the apostles' days, " the serpent cast out of his mouth water as .a flood after the wo- man," Rev. xii. 15. Which was a deluge of heresies, that so he might hinder the progress of the gospel. — 4. Satan tempts to error, because error devours godliness. The Gnostics, as Epiphanius observes, were not only corrupted in their judgments, but in their morals, they were loose in their lives, Jude 4., " Ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness." The Fa- milists afterwards turned ranters, and gave themselves over to vices and immoralities ; and this they did, boasting of the Spirit and perfection. — 5. The devil's design in seduc- ing by error, is, he knows error is perni cious to souls. Error damns, as well as vice ; poison kills as well as a pistol. 2 Pet. ii. 1., "They shall privily bring in damna- ble heresies." Now, if Satan be thus sub- tle in laying snares of error to deceive, had not we need to pray that God would not suffer us to be led into temptation ; that he would make us wise to keep out of the snare of error, or, if we have fallen into it, that he would give us to recover out of the snare by repentance ?
lith. Another subtil ty of Satan is, to be- witch and ensnare men, by setting pleasing baits before them, — the riches, pleasures, honours of the world, Mat. iv. 9., " All this will I give thee." How many doth Satan tempt with this golden apple ! Pride, i- dleness, luxury, are the three worms which breed of plenty, 1 Tim. vi. 9., " They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare." Satan kills with these silver darts. How many surfeit on luscious delights ! The pleasures of the world are the great engine by which Satan batters down mens' souls. His policy is to tickle them to death, to damn them with delights. The flesh would fain be ])leased, and Satan prevails by this temptation ; he drowns them in the sweet waters of jdeasure ; such as liave a- bundance of the world, walk in the midst of golden snares. We had need watch our hearts in prosperity, and pray not to be * led into temptation.' We have as much need to be careful that we are not endan- gered bv prosperity, as a man hath to be careful at a feast, where there are some poisoned dishes of meat.
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OF THE SIXTH PETITION IN THE LORDS PRAYER.
\5th Subtil ty of Satan in tempting is, to plead necessity. Satan's policy in tempt- ing men under a plea of necessity is this, lie knows that necessity may in some cases seem to palliate and excuse a sin. It may seem to make a lesser evil good to avoid a greater, as Lot offered to expose Lis daugh- ters to the Sodomites, and was willing that they should defile them, that he might pre- serve the angel-strangers that were come into his house. Gen. xix. 8. Doubtless Sa- tan had a hand in this temptation, and made Lot believe that the necessity of this action would excuse the sin. The trades- man pleads a necessity of unlawful gain, else he cannot live ; another pleads a neces- sity of revenge, else his credit would be impaired : thus Satan tempts men to sin, by telling them of the necessity. Nay, the devil will quote scripture for it, that in gome cases extraordinary, there may be a necessity of doing that which is not justi- fiable. Did not David, in case of necessi- ty, " eat the shew bread, which was not lawful for him, but only the priests ?" Mat. xii. 4. Nor do we read he was blamed ; then will Satan say, why may not you in cases extraordinary trespass a little, and take the forbidden fruit? O beware of this temptation, — see Satan's cloven foot in it ; nothing can warrant a thing in its own nature sinful ; necessity will not justify im- piety !
I6fh Subtilty of Satan in tempting is, to draw men to presumption. Presumption is a confidence without ground ; it is made up of two ingredients, audacity and securi- ty ; this temptation is common. There is a two-fold presumption : 1. Satan tempts men to presume of their own hearts, that they are better than they are ; they pre- sume they have grace, when they have none ; they will not take gold on trust, but th6y will take grace upon trust ; the foolish virgins presumed that they had oil in their vessels when they had none. Here that rule of Epicharmus is good, " distrust a fal- lacious heart." — 2. Satan tempts men to presume of God's mercy ; though they are not so good as they should be, yet (iod is roerciful. They look upon God's mercy with the broad spectacles of presumption. Satan soothes men up in their sins ; he