., 1)ire8ions for a well grou11ded Faith. pear as comly and lovely, and drfirable as may be, and to be as much beloved, that they may haVe oJhtrs affcl1io 1;1 at command; and a!_fo to have ~~portunity offered them, that they may fin if they rr:iU. And is thy wiU fo well eilabnfhed, moruficd and unchangable, as to be ~a far trufl:~d? 0 foolifl 1 finner that nobetter knowell thy felf; nor obfervdl t~y danger? Nor perce1vdl that th1s very defire w have the Pin'tr lo doevil 01ewcth a dtgree of tbe eVil in rhy heart, and that thou art not yrt fet fo far from it as thou mufi be, if thou wouldfi be fafe. Contrive thy felf, (_if thou be wife and love thy felf ) into rh~ grcatefl difficultiet of finning that thou canll : Make 1t lmpnffible 1f 1t may be done. The Power is tOr the all. Defire not to be able to fin, if thou wouldfi not fin. Not thou Natural power to do goed fl_Lo~ld be defiroyed bcca.nf~ it is alfo a power to_ d.o tvi!,. but catl_as many biocks in the way of thy hnnmg as tho~ ~anfl, oil H amount to a mora~ tmfoffibzltty. Deft.re the jlrWcjl Lawi and G!Jvernors 1 and to be fiilllll the eye ofotherJ; and contnve If that thou matll: Pfai. tor. ~- 11ave no hope of fCcrecic: Contrive it fo that ir may be mter fhame and /t{.I to thee if thou fin: ']f rhou be tempted to fornication, never be private with her or him that is thy fnare; If thou be tempted to deceive and rob thofe 1hat trufi thee, avoid the tmjl) or if ever thou have done ir, re~ ftort and c~mfe[sthatjhamc may. prefervc thee. 9· 37· Tempt. 7· Next tbe Tempter importnn•tt/y foli:iwh "" Thoughrs or fanrafi~s to feed u~o? Tempt. 7• the tcmptir.g thing: 1hat tlu lt'}fjul pcr{on may be thmkmg oJZ the objetls of IJH lufts, and the ambm· Olf.f man thinking on bM defired hmour, and 1he covctcoJHm:llt of hisdeftrcd wealtb, hi! hou[e,or Jand.1 tJr gaiHj 11 l bargains ; and tbe malitioJH man be thinking of alJ the real or imaginary wro11gJ, whicb J....indlemalict. . . . • 9· 38. Direa. 7· Ke<pa contmual watch upon your thought!: Remember that thiS'' the common Dmll. 7• cmrance of the greatefi fins : And 1f they go no further, the fearcher of hearts wtll Judge thee for the adultery, murder, and other fins of thy IJ£art, Bur cfpecially fee that your tho11ghts be fo employed on better things, that tin may never find the.m vacant. f 9· 39· Tempt. 8. TheTempter olfo if diligent to b,.t<p the end from the finnm eyt, and to perfrr>aJe Tempt. S. bim, tbat there Uno danger in it, and ,bat it wiO be 1ff good at lajl M at firjl: He cannot endure a thought, a worci of death or judgement, un/efi he can firft forrifie tht finn<r by fome prefomptu- '01# hope, that hi4 fin! are lardomd, a11d hU cafe iJ good : ei,hcr he will mak._e them believe him th:zt there i.r 1:0 [Hch danger to the foUl ar jhould drterr them; or clfe be k.frpeth them from thinking oftha't danger. He il loth a finner jhould fo much 1ff"loo/t into a grave, or go to the bou[e nf mmrning, and fee tbe end of aU the living, hft he jhould lay it to heart, a,1d thence ·perceive -what wortdf.Y pleafure, wulth and greatnefr ii, by [eeing where it leavtth finnerJ. If one do but tall{, of death or judgement, fmd the life tocome, the Devil will jli1· up [ome [corn, or wearinefi, or opp,fition againft fach d.fcourfe: If afimter dobut buhiJZk., him[elf in {ecru, what wiU become of him after dea1h, the Dtvil 'wiU either allure IJim, or trouble him, and never let him rejf, till be have caft away all fuch thoughts M u~;d to hiJ f alvMion. He cannot endure whm you [ee the pomp anfiplta{ure of the ,,rJd, th~t you jhould think.. or aik..