Trouble, because the Ground of our Trouble is now become a part of our Nature? Many Men involve themfelves deeper in Temptations, by being too follicitous to decline them. For we muft not fuppofe our felves always to have conquered a Temptation, when we have fled from it. The nobler, and fometimes the more effectual way, is to vanquish them by patient enduring, and being humbled under them.

Thus much is plain; That by declining a Temptation we have not difarmed it. The Root is ftanding ftill, and will foon be sprouting again; and a Man who flees, is fo far from getting ground upon his Adverfary, that he rather gives him Encouragement to purfue more vigorously. The way to overcome is by Patience and Long-fuffering; which, by God's Affiftance, and by degrees, tho' perhaps but flow ones, is more likely to fucceed, than Heat, and Vehemence, and any the violenteft and moft obftinate Efforts of our own Strength. When you find your felf tempted, be fure to ask Advice, and when you fee another fo, deal with him gently. Support him with Compaffion, and adminifter all the Comfort in your Power, as you could not but wifh to be treated your felf, were You in his afflicted Circumstances.

:

The Beginning of all Temptations to Wickednefs, is the fickleness of our own Mind, and want of Truft in God. An inconftant and irrefolute Man is like a Ship without a Pilot, driven to and fro, at the Mercy of every guft of Wind. Metals are tried in the Ecclus.ij. 5. Fire, and Acceptable Men in the Furnace of Affliction. We feldom know the true extent of our own Power, till Temptation difcover it to us. But Watchfulnefs, which is always neceffary, is chiefly fo, when the firft Affaults are made. For the Enemy is more eafily repulfed, if we never fuffer him to get within us, but upon the very firft Approach draw up our Forces, and fight him without the Gate. Twas well advised of the Poet, Take

Take Phyfick early, Medicines come too late
When the Difeafe is grown inveterate.

Ovid. Principiis obfta; ferò Medicina paratur,

Cum mala

per longas in

valuere mo

ras,

And this will be more manifeft, if we obferve, by what Methods and Degrees Temptations grow upon us. The firlt thing that presents it felf to the Mind, is a plain fingle Thought, This ftraight is improved into a strong Imagination; That again enforced by a fenfible Delight; Then follow evil Motions; And when thefe are once ftirred, there remains nothing but the Affent of the Will, and then the Work is finifhed. Now the first Steps of this are feldom thought worth our Care; fometimes not taken notice of; fo that the Enemy frequently is got clofe up to us, and even within our Trenches, before we obferve him; and we have loft the Day, for want of defending our felves, while he was in a Condition of being refifted. For the longer we deter the Engagement, the weaker we grow, and the more our Adverfary gathers Strength.

The Seafon of thefe Trials is various and uncertain. Upon fome they are feverer presently after their Converfion, upon Others towards the latter End of their Days. Some have them fo thick repeated, that their whole Life is one continued Conflict; and fome again have but very few and gentle Trials. All which different Cafes are ordered by a Juft and Wife God, who knows what each Man deferves, and what he is qualified to undergo; and weighs all Circumftances fo juftly, that his feveral Difpenfations are conftantly fubfervient to the Salvation and Happiness of his chofen Servants.

Let us not therefore defpair, when Temptations befet us; but excite our Zeal, and pray to God more fervently, that he would be our present Help and

C 4

Re

I Cor. X. 13.
Pet. v.

Refuge in all our Troubles; and, as St. Paul expreffes it, That he would with the Temptation alfo make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it. Let us humble our felves under the trying Hand of God, and patiently submit to his good Pleasure in all our Tribulation. For Pfal. xxxiv. thofe who do fo he will exalt in due time, and fave them that be of a meek and a contrite Spirit. By Temptations and Afflictions, a Man is brought (as it were) to the Touch; by these his Proficiency is measured, and eafily difcernable. The greater thefe are, the more acceptable the Sufferer is to God, and the brighter Luftre they add to his Virtue. For, to be Religious and Zealous in the Service of God, when no Uneafinefs is upon us; This is no mighty matter. But if we can fuffer with Patience and Refignation, and continue steady in the Love and Service of God, when he afflicts and fends Bitterness into our Souls, this ar gues a noble Difpofition, and promises an extraordinary Perfection. Some Perfons have come off with Safety and Honour in very fharp and trying Inftances, and yet are worsted in common and trivial ones. And this Cafe is capable of a very good Improvement: For thus, no doubt, God gives Men warning, that they fhould not prefume upon their own Strength, but humbly take Sanctuary in Him, in Matters of Difficulty; moved by the Experience of that Weaknefs, and Fra ilty, which hath yielded to flighter and lefs violent Temptations.

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CHAP. XIV;

Against Rafh Judging,

Urn your Eyes inward upon your felf; for you can very hardly exceed in judging your own Actions, nor be too cautious and fparing in cenfuring thofe of others. And Cenfuring indeed this deferves to be called in the worlt Senfe of the Word, rather than Judging; if we confider, not only how unprofitable to any good End, but how liable to infinite Mistakes, and very often how exceeding finful, all fuch Judgments are. Whereas the Examining and Judging our own felves is a Work very proper for us; Such as we are qualified to undertake, and always turns to good Account. We generally determine and give Sentence, juft as we ftand affected to Perfons and Things; Our own Paffions and Private Prepoffeffions blind our Minds, and either hinder us from difcerning the Truth, or from letting it have its due Weight with us, Whereas, if we proceed from no other Principle but the Love of God; thofe Matters, which difagree with our own Senfe of Things, would be allow'd fairer Confideration, and be lefs uneafy to us.

But now fomething foreign to the Cafe in hand, either lurking privately in our own Breaft, or happening from without, engages and draws our Minds after it. Many People act upon private Refpects and perfonal Interefts, even when leaft fenfible that they do so. Thefe Men continue well fatisfied, fo long as Things agree with their own Inclination; but are out of all Patience, upon the leaft Difference and Contradiction. And hence it comes to pafs, that good Correfpondence is fo often broke, and Quarrels commenced between Friends and Neighbours, even Men of Piety and the molt Sacred Profeffions, upon no other Ground,, than that they do not think and act alike,

The

The Reafon of this feems to be that mighty Afcendant, which Use and inveterate Habits naturally gain upon us. We can very hardly be perfuaded to change a Practice or Opinion, which we have been educated in, and long accustomed to; or to fuppofe, that other Men fee farther into things, than our felves. The Man therefore, who leans more to his own Understanding and Study, than to that Principle of Virtue, which fhould difpofe him to an entire Submiffion to Chrift and his Doctrine, is by no means in a Condition of having his Mind enlightned by God. For God expects that we fhould be fubject to Him without any Referves, and thinks it fit, that a Religious Love and Obedience should take place of our own Reafonings.

CHAP. XV.

Of Works of Charity.

His is a conftant and universal Rule, That no Confideration of any Confideration of any Advantage, no Regard of any Perfon whatsoever, muft ever prevail with us to do an Ill Thing. But the Benefit of a Perfon,__who flands in need of our Relief, is oftentimes a fufficient Warrant for leaving a Good Thing undone; or for changing our Meafures, and chufing to do one Good Thing rather than another. For indeed, properly fpeaking, this is not fo much an omitting to do well, as a prudent Contrivance to do better. But, let the Thing we do be what it will, it is the Principle upon which we do it, that must recommend it: And, as without Charity, both all we are, and all we do, fignify nothing; fo, where this is at the bottom, every