6. Make known thy case to some godly friend ; the hiding a serpent in the bosom, is not the way to be safe ; when the old ser- pent hath gotten into your bosom by a temp- tation, do not hide him there by keeping his counsel. If a spark be got into the thatch, it is not wisdom to conceal it, it may set the house on fire ; conceal not temptation. The keeping of secrets is for familiar friends: 1)6 not so great a friend to Satan, as to keep his secrets ; reveal your temptations, which is the way to procure others' prayers and advice; let all see that you are not true to Satan's party, because you tell all his plots, and reveal his treasons. Besides, the tell-
ing of our case to some experienced Chris- tian, is the way to have ease ; as the open- ing of a vein gives ease, so the opening of our case to a friend gives ease to the soul, and a temptation doth not so much inflamie. 7. Make use of the word. This the apos- tle calls ' the sword of the Spirit,' Eph. vi. 17., a fit weapon to fight against the tempter. This ' sword of the Spirit' hg/audius anceps, ' a two-edged sword ;' it wounds carnal lust, and it wounds Satan. He who travels a road where there is robbing, will be sure to ride with his sword : we are travelling to heaven, and in this road there is a thief will always beset us, Satan is in every place where we go, — he meets us at church, he doth not miss a sermon, he will be tempting us there, — sometimes to drowsiness; when you sleep at sermon, the devil rocks you a- sleep, — sometimes he tempts by distracting the mind in hearing, sometimes he tempts to question the truth of what you hear, — thus we meet with the templer at church. And he tempts in the shop he tempts you to use collusion and d?*ceit, IIos. xii. 7., " The balances of deceic are in his hand ," so that we meet with the tempter every where. Therefore, this thief being in tlie road, we had need ride with a sword ; we must have ' the sword of the Spirit' about us. We must have skill to use this sword, and have an heart to draw it out, and this sword will put the devil to flight. Thus our bless- ed Saviour, when Satan tempted him to dis- trust and blasj/hemy, he used a sciijiture weapon, " It is written." Three times Christ wounded the old serpent with tliis sword. Christ could with his power and au- thority have rebuked the ])rince of the air, as he did the winds ; but he stops the devil's mouth with scripture, " It is written." It is not our vows and resolutions will d«) it, — it is not the j)apist's holy water or charms will drive away the devil,— but let us bring the word of God against him; this is such an argument as he cannot answer. It was a saying of Luther, " I have had groat troubles of mind ; but so soon as I laid hold on any place of scrij)ture, and stayed myself upon it, as upon my chief anchor, straight- way my temptations vauisjied away." There's no temptation but we have fit scri])tnre to answer it. If Satan tempts to sabbath
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breakiiijr, answer Iiim, " ft is written, * Re- momhor tlie sabhath rlay to keep it liolv.'" If he tcMnpts to iincleanncss, ariswiM- liiin, ** It is written, ' whoremonnfers and adul- terers (lod will judj^c' " If he tempts to carnal fear, say, " It is written, * fear not them that kill the body, and after that, have no more that thev can do.' " No such way to confute temptation as by scripture; the arrows which we shoot against Satan must be fetched out of this quiver. Many people want this sword of the Spirit, they liave not a liible ; others seldom make use of this sword, but let it rust ; they look seldom into the scripture, therefore no wonder thev are overcome by temptations. lie who is well- skilled in the word is like one who hath a plaster ready, to lay upon the wound as soon as it is made, and so the danger is prevent- ed. Oh study the scripture, and you will be too hard for the devil ; he cannot stand against this !
8. Let us be careful of our own liearts tbat they do not decoy us into sin. The a- poslle saith, " a man is drawn away of his own heart, and enticed," James i. 14. Quis- qtte sihi Satan est, Bern. Every man hath a tempter in his own bosom. A traitor within the castle is dangerous. The heart can bring forth a temptation, though Satan do not midwife it into the world ; if Satan were dead and buried, the heart could draw us to evil. As the ground of all diseases lies in the humours of the body, so the seed of all sin lies in tlie original lust. Look to your hearts.
9. If you would not be overcome of temp- tation, flee the ' occasions of sin.' Occasions of sin have a great force in them to awaken lust within. He that would keej) himself free from infection, will not come near an infected house : if you would be sober, a- void drunken company. Joseph, \\ hen he was enticed by his mistress, shunned the