~ How long wiU thir endure l And wbJt wiU it provt in tht latttr mdl 9· f C• Direa. 8. Go to the holy Scriptures, and fee what they foretel concerning the end of Dir<fl· B. Godlinds and lin: God knoweth better than the Devil, and is more to be believed. You may feC: Pfal. r. 8uf~ in the word of God, what will corn~ of Saints and finners, Godly and ungodly at the )afl, and M.n. 2 5• what they will think and fay whep they review their prcfem life; and what Chrifi wiil fay to them; - ., • aod how he will judge them, and what will be their reward for ever. This is the infallible &og- .nofiication, where you may forefee your cndlefs fiate. In this glaiS continually forefee tbe e.d. Never judge of any thing by the prc[cnt guft alone. Ask not onlyhow it t~fterh, .but how it worb,.t~h, , and what w1ll be the effects: R<mernber that Gods Law harh mfeparably conJoyned Holinejf, and Heaven, and fiu -unrcpe,ued of, and Hell; and feeing thtfe cannot be flparated indted, let them never be fcpar:ucd from each other in your thought!. Otherwife you will never underfiand Chrilt or Sa.· '.tan : When Chrifl faith, wilt thou deny thy fclf and tak.! up the Croft and fnUow me~ his meaning iS~ jl>aU I heal thy cornal rrorldly heart and lift, and bring tiJtt by grace to the fight "f God in endlejf Ghry! You will never underfiand wha.t praJ'Er, and !ibcdicnce, and holy livinJ!. mean, if you fee not the End, even Heaven conjoyned to them. Wben the Oc.vil faith, to rhe Glutton, ti'lt a!JU of thir plcaf.mt dijh; aud to the Drunkard, ta/te the other cup, and to the Fotnicator, tak.f thy plca{ure in the dark._, and to the ".J'oluptucm, gv to •he Play-hv11[e, or the Ganfing~ho~t{e; come play at Card1 or Dice t his meaning is, Cnme, venture 11pon fin, and fear not Godf threatningi, and rtfufe hi1word, and {pirit~ and gr.Jet, that I ma) have thy C1.Jmpa11y amo11g tbe Dammd, in the fire whiciJ mver flJall be quenched. This is the true E.ngli!h of every temptation. Open thy ears then, and when ever the Dtvil or any finner ttmptuh thee to fin, hear bim as if he faid, I pray thee leap into the fiamu of Hell. ~· 41 . .Tempt.?· If t_he T_cmptcr canno_t quic~ly draw men to the fin, IJt rrillmove them at ltajf to 1fmpt. ~; ahltc rhetr refolunon agamfi Jt, aud I!J delrbtrate about it, and be<Jr what can be [aid, 11nd mtcr znto ll difpure with Satan or fomr of hU injfmmentJ; telling them th.zt it iJ a fign of fJJjhood n·hich wiil. mt iitdurt the trial, and that we mzdl prope aU thing I. And wbile tbefinner i1 delibtrating a 11 d difputin~, th~ ~cmm_t if .workJn$ _it fol[ into hi1 vein1, an.d fe~fc iJ Ji.cretly tmdcrmining and betray'in,t, him, and decezvmg btJ mmd, bnbmg hu reo{on, and Jeducmg hu will: Jujl M an enemy wiU treat with thfl{e tbat k...cep a Garriflm, thut during ~he treaty, he may fend in fpie1, antl find oti: their weak._u.r[1 and corrupt t'he fouldiers.: So doth the Devil with the finner. ' . 9· 42• Dire{l. 9• Remember that it isCbrijl and not Satan that you are to hear. Truth is ~rongand Dire.7. 9· can b~ar the tryal, before any competentJUdge : but you arc weak, and not. fo able to judge as you may tmagme, Ignorant, unsk1lful and unfetled perfons are eafily dcce1ved be .the caul< never tb · · <lea~;
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