There are Temptations that naturally arise from a Suffering Condition, and the very Change is one of it felf. And fo it is on the other fide, when a Man comes into Profperity ftrangely and unexpectedly, why, then Luxury, and Wantonnefs, and Pride, and Forgetfulness of God, do more easily befet him. In a word, we are expofed to the Danger of divers Sins and Lufts, and every one of thefe has feveral Temptations, and one Temptation often happens to make another ftronger. We are befet with Dangers, and had need fay, Lord, fave us, or elfe we perish, and had need be very cir cumfpect our felves.

2. The Conftancy and Affiduity of Temptations is another Argument fhewing the Difficulty of keeping our Ground, and the Neceffity of conftant Prayer. The Temptation may be changed, but it is never quite removed; one may go off, but another comes on in its ftead; and whilft we are in the World we are still upon Trial and Duty. We have not only many Enemies, but fome of them are always at hand, and ever more or less bufy and urgent upon us; and therefore we had need watch and pray. A Man's Table is made a Snare to him, and that which is for his Wealth an Occafion of falling. While he fufpects no Danger, he is betrayed into Excefs. If he be full of Business he is exposed to Irreligi

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on, Covetousness, and Anger. If he be gi ven to Company he is apt to be led away into evil Speaking, he has his Tongue to bridle, his Appetites and Paffions to manage, under the Temptations of foolish Mirth or uncharitable Cenfures, and all the Vices of Converfation: And there is the greater Danger of offending in fome of thefe Kinds every Day we live, because we are not apt to fufpect the Danger. Laftly, we have depraved Natures of our own, not perfectly restored even in the beft Men, fo long as they carry about them thefe mortal Bodies. Our outward Senfes are not only ready ever to let in Temptation, but our Imagination to entertain it, and our Reason is not ever awake to oppofe it, and to throw it out again. And befides this, the Scrip ture acquaints us, that we are befet with a very fubtil and malicious Adversary, the Devil, who goeth about like a roaring Lion, Seeking whom he may devour; which Expreffion is defigned only to note his fierce and ravenous Defire to deftroy us; but his Approaches are withal as fly and impercep tible as the creeping of a Serpent; he is bufy with us when we think not of him; we are doing his Work, and yielding to his Suggestions, when we think of nothing else but gratifying a Luft, or an unreasonable Appetite of our own, or a Companion, or a falfe Friend. Upon all thefe Accounts it R 3

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behoveth us to look well to our felves, and to pray in good earneft that we may not be led into Temptation, but delivered from Evil.

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3. I am to add fomething concerning the Qualifications that are neceffary to make a Man fincere in praying to be delivered from Temptation.

1. He must have a modeft and humble Opinion of himself, he must be sensible of his own Dangers and Difficulties, and his Inability to prevail against them, without the special Grace of God. 'Tis in this Sense true too that Pride goeth before a Fall, as well as in that which the wife Man principally meant. He that fufpects not himself, that is overweening and confident, that apprehends no greater Danger than an ordinary Care will prevent, may pray to God to deliver him from Temptation, but cannot well be supposed to intend, or fo much as to understand, what he fays, because this Petition implies that Earneftnefs which he wants, and that Apprehenfion of Danger which he has nothing of.

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2. He must have a firm Belief and Trust in the Grace and Providence of God, he must heartily acknowledge the over-ruling Providence of God in all Things that happen to him, and not look upon himself as left to order and difpofe his own Affairs, and to fhift for himself as well as he can, without

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the Interpofal of a fuperior Direction and Government, as to thofe Events that befal him; he must heartily believe that the Course of this World is not merely carried on by natural Causes, and the Free-will of Man, but that from the beginning of all Things to the End of them God has interpofed to over-rule the Courfe of Nature, and the Inclinations of free Agents, for the Benefit of good Men, and for the Punishment of the Wicked, and the bringing Good out of Evil; without this Belief of Divine Providence no Man can fay this Prayer with Faith, which is particularly neceffary to the Use of this Petition. But,

3. It is an indifpenfable Qualification towards the faying of this Prayer in good earneft, or with any reasonable Senfe and Meaning, that we our felves be most willing and defirous to keep Innocence, and to do the thing that is good; for otherwise how can we in good earnest defire the Concurrence of God's Providence and Grace towards this End? Now this Sincerity is to be expreffed by a general Care of doing what we can to contribute towards it. More particularly,

1. In being careful not to let our Minds dwell upon evil Thoughts and Imaginations, for thefe tend to corrupt our Wills and Affections, and then they are ready to break out into bad Practices. He that plays with R 4 wanton,

wanton, or ambitious, or covetous Fancies, is making a ftrong Party for the Devil against himself all the while. It is not good to let our Minds run upon the Wealth or Advantages of other Men, for that's a beginning of Envy; we are to watch and pray that we enter not into Temptation. To watch is to be curious in preventing Temp. tation from rifing within our felves, and he that doth not thus watch over himself, is not in a Condition to pray that God would watch over him, unless he would have God try whether he cannot difpoffefs our Minds of foolish and wicked Thoughts, tho' we our felves take Pleasure in them, and do what we can to nourish and keep them there.

2. We must be also careful Our felves to avoid all Temptations to Sin as much as may be, as Idleness, which is a general Tempta tion, and not only that, but a Sin in it self, and then too all other particular Temptations, which we know by Reafon, or by Experience, or by Example, that it is hard for us to refift. A Man that is apt to be too Easy in complying with his Companions, mult run away from the Drunkard, and he that is apt to be angry must have a care of provoking any firft, and converfe as little as he can with those that are apt to provoke him. An Eye that is given to wander must not be trufted in all Places. We must