I i Of TEMPTATION, &c. thou art at liberty take heed, enter no more if it be palfrble, left a worfe thing happen to thee. Thefe I fay are fume of thofemany confiderations, thatMight be infifted on to manifeft the importance of the truth propofed, and the.fufnefa of our concern- ment, in taking care that we enter not into temptation. Againft what bath been fpoken, fame oblations that fcretly infinuate- them felves into the fouls of men, and have an efficacyto makethemnegligent and care- lefs, in this thingwhich is of fach importance to them ; a duty of fueh indifpen- fible neceffity to them who intend to walk withGod inraisy peat , or with any faithfulnefs : are tobe confidered and removed. And they arethefe: thatfollow r. Why fhould we fo fear and labour to avoid temptation?r Jam. i. 2. we are commanded to count it all joy when we fall into divers temptationsa !now.certainlyI need not folicitoufly avoid the falling into that, which ivhem,I. am fallen into, I am to count it all joy. Towhich I anfwer, J. Youwill not hold by this rule in all things:. namely, that a man need not reek toavoid that, which when he cannot but fall into, it ishis duty to rejoyce there- in. The fame Apoftle bids the rich rejoyce that theyare madelvw, Chap. i. to. And without doubt to him who is acquainted with the goodnefs and wifdom, and love of God inhisdifpenfations ineverycondition that is needful for him, it will be a matter of rejoycing to him ; but yet how jewrich godly men can you perfuade not to take heed, and ule all lawful means that they be not made poor and low; and in molt cafes, the truth is it were theirfin, not todo fo. It is our bufinefs to makegood our lations, and to lècure our felves as we can ; ifGod alter our con- dition, we are to rejoyce in it : if the temptations here mentioned befall us, we mayhave caufe to rejoyce; but not if by a negleft of dutywe fall into them. 2. Temptations are taken twoways: ( t.) Pailively and meerly materially, for filch things, as are, or in fume cafes, may he temptations. Or, ( z.) A£tively for filch as do entice to fin: `Tamer fpeaks of temptations in the firft fenfe only ; for having laid, Count it all jay when you enter into manifold tempta- tions, v. z. he adds v. t 1. Blfed is the man that endureth temptation ;: forwhen he is tried he firall receive the crownof life. But now whereas a man might fay, if thisbefo, then temptationsare good, and from God ; no fays `fames ; take temp.. tation in Poch a fenfe, as that it is a thing enticing and leading to fin; foGod tempts none ; but every man is temptedof his own 1uß, v. r 3, 14. Tohave fach temptations, tobe tempted to fin, that is not thebleffed thing I intend ; but the enduring of aflli£tions that God fends for the trial of our faith; that is a bleffed thing : fo that tho' I muff count it all joy, when through the will of God I fall into divers affliflions, for my trial, which yet have the matter of temptationin them, yet I am to ufe all careand diligence, that my lofthave no occafions or ad- vantages given unto it, to tempt meto fin. z. But was not our Saviour Chrift himfeif tempted: and is it evil tobe brought into the fame ¡late and condition with shim? Yea it is not only faid, that he was tempted : but hisbeing fo, is expreffed as a thing advantageous, and conducing to his mercifulnefs as our Prieft, fhb. ii. 1'r, s 8. In that himrifbathfuffteedbeigrempted, be is able to fuccour them that are tempted. And he makes it a groundof a great pro- mife tohis difciples, that theyhad abode with himin his temptations, Luke xxii. 28. It is true ! our Saviour was tempted ; but yet his temptations are reckoned among theevils that befel him in thedays of his flefh ; things that come on him through themalice of the world, and the Princethereof. hie did not wilfullycaft him- felf into temptation, which he faid was to tempt the Lord our Gad, Matt. iv. 7. as indeed willingly to enter into any temptation is highly to tempt God. Now our condition is fo, that ufe the greateft diligence and watchfulnefs that we can, yet we (hall be fure to be tempted, and be made like to Chrift therein. This hinders not, but that it is our duty to theutmoft to prevent our falling into them; and that namely on this account. Chrift had only the faltering part of temptation, whenhe entred into it ; we have allo the finning part of it. When the Prince of this world came to Chrift he had nopart in him, but when he comes to us, he hash fo in us ; fo that tho' in one effeft of temptations, namely, trials and difquietnefs ; weare made like to Chrift and fo are to rejoyce, as far as by any means that ispro- duced ; yet by another, we are made unlike to him, which is our being defiled and intangled, and are therefore to feekby all means to avoid them, we never come off like Chrift: whoof us enter into temptation and are not defiled? 3.But ..r
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