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one where at once: fo that his malice at the utmost does only all the evil that it can, not all that it would; he plies where he has the beft cuftom, where he has the faireft opportunity, and the greatest hopes; he leaves men many times for a feafon, as (it is faid) he did our Saviour, because he defpairs of fuccefs at that time; and it may be fometimes when he is gone, thefe perfons grow fecure, and through their own fecurity and folly fall into thofe fins which the devil, with all his baits and wiles, whilft they were upon their guard, could not tempt them to commit.

Others, after he has made them fure, and put them into the way of it, will go on of themselves, and are as mad of finning, and as forward to deftroy themfelves, as the devil himself could wish; fo that he can hardly tempt men to any wickedness, which he does not find them inclined to of themfelves. These he can trust with themfelves, and leave them to their own inclinations and conduct, finding by experience that they will do as ill things of their own motion; as if Satan flood continually at their right hand to prompt them, and put them on; fo that he can go into a far country, and employ himself elsewhere, and leave them for a long time, being confident that in his abfence they will not bury their talent, and hide it in a napkin, but will improve it to a great advantage. And I wish that our own age did not afford us too many inftances of this kind, of fuch forward and expert finners, as need no tempter either to inftruct or excite them to that which is evil. Now in this cafe the devil betakes himself to other perfons, and removes his fnares and baits where he thinks there is more need and occafion for them.

So that we may reasonably conclude, that there is a great deal of wickednefs committed in the world, which the devil hath no immediate hand in, though he always rejoiceth in it when it is done; and that there is a great deal more reafon to attribute all good to the motions and operations of the Spirit of God, than to afcribe all fin and wickedness in the world to the devil; because the Spirit of God is more power

ful,

ful, and is always every where, and is more intent upon his defign, and as forward to promote it, as the devil can be to carry on his work; nay, I doubt not but he is more active to excite men to good, than the devil can be to tempt them to evil. And yet for all this, I think there is no great reafon to doubt, but that good men do many good actions of their own inclination, without any fpecial and immediate motion from the Spirit of Gcd. They are indeed at first regenerate, and fanctified by the Holy Ghoft, and are continually afterwards under the conduct of the fame Spirit: but where there is a new nature, it is of itself inclinable to that which is good, and will bring forth fruits, and do actions anfwerable. Much lefs do I think that the devil tempts every man to all the evil that he does, or the greatest part. When the lufts of men, and the habits of vice, are grown ftrong and confirmed, the devil may fpare his temptations in a great measure; for after wicked men are wound up to fuch a pitch of impiety, they will go a great while of themselves.

I have done with the firft obfervation, That as the Apoftle acquits God from having any hand in tempting men to fin, fo neither does he afcribe the efficacy and prevalency of temptation to the devil. I proceed to the

2. Second obfervation, That he afcribes the efficacy and fuccefs of temptation to the lufts and vitious inclinations of men, which feduce them to a consent and compliance with the temptations which are offered to them: Every man is tempted, when he is. drawn away of his own luft, and enticed. We have many powerful enemies; but we are much more in danger of treachery from within, than of affaults from. without. All the power of our enemies could not detroy us if we were but true to ourselves; fo that the Apoftle had great reafon to afcribe the efficacy of temptation, to the irregular defires and vitious inclinations of men, rather than to thofe temptations, which the providence of God permits them to be af

faulted

faulted with, and confequently to lay the blame of mens fins chiefly upon themselves.

And that chiefly upon these two accounts:

1ft, Because the lufts of men are in a great measurė voluntary.

2dly, God hath put it in our power to refift those temptations, and overcome them. Now, fo far as the lufts of men are voluntary, it is their own fault that they are feduced by them; and if God hath put it in our power to refift and overcome temptations, we may blame ourselves if we be overcome and foiled by them.

