ftians, profeffors, faints, troubled with such assaults as these? I answer, Yes, the most holy hearts are many times moft haunted with thefe horrors. It was bleffed Bolton's faying. That strangers to the ways of God are not much troubled in this kind, or ordinarily vexed with fuch horrors; Satan makes as much of his in this world as pofibly he can, knowing that he hath time enough, after eternity itself, to torment them in the world to come; and therefore he is not wont to wield this terrifying weapon against them, fave only at fome dead lift, or upon fome fpecial advantage, as under fome extraordinary mifery, or in excess of melancholly, to drive them thereby to dif traction or defpair, or to hinder converfion, by a diver fion into by ways. But fure I am, faith he, the ordina ry object and special aim of Satan's malice in this point, are only those who have happily escaped out of his clutches already, and are fully and for ever freed from his damning fury, and all deadly hurt.' And I know not whether there be any of thefe, which do not lefs or more, at one time or other, fuffer under this horror: and yet every one of them thinks himself fingular in this fuffering, and that it is not ufual for God's children, to have fuch prodigiously foul and fearful thoughts put into their heads which they dare not mention for their abhorred monftroufnefs, neither think of at any time without trembling. I remember I was fometimes told at a lecture fet up at London, against the Jewish religion, and for the converfion of that people, holy Mr. Vines preaching his turn, he argued ftrongly against the Jews in their horrid blafphemies of Jefus Chrift. In conclufion of his fermon he semed to recollect himself, faying but to whom preach I? To Jews or Chriftians? If none be here but Chrifti ans, to what purpose fhould I prove thefe Jewish blas phemies. Ah, faid he, have Chriftians no need of fuch fermons Are not Chriftians fometimes troubled with Satan's injections of this nature against the divinity of Je fus Chrift? Alas! for my own part, I know not how to clear myself, but that I tell you, I would kifs the feet of him that would bring me thefe glad tidings, that I should never more be troubled with thefe injections, that Jefus

Chrift is not the Meffiah, or that Jefus Chrift is not God. The congregation being very throng, and hearing this, they gave out a groan, as if it had run through the congregation, and had been the groan only of one man; the relator being prefent, and affected with it, he told me, he fuppofed the meaning of that groan was this, q. d. If thou that fpeakeft, a knowing godly divine art afraid of these blafphemies, how much more may we?

SECT. XXVI.

Of our wrestling with Satan as to this Affault.

N this cafe that we may prevail against Satan, let us learn thefe leffons. As,

IN

1. Let us learn (or at least endeavour it) that we may diftinguish Satan's injections, and thofe temptations arifing from our own heart. Certainly there is a difference, if we could but know, betwixt thofe fire balls which are thrown in at our windows by Satan, and thofe fparks of corruption which fly, as it were, from our own heart, and take fire at our own finful hearts. Thefe differences are not agreed on by all, and yet fome inward powerful, spiritual men, Gurnal, Arrowfmith, lay them down thus.

1. They may be differenced by the time when they begin to ftir. All the while a man is a stranger to God and Chrift, he is not troubled with fuch blafphemies, or at leaft he is not ordinarily affaulted in this manner; but when once the work of converfion hath newly paffed, or is now paffing upon the man, when he is coming out of nature to grace, and declares for Jefus Chrift against fin and Satan, then is the time when ordinarily thefe blafphemous fuggeftions begin to make their apparition, and thefe vermin are feen to crawl in the Chriftian's bofom; a ftrong probability that they do not breed there, but are fent by Satan, in a way of revenge for the foul's revolt from him.

2. They may be differenced by the manner how these balfphemies arife in Chriftians thoughts; Satan's injections are ufually violent and fudden, they come like lightning flashing into the Chriftian's thoughts before he hath time to deliberate with himself what he is doing; whereas that luft which is the ebullition of our own hearts is ordinari

ly gradual in its motion, it moves in a way more fill and fuitable to nature, it enticeth the foul, and by degrees flightly inveigles it into a confent.

3. They may be differenced by the effects; for Satan's injections usually have a difmal horror and confternation on the Chriftian's fpirit which reacheth often to the difcompofure of the body; whereas that luft which is our own ufeth to please us better. We naturally like the conceptions of our own mind, as we naturally love the children of our own loins.

I know fome others approve not of those differences for neither the time nor their violence, nor their fuddenness, nor their independency (which fome alfo make a difference) nor their horror, nor their unnatural confternation, or terror, are so proper to Satan's injections, as that our lofts may not partake of all-thefe accidents. To fay that our lufts may not push on a fudden, or to be independent, or that they may not be unnatural or terrible, is hard, faith Mr. Capel. These differences therefore we lay down but as topical, and not as demonftrative. It were happy, if it could be abfolutely refolved, that all our blafphemous thoughts were injections of Satan, and not from our lufts, for then we might fay, they were Satan's fins, not ours, fo long as we are paffive, and not active in them. And therefore I fee no reafon but we may ftudy the point, though it be a work too hard for moft men to find

out.

