not prcA'ail, he will have another ; if he can- not tempt to lust, he will tempt to pride; if a temptation to covetousness doth not prevail, he will tempt to profuseness; if he cannot fright men into despair, he will see if he can draw them to presumption if he cannot make them profane, he Avill see if he can make them formalists ; if he cannot make them vicious, he will tempt them to be erroneous. He will tempt them to leave off ordinances ; he will pretend revelations. Error damns as well as vice ; the one pis- tols, the other poisons; thus Satan's dili- gence in tempting is great, he will turn every stone, he hath several tools to work with ; if one temptation will not do, he will make use of another. Had not we need then to pray, " Lead us not into temptation."
3. Consider Satan's power in tempting. He is called "the prince of the world," John xii. 31., and the " strong man," Luke xi. 21., and the "great red dragon," who " with his tail drew down the third part of the st.irs," Rev. xii. 4. He is full of power, being an angel ; though Satan hath lost his holiness, yet not his strength. The devil's power in tempting is seen several ways : 1. He, as a spirit having an intellec- tual being, can convey himself into the fan- cy, and poison* it with bad thoughts. As the Holy Ghost doth cast in good motions, so the devil doth bad ; he put it into Judas's heart to betray Christ, John xiii. 2. 2. Satan, though he cannot compel the will, yet he can ])resent pleasing objects to the senses, which liaA'e a great force in them. He set a ' wedge of gold' before Achan, and so enticed him with that golden bait. 3. The devil can excite and stir up the corruption within, and work some inclina- bleness in the heart to embrace the tempta- tion ; thus he stirred up corruption in Da- vid's heart, and provoked him to number the people, 1 Chron. xxi. 1. Satan can blow the spark of lust into a flame.
4. Herein lies much of his j)ower, that he being a spirit, can so strangely convey his temptations into our minds, that we cannot easily discern whether they come from Satan, or from ourselves ; a\ hether they are his suggestions, or the natural births of our own hearts. A bird may hatch the e^^ of another bird, thinking it is
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her own : often we hatch the devil's mo- tions, thinking tlicy come from our own hearts. When Peter dissuaded Christ from suffering, sure Peter thought it came from the good affection wliich he did bear to his mast(M', Mat. xvi. 22., little did Peter think Satan had an hand in it. Now, if the de- vil hath such a power to instil his tempta- tions, that we hardly know whether they be his or ours, we are in a great deal of danger, and had need pray, not to be led into temptation. Here, I know, some are desirous to move the question,
Quest. How shall we perceive when a mo- tion comes from our own hearts, and when from Satan ?
Ans. 1. It is hard (as Bernard saith) to distinguish inter morsum serpentis, et morhum mentis, — between those suggestions which come from Satan, and which breed out of our own hearts. But I conceive there is this threefold difference.
1. Such motions to evil as come from our own hearts, spring up more leisurely, and by degrees ; a sin is long concocted in the thoughts, ere consent be given, but usually we may know a motion comes from Satan by its suddenness ; therefore a temptation is compared to a dart, Eph. vi. 16., because it is shot suddenly. David's numbering the people was a motion which the devil did in- ject suddenly.
2. The motions to evil which come from our own hearts are not so terrible ; few are frighted at the sight of their own children ; but motions coming from Satan are more ghastly and frightful, as motions to blas- plieuiy and self-murder. Hence it is temp- tiitioiis are compared to fiery darts, Eph. vi. 16., fi»r their terribleness, because they do, as flashes of fire, startle and affright the soul.
3. When evil thoughts are thrown into our mind, when we loathe, and h.ive reluc- tuiicy against; when we strive against them, and tire from them, as Moses did from the serpent, this shews they are not the natural birth of our own heart, but the hand of Joab is in this. Satan hath injected these im]>ure motions.
4. Satan's power in tempting appears by the long experience he hath gotten in the art : he hath been a tempter, well nigh as
long as he liath been an angel. Wlio are fitter for action than men of experience ? Who is fitter to steer a ship than an old ex- perienced pilot ? Satan hath gained much experience, by his being so long versed in the trade of tempting. He having such ex- perience, knows what are the temptations which have foiled others, and are most like- ly to prevail : the fowler lays those snares which have caught other birds. Satan hav- ing such power in tempting, we are in dan- ger, and had need pray, " Lead us not into temptation."