SERM vinc'd that it is a fin, I dare undertake to convince

CXVI. him that he can leave it. He that can choose at any time whether he will speak or not (which it is certainly in every man's power to do) can choose whether he will swear when he speaks. If he fays he does it by cuftom and habit, and when he does not think of it; a very little care and refolution will in a fhort time cure any man of that cuflom; fo that it is naturally in every man's power, to break off this fin.

Secondly, the grace of GoD puts it into our power, if we do not negle& it, and be not wanting to ourfelves, to refift any temptation that may happen to us; and what the grace of GoD puts into our power, is as truly in our power, as what we can do ourselves. Gop offers his grace to every man under the gospel, for he has promifed "to give his HOLY SPIRIT "to them that afk him," and it is naturally in every man's power to afk it, otherwife the promife fignifies nothing; for if no man can afk the SPIRIT of God, till he firft have it, then to promife it to them that afk it, is to promife it to them who have it already, and then 'tis needlefs to afk it. And if GOD offers his grace to every man, then 'tis every man's fault if he have it not; and every man that hath it, may by the ordinary affiftance of that grace, refift any ordinary temptation. And if at any time GOD fuffers good men to be affaulted, he hath promifed in fuch cafes an extraordinary grace and affiftance: and that either" he will not fuffer us to be "tempted above what we are able, or that with the "temptation he will find a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it."

66

And thus I have done with the fecond thing I propounded to fpeak to from these words, that

"Every SER M.

every man is his own greateft tempter.
"man is tempted, when he is drawn afide of his
"own luft and enticed." And now the proper
inferences from what I have been all this while dif-
courfing to you, are thefe three.

First, not to think to excufe ourselves, by laying the blame of our fins upon the temptation of the devil. That the devil tempts us is not our fault, because we cannot help it; but it is our voluntary compliance with his temptations, our confenting to that evil which he folicits us to, which maketh us guilty. "Every man is tempted, when he is drawn afide of "his own luft;" the lufts of our own hearts give the efficacy to the temptations of the devil: men many times fin upon the motions and fuggeftions of the devil: but tho' he be guilty of tempting us, we are guilty of confenting to his temptations.

Many times we are not fure that the devil tempts us to fuch a fin, but we are fure that we commit it, and confequently that we are guilty of it. Nay it is certain, if there were no devil, many would be wicked, and perhaps not much less wicked than they are. The lufts and vicious inclinations of men would yield to the temptations of the world, tho there were none to manage them, and to fet them on to the greatest advantage; fo that we cannot excufe our faults upon this account, that we are tempted by the devil. If this were a fufficient excufe for us, the devil would take no pleasure in tempting us; the whole defign of his temptation being to make us guilty, and by the guilt of fin to make us miferable,

Secondly, from hence we learn what reason we have to pray to GoD, that he would not lead

CXVI.

SERM." us into temptation," i. e. not permit us to fall
CXVI. into it; for in the phrafe of fcripture, GoD is many

times faid to do thofe things, which his providence
permits to be done. The best of us have fome
remainders of luft, fome irregular defires and appe-
tites, which will be apt to betray us to fin, when
powerful temptations are prefented to us; fo that it
is a great happiness to the best of men, to be kept
by the providence of GoD out of the way of violent
temptations; for our own ftrength to refift them is
but small, and we are apt to be fecure, and to neglect
our guard; we are eafy to be furprized, and in con-
tinual danger through our own weakness or carelef-
nefs. Our greateft fecurity is, if we be fincere, and
heartily defirous to do well, and firmly refolved
against fin, and do depend upon GOD for his grace
and affiftance, that his providence will not fuffer
us to fall into the hands of dangerous and violent
temptations, which probably would be too hard
for us;
he who knows what our ftrength is,
"will not fuffer us to be tempted above what
"we are able."

Thirdly, from hence we may learn the best way to
difarm temptations, and to take away the power of
them, and that is, by mortifying our lufts, and fub-
duing our vicious inclinations. When this is done,
(which by the grace of God may be done) tempta-
tion hath loft its greatest advantage upon us. 'Tis
the confpiracy of our lufts, with the temptations
that fet upon us, that betrays us into their power.
The true reafon why men fall into fin, is not because
they are tempted, but because there is fomething with-
in them, which inclines and difposes them to com-
ply with the temptation, and to yield to it. It is

faid,

CXVI.

faid, when the devil came to our SAVIOUR to tempt S ERM. him, that he found nothing in him,” and therefore his temptations had no force upon him. The more we mortify our lufts, the lefs the devil will find in us, for his temptations to work upon. Every fpark is dangerous, when it falls upon combustible matter; but tho' fparks fly never fo thick, there is no danger, fo long as there is nothing about us to catch fire.

If we will not be drawn afide and enticed to fin, let us mortify our lufts; for fo far as we are mortified, we are out of the power of temptation.

Men are apt to complain of temptations, that they are too hard for them, and that they are not able to refift them, tho' they pray to GoD continually for his grace to that purpose. This indeed. is one means very proper and neceffary to be used; but this is not all that we are to do; we must break off habits of fin, and fubdue our lufts, and keep under our inclinations, and then we fhall find our felves able to refift and encounter temptations with more fuccefs. And 'till we do this, in vain do we pray for God's grace, and depend upon him for ftrength to overcome the temptations that do affault us; for God's grace was never defign'd to countenance the floth and negligence of men, but to encourage and fecond our refolutions and endeavours of well doing. If we expect God's grace and affiftance upon other terms, we tempt God, and provoke him to leave us to the power of temptations, to be "drawn away and enticed by our "own lufts."

SERM.
CXVII.

SERMON

CXVII.

Proving JESUS to be the MESS I A S.

MATTH. xi. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

ye

Now when John bad heard in prison the works of CHRIST, he fent two of his difciples, and faid unto bim, art thou be that should come; or do we look for another? JESUS answered and faid unto them, go and fhew John again those things which do bear and fee. The blind receive their fight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleanfed, and the deaf bear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached unto them. And bleed is be whofoever fhall not be offended in me.

A

BOUT the time of our SAVIOUR's appearing in the world, there was a general expectation of a great prince, that should come out of Judea, and govern all nations: this the Gentiles had from the prophefies of the Sibyls, which fpake of a great king that was to appear in the world about that time. So Virgil tells us, that the time of Auguftus was the utmost date of that prophefy;

Ultima Cumei venit jam carminis ætas :

And Suetonius tells us, "that all over the eastern "countries, there was an ancient and conftant tra

dition, that fuch a prince fhould fpring out of "Judea:" And for this reafon it is, that our SAVIOUR is call'd by the prophet, "the expectation "of the nations."

But