By prejudice and false opinions, which prepossess the mind. 3. By diversions of many sorts. 4. By pre-engagements to a contrary interest and way; so that Christ comes too late for them. 5. By worldly prosperity and delights. 6. By ill company. 7. And by molesting and frighting the sinner, when he doth but take up any purpose to be converted; giving him all content and quietness in sin, and raising storms and terrors in his soul, when he is about to turn.

The Methods of Christ against the Tempter.

Before I proceed to satan's particular temptations, I will shew you the contrary methods of Christ, in the conduct of his army, and opposing satan.

I. Christ's ends are, ultimately, the glory and pleasing of his Father and himself, and the saving of his church; and the destroying the kingdom of the devil; and next, the purifying his peculiar people, and calling home all that are ordained to eternal life.

But more particularly, he looketh principally at the heart to plant there, 1. Holy knowledge. 2. Faith. 3. Godliness, or holy devotedness to God, and love to him above all. 4. Thankfulness. 5. Obedience. 6. Humility. 7. Heavenly-mindedness. 8. Love to others. 9. Self-denial, and mortification, and contentment. 10. Patience. And in all these, 1. Sincerity; 2. Tenderness of heart; 3. Zeal, and holy strength, and resolution. And withal, to make us actually serviceable, and diligent in our master's work, for our own and others' salvation.

II. Christ's order in working is direct, and not backward, as the devil's is. He first revealeth saving truth to the understanding, and affecteth the will, by shewing the goodness of the things revealed: and these employ the thoughts, and passions, and senses, and the whole body; reducing the inferior faculties to obedience, and casting out by degrees, those images which had deceived and prepossessed them.

The matter which Christ presenteth to the soul, is, lv Certain truth from the Father of lights, set up against the prince and kingdom of darkness, ignorance, error, and deceit. 2. Spiritual and everlasting good, even God him

self, to be seen, loved, and enjoyed for ever, against the tempter's temporal, corporal, and seeming good. Christ's kingdom and work are advanced by light: he is for the pros moting of all useful knowledge; and therefore, for clear and convincing preaching, for reading the Scriptures in an known tongue, and meditating in them day and night, and for exhorting one another daily; which satan is against.

III. The means by which he worketh against satan, are such as these. 1. Sometimes he maketh use of the very temper of the body as a préparative; and (being Lord of all) he giveth such a temperature, as will be most serviceable to the soul: as a sober, deliberate, meek, quiet, and patient disposition. But sometimes he honoureth his grace by the conquest of such sins, as even bodily disposition doth entertain and cherish.

2. Sometimes by his providence, he withdraweth the matter of temptations, that they shall not be too strong for feeble souls: but sometimes his grace doth make advantage of them all, and leave them for the magnifying of its fréquent victories.

3. Sometimes he giveth his cause the major vote among the people, so that it shall be a matter of dishonourable sin·gularity, not to be a professed Christian: and sometimes, but exceeding rarely, it is so with the life of godliness and practice of Christianity also. But ordinarily, in the most places of the world, custom and the multitude are against him, and his grace is honoured by prevailing against these bands of satan.

- 4. He maketh his ministers his principal instruments, qualifying, disposing, and calling them to his work, and helping them in it, and prospering it in their hands.

15. He maketh it the duty of every Christian, to do his part to carry on the work; and furnisheth them with love, and compassion, and knowledge, and zeal in their several

measures.

6. He giveth a very strict charge to parents to devote their children, with themselves, to God; encouraging them with the promise of his accepting and blessing them; and commandeth them to teach them the word of God, with greatest diligence, and to bring them up in the nurture and fear of God.

ま

7. He giveth princes and magistrates their power, to promote his kingdom, and protect his servants, and encourage the good, and suppress iniquity, and further the obedience of his laws: though, in most of the world, they turn his enemies, and he carrieth on his work without them, and against their cruel, persecuting opposition.

8. His light detecteth the nakedness of the devil's cause, and among the sons of light, it is odious, and a common shame. And as "wisdom is justified of her children," so the judgment of holy men condemning sin, doth much to keep it under in the world.

9. His providence usually casteth the sinner, that he will do good to, into the bosom and communion of his holy church, and the familiar company and acquaintance of the godly, who may help him by instruction, affection, and example.

10. His providence fitteth all conditions to their good; but especially helpeth by seasonable, quickening afflictions. These are the means which ordinarily he useth. But the powerful, inward operations of his Spirit, give efficacy to them all.

Temptations to particular Sins; with Directions for Preservation and Remedy.

