to lie in. I now thought every thing conspired together in order to bring me to death and destruction. I was all day long tempted to do as this man had done. He was left to do it, and why not I? I thought his temptations could not be stronger than mine were. And he was left of God, and why should not I, seeing my mind was daily harassed with such blasphemies against him?

O the subtilty of the devil; first to deceive, and then to destroy, mankind! But who can wonder at this, when he tempted the blessed Son of God to self-murder, by advising him to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple! as it is written, "Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down; for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone," Matt. iv. 5, 6. You see the devil quoted scripture to obtain his end, and left out that part of the text that made against the temptation. Satan quoted the text from Psal. xci. 11, 12. And he handled it wisely, for he left out just seven words; namely, "to keep thee in all thy ways." The devil knew that rash presumption was not God's way, nor would God be tempted. How did the devil know that? my

reader may say. By his own experience; for Satan had been presumptuous even in heaven; and his presumption led him to break through the rules of happiness, and launched him into the bottomless pit, where he must ever lie under the guilt of the great transgression.

Satan likewise omitted another verse (the 13th of the same psalm), which made point blank against him; it being written, "Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet." These words were made good to the ever-lovely Jesus; therefore the Saviour stood firm on the pinnacle, when the devil fell headlong; as it is written, "The accuser of our brethren is cast down," Rev. xii. 10. Christ cast him, both on the pinnacle of God's house, and on the accursed tree also. We may here see the cunning which the devil uses to ensnare unguarded minds: he is always on the watch to support his own cause; for, as the Saviour says, "If Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself, how shall then his kingdom stand?" Matt. xii. 26.

.I think I never was before so sunk in despair as at this time. My sins standing perpetually before my eyes; the guilt of them so keen within me; the scriptures levelling their dreadful threatenings at me as a sinner; temptations very violent all day long; a room to lie in where the devil had gained his point over a fellow

sinner, and I at the same time so timorous and fearful, that I was almost afraid to walk alone, having been so long haunted with these terrors. I used to go to bed with as much reluctance as the ox goeth to the slaughter, being fearful that every night would be my last.

The old woman, who lived in the house with me, perceiving me very serious, and dead to all vain conversation, lent me a book; one of the best, she said, that ever was written, The Whole Duty of Man!

This book I eagerly embraced, read in it every opportunity that offered, and laboured hard all day long to live up to its rules; and, if I made a false step, I endeavoured to mend that by performing a double task. During many months I was thus employed; but all in vain; for how can a blind man see the ways of God, or a dead man perform divine and spiritual service?

Satan now began again to tempt me violently that there was no God; but I reasoned against the belief of that, from my own experience of his dreadful wrath; and I said, 'How can I credit this suggestion, when his wrath is already revealed in my heart, and every curse in his book levelled at my head? The devil answered, that the Bible was false, and only wrote by cunning men to puzzle and deceive people. I also reasoned against this, and the devil answered

me as forcibly. I therefore do not at all wonder why Satan is so often styled a familiar spirit. He argued with me thus: If the Bible be true, it declares God to be loving, pitiful, gracious, merciful, willing to hear prayer, and to help the distressed; ready to forgive; and that he will be found of them that seek him. Now, can any creature try to please him more than you have done? Can any pray more? Can any stand in greater need of mercy than you do? And have you found him merciful? Have you not rebuked me in the name of Jesus, and prayed against me; and do I not keep possession of you still? And I will bring you back to sinning again, as bad as ever; I will wear you out, if I pursue you to the grave.'

There is no God,' replied the adversary, nor is the Bible true.' I could not answer him, nor could I contradict this: I only asked, Who then made the world? He replied, I did; and I made men too.' Alas!' said I, 'what! devils make men? The answer was, 'Yes, I made you.' Then,' said I, devils make devils, for I am filled with devils.' I thought this engagement would have driven me to distraction. Satan, perceiving my rationality almost gone, followed me up with another temptation: That, as there was no God, I must come back to his work again; and, as I had fled from his service to cry after a God, when there was no such being, I

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had acted hypocritically with him; and when he brought me to hell, he would punish me more than all the rest, for he was the tormentor. I cried out, Oh! what will become of me! what will become of me!' He answered, that there was no way for me to escape but by praying to him, and then he would shew me some lenity when he took me to hell. I was obliged to set down my spade, and leave my work; and I went and sat in my tool-house, halting between two opinions; whether I should petition Satan, or whether I should keep praying to God till I could ascertain the consequences. When I was thinking of bending my knees to such a cursed being as Satan, an uncommon fear of God sprung up in my heart to keep me from it. Oh! how good is our God! He plants his fear in our hearts, that we should not depart from him.

Finding this strong preventing fear in my heart, and a thought that I should find a God some time or other, I told the adversary to cease tempting me; adding, that if he could drag me to hell, his state would not be made better by that, for he was already damned. This fear fortified me so, that I was desperately bold, and almost the devil's match. I told him he was damned, and he could not contradict it. This weakened the temptation for a time; and it was agreeable to that scripture which saith, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you," Jam. iv. 7.