A Praf1ical Expojiti011 I dience might be confpicuou~ , Gm. 22. 1. And fometimes to difcover their Corruptions ; fo ~e tempted tle.zekrah, ~ Cl~ron. 3 2. 3 t. It is fa id tluJt God l#'t bim to rryb/111 tha~ he mtgbt knowalltbat was zn bu }Jear~; not but t~ac God knew ir before, fO; he ts the Searcher ofche Hearr, and theTner of the Rems; but that hereby it might be difcovered,-and made apparenti and that Hezekiab lby tht(Difcovtry of his Pride and Corruption might take occafion to humble himfelf.the more deeply •beli>rc God. Fifibly, There is a !emptatzon wi;lereby Satan tempts us; yea -kjs his proper Work, and thatfromwbi<h hehathhisName hafi~w• the Tempter;'• •Tbe!tl ' 5.lejl byfomc !'~cans the '[cm_pter might b.avc tempted you. , Now as G~ tc~npts tonly hy Explorauonand Tnal, fo the Devz/alway$ temptt bySuo./lon, mducmg•us by all po!lible Arguments and Mol1 to the Commiffion of Sin, th>< he may •have AdvanJ rage w accu{i:: us of it, and liereafteno wrmenrus fOri[. ,, , Now among theii:: many various Kinds of Temptations which have been reckoned' up thofe Temptations which we are tO pray againft ate of Three Sorts. Such as proceed from our own Lufis and Corruptions, fuch as proceed from other Mens perfwading us, either by·Moriyes or Examples,- unro that which iSEvil; or lallly, fuch as proceed from the D~vd.; or elfe they may be reduced to thefe Two He~ds, the. Temptations which. proceed from our own inbred Lufis and Corrup!i· ons, and thofe which proceed from the Droil; f6r iodeed Wicked Men are bur his Agems and Inftruments when they tempt us to that which is Evil. Now thar our Saviour Chrifi !hould make it the great Matter and ObjeU -of 001 Prayers, to beg ofGod that we may not he led into Trmptation, we may obfervC: that it is a Chrifiian's ,Duty not only to keep himfelf from Sin, but alfo 10 endea· vour to keep hinifelf fromTemptation to Sin. 'For, FiJ~, ltisa verr ill, Sign of a Rottenaod Carnal He<frt to be content to lye under a Temptation, although itdoth not confcnt to the CommiffionofSin; it fpeaksfome kind QfContemmenr and ComplacenCy tbatwe"take in rheSin ,'whenlhou.gh we do not col)1rpit it, yet we are~ ver_y well pleafed to he:i.r of it, and to C\1t<:rtain MotiOns and S9ll icitations toir :.. This ar~ues ..the Soul is not:Chatl:e towards Ciiod, ·that though we cannot enjoy it in OommHhon,ye.tw.e.will make fame Recornpence:toourfe1vtst0r the Sctupulou.fOefs ofour ConfCienaes, by enjoyiog1it in the TemptatlOnl ·secondly, If yo9 fuifer a Temptation to lodge in your Hearts you are in imminent Danger-of bcing .preyiJiied upon by.ir; the Temptation will be continually · gather~ ing Srrength, and your Oppofirion againtt it may in .fome Time flag, and grow rem ifs, and Objeits, aod Oppor..ruoit-ies, ·and~ fueh Hke Ad vamages, may add fuch a fOrce ro the Temptation, as may hurry you away inro the Commiffion ofrhem, contrary to your former RefOlurions ; you can promife yourfelf no SafCry, no, not fiom the Commiflion of the vileR: Sins, as long as you fufl:~r tht:: TemptaTion to abide upon you : Puddles that fiand long unmoved will at laft breed rihhy and vcnomoui Creawres; fo a TempTaTion that lyes long unmoved and ur.driturbed upon you will form fome filthy andloathfome Sin or_ other : The only fecurc Way is to lhikcat the Temptation itfelf, to cut that ofl:, and therr there is no DJnger to be feared from the Sin ; this is the Courft: St. Paul took, 2 Cor. 12. 8. when he was h1tjfi·u~ by a .MejJcngcr from SaTan, that is, a!faulred by a TemptaTion, h~ not only rakes Care that ht: might not yield to ir, that was not altogetht:r enough for a truly Gra· cio.us Soulro do, bur belabours to lx: rid of.tbe Temptation it felt; for tbit Thing l befw,gbt rbc Lord Thrice, that is, of£en, That iT might depart from me: He pr:1:ys not only t"h:n he may be kept from the Sin towhkh he was ttmpud~ but that he might be 'ffeed al-10 from rhe Temptation itfclf. Thirdly COI!flder that as all Trmptationr are dangerous, and that we have great Reai~n to tear left in the End they fhould prevail uporr us to commit the Sin ro which we are rempud, fO O).Oft of them are nor only Tt1!1pTation.r, bu t Sins alfo.., lndeed there is a 'fcmptation ·to Sin, which is a Tcmptarion only, and no Sin, fOr fo Chiiil himh:lf was rempted, Maaf;. 4· I. He wa; led inro Tbe Wi!dernifs to be tempTed c-f The D~vil; and we read there with whar horrid Tcmpuaions he was af.. t~ulted, even ro worfhlp the Devil, ro difirufiGod, and ro dcftroy himfelf; and yet aS Black as thefi:: Ji:mpTaTions were th((y w,ereo__nlyTemptaTionr, and no Sins; fOrfOrhe Apofile tells us, H~b . 4· 1 5· He war UIJJpuihn aliThin,g.r like umour, Sin f!nlyexceptd-: And fuch fOmetim..:s are th~ Te,np{tttion; wherewith the DBvil .affaulrs the Children ot God, horrid and h~lli!h TempTation.;, even rodeny the very Being of God) the Trurh of t~e Scriptures,the Immortality ofthe S.ou!,Heaven and,Hdl,and fuch Bubblin~s ofBia 'phem1es agawft
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