Precious Remedies against Satan's Devices

The second Remedy against this device¹ of Satan, is, seriously to consider, that the giving way to a less sin, makes way for the committing of a greater; he that to avoid a greater sin will yield to a lesser, ten thousand to one, but God in Justice will leave that soul to fall into a greater; if we commit one sin to avoid another, 'tis just we should avoid neither; we having not law nor power in our own hands, to keep off ⟨p. 23⟩sin, as we pleas, and we by yielding to the² lesser, do tempt the tempter to tempt us to the greater. Sin is of an encroaching nature, it creeps on the soul by degrees, step by step, till it hath the soul to the very height of sin; David gives way to his wandering eye, and this led him to those foul sins, that caused God to break his bones, and to turn his day into night, and to leave his soul in great darkness. Jacob, and Peter, and other Saints have found this true, by woeful experience, that the yielding to a lesser sin, hath been the ushering in of a greater; the little thief will open the door, and make way for the greater; and the little wedge knocked in will make way for the greater; Satan will first draw thee to sit with the drunkard, and then to sip with the drunkard, and then at last, to be drunk with the drunkard; he will first draw thee to be unclean in thy thoughts, and then to be unclean in thy looks, and then to be unclean in thy words, and at last, to be unclean in thy practises; he will fi•st draw thee to look on the golden wedge, and then to like the golden wedge, and then to handle the golden wedge; and then at last, by wicked ways to gain the golden wedge, though thou runnest the ⟨p. 24⟩hazard of loosing God, and thy soul³ for ever: as you may see in Gehazi, Achan, and Judas, and many in these our days. Sin is never at a stand, Psal. 1. v. 1. First, ungodly, then sinners, then scorners; here they go on from sin to sin, till they come to the top of sin, viz. to sit in the seat of scorners, or as ris in the Septuagint ([Greek or Hebrew]) to affect the honour of the chair of Pestilence. Austin writing upon John, tells a story of a certain man, that was of an opinion, that the Devil did make the fly, and not God; saith one to him, if the Devil made flies, then the Devil made worms, and God did not make them; for they are living creatures, as well as flies; true said he, the Devil did make worms;