z78 Book IV. JLoo!itng unto 'Jjeftt.S. Chap. 1. ~d4". well as an hill? or whether was nor Rome the ?bject that the Devil pr;fe;,r~d?' be~a;fe at that rime, Rome was the top of all.the Kmgdoms of the \~orld, and the glory of them? For my parr, I thtnk, m t!m Tempt~tton, the Devtl united all his power_ of firltagems, and by an Angeltcal power he drew Into one Cemer 1 r~e fe~eral Speciesand Idea's, from all the Kmgdoms and Glones of the world, and l1e made ail admirable Map of Beauties,. an~ reprefented them ro. the eyes of Jefus; he thought Ambition more likely torume !urn, bccaufe he knew rt was that whrcfi prevarled upon himfelf and all rhofe fallen flars, the Angels of darknefs; and rher~fore come (faith Satan) all thefe tvi/1 1give thee, !f thote \Wit fall ~own and worfhip me. l{ow? God worlhip the Devil? was ever the like Blafphemy lmce the firfl Crmion? indeed now we have many !ea~ful, ~xe<rable, curfed bbfphemes be!ched out, and Idolatry, I belreve, rs the fpread– mg fi fin m the world; but was ever tl~e ltke Blafphemy, or Idolatry eo this, that- not only ~Creature, but the Creator htmfelf mufl: fall dO\fn before the Devil, and give ~orlhrp unto htm? The Lamb of God,. chat heard ~ll.th~ former !emptatlons with pa– tience, he could by no means endure thrs; our. own InJurres are o~portunities of pati– ence; but when the Glory of God, and hrs rmmedt~te Honour ts the quell:ion, then our Zeal lhould be all on a flame; now Chrrtl brds hrm1tvoid; affoon as he obferves his demand, fo impudent and bllfphemous, he commands him away, and tells him, ft is Vcr. re. l~ritten, tholl jhalt WIYrjhip the Lord thy God, and him only jba!t tho11 ferve. Nowwas the Devil pur to flight, and in his flead the Angdrc.1mc andminijfred nnto Jej.u . (;_) after his FafL they minifl~ed fuch thingsas his nccellities required of them. ' Vfe. OChrill:ians! what fhall we fay to this? if Chritl was rhus tempted by Satan w1 1 ar may we look for ? Sometimes it chears my heart to think char Clu·itl was re~pred. becaufe thereby he knows how ro fuccour rhofe that are tempted: and fomerimes ;; afftiglus my foul to think that Satan durfl be fo bold with J efus Chrifl : Oh what may he do with lne? how eafily may he prevail againfl my foul ? When he came 'to tempt Cbril!, he for\nd nothing in him eo join with him in the temptation, but in my heart is a world of Corruptions; and unlefs the Lord ptevent, I am quickly gone. I may not here fall on the_Doctrine of Temptations; only a few words. r. Of Satan's Stratagems. 7. Of fome general Means to wirhllaDd his Stratagems, ,and I have done. . r. His Sratagems are very many, aHd very dangerous ; As,- , r. He obferves, and fits his temptations to our difpofirions ; for examp-le, if hf find a man ambitioully affected, then he covers his hook with the Bait of Honours; and rhus he tempted .Abime/ech to murder his Brethren, that he might obtain the Sove– raignfy ; or if he find a m:m voluptuoully given, then he tempts him with the blit of Pleafures, and rhus he allured Noah to Drunkennefs; Davitl to Adultery; Solomon to Idolatry : or if he find a man covetoully given, then he lets in the golden cook ; and thus he enticed B~la~m, by offering him money to curfe the people, whom Gad bad bleffed; and rhus he alluredJud.u for thirty pieces of lilver to bmay his Mafl:er; bur what need we Inll:ances, when we fee this day fo many thoufands rntangled in this golden Net? - 2. He obferveJ, and fits his Temptations to our compleC!ions ; and rhus he tempts the cholerick to quarrels and brawls ; the flegmatick to idlenefs and Ooath; the me– lancholy to malice and revenge ; the fangu?ne to pleafure and Befhly lulls ; and hence iris that the Apoll:le tells us, that whofoever u tempted, he is drawn atvtry. h)l hi< 01Wt Conct!- Jallll:s t·'4· pi{cence. _S~ran. never aff~ults us, bur he is fure there ts fom!"tlung walun us, rhar wr~ further htm rn lm rcmptatwns. 3. He obferves, and fits his temprario~s to our outward corrdirions; thus, if we are in profperiry, rheu he tempts us to pnde and forg~r(ulhe~s of God, ro ~oll~cmpt of our Brethren. ro the love of the world, to 'coldnefs m Reltgrl:>n, carnal fecumy, and the like : or if we are in advediry, rhen he tempts us ro the ufe of unlawful means, eo tfJe difrrufling of God',; all-ruling_providen.ce,and never-deceiving pro.mifes; or, it may be, ro defpair, murmure, and reprnrngagarn!l G,od; b¥ tlus temptation .he confidently prefum.ed to have moved Chtlfl: to dr!hufi God ·s provtdence: and to lluft for htmfelf, by turning ll:oqesinro·Bread. . . , · . . 4· He obferves, and firs his temptauous to our fpmrual ~flare; ~hus, if .we are n~torioully wicked, then he tempts us ro Arheifm, conte!(~Pt of Gods wdrfhrp, fwcanng, blafphemitig, prophaning of the Lord's days; to ~tfobedre~ce', f1mrdm_, ~-dulrenes, drun– kennef- theft covetoufnefs and all devilijJ, prachfes · or 1f wet:tre covrlrzed, and run nor ' ' ' .. , . . With-
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