304 Of COMMUNION With 3. So it is faid emphatically of him, I-kb. ii. 13. In that he himfelf hath fieffered, being tempted, he is able to fuccour them that are tempted. It is true, there is fomething in all our temptations more tlian was in the temptation of Chrift. There is fomething in our felves to take part with every temptation., and there is enough in our felves to (a) tempt us, though nothing elfe fhould appear againft us. With Chrift it was not fo, Job. xiv. 3o. but this is fo far from taking off his compaifion towards us, that on all accounts whatever it doth increafe it; for if he will give us fuccour becaufe we are tempted, the forer our temptations are, the more ready will he he to fuccour us. Take fome inftances of Chrift's giving aiieomgs, :3oß°um', feafonable help in, and under temptations unto fin now this he loth feveral ways. [t.] By keeping the foul, which is liable to. temptation and expofed to it, in a ftrong habitual bent againft that fin that he is obnoxious to the alfaults of. So it was in the cafe of ofeph, Chrift knew that fofeph's great trial, and that whereon if he had been conquered he had been undone, would lie upon the hand of his miftrefs tempting him to lewdnefs ,; where- upon he kept his heart in a Ready frame againft that fin, ashis anfwer with- out the leaft deliberation argues, Gen. xxxix. 9. in other things wherein he wasnot fo deeply concerned, Yofeph's heart was not fo fortified by ha- bitual grace ; as it appears byhis fwearrngby the (b) life ofPharaoh. This is one way whereby Chrift gives fuitable help to his, in tendernefs and com- pafüon. The faints in the courfeof their lives, by the company, society, bufinefs they are call upon, are liable and expofed to temptations, great andviolent; fome in one kind, fome in another. Herein is Chrifl exceed- ingly kind and tender to them in fortifying their hearts with abundance of grace, as to that fin, unto temptations whereunto they are moll expofed; when perhaps in other things they are very weak and are often fur prized. [2.] Chrift fometimes, by Tome ftrong dmpulfe of adlual grace recovers the foul from the very borders of fin. So it was in the cafe of David, s Sam. xxiv.,4, g, 5. He was almoft gone as he fpeaks himfelf, his feethad well nigh flipt. The temptation was at the door of prevalency when a mighty impulfe ofgrace recovers him. To thew his faints what they are, their own weaknefs and infirmity, he fometimes fullers them to go to the very edge and brow of the hill, and thencaufeth them to hear a word be- hind, them faying This is the right way, walk in it, and that with power and efficacy, and fo recovers them to himfelf. [3.] By taking away the temptation it Pelf when it grows fo ftrong and violent that the poor foul knows not what to do. This is called delivering the Godly outof temptation, a Pet. ii. 9. As a man is pluckt our of thefnare, and the fnare left behind to hold another. This have Iknown to be the cafe of many in fundry perplexing temptations. When they have been quite weary, have tried all means of help and affiftance, and have not been able to come to a comfortable iffue, on a fuddain, unexpeftedly, theLord Chrift in his tendernefs and compaffion rebukes fatan, that theyhear not one word more of him as to their temptation, Chrift comes in, in the florin, and faith, Peace, be /pill. [4.] By giving in frefh fupplies of grace, according as temptations do grow or increafe. So was it in the cafe of Paul, 2 Cor. xii. 9 ]ti h Paul is f; cient for thee. The temptation whatever itwere, grew g ; (a) Jam. i. v. 14, t5.. (b) Gen:xüi. lb. ' was
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=