Secondly, Sometimes he is more fubtile, and by threaping Men down, that they have confented already, he puts them upon defperate adventures of going forward. This is ufually where Satan hath ufed many follicitations before, after our hearts have been urged ftrongly with a Temptation; when he fees he cannot win us over to him, then he triumphs and boafts we are conquered already, and that our thoughts could not have dwelt fo long upon fuch a subject, but that we had a liking to it, and thence would perfwade us to go on and enjoy the fulness of that delight which we have already Stoln privately, over Shooes, over Boots. Now though his arguings here be very weak, (for though it be granted, that by the stay of the Temptation on our thoughts he hath a little entangled us, it cannot hence be inferred that it is our wifdom to entangle our felves further,) yet are many overcome herewith, and give up themselves as already conquered, and fo give a flop to any further confideration.

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Thirdly, When Men will not be trapanned into the Snare by the former delufions, he attempts to work them up to a fudden and bafty refolve of finning; he prepares all the materials of the Sin, puts every thing in order, and then carries us (as he did. Chrift) into the Mountain, to give us a prospect of their beauty and glory: All these (faith he) will I give thee; do but confent, and all are thine. Now, albeit there are arguments at hand, and ferious confiderations to deter us from practice, yet how are all laid afide by a quick refolve? Satan urgeth us by violent hurry, (as Chrift faid to Judas) what thou hast to do, do it quickly; the Soul perfwaded with this puts on a fudden boldness and refolution, and when Reason doth offer to interpofe, it holds fast the door, because the found of its Masters feet is behind it; doth it not say. to it felf, Come, we will not confider, let us do it quickly before thefe lively confiderations come in to binder us; 'tis loth to be restrained, and conceiteth, that if it can be done before Confcience awaken and make a noise, all is well; as if Sin ceafed to be finful, because we by a violent haste endeavoured to prevent the admonition of Confcience. Thus they enjoy their Sin (as the Ifraelites eat their Paffover) in bafte, and with their ftaves in their bands.

Fourthly, When Opportunities and Occafions will well fuit it. He takes the advantage of a paffionate and fullen Humor, and by this means he turns us clearly out of our Byafs: Reason is tram-pled under-foot, and Paffion quite over-runs it. At this difad-

vantage

vantage the Devil takes Jonah, and hardens him to a strange refolve of quarrelling God, and justifying himself in that Infolency. The Humor that Satan wrought upon, was his fretful sullenneß raifed up to a great height by the disappointment of his expectation, and this makes him break out into a Cholerick resolution, I do well to be angry. Had he been composed in his Spirit, had his Mind been calm and fedate, the Devil (furely) could not by any arguments have drawn him up to it; but when the Spirit is in a rage, a little matter will bind Reason in Chains, and push a Man upon a defperate carelefneß of any danger that may follow; futable to that expreffion of Job, chap. 13. 13. Let me alone that I may Speak, and let come on me what will.

Fifthly, All these are but small in comparison of thofe deliberate determinations which are to be found with most Sinners, who are therefore faid to fin with an high band, prefumptuously, wilfully, against Confciente, against Knowledg, and this ordinarily to be found only among thofe whom a custom of Sin hath hardned and confirmed into a boldneẞ of a wicked way and course. When the fpirits of Men are thus barneffed and prepared, Satan can at pleafure almoft form them into a deliberate refolve, to caft the commandment behind their back, and to refuse to hearken. When any Temptation is offered them, if God fay, Ask for the old paths, and walk therein, (as Jer. 6.16.) they will readily anfwer, We will not walk therein: If God fay, Hearken to the found of the Trumpet: they will reply, We will not hearken. When the People by a course of finning had made themfelves like the wild Afs ufed to the Wildérnefs, then did they peremptorily fet up their Will against all the Reafon and Confideration that could come in to deter them,though they were told the inconveniences, (Jer. 2. 25.) that this did unfhoo their Foot, and afflicted them with Thirst and Want, yet was the advice flighted, there is no hope (faid they,) there is no expectation that we will take any notice of thefe pleadings, for we have fixed our refolve, We have loved Strangers, and after them will we go. So Jer. 44. 16. As for the word that thou haft spoken unto us in the Name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee, but we will certainly do what foever thing goeth out of our own Mouth. A plain and full refolve of Will difchargeth all the powers of Reafon, and commands it filence. And that this is moft ordinary among Men, may appear by these frequent expreffions of Scripture, wherein God lays the blame of all that madness which their lives bring

forth

forth upon their Will, Ye would not obey, ye will not come to me; their heart is fet to do evil, &c. It may indeed feem strange that Satan fhould proceed fo far with the generality of Men, and that they fhould do that that should feem fo inconfiftent with thofe Principles which they retain, and the Light which must refalt from thence: But we muft remember, that these wills and fhalls of wicked Men, are for the most part God's interpretation of their Acts and Carriage, which speaks as much, though it may be their Minds and Hearts do not fo formally mould up their Thoughts into fuch open and brazen-fac'd affertions. And yet we ought alfo further to confider, that when, the Spirit of God chargeth Man with wilfulness, there is furely more of a formal wilfulness in the heart of Man than lyeth open to our view. And this will be lefs ftrange to us when we call to mind,

