440 The Sins of Men not chargeable upon God ; Vol. L to our folly, and to countenance our (loth and carelefnefs. We cannot feduce God, and draw him to do any thing that mif-becomes him, but we tempt him, in expe&ing the Care and Prote&ion of his Providence, when we wilfully ran our felves into danger, and negle& the Means of providing for our own fafety, And thus I have done with the firfi great Principle contain'd in the Text; viy, That God is not the Author of the Sins of Men. I proceed now to the Second, That every Man k his owngreatefi Tempter. But every Man is tempted, when he is drawn afide of his own lint, and enticed. God does not tempt anyMan to Sin : but every Man is then tempted, when by his own Lull, his irregular In- clination and Delire, he is feduced toevil, and inticed 5 .otia.;5pcerg, is caught as it were with a bait, for fo the greek word fignifes. Inwhich words the Apoftlegives us a true account of the prevalency and ef(à cacy of temptation upon Men. It is not becaufe God has any defign to enfnare Men in Sin ; but their own Corruption and vicious inclination feduce them to that which is evil. To inftance in the particular temptations the Apoftle was fpeaking of Perfecution and Suffering for the Caufe of Religion, to avoid which, many did then forfake theTruth, and Apoftatiz'd from theirChriftian ProfeíTcn. The trueCaufe of which, was not the Providenceof God, which permitted them to be expos'd to thole Sufferings; but their inordinate love of the good things of this Life, and their unreafonable fears of the Evils and Sufferings of it; they valued the enjoyments of this prefent Life, more than the Favour of God, and that Eternal Happinefs which he had promifed to them in another Life; and they feared the Perfecutions of Men, more than the threatnings of God, and the dreadful punifhmentsof another World. They had an inordinate affe&ion for the cafe and pleafure of this Life, and their unwillingnefs to part with cafe, was a great temptation to them toquit their Religion ; by this bait they were caught, when it came to the trial. And thus it is proportionably in all other forts of Temptations. Men are be- trayed by themfelves, and the temptation without hath a Party within them, with which it holds a fecret correfpondence, and which is ready to yield and give con- fent to it; fo that it is our own confent, and treachery to our felves that makes any temptation Matter of us, and without that we are not to be overcome; Every Man is tempted, when be is drawn aide of his own loft, and enticed. It is the Luft of Men complying with the temptations which are offer'd to us, which renders them effe&ual, and gives them the Vi &oryover us. In the handling of this Argument. I (hall from thefe Words of the Apoftle obferve to you thefe two things. . Firft, That as the Apoftle doth here acquit God from any hand in tempting Men to Sin, fohe does not afcribe the prevalency of temptation to the Devil. Secondly, That he afcribes the prevalency of temptation to the Luft and vici- ous inclinations of Men, which feduce them to a compliance with the temptati- ons that are prefented to them ; Every Man is tempted, when he is drawn afidiof his own lull, and enticed. Thefe two Obfervations (hall be the fubjeEt of my pre- fent Difcourfe. Firli, That as the Apoftle doth here acquit God from any hand in tempting Men to Sin, fo he doesnot afcribe the prevalency and efficacy of temptation to the Devil. That he acquits God, I have (hewn at large in my former Dif- courfe. It is evident likewife, that he does not afcribe the efficacy and prevalen.. cy of temptation to the Devil; for the Apoftle in this Difcourfe of his concern- ing temptations, makes no exprefs mention of the Devil ; he luppofeth indeed, that baits are laid for Men, everyMan is tempted, when he is drawn afide of his own lu(i, and enticed, i. e. when he plays with the baits that are laid for him, and fwallows them. And the Scriptureelfewhere frequently tells us, that the Devil is very allive and bufie to tempt Men, and is continually laying baits before them: but their own Lulls are the Caufe why they are caught by them. And I do the rather infili upon this, becaufe Men are apt to lay great load upon the Devil, in the bufinefs of temptation, hoping thereby either wholly, or at leaft in a great meafure to excufe themfelves ; and therefore I (hall here confider, how far
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