Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

their Conftant Chriftian Care and Diligence, by their former Watchfulness, and by good Habits, better prepared to Refift them, than others are; yet every Man hath need of God's Grace, his Providence without, and his internal Operations within, both to prevent great Temptations, that he doth not meet with them, and to fecure him against falling by greater or lefs Temptations, when he doth meet with them: And therefore to keep Men in that modeft Opinion of themfelves, and in a careful Concern for their own Safety, and a Religious Dependance upon God, our Lord hath added this Petition to the former to be us'd by all his Difciples, Lead us not into Temptation, but deliver us from Evil.

And now to these Inftructions, which we cannot but learn from the Expreffion of this Petition, give me leave to add a third from the Principal Meaning and Intendment thereof, which, as I told you is this, that for the future we may avoid thofe Evils, that we have done, and do thofe Duties, that we have ommitted; And that is this, That we do otherwife to no purpose Pray to have our former Sins Forgiven us, if we do not grow better for the time to come; For the Offering up these Requests to God one after the other cannot but fhew you, that the Forgiveness of God, the Pardon we Obtain fro in

Q3

from him in this World by our Prayers is but Conditional, and that the Continuance of it depends upon our good Conversation afterwards; For otherwife, that is, if it were Abfolute, and had no refpect to what we should be afterwards, I do not understand what great need there were to Pray against falling into Sin, for the future: To be fure Men would not be fo much concern'd to Pray earnestly not to be led into Temptation, but to be delivered from Evil, if their Prayers for Forgiveness might be effectual, and fave them, whether they fhould fall by Temptation afterwards, or not.

I have told you what the plain meaning of the Petition is, and what I am perfuaded every honeft Chriftian doth understand by it; and alfo what may be the Reafon both of the Petition, and the Words in which it is expreft, at least what plain Inftruction is yeilded by the one and the other.

And having done this, I fhall now proceed to more particular Enquiries.

1. Concerning the Words, and Meaning of the Petition.

2. Concerning the Confiderations that fhould make us Offer up this Petition to God in good earnest.

3. Concerning the Qualities which are Neceffary to make a Man fincere, and to fpeak the fenfe of his Soul, when he useth it. 1. Con

1. Concerning the Words and Meaning of it. To which purpose we must observe in the First place, that here are two Branches of the Petition, Lead us not into Temptation the one, but deliver us from Evil the other: Which whether they do fignify exactly the fame Thing, or whether there be fome difference of Things fuppofed in the Expreffions, I may leave you to judge, as you fee caufe, when I have done this Head.

1. I fhall confider the Former Branch. Lead us not into Temptation. For the more particular understanding of which it may not be inconvenient to remove those Acceptations of the Word Temptation, which cannot be understood here, and then we are sure, that we must take that which is left.

And now to know in what fense we must not understand the Word Temptation here, I think we need only to obferve, that this Prayer fuppofeth, that God may lead a Man into Temptation: And therefore in what fense we cannot underftand God to lead a Man into Temptation, in that fense we are not to understand And lead us not into Temptation in this Petition. Now in the

First Place, One Man may be truly faid to lead another into Temptation, when he enticeth him to Sin, or endeavours by any Argument to perfuade hi: to it, or by any Art to draw him to it, or by any Violence

Vol. II. to compel him as it were, and drive him to it; And therefore by Temptation here we must be sure not to underftand any Thing of this Nature on God's Part; For in this fense it remains infallibly true, what St. James faith, that God tempts no Man, James 1. 13. He doth not design that Men should fin, he lays no Trains to make them fin, he propounds nothing to their Hopes or Fears to deceive them into Sin, to allure or affright them into Sin, nor doth he by any inward impulse upon their Minds incline them to Sin, nor doth he any Way neceffitate them to Sin: We cannot without great Wickedness conceive fuch Things of God, as these are; and therefore we cannot understand the Petition in this fenfe, as if we defired God not to inftigate, or allure, or perfuade, or any Way incline us to Evil, for this were to fuppofe it poffible for him to do fo; whereas it is utterly impoffible, as impoffible, as it is for God to lie, or to do Contrary to his Holy Nature. In the

2d Place, To tempt a Man may fignify in general to prove and try him, whether he will do according to his Duty, and answer the Expectation of another Man concerning him, or whether he will fail. Now in this Sense it is certainly true, that God tempts every Man, that is, he gives him Occafions and Opportunities of doing his Duty, or

refusing

[ocr errors]

refusing to do it. Thus the Laws of God given to mankind in general, or to Chriftians in particular, the former by Nature, the latter by particular Revelation, are Temptations, that is, they are Trials of our Obedience, whather we will live according to them or not. And whereas the Circumftances of Men are very various, and they have refpective Duties to be performed in those Circumftances, every Mans particular Way and Condition of Life, his Honour or his Meannefs,his Wealth,or his bare Competency, or his Poverty, his Authority or his Subjection, his Single or his Married State, his parcicular Temper and Conftitution of Body, his Health or his Sicknefs, his Calling and his Profeffion, in a Word, his Condition in the World with refpect to Circumftances of this Nature, which make an infinite Variety almost in the State of Mankind_upon Earth, is a Temptation, that is, a Tryal, whether he will not only live according to the more general Rules of Religion, but perform that Duty, which is moft proper for his Place, his Relation, his peculiar Intereft in the World: And now it is plain, that in this Senfe every Man is led into Temptation, that is, he has the general Rules of Religion to observe, and moreover he hath particular Duties proper to his place and Condition in the World to be perform'd by him;

and

« VorigeDoorgaan »