f)ireEtions for a well grounded Fait/,. the Devil 01tw thee<he world, and fay AU thii wiU I give thee.? Look to Chri(l who lheweth thee the glory 'of the world to come, with all things good for thee in this world, and faith more truly, AD this will I give tbee : Theworld and HeU are in one end of the ballaoce, and Pardon, Eolinefs, and It.Icavcn are in the other. Which now wilt thou prefer? If the Devil have more to give thee and bid for thee than Chrifi, let him take thee. §. 27 • Tempt. 2· The Tempter labourtth to k[ep God, aHd Cbrift, a•d Heavw out of fight, that they Tempt.•; darf<!n not the[plvzdor of hi1 bait ; and to hide tho[e potent reafonJ from the»!, by_ ff!bich they might tafily repel tbe temptation: fo th11t though they are g-elll(.nown and [ure, and Scrtpture be full of them, they jhaU uo;te of them be. ready at hand to ~fe, whe'! tbe tcmptatzon comctb ; fo that to them tbty (haU be all ,If nothing: and thu hedotiJ by unbehef and mconfideratenefs. §. 2 8. Direct. 2· Live by faith: fee that God the Father, the Redeemer and the Holy Spirit, Dire/J. 2• dwell within you, and take up your hearts, and your hopes be placed all on Heaven, and that thefe be your very Life and hulinefs ; and then you will allways have that at hand, which may refe1 the Tempter. A heart taken up with God and Chrifi, converling in Heaven, is allwaies fortified, and pre~ pared to meet every Tempt~tion wirh abhorre~ce.. Let your fouls be fiill .Poficffed wi.th as conftant apprtbcnfioni of the evil ot fm, the danger of fmnmg, the prcfencc, authority and hohnefs of God, the wrong that fin doth him~ the hurt it doth our felves and others, and what it did to Jefus Chrifi, as you have of the danger of tire, and water, and poyfon ; and then the Tempter will not fpeed. §. 29• Tempt. 3· It i< the grtat care of the Devil to .keep out of fight, that he be not jien himfelf 'itmpt. 3• in the Temptation: At tbe Angler i(yepeth hzmfelf behznd the bujh , and the Fowler /,.deth hzmfelf from the birdt, or e/fe they would.fear, and fly, and efeape: fo ckth the Devil ufe aU hit art, to hide !Jim(elj from the finnerr obfcrvatwn; that the deluded foul jhaU little t!Jinl(. that the Devil is fo mar hi;;,, 4nd hatb fo great · a h.md in the bufimfs. If the ambitious or Covetous 'R'orldling Jaw tbe Dt:.vil Offer him tbe bait, and heard bim foy, All this will I give thee; he would have the fmaUer lift 10 t"/(! tin bait. If the Devil appeared to the Wboremonger, and brought him hit Whore, and encouraged him tohis filthincfs, it would cool his lufl: Or if he appeared to the drunJtard, and pre· ji:ntcd IJim the cup, he would have but little lift to drinJt: If the proud and the malicioM faw the De~ vil at thc·ir bac~, rtjoycing in their fin, and putting them on, it might affright them half into their wits. 1hertf{)rc the great endeavour of the Devil i1, to per}wade men that it is not he that mak.et tbe motion to tbcm: It is focb a friend, or fiech a neighbour, or gentleman, or minifter, or wife m01n; it it not the Devil ! 1ill the Fijh it catcbt, and the bird is iJt the net; and.)he'\ tbe author of aU ap· peareth, to k._ill tlum, a1td carry them away, without any concealment. ~~ • . . 9· 30. Direfr. 3· Mar~ b~t the te~de'!cy and the ':'amur of the Ten:ptauons, and yo? may perceive D~ttti. 34 the Author : Who elfe IS 1C that ts {o much agamjt God, and agamfi your everlafimg h1ppinefs? who elfc is ic that would fo abufe yo_ur Reafon, to preferr. things temporal, before things eternal, and che bruitifh pJeafurts of a corrupt1bJe fl.e(h, before the JntereH of immortal fouls? Who elfe fo conrradi&cth all the word of God? Read Gods warnings, and he will tell you who it is. Take every Temptation then (whoever he the meffengcr) as if thou fawejf the Devil (landing by, and making the motion to thee, and heardeft h1mfelf exhorc thee to the fin, fuppofe you faw him con... dueling you to the Whore·houfe, the Play-houfe, the ALE·houfe, and making you entertainment as the Maller of the game! How then would you take it? And what would you do? Would you go, and be angrv at the precife Preacher that would hinder you ? And would you take the Devils part? No, nature bath poffcffed you with a fear of him and an enmity to him: ufe it for your fafery: It cannot be good for you that comes from htm ! He hath a fouler face to appear to you in than ever yet you faw, when you have done his work and are where he would have you. 0 'know · with whom you have to do. ~ § ,31· Tempt. 4• The Tempter is moft careful_alf!> to hide from.men the nature and tendency of the 'tempt. 4' '"l'emptatirm tt [elf; tbat they jhaU .Hot ~now that tt. u a TemptatiOn when they are tempted, but jha/J have notbi11p; in (lgbt but the bazt whteh they defire. 1he Angler ckth not only hide himfelf from tbe fifh, but alfo hii rod, and line, and hook ar much M he can: 1he Fowler coverctb hii nets; fo that either the fijh a.;td bird fhall not fee the [Hare, or jhall not k._now what it ii, and wl!at it is tbere laid .f or: fo wben tbe bait of plea[urc, and honour, and wealth is prefemed by the Devil, to the fornic 4 tor, ganujfer, proud ~r cov~toM, ·they jhaU mt fe_e wb~t tbe Devil ii dohtg now, and what a game ht" is pl~ying f fJr their fouls ! They fi?aU fJOt/ercewe the ~omzexion tba_t there is betwce1t the pleafure and the fm, and the fin and the tbrcatnmg, an the thrcatmng and the Judgement, and the judgement and the everlajting ~unijhment; whm ]utias WM bargaining Wtth the Phari[ees, he Jtnew not that the J2pil WM in bim drivzng on the matcb. '(i r(t""J't/ §. 32· Dire/1, 4· Be wife and foJPicioU<: Bli~tdntft .or fool·hardinefs will lead you into the Gme. Dirr/J. 'f• Be wife that you n~ay know the ttnden:y. of every thmg that ts prefented to your thoughts, and rlay be a~e to perceive a danger: Be fujpzcloUf and cattttloM, that you may make a fufficient trial and (' go upon fure grounds, and avoid the very appearance of evi! : ":'hen it is RcU that you fear> ~ome not too near. Play not ~s the ~y ~bout the Candle: falvauon IS neceffar)'; but preferment> or wealth, or liberty, orcredtr, or ltte It felf are not neceffary to yt~u! Prove all things: flatter not your felves into the fnares by foolilh hopes, and judging of things as the fiefh would have them to be, rather than as rhcy are. If no danger appear, turn up all covenngs, and karch and fee-drat none be bidden. The Devil harh his gun-powder·plots, and mines, which may blow you up before you are aware. Not only LawfuUnejr and Indiffermcy, but great Gosd·~e pretence for greatef\ evil. §• 33• Tempt• 5·
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