cardinal virtues, if ever any were; in this one temptation you may see his fortitude, justice, temperance, and prudence, in that he shuns the occasion, (for he would not so much as be with her). And such is man, that in temptation he wants but a tap to give vent to the corruption.' The Nazarites were not only forbid, to drink wine, but not to taste a grape, nor the husk of a grape. A bird, while aloft, is safe, but when she comes near the snare, she is in danger; shunning the occasions of sin, renders a man most like the best of men: a soul eminently gracious, dares not come near the train, though he be far off the blow. So Job xxxi. 1. ' I made covenant with mine eyes, why then should I think upon a maid?* I set a watch at the entrance of my senses, that my soul might not by them be infected or endangered. The eye is the window of the soul, and if that be always open, the soul will smart for it. A man should not look intently upon that which he may not love entirely.' It is best and safest to have the eye always fixed upon the highest and noblest objects; as the mariner's eye is fixed upon the star, when his hand is on the stern. So David, when he was himself, shuns the occasion of sin, Ps. xxvi. 4, 5. I have not sat with vain persons,

• I cut a covenant. In making covenants, it was a custom among the Jews to cut some beast or other in pieces, and so walk between the pieces to signify, that they desir ed God to destroy them that should break the covenant,

a

neither will I go in with dissemblers; I have hated the congregation of evil doers, and will not sit with the wicked."

Stories speak of some that could not sleep when they thought of the trophies of other worthies who went before them; the highest and choicest examples are to some, and should be to all, very quickening and provoking; and oh! that the examples of those worthy saints, David, Joseph, and Job, might prevail with all your souls to shun and avoid the occasions of sin; every one should strive to be like to them in grace, whom they desire to be equal with in glory. He that shooteth at the sun, though he be far short, will shoot higher than he that aimeth at a shrub: it is best (and it manifests much of Christ within) to eye the highest and most worthy examples.

Rem. 4. Consider also, that to avoid the occasions of sin, is an evidence of grace, and that which lifts up a man above most other men in the world.' What a man is in temptation, and when sinful occasions present themselves to the soul, that he is indeed; this evidences both the truth and the strength of grace;* when with Lot, a man can be chaste in Sodom, and with Timothy can live temperate in Asia, among the luxuri

*Plutarch saith of Demosthenes, that he was excellent at praising the wor hy acts of his ancestors, but not so at imita ing them. Oh, that this were not applicable to many professors in our times.

ous Ephesians; and with Job can walk uprightly in the land of Uz, where the people were profane in their lives, and superstitious in their worship; and with Daniel be holy in Babylon, and with Abraham be righteous in Chaldea; and with Nehemiah, zealous in Damascus, &c. Many a wicked man is big, and full of sinful corruption, but shews it not for want of occasion; but that man is surely good, who in his life will not be bad, though tempted by occasions;' a Christless soul is so far from refusing occasions when they come in his way, that he looks and longs after them, and rather than go without them, he will buy them with love or money, or the loss of his soul; nothing but grace can defend a man against the occasions of sin, when he is strongly tempted. Therefore, as you would cherish a precious evidence in your own bosoms, of the truth and strength of your graces, shun all sinful occasions.

CHAPTER VIII.

The eighth Device that Satan hath to draw the soul to sin, is,

BY representing to the soul the outward mercies ungodly men enjoy, and the outward miseries they are freed from, whilst they walk in the ways of sin. Saith Satan, dost thou see, O soul!

the many mercies that such persons enjoy, who walk in those very ways that thy soul startles to think of, and the many crosses they are delivered from, even such as make other men (who dare not walk in such ways) spend their days in sighing and mourning; and therefore, saith Satan; if thou will be freed from the dark night of adversity, and enjoy the sun-shine of prosperity, thou must walk in their ways.*

By this stratagem the devil took those in Jer. xliv. 16, 17, 18. As for the world that thou has spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee; but we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour drink-offerings unto her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings, and our princes in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword, and by the famine.'t This is the language of a world of ignorant, profane, and superstitious persons, that would

It was a weighty saying of Seneca, "There is no one more unhappy than he who never felt adversity."

+ Some of the Heathens would be as wicked as their gods were, counting it as a dishonour to their god to be unlike him.-LACTANTIUS.

have made them a captain to return to bondage, yea, to that bondage that is worse than that the Israelites groaned under.-Now the remedies against this device of Satan, are these that follow:

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Remedy 1. Solemnly consider, that no man knows how the heart of God stands by his hand; his hand of mercy may be towards a man, when his heart may be against him, as you may see in Saul and others.* And the hand of God may be set against a man, when his heart is dearly set upon him, as you may see in Job and Ephraim; the hand of God was sorely set against them, and yet the heart and bowels of God were strongly working towards them; No man knoweth either love or hatred by outward mercy or misery; for all things come alike to all, to the righteous and the unrighteous, to the good and to the bad, to the clean and to the unclean,' &c. The sun of prosperity shines as well upon brambles as fruit-trees; the snow and hail of adversity lights upon the best garden, as well as dunghills, or the wild waste. Ahab's and Josiah's ends concur in these very circumstances.

*

Tully judged the Jews' religion to be naught, because they were so often overcome, impoverished and afflicted; and the religion of Rome to be right, because the Romans prospered and became lords of the world; and yet, though the Romans had his hand, yet the Jews had his heart; for they were dearly beloved, though sorely afflicted.