268 Satan s power to Tempt; andChrifts love to, gt_teell. 3 Anfw. fibly hedoes not find the fweetnefs, or the benefit of the mercy promifed when the promife is fulfilled : Niv hy ? be- caufe he don't exercife faith in thepromife itfelf. W heri as the Lord gaveManna, Ildofes had the fweetnefs of it, why ? becaufe he exercifed faith about it:But thechildren of Ifra- el,they made a tufhofit, a light matter of it : why ? becaufe they look't upon it in a way offence, &did nottake it in a way ofbeleeving, and fo they loft the benefit, and fweet- nefs of the mercypromifed. Beloved ! it is no fmall mat- ter this, for to lofe the benefit, and fvveetnefie of themercy promifLI : that a Chriflian lofes by failing in his faith in regard of the Exercife of it ; and therefore certainly it is a very evil thing : though their faith fail not in regard of the grace it felf, yet if it fail in regard of the work, and the exercifeof it, it i s a very evil thing, and much incon- venience comes unto the Saints thereby. Thirdly, Therebymay it appear, that Satan: great defign is upon ourfaith in the time of temptation ? He does tempt moll unto thatfin which is the greatefi : and the fin againft the Gape' is thegreateft fin. Satans great de- fign is,to hinder theworkof Chrift, the kingdomofChrift in the hearts of the Saints ; to counter-work the Spirit of God.. Satandoes tempt that he may tempt : and thegrea- tett temptation ufually comes in the reare, comes at the laff. .ratan does tempt a man to break the Law ; but he hath a further reach in that : for he tempts a man to break the Law, that fo he may tempt him afterwards to fin a- gainft the Cape' : he lies in ambufh in one temptation, for to draw to another. 1(1( hen Satan tempted our firfi parents Adam and Eve, he tempted like a ferpent, in form ofa ferpent : and fo now too, he comes, and he winds a- bout us:in his temptation; but his fting is in the taile, and at the latter end. And thus ye fee it was in the temptation ofour Saviour. Chrift ; his great defgn was upon Chrifis faith : in the 4. of Matthew, ye know he hath Three temptations there : and faies he, in the two firft temptati- ons, If thou be the Son ofGod ? and, If thou be the Sonof God ? And
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