ways be in readiness, on his guard, and armed, so as to repel the assault when made, otherwise he will be in danger of seduction. When Satan's cunning fails of success, he has recourse to violence; he lays aside the habit of the serpent and assumes that of the lion; he makes an open and undisguised attack, and roars upon such as he would make his prey, to drive them, if possible, into sin. Resolution, courage, perseverance, and watchfulness are exceedingly necessary to secure the believer. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist, stedfast in the faith." 1 Pet. v. 8, 9. The world with all its carnal pleasures, profits and honours, seconds his attempts, and faithfully supports his interest. It pursues the same plan; first practising deceit, and when that does not succeed, having recourse to violence. Moses was allured with the honours and riches of Egypt, yet preferred the reproach of Christ, in a suffering condition with his people. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world." 1 John ii. 15. 16. Men of corrupt principles and practices exert their influence to seduce the saints, and though they may not be finally successful, yet may prevail partially. "They have eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls; an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children. They allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those who were clean escaped from them who live in error.' 2 Pet. ii. 14, 18. SINNERS are not aware of the danger of temptation,

and easily give way, because they have no view of the evil of sin to which they are tempted. The sinner is like the simple undiscerning youth, seduced by the artifice of the harlot. Prov. vii. "He goeth after her (the temptation) as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks: till a dart strike through his liver." The believer, who has taken a proper view of sin, looks upon temptation in a very different light. He fears it because he knows its design is to lead him into sin, the greatest of all evils. God is in his eye, the love and fear of God are in his heart; and whatever object the tempter presents, he immediately says to himself, "How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? The tendency of every temptation is to turn the heart from God to sin; but as the discerning believer sees the incomparable excellence of Jehovah, he esteems it supremely, and resists every attempt, to remove his esteem, or to make him dishonour his God. Satan tried to seduce Christ into sin, by distrusting providence for the necessaries of life in an ordinary way, by omitting the means of his preservation or acting contrary to them, and by giving him that worship which was due to God. But Jesus loved righteousness and hated iniquity, and knew well how evil a thing sin was, and so effectually repelled the adversary. The more we resemble Jesus in our views of sin, the more will we follow his example in resisting temptation.

9. BELIEVERS have obtained a proper view of sin against God, when it puts them upon serious self-examination, in order to know the state of it in their own souls. As sin is a loathsome and hateful thing in the sight of God, it has the same appearance to every discern. ing believer. But it also renders its subject loathsome and

hateful. The believer appears so to himself, on account of the sin which adheres to him. This makes him exclaim with Job, "Behold I am vile"-" Now mine eye seeth thee; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." Being convinced of the evil nature of sin, and of the deforming effect which it hath upon the soul, the believer does not wish that it should remain in him. And although he And although he may have seen much sin about himself, he is convinced that much more remains than what he hath seen: this puts him to the labour of investigation. He enters upon a close scrutiny into his heart and life in order to find out the Achan that lurks within him, the enemy of God, and the troubler of his own peace. This was David's exercise. Psalm cxix. 59. "I thought on my ways,

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and turned my feet unto thy testimonies." On seeing sin, he sees how far he has deviated from the ways of God, how much he has acted in opposition to his law, and how much prejudice he hath done to himself; this sets him on work to try his character more minutely, that he may discover as far as possible, what sin yet remains in him, in order to have it destroyed. To make this enquiry with success, he finds to be a work of great difficulty, in which he can make but small progress without superior aid. This makes him commit the work to God. "Examine me, O Lord, and prove me, try my reins and my heart." Psalm xxvi. 2. "See if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm cxxxix. 24. If, how ever, the evil of sin is not seen, and if the dishonour done to God by it is overlooked, there will be no serious attempts made to discover it, as the evil of it will not be regarded. In that case it will rather be an object to conceal it, as if some advantage were to be de

rived from it. Such was David's conduct in the affair of Bathsheba. That he might have his adultery concealed he urged Uriah her husband to go home to his house; and caused Joab to put him in the hottest part of the battle to cover his murderous design. In many instances, and by a great variety of means, the mind studies to palliate sin, and to conceal it, even from the person's own view. A discovery of God produces a strange reverse in the views and exercise of the soul. The believer becomes anxious to know the worst of himself; every covering is removed, every pretence is given up, and sin is freely laid open. Job gloried to say "That he had not covered his transgressions as Adam; by hiding his iniquity in his bosom." To the same purpose are the words of David to God; "I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid." There cannot be a more convincing proof that the believer has just conceptions and suitable impressions of sin than his dili gence in examining and searching his ways in order to discover it.

10. JUST views of the malignity of sin powerfully impel the believer to study the mortification of it. His views of it correspond to God's. God abhors it, and is displeased with it in his people, and will have it destroyed. But God has not merely a wish to have sin destroyed in them, he exerts his power for effecting it. Were it no evil thing dishonouring him, and obstructing their happiness, he might allow it to remain. As their views of it are taken from him and correspond to his, so they become active in opposing it and daily employ means for its destruction. This is the end which they have in view, in the work of self-examination. Sin is the old leaven, from which they are anxi

ous to be purged. They search and try their ways, that they may turn again unto the Lord. As their enquiry is not confined to their external deportment, but is particularly an investigation of the heart, so is the work of mortification; it begins in the heart; and it is proper it should be so. Although in searching for sin it may be the more successful method to begin with sins in the life, and trace these to the polluted fountain from whence they issue, in order to discover its evil nature; yet, in the work of mortification, the purifying of the heart must be the first object of attention. It will answer no good end to lop off the branches while the root is allowed to remain untouched. One stroke at the root will do more than a thousand at the branches. In the case of too, too many, this work is no more than some apparent amendment of life, leaving off the practice of some sins, abandoning some sinful companions, and paying a little outward attention to the duties of religion: the heart is overlooked; no attempts are made to clear the fountain; lust is allowed still to retain its place and influence in the heart; and it will afterwards appear more evidently in the practice. The heart is the evil treasure from which evil things proceed; and wisdom would say, that the evil treasure here should first be removed. But though the practice of the believer might be reformed, and become regular to any extent, it would avail little while his heart remained unsanctified. The order prescribed is unquestionably the best," Make the tree good and his fruit good." Agreeably to this rule David prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, and renew in me a right spirit." But he first saw that he had sinned against God. This led him to investigate his character, and to trace his iniquity to its source. In