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thefe temptations. Now; for the clearer understanding of this, it will be requifite to confider the feveral ends and reafons, which thofe who tempt others may have in tempting them; and all temptation is for one of these three ends or reasons: either for the trial and improvement of mens virtues; or by way of judgment and punishment for fome former great fins and provocations; or with a direct purpofe and defign to feduce men to fin. Thefe, I think, are the chief ends and reafons that can be imagined, of exercising men with dangerous temptations.

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First, For the exercife and improvement of mens graces and virtues. And this is the end which God always aims at, in bringing good men, or permitting them to be brought into dangerous temptations. And therefore St. James fpeaks of it as a matter of joy, when good men are exercifed with afflictions not because afflictions are defirable for themselves, but because of the happy confequences of them, ver. 2, 3 of this chapter, My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. And to the fame purpofe St. Paul, Rom. v. 3, 4, 5. We glory in tribulation, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, Soxum patience trieth a man, and this trial worketh hope, and hope maketh not ashamed. Thefe are happy effects and confequences of affliction and futtering, when they improve the virtues of men and increase their graces, and thereby make way for the increase of their glory. Upon this account St. James pronounceth thofe bleffed, who are thus tempted. Blef fed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

And this certainly is no difparagement to the pro vidence of God, to permit men to be thus tempted, when he permits it for no other end, but to make them better men, and thereby to prepare them for a greater reward: And fo the Apoftle affures us, Rom. viii. 17, 18. If so be we suffer with him, ws

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417 fhall also be glorified with him; for I reckon that the fufferings of this prefent time are not worthy to be com pared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. And ver. 28. For we know that all things shall work together for good to them that love God. And this happy end and iffue of temptations to good men the providence of God fecures to them (if they be not wanting to themfelves) one of thefe two ways, either by proportioning the temptation to their ftrength, or, if it exceed that, by miniftring new ftrength and fupport to them, by the fecret and ex. traordinary aids of his Holy Spirit.

Firft, By proportioning the temptation to their ftrength; ordering things fo by his fecret and wife providence, that they fhall not be affaulted by any temptation, which is beyond their ftrength to refift and overcome. And herein the fecurity of good men doth ordinarily confiit; and the very best of us, those who have the firmeft and moft refolute virtue, were in infinite danger, if the providence of God did not take this care of us. For a temptati on may fet upon the beft men with fo much vio. lence, or furprize them at fuch an advantage, as no ordinary degree of grace and virtue is able to withstand: But where men are fincerely good, and honestly refolved, the providence of God doth ward off there fierce blows, and put by these violent thrusts, and by a fecret difpofal of things, keep them from being affaulted by thefe irrefiftible kinds of tempta

tions.

The confideration whereof, as it is a great encouragement to men to be fincerely good, fo likewise a great argument for a continual dependence upon the providence of God, and to take us off from confidence in ourselves, and our own ftrength. And this ufe the Apostle makes of it, 1 Cor. x. 12. Wherefore let him that thinketh he ftandeth, (that is confident that nothing fhall be able to fhake him, or throw him down) take heed left he fall. There hath no temptation taken you, but fuch as is common to men ; si μn av pay, but what is human; nothing but what an human ftrength, affifted by an ordinary grace of

God,

God, may be able to refift and conquer. But there are greater and more violent temptations than these, which you have not yet been tried with; and when thofe happen, we must have recourfe to God for an extraordinary affiftance. And this is the

Second way I mentioned, whereby the providence of God does fecure good men, in cafe of extraordinary temptations, which no human ftrength can probably refift. And this the fame Apoftle affures us of in the very next words, God is faithful, who will not fuffer you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation alfo make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it. That is, in cafe of great and violent temptations (fuch as the Chriftians in the height of their perfecutions were expofed to) God will fecretly minifter ftrength and fupport equal to the force and power of the temptation. And this God did in an extraordinary manner to the Christian martyrs, and that to fuch a degree, as made them joyfully to embrace their fufferings, and with the greatest chearfulness in the world, to enduré those torments, which no human patience was able to bear. And where God doth thus fecure men againft temptations or fupport them under them, it is no reflexion at all upon the goodness or juftice of his providence, to permit them to be thus tempted.

