Of TEMPTATION, &c. 2 thathath been fpoken of: And we fee our Saviour'sdire&ion in theplace fpoken of be- fore, Math. xxvi. 41. he films up all in thefe two wordsMach and Pray; I Tall little labour to unfoldthem, and thew what is enwrapped and contained in them : and that both jointlyand feveralty. t. There is included in them, a clear abiding apprehenfion of the great evil, that there is ft catering intotemptation. That which a man watches and prays againfl, he looksupon as evil to him, and by all means to be avoided. This then is the firfl dire&ion; Always bear in mind thegreat danger that it is,forany foul to enter into temptation. It isawoful thingto confider wÍrat flight thoughts the moll have of this thing : fo men can keep themfelves from fin it (elf, in open a&ion, they are content, they fèarce aim at more ; on any temptation in the world, all forts of men will venture atany time. How will young men put themfèlveson any company, any fodety ; at firft being de- lighted with evil company, thenwith the evil of the company ? Foss/vain areall ad- monitions and exhortations to them, to take heed of fach perforas, debauched in them- felves, corrupters of others, defter y.ers of finds? At firft they will venture on the com- pany, abhorring the thoughts ofpra&iling their lewdnefs : but what is the iffue ? Un- letsit be here or there ore, whom God faatches with a mighty hand from the jaws of deftru&ion; theyare all. loft, and become after a while in love with the evil, whichat firfl they abhorred. This opendoor to the ruin offouls, is too evident ; and wofulex- periercemakes it no lefs evident, that is is a'moft impoffìble to fallen upon manypoor creatures, any fear or dread of temptation,: who yet will profefs a ftar andabhorrency of frn. Would itwere onlythis with your;men, Limb as are unaccufiomed tothe yoke of the Lord. What fort ofmen is free from this folly in one thing or other ? How manypro£effors have I known that would plead for their libea ty, as they called it? They could hear any thing, all things ; _ all forts of men, all men; theywould try all things, whetherthey come to them in the way of God or no ; and on that account would run to hear and toattend to every broacher off lfe and abominableopinions; every feducer though ftigmatized by the generality of theSaints, for filcha one, they had their liber- ty, they could do it ; but the opinions they hated as much as any ; what bath been the iffue ? I fcarce ever knew any come off without a wound ; the moil havehad their faith overthrown : let no man then pretend to fear fin, that Both riot fear temptation to They are too nearly ally'd, to be feparated. Satan hack put them fo together, that it is very hard, forany man to put themafunder : he hates not the fruit, whodelights in the root. When men fee that fuela ways, fach companies, fuck courfes, fuch bufineffes, filch (ladies and aims do entangle them, make them cold, carelefs, are quench-coals to them, indifpofe them to even univerfal, and confiant obedience, if they adventure on them, fin liesat the door. It is a tender frame of fpirit, fenible of its own weakrefs and corruption, of thecraft of Satan, of the evil of fin, of the efficacy of temptation, that can perform this duty. And yet until webring our hearts to this frame, upon the confiderations before mentioned, or the like that may be propored, we shall never free our felves from frnful intanglemeats. Boldr.efs upon temptation, fpringingfrom feveral pretencesbath, as is known, ruined innumerable profeffors in thefe days and Mill con- tinues to callmany down from their excellency ; nor have I the leafl hope of a more fruitful profelfion amongfl us, until l fee more fear of temptation. Sin will not long feemgreat or heavy unto any, to whomtemptations teem light or fmall. This is the find thing enwrapped irr thisgeneral direktion ; Thedaily exercifeof our thoughts with an apprehenfion of the great danger that lies inentring into temptation, is required of us. Grief of the fpirit of God, difquietmentof our own fouls, lots of peace, hazard ofeternal welfare, lies at thedoor ; if the foul be not prevailed withal, to the ebfervation of this dire&ion, all that enfues, will be armvalue; temptation defpifed will conquer a and if the heart be made tender andwatchful here, halfthe workof fecuring agood converfation is over. And let not him go any farther, who re- folves not to improve this dire&ion in a daily confcientiousobfervation ofit. a. There is this in it alfo, that it is not a thing in our own power to keep and pre- ferve our felves from entring into temptation. Thereiòre are we to pray that we may bepreferved from it, becaufe ive cannot faveour felves, Thisis anothermeans of prefervation ; as we have no ftrength, to refill a temptation when it doth come, when we are entred into it, but Mall fall carder it, without x fupply of fufhciencyof grace from God, fo toreckon that we have no power or wifdomto keep G our
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