and calm) are fo far from taking the advantage of its guidance, that oftentimes they trample upon it and defpife its and as if Lufts (by fome fecret Incantation) had made them impenetrable, they are not capable of its light and conduct, and can make no more ufe of It, than a blind Man can do of a Candle. To this purpose, let us obferve the carriage of Difputants; if Men do any way publickly engage themselves in a Contest of this nature, though Truth can be but on the one fide, yet both Parties give Arguments, and answer Objections with equal confidence of victory, and a contempt of the reafons and ftrength of each others difcourfes and this proves fo fatal to him that maintains the miftake or untruth, that not one of a thousand hath the benefit and advantage for the finding of Truth, which free and unprejudiced Bystanders may have; fo true is that, Omne perit judicium cum res tranfit in affectum, When Affections are engaged, Judgment is darkned. 'Tis a thing of common obfervation, that when Men are discoursed into Anger and Heat, they presently grow abfurd s are difabled for speaking or understanding Reafon, and are oft hurried to fuch inconveniences and mifcarriages, that they are afhamed of themselves; when they cool and the fit is over, Impedit ira animum, &c. To all this might be added, the power of Luft in Persons voluptuous, who dedicate themselves to the pleafures of the Flesh. Those that ferve divers Lufts and Pleasures, their flavish Estate, their base Drudgery, do clearly evince that Luft unmans them, and puts out their Eyes. Mark-Antony by this means became a Slave to Cleopatra; never did a poor Captive firive more to obtain the good will of his Lord than he to please this Woman, infomuch that befotted with his Luft, he seemed to want that common forefight of his danger, which the smallest meafure of Reafon might have afforded to any, and fo dallied himself into his ruine. From all these Confiderations and Inftances, it appears our Lufts afford fuch Vapours and Mifts, that our Reafon is darkned by them, or rather, they are like a Dofe of Opium that ftrongly ftupifies and binds up the Senfes. But yet it remains that the various ways by which our Lufts do blind us be particularly opened, and they are five. (1.) Our Lufts blind us by preventing the ufe and exercise of Reason. (2.) By perverting it. (3.) By withdrawing the Mind from it. (4.) By disturbing it in its operation. And (5.) By a defperate precipitancy. All which I fhall more fully explain.

First, Our Lufts blind us by preventing and intercepting the exercise of Light and Reason, and Satan in this cafe ufeth these deceits.

First, He endeavours fo to ftir up our Luft, as yet to conceal his defign. Secrefie is one of his main Engines, he doth not (in this cafe) fhew his Weapon before he firikes; and indeed his Policy herein is great, For (1.) By this means he takes usat unawares, fecure, and unprepared for refiftance. (2.) We are often enfnared without noife, and before our confideration of things can come in to rescue us. (3.) If he get not his whole defign upon us this way, yet he oft makes an half victory; by this means he procures an half confent, or inclination to fin before we discover that we are under a Temptation; for when the Foundation of a Temptation is laid unefpyed, then we awaken with the Sin in our band, as fleeping Men awake fometime with the word in their mouths. If any question, how can these things be? how can he Steal a Temptation upon us with fuch fecrefie? I answer, he can do it these three ways.

First, He fometimes after a careleß manner, and as it were by the by, drops in a Suggestion into our hearts, and that without noife or importunity, giving it (as it were this charge,) ftir not up, nor awaken him; and then he fits by to obferve the iffue, and to fee if the Tinder will take fire of it felf. Thus many a motion thrown into our hearts, as it were accidently, or ever we are aware, begets a fudden flame.

Secondly, He fometimes fetcheth a compaß, and makes a thing far different to be a Preamble or Introduction to his intended defign. Thus by Objects, Imployments, Difcourfe, or Company, that shew not any direct tendency to evil, doth he infenfibly occafion Pride, Paffion or Luft. How flyly and fecretly doth he put us upon what he intends as a further fnare? how unawares, while we think of no fuch thing, are we carried fometime upon the borders of Sin, and into the enemies quarters? Satan in this acts like a Fowler, who useth a stalking Horfe, as if he were upon fome other imployment, when yet his defign is the deftruction of the Bird.

Thirdly, Another way of Secrefie is his raising a croud of other thoughts in the Mind, and while these are mixed and confusedly floating in the Understanding or Fancy, then doth he thruft in among them the intended Suggeftion, and then fuffering the reft

to

to vanish, he by little and little fingles this out as a more special object of confideration, fo that we caft a fudden glance upon this, and we are often taken with it before we confider the danger. In this Satan doth as Souldiers, who take the advantage of a Mist to make a nearer approach to their Enemies, and to furprife them before discovery of the danger: This he doth with us while we are in a Mufing fit, or a Melancholy dream.

A fecond Deceit for the preventing of a serious confideration, is Sudden Surprifal. In the former he endeavoured to conceal the Temptation while he is at work with us, but in this he shews the Temptation plainly, only he fets upon us without giving of us warning of the onfet; but then he backs it with all the violent importunity he can, and by this he hinders the recollecting of our felves and the aid of Reafon. This course Satan only takes with those whofe Paffions are apt to be very stirring and boyfterous; or fuch as being his Slaves and Vaffals are more fubject to his commands. Thus a fudden provocation to an angry Man, gives him not time to confider, but carries him headlong. A furprife of Occafion and Opportunity, is frequently a conqueft to those that have any earnestness of Hope, Defire, or Revenge: Surely David was taken at this advantage in the matter of Bathsheba. And here we may note, that good Men upon fuch a fudden motion, do yield (without any blow or ftrugling) to that, which at other times they could not be drawn to by many reafons.

