenant of grace, and the free and infinite mercies of God, propoſed to us in the Goſpell. Laſtly, this cannot ſtand, becauſe no man can ſatisfie the conſcience of man, when the ſin he hath committed is, or is not a groſſe ſinne. They ſay that a man may ſinne ſmaller ſins of infirmity againe p. 225and again after repentance, and I ſay, that there can be no ſound reaſon, why a man may not after his repentance doe the ſame groſſe ſin againe, as well as an infirmity humbled for, and repented of. But to paſſe that, the thing I urge is, that it paſſeth the skill I thinke of any man living, to ſet me downe a limit, that ſo farre I may goe, and my ſin is but an infirmity, but if I goe a point further, that then it is a groſſe ſin; for if I may ſtep one degree and point further, and yet my ſin be an infirmity ſtill, then I ſay, why not another degree further? and ſo, why not another? and ſo another, and who can ſay, when and where we muſt ſtay. The conſcience of a man in perplexity, muſt have a rock to ſettle upon, but when it is a groſſe ſin, and when it is not, cannot be punctually defined; circumſtances after the caſe, and many ſins of p. 222the firſt table, are groſſe and great enough, which yet to many of us, are accounted of, as no ſuch ſins: many determine a groſſe ſin from the matter,Forma dat Nomen & eſſe. but the forme is, it that chiefely gives name and nature to a ſin, and the manner is the forme of a ſin, rather than the matter: and hence ſomtimes when the matter is not ſo great, yet the manner may be ſuch, that it may well goe for a groſſe ſin: the only reaſon that ever I heard is, for that after a man comes to repent of a foule fault, a mans ſorrow is ſo great, hee feeles ſuch ſmart, that hee will never come there againe, becauſe hee will drinke of that bitter cup no more. Tis true that ſuch a man will goe his wayes, and doe ſo, no more if hee can doe withall; but I hope our Divinity tels us, that what ever our ſorrowes hath been, how much ſoever the griefe was; yet except p. 223God doe keepe us, the remembrance of former compunctions cannot preſerve us, when the winde and Sun, the occaſion and tentation doe meet. Now ſhow mee a place that hath in it a promiſe, that when our greefe hath beene ſo great, that then God will preſerve us from ever falling into the ſame fault: I know GOD doth ſo tender us, that he uſeth not to let us come to that paſſe againe, and he makes our fits of former ſorrow, a meanes thorow his bleſſing for to preſerve us; but that a godly man ſhall ever be ſo preſerved, is beſides the Text I thinke. Againe, I deſire proofe, that ſtill an end a regenerate man doth, when ever hee repents of a groſſe crime, entertaine his heart with a great deale of ſorrow; ſome I know doe, and many, and if you will the moſt; but that ever it is ſo, that we never after p. 224converſion repent truly of a groſſe ſinne, but our ſorrow is much and great; I thinke there is no ſuch thing in the word of God: many have that initiall repentance brought about by the pricking of a pin, without a Lance; by the ſweet muſicke of the Goſpell, without any great noiſe of the law, and ſo I ſay, there after repentance too, when they by occaſion and tentation, fall into ſome foule fact: and then againe, how much this ſorrow muſt bee that will keepe one from relapſing and ever doing ſo againe, is paſt my wit to conceive the quantity of it; and the conſcience muſt be able to ſpell it out, and to ſay, thus much I muſt grieve, elſe my repentance is not right, for ſuch a ſin, and I may fall againe.

