And can these things be called Temptations? Are these things matters of such weight, as deserve to be put in the balance against the soul's eternal happiness and glory? Is it possible, that men, that have noble and immortal souls in them, should ever so far debase them, as to bring them into competition with, nay to make them to be the price of, such vile nothings as these are? And, yet, tell these men, that they hereby rouze up God's wrath against them, that burns to the lowest hell; tell them, that they destroy their precious souls; tell them, that they get nothing by such sins as these are, unless they reckon damnation for gain: yet, let God frown and hell triumph, and their souls perish, they will on; and will not raise the rate of sinning, nor put the Devil to more charges; and so they are damned for nothing. Is not this most desperate boldness and presumption? and, therefore, do not lay the blame of your sins upon the violence of temptation, or upon the restless importunities of the Devil. When God shall, at the Last Day, call, "Sinner, stand forth: what is the reason you committed such and such sins, that had nothing in them to commend them, that left nothing after them but shame without and terrors within ?" will you then plead as now usually you do, that Temptations were too hard for you, and the Devil too strong for you to resist? No, no: it will then be made apparent, that the Devil was falsely charged with multitudes of sins, that he never knew of till they were committed. And, therefore, when men sin upon slight Temptations, it is not from the power of Temptations, it is not from the importunity of the Devil, that they sin; but, only, from a presumptuous resolution, that they will sin whatever it cost them.

And that is the First Trial.

2. When a man wilfully and knowingly runs himself into temptations and upon occasions of sin, if he be overcome by these temptations, he sins presumptuously notwithstanding.

In this case, though the temptation be violent and irresistible; yea, though, when we are entangled by it, we strive and struggle to our very utmost: yet this doth not mitigate, but rather aggravate our sin; because it was merely through our own presumption, that we brought ourselves under the power of such a prevalent temptation, from which Christian fear and caution might easily have preserved us. If a man, that is wholly ignorant of the art of swimming, shall plunge himself into a deep river, though he struggle hard for life afterwards; yet, if he sinks and is drowned, he perishes only through his own presump

tion. That man deserves to be blown up, that will make gunpowder in a smith's shop, when the sparks fly thick about him: truly, occasions of sinning are the Devil's forge, where he is continually heating and hammering out his fiery darts: now, for you, that know yourselves to be as catching as powder or tinder, wilfully to run yourselves into this forge, where his fiery darts glow, and sparkle, and fly about you; what is this, but most desperate boldness and presumption? What says the Wise Man, Prov. vi. 27? Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burnt? Can a man run himself upon such occasions of sin, and not run also into the commission of sin? As the motion of a stone, when it falls downward, is still the swifter the nearer it comes to its centre; so, when you are running yourselves into the occasions of sin, the more willingly you go to sin, the nearer you come to it, there is no stop nor stay: when you put yourselves upon these occasions and temptations, you put yourselves out of the protection of God's grace, and you stand whollyat the Devil's courtesy; and, if you are overcome, blame nothing but your own venturousness and presumption. Consider this, therefore: hast thou not had frequent experience of many sad foils, that the Devil hath given thee, by thy rash venturing upon occasions and temptations to sin? Hast thou not found such and such company, such and such employments, and other like circumstances, always prove snares to thee? Never plead these temptations were too strong for thee to resist what! canst thou not resist them? why couldst thou not have avoided them? And, believe it: if the experience of thine own weakness doth not make thee careful for the future to shun such snares and intanglements as these are, thy sins will be judged by God, at the Last Day, to be wilful and presumptuous sins for they are so, if not in themselves considered, yet at least in their cause; for you presumptuously run into those occasions and temptations, whereby, in all likelihood, you will be overcome: and this is to presumptuously.

sin

3. Suppose that we are strongly tempted, without the betraying of ourselves to the temptation: then consider, If you commit the sin to which you are tempted, without vigorous and resolute resistance; this is a certain sign that you sin presumptuously. Let the temptation be never so strong and irresistible; yet, if you yield to it without opposition or resistance made against it to your utmost, you then sin presumptuously.

A child of God, when he acts like himself, falls fighting.

The Devil gets not a foot of ground upon him, but by main force and strength. Though principalities and powers, though the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickednesses in high places, set themselves all in array against him; yet he encounters them all, and wrestles with them all: and though, sometimes, through weakness, he is overcome; yet he never basely yields: he fights standing, and he fights falling, and be fights rising; and, therefore, when he sins, it is through weakness, and not through presumption. But others, though they are very bold and presumptuous against God; yet they are very cowards against their lusts, and against the temptations of the Devil: when a temptation assaults them, they dare not presume to oppose that; but they dare presume to offend and provoke God himself: that, they dare do. Believe it, Sirs: you must be bold and resolute, either against the Devil, or against the Great God: one of these you must grapple with: choose which you think you may best oppose, and soonest conquer. The Devil stands before you, armed with his fiery darts: God follows you, armed with everlasting vengeance. If you will not engage against Satan, and resolutely oppose him and all his force; what do you else, but turn upon God, and challenge him to the combat, and make him your enemy, that is able to destroy both body and soul in hell-fire for ever? What a most daring presumption is this, that ever we should basely surrender up ourselves to the Devil, without striking one stroke in our own defence; and yet, at the same time, we should dare to provoke that God, that can, with one look and frown, sink us into the lowest hell!