Thirdly, Confideration is prevented by gradual Intanglements. Satan fo orders the matter that Sin creeps on upon us as Sleep, by infenfible degrees: For this end fometimes he diffembles his Strength and fets upon us with lower Temptations, and with lefs force than otherwife he could: He knows we are not moved to extreams, but by steps and habits, are not confirmed, but by gradual proceedings; to take too great ftrides, may fometime prevail at prefent, but the fuddennefs and greatnefs of the alteration begetting a strangeness on the Soul, may occafion after-thoughts and recoyling: Therefore he tempts firft to thoughts, then to a delight in thefe thoughts, then to the continuation of them, then to refolve, and fo on to practice. And in like manner, he tempts fome to make bold with a small matter, which fhall fcarce come under the notion of wrong; then to a greater, and fo gradually to higher things, and thus he infenfibly brings on a thievifh Inclination and Practice. For the fame end fometimes he fhews his skill in

the

the management of Occafions, he imperceptibly hooks Men into Sin,by drawing them firft to be bold with Occafions; he tells them they may fit at the Ale-house, and yet not be drunk; that they may keep Familiarity, and yet not be lewd; that they may look upon a Commodity, and yet not fteal: and when the Occafions are by this means made familiar to them, then he puts them on a ftep further, but by fuch flow motions, that the progress is scarce difcerned till they be in the Snare.

CHAP. XII.

Of Satan's perverting our Reafon. His fecond way of blinding. The poffibility of this, and the manner of accomplishing it directly, feveral ways; and indirectly, by the delights of Sin, and by Sophiftical Arguments, with an account of them.

"He fecond way by which Satan blinds us through the power of Luft, is by perverting and corrupting our Reafon, drawing it to approve of that, which it firft difapproved. That our Lufts have fuch a power upon the Understanding to make fuch an alteration, need not feem ftrange to those that shall confider, that the Scripture propounding the knowledg of the higheft Mysteries, doth pofitively require (as a neceffary prerequifite to these things) that we lay afide all filthiness and fuperfluity of naughtiness (in these Jam. 1. 20. terms, noting the loathfom defilement of our Lufts) that fo we may receive the ingrafted Word; ftrongly implying that our Lufts have a power to elude and evade the strongest reafons, and to hinder their entertainment: Which our Saviour notes, to have been alfo the caufe of the Jews blindness, How can ye believe which re- Joh. 5. 44. ceive honour one of another? their lufts of Honour stood in their Light, and perverted their Reafon.

But because this may seem to fome almoft impoffible that Lufts fhould turn our Sun into darkness, Ifhall a little explain it.

The Understanding doth ufually, (if practice of Sin have not put out its light) at the first faithfully reprefent to our Mind the na

P

ture,

5.44.

ture of Good and Evil in matters of Temptation and Duty; yet
its power in this cafe is only directive and fuafive to the Will, not
@bfolutely imparative; the Will muft follow the Understandings
dictate, but is not under any neceffity of following its first advice ;
'tis the ultimum dictamen, the laft dictate that it is engaged to
follow However the Will (in the cafe laft mentioned) be
dependant upon the understanding, yet the Understanding doth
allo quoad exercitium, depend upon the Will, and as to the act of
confideration, is under its command; so that after the Understand-
ing hath faithfully reprefented the evil of a Sin, the Will can com-
mand it to another confideration, and force it to new thoughts and
confultations about it; in which cafe, the Will doth prompt the
Understanding, tells it what verdict it would have it to bring in,
and fo doth really follicite and beg for a complyance.

The underlanding is ductile and capable of being brib'd, and therefore fuffers its right Eye to be put out by the Will, and as a falfe Witness or a partial Judge gives fentence as the Will would Fenner Epift. bave it and thus (as one obferves) the Understanding and Will, Dedicatory to are like Simeon and Levi, Brethren in evil, mutually complying Myllery of f with, and gratifying each other.

ving Grace.

The poflibility of Lufts perverting our Understanding being discovered, the way and manner how Luft doth thus corrupt it, is needful to be opened.

Luft exercifeth this power under the management of Satan, directly and indirectly.

First, Our Reason is directly perverted, when it is fo far wrought upon as to call that Good, which is indeed plainly and apparently Evil. So great a corruption is not common and ordinary, neither can the heart of Man be easily drawn to go fo palpably against clear light and evidence: 'Tis therefore only in fome Cafes, and in Jome Perfons, either of weaker Faculties, or of extraordinarily debauched Principles that Satan can work up Luft to give fo great a darkness: However 'tis evident that Satan ufeth these deceits in this thing.

First, He ftrives (where the matter will bear it) to put the name of Vertue or Good upon Actions and things that are not fo. This Temptation doth most appear in those things that are of a doubtful and difputable nature, or in thofe Actions which in their appearance or pretenfions may seem to be vertuous. Whatever Sin is capable of any Paint or Varnish, that he takes the advantage

of