t:\Ods of SHJ!l in temptin:;, with the admirable powc.:r ot gr.:tc.: and fpiritu l w-{d , . in 1ml;ing rdi~ance anll overcoming: Alas! thcfc thmgs arc riddles u 11 to hm~. on c p_TitUCI.! 01nd evidcn..:c of them in his o'.vn heart h.: hJ.th none, and thut:fc)rC i; · ex. tCor.2.i5,t:; wonlll' if h~ know not tb~ f;:nfeof a~yfuchScripture~. But h~tb.Hiij'pi.1 ·j111~;~:1 ~ '"'"tiJ •llthi11gJ be bt~ tbemind of Chri;i writ on his heart, anJ thn work wilhiniS /~, bd1 Commc utary. rrt! 39"•2· 6· Proy over all: ThmD.widdid,Ojmtmiueeycs([aiJhe)tiMtlnuy, 11 doft.o:dthe w•nde,flll thiil[!.' of thy Law. You ~ead and undcrfianJ not, bccau[e you do no 1p1 "< 1 y ; it you would proht ~norc, you mulr pray more;_ ~;o _chcrdorc to hin~ who lwh the keY• of J)_,.,J, and dduc hun to open, aP.d reveal Ius mmd to you ; dGJrre bun (who is the Lan,b ~ to u~chps the book, b'g of him to take the veillrom offyour beans, and the fcalcs from off your eyes , that you may underHand the wonders oi the Law and m . John 6 _ 45 . lh rics of the Golpcl; yOLl have a promife that Y"' j/MIL be alltau.~bt ofG,J, 0 turn d~· promifc into a prayer, and delirc him \Vho only can teacl1, that he will tcoch you: Th;; pfa, 2 s·•hS; was D:zvid.r way, [Le;d me iit shy tntth :.mdte~JciJ ttJe~~fber:1 m~ tby w:rier, 0 L ~rd, u.zch _.,u tb_y paths. ] . lt may be you will fa~ , we lu.v~ been in the ufe ~f allthefe means, and yet we tmd the Scnpturc ts not eahly under!tood:-1 confeffe tt 1S not tnmany phcc<, am! y,·c m thmgs ncceffary It IS every where piamenough ; and where tt IS nu: p!Jin enwugh. if we only ufe Olif diligence in the ufe of means, though WC do milfc the truth, there, is no ?angu; Hm•' 1:0 danger ' No (fan.hCbillingwortb ) bec"ufe rtotbing is >~WjfMy 10 b, htlucd , but rvhatu plamly revealed: for to fay, that when a place ol Scriptwre by xeafon ol ambiguous terms, lie• indifferent between divers !Lnles, whereof one true , aml thise otha IS talk, that GJ3 o!Jiiges m:n under painot· dlmtutoin not to millake through crruur and hu,manc hailty, is to malte God a tyrant, and to {ay that he requires us cerrainly to attain that end, fOr the attaining whereof we havc 110 ccrtaifl means; which is to fay that like Pb.raoh, he gives no !\raw, and requires brick, that he naps where he fows not, that he gathers where he 1\ro~s not, thot he will not be pleated wih our utmofi cndeavoars to pleafe hn11, Without full, and exact, and never failin, JXrformance; that his wil~ is we lhould. do, what he k?ows we cannot do ; t)l;!t 1.~ will not accept ot us accordmg to that whteh have, bLit quJrcth of us wllat we havenot; which whether it can conlifi with his goodnefs, wiii:lom, word, I bve it to honclt men to judge Much mor~ might be faicl to this affault of S.tan but tbrought!,e b!eJiing ol God this may fuflice. SECT. XXIII. Of Satan! •ffaults to bringjlrong Ch.ijlianJto boojl ani pride tbemfebm i11 their O>VIIjlrengtb. If. Chrillians arc firong in grace, then Satan r_empts them to boon and pride them [elves in their llrength of grace already received. Thus he dealt with Pewwhen he made that Bravado, 1hough aU jhould forfake tlm, yet will 1101 I. .And ( as it this were the great ddign ol the devil in thefe times) thus he hath dealt with tho<Jfands : Not that llrong Chriftians do profeffedly, ordinarily, or in ri5ht moo~ either boafi or pride thcm!elvd in their mighty 1\rwgth; this were not compuible with true grace, in any meafure; but in the.hour of ttmf>tation Satan goes far in prevailing with. them_; and Pmr may ~e an ~~fi~ncc how_lar the S11nts n;ay yt.e!d to the devil m tlus very fin; and Indeed 1t IS rare to hnd a firong Chnlnan tnat is not at {ome time or ·other puft up with an over·weening conceit of his own a· bilities. But this alfault of pride l have already fpoke to: And the gencral1ulcs of wrcl1!ing with it, may ~ell krve to keep down our {pirits from boafiing or priJingour felvcs 10 the f\rength of llnce already rewv~d : Only I fhall ado\ '' 1'4:fe few Oaccbons more.
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