Now where this full point lyes, that a man may be able to ſpeake it; thus much I muſt p. 227and have grieved, and am now come to the height of ſorrow that is required; and now I know I ſhall never fall the ſame fall againe. Theſe bee ſtrange riddles, the heart of man I know muſt come down, it muſt melt and breake, but yet a little ſorrow doth it in one, when a great deale doth but do it in another: ſome mens hearts after ſin are like hard wax, great heate is required to melt it; but others like ſoft wax, a little will ſupple it, as we finde that at mans firſt converſion, ſome men turne to it without much adoe, with legall ſorrowes, and the ſinne before regeneration, I hope, hardens the heart, more than the ſinne after, for before, there is nothing but a ſtone, nothing but ſin and fleſh; but after, be the ſin committed never ſo great, yet there is ſome ſpirit, ſome grace abiding, and ſo ſome ſoftneſſe with all. We p. 226Divines doe uſe to teach, that it is the love of God; and not the ſorrow for ſinne,Vid. Can. Relict part. 1. which is the cauſe to keepe us from relapſing, and that too much ſorrow doth hurt and drive us from Chriſt. We all agree, that a man may goe too far, when there is ſo much as doth bring us to Chriſt,Durand. l. 4. D. 17. q. 4. n. 7. it is ſufficient; and that ſometimes, a leſſer degree of humbling and mourning will doe that: GOD doth not delight to ſee us in our aſhes, no further than he may heare of us, and tis not terror of the law, but the peace of God which doth garrizon and keepe our hearts,foreign. and mind, and therfore this reaſon is of no force, it hangs the conſcience on uncertainty, and no man can determine, when his ſorrow is come, to bee enough, and ſerve the turne in this Divinity: beſides who ſees not that wicked men doe grieve over and above out of p. 227feare or ſhame or both for ſome ſins and more than godly men doe, for the ſame or the like ſinnes, and yet who dares ſay, that by reaſon of this their griefe, they could never offend in the ſame againe. Iudas did grieve and ſob extraordinary, for killing Chriſt: yet I do not thinke, but had the caſe come in his way, hee would have murthered him againe: no truſting him, who preſently after killed himſelfe: and we finde ſome, who for murther fall into thoſe flats of ſorrow, that they doe run upon their owne deaths, and cauſe themſelves for very remorſe of conſcience to dye a dogs death.Mat. 27. 5Matt 27:5 Let us then ſay, that it is a dāgerous caſe, for a godly man to ſinne the ſame great ſin after repentance, what if it doe not put him out of Chriſt? what if it do not hang him? Yet it burnes him in the hand, whips him up and down p. 228the towne, my meaning is, that it doth caſt him into a bed of miſerable ſorrow; but withall we muſt ſay, that it may poſſibly be, that after true & hearty repentance for ſuch a fault, a child of God may chance to fal into the ſame ſin againe and again: how often I cannot tel, but this I can tell, that how often ſoever hee ſinneth, let him repent, and returne, and his pardon is ready: They wrong GOD in his mercy, and men in their comfort who doe ſay the contrary.

3. The third duty that wee are to looke to after the tentation, is, that in caſe we do not finiſh the ſin, not act the fault, but doe drive away this fury: that then wee bee very thankefull to God, tis his doing only, tis his grace that moved him to ſtand for us, when we were in danger to caſt away our comfort: it is a great mercy to riſe p. 229againe, but a greater too, when God comes and ſtands betwixt us and the fall. Of the two, it is better not to ſin the ſin,Scot. 3. Sent D. 3. q. r. than to bee recovered after wee are down,Sect. Dicitur communiter. as it is in it ſelf for a man to bee preſerved from a diſeaſe, than to be cured of the diſeaſe. I confeſſe that wee have a greater experimentall taſte, both of the love and power of GOD, when wee are recovered, but yet as touching our peace and comfort: I hope wee all ſee, it is better not to ſin the ſin, than having ſinned to be healed, we ſave a great deale of inward paine and bitter ſorrow by the bargaine, Chriſt I know tels us moſt Divinely and ſweetly; that to whom much is forgiven,Luk. 7. 47.Luke 7:47 ſuch doe love much, but yet we muſt not ſin many ſins, that ſo much may bee forgiven us, and wee love much, this were to turne the grace of God into wantonneſſe;Iude v. 4. and that p. 230which Auguſtine hath up and downe in his Tomes anſwers all, that thoſe alſo are to love much, who have beene preſerved by the providence and power of God, from doing ſuch and ſo many tranſgreſſions as ſome others have: for why, ſaith hee, have we not ſinned thoſe ſins? was the cauſe in our nature? Is the reaſon in our will? No, but only in the goodneſſe of God; wee are then to thanke him, and love him for the ſins we have committed, and have had our pardon for them, and for thoſe many more which wee ſhould have done, had not the Lord beene, all one, as though wee had done them, and had found a pardon of them; and one degree more, and that is, that by reaſon of his meere mercy, we have beene ſtrongly preſerved from ſo ſinning againſt our God, from ſo troubling the quiet of p. 231our owne hearts and in ſome particulars, from ſo ſcandalizing the Church and people of GOD.

