SER M. them open and naked to thofe affaults of temptaCXV. tion, against which they might otherwife have been fufficiently armed.

Thus

Thirdly, the last 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. he tempted our firft 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 forc'd 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 suits 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 greateft advantage; propounding fuch objects to them, as may moft prboably draw forth the corruptions of men, and kindle their irregular defires, and inflame their lufts, and tempt their evil inclinations that way, which they are moft ftrongly bent. He tempts the covetous man with gain, the ambitious man with preferment, the voluptuous man with carnal and fenfual pleafures; and where none of thefe baits will take, he ftirs up his inftruments to perfecure thofe, who are ftedfaft and confirmed in refolutions of piety and virtue, to try if he can work upon their fear, and thake their conftancy and fidelity

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fidelity to GoD and goodness that way; and all this SER M. he doth with a direct defign and earneft defire to feduce men from their duty, and to betray them to fin.

But thus "Gop tempts no man," and in this fenfe it is that the apoftle means, that "no man "when he is tempted, is tempted of Gov." GOD hath no defign to feduce any man to fin. He often proves the obedience of men, and fuffers them to" fall into divers temptations, for the trial of their faith," and exercife of their obedience and other virtues, and he permits bad men to be affaulted with great temptations, and as a punishment of their former obftinacy and impiety, withdraws the aids and affiftances of his grace from them, and leaves them to their own weakness and folly; but not fo as to take away all reftraint of his grace even from bad men, unless it be upon very high provocation, and a long and obftinate continuance in fin: but God never tempts any man, with any intention to feduce him to fin, and with a defire he should do wickedly. This is the proper work of the devil and his inftruments; in this fenfe it is far from "God "to tempt any man;" and whenever in the ordinary course, and by the common permiffion of his providence, men "fall into temptation," the utmoft that God does, is "to leave them to them"felves; and he does not do this neither, but to thofe who have highly provoked him to depart from them, that is, to thofe who have juftly deferved to be fo dealt withal.

And thus I have confider'd the propofition which the apostle here rejects, namely, "that Goo tempts "men," and have fhewn as clearly as I can, how it

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SER M. is to be limitted and underftood. I now proceed to the fecond thing which I propounded to confider, viz, the manner in which the apostle rejects this propofition, "let no man fay when he is "tempted, I am tempted of GOD." By which manner of speaking he infinuates two things.

First, that men are apt to lay their faults upon GOD. For when he fays, "let no man fay fo," he intimates that men were apt to fay thus; and 'tis probable fome did fay fo, to excufe themselves for their deserting their religion upon the temptation of perfecution and fuffering. Tis not unlikely that men might lay the fault upon God's providence, which expose them to thefe difficult trials, and thereby tempted them to forfake their religion.

But however this be, we find it very natural to men, to transfer their faults upon others. Men are naturally fenfible when they offend, and do contrary to their duty; and the guilt of fin is an heavy burden, of which men would be glad to eafe themselves as much as they can; and they think it is a mitigation and excufe of their faults if they did not proceed only from themfelves, but from the violence and compulfion, the temptation and inftigation of others. But efpecially men are very glad to lay their faults upon GOD, because he is a full and fufficient excufe, nothing being to be blamed that comes from him. Thus Adam did, upon the commiffion of the very first fin that mankind was guilty of. When GoD charged him for breaking of his law, by eating of the fruit of the forbidden tree, he endeavours to excuse himself by laying the fault obliquely upon GOD; "the "woman whom thou gavest to be with me, the gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”

"The wa

"man

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"man whom thou gavest to be with me;" he does S ER M. what he can to derive the fault upon GoD. GOD. And though his be very unreasonable, yet it seems it is very natural. Men would fain have the pleasure of committing fin, but then they would be glad to remove as much of the trouble and guilt of it from themselves as they can.

Secondly this manner of fpeech, which the apoftle here ufeth, doth infinuate farther to us, that it is not only a falfe, but an impious affertion to fay that God tempts men to fin. He fpeaks of it, not only as a thing unfit to be faid, but fit to be rejected with the greatest indignation; "let no man fay," that is, far be it from us to affirm any thing fo impious and fo difhonourable to GOD. For nothing can be more contrary to the holy and righteous nature of Gon, and to thofe plain declarations which he hath made of himself, than to feduce men to wickednefs; and therefore no man, that hath any regard to the honour of God, can entertain the leaft fufpicion of his having any hand in the fins of men, or give heed to any principles or doctrines, from whence fo odious and abominable a confequence may be drawn. I proceed to the

Third thing I propounded to confider, viz. the reafon or argument which the apoftle brings against this impious fuggeftion; "that God cannot be temp"ted with evil," and therefore no man can imagine that he should tempt any man to it; "let no man fay, when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for "GOD cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth "he any man." And in fpeaking to this, I fhall First, confider the ftrength and force of this argument; and

G 4

Secondly,

SERM.

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Secondly, the nature and kind of it.

First, the strength and force of this argument, "GOD cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempt"eth he any man;" άipas si nav," he is untemptible by evil;" he cannot be drawn to any thing that is bad himfelf, and therefore it cannot be imagined he should have any inclination or defign to feduce others. And this will appear to be a strong and forcible argument, if we confider, Firft, the propofition upon which it is grounded, "that GOD cannot be tempted by evil."

Secondly, the confequence that clearly follows from it; and that is, that becaufe GOD cannot be tempted by evil, therefore "he cannot tempt any

man to it."

Firft, we will confider the propofition upon which this argument is built, and that is, "that GoD can"not be tempted by evil." He is out of the reach of any temptation to evil. Whoever is tempted to any thing, is either tempted by his own inclination, or by the allurement of the object, or by fome external motive and confideration: but none of all these can be imagined to have any place in GoD, to tempt him to evil.

For, first, he hath no temptation to it from his own inclination. The holy and pure nature of GoD is at the greatest distance from evil, and at the greatest contrariety to it. He is fo far from having any inclination to evil, that it is the only thing in the world to which he hath an irreconcilable antipathy. This the fcripture frequently declares to us, and that in a very emphatical manner, Pfal. v. 4. "He is not a GOD that hath pleasure in wickedness, neither "fhall evil dwell with him." The words are a

diminution,