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Sixthly, That through the working of Satan the Minds of Men are darkned, and the light thereof put out by the valency of Atheistical Principles. Something of Atheism is by moft Capel Tempt. Divines concluded to be in every Sin, and according to the height of it in its various degrees, is Reafon and Confideration overturned: There are, it may be, few that are profeffed Atheists in Opinion, and Dogmatically fo,but all wicked Men are fo in Practice ; though they profefs God, yet the Fool faith in his heart, there is no God, and in their works they deny bim. This is a Principle that directly ftrikes at the root: for if there be no God, no Hell or Punishment, who will be feared from taking his delight in Sin by any fuch confideration? The Devil therefore ftrives to inftil this Poyfon with his Temptation. When he enticed Eve by fecret infinuations, he first questions the truth of the threatning, and then proceeds to an open denyal of it,ye fhall not furely die; and 'tis plain, fhe was induced to the Sin upon a fecret disbelief of the danger; the reckons up the advantages, good for Food, pleafant to the Eye, to be defired to make one wife; wherein 'tis evident the believed what Satan had, affirmed, that they should be as God, and then it was not to be feared that they fhould die. This kind of Atheism is common; Men may not disbelieve a Godhead, nay they may believe there is a God, and yet question the truth of his threatnings. Thofe conceits that Men have of God, whereby they mould and frame him in their fancies, futable to their humors (which is a thinking that he is fuch an one as our felves) are Streams and Pfal, so. Vapours from this Pit, and the Hearts of the Sons of Men are

defperately

defperately fet within them to do evil, upon these grounds; much more when they arifé fo high as in fome who fay, Doth God know? Is there knowledg in the most High? If Men give way to this, what realon can be imagined to ftand before them? All the comminations of Scripture are derided as fo many Theological feare-Crows, and undervalued as fo many pitiful contrivances to keep Men in

Of Satan's maintaining his Poffeffion. His first Engine for that purpose, is his finishing of Sin, in its reiteration and aggravation. His Policies herein.

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Aving explained the five ways by which Satan through the power of Luft caufeth blindness of Mind in tempting to Sin, I fhall next lay open Satan's Devices for the keeping and maintaining his Poffeffion, which are these:

First, He endeavours (after he hath prevailed with any Man to commit an Iniquity) to finish Sin, Jam. 1. 15. After 'tis conceived and brought forth, then 'tis finished; which notes its growth and increase. This compriseth these two things, its Reiteration, and its Aggravation.

Firft, Its Reiteration, is when by frequent acts it is ftrengthned, and confirmed into an babit. There are various steps by which Men afcend into the feat of the Scornful, Nemo repentè turpiffimus, 'Tis not one act that doth denominate Men wife to do evil. In Pfal. 1. David fhews there are gradations and degrees of Sin, fome walk in the counsel of the Ungodly; fome by progrefs and continuance of Sin ftand in the way of Sinners; fome by a hardness of Heart and fixednefs in wicked Purposes, fit in the feat of the Scornful. To this height doth he labour to bring his Profelytes, yet he further defigns,

Secondly, That Sin may have its utmost accomplishments in all the aggravations whereof it may be capable. He ftrives to put Men upon fuch a courfe of finning as may be maft fcandalous to

the

the Gospel, most enfnaring and offenfive to others, maft bardning and defperate to our felves, moft offenfive and provoking to God; in this he imitates the counsel of Ahitopbel to Abfalom, when he advised him to go in unto his Fathers Concubines in the fight of all Ifrael, that fo the breach betwixt him and his Father might be widned to an impoffibility of reconciliation. Thus he labours that Sinners fhould act at fuch a rate of open defiance against Heaven, as if they refolved to ly down in their iniquity, and were purpofed never to think of returning and making up their peace with God. That Sin may be finished in both thefe refpects, he ufeth these Policies;

First, After Sin is once committed, he renews his Motions and Sollicitations to act it again, and then again, and so onward till they be perfect and habituated to it. In this cafe he acts over again the former method by which he firft enfnared them, only with fuch alterations as the present case doth neceffitate him unto; before he urged for the committing of it but once, (how little is he to be trufted in thefe promises,) now he urgeth them by the very all they have already done, Is it not a pleasant or profitable fin to thy very experience? haft thou not tasted and feen? haft thou not already confented? tafte and try again, and yet further, withdraw not thy band. A little Temptation ferved before,but a lefs ferves now; for by yielding to the first Temptation,our hearts are secretly enclined to the Sin,and we carry a greater affection to it than before:for this is the ftain and defilement of Sir, that when once committed, it leaves impreffions of delight and love behind, which are still the more augmented by a further progrefs and frequent commiffion, till at lalt by a strong power of fafcination it bewitches Men that they cannot forbear; all the entreaties of Friends, all their own Promifes, all their Refolves and Purposes, though never fo ftrong and ferious (except God ftrike in to refcue by an omnipotent hand) can no more reftrain them than fetters of Straw can hold a Giant. God himself owns it as a natural impoffibility, Can the Ethiopian change his skin? no more can ye do good, and the reafon of that impoffibility is from hence, that they are accustomed to do evil. Such ftrong and powerful inclinations to the fame fin again are begot in us by a fin already committed, that sometime one act of fin fills fome Men with as vehement and paffionate defires for a further enjoyment, as custom and continuance doth others. Austin reports that Alipius when once he gave way to the Temptation

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