There is true Courage under Mourning and difquiet of Heart, fo that we may fay to fuch, O thou afflicted and toffed, fear not, The Glory of the Lord shall shine upon thee. They that are weak in this Sence shall be strong as David.

CHAP. XXIII.

The Second Direction, that Temptations are not to be dif puted. The feveral ways of difputing a Temptation. In what Cafes it is convenient and necessary to dispute with Satan. In what Cafes inconvenient, and the Reafons of it!

"He next thing obfervable in Chrift's carriage to Satan is this; That Chrift (though he rejected every Temptation, by. giving a reafon of his refufal from the Command of God) did not fuffer Satan to difpute his Temptations further than the first Proposal, and in his Answers he takes no notice of the Reasons or Motives by which he laboured to make his Temptations prevailing. In the two firft Temptations, he gives no reply, to what Satan infinua ted by his fuppofition, [If thou be the Son of God; ] neither by affirming that he was fo, nor discovering to him his knowledg of the fecret Subtilty, which he had wrapt up under thefe plaufible pretences. In the third he answers not a word to the Vanity and falfehood of his deceitful offer of the Kingdoms of the World, though (as hath been obferved) he might have oppofed firong Reasons against them all:, and befides, when Satan became Infolent and Impudent in tempting Chrift to fall down and worship him, he chafeth him away with a fevere Abomination, Get thee hence,Satan. · From which we have a fecond Direction, which is this.

That Temptations to Sin, are to be oppofed by peremptory denials, ra- Direct. 2. ther than by difputing's.

This is a Note, which moft Commentators have on this place;

but it ftands in need of a distinct Application, because it is not a

Rule

Rule fo general, but that the practice of God's Children have made exception against it. For the clearer Explanation of it, Ishall Firft, Give you the feveral kinds of difputings, by which we may fee that all are not alike: For

First, The serious working of the thoughts in a quick denial of a Temptation with a reafon implyed or expreffed (though it admit not Satan to any further difpute or Argument) may, in some sense, be called a difputing; for the Scripture ufeth Staλoyoos for any inward ferious Thought. Such a kind of difputing as this is neceffary; it cannot be wanting to any that refufe a finful Motion, this being (as we shall fee afterward) one of those Directions which Chrift intended us by his Example, and the very thing which Chrift practifed in every Temptation: for he contented not himfelf to give a naked denyal, but ftill adds a Reafon of fuch refufal. Those who in general terms urge that Temptations are not to be difputed, do not reckon this as any difputing. And others that do (taking difputing for the refufal of a thing with a reason affigned) think that his procedure in the two firft Temptations, is not imitable by us, but only that of the third, wherein he chafed away the Devil with angry denyal: but the mistake is obvious.

Secondly, There is a difputing of unneceffary Curiofity and Conference: this is when a finful Motion injected into our Hearts, is not directly confented to; but then inftead of a full denyal, Men begin to raise Questions, and make Objections of leffer moment, or fome impertinent Queries which ftrike not at the root: as one obferved of himself, that inftead of denying a finful Motion, he began to difpute, whether it came from Satan or his own inclination, and fo inftead of quenching the Fire, he bufied himself to enquire whence it came. Men deal with Temptations in this cafe, as they, who being asked whether they will buy fuch a Commodity, baftily anfwer no, but yet call back the Party again, and ask whence it came? or what it must cost? and by fuch intanglements of Curiofity engage themselves at last to buy it. Eve failed by fuch an inconfiderate conference with Satan, for the abrupt beginning of the Serpents Speech [Tea, bath good faid ye fhall not eat, &c.] and the fumming up of the Arguments which prevailed with her to eat [when the Woman faw that the Tree was good for Food, and pleasant to the Eyes, &c.]do clearly evidence that there was more difcourfe, than is there expreffed, and that alfo tending to afcertain the Goodneß,

pleasant

Pleasantnes, and Profit of the Fruit. This kind of difputing is always unlawful and dangerous, for it is but a wanton dallyance with a Temptation,a playing upon the hole of the Aff, and commonly ends in a finful complyance.

Thirdly, There is a difputing of a deliberating and parlying indifferencys this is, when the Devil puts a thought of Sin into their Minds, and (while they feem not to be forward to imbrace it) leaves it to further confideration, and then they float, betwixt refolved and unrefolved, betwixt pro & con, being at a great difpute within themselves what is beft to be done, whether the conveniencies on the one hand, will weigh down the inconveniencies on the other; this in cafes of apparent Sin, is a wicked balting betwixt two, always unlawful.

Fourthly, There are also treacherous partial arguings, wherein the Heart takes part with Satan. Thefe are thofe debates that are to be found in Natural Men, about the doing or not doing of linful. things. This looks fo like the Combat betwixt the Flesh and the Spirit, that it hath occafioned an enquiry, how they may be diftinguished each from other. 'Tis generally concluded that in that frife of the Natural Man, the Light of the Understanding and Confcience, gives oppofition to the bent of the Affections, and the Jame faculties (though fanctifyed in part) in the Regenerate,are the Parties that give oppofition each to others but with this principal difference, that in this ftrife of the Flesh and Spirit, the Man takes part with God, whereas in the other, the Affections take the Devils part, and in a malignant averfeneß to the Light, ftrive to put it out, and to get over the conviction of Confcience, fo that the Man strives to Sin, and to ftop the Mouth of fuch objections, as come into the contrary: this kind of difputing is always finful.

