and carefor, hisPeople under Temptation. 247 toprovoke, David to number Ifrael. It is not raid thus, And Satan ftoodup againft David, and provokedDavid to num,. ber Ifrael : no, but thus, And Satan flood up againft If- rael, andprovoked David to number the people : he flood up againft Ifrael ; why ? becaufe he knew, that if he did make David thus tonumber the people, it would be a atm- bling for all Ifrael, and all Ifrael fhould fare the worfe by it. W hen Satan ftands up, and tempts the matter of a fa- mily unto fin, hedoes not barely ftand up againft him, but in tempting him, he stands up againft all the family. When Satan tempts a religious holy man, a beloved Dif- ciple ofChrift in a Town, Satan ftands up againft all the Town in tempting that oneman. He flood up againft If- rad., and tempted David to number the people : and fo when he tempts thofe that are the molt beloved Difciples of Chrift, he ftands up againft others; and therefore though Satan knows, that their fins (hall be pardoned, yet he does follow themwith fad and fore temptations. Thirdly : Satan loves todivide between friends : he is the great make-bait of theworld, he loves todivide. He may know, that there is fo much goodnefs between manand wife, that he (hat never part them ; and yet he will labour to fowdifcordbetween them,that they may live uncomfor- tably. And fo,though he knows he (hall never part Chrift and a poor beleever; yet he will labour to throw jealoufies into the heart of a beleever concerning the loveof Chrift. He knew well enough what was faid concerning our Savi- our Chrift : 'what was faid by the Angels at the birth of Chrift; what was faid by the Angel to A ary ; what was laid by Elizabeth ; he heard what was laid fromHeaven, 7bis is my belovedSon, inwhom Iam wellpleafed : and yet pre- fently- he comes to Chrift withan If : If thou be the Son of God : laboring to throw a jealoufy into the heart ofChrift, and todoubt of his Son-(hip, even with God the Father. So I fay, although Satan fhouldknow, that the Lord will pardon fuchor fucha man, yet he loves to makea divifion between Godand thefoul, and to caft in jealoufies between bb 2. Chrift
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=