that he will put such upon ! Kow easily, having first blown them up with vain hopes, doth he draw them uito horrid sins ! Thus Haman, that he may have a monopoly of his prince's favom-, is hurried into that bloody plot (fatal at last to himself) against the Jews. Is uncleanness the lust after which the creature's eye wanders? Now he will be the pander, to bring him and his minion together. Thu3 he finding Amnon sick of this disease, sends Jonadab, 'a deep-pated fellow,' 2 Sam. xiii. 3, to put this fine device into his head of feigning himself sick, whereby his sister fell into his snare.
Thirdly, In his gradual approaches to the soul. When he comes to tempt, he is modest, and asks but a little ; he knows he may get that at many times, which he should be denied if he asked all at once. A few are let into a city, when an army coming in a body would be shut ovit ; and therefore, that he may beget no suspicion, he presents, may be, a few general propositions, which do not discover the depth of this plot ; these, like scouts, go before, while his whole body lies hid, as it were, in some swamp at hand. Thus he wriggled into Eve's bosom, whom he doth not at first dash bid take and eat ; no, he is more mannerly than so ; this would have been so hideous, that as the fish with some sudden noise, by a stone cast into the river, is scared from the bait, so would she have been affrighted from holding parley with such a one ; no, he propounds a question which shall make way for this, — ' Hath God said?' Art not mistaken? Could this be his meaning whose bounty lets thee eat of the rest, to deny thee the best of all? Thus he digs about, and loosens the roots of their faith, and then the tree falls the easier the next gust of temptation. This is a dangerous policy indeed. Many have yielded to go a mile with Satan, that never intended to go two, but, when once on the way, have been allured further and further, till at last they know not how to leave his company. Thus Satan leads poor creatures down into the depths of sin by winding stairs, that let them not see the bottom whither they are going: first, he presents an object that occasions some thoughts, these set fire on the affections, and these fume up into the brain, and cloud the understanding, which, being thus disabled, now Satan dares a little more declare himself, and boldly solicit the creature to that it would otherwise have defied. Many who at this day lie in open profaneness, never thought they should have rolled so far from their profession ; but Satan begiuled them, poor souls, with their modest beginnings. O Christians, give not place to Satan ! no, not an inch in his first motions ; he that is a beggar, and a modest one without doors, will command the house if let in ; yield at first, and thou givest away thy strength to resist him in the rest ; when the hem is worn, the whole garment will ravel out, if that be not mended by timely repentance.
The fourth way, wherein Satan shews his subtilty in managing his temptations, is in his reserves. A wise captain hath ever some fresh troops at hand to fall in at a pinch, when the other are worsted. Satan is seldom at a loss in this respect; when one temptation is beat back, he soon hath another to fill up the gap, and make good the line. Thus he tempts Christ to difiidence and distrust, by bidding him turn stones into bread, as if it were time now to carve for himself, being so long neglected of his Father, as to fast forty days, and no supplies heard of; no sooner had Christ quenched this dart with that, ' It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God,' Matt. iv. 4, 5, but he had another on the string which he let fly at him, tempting him to presumption : ver. 5, * Then the devil taketh and sets him on a pinnacle,' and bids, ' Cast thyself down headlong, for it is written. He shall give his angels charge over thee,' 8ze. As if he had said. If thou hast such confidence on God and his word as thou pretendest, shew it by casting thyself down, for tliou hast a word between thee and the gi-ound, if thou darest trust God ; and truly, though Christ had his answer ready, and was prepared to receive his charge on the right hand and on the left, being so completely armed that no temptation could come amiss : yet note Ave, Satan's temptations on Christ were like the serpent's motion on a rock, (of which Solomon speak?,) that makes no impression, no dent at all, Prov. xxx. 19. But on us they are as a serpent on sand or dust, that loaves a print, when not in the heart, yet in the fancy colovu-s that which is next door to it, and so the object there is ready to slip in, if great care be not observed, especially when he
AGAINST THE WILES OF THE DEVJI>. 5 J