knowing well, if he endured her there, there was hope that he might take her into his bed at last : if the Christian can let the object come so near, Satan will promise himself his suit may in time be granted. Therefore it should be our care, if we would not yield to the sin, not to walk by, or sit at the door of the occasion : look not on the beauty with wandering eye, by which thou wouldest not be taken prisoner ; parley not with that in thy thoughts, which thou meanest not to let into thy heart ; conversation begets affection ; some by this have been brought to marry those, whom at first they thought they could not have liked.
Fifthly, After great manifestations of God's love, then the tempter comes. Such is the weak constitution of grace, that it can neither well bear smiles nor frowns from God without a snare ; as one said of our English nation, Tolam nee pad potest libertatem nee servitutem ; it cannot well bear liberty nor bondage in the height : so neither can the soid ; if God smile and open himself a little familiarly to us, then we are prone to grow high and wanton ; if he frown, then we sink as much in our faith ; thus the one, like fair weather and warm gleams, brings up the weeds of corruption ; and the other, like sharp frosts, nips and even kills the flowers of grace. The Christian is in danger on both hands, therefore Satan takes this advantage, when the Christian is flush of comfort, even as a cheater, who strikes in with some young heir, when he hath newly received his rents, and never leaves till he hath eased him of his money ; thus Satan lies upon the catch, then to inveigle a saint into one sin or other, which he knows will soon leak out his joy. Had ever any a lai-ger testimony from heaven than Peter, Matt. xvi. 17; where Christ prono\inceth him blessed, and puts a singidar honour upon him, making him the representative for all his saints? No doubt this favour to Peter stirred up the envious spirit sooner to fall upon him. If Joseph's party-coloiu'ed coat made the patriarchs to plot against him, their brother, no wonder malice should prompt Satan to show his spite, where Christ had set such a mark of love and honovn* ; and therefore we find him soon at Peter's elbow, making him his instrimient to tempt his Master, who soon espied his cloven foot, and rebukes Peter with a ' Get thee behind me, Satan.' He that seemed a rock even now, through Satan's policy, is laid a stone of offence for Christ to stumble at. So David, when he had received such wonderful mercies, settled in his throne with the ruin of his enemies, yea, pardoned for his bloody sin, now ready to lay down his head with peace in the dust; Satan steps in to cloud his clear evening, and tempts him to number the people ; so ambitious is Satan, then chiefly, to throw the saint into the mire of sin, when his coat is cleanest.
Sixthly, At the hour of death, when the saint is down and prostrate in his bodily strength, now this coward falls upon him ; it is the last cast indeed he hath for the game ; now or never ; overcome him now and ever. As they say of the natural serpent, Nnnquam nisi moriens producitur in longum, he never is seen at his length till dying; so this mystical serpent never strains his wits and wiles more, than when his time is thus short. The saint is even stepping into eternity, and now he treads upon his heel, which if he cannot trip up, so as to hinder his arrival in heaven, yet at least to bruise it, that he may go with more pain thither.
CHAPTER n.
Satan's subtilty in managing his temptations, where several stratagems used by him to deceive the christian are laid down.
2. The second way wherein Satan shows his tempting subtilty, is, in those stratagems he useth to deceive the Christian in the act of temptation.
First, He hangs out false colours, and comes up to the Christian in the disguise of a friend, so that the gates are opened to him, and his motions received with applause, before either be discovered; therefore he is said to ' transform himself into an angel of light,' 2 Cor. xi. 14. Of all plots it is most dangerous when he appears in Samuel's mantle, and silvers his foul tongue with fair language. Thus, in point of error, he corrupts some in their judgment, by commending his notions for special gospel-truths, and, like a cunning chapman, puts off his old
AGAIXST THE WILES OF THE DEVIL. 49