SERM. Thirdly, Another Motive to forgive our Enemies, XXIII. is the Peace and Quiet it affords. This is indeed but a worldly Motive, but withal it is a Motive which the Scripture offers, and one would think it fhould have great Influence on our Hearts. If thine enemy hunger, feed him, fays the Apostle: If he thirft, give bim drink; For in fo doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Rom. xii. 20. Coals of Fire, not to waste and confume him, but to melt him into Tendernefs and Love. For who can withstand fuch gentle Treatment, fuch a kind and compaffionate Concern for those, who have deserved it so very little at our Hands? To return Good for Evil, is not only a most chriftian, but likewise a most happy Temper, as it is the beft means of preserving that Intercourfe of good Offices, in which the Happinefs of Society confifts. While Men are Men, there will always be Complaints of Slights and Indignities, of Injuries and ill Offices, that are offered by one Man to another. And as long as they are refented, and made matter of Contention, there will be no fuch thing as good Neighbourhood in the World. One Injury begets another, till a War commences, which is frequently fatal to one Party or the other, and always very troublesome to both. And yet when we come to trace the greatest Quarrels and Diffenfions to the Fountains from which they sprung, how often do they end in a mistaken Word, a mif-reported or misinterpreted Behaviour, or in fomething which at firft might have easily been overlooked, and its fatal confequences at once prevented! But when once the Seeds of Discontent are fown, they are ftill growing, till they bring forth Revenge; when the Spark is kindled, new Fuel is administered by every Word and Action of the of

fending

fending Party, till it breaks out into a Flame too vio-SER M. lent to be refifted, and which nothing but Blood can XXIII. quench. If it ftops fhort of this, if it goes no further than to blaft the Credit, or hurt the Fortune of our Enemy, what a Scene is here laid for mutual Invectives, for mutual Acts of Violence and Wrong! Who can be easy in such a state of Enmity? Who can have any Comfort, while he carries in his mind fuch a Load of unquiet Paffions? And is confcious at the fame time, that by his Enmity to his FellowCreature, he is at enmity with him that made him! That he is exposed to God's Wrath, and incapable of Pardon; in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity; and that as often as he prays by our Lord's Commands, he prays that God's Vengeance may be executed upon him, and that he may fuffer the full Punishment of his Sin? Whereas by refolving to forgive his Enemies, by paffing by the little Injuries and Slights of others, by fhutting his ears against Rumours and Reports, that are often fpread abroad by malicious tongues, to promote Jealoufies and Difcontents among us; by ftopping the firft tendencies and inclinations to Revenge; by doing Good to all, not excepting thofe, whom he knows to have done Injuries to him; he does all that he can to promote Peace and Quiet; he is at leaft eafy in himself, however he may be disturbed by the Infults and Affronts of others; he maintains a perpetual Serenity within, is at Peace with himfelf, with his Neighbour, and with his God; or if the World will disquiet and moleft him bere, is fure of eternal Reft bereafter.

550

A

SERMON

On MATT. vi. 13.

And lead us not into Temptation, but deliver

SERM.

XXIV.

T

us from Evil.

HE only Queftions, that can arise upon the meaning of thefe Words, are, First, what is meant by the Word Temptation. Secondly, in what fense God may lead us into it. And Thirdly, What is meant by Evil. When these Questions are answered, we shall know the full Import of the Request we are here taught to offer up to God, and no Difficulty will remain concerning it.

And, First, as to the meaning of the Word Tempta tion, it is evident from holy Writ, that Temptations in one sense are far from being formidable to a Chriftian. My Brethren, fays St. James, count it all joy, when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience, James i. z. And bleed, fays he again, 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. ver. 13. Temptation, in this fenfe, is, you fee, matter of Joy: It is a Bleffing, and a Token of

Gods

XXIV.

W.

God's Favour to us; it has a natural Tendency toSER M. produce Patience in our Hearts, and entitles us to a Crown of Life. When therefore our bleffed Saviour inftructed his Difciples, to watch and pray, that they entred not into temptation, and when he gave us this Form, to be of constant use among Christians in all Ages of the World; by Temptation he could not mean the same thing that is intended by St. James in the above-cited Paffages; but fomething which is an Evil, and which therefore it is our duty to pray to God for his Grace to avert. Now it is certain, that Temptations confidered by themselves, are abfolutely neither good nor evil, but may become either, according as they are used, and according to the Strength of the Perfon who is tempted, and the Influence which they have upon him. Whatfoever may induce us to forfake our Duty, to fwerve from our Obedience, and to be guilty of any wilful Sin, whether it be the Love of Honour, Wealth, or Pleasure, the Fear of Want or Shame, or Pain, or any other Evil that is irkfome to our Nature, and which we would be glad at all Hazards to avoid; whatever, I fay, may by any means induce us to be wanting in our Duty to Almighty God, whether we actually comply with it or not, may be called a Temptation or Trial; because Trial is fo made of our Faith and Virtue, and it is feen from our Conduct at fuch times as these, whether we are willing to forfake Chrift for the fake of the World, or the World for the fake of Chrift. If the deceitfulness of riches, the Allurements of Pleasure, the Frowns of the World, and the Terrors of Perfecution cannot cause us to forfeit our Trust in God, nor divert us from the Pursuit of Heaven, Temptations are then Bleffings to us. On the other hand, if we are capti

SERM, vated and fubdu'd by Pleasure; if, as riches increase, XXIV. we fet our hearts upon them; if as foon as tribulation

or perfecutions arife, because of the word, we are offended; if Temptation of any kind makes us yield to its Affaults, and is too ftrong to be refifted by us, it is then a great Evil to be fo exposed to Danger, fuch an Evil as we may lawfully defire to escape, and pray to God that by his Grace we may avoid it. Since therefore we have reafon to diftruft our own Strength, and to acknowledge with the Apostle, that our Sufficiency is of God, fince we know not how foon we may be mastered and subdued by the Multitude of Temptations that perpetually beset us, we are here taught to pray, that, fo far as is confiftent with our prefent ftate of Trial and Probation, we may be refcued and delivered from them: That forafmuch as he knows what Strength we have, what Refistance we can make, and how far we may be fafely trufted, he would fo far adapt the Temptation to our Strength, or fo ftrengthen us with his bleffed Spirit, that we may be able to endure unto the and, or in the words of the Apostle, that he may not fuffer us to be tempted above that we are able, but may with the temptation also make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it. By Temptation therefore, in the words before us, we are to understand those Temptations only, which are too great to be refifted by us, those which God knows to be beyond our Strength, and, if he were to fuffer them to be exercifed upon us, would moft certainly produce our Ruin.

But if this be the meaning of Temptation in my Text, it may be asked, Secondly, in what fense God may lead us into it; for if God never leads us into fuch Temptations, what need have we to pray

againft