prevail, he adds Menacings,and breaths forth cruel Threatnings, by which means many Heathens are kept in awe by him, and worThip him, ne noceat, for no other reafon but to preferve themselves from hurt by him. In this Temptation he propounds himself to Chrift as the Object of Divine Worship, and boafts of the Kingdoms of the World as things of his difpofal; by which he feeks to draw him to fall down before him.

This course Satan takes for thefe Reasons.

First, As this Proud and Malicious Oftentation of his Power, is fome kind of fatisfaction to his revengeful Humour against God: So Secondly, He doth hereby raife up himfelf and his wicked inftitutions of Idolatry, into Credit and Esteem with Men. Thirdly, As this is a Mockery to true Religion, and a scorn caft upon the ways of God's Service, to bring it into difgrace and difcredit: So, Fourthly, By this means he hardens the Hearts of Men againft God.This was the Confideration by whichPharaoh hardened his Heart, when Mofes turned his Rod into a Serpent, changed Waters to Blood, and did so many Signs before him; his Magicians did the like: upon which the King might thus reason with himself, that Mofes had no other Power, but what his Magicians had, though he might think him a more skillful Magician, and therefore there was no reason to believe his Meffage as being from God, feeing his Miracles might be no other than the Effect of his Art, to countenance a pretended command from Heaven.

This Infolency of Satan, may inform us; First, of the great Patience of God that fees these outragious mockings, and yet doth Applic... · not by a strong hand put a stop to them. Secondly, Of the great Power and Pride of Satan, that he both can (though not without. permiffion from God) and dare attempt things of this Nature. Thirdly, The great Power of Delufion, that can fo blind Men, that they not only are drawn to act a part in fuch Designs, but beLieve confidently a Divine Impulfe and Heavenly warrant for their fo doing. Fourthly, The miferable Slavery of fuch Vaffals of Satan, that are thus led by him,who are therefore fadly to be pittied and lamented, as being under fuch ftrong, Chains of Captivity.

Thirdly, We cannot pafs by the Art which the Devil here ufeth Obf...3.. to fet off the Temptation, and to make it plaufible; he fets before

him the World in all its Glory. Here Obferve, That Satan in bis Temptations to Worldly Pleasures, doth ufually paint the Object with all its utmost Beauty.

When I have fometime obferved a Mountebank upon a Stage, giving exceffive Commendations of a trivial Medicine, afferting it good almoft for every Difeafe, and with a great many Lyes and Boaftings, enforcing it upon the credulous Multitude: It hath put me in mind of this Spiritual Mountebankery of the Devil; how doth he gull and delude the Foolifh, by laying out the Pleafures of Sin? and no otherwife doth he keep them at a gazing Admiration of Worldly Pomp, Delights and Satisfaction, which he proinifeth them from Iniquity, than the Serpent Scytale doth with Paffengers, whom the fays, by amazing them with her beautiful Colours, till the have ftung them. The Art of Satan in this matter lyes in four things.

Firft, If there be any thing that can be called a Delight, or may any way conduce to a Satisfaction in any Sin, he will be fure to fpeak of it in its higheft Praifes; he not only fireacheth his Rheto rick to the height in giving Commendations to the most noted Pleasures that Men propound to themselves: but he feeks out the bidden things of Delight, and raiseth in Men an Itch of defire after the improvement of Delight, by the contrivances of Wit or Art. Thus he tells them of Jollity, ravishing Mirth, high Satisfaction, and (if they will believe him) of unfpeakable Delight to be had by giving themselves up to the World, and the Course of it. Nay he hides nothing that will bear any Praife, the leaft Advantage,the Smallest Gratification that any Sin can afford to Humane Defire, he will be fure to fpeak of it.

Secondly, He carries on this Defign by Lying, he promiseth more than ever Sin can give, and he fends his Profelytes out after Sin under the highest Expectations, and when they come to enjoy it, they often find the Pleasure falls short of his Boaft; he whispers Honours, Preferments, and Riches, in the Ear of their Hearts, and often pays them with Poverty and Difgraces, and gives them pro thefauro carbones, Stones for Bread, a Serpent for a Fish. Witches give frequent Accounts of Satan's lying Promifes, he tells them of Feafts, of Gold, of Riches, but they find themselves deluded; he fends them oft hungry away from thofe Banquets, fo that they have no more than when a Man Dreams he Eats. He gives that which feems Gold in Appearance, but at laft they find it to be

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Slaits or Shells. We find in this Temptation he is liberal and large in his Offers to Chrift, and what he requires he will have in prefent Payment, but the reward for the Service is future: 'Tis his bufinefs to engage Men in Sin, by his Promife of Advantage, but being once engaged, he takes not himself concerned in Honour or Ingenuity for Performance. Hence doth the Scripture fitly call the Pleasures of Sin, lying Vanities, a vain Shew, a Dream, thereby warning Men from a forward Belief of Satan's Promises, in that they find by Experience they shall be at laft but Lyes and Dilappointments.

