Houston-Packer Collection BV4253 .B85 1649 .B85 1649

4nd care of bis People under Temptation. 249 Fief : take it thus, Look whatfoever is the end, and the Anfro, iffue ofany evil which befall the children of God, that was the defignofGod the Father,in fuffering that evil to come upon them. Now the end, and ill-in of the Saints tempta- tion is alwaies good unto them; and therefore God fuffers the temptations of his people, becaufe he hath a defign of mercy, and love upon them in thefe temptations. What was the end,and MeofSatans tempting of Adamand Eve? They fell, and then the righteoufnefs ofChrift, and eter- nal life thereby was brought in : this was the end and the iffueof it. Now God the Father had thisdefign uponSa- tans temptation, all the while Satan was tempting ofA- dam : and the Lord would never have fuffered our heel to have been bruifed by Satans temptation, but that he did in- tend to break the headofSatan. Itwas a great temptati- on, that ofDavid, whenas Satan flood up, and provoked him to numberthepeople : pray, what was the end, and iffue of that temptation ? I (hall only name the Scriptures: The I Chron. the 21. chapter : and the 22. chapter and the beginningofit,and the 2 Chron. the 3. chapter, and t . verfe, compared together, you (hall find this: Fiat Satan tempts David ; he numbers the people, the people being numbe- red, a plague breaks forth : the plague prevailing, David goes and offers up a facrifice at thethrefhing flowre of Or- nan ; and there God told him the temple fhould be built. Davidhad a long time defired to know where the Temple fhould be built : he fares, hewouldgive no reit unto him- felf, no fleep unto his eye-lids, until he had found out a. place for God : you fball find, that David had this place difcovered as the iffue of this temptation, thiswas the iffue °fit,. the Devil had as good have let David alone, he had asgood have beenquiet, for David now had theend & the iffue, attain'd unto that, that he never did attain unto be- fore. So I fay it is with the people ofGod,. the Lord ne- ver fuffers his own children to fall intoany fin, but hedoes intend towean them from thatfin that .they do fall into, even by the falling into it : the Lord never fuffers any of his *...newoomagaeorwwwwww...,

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=