4. The fourth duty after the tentation, is, to make a good uſe of it, to get ſome good out of it, wee muſt come to ſome fruit after wee have beene ſo handled with ſuch bitter plunges. The Earth after Winter becomes fruitfull, ſo muſt wee be; now the good that comes by tentation is manifold. 1. A ſight of ſome corruption wee ſaw not before; the beginning of all our comfort ariſeth from an humble ſight of our corruptions, and tis fit, that when we will not ſee them, and abhor them by what we finde in the word, we ſhould have the experience of them in our ſelves; then we ſay, till now, little did I thinke, I had beene thus and thus given to ſuch rebellions, then wee cry, ah wretched man p. 232that I am, what a Beaſt, what a divell am I? This doth mightily empty us of our ſelves, and then we quickly fill with God, with Chriſt: this is amends enough for all our toile, that wee are made to ſee ſomewhat in our ſelves, which wee never thought to bee in our hearts.

2. The ſecond is to ſee that ther is ſome ſin, not ſufficiently and thorowly mortified, that as yet wee have not gone to the quick of it, and what that ſin is, and now to take it in hand againe, and never give over till wee breake the heart of it, leſt it lye in the winde and doe us ſome ſpight againſt another time. 3. A third is to grow acquainted with the wiles and depths of Satan: A godly man ſhould bee well acquainted with the divell, ſo as to know and to finde him out in his ſtratagems, and this is done more by tentation, than by all the p. 233reading in the world. 4. To be acquainted with the goodneſſe and mercy of God, to bee able to finde out ſomewhat to purpoſe, in the myſtery of godlineſſe, how God doth make ſin to cure ſin, one theefe, one corruption to cut the throat of another, one corruption to prevent a worſer, fetch heaven out of hell, to learne to ſpeake it by experience, and to ſay, I had ſinned, except I had ſinned, I had gone to hell, except I had gone to hell; that the worſt pride comes out of our graces, that our beſt grace, the grace of humility (which makes roome and way for all the reſt) comes out of our ſins:Iam. 4. 6.Jas 4:6 Now then we ſhould not finde our ſelves, or Satan, or the Lord out, were we not taught it by our tentations. This made Fox to ſay, that his graces did him moſt hurt, and his ſins moſt good, a Paradox: but by our owne tentations we p. 234know his meaning: this made Luther to ſay,Praefat. that theſe three things make a good Divine.Tom. 1. 1, Prayer.German. 2. Meditation. 3. Tentation: this good we have by our tentations, that wee come to know our ſelves, to know Satan, and to know GOD; ſuch is our eſtate, that the furtheſt about, is the neereſt way to heaven; we cannot goe to heaven by Geomitry: we muſt fetch a compaſſe by the gates of hell, and ſee what newes with Satan, ere we can reliſh the ſweetneſſe and goodneſſe of the promiſe, we cannot elſe take God for Gods ſake, and have heaven on Gods tearmes; we cannot come to God but we muſt follow Chriſt, and follow Chriſt we cannot except we deny our ſelves,Mar. 8. 34.Mark 8:34 and deny our ſelves we will not, were it not, for the croſſe, and man would do any thing, rather than take up his croſſe; were he not buffeted p. 235and beaten to it by ſome tentation or other,2 Cor. 12. 7.2 Cor 12:7 and therefore thanke yee tentation, that ever we come to heaven: what ever it is to beare a croſſe, when God doth lay it on, I am ſure it is an hard and an hard thing, for a man to take up his Croſſe; and yet by tentatiōs we are brought to this:He. 11. 35 wherefore wee muſt do our ſelves this good by our tentations,Tortured, not accepting deliverance. when they are gone and over; that now againſt another time, we know the better how to doe with Satan, that he ſhall not put ſuch tricks upon us, and coozen us out of our comfort, and that cheefeſt of all, by his art and skill. 5. We muſt learne for ever after to pitty others; and out of pitty and mercy, to do them in their ſpirituall ſorrowes, all the helpe that poſſibly wee can; let us mourne with them, and have a feeling of their caſe, and the rather, becauſe once or often it p. 236hath beene our caſe. Paul doth not ſay to the inceſtuous Corinthians thou art puffed up, but turnes himſelfe to the ſtanders by,1 Cor. 4. 