on the Lord's Prayer. 289 . ------~~------~~------~~- is Evil, rhaf we may be delivered from it; the Pcr!On to whom we prJy is Gud our Heavenly Farher. , That which we pray againft is Evil. Som~ li~it this Word. Evil ?nly nnro Satan, making the Senfe to be deliver us from rhe Evil Otie, foundmg 1h1s Interpretation upon rhat .Article that is joined with the Origi nal Word "o"r,~S'; but rh is is nor always difcred\•e bur fomerimes indefinire; as for irrfhnce Matt b. J 2. 35· and many orh~r Places. And therdOre confidering rhe Cornprehenfivenefs of this Prayer, we ought to allow the Word a large Exrenr, and to compr~hend under it, . Firfi, Satan, wbofe Proper Stile and Epithete i~ is to be called tbe. Evil One; and fo we find this.BlackTit!e given him in &,.ipture, Matth. q. '9 · The lVickrd One cometh mld {natcbcth away that w~icbwas.fown. And I John 2. q , 19. You br1Ve over~ come the Ulrr.ked One. He is the Wicked One eminently and !ingularly; he is the Chitf Author of Evil, his Temptations are all umo Evil, his Delight is only in Evil, be is the Father of all thofe thar· do Evil, and therefOre this is the mofl Proptr and Sig. nificant Character of the Devil; bur yet it is aHO afcribed unto 1\.1en according td their Refemblance of him. , Secondly, All other Evils are here meant, whether they be of Sin or Sorrow, whe:. ther they be Tranfgreffions or Puniilimems, and that either Tempor a l Punithments in thofe Judgments which God affliCts upon Sinners h~re, or Erernal Judgmenrs, fuch as he barb threamed to infli8: upon them hereafrer. From all thef~ we pray ro be de~ liver'd; bur the greateft of all thefe is Sin. For, · Firfi, It is greateft in the Narure cf ir, as being the only' Thing that is conttary to the gieateft Good, even God ; for in all other Things elG in the Wo rld there is fome· th ing of Good, even as much as derived and participated of God: And fo the very Devils themfelves have a Meraphyjicaf Goodnefs in them, as they are Crearores, and have received their Beings and Powers from God , who is the Aurho r of nothing that is Evil. But Sin bath nor the leatl Ray or Footileps of Goodnefs in it, but is only Defetl and Irregularity; and that alone which as his So,ul always h ares,. fo his Hands never made. Secondly, It is the greateft Evil in the EffeEls and Confequences of it ; it once rurn'd Glorious Angels into Hideous Dcvilt, and rumbled them down from Heaven td Hell, filled the World with Woes and Plagues, brought Death an d Difeafes, and a V aft and EndlefS Sum of Miferies, into it; it torm;;:nts and terrifies the Confcience, kindles Hell-ftames, expofcs the Soul to the Eternal an~ Direful Revenges of the Great God, and is fo pet fetlly and only Evil, that the worft of Things here, were they free from the Contagion of Sin, would be excellent and amiable. To pray therefore againft the Evil of Sin, is to pray againft all other Evi fs what· foever; for the Devil, the Evil 0.'1c, cannot hun us but by Sin: And no other Evil can befa l us but for Sin, God inflicting them. as the due Guerd4J and Reward of ouf Tranfgreffions. Sin therefont being the Chief and Pri ncipal Evil, and all others but Retainers to it, I [ball at prefent tpeak only of God's deli vering us f rom Sin. Now as thete are Two Things in Si'n which make it fo exceeding Evil, the Guil t ofit whereby it damns, and the Filth of i t whereby it pollutes, t he Soul, fo God bath Two Ways to deliver us from it. . Firft, By removing the Guilt already comratled, which he doth in juftifying and pardoning the Sinner. Secondly, By preventing us from falling into the Filth and Pollution of it for the futu re. Ofthe Pardon ofSin I have already largely treated in the foregoing Petition: 1he D~liverance tiom Evil, which we here pray for, is by preventing it fOr the future. And whereas we are taught by our Saviour tp beg this of God, o~r Heavenly Father; we may obferve that it is only the Almighty Power ofGod that can keep us from Sin ; and that will appear if we confider either our Enemies or out fi:lv<::s. Firft, Confider theMighty AdvantageS ihat our gieat Enemy the Devil ba th againft us: As he is a.Spirit be is both Po<Verful and Subtil , and both the fe are whetted by his great Malice againft us; long Experience alfo for above Five Th oufand Years hath made him very politick in dealing with Souls, and carrYi ng on his own Defigns and · Interefl: He knows ~:mr Temper, our Paffions, and ou r Inclinations, and can chu fi! and cull out rbofe ObjeUs which !hall infa llibly ftrike and Efl<tl us; he waits thofe Mollia tempora fandr, thofe Ea fie Hours ofWhifpering his Suggefiions to us when we are mofifacile and compliant, when we an; moft eafily wrought uron, and madefofr to his Hands by fomeforegoingCircum!lances: And it. after all this hedefpairsto prevail Ppp · u~ft
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