12 OfTEMPTATTON,Cc.. that the peace of many in thefe days, will be found to be true peace at 1aß! Nothing left ; they goalive down to hell, and death will have dominion over them, in the morning. Now if a man's peace be fuch, do you think that can preferve: Mtn, which cannot preferve its felf ? It will give way at thedeft vigorous affautt . of a temptation isa its height and hour. - Like a broken reed, it will run into the hand of him that leaneth-on it. But ' (z. Suppofe thepeacecared for, and propaledto fafeguard the foul, be trueand good, yet when all is laid up in this one bottom, when the hour of temptation comes, fo many reliefs will be tendered againft this confideration, as will make it ufelefs. Thisevil is frnall¡ it is queßionable, it falls not openlyand downright upon eonfcience I dobut fear confequences, it may be I may keep.my peace notwith- ftandingothers of thepeople of Godhave fallen, and yet kept or recovered their peace: if it be loft for a feafon, it may be obtained again ; I will not folicit its Rationany more ; or though peace be loft, fafetymay remain; and a thoufànd fuch pleas there are, which are all planted as batteries againft this fort, fo that it cannot long hold out. ( 3. Thefixing on this particular only ; is to makegood one paffageorentrance, whilft theenemy affaults us round about. It is true a little armour would ferve to defend a man, it he might chofe where his.enemyfhould Strike him but we are commanded to take the whole armour' of Gad, if we intend, to refift and Eland, Ephef.vi. This we fpeak of is but one piece, and when our eye is only to that, temptation may enter and prevail twenty other ways. For inf?ance, aman may be temptedto worldlinefs; unjuft gain, revenge, vain glory, or the like ; if he for- tify himfelf alone with this confideration, he will, not do this thing, and wound: his eonfcience and lofe his peace ; fixing his eye on this particular, and counting himfelf fofa, whilß he is not overcome an that (rand, it may be neglefl of private' Communion with God, fenfuality, and the like, do creep in, and he is not onejot in a better condition, than if he had tallenunder the power of that part of the temptation, whichwas moltvifibly preffing on him. (4. Experience gives to fee thatthis cloth and will fail alfa. There is no Saint of -God, but puts a valuation on the peacehe bath : yet howmany of them fail in the dayof temptation? But yet theyhave anotherconfideration alfo, andthat is, the vilenefsOfthe finningagainft God?,. -How Ihall 'they do this thing and finagainft God,' the God of their mercies, of their falvation? How !hall theywound jefus Chrift; whodied for them ? This furely cannot but preferve them. I anfiver, T. We fee every day this confideration failing alto. There is no child of God that is overcome of temptation, but overcomes this confideration. It, is not then a fare and infallible defenfative. i. z. Thisconfideration is twofold ; either itexprefles the thoughts of the foul with particular referenceto the temptation contendedwithal ; and then it willnot pre- ferve it : or it expreffes theuniverlal habitual frameof heart that is inus,. upon all áctounts, and then it faileth inwith what 1 that tender as theuniverfal medicine Ind remedy, in thiscafe,'in the procefs of this difcourfe ; whereof afterwards. z.) Confider the power of temptation ; partly from what was (hewed before, from the effefls and fruits of it in the Saintsof old ; partly from fuch other effects in general as we find afcribed to it: ás 1. ]. It will darken the mind, that a man that not beable tomake a right judg- ment of things, 'fo as he did before he entred into it. As in themen oftheworld, the Godof this worldblinds theirminds, that they fhould not fee the gloryofChriß in-the Gofpel, zCur. iv. 4. and whoredome, wine, and new wine take away their hearts, Hof in. a 1. -So it is in the natureof every temptationmore or lets, to take away the heart, or to darken the anderftanding of theperfon tempted. I And this it doth diversways; - a.) By fixing the imagination, and the thoughts, upon the objet wheretoit tends, fo thatthemind falll bediverted from theconfideration of the things that would relieve and fuccour it in theBute wherein it is. A man is tempted to apprehend that he is forfakenof God, that he is an objell of his hatred, that he bathno intereß inChriß ; by thecraft of Satan, themind 'hall be fo fixed to the confide rationof this frate and condition, with the dißrefs of 't, thathe (hall not be able to manageany of the reliefs fuggefted, and tendered tohim againft it; but follow- ing the fulnefsof his own thoughts, thall walkon in darknefs, and have no light. t Say a temptation will fopoffefs and All the mind with thoughtfulnefs of itfell, and she
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=