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Applic.

tationem reci

The Confideration of this is of great use to those that suffer under the violent hurries of ftrange Temptations.

Aliud eft ten- First, In that sometime they can juftly complain of the Afflictitari,aliud ten- on of fuch Temptation, when they have no reafon to charge it pere. Tentari upon themselves as their Sin. 'Tis one thing to be tempted, and & non in ten- another to Confent or Comply; to be tempted, and not to be brought tationem ferri into Temptation, is not Evil. Satan only Barks when he Sugnon eft malum. gefts, but he then Bites and Wounds when he draws us to Aug. de bono perfever. 1. 2. confent.

c. 6.

Mordet Satan cum ad confenfum trahit, latrat folum cum fuggerit. Bernard.

Secondly, That not only the Sin, but the Degree alfo (by juft Confequence) is to be measured by the Confent of the Heart, if we consent not, the Sin is not ours, and the lefs degree of confent we give, the lefs is in the Sin.

CHAP.

MATTH. 4. 2.

And when he had Fafted forty days and forty nights, he was afterwards an hungred.

CHAP. V.

Of Chrifts Fast, with the Defign thereof. Of Satans tempting in an Invifible way. Of his inceffant Importunities, and how he flyes when refifted. Of inward Temptations,with outward Afflictions. Several advantages Satan hath by tempting in Affliction.

Am next to explain the Faft of Chrift, the End and Defign I whereof (becaufe 'tis not exprefly mentioned) is variously conjectured; Not to infift in this Difcourfe, which is defigned for Practice,on the Controverfy about the Quadragefimal Fast,that which I fhall first confider, is the Opinion of Mufculus, who (upon Mufculus in this ground that his Faft was not the Principal thing, for which loc. the Spirit led him into the Wilderness, for he was led not to Fast, but to be tempted, thereupon) concludes, that this was only a confequent of his Solitary condition in the Wilderness, and no other thing than what befel Mofes and Elis, who being engaged by God to attend him in fuch a Service where the ordinary means of the Support of life were wanting, were therefore kept alive by him in an Extraordinary way without them: thus he thinks the Fafting was not (at least principally) defigned, but that he being to undergo a Temptation in a defolate Wildernefs where he had no Meat to Eat, there God reftrained his hunger, fo that he neither defired nor needed any. If we acquiefce in this, it will afford this Doctrine.

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That when God leads forth his Children to fuch Services as shall unavoidably deprive them of the ordinary means of help or fupply, There God is engaged to give extraordinary Support, and his People may expet it accordingly.

This is a great Truth in it felf, and a great and neceffary Encouragement to all the Children of God that are called out to Straits; But I fhall not infift on this as the Genuine product of this Faft.

If we look further amongst Proteftant Divines; we fhall observe it taken for granted, that Chrift fafted upon Defign, and this is generally reduced to thofe two heads.

First, either for Inftruction; as to fhew that he was God, by Fafting fo long, and that under the trouble of molefting and difquieting Temptations; whereas the Fafts of like date in Mofes or Elias were accompanied with the quiet repofe of their thoughts: Or to fhew that he was Man, in that he really felt the natural infirmities of the humane nature, in being hungry: Or to teach us the usefulnefs of Falting in the general, when fit occafions invite us thereto. Or,

Secondly, For Confirmation of his Doctrine,to put an Honour and Vid. Lightfoot Dignity upon his Employment; as Elias Fafted at the restoring of Prophely, and at the reformation; as Mofes Fafted at the Writing of the Law: So Chrift began the Gospel of the Kingdom with fafting. However that thefe things cannot be spoken againft,being Conclufions warrantably deduceable from this Act of Chrifts; yet these feem not (in my apprehenfion) to come fully up to the proper end of this undertaking of his; which feems not obfcurely to be laid before us, in that Paffage of Luke 4. 2. being forty days tempted of the Devil, and in thofe days he did eat nothing: where we fee that his being tempted forty days was the principal thing, and that his Fafting had a plain reference and refpect to his Temptation, Thus far (I fuppofe) we may be fecure, that we have the defign in the general, that his Fafting was in order to his Temptation. But then whether this was defigned as an occafion of the Temptations, or as a remedy against them, 'tis not fo cafy to determine. That one of thofe (at leaft) was intended, cannot be denyed by those that will grant that his Fast related to the Combat; and it feems not to labour of any repugnancy or abfurdity, if we fay that tis poffible that both thefe ends might be aimed at, and accord

ingly I fhall proceed to obferve upon them. There are only fome other things to be firft difpatched out of the way: As

The continuance of the Faft, why it was forty days, neither more

nor lefs. Though fome adventure to give reafons for it, not only Spanhem dub. Papists (who according to their wont, are ridiculous and trifling Evan. in loc. in this matter) but allo Proteftants, fuppofing that some regard (was or ought to be) had to his fulfilling the times of the Fafts of Mofer and Elias; Yet I think 'tis neither pertinent nor fafe to determine any thing about it, only it obferves to us that the continuance of this was a confiderable time.

