to be affaulted, he hath promised in such cases an extraordinary grace and affiftance: and that either he will not fuffer us to be tempted above what we are able, or that with the temptation he will find a way to efcape, that we may be able to bear it.

And thus I have done with the second thing I propounded to speak to from these words, That every man is his own greatest tempter: Every man is tempted, when he is drawn afide of his own luft and enticed. And now the proper inferences from what I have been all this while difcourfing to you are these three :

1. Not to think to excufe ourselves by laying the blame of our fins upon the temptation of the devil. That the devil tempts us is not our fault, because we cannot help it; but it is our voluntary compliance with his temptations, our confenting to that evil which he folicits us to, which maketh us guilty: Every man is tempted when he is drawn afide of his own luft. The lufts of our own hearts give the efficacy to the temptations of the devil: men many times fin upon the motions and fuggeftions of the devil; but though he be guilty of tempting us, we are guilty of confenting to his temptations.

are.

Many times we are not fure that the devil tempts, us to fuch a fin, but we are fure that we commit it,. and confequently that we are guilty of it. Nay it is certain, if there were no devil, many would be wicked, and perhaps not much less wicked than they The lufts and vitious inclinations of men would yield to the temptations of the world, though there were none to manage them, and to fet them on to the greatest advantage; fo that we cannot excuse our faults upon this account, that we are tempted by the devil. If this were a fufficient excufe for us, the devil would take no pleasure in tempting us; the whole defign of his temptation being to make us guilty; and by the guilt of fin to make us miferable.

2. From hence we learn what reafon we have to pray to God, that he would not lead us into temptation, i. e. not permit us to fall into it; for in the phrase of scripture, God is many times faid to do VOL. V.

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thofe things which his providence permits to be done. The best of us have fome remainders of luft, fome irregular defires and appetites, which will be apt to betray us to fin, when powerful temptations are pre'fented to us; fo that it is a great happiness to the best of men, to be kept by the providence of God out of the way of violent temptations, for our own ftrength to refift them is but fmall, and we are apt to be fecure, and to neglect our guard; we are eafy to be furprised, and in continual danger through our own weakness or careleffnefs. Our greateft fecurity is, if we be fincere, and heartily defirous to do well, and firmly refolved againft fin, and do depend upon God for his grace and affiftance, that his providence will not fuffer us to fall into the hands of dangerous and violent temptations, which probably would be too hard for us; he who knows what our ftrength is, will not fuffer us to be tempted above what we are able.

3. From hence we may learn the best way to dif arm temptations, and to take away the power of them, and that is by mortifying our lufts, and subduing our vitious inclinations. When this is done, (which by the grace of God may be done) temptation hath loft its greatest advantage upon us. It is the confpiracy of our lufts, with the temptations that fet upon us, that betrays us into their power. The true reason why men fall into fin, is not because they are tempted, but because there is fomething within them which inclines and difpofes them to comply with the temptation, and to yield to it. It is faid, when the devil came to our Saviour to tempt him, that he found nothing in him, and therefore his temptations had no force upon him. The more we mortify our lufts, the less the devil will find in us for his temptations to work upon. Every fpark is dangerous when it falls upon combustible matter; but though sparks fly never fo thick, there is no danger, fo long as there is nothing about us to catch fire.

If we will not be drawn afide and enticed to fins

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let us mortify our lufts; for so far as we are mortified, we are out of the power of temptation.

Men are apt to complain of temptations, that they are too hard for them, and that they are not able to refift them, though they pray to God continually for his grace to that purpose. This indeed is one means very proper and neceffary to be used; but this is not all that we are to do: we must break off habits of fin, and fubdue our lufts, and keep under our inclinations, and then we fhall find ourselves able to refift and encounter temptations with more fuccefs. And till we do this, in vain do we pray for God's grace, and depend upon him for ftrength to overcome the temptations that do affault us: for God's grace was never defigned to countenance the floth and negligence of men, but to encourage and fecond our refolutions and endeavours of well-doing. If we expect God's grace and affiftance upon other terms, we tempt God, and provoke him to leave us to the power of temptations, to be drawn away and enticed by our own lufts.