r£-oolitng unto 'jjefu~. Bool~ IV. 179 with otherslmo fuch an excefs of riot and !in, why then he tempts us to a good opinion of fHth a condition, I th•nk..thee, 0 Fath<r, that I am not at other men, c>c. I deal jlljlly and "?rightly with all my nei•hbors; 1 have a good mea11ing t_owardr God: thottgb I am ~~norant of Scripwre, and ~J the Pr;netplci of Reltgwn : or ~f. we are ~rofeffors _of God's truth, and can tip our tongue> wnh glortous words of Re!lg10n, Holmcfs,Chrlfl, why then he tempts us with refling on tbts: What necdr more ? If I can b11t omwardly perform the dmics of piety, M the hearmg of Godr Word, rcc,.vmJ of the Sacraments, pub– lick.:and private calling•n God; mthu Tam a trueProtejfant: that Ch,mty,Lrr;e,good work!, and all the Duties of rhe fecond Table can never Jl<}ttfrc me, or favc me, b11t only F~tth ;, I belieVe, and I ma'<f aprofejfion of Rchgzon, and I hope thu wdl fufficc: Or 1f We}fe hn– cere Profdlors, and but weak in the faith,why then he tempts us with fad thoughts ofour fins; he fets before us their number, and nature, and odioufnefs in every a{lgravation.; and if therewith he cannot overwhelm us, he adds ( lt may be) unto them fome of his own !in> rhus he coflcth into our minds many outragious blafphemies, fuch blafphemies as he pr;pounded to Chrifl, to worfhip him for our God, to deny Jefus Cluift as our God, our Lord, our Saviour, our Redeemer; to fay in our hearts there i; no God, bur Narure . no ScriptUre, no holy Ghoft: many a precious foul feels thefe injections of Saran. ;nd I cannot wonder acir, when I fee rhe Devil tempting Chrifl himfelf to diffi· dence: prefumprion, vain.glory, yea, and ro the worlhipping of rhe Devil himfelf: or if we are flrong Chrifl:ians, grown men, and flill growing towards the fulnefsof Chri£1:, why then he tempts us to fins of prefumprion againfl knowledge ; or if he cannot fo prevail, be will 1ransform himfeif into an .Angel of light, and tempt us to the doing a , Cor. u. '4lefs good, that we may neglect agre.at~r ;,or to the doing of a greater good, but very unfeafonably. When :rs fome other durtes m refpect of prefent occafwn are more neceffary far; rhus many times in the 11e~ring of Gods Word, .he will caft in~o our minds me.litations of thisorrhll excellent Subject, on purpofe to dritract our mmds, and to make ·us hear without profit ; and in prayer t6 God, hewill bring into our memories this or that profitablein(hudion, which we have heard at fuch, or fuch.a S.rmon, on purpofe to di!l:urb our fpirits in that holy exercife, and to keep us frwn lifting up our hearts wholly and purely unto God: I might add a thoufand of thefe ftraragems of the Devil , Cor' . and yet not perhaps tell one of a rhoufand: rhe Apoflle could fay indeed, that hew,; Eph. 6~·,:~ •. >~ot ignorant of his devices; and of fome of his devices, you fee, we are nor ignorant. R.ev. ,: 14. but alas! who can difcover all his Methods, Wiles, Depths, fiery Darts? For my part', Eph. 6. 16, I cannot do it, I ar" yer ro lean\. z. The general moans to withftand his Stratagems, .arc fuch anhefe.-- I. Acontinual reminding of Chrift:s Commands in this very thing; Be j/rong in the Eph.6.JO,I IJ power of his might: pm on the whole armour of God, thatye may be able toJla11d again}I the I r<r. >· s. Wtles of the Devil ; him rejift in the Faith. . z. An avoiding ofthe firl!fuggeflions ofSatan. if this gliding Serpent can but rhruilin his head, he will ealily make room for his body;' and therefore we mull nip, and bruife lum mthe head; Give no placeto the Devil. Epb. 4· '7· . 3. An obje.Cling of Cluiit againfl all his temptations; for example, if Sotan tell us that we are mrferable !inners; we may anfwer, that Chrift came into the world to f-'ve finner~; a~d thttt he WM 1vounded for our tranfkre!Jions, andbroken fur our iniquities,-- ~:.t~~~ ~:· andrmh hu ftripcs arc we healed: Jf Satan tell us that we are fubject to God's wrath. · we may anfwer, that Chrifl.did bear hi ; Fathers wrath, that he might rhake our peace~ If he tell us, that we are fub)ect to the Cut-fe of the Law; we may anfwer, that Chriff hath redeemed m from the Curfe of the Law, whenhnvasmadc a Curfe for uo: If he reil G 1 us, that we a~e lm bondfiaves, we may anfwer,rhat we were foindeed in rime; pait; bur a' 3 ' 3 ' Chnfl harh paid lm Father the price of our Redemption, and harh fer us free: if be tell us, that we are unju!l:, and therefore O~all be condemned before God's judgmentfea.t' we may anfwer, that Chrift, who was innocent, was therefore condemned, that ~v_e,l,"ho. are gurlty, mrght thereby be acquitted; and thHhe that tame to fave us, will 2b' _eflf. Jlld~e us, and therefore we need not doubt o£ mercy, tf we plead the merits of fl : or •f Satan will nor be thus anfwered by us; wby then Chriflians ! there's no other way, but t?Jend lmu to Chril1: to this ptirpofe, we may tell h.im tharChrift i; our Ad:ocate; and It he wtll needs dif~ute, let him go to Jefus ; he is both abk to plead our caufe, and to anfwer all the SuitS rhat are made agarnft us. f. I may add hearing, reading,meditating on God's Word,holy Conferences, bu!ie emA a ;~, - ploymen.t
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