The strongest are weak, the
wisest are fools, when suffered to be sifted as wheat in Satan's
sieve; yea, and have often been so proved, to the wounding of their
great hearts and the dishonor of religion.
It is usual with the devil in his temptings of poor creatures, to
put a good and bad together, that by show of the good the tempted
might be drawn to do that which in truth is evil. Thus he served
Saul; he spared the best of the herd and flock, under pretence of
sacrificing to God, and so transgressed the plain command. But this
the apostle said was dangerous, and therefore censureth such as in a
state of condemnation. Thus he served Adam; he put the desirableness
of sight and a plain transgression of God's law together, that by
the loveliness of the one they might the easier be brought to do the
other. O, poor Eve, do we wonder at thy folly? Doubtless we had done
as bad with half the argument of thy temptation.
Satan by tempting one may chiefly intend the destruction of another.
By tempting the wife, he may aim at the destruction of the husband;
by tempting the father, he may design the dsstruction of his
children; and by tempting the king, he may design the ruin of his
subjects, even as in the case of David: "Satan stood up against
Israel, and provoked David to number the people.
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