15.1 Cor 4:15 and ſaith not (hee is) but (ye) are puffed up, and have not rather mourned:Chryſ. de poenit. hom. 10. now the ſenſe & the freſh remembrance of this, that but the other day wee our ſelves were as ſick as they, and by the meere mercy of God we got our ſelves out, ſhould and it will bring us to ſhew all mercy to them, to mourne over them, and not to pride it over them, as though wee were free from ever ſuffering the like luſt; whereas, by our owne experience wee rather learn to walke humbly before God and man; remembring what hath bin, and conſidering what may be, if wee our ſelves ſhould bee tempted. This then is a golden leſſon which our owne tentations ought to teach us without p. 237booke, to reſtore ſuch an one with the ſpirit of meekeneſſe, do (ſaith the Greek text there) as Surgeons do,foreign. who uſe all tenderneſſe in handling armes and joynts,Vid. Bud. in Comment. when they are out of joynt:Nihil ſic probat ſpiritualem virum, &c. let's do what we can to ſet them in joynt againe with all love,Aug. in Gal. 6.Gal 6 meekeneſſe, pitty, and compaſſion, you would not beleeve what good it will doe a ſick ſoule,Rom. 12. 15.Rom 12:15 to ſee another pitty his caſe, to weepe with them that weepe, it furthers the cure exceedingly, and wee doe become the more willing by ods, to ſet our hand to helpe, becauſe we doe remember how it ſtood with us, when we were in the ſame or the like caſe; ſay I may thanke my tentation for this, that I have either ſuch will or skill to reſtore my poore brothers ſoule; & ſo much the rather are we to ſtudy mercy and meekeneſſe, becauſe whē we go about to fetch p. 238men out of their ſins, men are ſubject to fret and ſnarle, it is like wakening one out of ſleep,Multi homines cum a ſomno, &c. Aug. in Gal. 6.Gal 6 and then wee ſee how out of quiet they be, ready to braule at their beſt friends; ſo here, and therfore we have need of meekneſſe, and patience which our owne experience in our owne aſſaults and tentations will learne us ſooner than all the teaching in the world. 6. And laſtly, by the bitter taſte of our tentative corruptions, we muſt now out of our owne ſenſe, learne to loathe and to abhorre them, that our corrupt nature may bee an ugly ſight in our owne eyes: we ſee in the word, that grave Chriſtians have bin the men who have come to loathe themſelves in duſt and aſhes; ſo Abraham, ſo Iob, when old, they did by reaſon of their ſin abhorre themſelves, in duſt, and in that which is worſe than durt, in aſhes, and p. 239this wee ſhall never come ſo thorowly to doe, till we come by reaſon of tentation, to be as Paul was,Gal. 6. 14.Gal 6:14 a very crucifix of mortification. Ah this ſelfelove, how it makes us carry a moneths minde to our luſts, we have a doting humour after our corrupt luſts ſtill, and therefore al is little enough to bring them out of requeſt with us; they had need ſting us, and that home too: ſay we have a running ſore in our bodies, which none elſe can well abide to come neere; yet ſuch is our Philovety and ſelfelove, that wee can abide the ſight and ſmell of it well enough; right ſo, wee are ſo inward with our owne ſelfe-affection, that albeit our luſts are a corrupt matter and doe ſtinke like any carrion, and would make one ſick to ſee them, yet wee can abide them well enough; our nature is altogether by Adams fall and p. 240our fals become filthy (the Hebrew is ſtinking) wee ſtinke horribly, and yet, becauſe we have an ill and a ſtinking noſtrill of our owne,Habeat aliquis ſanum olfactum animae ſentit quomodo puteant peccata. Aug. in Pſa. 38. 5.Ps 38:5 we can away with the ſmell well enough. Now comes a tentation, ſtirres the wound, makes it ſtinke and ſmell; wee are ſo peppered with the ſorrow & woful fruit, of it that we come to take our ſins as they are in their kinde, and at laſt wee are ſo changed and altered, that what we l…ved rather than our life, that wee come to hate as any death: this uſe we may and muſt make, by looking both on our ſore and heavy tentation (which wee may thanke our luſts for) when once they are paſt and over.

