It is he that rules in thy heart, O scoffer, O _Pharisee_; the devil reigns there, and endeavours to blind your eyes, that you shall not see what danger you are in, and how much evil there is in those hearts of yours; and as long as he can keep you easy and unconcerned about having your hearts changed, he will be easy; though if he can, he will tempt you to sin against him, until you are hardened in your iniquity. O, my brethren, do not give the devil a handle wherewith he may lay hold on you: alas! it is no wonder that the devil tempts you, when he finds you at a play, a ball, or masquerade; if you are doing the devil’s work, it is no wonder if he presses you in the continuation thereof; and how can any say, “Lead us not into temptation,” in the morning, when they are resolved to run into it at night? Good GOD! Are these persons members of the church of _England_? Alas, when you have gone to church, and read over the prayers, it is offering no more than the sacrifice of fools; you say _Amen_ to them with your lips, when in your hearts you are either unconcerned at what you are about, or else you think that the bare saying of your prayers is sufficient, and that then GOD and you have balanced accounts.
But, my dear brethren, do not deceive yourselves, GOD is not to be mocked. You are only ruining yourselves for time and eternity. You pray, “lead us not into temptation,” when you are tempting the devil to come and tempt you.
III. I shall now point out some of the ways and means, he makes use of to draw you to himself.
But this is a field so large, and I have but just begun to be a soldier of JESUS CHRIST, that I cannot name many unto you. I shall therefore be very short on this head.
1. He endeavours to make you think sin is not so great as it is; that there is no occasion of being so over-strict, and that you are righteous over-much; that you are ostentatious, and will do yourself harm by it; and that you will destroy yourselves. He shows you, my brethren, the bait, but he hides the hook; he shows you the pleasure, profits and advantages, that attend abundance of this world’s goods; but he does not show you the crosses, losses and vexations that you may have while you are in the enjoyment of the blessings of this world.
2. When he finds he cannot allure you by flattery, he will try you by frowns, and the terrors of this world; he will stir up people to point at you, and cry, “Here comes another troop of his followers:” He will stir them up to jeer, scoff, backbite, and hate you; but if he still finds this will not do, then he throws doubts, my brethren, and discouragements in your mind, whether the way you are in is the true way or not; or else he will suggest, What! do you expect to be saved by CHRIST? Also, He did not die for you; you have been too great a sinner; you have lived in sin so long, and committed such sins against CHRIST, which he will not forgive. Thus he hurries poor sinners almost into despair.
And very often, when the people of GOD are met to worship him, he sends his agents, the scoffers, to disturb them. We saw an instance of their rage just now; they would fain have disturbed us; but the LORD was on our side, and so prevented all the attempts of wicked and designing men, to disturb and disquiet us. LORD JESUS, forgive them who are thus persecuting thy truth! JESUS, shew them that they are fighting against thee, and that it is hard for them to kick against the pricks! These, my brethren, are some of the ways Satan takes, in his temptations, to bring you from CHRIST: Many more might be named; but these are sufficient, I hope, to keep you on your guard, against all that the enemy can do to hinder you from coming to CHRIST.
IV. I come to shew you, how earnest you ought to be with JESUS CHRIST, either not to suffer you to be led into temptations, or to preserve you under them.