In Chapter i. Part 2. I have opened the temptations which hinder sinners from conversion to God: I shall now proceed to those which draw men to particular sins. Here satan's art is exercised, 1. In fitting his baits to his particular use: 2. In applying them thereto.

Tempt. 1. The devil fitteth his temptations to the sinner's age. The same bait is not suitable to all. Children he tempteth to excess of playfulness, lying, disobedience, unwillingness to learn the things that belong to their salvation, and a senselessness of the great concernments of their souls. He tempteth youth to wantonness, rudeness, gulosity, unruliness, and foolish inconsiderateness. In the beginning of manhood he tempteth to lust, voluptuousness, and luxury; or if these take not, to designs of worldliness and ambition. The aged he tempteth to covetousness, and unmoveableness in their error, and unteachableness and

obstinacy in their ignorance and sin: thus every age hath its peculiar snare.'

Direct. 1. The remedy against this is, 1. To be distinctly' acquainted with the temptations of your own age: and watch against them with a special heedfulness and fear. 2. To know the special duties and advantages of your own age, and turn your thoughts wholly unto those. Scripture hath various precepts for the various ages: study your own part. The young have more time to learn their duty, and less care and business to divert them; let them therefore be taken up in obedient learning. The middle age hath most vigour of body and mind, and therefore should do their master's work, with the greatest vigour, activity, and zeal. The aged should have most judgment, and experience, and acquaintedness with death and heaven; and therefore should teach the younger both by word and holy life.

Tempt. 11. The tempter also fitteth his temptations, to men's several bodily tempers. The hot and strong he tempteth to lust. The sad and fearful to discouragement and continual self-vexations; and to the fear of men and devils. Those that have strong appetites, to gluttony and drunkenness. Children, and women, and weak-headed people, to pride of apparel, and trifling compliment. And masculine, wicked unbelievers, to pride of honour, parts, and grandeur, and to an ambitious seeking of rule and greatness. The meek and gentle he tempteth to a yieldingness unto the persuasions and will of erroneous and tempting persons: and those that are more stiff, to a stubborn resistance of all that should do them good. He found it most suitable to tempt a Saul to malice; David, by a surprise, to lust; Absalom to ambition; Peter to fearfulness, and after to compliance and dissimulation, to avoid the offence and displeasure of the weak; Luther to rashness; Melancthon to fearfulness; Carolostadius to unsettledness; Illiricus to inordinate zeal; Osiander to self-esteem; (if historians have given them their due.) One shoe fitteth not every foot.'

Direct. 11. Let your strictest watch be upon the sins of your temperature; far greater diligence and resolution are here necessary than against other sins. And withdraw the fuel, and strive against the bodily distempers themselves. Fasting and labour will do much against lust, which idle

ness and fulness continually feed; and so the rest have their several cures. Know also what good your temper doth give you special advantage for; and let it be turned unto that, and still employed in it.

6

Tempt. 111. The tempter suiteth his temptations to your estates, of poverty or riches; the poor he tempteth to murmur and be impatient under their wants, and distress themselves more with griefs and cares; and to think that their sufferings may save them without holiness, and that necessary labour for their bodies may excuse them from much minding the concernments of their souls; and either to censure and hate the rich through envy, or to flatter them for gain. The rich he tempteth to an idle, time-wasting, voluptuous, fleshly, brutish life; to excess in sleep, and meat, ́and drink, and sport, and apparel, and costly ways of pride, and idle discourse, and visits, and compliments; to love the wealth and honours of the world, and live in continual pleasing of the flesh; to fare deliciously every day, and to waste their time in unprofitableness without a constant calling; and to be unmerciful to the poor, and to tyrannize over their inferiors","

Direct. 111. Here also observe regardfully where your danger lieth, and there keep a continual watch. Let the poor remember, that if they be not rich in grace, it is long of themselves; and if they be they have the chiefest riches, and have learnt in all estates to be content; and have great cause to be thankful to God, that thus helpeth them against the love and pleasures of the world. Let the rich remember, that they have not less to do than the poor, because they have more committed to their trust; nor may they ever the more satisfy the inordinate desires of the flesh but they have more to do, and more dangers to fear and watch against, as they have more of their Master's talents to employ, and give account for at the last.

Tempt. IV. The devil suiteth his temptations to men's daily work and business. If it be low, to be ashamed of it through pride; if it be high, to be proud of it; if it be hard, to be weary and unfaithful in it, or to make it take up all their minds and time; if it be about worldly things, he tempteth them to be tainted by it with a worldly mind: if

4 Prov, xxx. 8, 9. Luke xvi.