Secondly, God permits others to be thus tempted, by way of judgment and punishment for fome former great fins and provocations which they have been guilty of. And thus many times God punifheth great and notorious offenders, by permitting them to fall into great temptations, which meeting with a vicious difpofition, are likely to be too hard for them, especially confidering, how by a long habit of wickedness, and wilful commiffion of great and notorious fins, they have made themselves an eafy prey to every temptation, and have driven the Spirit of God from them, and, deprived themfelves of thofe aids and restraints of his grace, which he ordinarily affords, not only to good men, but likewife to those who are not very bad. And thus God is said to have hardened Pharaoh by thofe plagues and

judg.

judgments which he fent upon him and his kingdom. But if we carefully read the ftory, it is faid that he first hardened himself, and then that God hardened him; that is, he being hardened under the first judg ments of God, God fent more, which meeting with his obftinacy, had this natural effect upon him, to harden him yet more; not that God did infuse any wickedness or obftinacy into him, but by his juft judgments fent more plagues upon him, which hardened him yet more, and which were likely to have that effect upon him, confidering the ill temper of the man. And it was just by way of punishment that they fhould. And fo likewife, Joshua xi. 19, 20. it is faid that the cities of the Canaanites did not make peace with Joshua, because it was of the Lord, to harden their hearts, that they should come against Ifrael in battle, that he might destroy them utterly; that is, for their former iniquities, the meafure whereof was now full, the providence of God did juftly bring them into, and leave them under thofe circumftances, which made them obftinate against all terms of peace, and this proved fatal to them.

And in the like fenfe we are to understand several other expreffions in fcripture which likewife might feem very harfh. As Ifaiah vi. 10. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, left they fee with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and convert, and be healed; all which expreffions fignify no more, but that God, for the former provocations and impenitency of that people, did leave them to their own hardnefs and blindness; fo that they did not defire to understand and make use of the means of their recovery. So likewife, Rom, i. 24. God is faid to have given up the idolatrous Heathen to uncleanness, to vile and unnatural lufts; and ver, 28. to a reprobate and injudicious mind; that is, as a punishment of their idolatry, he left them to the power of thofe temptations, which betrayed them to the vileft. lufts. And to mention but one text more, 2 Theff. ii. 11. the Apoftle threatens thofe that rejected the truth, that for this caufe God would fend them ftrong delufions

delufions (the efficacy of error) that they should believe a lie, and that they all might be damned, whe believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness; that is, as a juft punishment for their renouncing the truth, God gave them over to the pow er of delufion; their error had its full scope at them, to tempt them with all its colours and pretences.

But it is obfervable, that in all these places which I have mentioned, God is faid to give men up to the power of temptation, as a punishment of fome former great crimes and provocations. And it is not unjuft with God thus to deal with men, to leave them to the power of temptation, when they had firft wilfully forlaken him; and in this cafe God doth not tempt men to fin, but leaves them to themselves, to be tempted by their own hearts lufts; and if they yield and are conquered, it is their own fault, becaufe they have neglected God's grace, whereby they might have been able to have refifted thofe temptations; and have forced his Holy Spirit to withdraw himself from them, and to leave them open and naked to thofe affaults of temptation, againft which they might otherwife have been fufficiently armed.

Thirdly, The laft end of temptation which I mentioned, is to try men, with a direct purpose and intention to feduce men to fin. Thus wicked men tempt others, and thus the Devil tempts men. Thus he tempted our first parents, and feduced them from their obedience and allegiance to God. Thus he tempted Job by bringing him into thofe circumftances, which were very likely to have forced him into impatience and difcontent. And thus he tempted our bleffed Saviour; but found nothing in him to work upon, or to give him any advantage over him. And thus he daily tempts men, by laying all forts of baits and fnares before them, going about continually feeking whom he may feduce and deftroy; and as far as God permits him, and his power reacheth, he fuits his temptations as near as he can to the humours and appetites and inclinations of men, contriving them into fuch circumftances, as that he may ply his temptations upon them to the greatest advan

tage;

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