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Improvement, to a further inticement to the evils fecretly intended, and these require the Art and Skill for the exact fuiting and fitting of them. The End cannot be reached without the Means,and Means fo ordered (without the aid of Grace) will scarce miß of the End.

Thirdly, The Means are capable of a Varnish and Paint, he can make a fhift to fet them off, and Colour them over, that the proper drift of them cannot eafily be discovered, whereas the Ends to which thefe lead cannot receive, (at leaft fo eafily with fome) fuch fair fhews. 'Tis far easier to fet off Company-keeping, with the pleasurable pretences of Neceffity or refreshing divertisement, than to propound direct Drunkennefs, (the thing to which Companykeeping tends) under fuch a drefs.

If it be demanded, How and by what Arts he renders the Means fo plaufible? I fhall endeavour a fatisfaction to that Quere, by fhewing the way that Satan took to render the Means he made ufe of in this Temptation, plausible to Chrift, which were these;

First, He reprefents it, as á harmleß or lawful thing in it self; Who can fay it had been finful for the Son of God to have turned Stones into Bread, more than to turn Water into Wine?

Secondly, He gives the Motion a further pretext of advantage or goodneß, he infinuated that it might be an ufeful difcovery of his Sonthip, and a profitable supply against hunger.

Thirdly, He feems alfo to put a Neceffity upon it, that other ways of help failing, he must be constrained fo to do, or to fuffer further want.

Fourthly, He forgets not to tell him, that to do this was but fuitable to his Condition, and that it was a thing well becoming the Son of God to do a Miracle,

Fifthly, He doth urge it at the rate of a Duty, and that being in hunger and want, it would be a finful neglect not to do what he could and might for his prefervation.

The fame way doth he take in other Temptations, in fome cafes pleading all, in fome most of these things, by which the means conducing thereunto may feem plaufible. If he prefents to Men occafions of finning, he will tell them ordinarily, that they may lawfully adventure upon them, that they are harmleß, nay of advantage, as tending to the recreating of the Spirits, and health of the Body; yea, that 'tis neceffary for them to take fuch a'liberty, and that in doing fo, they do but what others do that profefs

Religion.

Religion. And often he hath such advantage from the Circumftances of the thing, and the Inclination of our heart, that he makes bold to tell us. Tis no lefs then Duty, fuch did the outrage of Demetrius seem to him, when he confidered, how much his livelyhood did depend upon the Diana of the Ephefians; Paul's Zeal made him confident that perfecution of Chriftians was his Duty:neither is there any thing which can pretend to any Zeal, Advantage or colourable Ground, but prefently it takes the denomination of Duty.

If any wonder that such poor and shallow pretences are not seen through by all Men, they may know that this happens from a fourfold Ignorance.

Firft,from an Ignorance of the thing it felf: how eafily may they be Imposed upon, who know not the nature, or the ufual Iffues of things? as Children are deluded to put a value upon an useless, or hurtful trifle; foare Men deceived and eafily impofed upon in what they do not understand. And for this caufe, are Sinners compared to Birds, who are eafily inticed with the Bait proposed to their view, as profitable and good for them, because they know not the Snare that lyes hid under it: this Ignorance caufing the mistake mentioned, is not only a Simple Ignorance, but also that Ignorance which owes its rife to a wilful and perverfe difpofition, (for there are some that are willingly Ignorant) doth often lay those open to a delufion, who through prepoffeffion or idleness, will not be at pains to make full Inquiries.

Secondly, This alfo comes to pass from an Ignorance of our Spirits: for while we either engage in the things propofed by Satan upon the general warranty of a good Intention, or that we have no evil meaning in it, we are kept from a difcovery of the intended defign. Hence Paul faw nothing, in his perfecuting the Church of God, of what Satan aimed at; or while upon the pretence of a good Intention, our fecret corrupt Principles do indeed move us underband to any undertaking, we are as little apt to fee the Ends of Satan in what he propounds to us. Jebu, and the Difciples Luke 9. 55. pretending a Zeal for God, but really carried on by their own furious tempers, did as little, as others fee what the Devil was doing with them.

Thirdly, The means of a Temptation are rendred lefs fufpitious, from an Ignorance of the Circumstances, and Concomitants that do attend them.

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Fourthly, As alfo from an Ignorance of our own weakness, and Inclination, while we are confident of greater strength to resist, than indeed we have, of a greater verfne, than is in us, to the evil fufpected; we contemn the danger of the means as below us, and fo grow bold with the occafions of iniquity, as pretending no hazard or danger to us.

This may teach us a piece of Wisdom, in the Imitation of the Devils we fee his malice appears in the bloody and deftructive aims or intendments, which he difcovers against us, but his skill and cunning in a faitable difpofal and ordering of the Means, So fhould we learn to imploy all our care and watchfulness about those plaufible ways or introductions to Sin, that Satan puts in our hands and as his eager defire of gaining his end, makes him industrious about the offering of means fit to compass it, so out fear of his Defign and End fhould make us jealous of every overture propounded to us. They that from wilfulness or neglect shall admit the means of Evil, cannot expect to avoid the Evil to which they lead, or if they may (unexpectedly) be refcued from the end, while they use the Means (by Grace interpofing, as between the Cup and the Lip) 'tis no thanks to them, and often they come not off fo clear, but that fome lameness or other sticks by them.