ft, The lufts of men are in a great measure vo Juntary. By the lufts of men, I mean their irregular defires, and vitious inclinations. I grant that the nature of man is very much corrupted, and degenerated from its primitive integrity and perfection: but we who are Chriftians have received that grace in baptifm, whereby our natures are fo far healed, as if we be not wanting to ourselves, and do not neglect the means which God hath appointed to us, we may mor tify our lufts, and live a new life; fo that if our lufts remain unmortified, we ourselves are in fault, much more if they gain new ftrength, and proceed to habits; for this could not be, if we did not, after we come to age, and are able to difcern between, and to chufe good and evil, voluntarily confent to iniquity, and, by wilful and deliberate practice of known fins, improve the evil inclinations of our nature into vitious habits: But if, inftead of mortifying and fub duing the evil propenfions of our nature, (which is no very difficult work to most perfons, if they begin it betimes), we will cherish and give new life and power to them; we forfeit the grace which we received in baptifm, and bring ourselves again under the power and duminion of fm; and no wonder then if our lufts feduce us, and make us ready to comply with the temptations of the world and the devil.

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Nay, and after this it is ftill our own fault, if we do not mortify our lufts; for if we would hearken to the counsel of God, and obey his calls to repentance,

and

and fincerely beg his grace and Holy Spirit to this purpose, we might yet recover ourfelves, and by the Spirit mortify the lufts of the flesh; for though we have left God, he hath not quite forfaken us, but is ready to afford his grace again to us, though we have neglected and abufed it, and to give his Holy Spirit to those that afk him, though they have forfeited it: fo that though our lufts fpring from fomething which is natural, yet that they live and have dominion over us, is voluntary, because we might remedy it if we would, and make use of those means which God in the gospel offers to us.

2dly, God hath put it in our power to refift thefe temptations, and overcome them; fo that it is our own fault if we yield to them, and be overcome by them.

It is naturally in our power to refift many forts of temptations; and the grace of God, if we do not neglect it, and be not wanting to ourselves, puts it into our power to refift any temptation that may happen

to us.

(1) It is naturally in our power to refist many forts of temptations. If we do but make use of our natural reason, and those confiderations which are common and obvious to men, we may eafily refift the temptations to a great many fins. Some fins are fo horrid in their nature, that when we have the strongeft temptations to them, we cannot but have a natural averfion from them; as deliberate murder, the danger and guilt whereof are both fo great, as make it eafy for any confiderate man to refilt the strongest temptation to it, even that of revenge. A plain act of injuftice, whether by great fraud, or by downright oppreffion, is fo bafe and difgraceful, fo odious and abhorred by human nature, that it is not difficult to a man that hath but a common understanding, and common inclination to be honeft, to overcome the greatest temptation of gain and advantage; nay, he muft offer confiderable violence to his nature and reafon to bring himself to it at firft. Profaneness, and contempt of God and religion, is fo monftrous a fault, and of fo dreadful an appearance, that every man

that

that will but ufe his reafon, can have no temptation to it, either from gratifying his humour, or pleafing his company, or fhewing his wit, that can be of equal force with the arguments which every man's mind and confcience is apt to fuggeft to him against it.

Nay, there are many fins much inferior to thefe, the temptations whereto may, by the ordinary reasons and confiderations of prudence and intereft, be baffled and put out of countenance. To inftance in common fwearing, to which I think there is no temptation, either from pleasure or advantage, but only from fafhion and cuftom. Now this temptation is eafy to be conquered, by confidering that every man that profeffeth to believe the Bible, muft acknowledge it to be a fin; and if any man be convinced that it is a fin, I dare undertake to convince him that he can leave it. He that can chufe at any time whether he will speak or not, (which it is certainly in every man's power to do), can chufe whether he will fwear when he speaks, If he fays he does it by cuftom and habit, and when he does not think of it, a very little care and refolution will in a fhort time cure any man of that custom fo that it is naturally in every man's power to break off this fin.

;

(2) The grace of God puts it into our power, if we do not neglect it, and be not wanting to ourfélves, to refit any temptation that may happen to as; and what the grace of God puts into our power, is as truly in our power as what we can do ourselves. God offers his grace to every man under the gofpel, for he has promifed to give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him; and it is naturally in every man's power to afk it, otherwife the promife fignifies nothing: for if no man can afk the Spirit of God till he first have it, then to promise it to them that afk it, is to promife it to them who have it already, and then it is needless to afk it. And if God offer his grace to every man, then it is every man's fault if he have it not; and every man that hath it, may, ty the ordinary affiftance of that grace, refift any ordinary temp. tation. And if at any time God fuffers good men

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