1. Thou tellest me, Satan, that sin is pleasant; be it so: But are the gripes of conscience, and the flames of hell so too ? Is it pleasant to feel the wounds and throbs of conscience ? If so, why did Peter weep so bitterly? Mat. xxvi. 75. Why did David cry out of broken bones .^ Psal. li. I hear what thou sayest of the pleasure of sin, and I have read what David hath said of the terrible effects of sin in his Psalm to bring to remembrance, Psal. xxxviii. ver. 2. " Thine " arrows slick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore :" ver. 3. " There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger ; neither " is there any rest in my bones, because of my sin : ver. 4. " For *' mine iniquities are gone over mine head as an heavy burden ; they " are too heavy for me :" ver. 5. " My wounds stink, and are cor- " rupt, because of my foolishness:" ver. 6. " I am troubled, I am " bowed down greatl}'^, I go mourning all the day long :" ver. 7. " My loins are filled with a loathsome disease, aud there is no sound- " ness in my flesh," ver. 8. " I am feeble and sore broken, I have " roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart."
4T8 HOW TO KEEP THE HEART FKOM YIELDING TO Sll>r.
Here I see the true face of sin ; if I yield to thy temptation, I must either feel these pangs of conscience, or the flames of hell.
2. AVhat talkest thou of the pleasure of sin, when, by experience, I know there is more true pleasure in the mortification, than can be in the commission of sin ?. O how sweet is it to please God, to obey conscience, to preserve inward peace i To be able to say, in this trial, I have discovered the sincerity of my heart ; now I know I fear the Lord, now I see that I truly hate sin. Hath sin any such delight as this ? This will choak that temptation.
Arg. 2. The second argument is drawn from the secresy of sin. O (saith Satan) this sin will never disgrace thee abroad, none shall know it.
This argument may be retorted, and the heart secured thus : thou sayest, none shall know it ; but, Satan, canst thou find a place void of the divine presence for me to sin in ? Thus Job secured his heart from this temptation. Job xiii. 4. " Doth he not see my ways, and ^' count all my steps ?" Therefore he makes a covenant with his eyes, ver. 1. After the same manner Solomon teacheth us to retort this temptation, Prov. v. 20, 21. " And why my son wilt thou be *' ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stran- " ger ? For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and ** he pondereth all his goings." What if I hide it from the eyes of all the world for the present ? I cannot hide it from God ; and the time is at hand, when all the world shall know it too ; for the word assures me, Luke viii. 17. "That what now is done in secret, shall " be proclaimed as upon the house top." Besides, is not my con- science as a thousand witnesses ! Do I owe no reverence to myself.'^ Could the heathen man say, Turpe quid ausunis, te fine, teste time; When thou art tempted to commit sin, fear thyself without any other witness : And shall not I be afraid to sin before mine own conscience, which always hath a reproof in its mouth, or a pen in its hand, to record my most secret actions ?
Arg. 3. The third argument by which Satan tempteth to sin is taken from the gain and profit arising out of it ; why so nice and scrupulous.'^ it is but to stretch the conscience a little, and thou mayest make thyself : now is thy opportunity !
The heart may be kept from falling into this dangerous snare by retorting the temptation thus : But what a profit will it be, if a man should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? Shall I hazard thee for all the good that is in this world ? There is an immortal spirit dwelling in this earthly tabernacle, of more value than all earthly things, which must live to all eternity when this world shall lie in white ashes. A soul for which Jesus Christ shed his precious and invaluable blood. I w^as sent into this world to provide for this soul ; indeed God hath also committed to me the care of my body, but, (as * one happily ex-
• Gospel- Glass, p. 3.
HOW TO KEEP THE HEART FROM YIELDING TO SIN 479
presses it) with this difference : a master commits two things to a servant — the child, and the child's clothes ; will the master thank the servant, iF he plead, I have kept the clothes, but I have ne- glected the life of the child ?
Arg, 4. The fourth argument is drawn from the smallness of th6 sin ; it is but a little one, a small matter, a trifle ; who would stand upon such niceties ?
This argument may be retorted three ways.
1. But is the majesty of heaven a Httle one too ? If I commit this sin, I must offend and wrong a great God, Isa. xl. 15, 16, 17, — 22.
2. Is there any little hell to torment little sinners in ? Are not the least sinners there filled with the fulness of wrath ? O there is great wrath treasured up for such as the world counts little sinners.
3. The less the sin, the less the inducement to commit it : What, shall I break with God for a trifle ? Destroy my peace, wound my conscience, grieve the spirit, and all this for nothing ? O what mad- ness is this !
Arg. 5. A. fifth argument is drawn from the grace of God, and hopes of pardon : Come, God will pass by this as an infirmity, he will not be extreme to mark it ;
1. Where do I find a promise of mercy to presumptuous sinners ? Indeed for involuntary surprisal, unavoidable and lamented infirmi- ties, there is a pardon of course ; but where is the promise to a daring sinnner that sins upon presumption of pardon ? Pause a while, my soul, upon that scripture, Num.b. xv. 27 — 30. " And if a soul *' sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she-goat of the first " year for a sin-offering, &c. But the soul that doth ought presump- '' tuously, the same reproacheth the Lord, and that soul shall be *' cut off from among his people."
2. If God be a God of so much mercy, how can I abuse so good a God ? shall I take so glorious an attribute as the mercy of God is, and abuse it unto sin ? Shall I wrong him because he is good ? Or should not rather the goodness of God lead me to repentance ? Rom. ii. 4. " There is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared," Psal, cxxx. 4.
Arg. 6. Lastly^ Sometimes Satan encourages to sin from the exam- ples of good and holy men ; thus and thus they have sinned and been restored, therefore this may consist with grace, and thou be saved nevertheless. The danger of this temptation is avoided, and the heart secured, by retorting the argument these three ways :
1. Though good men may commit the same sin materially, whifch I am tempted to, yet did ever any good man venture to sin upon such a ground and encouragement as this .''