I may fufpect this will be retorted back as an advice scarce praCicable for if all means leading to Sin are to be avoided, then can we use nothing, but rather (as the Apostle faith in another cafe) we must go out of the World, feeing every thing may lead to

- evil.

I Answer, We are not by any command of God put into any fuch Strait, things that are or may be improvable against us, may be ufed by us with due Care and Watchfulness, yet all things are not alike neither, for we must look upon things under a threefold Con.fideration.

Firft, If that which is propounded or laid before us, as a means to Sin, be in it felf finful, the refusal of both is an undoubted Duty.

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Secondly, We must look upon things under the confideration of the fufpicionfness which they carry with them of a further evil; fome Circumftauces, or postures of an opportunity and occafion offered, are of fuch a threatning Afpect, that they fairly warn us to holdroff. To keep company with a Friend may be admitted, when

yet

yet that Society in a fufpitious place, as Tavern, or Whore-boufe, is to be avoided.

Thirdly, We must further confider things as we are free, or engaged to them, and accordingly where there is appearance of danger, or the fear of it, we must keep at a distance, if we are engaged to fuch things either by the obligation of the Law of Nature, or lawful Calling, or command of God, or unavoidable Providence, or Relation, where thefe Ties are upon us, we cannot avoid the thing or action, but are the more concerned to take heed of being overreached or overtaken by them.

CHA P. XI.

Of the Temptation to distrust upon the failure of Ordinary Means. Of the Power of that Temptation, and the Reafons of its prevalency. Of unwarrantable Attempts for Relief, with the caufes thereof. Of waiting on God, and keeping his way. In what Cafes a particular Mercy is to be expected.

I

Have particularly infifted upon the aims of Satan in this Temptation, in their variety, and alfo the cunning connexion and coherences of them: I have alfo fingled out his chief defign. I am now in the laft place to préfent you with the fuitableneß and refpects that the fubordinate means carry to the Principal, and that proportion which may be found in all these to the end defigned , by them.

The chief means (in reference to the end defigned) was a distrust of Providence,and the fubordinate means to bring on that distruft, was the failure of ordinary means of fupply: for fo he endeavoured to improve his hunger, and want in the Wilderness, as a manifeft neglect of Providence towards him, for which (as he tacitly fuggelis) there was no ground to wait or rely upon it any further,but to betake himself to another courfe. Hence Note, bud

That the failure of ordinary means of help is by Satan improved as Obf. 13. bis fpecial Engine to bring Men to a distrust of Providence, and from

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thence

Pfal. 116. 11. Pfal. 31. 22. Jon. 2. 4.

thence to an unwarrantable attempt for their relief in an extraordinary way.

That the failure of ordinary and ufual fupplies hath by the Devils fubtilty brought a Diftruft of Providence, and run Men beyond all hopes of help, is a thing commonly and notoriously known. When Men are afflicted, and brought unto unusual ftraits, and the ordinary ways of relief are out of fight, they are foon tempted to diftruft God and Man, and to conclude they are cut off, and that their hope is perished, and that their Eye shall no more fee Good. David diftreffed, proclaims all Men Lyers: Concludes, that he should at laft be cut off. Jonah in the Whales Belly, thought that all hope was gone, and that he was caft out of Gods Sight. The Church of Ifrael in Captivity, forgat Profperity (notwithstanding the promife of deliverance after feventy years) and thought no less, than that her hope and strength was perished; Lam. 3. 18. And from the Scriptures mentioned, we may also see the frength and prevalency of the Temptation, efpecially when 'tis reduced to particulars. As,

First, 'Tis not a thing altogether of no weight that such a Temptation fhould prevail against such Perfons, as David, and Jonah, and the whole Church of Ifrael, that the manifold Experiences that fome of them have had of Gods faithfulneß in delivering,and the seasonableness of help at times of greatest hazard, the particular promifes that all of them have had, (how difmal and black foever things have feemed) have given the fulleft Affurances imaginable, that what he had spoken fhould certainly be performed; the gracious Qualifications of fuch Perfons as eminently Holy, and skilled in the Duties of Truft, and in the Ways of Providence, and the special Advantage which fome of them (as Prophets) have had above others, to enable them to improve that Skill, Experience, Knowledg, and Grace, to a firm adherence to fuch fpecial Promises, that all these things fhould not be sufficient to keep them off diftruft, (though at prefent the ways of deliverance were hid from them) feems frange..

Secondly, 'Tis alfo wonderful to what an height fuch a prevailing Temptation hath carryed fome of them; David seems to be a little outragious, and did upon the matter call God a Lyer, when he faid, all Men are Lyers, which (however that fome interPool Synopfis pret, as if it had been Davids Truft in God, and his confident avouchment of his. Enemies Prognoftications of his ruine,, to be but

Pfal. 116. 11.

in loc.

Lyes,

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