Use 1. This affords a reason why God suffers his dear children to fall into temptation, because he is able to outshoot Satan in his own bow, and, in the thing wherein he thinks to outwit the Christian, to be above him. God will not only be admired by his saints in glory for his love in their salvation, but for his wisdom in the way to it. The love of God in saving them will be the sweet draught at the marriage feast, and the rare wisdom of God in effecting this, as the curious workmanship with which the cup shall be enamelled. Now wisdom appears most in untying of knots, and wading through difficulties. The more cross wards there are in a business, the more wisdom to fit a key to the lock, to make choice of such means as shall meet with the several turnings in the same. On purpose, therefore, doth God suffer such temptations to intervene, that his wisdom may be the more admired in opening all these, and leading his saints that way to glory, by which Satan thought to have brought them to hell. The Israelites are bid ' remember all the way that God led them in the wilderness for fortv \ears,' Dent. viii. 2. The history of these wars. Christian, will be pleasant to read in heaven, though bloody to fight on earth. Moses and Elias talked with Christ on Tabor, (an emblem of the sweet communion which shall pass between Christ and his saints in glory ;) and what was their talk, Luke ix. 30, but of his death and sufferings ? It seems a discourse of our sufferings and temptations are not too low a subject for that blissful state. Indeed, this left out would make a blemish in the fair face of heaven's glory. Could the damned forget the way they went into hell, how oft the Spirit of God was wooing, and how far they were overcome by the conviction of it; in a word, how many turns and returns there were in their jom-ney forward and backward ; what possibilities, yea, pi'obabilities, they had for heaven, when on earth ; were but some hand so kind as to blot these tormenting passages out of their memories, it would ease them wonderfully. So, were it possible glorified saints could forget the way wherein they went to glory, and the several dangers that intervened from Satan, and their own backsliding hearts, they, and their God too, would be losers by it ; I mean in regard of his manifestative glory. What is the glory wherein God appears at Zion's deliverance — those royal garments of salvation that make him admired of men and angels — but the celebration of all his attributes, according to what every one hath done towards their salvation ? Now wisdom being that which the creature chiefly glories in, and chosen by Satan for his first bait, who made Eve believe she should be like God in knowledge and wisdom ; therefore God, to give Satan the more shameful fall, gives him leave to use his wits and wiles in tempting and troubling his children, in which lies his great advantage over the saints, that so the way to his own throne, where his wisdom shall at last, as well as his mercy, sit in all its royalty, may be paved with the skulls, as I may so speak, of devils.
Secondly, This gives a strong cordial to our fainting faith, in the behalf of the church of Christ. If all the devil's wits and wiles will not serve him to ovei*- come one single soldier in Christ's camp, much less shall he ever ruin the whole army. These are days of great confusions in the Christian world ; and the chief fear of a gracious heart is for the ark, lest that should fall into the enemy's hand, and when this palladium is taken, the city of God (his church) be trod under the feet of pride. I confess Satan seems to get ground daily; he hath strangely wriggled into the bosoms and principles of many, who, by the fame of their profession and zeal, had obtained, in the opinion of others, to be reckoned among the chief of Christ's worthies in their generation. He hath sadly corrupted the tniths of Christ, brought a disesteem on ordinances, that by this, and as a judgment for this, the woml) of the gospel is become in a great measure barren, and her children, which hang about her breasts, thrive not in love and holiness as of old, when the milk was not so nuich nor that so spiritful ; he hath had advantage by the divisions of the godly, to liarden tliose that are wicked into a further disdain of religion, and by the bloody wars of late years, to boil up the wrath of the popish and profane crew to a higher
7(1 FOR WE WRKSTLE.