Book I. of J E S U S C H R I S T. 27

Take Vhjfick early y Med'cines come too Lite Ovid.
When the Difeafe is rrown inveterate, n^'I^^'P^^^?"
-' -^ ^ lta,rc! > Medi-
. ^ ,. Mil .' o T 1 cinapuratur.
And this will be more maniteit^if we ob- Cum mala ferveby whatMethodsandDegreesTemp- perlongasin- tations grow upon us.The firft thing that ^'^^^^^e mo- prefentsit felf to the Mind^is a plain fin- gle Thought; This ftreight is improved into a ftrong Imagination ; Tliat again enforced by a fenfibie De- light ; Then follow evil Motions^ and when Thefe are once ftirred.there remains nothing but the Aflent of the VVillj and then the Work is finiftied. Now the firft 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 v/as in a condition of being 1 efifted : For the longer we defer the Engagement,, the weaker we grow^and the more our Adverfary gathers Strength.
The Seafon of thefe Tryals is various and uncer- tain. Upon fome they are feverer prefently 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 Conflid; 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 Cir- cumftances fo juftly, that his feveral Difpenfations are conftantly fubfervient to the Salvation and Hap- pinefs 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 (prefent Help and
C 4 Re-
i8 ©f tfte 'Jimttation Book I.
Retuge in all ouiTroubles : and, as St.Faul expreifesit.
That he jvould 7vith the Tempt aticn alio make a I Cor. X. 13. n J ^ ^ t 1 1 1
I Pet. iv, '^^^'^y ^^ ejc^p^ y it^^t ^-^'^ ^^y be able to bear
it. Let us humble cur fehes under the trying Hand of God, and patiently fubmic to his good Plea-
fure in all our Tribulation. For thofe Pfalw.xxxiv. yj^Yio do fo, he will exalt in due time^ and ^u've them that he of a metk and a contrite Spirit,
By Temptations and AfflidiGns a Man is brought (?.s it were) to the Touch ; by ihefe his Proficiency is meafured, and eafily difcernible: The greater thefe are, t^.:. more acceptable the Sufferer is to God, and the bii^r.ter Luftre they add to his Virtue. For, to be Religious and Zealous in the Service of God, when no UneaHnefs is upcn us j This is no mighty matter. But if we C3n fufFer with Patience and Refignation, and continue fieady in the Love and Service of God,when he afHids and fends Bitternefs into our ScuJs, this argues a noble DiiV^of tion, and prcmifes an extraor- dinary Perfection. Some Perfons have come off with Safery and Fionour in very fharpand trying Inilances, and yet are worited in com.mon and trivial ones.And this Cafe is capi^ble of a very good Improvement ; For thus no doubt God gives Men warning, that they fliould not pre fume upon their own Strength, but humbly take Sanduary inHim,in Matters of Dif- ficulty ; Moved by the Experience cf that Weak- nefs, and Frailty, which hath yielded to flighter and kfs violent Temptations.
CHAP.