A Praflical Expofiti.on Secondly,- Tbo' it be no Excafe forfinning, yet it j·s·tdofeldOm ken, that thofe who are brought into Temptation, are brought off again without contraE\i ng .fvme Guilt on t~eir Con_fciences by h. For fince then; is fo great a Cdrrefpondence b~cWeen Tempra.l ~ions and ourCorrup1ion.r~ it would he asftrange for a Man that bath heen horly aff;wlted by them to have no Imprtfli.on made upon him, as ro carry Fi're in his Bofom and hisCioaths not be burnt:; yea, almoft as Miraculour as to wdlK'fecure in rhc' midll of a Fiery Fur~ace umouch'd by the Flames. There .is a llrong Sympathy be·' tweebour corrupt Heansand Satan's Temptations; and as it is with Strings tuned to Unijon.r, upon the Mmion of the one the other alfo wilt·• more and·vibrare ; fo is ir' h~re, the Hea!t vib!ares~ and is fecretly aftetled upon the fir!! Modo~ of 1 ,a Temptation wirh fome Paflron of Dellghr and Complacency towards rhar finful Obje£\; and there isa kind of Liking and Approbation of it in the very fir(J Conception of our 'Thoughts, before' they are yet deliberated and digelled; fo ihat it is almoll as impoffiblc !or Temptations ·to affault us without lea\'ing fome Guilt and Pollution behind them , as it is for ObjeUs rightly prefenred to a Mirror to make no Jmpreffion of their Image upon it; for lhough the Temptation lhould produce nothing but hOveringand fleeting Idea's, and1 fomeimperfea Shadows of Defires and Aftt:Etions in us, which ycr arc check'd ·and fcattercd as foon as ever they begin to fOrm them[eh•es, yel there is not the thinneft Filmofafinful Thought, northeleaft breathing of a fintul Dcfire, but the,l;loly Law ofGod and his Word, which reacheth tot he dividing afunder of rile Sou~ aqd,Splrir; and is a Judge and a Difi::erner of the: Thoughts and Imenrs of rhe Hearr, doth1 ftriEUy prohibit and condemn thefe callow, ,u'nfledg'd, Morionsof our Hearts to be Con-. cupifcence, the(ad Effe£\s of Original Sin~ and th< truirful Caufe of all ' AEl da/. And therefore if we would be delivered from Evil, We have very great ·Caufe' firft .to pray that we be not led into Temptation; for fame Tcmplarioits doalmoft fo infeparably follow one upon anotHer," tbattbis will be ·our bell Security a~ainft rhofe fecrer Defires and Wouldings; and fir(! Smaneringsand RudimenrsofW(cke\Jnefs, which elfe the Compliance of our corrupt Hearts with Satan's Temptatiom1 WjH1,Ceitainly betray us unto. Hence it is that when GOd in·Scripture fi'equenrly dihth& us from Sin, he extends the Prohibition to all 'Tep:ptarion.r and Occafitms of Honing; 1'e~ ; thofl: Things which in themletves conlidered may be lawfully anditlnocently done by us, yet becaufe they may prove Snares and Temptations to us, w.e mull as carefull y refrain fwm them as we earneftly defire to keep ourfelves f~r froln Sin; And tberefore ir fufficeth not the Wife Man to command, 1j Sinners entice Confent tbou not, Prov. I. to. but 1hat thou mayelt bt:fure not to conf~m~ thou mufl order thy A8:ions and Converfe fo as that thou maye(t not be enticed by them : In rho 15th Vuje fays he, Walk not t bou in the fVay with them, re[r(1intby fut from tbeir P(uh : And fa we ha ve the fame Counfel given us by him in another Cbopttr, that we may not be inveagled by the Al· luremems of a il range Woman, be fure ro avoid all Occafioos thereof, Prov. 5· 8. Rt .. move t hy Way ft;r from her, come not near the Door of her Jioufe. And again, Prov. ~ 14, 15. Enur not into the PaJbof tbeWidud, ondgonot in t hcWayofEvi! lHen,auoid it, pajs not by it, turn from it, pnjs away. Here is Earneftnefs even to a T autology, as fame may ptophanely think, but Sacrrd Writ can admit of no fuch Thing; bu£ there are fo many f. xpreffions heaped up, fignify ing the fit me Thing only, to denote how grear theNeceHny of avoiding Tm1ptations and Occajiom ro Evil is to thofe who de· ir re 10 avoid rheSio: WehaveTreacherous and Deceitfu l Hearts with in us, that have ofien betrayed us when we have trufted them; and I befcech you call eo mind when you have emboldned yourfelves to venture upon Temptations and finful Octofions, bt:- ing eonfident and fully refolved not to yield 'to rhem; have you norofi:en bet::n furpriz~~ t:d, and led away captive, contrary royour Hopes, contrary to your lnrentions, con· uary to your H.efohnions, contrary tO the vain -Confidences with which you were before poffefs'd ? Methinks fOrmer Experience fhould make you cautious nt!ver again to uufi tbo(e Hearts withfuch OpportUnities and Advantages fOr Wickednefs, fince they have been fa often already Treacherous and Deceitful to us; venture them nor therefOre upon Temptations, fOr what Securi-ty have you tb'at a finful Hean will not fin, yea, and betray you lO commit thofe great Abominadons which poffibly you cannot now think of without Honour and Shiyering. And thus mucb.l thought fit to note to you from the Connexion of this Pare of the Petition with the former, Lead us not into Temptation, but deli vtr us from Evil. In the Words themfelves we have Two Things chiefly cor: fiderable, the Thing rbar v.:e pray againll, and the Perfoc to whom we pray; that which we pray again~ IS
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