A Praflical Expojition Secondly, As for thofe Ttmptotion.r which have a greater Compliance to the: CQ[ · rupr Tendency and Inclinations of our finful Natures, which are nor ro· fuch unnatural Sios as the other, it is very bard, if nor impofflble, to judge whether they orioinally proceed from Satan, or from our own inbred Corruptions; ufually they bo~h join together; if Satan firfi injetl: them, ufually our Lufts nurfe and fOH:er them. or if our wicked Beans be t~e firfi: Parents of them, ufually Satan inforceth them 'and by addhi~nal Recruit_s of Temptations makes them more prevalent and perma'oenr, and by fan and fpectous <;:otours makes them more plaufible and taking ; and cer - tainly there being fuch an tnnumerable Company of Evil Spirit .r, that notwithftand· ing the great Work and Employment they have to do in the World, yet Hell could fpare a whole Ltgzon of them to Garrifon in one po!feffed Man, we may nor doubt ut that they are continually bufie, prying into every one of our Tempers. And as long Experience bath made them very Sagacious in gueffing at the firft Motions of our Hearts, by the Alterations they find in our Fancies, or the Humours ofour Bodies, of which they have an exa8: IntuiriveKnowledge; fo when by fuch vifiblc Symptoms they perceive Corruption fiirring in us, they prefemly join Ufue with ir, and by all rbei r Art and Policy inftameour LuOs by adding NewFewel to them, improving the firU Motions and imperfe£t Embrio,s ofWickednefs dll they arrive to their full Srrengrh and Stature. Thus if by a~y Symptomt rhe Devil can perceive ~ra.rb and fv!alice boiling within our Breaft, he w!llprefently move the Tongue to gtve lt unt 1n Opprobrious and Reviling Speeches, and thefehewill fecond with injurious and violenr AElions. So Sr. Jamu tells ns, Jamrs 3· 6. The To.,guefeuethon}i.reJbeCourfeofNarurt~ a11d ir itjdf jet on fire of Hell. But as a Holy Man, I rh ink St. Auj/in, being demanded by a curious QueftionHt concerning the Origin of Evil, how Sin firft gor inro the World ~ Replied, It was nor foneceffary to difcourfe how ir came inro the Wor!d as to confider how we might get it our again : So truly ic is nor fo neceffary critically to enquire whence Temptationr come into the Hearr, as how they may .be got out of it. And to this I may give the fame Anfwer that Chrift did to his Difciples Matth. 17. 21. This Kind goetb not out but by Fajling and Prayer. We ougllt fi::r~ently ro pray that God would rebuke the Wicked One, and caufe him to depart from us, that he would by his Grace fupprefs all rhe Tumultuous Rebellions of our own Lufts and Pafiions, and neither lead us into Temptation, nor leave us under Temptation. And thus I have done with the Firfi General in this Petition, {hewing you what Temptations are. The Second is to {hew you how God may be fa id ro lead Men into Temptation ; for it may fee~ very ftra~ge .that the Holy and Righteous God fhould have a Hand in Tempting of Men, wh1ch lS fo proper a Work of the Dew!, and of our own Corruptions. Bur the difFerent Manner of God's leading ur into Temptation, and Satan't Te,npting us, will fufficient!y juflifie him from the leaft Afpetlionor Sufpicion of being the Author of Sin. And therefore, " Firft, God is faid to lead ut ·into Temptation when he providentially prefents Out· ward Obje[/s and Occafions, which do foliche and draw forth our inward Corruptions. When the Temptation ?four inward Lufis meet with external InducementS that are cart in a Man,s Way by God's Providence, then as we may be faid to Tempt him, fo God may befaid to lead us into Temptation. Thus Acban and Judat were no doubt of it covetous Wretches before the one fiole the Wedge of Gold, and the other bctray~d bit ll1afler; but the Temptations of tbofe Lufi:s were not as yet come to thei~ Stren~rh, till the glittering of the Wedge of Gold, and the proffered Reward of the H1gb Pmjl, raifed their Covetoufnefs to its full heighth. ln,deed we find the Propenfions of . our wicked Hearrs firongly bem towards Sin at all Times, even then when we have no external Objells propou.nded eo excite then:; but. when rhefe in war~. Inclinations do meet with outward Enforcemenrs, as allurmg Ob;etls, fir Opportumn~s, firong Per· fwafions fi:om others, inducing Examples, or the like, the Temptallon then grows headftrong and wild to 1;1urpoie; and i_fGrace do.th ~ot re~n it in with a hard Hand ic wilJ certainly hurry us tnto the Commlfiion of.rha.r S1~ whtc~ hat.b fa many Adva~ra. · ges to commend irto the Soul. Now all rhefeOb;efltve 1emptarrons God may moft rJghreoufly adminHt:er to our Lufis in rb.e Common Courfe ?f hi~ Providence, and we ?ften fee he cloth fo· for there is no outward A8 of Sin committed m the World bur the Stn~er took Occafion 'trom fame Providenee of God to perperrate ir. A Tbieftleals not any Thmg but what God'r Providroce brings in his Way. 'f.boli'lurder<r flays not any Man but whom · Provu/enct
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