2. Let us beat them back fo well as we may, let us never confent, or approve of them, and we are fafe. This may comfort us, whether they come from Satan or our felves, and upon this ground fome would not have u perplex ourselves too much with needlefs queries, which thoughts be Satan's and which be ours, for if we reject them, whether they come from him or us, they are not at all imputed to us. The rule runs thus; that only is ours, which we accept and affent unto; when I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, faith Paul, Rom. vii 20. therefore no more is imputed by God, than is feen and allowed by us; if it come from Satan it is no fia of ours at all; if it come from our lufts, fin it is mate

rially, but not formally, for the guilt is done away in that we do not allow it. John Climachus tells a story of one, who being affaulted with a spirit of blafphemy, for twenty years, he wrote a letter to a good old man of his fad condition, the matter fifted, and found out that the poor monk had been long affaulted, but during that time, had prayed and fasted, was fenfible of it, but never had confented to it; the old faint fell a laughing, and coming to the tempted perfon, whom he found grovelling on the ground, Come, faid he ftand up, and lay thy hand upon my head, which when he had done, thy fin, faid the old foldier of Chrift, be upon me, for the time to come; which no fooner faid, but the fickly tempted man grew healthy and ftrong, his difeafe both chronic and acute, immediately vanished, his mind was fettled, and Satan avoided. It is the concurrent judgment of our best divines that blafphemous thoughts refifted, and not confented unto, are not our fins, but our croffes: or fuppofe there be any tainture on our parts, yet condemning them in our judgments, and abhorring them in our hearts, Christ's precious blood takes away the venom of all. It was good divinity, though but ill poetry, Tentans non lædit, nifi cum tentatus obedit.

3. Let us not difpute or reason the cafe with Satan, but at the very first approach bid Satan avoid. Thus Christ did, when Satan tempted him to fall down and worship him, avoid Satan, faith Chrift. The devil is an old fophifter, of above five thousand years ftanding, in the fchool of hideous temptations, and hellifh policies; and we are but novices of yesterday, and but a little acquainted with his methods, devices and depths; and therefore if we will debate this matter with the devil, we may be more and more confounded; furely it is better to bid Satan avant, instead of difputing, there fhould be loathing, our hearts within us fhould rife at the injection, and throw it away with deteftation, as Chrift did; and then will Satan depart, at least for a season, as he did from Chrift.

4. During the hour and power of darkness, avoid soitarinefs and defart places; there Satan hath the greatest

advantage

advantage for all his affaults. Is not this the meaning o the preacher? Two are better than one, and wo be to him that is alone, if he fall, he hath none to help, him up,' Eccl. iv. 9. When Chrift was to be tempted of the devil, the Spirit led him into the wilderness, Mat. iv. 1. And why into the wilderness, but that Satan might have all the advantage against him, in refpect of the place? Indeed no place is free from Satan's temptations; Lot was caught in a cave, David on his houfe, Adam in paradise. We fee how bufy Satan is with us in our public assemblies; yet of all places none fo fit for the devil as folitary places; "When he is gone out of a man, he walketh thro' dry, or folitary places,' Mat. xii. 43. and while he is in a man, by way of poffeffion, he carries him into the wilderness, or folitary places, Luke viii. 29. When did Satan affault Eve, but when he was alone! When did he affault David, but being alone on his gallery? When Lot's daughters, but when they were alone in the cave? He is a prince of darkness, and therefore paffeth all his exploits in as much darkness, fecrecy, and filence as he can I might instance in others; but give me leave to Speak a little of my own experience in this kind; much of my time have I fpent in eminently famous and public places, but at last weary of those hurries, jars, envies, pride, difcords and policies of men in ftreets and towns, I refolved to spend the remainder of my time, for the most part, in the filent gardens, fields and woods; there fometimes I was taken with the various tunes of melodious birds, and occafionally they have lifted up my heart, in fpiritual fongs, and pfalms, and hymns. But alas! I find thefe places are no freer from temptations of another fort, and especially his most hideous and horrible injections in fuch places more than public. And this more refolves me than all the arguments ever I read, of the error of those eremites and votaries of old who, to free themfelves from Satan's malice, and for more holiness, voluntarily forfook the focieties of men, and lived by themselves in woods, and wilderneffes. And yet is there no mean betwixt these two extremes? is not fociety good? and is not folitarinefs good in their times and feafons? I dare

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