so Men tempted to Evil by their own Lu fls. SE R M. temptations arife, that is, from the lufts of II. the heart. Some chriíl:ians perhaps think otherwife ; they have a frightful idea of Satan, as the molt formidable enemy, who is in fcripture called the accufer, the tempt- er, and the adverfary, and reprefented as making war with the faints, and even with the king of faints. But, after all, their apprehenfions of danger from the infernal power are carried by pious perfons to a great extreme ; and often that power is greatly magnified by bad men, as a kind of excufe for their fins. Let it never be ima- gined, that rebellious fpirits have any inde- pendant power, that they ever pretend or at- tempt to exert their enmity againft God by an oppofition of ftrength ; they really do it no otherwife than as wicked men do, by an oppofition of will and affe Lions, and dif- obedience to his laws. But with refpeft to temptation, devils can do nothing without the divine permifilon, as we are taught in that inftruEtive reprefentation we have of Satan's proceedings againft yob : As confcious of no power unlefs providence permitted, he firft moveth for leave to overthrow yob's out- ward eftate ; and when the good man's in- tegrity was proof againft his attacks from that quarter, he could not proceed one ffep, ould
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