that are attended with hazard. Thus he fought the death of Chrift not directly, but indirectly, by urging him to an action which he thought would unavoidably bring him to Death; for a Fall from fo great a Præcipice, would eafily have bereaved any Man of Life. And fometimes when Men are befotted with Enthufiaftical Delufions, he can more eafily beguile them with fuch Stratagems: That Inftance of Stuker is famous, who cut off his Brothers Head, upon a foolish perfwafion, that God would magnify his great Power in giving him Life again. If Satan can befool fuch bewitched Slaves into fuch abfurd and unreafonable apprehenfions in regard of others, what hinders but that he may fo far impose upon them, that they may be willing to practise upon themselves. I See the Narra- remember fomething to this purpofe, of one whom the Devil had tive of Jo. Gilwell-nigh prevailed with, to make a hole in his Breaft, ( which of pin, called the Quakers fha- neceffity muft have let out his Life;) upon a pretended Promise of giving him Eternal Life, and was accordingly forced to take up a Knife, and to carry it to his Throat. In Anno 1647. in Tork-hire, a Company of People were feduced to facrifice certain Creatures to God among the reft they Sacrificed their aged Mother,perfwading her the fhould rife the third day,and for this they were Executed at York.

ken.

Applic.

This may awaken all to be aware of this Temptation; fome are fadly concerned in it, many are the complaints which fome of us have met withal about it in private, and the apprehenfions of fuch hazards are fadly difquieting. Through fuch fears thousands of God's dear Children have passed, and many, too many, have been overcome by this Weapon; thofe of us that have not yet known Temptations of this nature, do not know how foon we may be affaulted in this kind; 'tis neceffary for all to ftand upon their Guard, and for that end, it behoves us to have at hand thefe defences against it.

Firft, 'Tis useful to confider, that this is one of Satan's Plots; and when we meet with it cloathed with never so many pregreat texts, enforced with never fo many seeming neceffities, yet must we look upon it as the Counsel of an Enemy, who certainly intends us no kindness, let him pretend what he will; and therefore may we be fure, it will be our fad inconvenience and disadvantage.

Secondly, It must be fixed in our minds, that the thing in it felf is an high Iniquity, a moft grievous Provocation; no Inftance of Self-Murther (properly fuch) can be met withal in Scripture,

as

nec te,neque e

as practifed by any Holy Perfon: the Command is directly against it, Thou shalt not kill. If we may not murther another (as Austin argues) we may not murther our felves: for he that kills himself kills De Civit. Dei. no other then a Man; nay we may much lefs lay hand upon our own. 1.c. 10. Non Life. 'Tis a greater violation of the Law of Nature and of Love. occides, non alterum ergo Every Man is nearest to himself; and his love to himself, is the Pattern of his love to another. Self-Murther muft then be a Sin nim qui fe ocof higher aggravations by far, than the Murther of another Perfon. cidit, aliud And the wiler Heathens were far from countenancing any fuch cru- quam homielty; If Plato had thought it beft for an immediate enjoyment of Immortality, (which is the highest pretence of Self-Murther ima- Aug. de Civit ginable) to make an end of Life violently, he would certainly Et Coment Lod. have practifed it himself, or recommended it to others, but he viv. ibid. is fo far from this, that he speaks against it as a great wick

edneß.

Thirdly, 'Tis neceffary that Men keep in mind, the Danger that follow's fuch an act. Death brings God's unalterable Mittimus, and feals up the Condition of every Man, fo that in the fame pofture he comes to Judgment, it puts an end to all Hopes and endeavours. Suppofe then fuch tempted Creatures to have Fears and Terrors as great as you can imagine them to be, yet there is a poffibility that they may be deceived in them, that their cafe is not fo bad as they fear, or (if it be bad enough at prefent) that it may be better afterwards, (for many that have in their anguish resolved against themselves, have been prevented of the Execution of their refolves, and have lived to fee the Lord and his Salvation;) And who is able to determine that fecret, that their name is not in the Book of Life? Who can fay, he is certainly excluded out of God's Decree? What madness is it then to rufh into certain ruine, when our Fears that diftress us may be but mistakes. It is not fo certain that Men fhall be damned, because of what they feel or fear at prefent, as it may be if they deftroy themselves.

Fourthly, To prevent occafions to this Temptation, it must be our care not to give way to difcontents for outward things, nor to diftreffing fears, (fuch as are defparing and hopeless) for our Spiritual Eftate or if we have a burthen either way upon our Mind, we mult avoid as much as may be, impatient fretfulneß, left Satan get advantage of us. Difcontented Moods, and casting away Hope, are fad occafions for this Temptation. If we find our felves thus burthened, we must look to it betimes, and not fuffer

nem occidit.

Tempt. Part 2.

it to go too far. And if this Temptation come, we must takeheed we keep not the Devils Counsel, but difeover the matter to fome that are wife and faithful, able to advise and pray for us; remembring ftill that if only outward things trouble us, we have a better way of cafe and Remedy, by fubmitting to a chaftifing Providence; if Spiritual Troubles move this way, we should not run from him, but rather refolve to perish at his Foot, as humble Suppliants for Mercy and Pardon.

Fifthly, The Temptation must also be oppofed with Fafting and Prayer; if this be fincerely practifed, it will go away at

laft.