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We are more concerned to enquire whether Chrift was under any conflict of Temptation all that time: which though fome deny, Spanhem in left they fhould favour a feeming contradiction among the Evangelifts, yet the words of Luke are fo exprefs, [being forty days Luke 4. 2 tempted of the Devil] that no tollerable Evafion can be found to caft thefe Temptations to the end of the forty days; for he tells us, he was not only tempted after the Expiration of the forty days, but that he was tempted during the continuance of the forty days be fide; only there was a difference in the Kinds of these Temptati ons in regard of the way wherein Satan managed them, and this alfo is fully fet down by Matth. [And when the Tempter came to him,] which with the other Expreffion of Luke compared, fhews us, that during the fpace of the forty days Satan tempted Chrift, and yet came not to him till afterward,that is, he managed thofe Temptations in an Invisible way. Hence we may note,

That Satan doth ufually tempt in an Invifible way and manner. Do&. 2. To Explain this a little, Ifhall Evidence it by a few Confiderati ons. As,

First, That he hath a hand in all Sins first or last, and then it muft needs be in an Invifible way, his work is to tempt, to go about,laying Snares to draw men to Sin. Wicked Men are of their Father the Devil, and do his Works. Carnal defires are his Lufts; Joh. 8.44. giving way to Anger, is giving place to the Devil, and refifting of Ephef.4.26, 27. Sin is called in the General, a refifting of the Devils &c. In all this Jam. 4.7. work of Satan, men do not fee him; when he puts evil Motions into their Hearts they do not perceive him, and therefore doth he his work in an Invisible way.

Secondly, We have fufficient difcoveries of these private Paths of his for (1.) Some time he tempts by friends, he tempted Job by his Wife, Chrift by Peter. (2.) Sometime by External Ob

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jects,

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Obf. 3.

jects, as he drew out Achans Covetoufnefs, and Davids uncleannefs by the Eye. (3.) Sometime by Injecting Thoughts and Motions to our Mind. (4.) Sometime by exercifing an Invifible Pow er upon our Bodies, in ftirring up the humors thereof, to provoke to Paffion or Exceffive Mirth. All these ways (of which I have difcourfed before more largely) are Secret and Invisible, and by fuch as these he moft ufually tempts.

Thirdly, The Wiles, Depths, Secrets and Devices of Satan, which the Scripture tells us are his most familiar Ways and Courfes, they in their own nature Imply a studyed or defigned fecrecy and Imperceptibility.

Fourthly, He hath peculiar Reasons of Policy for his Invifible way of dealing for the leß vifible he is, the leß Sufpicious are his Defigns, and confequently the leß frightful, and more taking. By this way he infinuates himself fo into our Bofoms, that he gets a party in us against our felves, before we are aware; whereas in vain (he knows he fhould fpread his Net, if his Designs and Enmity were difcovered to us.

This must teach us to fufpect Satan where we see him not, and fo to converfe with Objects and Occafions as ftill fearing that there be Anguis in berba, a fecret Snare laid for us to intrap us at

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unawares.

If we again caft our Eyes upon what hath been faid, that Chrift was tempted all the Forty days, It will then give us this Obfervation.

That Satan is fometime Inceffant in Temptations, and fets upon us with continued Importunities.

Here we may note a diftinction of Temptations (befides that of Invisible and Vifible, of which I have fpoken) that fome are movable and fhort fits, and as it were skirmishes, in which he stays not long,and others are more fixed and durable, we may call them Solemn Temptations, in which Satan doth as it were pitch down his Tents, and doth manage a long Siege againft us. Of these laft fort is this Obfervation.

Thus he tempted Paul, continuing his Affault for fome time 2 Cor. 12.8. before he departed. Thus alfo he dealt with Jofeph who was folliciGen. 39. 10. ted day by day for a long time together. Of thefe Ifhall note a few things. As,

Firft, Such Temptations are not without a fpecial Commission. He cannot indeed tempt at all without leave, but in the ordinary

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