The fifth and laſt duty after our tentations are ſhut up, is to prepare for a further battell, for an other encounter:Luk. 4. 13.Luke 4:13 hee went away from Chriſt but for a ſeaſon, therefore ere long hee will p. 241come againe; how long it will be firſt I cannot ſay, but ere long it will be, he will ſtay away no longer than needs muſt, as ſoon as ever he can get leave he will come without ſending for: though I name Sathan, yet I meane ſuch mixt tentations wherein luſt and Satan doe tye together; but becauſe Satan uſeth to fire the matter, and to ſet the wheeles going, therfore it is that wee doe uſe to name him, as though all were his doing. The thing I firſt propoſe is, that we waite in daily expectation to have ſome other fits, for wee are too too apt to dreame of, I know not what, peace and freedome after tentation is done away, and then we are in danger to grow ſecure, which when our enemy once perceiveth, hee will then come and make uſe of his advantage. A boy in the ſchoole, after a ſound beating is paſt, fals to his liberty p. 242promiſing to himſelfe that he ſhall not be had to horſe yet a while, & is of from his book, till his maſter comes again and hath him by the skin: ſo when we have had a ſcourging with the ſmart of ſome ſowre tentation, we thinke now the worſt is paſt, and that wee ſhall have no more ſuch reckonings: then comes the tempter, cals up our luſts, and finding us ſecure, doth us a ſhrewd turne; ſo we finde in the Saints that after a ſtorme once blowne over, they uſe to catch their fals; when we have ſtood free from our uſuall ſickneſſe a yeere or ſo, wee uſe to give our ſelves to diſorder in dyet, as thinking that no ſickneſſe can now take hold of us, and then wee are over head & eares in ſome diſeaſe ere we are aware; ſo tis in the ſoule, we muſt then when we are on the other ſide of ſome heavy tentation, doe as Marriners doe p. 243in a calme, mend our tacklings, get our things about us; as not knowing how ſoone, how ſudden, another, a worſer ſtorme may fall: take heed then after wee have put off our fits, of a ſecret floth; watch ſtill, lye in our armour, for as ſure as wee live, if wee live any time, wee ſhall meet with another bout ere long: for when wee grow up in grace and come to ſome perfection, wee ſhall heare of more ſorrowes. God hath ever been upon his Saints with greateſt tryals, when they come to ſome age and ſtrength. He will then build with us when wee are ſeaſoned, as farre as our ſtrength will goe we ſhall have it. And therefore when old, when Paul aged, doe not ſay I have done;Philem. 9Phlm 1:9 now our faith is moſt, our wiſdome moſt, our graces ſtrongeſt, and therefore repent and ſay, there is worſe behind ſtill, we muſt have ſome p. 244intervalle, ſometime betwixt our fits, ſome good dayes to breath in,Ferus. in Iob. 3. Serm 18.Job 3 elſe we ſhould not be willing to live, elſe we ſhould not have ſtrength to hold out the next fit; and more fits in their times we muſt have, elſe wee ſhould not bee willing to dye. Say then I looke every day for a fit, and therfore I will not bee without my medicines in a readineſſe; and in all our phyſick be ſure to put the bloud of Chriſt: Satan is not ſo beaten, nor ſuch a coward neither, but hee dares come againe, hee will put it to the adventure, he had little hope to do any thing againſt Chriſt, never was hee beaten as he was by him, yet he came againe, and againe, and ſo hee will to us: the thing I commend then to all our care, is, to ſtand upon our watch and ſure guard. A queſtion is made by ſome, whether Satan may come to the ſame man, with p. 245the ſame tentation after hee is well beaten and conquered:Lib. 2. D. 6. q. 4. Durand ſaith, he may to others with the ſame, hee may to the ſame man w^th ſome other tentation, but to come to the ſame man, with the ſame tentation, to ſhoot the ſame bitter arrow at the ſame man who did conquer him, he thinks Satan will not,; his reaſon is, becauſe Sathan will not come where hee hath no hope to be the victor: but ſaith he, hee hath no hope of having the victory in the ſame, and over the ſame man. As a man who is once beaten in the field, you cannot get him into the field, with the ſame man at the ſame weapons; and a Cock once made to runne away, will fight no more. The anſwer is, that man is uſually beaten in the field for want of courage, or ſtrength, or skill; but Sathan is beaten onelyonly, becauſe wee will not give aſſent p. 246and way unto him; and therefore what if we repell Satan, by reſiſting him in his tentation: now it may be at another time wee ſhall not bee found in ſo good a minde, nor in ſo prepared a diſpoſition, to reſiſt and deny him in his ſuite: what knowes hee whether we have loſt of our former ſtrength, or wit, or will, or grace, or care, and vigilancy? But above all Satan wil try, whether that God, who now doth not, at another time for ſome cauſes, will ſuffer us to be led into the tentation. It is not our ſtrength, but Gods that doth it; it lies not ſimply in our will, but in the will of God. Aquinas I thinke is in the