Sixthly, Something may also be faid for caution against unne-ceffary thrusting our felves (while under fuch Temptations) into places of Danger, or into a converfe with Inftruments of Death; this may be too great a daring of the Temptation, and in the confequence a mifchief. Yet on the other hand, we must not be fo cowardly, as to be affraid of fuch Places and Things, unto which our Callings and lawful employments do engage us; not to dare to go over a Bridg, or to walk by a River, or a Pit, if it be our neceffary way, is but to give an advantage to Satan to keep us under continual affrightments, and therefore I fubfcribe to Capels advice, We must abide by it, and fight it out by Faith; we must not fly the way, the place, the imployment, but go on and look to God, and at lift we shall make Satan fly.

But if fome object to this, That their weakness is great, and, "their fears are ftrong, and Satan never idle, and that therefore they have little ground to expect an escape. I fhall defire they would confider seriously, the Inftance of Chrift in this particular, when he was upon the Pinacle of the Temple, a fmall push might have overthrown him, and yet it was not in Satans power to do it himfelf, though he tempted Chrift to caft himself down: which may fufficiently fatisfy us, that there is a fure hedg of Providence about us, and that Satan cannot do us the leaft hurt by pushing us into a Pit or River, or any fuch danger.

CHAP.

CHA P. XVI.

Of Pride, Satan's chief Engine to bring on Prefumption. What Pride is, and how it prepares Men for finning prefumptuously. Confiderations against Pride. The Remedies for its Cure. Pride kindled by a confidence of Priviledges, and Popular Applause.

He aims of Satan in this Temptation being thus explained, I must now offer to your confideration the Means by which he fought to bring his End about, which we have noted already, was Pride this he endeavoured to raise up in him two ways.

First, By urging to him the Priviledges of his Condition, as taking himself to be the Son of God.

Secondly, By offering him the occafion of Popular Applause, to which purpose he brought him into the Holy-City, where he might be fure of many Spectators. Ifhall hence note,

That Pride is Satan's proper Engine to bring Men on to Pre- Obf. 10. Sumption.

If we should trace the Hiftory of prefumptuous Sins, we fhall ever find it to have been fo. Adam's firft Sin, was an high Prefumption against God's exprefs Command, but Pride was the Stair by which he knew they must ascend to it; and therefore he ufed this Argument, to corrupt the Hearts of our firft Parents, Te fhall be as God's. The Prefumption of Uzziah in burning Incense upon the Altar, was from his Pride. 2 Chron. 26. 16. His Heart was lifted up, because he was become strong. David's Presumption in numbring the People was from hence; thus might we run through many Instances. But Satan's own cafe may be inftead of all, his firft Sin (though we have but conjecture what it was particularly) is concluded by all to have been highly Prefumptuous, and the Scripture exprefly afferts that it was his Pride that brought him to it. 1 Tim.3.6. He that is lifted up with Pride, falls into

the

the Condemnation of the Devil. And in the general we are told by the Prophet, Hab. 2.4. That the Soul that is lifted up, cannot be fo upright as patiently to wait upon God in a way of believing, but it will be prefuming to evade a trouble by indirect contrivances. To explain the Obfervation, I fhall do no more but-fhew what Pride is, and how fit it is to beget Prefumption.

Pride is a felf-idolizing, an over-valuation or admiration of our felves, upon a real or fuppofed excellency, inward or outward, appertaining to us. 'Tis in Scripture frequently expreffed by the lifting up or exaltation of the Soul. And this is done, upon the confideration of any kind of thing, which we apprehend makes us excel others; so that inward gifts of Mind, as Knowledg, Humility, Courage, &c. or outward gifts of the Body, as Beauty, Strength, Activity, &c. or additional Advantages of Riches, Honour, Authority, &c. or any thing well done by us, &c. may all be abused to beget and nourish Pride, and to fill us with high and lofty thoughts concerning our felves: and being thus blown up, we are fitted for any prefumptuous undertaking. For.

Firft, The Mind thus corrupted, begets to its felf apprehenfions of a felf-fufficiency: and therefore, as it is not apt to remember from what Fountain all thofe Excellencies come, and to what Ends they are to ferve; fo it brings them to a contempt of others, and to a confidence of themselves. Thus are Men by degrees so intoxicated by their own humour, that they mount up to irrational and abfurd conceits, fancying that they are more than they are, and that they can do far more than is poffible for them to accomplish, till at laft they become apparently foolish in the pursuit of their imaginations. I need not inftance in the follies of Alexander, who being clated in Mind, would be Jupiter's Son, and go like Hercules in a Lyons Skin; or in the mad Frenzies of Caius, who as he would need fancy himself a God, fo would he change his Godhip when he pleafed; to day he would wear a Lyons skin and Club, and then he must be Hercules; to morrow in another Garb he conceits himself Apollo; a Caduceus made him Mercury,a Sword and Helmet made him Mars, &c. Or in Xerxes, who would whip the Seas, and fetter Neptune. The Scripture affords enough of this nature, as the Boaft of Nebuchadnezzar'; Is not this great Babel that I have built? In the Infolency of Nineveh, Zeph. 2. 15. I am, and there is none befides me. The Elafphemy of Tyre, Ezek. 28. 2. who fet her Heart, as the Heart of God, faying, I am a God, I fit in the

Seat