Houston-Packer Collection BV4253 .B85 1649 .B85 1649

a 16 Satansporrer to Tempt; avdChrift's love to, your temptations be twilled one within another, and one !lands at the end of another ; do but get the profpea of faith, and you will be able to lookover all. When temp.. tation therefore arifes, fay, Lord, though thou kil me, yet will I truft in thee : And Satan, though thou flayeft me, I will keep to Jefus Chrift. It was the fpeech of Tauhrtpt, one that Luther prizeth above all : Sales he, Though the Marrinersmay make ufe of their Oars in the time ofcalm, yet when a florm comes down, the Marriners leave all and fly to their Anchor. So, though at other times we may make ufe of Refolutions, and Vows, and the like ; yet when the ftorm of temptation conies down, nothing then, but fly to theanchor of faith, nothing then like tocalling of anchor into the Vail. And as if the holy Gholf, put al on this, he cals Faith our Anchor ; and he cals Faith our Shield : All dangers are either Sea-dangers, or Land dan- gers : ifyour dangersbe Sea-dangers, Faith is your Anchor ' and if your dangers be Land dangers, Faith is your Shield. And therefore I fay, when temptation arifes, labour then to exercifeyour faith, and fay, Oh how I do this thing, and fin againfl my Chrifl, and fin againIt my God Satan, thou telleft me, All this! will give thee, if I wil do this thing : I but, how (hall I do this, and fin againft Je- fus Chriil who hath loved me, andgiven himfelf forme ? Satan, thou telleft me, that if I do yeeld, God is merciful, and God will pardonme Yeas but Satan, God hath par- don'd me already, and therefore Twill not yeeld ; and be caufe I know that the Lord would pardon me if I did it, therefore I will not do it. Thus labour to exercife your faith in time.ofa temptation. Sixthly, BePureof this, Whentemptation arifes, don'tfear too much : nor don't fear too little. I confeffe, it's an hard thing to carry it equally, between too much, and too little: but (beloved) if you fear too Much ; you honour Satan, you weaken your feIves : immoderate fear -weakens-. And if you fear too little, 'then you grow fecnre fecurity betraies your and fo you lofe ail before you itrikaa itroke. Where- fora

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=