Chap.4. SeCl:.16. &mm; 1'bltiJ ilD~lllts'· Bpok U. .77 fouuded; fltrd y it is better to bid Sa;~·,;;.;nt, inflead of difputing, ~here fhou!d be lba~h-· ing, our ~1carrs wi.thin us ihould rife a~ the injeC!ion,.and throw 1t away With detdta· tir.n, .as Chrifi Jdus d1d , and ~htn will Sltan depart, lt Jeafi for a feafon, a-she d1d from Chrit!. . . · ,,~· +· Dnring the hour and power of darknefs, avoid folitarincls and d~faft plaqs, .rhare Satan hatl1 the great<fl ad vantage forialll1JS aifaqlts.ls not this the mcanmg ot th_c .P,rach- . "·.. \ er? 1wo are better tben OJte, ami woe be to him that i1 alofJC, if be faU, be hatb n<me tobelp Eccler. 4 9: him up. When Chr ifi was to be tempted of the devil.the JPirir led Mm into the wilderneji: . And why imo the W!ldernefs,but that Satan tmght have all the advantageagaml! him, Mat+•· ' in refpte1 of the place?_ Indeed, no pla~e is freefrom Satans temptations, V~ was caught in a Cave, David on l11s houfe, &Jamm pa_rad1fe: We fee how bufie Sa1an iS with us m our publick Aifemblies, yet of all places, none fa tit for thed{"Vihrs" loiibry ~la~es.; :wbcn Mar.~=;4l· he is gon~ out nf a ma1t, hep;alk$th throztghdry(or {ulztary) pl;crs:and WllJ!ehetSlll a Luk . ·-9• man, by way of poifdlion, he carries him i11to tbe wilrlmzeji, or fo!itury places:vyhen:did Satau afflult E~e, b.ut when !he was alone ? Wheu did he aff•ult D~z'd, bnt btingall:ne on his gallery I wr.m L,ts Daughter~, bmwhen they were alQhe,m tbe Cave? l.fc.ls a Prince of darlmefs , and therefore paffeth all his exploits in os muclr darknefs, fectMle, and lilcnce as he can. I mi!lht mfiance in + others; but give m<) leave to fpeak iliitic of *t'utli<..~~,r~ my own cxperit:ncesin this kind,r:JUch of my rime I hJv~ {pent in eminently ffun0usand PR&ti S'; -:~1:.-~.:> publick places, but at Ia-rt wcarv ol thofe hurries, jars, envies, pride, difC"ord,nnd poli· ...oo.~ cies, of men in flrects and to<ws, I rcfolved to fpeud the wmindtr·of my time, fox t,hc tnolt part, in the Glc1:t ga rdens, fields, and woods .. ; there fomttimes,I was rakczl>r(with the various tunes of melodious birds, and occ.dion•lly theyhav~ lifted up m¥f<ecrrt in fpiritual longs, and !'(alms, and Hymns: But al;s, I lind thefopllc~s;·. aie no &e<r liom temp<ations,rhan they that are morepublici;; ·atan bath his temptationsof anothoi\ forr, •nd efpecia!ly nisrnofi hideous and horrible injcC!ious in fiiCO plac,s more ~hen F"iblick. And this more rcfvlvcs me than all the arg"mcnrs tbat ever f read, of the crrmlt dfrhofe Emnites and Votaries of old, who, to free theitlfclves from Satatis malice, and for•more holinels, voluntarily forfook the focieties of men, and lived by themfelves in woods, and wildemcifes; And yet is there no mean betwixt thefe two extreams? is not f<kkty good ? 2nd is nor folitarinefs·good in their rimes anJ feafons ? l dare not for a World deny either, and I think he is no Chriil.ian that makes nor ufe of both: Hencc!t fay, that in the very time of the aifaults, or of Satans injcctio~s, iti• good ro avoid folilarinefs, as of choice; yet if God, by virtue of our calling, !hall draw or lead us into foli'taryp1il· ces at fttch a time, wcneed not fear,Jef~~< Chrijf W<l fed of tbe[Pi,it into ~he wilderHeji, ~!ac,4 1 , to be tempted of tbedm/. If weare led mtoa wJlderncfs byDJVJneProvidence, and in our calling, and that we run not our felves rafhly into a tCH•ptation, we may conlidcntly e~peC! a wmfortable i!Tue out of it. But herein we h.ad need of caution and direction. •· For caution, be::vare that in folitary places we ~ ield not to roving, ran)l~·n tho,ghts,he mu' therelpent mJit no.t be unprohtably fp"'lt:lndeea,dte·heart is.a -~. ]; c dring thing,Hke a mill ever grinding, ever in a motion,take heed 'th~d,wirch overif; e. it not leave tomufe uliprofitably.2.For direC!io.n. carry we our fdv~ fo lrj•folltatypla~~s; that we may fay with ScipiJ, we are neverlefFalone, 'tben n:btn we ar'e aiQ11e ~ Or t8ther ~ with Chrifi, I am not alONe,for tbe Fatlm ii witb me. There is a f1yeet liberty (when ·w: ']ohn r~p; are folitary) of converting with God, there may ':"e make our addroifts to hlm,'an\l'l)ht,\ . : ~,~']~ pen our prayers, and medttate on htm, and on b•s word and work<\: Ana thus in'a·vvjJl.>: · d~rnefs we may have fafety, for. as the hills comp•fs.Jmqalem, fo doth ~eLord com,i.>fsl h1~ people, wh1les they arc in hJS fervJCe, ' ' . 1 ·""' S· we mull have a care to avoid Jdlenefs, holr exer£ifes,and the dunes of ouil~*fdi• callinJ!,S lhould then be our work: for holy exer.cifes, I commend ~opferences 'Wi~ll other_s; to askcounfel, and to acquiefce in counfel well given, is a prcfentcure: ~ra~ alfo IS a duty taught us by Chnfi, Lord' fitjfer UI 1101 .. b. led in1o remptertion, q d.t.er~ rebuke Satan, and reflram Ins mal:ce, that eJthcr he may noted! his htlli!h wild-Rfi:lQf blafphemous thoughts into their our minds, or at !call that t.hef may be qtienchtCI a~ tbm firll entrance, and not inflame our concupifc"ce with thc.lcatlllkingof them.· At1d for our partJCularcallmgs,follow th<m with all diligenc~,,by this·IJlcans we {}i,.ll have 110 leifure to hearken to Satan, and in them feafonably we fcrve Gadour Father is well os in our general callings. . ' . 6· Iffor all this we cannot be rid ofthefe fad injections,be we not therefore over-~uch grieved, but feeing they arcSatans tips, a••d not ours, let,tho:m pafs as they come, wrtl'lour an
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=