[2.] That without the flesh, the world and the devil can have no power over us. A man cannot be compelled to sin against his own consent ; he may be compelled to suffer temptation, but he is a sinner by his own choice. The world would not hurt us were it not for lust in the heart : 2 Pet. i. 4, ' Escaping the corruption of the world through lust.' I say, it is not the beauty or sweetness of the creature, but lust, which is our ruin and undoing, and that makes the world so dangerous unto us. A spider sucketh poison from the same flower from which a bee w^ould suck honey ; the fault is not in the flower, but in the spider : the devil can do nothing unless w^e give him leave. The fire is kindled in our own bosoms, Satan only doth blow it up into a flame. Saith Nazianzen, we have the coals in our own hearts, the devil doth but come and blow them up : suggestion doth nothing without consent. In vain doth one knock at the door, and none with- in to look out and make answer ; so, all other temptations would he in vain, if there were not somewhat within that w^ould close with what is suggested from Satan: James i. 14, ' Every man is tempted, when he
VOL. 1. O
210 AN EXPOSITION OF [MaT. VI. 13.
is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed,' by his own concupiscence. If your hearts did not yield, if you did resist, the devil and the world could not force you. When Satan came to Christ, he might molest him, but he ' found nothing in him,' John xiv. 30 ; as a glass of pure water may be shaken, but there is no filth, no mud there discovered. But now, the best of men, they have somewhat within them, naughti- ness and corruption enough in their own hearts, upon which Satan may work and inflame them with his fiery darts. In short, we may commit sin without Satan, but Satan cannot betray us to sin without ourselves ; cannot have his desire upon us without us,
[3.] The flesh doth not only make us flexible and yielding to temp- tations, but is active and stirring in our hearts, to force and impel us thereunto. There is ' a law in our members,' Kom. vii. 23, a power- ful active principle within us, that is always urging us to sin. We think and speak too gently of our own corrupt hearts when we think the corruption is sleepy, and works not until it be irritated by outward objects and Satan's suggestions. No, there is an active, stirring principle within us, that poureth out sin as a fountain doth waters, though nobody comes to drink of them ; as Gen. vi. 5, ' Every imagi- nation of the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually.' There is a mint in man's heart that is always at work coining e\al thoughts, evil desires, evil motions; and 'the flesh lusteth against the spirit,' Gal. v. 17 : And ' Sin wrought in me all manner of concupiscence,' Rom. vii. 8. Though there were no other occasion to irritate, but God's law and the motions of his Spirit, yet there is a continual fer- mentation wrought by these corrupt humours in our hearts. Natural concupiscence doth not lie idle in them, but is active and warring ; and the objects that are in the world, and the solicitations of the devil make it more violent.
[4.] The temptations of the flesh and the world go in conjunction, and do mutually help one another. And therefore it is said, 1 John ii. 16, ' For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,' &c. Mark, whatever is in the world, he doth not mention the object, but the lusts, because these are complicated and folded up together in the temptation. The bait is the world, but the appetite and desire we have from the flesh. And this is intimated in that passage, James i. 14, ' Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.' There are two words there, drawn away, and enticed: the drawing away notes the vehemency of desire or inclination of our own hearts ; and the enticement, that is from the object. Both ways doth corruption work, by force and flattery. The great bait is pleasure, the contentment that we take in outward enjoyments. And we are carried out to it by the vehement propension of corrupt nature.
[5.] This vehement propension of corrupt nature to outward things is set at work by a hope of gaining them, or a fear to lose them ; and so we are assaulted on every hand, by right-hand and left-hand temptations. By right-hand temptations, from the flatteries and comforts of the world, which are the more dangerous because of their easy insinuation into, and strong operation upon our hearts, and so our comforts prove a snare to us, and ' an occasion to the flesh,' as
Mat. YI. 13.] the lord's prayer. 211
the apostle saith, Gal. v. 13. And then tliere are left-hand tempta- tions, which arise from shame or fear of worldly evils, as the other did arise from a desire or hope of good. So the apostle : Gal. vi. 12, ' As many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised ; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.' That was their temporising then to comply with the Jews, who had some national privileges under the Roman government, and had better security to their worldly interests than possibly thorough Christians could have. Now, to avoid both these, the apostle, when he presseth Christians to all those graces which are necessary, he presseth them to temperance and patience : 2 Pet. i. 5, 6, ' Add to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience.' Both these are armour of proof against worldly temptations ; temper- ance against the delights, and patience against the evils and troubles of the world. It was never yet so well with the world but that Christians (those that are so in good earnest, that mean to go to heaven and keep a good conscience) will be assaulted on both sides.