A Ptaflical Expofttion [!and ; and yet :it !all ju!Uy punifheth thorn for finning: And rh i s is no Unrighce- ous Thtng wltb God, for he lays no Conl!ramt upon the Freedom of our Wills blit we fin freely; and of our own accord. • ' Now although God can eafily keep us from all Affaults and Attem'pts ofour Spirira. al Ene.mies, yet he permits us to be tempttd by them for moft Wife and Hol v Ends k Firft, He leaves tht:fe Canaanitct to moleft us, to reach us the tVurs ~[1b~ io,.J to make us continualiy watchful, 10 breathe and cxercife our Graces ro adminifiet" Matter for oUr Coilquefi, and Occafion fOr our Crown and Triumph . ' Secondly, To convince us of our own uner Inability ro fiand ofourfdi 'CS without his Help and 1\ftiflance; thereby engaging us to depend upon his Arm and to call for DiVine Supplies and Succours. ' Thirdly, To Glorific both his Jullice and Mercy. His JuOice in gi ving up Wick- ~d Men ro the Rage of Temptations, to be hurried· by tbem frOm Siri to Sin till at liiH: they puc an End to the Succeffion of their Sins in Erernal Damnation .' and hisMercy i~ fuccouring of, and fupporting and delivering, his Children out of?a ll their Temptation$. And therefore whenSr. Paul prayed robe freed from the Buffcrings of t_he M~£rengerot: Satan, God anfwers him, lHy Gracei$ fuffici~nr for thee, my Strength lt made Pujdl tn Weaknejs, 2 Cor. 12. 19. When 'the Devil prefi1mes he bath fo well laid his Temptations tb.at it is impoffible for the PeopleofGod ro efcape his ~nares xer God finds a Way for tbei'r Deliverance OUt of them all ; fOr God holds the grea ; Tempter under a powuful Reftraint, fo that he cannot touch us beyond Permiffion and Commiffion. And therefOre that Place in Rev. 2. 10. is very Remark able ro thisPurpofe, Fear none. of thofc Things tbot thou /bait fu.fftr ; behold, the Devil /hall caft fouJe of you znlo Prijon, that you may be trtcd, and you jhall have Tribulation Ten Doy$. How ~any R~ftraims are h~re mentioned. t? be put up?n that malicious Spirit~ He fhall CtJj~ t11to Prifon, whereas he would wtllmgly caftmto Hell, or at leaft into the Grave: It fhall he burfome of you, whereas his Spight and Rage is againfl all rbe Children ofGod; and ir lhall be but Ten Days, hut !or a fhort Time neither; the Place, the Number, the Time, alllimitted, and that with fuch a Reftraint that all ihe Pride and Rage of the Devil fhall not be able to exceed ir. Fourthly, God permits his own Children to be tempted, that by their Viaory orer· Tempiations be may confound the Malice of Satan, and commend the Excellency of his own Ways and Service; this highly honours God, and fhames the Malice of the Devil, when we are neither terrified by Sufferings, nor induced by the Pleafures of Sin from the Courfe of our Obedience; for tbis evidently declares th at we are True· and Loyal tooUrGreatSovereign: That we more fear bisEtemal Wrath and Difplea· fure than tho(e light Affiiflions that are but fOr a Momenr; and that we find more true Joy and folid Delight in his Sen•ke than in rhe Ways of Sin and Vanity :, and tberef~>re God catls us fqnh as his Champions, puts his Caufe in our Hands, and bids us refift man.fully for the Credit and Honour of Piety, and then lets loofe Satan upon us, whom if we can but Conquer, (wh.ich certainly we fhalldoifwe but ferioufly re lolve ir,) God and Ar.gels, who from the Theatre of Heaven are Spe8ators of the Combat, gh•e us their Applaufe,and will hereaHer giveusourCrown: See how God Glories over rbis baffled Devil, and upbraids him with the Vi8:orious Con!tancy ofhis Strvam Job; God had before commended the Integrity of Job; Chap. i. 8. ltafr thou conjidered my Servant job, that there is none like him upon the Earth, a PerfeU and Upright Man, one that fcaretbGod, and et_~hewetb Evil? To this that Malicious Spiritfullenly replies, Dotli Job fear Godfor !\ought? Thou needeft not Glory in his ready Service and Obedience when heisfO we~lpaid for it; no wonder he isfo Pious and Devout when he gets fo well by it; but leave him a while to me, to rake from him thofe Inducemc:ms that make bimfOPious and Holy, and I will underrake that even this Perfe8: and Up-- right Man fhall curfe thee even to thy .fOce; God accepts theChallenge on his Servant's behalf; Satan and Job .enter the Lift, the Devil buflfas him fore, defi:roys all his Cattel, ruins his Houfe, kills his Children ; yet Job fhrinks nor for all this, hue Wreftles naked with his Adverfary, and fOils him: See now how God rej oices ar his Champion's ViEtory, and upbraids rhe Devil with his fh ;zmefi.Jl 0\•errhrow, Ch. 2. 3. Hajttbou con.fidered my Servant Job, that there is none likebim_in the ~arth, a Per- fdl and an Upri'ghr A1an, one tba~ fearet.h God, and ifcbewetb _EVIl. _God repc:~ts the 1ame CharaUer and Commendation whtch he had before gtven h tm. Gloryrng as it were over Saton thar Job had made his Words good; yea, andjti/1 he holds fnfl hillnlt'grity although tbou movift me a,gainft him to dcftroy biln w itbo11t G111je. So rru_. , ~
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