<if/i Subtilty of Satan is, to tempt to sin gradnully. The old serpent winds himself in by degrees, he tempts first to lesser sins, tliat so he may bring on greater. A small offence may occasion a great crime ; as a little prick of an artery may occasion a mortal gangrene. Satan first tempted Da- vid to an im])ure glance of the eye, to look on Bathsheha, and that unclean look occa- sioned adultery and murder. First the de- vil tempts to go into the comj)any of ijie wicked, then to twist into a cor<l of friend- ship, and so, by degrees, to be brought into the same condemnation with them ; this is a great subtilty of Satan, to tem])t to lesser sins first ; lor these harden the heart, and fit men for the committing of more horrid and tremendous sins.
5/A Subtilty. Satan's policy is to haiid over temptations to us, by those whom we least suspect.
1. By near friends ; he tempts us by them who are near in blood. He tempted Job by a proxy, — he handed o^■er a temptation to him, by his wife. Job ii. 9., " Dost thou still retain thy integrity ?" As if he had said, " Job, thou seest how for all thy reli- gion, God deals with thee; his hand is gone out sore against thee: What! and still pray, and weep? Cast off all religion! turn atheist ! curse God, and die !" Thus Satan made use of Job's wife to do his work ; the woman was made of the rib, and Satan made a bow of this rib, out of which he shot the arrow of his temptation. Per costam petit cor. The de\ il ol't stands behind the curtain, he will not be seen in the business, but puts others to do his work. As a man makes use of a serjeant to arrest another, so Satan makes use of a proxy to tempt ; as he did creep into the serpent, so he can creep into a near relation.
2. He temi)ts sometimes by religious friends ; the devil keeps still out of sight, that his cloven foot may not be seen. Who
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OF THE SIXTH PETITION IN THE LORD'S PRAYER.
would liavc tlioujrlit to have found the de- vil in Peter ? When lie dissuaded Christ from suffering-, Master, * spare thyself,' Christ spied Satan in the temptation, " Get thee behind me Satan !' When our reli- gious friends would dissuade us from doing our duty, Satan is a lying spirit in their mouths, and would by them entice us to evil.
6th Subtilty. Satan tempts some persons more than others ; some are like wet tinder, who will not so soon take the fire of temp- tation as others. Satan tempts most where he thinks his policies will more easily pre- vail ; some are fitter to receive the impres- sion of temptations, as soft wax is fitter to take the stamp of the seal. The apostle speaks of " vessels of wrath fitted for de- struction," Rom. ix. 22., so there are ves- sels fitted for temptation. Some, like the spunge, suck in Satan's temptations. There are five sorts of persons that Satan doth most fit for brooding upon by his tempta- tions.
l.sY, Ignorant persons. The devil can lead them into any snare ; you may lead a blind man any whither. God made a law, that the Jews should not put a stumbling- block in the way of the blind. Lev. xix. 14. : Satan knows it is easy to put a temptation in the way of the blind, at which they shall stumble into hell. When the Syrians were smitten with blindness, the prophet Elisha could lead them whither he would into the enemy's country, 2 Kings vi. 20. The bird that is blind is soon shot by the fowler. Satan, the god of this world, blinds men, and then shoots them. An ignorant man cannot see the devil's snares ; Satan tells them such a thing is no sin, or but a little one, and he will do well enough ; 'tis but repent.
2dh/, Satan tempts unbelievers. He who, with Diagoras, doubts of a Deity, or, with the Phocinians, denies hell, what sin will not this man be drawn to ? He is like me- tal that Satan can cast into any mould ; he can dye him of any colour. An unbeliever will stick at no sin, — luxury, perjury, in- justice. Paul was afraid of none so much as them that did not believe, Rom. xv. 31., *' That I may be delivered from them that do, not believe in Judea."
Sdly, Satan tempts proud persons ; these he hath more power of. None is in greater danger of falling by a temptation, than he who stands high in his own conceit. When David's heart was lifted up in pride, then the devil stirred him up to number the peo- ple, 2 Sam. xxiv. 2. Celsa graviore casu decidunt turres, ftriuntque summos fuhnina montes. Ho race. Satan made use of Ha- man's pride to be his shame.