Fifthly, There is yet a difputing in a strict Senfe, which is a full and folemn debating of a Satanical injection, by giving it the full bearing, and admitting Satan to be a Refpondent to our objections. Of this it is queried how far it may be convenient, and how far inconvenient, because we fee Chrift in this place did not thus difpute with Satan; and yet we find inftances in Scripture of fome Holy Men that have been unavoidably engaged to difpute a Temptation to the utmost.

To Answer this Query, I fhall Secondly fhew in what cafes it may be neceffary or convenient to enter the Lifts with Satan in an Holy arguing, and in what cafes, it is inconvenient and dange-

rous..

1

rous. There are four cafes in which we may dispute a Tempta

tion.

First, When the Motion is of things doubtful and difputable, whether they be lawful or not. Here it cannot be avoided: for albeit (as the Apostle adviseth Rom. 14. 1.) doubtful difputations are not to be impofed upon others, fo as to tye them up to our perfwafions, yet in these things every Man (before he can act clearly) is to endeavour his own fatisfaction in the lawfulness or unlawfulness of the thing, that fo he may be fully perfwaded in his own Mind, ver. 5. And he gives two ftrong reafons of this, ver. 22,23. (1.) From the rack and trouble, which otherwise the Man may be put upon, while his Confcience unfatisfied, condemneth him in that, which by a contrary practice he alloweth: (2.) In that this condemnation of Confcience (while he doth that, the lawfulness whereof he believeth not) is an evidence of his Sin, as well as an occafion of his trouble.

Secondly, Difputings have place, when a Temptation hath taken bold upon the thoughts, and fo far poffeffed it self, that our corruption rifeth up in the defence of the Suggestion. Satan will not quit that hold (though he be an intruder without our leave,) till he be beat out of his Quarters. The Apoftle, Eph. 6. implies fo much by that expreffion, of quenching the fiery Darts of Satan. It is not proper to understand it of a refufal of the first Motion of Sin, (though Interpreters do ufually make it comprehenfive both of the keeping out of the Dart, and the plucking it out) because this evidently fuppofeth, that the Dart hath pierced the Soul, and now begins to burn and enflame, which will require more labour for the quenching of it, than a refufal of the firft Motion would put us to. As when Fire hath taken hold upon our Houses,we fhall be forced to bring Water for the extinguishing of the Flame, which (before it had broke out upon the Building) an ordinary care might have prevented. And this we further taught by a diftinction which the fame Apostle ufeth in the fame place of sival and anal standing and withstanding. We must keep off the Temptation that it enter not, bystanding against the Affault in a peremptory refusal; but if it do enter, then we must be put to it, by a force of holy arguing to pull out the Arrow, and to withstand it.

Thirdly, Much more need have we of difputing, when the prefent Temptation is a Motion of fuch a Sin which we are habituated unto, and have long practifed, for these kind of finful Mo

tions are not caft out easily. In this case, David adviseth his Enemies, Pfal. 4. (who had for a long time, loved Vanity, and fought after leafing) that by communing with their own Heart, and by dif puting against their finful Practices, they should bring themselves underan Holy awe, and by that means ftop the course of their finning, ver. 4. This indeed is the great thing that Sinners are called to by God, to ponder their Eftate, to confider their ways, to study the evil and danger of Sin, to examin themselves, and to reafon together with God about the wickedness and ingratitude of their Actions, and about the contrary loveliness, bleffedness and happinefs of the ways of God, that fo they may be brought to repentance; all which are done only by a serious arguing of their cafe and hazard.

39.

Fourthly, It is convenient, and in some cases neceffary to difpute a Temptation which Satan offers to us, by the Mouths of Men, who entice us to share with them in their wickedness for here by arguing, we may not only difcourage their further Sollicitation,and fo free our felves from the like Temptation for the future, but we alfo by the exercise of an Holy Charity, endeavour to pull them out of the Fire. When Jofephs Mistress tempted him, he confidered that he had to deal both with the Devil, and his Mistreß, Gen. 7, 8. and therefore that he might refift the Devil, he peremptorily refufed the Temptation, but that he might take off his Mistress from her unlawful profecution, he argues with her about the Ingratitude, Danger and Unlawfulness of fuch an act, My Master woteth not what is with me in the House, and he bath committed all that he hath to my Hand: there is none greater in this Houfe than I, neither bath he kept any thing back from me but thee, because thou art his Wife: how then can I do this great Wickedness and Sin against God? When Sinners do entice us to caft in our Lot amongst them, pitty to them, and care of our felves will engage us to argue the folly and danger of their ways with them, except they behave themselves as Dogs and Swine; their carriage giving us juft ground to conclude, that they are fo fet on Wickedness, that it may endanger us, rather than profit them,to debate with them. And fo was it likely, (and the Text feems to hint fo much,) that when Jofeph perceived his Mistress was refolved upon the purfuit, and that his reafonings were not minded, he perfifted in his denyal, but forbore his arguings.