andcare of, his People under Temptation. of his confcience , and out of the good wales of God. And therefore in the book of the Bevelarion, Satan Pall calt force of you into prifon. Satan than do it. And fonietimes he does tiand and rattle the chaines of a prifon ; Look, do ye hear thefe ? If you will go on in fuch and filch a way, you wil lofe al your friends; & if you will go on in inch a way, I wil make it too hot for you, and thus and thus (hall you fuffer and it (hall toff ye a prifon ere I have done with you. Thus now Satan tempts as a Lyon, by holding terri- ble objeas before a man. It is (aid, That Satan came to our Saviour Chrift, and he found nothing in him ; fo he prevailed not : But Satan comes to us, and he finds a great deal in us, he finds a difpofition in us to be movedwith ob- jeas of love, unto comfortable, and profitable things : He comes to us, and finds in us a difpofition to be moved with Fear by terrible obje&s. Wherefore now (my beloved) do you defire to prevent the mifchief of a temptation Oh ! labour more andmore to die unto all the objeas of your outward Love, and the objets of Fear; Die to the objeas ofLove, get your heart mortified to thefe two objeas of Love and Fear. And be fureof this, if thou wouldft pre- vent temptation,that ye labour more and more to walk in the light : Satan is the prince of darknefs, and he walks in darknefs: and he tempts in darknefs. When night comes the beafisgo forth to their prey, faies the Pfalmift, And when Satan fees a poor ignorant foul, that walks in the dark, faies he, Here's a fit prey for me. Oh ! therefore, you that are ignorant, and have fate ignorant under the Ordinan- ces ; for the Lords fake, labour to get more light, and more knowledge , get your heart opened unto every truth of God, labour to acquaint your felves more with Gofpel- light, and fet your bofomes open unto every truth of the Lord. And, beloved ! whether you would overcome, or whe- ther you wouldprevent temptation; what ever means you ufe ; be fureof this, That you takeyour temptation and dip it in the blood of Chrift. Take a candle, that is lighted, and d d only 261
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