2. By every man's particular corruption, 253 3. By the continual offer of alluring objects 257,258. 5. By God's just judgment, in commiffioning this evil spirit to tempt at a rate more than ordinary, 258, 259. 6. By a previous growing familiarity of the mind with the fin, which a man is tempted to, 260, 261. 7. By a long train of gradual, imperceivable encroaches of the flesh upon the spirit, 261 to 264. 3dly, A temptation's proper feafon may be difcern'd by fome figns, 264. As, 1. By an unusual concurrence of all circumftances and opportunities for the commiffion of any fin, 264 to 266. 2. By a strange averseness to, if not a total neglect of, fpiritual exercises, prayer, reading and meditation, 266 to 268. 3. By a temptation's unusual restlessness and importunity, 268 to 271. 4thly. Ufeful inferences may be drawn from this discourse, 271. Such as thefe; 1. Every time, wherein a man is tempted, is not properly the hour of temptation, 272, 273. 2. Every man fhall affuredly meet with fuch an hour, 273 to 276. 3. The most successful way to be carried fafe through this hour, is to keep the word of Christ's patience, 276 to 280. SERMON VIII, and IX. I CORINTH. X. 13.-God is faithful, who will not fuffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. p. 283. True faith is bottom'd upon God's infinite wisdom and power; who alone is able to give a full and abfolute deliverance out of temptation, 283 to 287. Some of the principal temptations, which threaten most the fouls of men, are, 1. A publick declared impunity to fin, 312, 313. 2. The vicious examples of perfons in place and power, 313 to 3.15. 3. The cruel oppreffions of men in their perfons, liberties and estate, 315 to 317. In oppofition to which, we must confider, 1. That the strongest temptations to fin are no warrants to fin: And, 2. That God delivers only those, who do their lawful utmost to deliver themselves, 317, 318. The deliverances out of temptation are of two forts, 32I. ift. Those, whereby God delivers immediately by himself and his own act, 322, 323. As, 1. By elli.. dr. By putting an iffue to the temptation, From thefe confiderations, that God alone can deliver out of temptation, and that the ways, by which he does it, are above man's power, and for the most part beyond his knowledge, 324. we may deduce these useful practical confequences: A 1. That the estimate of an escape from temptation is to be taken from the final iffue and result of it; that a temptation may continue very long, and give a man many foils, before he efcapes out of it: which affords an antidote against prefumption on the one hand, and despair on the other, 324 to 329. 2. No way out of any calamity, if brought about by a man's own fin, ought to be accounted a way allow'd by God for his escape out of that calamity or temptation, 329, 333. Nor, 3. To chufe a leffer fin to avoid a greater, 333 to 339. 4. When a temptation is founded in fuffering, none ought to be fo follicitous, how to get get out of it, as how to behave himself under 5. There can be no fuffering whatsoever, but be endured without fin, 344 to 346. Since to be delivered out of temptation is of an infinite concern, and fince the tempter has fo many advantages over us; we should be fo much the more careful to ufe fuch means, as MATT. XXVI. 41. Watch and pray, In the chriftian man's warfare, the two great defenfatives against temptation are watch- 1. A fenfe of the greatness of the evil we 2. A diligent furvey of the wit and strength of our enemy, compar'd with the weaknefs and treachery of our own hearts, 359 to 363. 3. A confideration of the ways, by which temptation has at any time prevail'd upon our 4. A continual intention of mind upon the danger, in oppofition to idleness and remiffness, 5. A conftant and fevere temperance, 374 2dly, Prayer, 382 to 385. is render'd ef- 1. Fervency or importunity, p. 385 to 387. 2. Conftancy or perfeverance, 387 to 391. Laftly, Watching and prayer must always be joined together; the firft without the last being but prefumption, and the last without the first mockery, 391 to 393. Which is shew'd by two inftances, in which men may pray against temptation, without any fuccefs, 394 to 396. SERMON XI. PROV. xxviii. 26. He, who trufteth in his own heart, is a fool. P. 399. Of all the cheats put upon a man by trusting, none is more pernicious than that of trusting his own heart, 399, 400. and refigning up the entire conduct of himself to the directions of it, as of an able and a faithful guide, 401, 402. The folly of which will appear by confidering, ift. The value of the things we commit to that truft, 403. viz. 1. The honour of God, who is our Creator, our Lord and our father, 403 to 407. 2. Our happiness in this world, with relation both to our temporal and fpiritual con407 to 412. 3. Our eternal happiness hereafter, 412 to cerns, 415. 2dly. The undue qualifications of that heart to whose trust we commit these things, 403 to 415. who, 1. Cannot |
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