The great event commemorated in this holy rite, is the surest pledge granted by divine truth to assure us of these mercies; and the most powerful means employed by divine grace to effect this great change. Approach then, my friends, and commemorate the blood of the Redeemer, shed for you and "for many for the remission of sins"-commemorate it with assured faith and fervent gratitude; with sincere repentance and deep humiliation; with anxious, earnest prayer to the Holy Spirit, to strengthen your spiritual weakness and aid your frail resolves, to assist you to amend your lives, and to be in perfect charity with all men; so shall ye be meet partakers of those holy mysteries; those pledges of your Redeemer's love, which He instituted for a continual remembrance of His death, to our great and endless comfort."

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SERMON XXIV.

TEMPTATION NO EXCUSE FOR TRANSGRESSION.

(Delivered in the University Chapel, Dublin; and addressed to the Students)

1 COR. X. 13.

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

So

No declaration of Holy Writ tends more effectually to rouse the watchfulness of sinful man, and to put an end to the false pretexts under which he conceals from himself the aggravations of his guilt, than that now submitted to your consideration. important indeed is the principle it contains, that it is pointed out to our daily attention, in that summary of every petition with which the weakness of man is taught to cast itself on the mercy, and to implore the assistance of our heavenly Father. That admirable form of prayer taught to his disciples by our Saviour himself, concludes with the following petition, "lead us not into temptation." Now it seems obvious, that when we implore the God of mercy and Author of all good, not to lead us into temptation, but to deliver us from evil, we acknowledge it to be our bounden duty to co-operate with that directing Power whose influence we entreat; our bounden duty to exercise the utmost watchfulness to keep out of the way of temptation, to avoid every occasion of falling, and to break off those sins which do so easily beset us. Without such strenuous efforts, such sincere co-operation, we stand convicted of the most gross duplicity, and the most impious mockery of God. To this high, this important duty, let me now direct your thoughts, my fellow-Christians; it well deserves your most serious attention. That man is subject to temptations from a variety of causes, is universally confessed.

We hear perpetual complaints of the

seduction of alluring but forbidden objects from without, of the violence of unruly passions from within; of the fatal influence of depraved examples and vicious customs; of the frailty of human nature, the delusions of error, and the weakness of resolution. But, alas! all these sources of temptation are brought forward, and even exaggerated and magnified, not so much to rouse us to vigilance, to enforce the necessity of self-control and the reasonableness of humility and self-distrust, as to palliate or justify our crimes, excuse our breach of known duty and violation of express commands; to encourage us to hope for impunity, though we continue in habitual violation of the divine law, and yield without resistance to the allurements of vice and the impulses of passion. We argue as if beings so frail and exposed to such temptation, could never become the objects of punishment, to a just and merciful God. Nay, we go further, we boldly and blasphemously shift off all blame from ourselves upon the Author of our nature; as if the God of purity were the source of our crimes, and answerable for all the pollutions of His guilty creatures. We are not perhaps audacious enough plainly to assert this, or avowedly to rely upon it; but it is evident that we secretly feel and willingly encourage the impious and fatal delusion.

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It was indeed the first effect of sin on fallen man, thus to blind his reason and stupify his heart, to lead him to shelter himself under this shallow and base subterfuge. After his transgression of the one command, which God had imposed as the test of his obedience, when his offended Judge questioned the self-conscious criminal, hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat ?"* the offender, instead of candidly acknowledging and humbly deploring his offence, as the effect of his own criminal disobedience and proud aspiring to be as God, knowing good and evil, aggravated it by the utmost ingratitude, and the most impious disbelief of the divine menace, which had annexed death to disobedience; instead of that feeling of true repentance, which would have led him to exclaim, “God, be merciful to me a sinner," our self-deceived parent puts off the blame from himself upon the partner of his guilt; nay, he

* Gen. iii. 11.

labours to involve in his own guilt that God who prohibited the crime, as if he were Author of the temptation which produced it; "the woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat."* Exactly similar to this, is the impious sophistry, which alleges the force of passions, the infirmity of nature, and the resistless allurements of vicious pleasure, in justification of impurity and licentiousness, of malignity and revenge. Men rarely indeed thus expressly impute their crimes to their Creator; but they strongly insinuate, and secretly suppose such an imputation. It becomes, therefore, the more necessary to defend and impress the reasoning of the apostle-" Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man; but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." Thus every thing good and perfect derives its origin from the gracious suggestion, and its completion from the powerful co-operation of God's Holy Spirit, assisting our humble efforts, strengthening our frail resolutions, supplying the counsel of the divine word, the impulse of the divine sanctions, and the assistance of all those means of grace, and all those hopes of glory, which direct and animate the Christian's course. But the evil that we do is wholly our own. That we are exposed by the very constitution of our nature to temptation, is indeed true. But it seems probable, that no finite being can be wholly exempt from it, and be at the same time capable of acquiring the habits, and attaining the happiness of virtuous self-government, and pious obedience to the divine will. The very existence of virtue, implies trial and temptation. Obedience and resignation imply laborious exertion, and painful sacrifice, the subjugation of our own inclinations and desires to the command of our heavenly Father, who alone knows how to direct us to perfect our nature and secure our well-being. Thus, to be exposed to a certain

Gen. iii. 12.

James i. 13-17.

degree of temptation, may be necessary to the formation of virtue, and the consequent attainment of happiness; and when we are assailed by extraordinary trials, the divine word assures us, that if we implore it, we shall receive extraordinary aid; that if we entreat his gracious protection, the God of mercy " will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it."

In truth, examine the various feelings and desires of human nature, and you will find that duly regulated, they would prove the aids of virtue, and the sources of happiness. The principle of self-preservation and self-love, which carried to excess, becomes the fruitful parent of pride and ambition, avarice and dishonesty, selfishness and oppression, would if duly regulated, render us attentive to our true interest, vigilant to improve every power of our nature whether mental or corporeal to the highest pitch, would make us careful to observe, and active to employ the means of permanent enjoyment, which can never be inconsistent with the dictate of virtue, and the will of God. In a word, well-regulated self-love is the most powerful spur to virtuous activity, and cautious self-control.

Thus also, the next most powerful passion of human nature, which abused and perverted, leads to every species of impurity and pollution, of misery and degradation, when confined within due bounds, becomes the foundation of all the social relations and amiable affections, which endear and soften life. Hence the ties of conjugal love, parental tenderness, filial reverence, and fraternal affection, in a word, all the relations of family society, the purest source of happiness, and the best nursery of virtue.

Thus again, that warmth of feeling which resents injustice and wrong, a feeling which unrestrained and ill-directed disturbs society and subverts happiness, bursting forth into peevishness and violence, into fury and revenge, is in its original tendency, the guard of virtue, and the incentive to active exertion; it is calculated to counteract the violence of oppression, and the tyranny of pride; to curb the insolence of vice, and give energy and vigour to the defence of innocence, of justice, and of truth.