drawn to commit Lewdnefs or Drunkenness or the like, whether he thinks he doth much extenuate his Guilt either before God, or to his own Confcience; by pleading, that the Company, that he was engaged in, did tempt him to these Sins, and, that he had not been guilty of them, if he had not light into that Converfation. I dare fay, he will not be fo partial to himself as to think this is any tolerable Excufe: And, if the human Temptations, we meet with in the World, be no juft Excuse for our Sins; it is certain the Devils Temptations can be none neither: For it is certain the Devil cannot tempt more ftrongly, than Men can do, and, tho' he may convey his Temptations in another kind of Way, than those of Mankind are applied, yet, let them be conveyed as they will, we are as much at liberty (as I faid before) whether we will yield to them: And have as much Power to refift them, as we have to refift those that come upon us in the ordinary way of Converfation or Example, and the like. So that, when all is done, we are to lay the Guilt of our Sins no where, but at our own Doors, whether the Devil applyed the Temptation to us, or applyed it not, it matters not much; it was we our felves that, by confenting, brought the Sin upon us.

And thus much of our third Head of Enquiry; thofe that remain I shall refer to the next Time.

SER

SERMON V.

2 CORINTH. II. 11.

Left Satan fhould get an Advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his Devices.

HE Subject I am now upon is the Devil's Temptations; a Point which creates a great deal of Trouble to fome forts of People.

In order to the difcourfing clearly upon it, I propofed these fix following Heads to be enquired into.

1. First, Who we are to understand by Satan or the Devil.

2. Secondly, Whether the Devil hath, ordinarily, a Power to tempt Men, especially us Chriftians.

3. Thirdly, Whether all our Temptations, to Sin, do arife from the Devil, or are to be afcribed to him.

4. Fourthly, Whether the Devil hath a Power to tempt all Men alike, or the fame Men different alike, at Times.

5. Fifthly, Whether we can diftinguish the Devils Temptations, from the evil Sug

geftions

geftions that arife in our Minds, from other Caufes.

6. Sixthly, What we are to fay of those wicked blafphemous Thoughts, and other troublesome Fancies, that are often injected into the Minds of melancholly People, and which are ufually thought and call'd the Devils Temptations, in a moft proper Sense; and what are the most proper Advices to be given in that Cafe.

The three former of thefe Enquiries I have already spoken to, in my laft Difcourse, and there is no need I should repeat any thing I then faid, concerning them, in order to the making way for what I am now to deliver; fave only this, that I then largely proved, from the Scripture, that tho' the Devil hath not fo great a Power over us Chriftians, as he had over Mankind before our Saviour's appearance, or as he has ftill, in fome Countries, where the Light of the Gospel never fhone; yet, nevertheless, we are not exempted altogether from his Affaults: He hath a Power of tempting us ftill left him, which' he doth frequently exercife in fuch manner, and at fuch times as God is pleased to permit.

Taking now this for granted, I proceed to my fourth Enquiry, which is this. Whether we Christians are equally exposed to the Devils Temptations, or whether he hath not more Power to tempt fome than others, and the fame Perfous more at fome Times, than at other Times.

To

reasonable to

To this I answer. It is very believe, nay it is very certain, that the Devil hath not Power over all Persons alike, nor upon the fame Perfon always equally, but every one, as he is more or lefs under the Conduct of God's Spirit, and under the Protection of his holy Angels, fo is he lefs or more obnoxious to the Snares of the Devil. And every Man likewife, as he grows better or worse in his Morals, as he leads a more holy or a more fenfual wicked Life, fo is he more or lefs under the Care of the holy Spirit, and the good Angels.

Some Perfons, that are entirely and heartily the Servants of God, and walk closely with him in the Exercife of all Chriftian Vertues; these Perfons are fo much under the Guidance and Government of God's Spirit, and are fo guarded by the invisible Minifters of the Kingdom of Light, that it is to be hoped the Devil hath but little access to them, nay perhaps none at all, unless there fall out fome extraordinary Occafion, that God, for the greater exercise and improvement of their Vertue, may think fit to suffer the Devil to create them fome disturbanee, as it was in the Cafe of St. Paul; who, left hẹ fhould be puffed up thro' the Gifts of Revelations, which were vouchfafed to him, there was, as he tells us, given him a Thorn in the Flesh; an Angel of Satan to buffet him. And, tho' he prayed thrice that it might be removed, yet the Anfwer which was given

him was, My Grace is fufficient for thee, fee 2 Cor. 12. 7. Intimating that God would not remove the Temptation, but however he fhould fo far affift him with his Grace, that the Temptation fhould do him no Mischief.

Thus I fay the Cafe ftands, as to good and holy Men; the Devil hath ordinarily but very little to do with them, but, as for others, that do not thus endeavour to recommend themfelves to God's Favour, but are loofe and careless in their Lives, and have no Senfe of Religion upon their Minds, or fear of God before their Eyes, I do not doubt but the Devil hath a much greater Power over those; and, tho' they may not be wholly abandoned by God, but are still under the Care of his general Providence, by which the Devil is kept from committing thofe downright Violences, and putting thofe grofs Cheats and Abuses, upon Mankind, especially Christian Profeffors, which otherwife he would; yet, fo long as they continue in this ftate of Irreligion, they are, in a great measure, under his Conduct, and, ftill the worse they grow, the more they are fo. And, if once they come to that pitch of Wickedness, that they let themselves loofe to all kind of Vice, and commit Sin with greedinefs, without remorse, or reflection; then, it is to be feared, they may be faid to be given over to the Power of the Devil; to be his Slaves and Vaffals, and to be led captive by him at his will and pleafure; which are the very Expreffions of

St.