That though Satan hath his Devices 1to draw souls to sin, yet we must be careful, that we do not lay all our temptations upon Satan, that we do not wrong the Devil, and father that upon him, that is to be fathered upon our own base hearts; I think that oftentimes men charge that upon the Devil, that is to be charged upon their own hearts. And the Lord said unto the 2woman, What is this that thou hast done? and the woman said, the Serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. Sin and shifting came into the world together. This is no small baseness of our hearts, that they will be naught, I very naught, and yet will father that naughtiness upon Satan. Man hath an evil root within him; that were there no Devil to tempt him, nor no wicked men in the world to entice him, yet that root of bitterness, that cursed sinful nature that is in him, would draw him to sin, though he knows before hand, that the wages of sin is eternal death. For out of the ⟨p. 317⟩heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, 3fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies. The whole frame of man is4 out of frame, the understanding is dark; the will cross, the memory slippery, the affections crooked, the conscience corrupted, the tongue poisoned, and the heart wholly evil, only evil, and continually evil. Should God chain up Satan, and give him no liberty to tempt, or entice the sons of men to vanity, and folly; yet they would not, yet they could not but sin against him, by reason of that cursed nature that is in them, that will still be a provoking5 them to those sins, that will provoke and stir up the anger and wrath of God against them. Satan hath only a persuading sleight, not an enforcing might; he may tempt us, but without our selves, he cannot conquer us; he6 may entice us, but without our selves, he cannot hurt us; our hearts carries the greatest stroke in every sin. Satan7 can never undo a man without himself, but a man may easily undo himself without Satan. Satan can only present the golden cup, but he hath no power to force us to drink the poison that is in the cup; he can only present to us the glory of the world, he cannot force us to fall down and worship him, ⟨p. 318⟩to enjoy the world, he can only spread his snares; he hath no power to force us to walk in the mid'd of his snares;
THat though Satan hath his Devices 1to draw soules to sin, yet we must be carefull, that we do not lay all our temptations upon Satan, that we doe not wrong the Devill, and father that upon him, that is to be fathered upon our own base hearts; I thinke that oftentimes men charge that upon the Devill, that is to be charged upon their own hearts. And the Lord said unto the 2woman, VVhat is this that thou hast done? and the woman said, the Serpent beguiled me, and I did eate. Sin and shifting came into the world together. This is no small basenesse of our hearts, that they will be naught, I very naught, and yet will father that naughtinesse upon Satan. Man hath an evill root within him; that were there no Devil to tempt him, nor no wicked men in the world to entice him, yet that root of bitternesse, that cursed sinfull nature that is in him, would draw him to sin, though he knows before hand, that the wages of sinne is eternall death. For out of the ⟨p. 317⟩heart proceed evill thoughts, murders, adulteries, 3fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies. The whole frame of man is4 out of frame, the understanding is dark; the will crosse, the memory slippery, the affections crooked, the conscience corrupted, the tongue poisoned, and the heart wholly evill, only evill, and continually evill. Should God chaine vp Satan, and give him no liberty to tempt, or entice the sons of men to vanity, and folly; yet they would not, yet they could not but sin against him, by reason of that cursed nature that is in them, that will still be a provoking5 them to those sins, that will provoke and stir up the anger and wrath of God against them. Satan hath only a perswading sleight, not an enforcing might; he may tempt us, but without our selves, he cannot conquer us; hee6 may entice us, but without our selves, he cannot hurt us; our hearts carries the greatest stroak in every sin. Satan7 can never undoe a man without himselfe, but a man may easily undo himselfe without Satan. Satan can onely present the golden cup, but he hath no power to force us to drinke the poyson that is in the cup; he can only present to us the glory of the world, he cannot force us to fall down and worship him,
- 11 Proposition.
- 2Gen. 3. 13.
- 3Rom. 6. ult. Mat. 5. 19.
- 4Cum primum nascimur in omnt continuo pravitate versamur; we are no sooner borne then buried in a bog of wickedness, Tully.Cum primum nascimur in omnt continuo pravitate versamur; we are no sooner borne then buried in a bog of wickednesse, Tully.
- 5Jude 15, 16.Iude 15, 16.
- 6James 1. 4.Iames 1. 4.
- 7[Greek or Hebrew]. The fire is our wood, though it be the Devils flame, Nazianzen.〈non-Latin alphabet〉. The fire is our wood, though it be the Devills flame, Nazianzen.
