Alts. When we pray, " Lead us not into temptation," the meaning is, we desire of God that lie would not suffer us to be over- come by temptation. That we may not be given up to the power of temptation, which is when we are trepanned into sin.
Quest. JVheitce do temptations come ?
Ans. 1. Ab intra, — from ourselves. The heart is Jomes peccati, — the breeder of all evil. Our own hearts are the greatest tempters : James i. 14., " Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust." Tiie heart is a perfect decoy.
2. Temptations come ab extra, — from Satan. lie is called ' the Tempter,' Mat. iv. 3., he lies in ambush to do us mischief, —.Stat in procinctu diabolus, — the devil lays a train of temptation to blow up the fort of our grace ; the devil is not yet fully cast
into prison, but is like a prisoner that goes under bail ; the world is his diocese where he visits ; we are sure to find Satan, what- ever we are doing, — reading, — praying, — meditating ; we find him within, how he came there we know not ; we are sure of his company, uncertain how we came by it. A saint's whole life (saith Austin) is a temptation. Elias, who could shut heaven by prayer, could not shut his heart from a temptation. This is a great molestation to a child of God; as it is a trouble to a vir- gin to have her chastity daily assaulted. The more one is tempted to evil, the more he is hindered from good ; we are in great danger of Satan ' the prince of the air ;' and we had need often pray, " Lead us not into temptation." That we may see in what danger we are of Satan's temptations.
Consider \st. His malice in tempting. This hellish serpent is swelled with the poison of malice. Satan envies man's liap- piness ; to see a clod of dust so near to God, and himself (once a glorious angel) cast out of the heavenly paradise, this makes him pursue mankind with inveterate hatred, Rev. xii. 12., " The devil is come down to you having great wrath." If there be any thing this infernal spirit of hell can delight in, it is to ruin souls, and bring them into the same condemnation with himself. This malice of Satan in tempting must needs be great, if we consider three things :
1. That when Satan is so full of torment, yet, that at such a time he should tempt. One would think that Satan should scarce have a thought free from thinking of his own misery ; yet such is his rage and malice, that, when God is punishing him, he is tempting.
2. Satan's malice is great, that lie will tempt where he knows he cannot prevail ; he will put forth his sting, though he can- not hurt. He tempted Christ, Mat. iv. 3., " If thou be the Son of God." He knew well enoufih Christ was God as well as man, yet he would tempt him. Such was hia malice against Christ, that he would put aa
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affront on Clirist, though he knew he could not conquer him. He tempts the elect to blasphemy ; he knows he cannot prevail a- gainst the elect ; yet such is his malice, that though he cannot storm the garrison of their hearts, yet he will plant his pieces of ordnance against them.
3. Satan's malice is great, that though he knows his tempting men to sin will increase his own torment in hell, yet he will not leave off tempting ; every temptation makes his chain heavier, and his fire hotter, yet he will tempt. Therefore Satan being such a malicious revengeful spirit, had we not need pray that God would not suffer him to prevail by his temptations ? " Lead us not into temptation."
Consider 2d. Satan's diligence in tempt- ing, 1 Pet. V. 8., " He walketh about." He neglects no time ; he who would haA'e us idle, yet he himself is always busied. This lion is ever hunting after his prey, — he compasseth sea and land to make a prose- lyte,— he walks about, — he walks not as a pilgrim, but a spy, — he watcheth where he may throw in the fire-ball of a temptation. He is a restless spirit ; if we repulse him, yet he will not desist, but come again with a temptation. Like Marcellus, a Roman captain Hannibal speaks of, whether he was conquered, or did conquer, he was never quiet. More particularly, Satan's diligence in tempting is seen in this,
\. If he gets the least advantage by temp- tation, he pursues it to the utmost. If his motion to sin begins to take, he follows it close, and presseth to the act of sin. When he tcm[)ted Judas to betray Christ, and found that Judas was inclinable, and began to bite at the bait of thirty pieces of silver, he hurries him on, and never leaves him till he had betrayed his Lord and Master. When he had tempted Spira to renounce his religion, and saw Spira begin to yield, lie follows his temptation close, and never left till he had made him go to the legate at Venice, and there abjure his faith in Christ.
2. Again, Satan's diligence in tempting is seen in this, the variety of temptations he useth. He doth not confine himself to one sort of temptation, he hath more ])lots than one; if he finds one temptation doth