many inftances it proceeds from both, and from the latter more especially, that being always more impetuous, and hurrying the foul with a more violent biafs to the commiffion of fin, than if left merely to its own inclinations, it would probably have been carried out to. And thus it is with men frequently; they find within themselves a motion both fenfible and forcible, while the spring of it is invisible, and forun on violently, not aware in the mean time who it is that drives them, or what it is that he drives at.

Thefe, and many more, are the advantages which the tempter has over the fons of men, partly from the fpirituality of his own nature, and partly from the grossness and imbecility of theirs; to which if we join his incredible faga

city, to spy out every the least opportunity offered him, and his implacable malice to pursue, and make use of it, to the utter fupplanting us, and that in no lefs an intereft than that of our immortal fouls (in comparison of which, the whole world is, but a trifle) it must needs hold all thoughtful minds under fuch continual agonies and mifgiving reflections, that altho' we may escape hell hereafter, he will be fure, if he can, to give us a fevere taste of it here.

But what! Must all advantages then lie like a dead, or rather like a killing weight, wholly on the tempter's fide, and no remedies to en

counter

counter them be found in ours? God forbid; for then we must look upon our cafe, not only as dangerous, but defperate, and give over the conflict as abfurd, where all refiftance is vain, and the conqueft impoffible. But on the contrary, as God of his great wifdom has not been wanting to forewarn and affure men that temptations will attend them, fo neither has he been failing of his equal goodness to prescribe the proper ways, means and methods, whereby to fence against them; which, as in the feveral particulars thereof (each of them feverally adapted to the feve. ral ftates, tempers, and conditions of men) are for their vast variety (upon the matter) innumerable, fo they are nevertheless every one of them directly reducible to, and fully comprehenfible under these two grand general heads (prefcribed by the best and fureft guide of fouls, our Saviour himself) watchfulness and prayer: and accordingly (as I hinted before) I shall treat of them distinctly by themfelves, as the proper materials of my following difcourfe upon the fame fubject, (though from another text) with which I fhall conclude all that I had proposed to deliver upon this weighty, useful, and highly concerning point of temptation.

Now to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghoft, &c. be rendred and afcribed, as is moft due, all praise, might, majesty, and dominion, both now and for evermore. Amen.

SERMON X.

Watchfulness and Prayer, a Security from Temptation.

MATT. XXVI. II.

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into Temptation.

A

S the life and business of a christian in

this world is certainly to flesh and blood a thing of great difficulty, and confidering the oppofition which it is fure to meet with, of equal danger; fo this appears in nothing more than in its being reprefented by one of the most difficult and dangerous things in human life, which is war, 1 Tim. i. 18. This charge I commit unto thee (fays Paul to Timothy) that` thou mightest war a good warfare. And as the difficulty and danger of war is to be measured partly by the high worth of the thing fought VOL. VI.

A a

for,