right; Sathan would come oftner than hee doth,Paat. 1. q. 114. art. 5. but that GOD who knowes our ſtrength, or rather our weakeneſſe will not ſuffer him: and though he loves not to be beaten, and deſires not to come p. 247where there is no hope, yet it muſt bee as God will, and not as wee and the divels pleaſure is: if we need it, we ſhall have another triall; it is the divels nature, he is a tempter, his malice is his formall being, and he cannot chuſe but come againſt us, as farre as the Lord ſhall pleaſe to let out his chaine: what if he hath no hope to conquer us, yet he knowes he ſhall moleſt us; Hee is at no quiet himſelfe, and he would not that we ſhold have any reſt neither, as far as he can doe withall: it doth as it were doe him good, to goe about to doe us hurt: he will, becauſe he muſt goe away for a ſeaſon, and after a ſeaſon, he both will and muſt come againe; and if we grow negligent, lye open and naked, as not once thinking to heare of him at all, or at leaſt not as yet; then he is for us, and hath his blow, his full blow at us: from p. 248hence it is, that often in the ſame luſt wee beate him now, becauſe wee are prepared; hee comes and beates us another time, becauſe he takes us unprepared. Againe, Satan is not ignorant, that when we have had as much as ever we can doe to get him off at firſt, we ſhall be loth to be troubled there again and that it is a weary hand to be tired with the ſame anguiſh, and this moves him to try the ſecond, the third time, …, and ſometimes oftner the ſame way, to prove what he can doe; for he is not to learne, that it is more for want of heart than ſtrength that wee uſe to yeeld: theſe may bee the reaſons, why Satan comes againe many times with the ſame aſſault; but if we looke to God, he doth order it, that we ſhall be tempted in the ſame veine, becauſe he ſees that we by uſe and experience have got more skill there than any p. 249where elſe, and that wee have our weapons ready to breake the blowes which come that way; and thus becauſe our loving father knowes, that now wee can tell how better to fight at that weapon and war, than any other; hee out of his goodneſſe, will have Sathan come that way, or not at all. He intends us the victory, and now ſith our conqueſt is in the ſame tentation, in which wee are tried and skilled, both certaine and eaſie over it is in any other, Satan muſt come upon us with the very ſame trickes and tentations; thus we ſee that the ſame tentation doth befall us more than once or twice.

2 Sometimes Satan changeth his weapon, and tries us the cleane contrary way, with ſuch aſſaults as wee yet never felt in all our dayes before: he hopes that there wee have no defence, that wee doe not expect p. 250him at that doore, and thus he thinkes, comming in with his blaſt at a contrary point, to blow us downe; and here we muſt doe as the Pilot doth, have our compaſſe ready, and ſtand ready to turne our needle to any point, knowing, that our luſt within is for any ſinne, and Sathan hath skill at any tentation; all is in a manner one to him, hee can tempt us to covetouſneſſe with as much eaſe and art, as to prodigality; and therfore what ever our tentation hath bin, and what ever our humour hath done, Sathan can change hands and ſo muſt wee expect to finde. The Word will furniſh us againſt him, come when hee will, or which way he will, be it the ſame or ſome other way; here we muſt take councell, that ſay he come with ſome other weapon, it ought to be to us an argument, that ſure now he begins to bee p. 251out of hope, ſith he doth ſhift his weapons thus. 2. That God will have him turn ſome other way, to purge ſome other ſtreame; another luſt, muſt have another purgation. 3. Change of phyſick is good, for that the ſame potion alwayes uſed will not worke ſo well, the longer wee are uſed to the ſame tentation, the leſſe it worketh with us. 4. God will have us learne skill, by experience at all ſorts of ſpirituall combates, trials, weapons. The ſumme is, that ſith when we have gotten the better of ſome great tentation, wee are ſubject to bee drawne into ſpirituall pride or ſecurity and ſo to caſt away our armour: we muſt learne to expect to heare of another encounter, to weare our armour about us, to ſtand ready againſt all aſſaies; Hezekiah, Aſa, Iehoſophat, after they had gotten thorow ſome ſore brunts are p. 252ſaid then to fall, and this came becauſe they thought not of it, grew into ſome cōceites, were willing to pleaſe themſelves, with hopes of freedome or reſpite; now for a time or for ever after, or that what was done, was by their own ſtrength and that now they needed not to looke after God in ſuch particular manner any more. By their miſtakes and fals, we muſt learne to ſtand ſtill in a continuall expectation & preparation, when one tentation is over and paſt, that another will come, and that ere we be many yeers elder; if it come not ſo ſoone as wee looke for, there is no hurt done, we are provided againſt another time. And thus much of ſome generall rules as concerning tentations in the generall.