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74 SER M. the other hand, he represents the danger of offending not to be fo great and certain as they imagined. "The ferpent faid unto the woman, ye fhall not "furely die." And the devil had fo good fuccefs in this way of tempting the firft Adam, as to encourage him to fet upon the fecond, our bleffed SAVIOUR, in the fame manner; for he would have perfuaded him "to fall down and worship him," by offering him "all the kingdoms of the world, " and the glory of them." And thus bad men many times tempt others, and endeavour to draw them into the fame wicked courfes with themselves. Solomon reprefents to us the manner and the danger of it, Prov. i. 10, 11, 13, 14. "ners entice thee, confent thou come with us, let us lay wait "lurk privily for the innocent without caufe; we "fhall find all precious fubftance, we fhall fill our "houfes with spoil. Caft in thy lot amongst us, let "us all have one purfe." This is the first way of temptation.

"My Son, if fin

not; if they fay, for blood, let us

And to be fure GOD tempts no man this way. He offers no arguments to man to perfuade him to fin; he no where propofeth either reward or impunity to finners; but on the contrary gives all imaginable encouragement to obedience, and threatens the tranfgreffion of his law with moft dreadful punishments.

Secondly, men are likewife tempted, by being brought into fuch circumftances, as will greatly endanger their falling into fin, tho' none perfuade them to it; and this happens two ways; when men are remarkably befet with the allurements of the world, or affaulted with the evils and calamities of it; for either of thefe conditions are great temptations

to

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to men, and make powerful affaults upon them, efpe- S ERM. cially when they fall upon those who are ill difpofed before, or are but of a weak virtue and refolution.

The allurements of the world are strong temptations; riches, honours, and pleasures, are the occafions and incentives to many lufts. Honour and greatness, power and authority over others, especially when men are fuddenly lifted up, and from a low condition, are apt to tranfport men to pride and infolency towards others. Power is a ftrong liquor which does eafily intoxicate weak minds, and makes them apt to fay and do indecent things. "Man that is in honour and underftands not, is "like the beafts that perish;" intimating that men who are exalted to an high condition, are very apt to forget themselves, and to play the fools and beafts. It requires great confideration, and a well poifed mind, not to be lifted up with one's condition. Weak heads are apt to turn and grow dizzy, when they look down from a great height.

And fo likewife eafe and profperity are a very flippery condition to moft men, and without great care do endanger the falling into great fins. So Solomon obferves, Prov. i. 32. "For the turning away of the fimple fhall flay them, and the pro"fperity of fools fhall destroy them." For this reafon Agur maketh his prayer to God, that he would

''

give him neither poverty nor riches," but keep him in a mean condition, because of the danger of both extremes, Prov. xxx. 8, 9. "Give me not riches, "left I be full, and deny thee." Both the eager defire and the poffeffion and enjoyment of riches do frequently prove fatal to men. So our SAVIOUR tells

us

SER M. us elsewhere very emphatically, Matth. xix. 23, 24. "Verily I fay unto you, that a rich man shall hardly "enter into the kingdom of heaven: and again I

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fay unto you, it is eafier for a camel to go through "the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter "into the kingdom of God." St. Paul likewife very fully declares unto us the great danger of this condition, 1 Tim. vi, 9, 10. " But they that will be rich "fall into temptation, and a fnare, and into many "foolish and hurtful lufts, which drown men in "deftruction and perdition; for the love of money "is the root of all evil, which while fome coveted "after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced "themselves through with many forrows."

But the greatest bait of all to flesh and blood, is fenfual pleasures; the very prefence and opportunity of these, are apt to kindle the defires, and to inflame the lufts of men, efpecially where these temptations meet with fuitable tempers, where every fpark that falls catcheth.

And on the other hand, the evils and calamities of this world, especially if they threaten or fall upon men in any degree of extremity, are strong temptations to human nature. Poverty and want, pain and fuffering, and the fear of any great evil, efpecially of death, these are great ftraits to human nature, and apt to tempt men to great fins, to impatience and difcontent, to unjust and dishonest shifts, to the forfaking of GoD, and apoftafy from his truth and religion. Agur was fenfible of the dangerous temptation of poverty, and therefore he prays against that, as well as against riches; "give me not po¬ "verty, left being poor I fteal, and take the name "of the LORD my GoD in vain," that is, left I

be

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be tempted to theft, and perjury. The devil, whofe SER M. trade is to tempt men to fin, knew very well the force of these forts of temptations, when he defires God first to touch Job in his estate, and to see what effect that would have, Job i. 11. "But put forth "thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and "he will curfe thee to thy face." And when he found himself deceived in this, furely he thought, that were he but afflicted with great bodily pains, that would put him out of all patience, and flesh and blood would not be able to withstand this

temptation, cap. ii. 5. "But put forth thine "hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and "he will curfe thee to thy face." And this was the great temptation that the primitive chriftians were affaulted withal; they were tempted to forfake CHRIST and his religion, by a moft violent persecution, by the spoiling of their goods, by imprisonment, and torture, and death. And this is that kind of temptation which the apostle particularly fpeaks of before the text, "bleffed is the man that "endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he "fhall receive the crown of life, which the LORD "hath promised to them that love him ;" and then it follows, "let no man fay when he is tempted, I am "tempted of God." And thus I have given an account of the feveral forts of temptations comprehended under this fecond head, namely, when men are tempted by being brought into fuch circumftances as do greatly endanger their falling into fin, by the allurements of this world, and by the evils and calamities of it.

And the question is, how far God hath an hand in these kind of temptations, that fo we may know how to limit this propofition, which the apostle here rejects,

SER M. rejects,

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"that men are tempted of Gop." "Let "no man fay, when he is tempted, I am tempted " of GOD."

That the providence of GOD does order, or at least permit men to be brought into thefe circumftances I have spoken of, which are fuch dangerous temptations to fin, no man can doubt, that believes his providence to be concern'd in the affairs of the world. All the difficulty is, how far the apostle does here intend to exempt Go from an hand in these temptations. Now for the clearer understanding of this, it will be requifite to confider the feveral ends and reasons, which those who tempt others may have in tempting them; and all temptation is for one of these three ends or reasons; either for the trial and improvement of mens virtues; or by way of judgment and punishment for fome former great fins and provocations; or with a direct purpose and design to feduce men to fin; thefe I think are the chief ends and reafons that can be imagined, of exercifing men with dangerous temptations.

First, for the exercife and improvement of mens graces and virtues. And this is the end which GOD always aims at, in bringing good men, or permitting them to be brought into dangerous temptations. And therefore St. James fpeaks of it as a matter of joy, when good men are exercised with afflictions; not because afflictions are defirable for themselves, but because of the happy confequences of them, ver. 2, 3. of this chapter, My brethren, count it all "joy, when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh "patience " And to the fame purpose St. Paul, Rom. v. 3, 4, 5. "We glory in tribulation, know

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