And, thus, in these Three particulars, we see when a sin is presumptuous, in respect of temptations: when it is committed, without temptations; when we run into temptations and occasions of sin; and when we make no vigorous opposition against them.

4. Another trial is this: When men will dare to sin, under eminent and remarkable judgments and afflictions, that God brings upon them, then they sin presumptuously.

What is this else, but, when God stands visibly in your way, yet you will desperately run upon the thick bosses of his buckler? He hedgeth up your way with thorns, and yet you will break through, though it be to the tearing of your flesh. He strikes at you by his judgments: and, oh the madness and presumption of vile dust and ashes, that they dare to strike at God again by their sins! What is this else, but even to dare God to do his

worst? When God treads upon us, should such vile worms as we are, turn the tail, and threaten to take revenge upon the Almighty? This is presumption and boldness, that God takes special notice of, in 2 Chron. xxviii. 22. Ahaz was brought very low, says the text; and, yet, in the time of his distress, he trespassed yet more against the Lord: This is that king Ahaz: God sets a mark and brand upon him, that he may be known to all posterity for a most daring sinner, that, when God had brought him so low, when so many enemies waged war against him and distressed him; yet, even then, he, provoked a greater enemy than they all, and challenged God against him: This is that king Ahaz. Truly, may it not be said of many among us, "This and this is that person, who, when God afflicted them, instead of humbling themselves under the mighty hand of God, grew enraged at their sufferings, and sinned yet more and more against him?" Oh, it is dreadful, when those punishments, that should break and melt us, prove only to harden our hearts, and to exasperate and embitter our spirits against God. What can reform us, when we offend under the very smart of the rod? Hereby, therefore, judge of your sins: if so be God be gone out against you, if he have laid his hand heavy upon you; and yet you regard it not, but still persevere in your old sins, and still add new iniquities to them; if, instead of humility and brokenness of hearts, your hearts rise up against God, and you are ready to say with that wicked king, This evil is of the Lord: why should I wait upon the Lord any longer? conclude upon it, you are those desperate presumptuous sinners, that scorn to shrink for whatever God can lay upon them."

5. When we can encourage ourselves with hopes of mercy, though we live in sin impenitently; this is to sin presumptuously.

You, that know yourselves to be sinners, what is it, that makes you to bear up with so much peace and confidence? Why do you not every moment fear, lest hell should open its mouth and swallow you up; lest God should suddenly strike you dead by some remarkable judgment; lest the Devil should fetch you away alive to torments? Why do you not fear this, since you know yourselves to be sinners? Why, truly, you still hope for mercy. And it is only from this very presumption, that men cry Peace, Peace to themselves; when yet God is at enmity with them they flatter themselves that it shall be well with them in the latter end, though God swears he will not spare them; but his wrath and jealousy small smoke against them. In Deut.

xxix. 19, 20. God says, If any man shall encourage himself when he goes on presumptuously in the way of his own heart, adding drunkenness to thirst, I will not spare him; but my wrath and my jealousy shall smoke against him; and all the curses, that are written in this book, shall fall upon him. Were but sinners truly apprehensive of their wretched estate, how they stand liable every moment to the stroke of divine justice, how that there is nothing that interposeth betwixt them and hell but only God's temporary forbearance of them ; truly, it were impossible, utterly impossible, to keep them from running up and down the streets, like distracted persons and madmen, crying out with horror of soul, "Oh, I am damned, I am damned:" but their presumption stupifies them, and they are lulled asleep by the Devil; and, though they live in sin, yet they still dream of salvation and thus their presumption flatters them, till, at length, this presumption ends then, where their damnation begins, and never before.

And thus I have, in Five * Particulars, shewed you what it is, that makes a sin to be presumptuous; which is that, which David, in the Text, prays to God to keep him from: and, I doubt not, but these particulars have represented to you so much guilt and ugliness in Presumptuous Sins, as that you . also pray with him, Lord, keep us also from Presumptuous Sins.

II. Now, though possibly it may seem altogether needless to die scarlet redder; yet, that your prayers against them may be more importunate, and your endeavours unwearied, I shall, in the next place, by SOME AGGRAVATING CONSIDERATIONS engrain these scarlet crimson sins, and strive to make them appear, as they are in themselves, out of measure sinful.

i. Consider, therefore, in the first place, that THE COMMISSION

OF PRESUMPTUOUS SINS DOTH EXCEEDINGLY HARDEN AND STEEL THE HEART, WITH RESOLUTIONS TO PERSEVERE IN THEM WITHOUT REPENTANCE.

And what can be more dreadful than this is? Resolvedness to sin is a disposition likest to that of the Devil; and it is a punishment next to that of hell. A man, that is confirmed in wicked

* Printed six in the first edition; the fourth and fifth heads being printed fifth and sixth: which mistakes are carelessly followed in the folio. EDITOR.