Thirdly, To make his Bait more taking, he conceals all the inconveniencies that may attend thefe Worldly Delights. He Offers here the Kingdoms of the World to Christ, as if all were made up of Pleafure; thefe Cares, Troubles, and Vexations, that attend Greatnefs and Rule he mentions not; their Burthen, Hazard, and Disquiet he paffeth over. Thus in common Temptations, he is careful to hide from Men the Miseries that follow thefe empty Pleafures; So that often Men do not confider the Mifchief, till a Dart Strike through their Liver, Prov 7. 23. and till a dear-bought Experience doth inform them of their Miftakes.

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Fourthly, His Power and work upon the Fancies of Men, is none of the leaft of his ways, whereby he advanceth the Pleafures of Sin. That he hath fuch a Power hath been difcourfed before, and that a Fancy raised to a great Expectation, makes things appear otherwife than what they are, is evident from common Experiences the value of moft things depends rather upon Fancy than the Internal worth of them,and Men are more engaged to a purfuit of things by the Estimation which Fancy hath begat in their Minds, than by certain. Principles of Knowledg. Children by Fancy have a value of their Toys, and are so powerfully fwayed by it,that things offar greater price cannot ftay their Defigns,nor divert their Courfe.. Satan knows that the beft of Men are fometimes childish, apt to be. led about by their conceits, and apt in their conceits to apprehend things far otherwife than what they are in Truth.Hence is it as one D'Espaigne obferves) that of thousands of Meri that return from Jerufalem, or popular Errors, from Mount Sion, or from the River Jordan, fcarce can we find §. 1. cap. 4 one, which brings back the Admiration which he had conceived: before he had feen them. Fancy doth preoccupate the Mind with an high opinion of things, and thefe exorbitant Imaginations pass to fuch an excess, that Men think to find a fatisfaction be

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yond the Nature of thefe Pleasures they aim at, which hath thefe two inconveniencies, the one, that this Effects and draws as powerfully, as if they were all as real and high as they are conceited to be; the other, that Sight and Fruition takes away the Eftimation, and by a disappointment, doth deaden and dull the Affections to what may be really found there. Thus Satan by one deceit makes Men believe that Sin hath Pleasure, which indeed it hath not,and by that belief leads them on powerfully to endeavour an embracement of them, and at lalt urgeth them with a delufion.

In oppofition to this deceit of the Devil, we must learn to efteem Worldly Delights as low as he would value them high. And to this purpofe the Scripture speaks of them, in undervaluing Language, calling Worldly Pomp, an Opinion, a Phantasy, a Fashion, or Figure, an Imagination rather then a reallity; and further injoyns us not to admire these things in others, not to envy them that enjoyment of them, nor to fret at our want of them, much lefs to be tranfported with any angry Paffion about them, por to concern our selves in any earnest pursuit of them.

Fourthly, Satan in this Temptation did not bravely speak of these things, nor only make an offer in Discourse, but he thought it most conduceable to his Defign, to present them to his Sight; he knew full well, that the Heart is more affected by fenfible Difcoveries, than by rational Discourses.

Note here, That Satan in Temptations of Worldly Pleasure, endeavours to engage the Affections by the Sences.

That 'tis Satan's great bufinefs to work upon the Affections, I have fhewed at large. Here he endeavoured to prepare the Affections of Chrift, that fo the motion (when it came) might not die, as a Spark falling upon wet Tinder, but that the Affections being stirred up, might cherish the Offer, and that the Offer by a mutual warmth, might more enflame the Affections that were heated before.

To this end he works by the Senfes, and would have Chrift's Eye to raise his Affections of Love, Defire, Hope, and whatever elfe might wing his Soul to Activity. There is a great connection betwixt the Senses and the Affection, the Senfes bring Intelligence unavoidably, and are apt to ftir up our Powers to Action: as the Faccall is faid to hunt the Prey for the Lyon, fo do the Senfes for the Affections, and both for Satan.

It is alfo remarkable that Satan endeavouring to make the Eyes of Chrift Traytors to his Affections, and that he thinking it necessary to give him a view of what he proffered him, should not give him time to take a full Survey of thefe Kingdoms, but should buddle it up in fuch an baft, that all (as Luke tells us) was done in a moment of time: was Satan in hafte? or was he unwilling to part with what he fo liberally proffered? Surely no, but this tranfient view was his Subtilty, to entice him the more, and to enflame his Heart with greater defires. Obferve then, That where Obf. 5. Satan is moft liberal in bis Proffers, he there manageth his Overtures of Advantage with a feeming fhynef. And this he doth, Firft, To heigh ten the worth of them in our Eftimation, as if they were Jewels not to be gazed at, or curious Peices, not fit to be expofed to common view. Secondly, By this Art he makes Men more eager in the purfuit. Our natural Curiofity preffeth us with great carneftness after things of difficult accefs, and we have alfo ftrange defires kindled in us from a prohibition, fo that what we lift not to chuse if Nicimur invetiwe have a liberty of Enjoyment; when we are forbidden, we are tum. troubled with Impatient Longings for it, and cannot be at quiet till we do enjoy it.

When Satan makes nice with Men, offering the Pleafures of the World, and yet hedging up the way with difficulties: they should

make no other conftruction of it, but that Satan doth (fo far as Malo meGala he is concerned) more ftrongly entice them. He Plays at Peep with tea petit Et them, that he may make them more carneft to follow him, and to ces, & fe cupit bid high for the Poffeffion of thefe Delights.

fugit ad fala

ante videri.

CHAP.