Secondly, Let us be provided and prepared against temptations. And to this end I shall —
First, Give some directions how to resist temptations in general.
Secondly, What to do in a special hour of temptation which comes upon the world : —
When there are terrors without, and we know not what evil may be a-coming, and our hearts are full of doubt, how we may support and bear up ourselves.
First, To direct you as to temptations in general.
[1.] You must be completely armed : Eph. vi. 11, ' Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.' Not a piece only, but the whole armour of God, otherwise you will never come off with honour and safety from the spiritual conflict. The poets feign of their Achilles that he was vulnerable only in the heel, and there he got his death-wound. A Christian, though he be never so well furnished in other parts, yet if any part be left naked, you are in danger. Our first parents were wounded in their heel. Who would have thought, that they which had such vast knowledge of God and his creatures, that they should be enticed by appetite ? And Solomon, who had the upper part of his soul so well guarded, that he should be enticed by women ? To see men of great know- ledge to be unmortified and miscarry by their sensual appetite, is sad.
220 AN EXPOSITION OF [Mat. VI. 13.
A Christian must have no saving grace wanting : 2 Pet. i. 5, ' Add to your I'aith, virtue ; and to virtue, knowledge,' &c. There is all the graces, and they must come out in their turn. We need faith and virtue, zeal and holiness ; and knowledge to guide it, and patience to arm it against the troubles of the present life ; and we need tem- perance to moderate our affections to our worldly enjoyments ; and godliness, that we may be frequent in communion with God ; and brotherly-kindness, that we may preserve peace among our brethren, and may" not make fractions and ruptures in the church ; and we need charity, that we may be useful to all that are about us. There is use and work for all graces, one time or other : sometimes we shall be tempted to a neglect of God, at other times we shall be tempted to make a breach upon brotherly-kindness, at other times there will be a breach of charity. Sometimes the devil seeks to tempt us to fleshly wickedness, therefore we need temperance ; sometimes to spiritual wickedness, to error, therefore we need knowledge; sometimes to raging with despair, then we need faith. We need the whole armour of God, for Satan hath his various ways of battery and assault : sometimes through ignorance we miscarry and run into error ; sometimes for want of faith we run into despair and discomfort ; sometimes for want of temperance violent corrupt lusts overset the soul.
[2.] We must often pray to God for renewed influences; we must not only get habits of grace, but pray for a renewed influence. It is notable, next to the spiritual armour, the apostle mentioneth prayer : Eph. vi. 18, ' Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance.' We never receive so much from God upon earth as to stand in need of no more. And therefore though you put on the whole armour of God, yet ' praying always with all supplication in the Spirit/ Why ? Because without the Lord's special assistance, whereby he actuates those graces, we can never defend ourselves nor offend the adversaries, or do any- thing to purpose in the spiritual life. Strength of grace inherent will not bear us out against new assaults. Habitual grace it needs actual influence ; partly, that these graces may be applied and excited to work : Phil. ii. 13, ' He giveth to will and to do.' God giveth to do; that is, excites that strength you have, and carrieth it out to work ; and then that it may be directed in work : 2 Thes. iii. 5, ' And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.' Every time we would make use of the helmet of salva- tion, when we would lift up the head and wait for the mercy of God. The Lord direct you ; we must be directed : and not only so, but that it may be supplied with new strength, for it is said, Isa. xl. 29, ' He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no power he increaseth strength.' And he doth continue it : Luke xxii. 32, ' I have prayed for thee, that thy f;iith fail not.' Thus will God keep us in dependence for those libei'al aids and constant supplies of his grace, without which we cannot use the grace that we have.
[3.] You must resist: 1 Pet. v. 9, ' Whom resist, steadfast in the faith ;' James iv. 7, ' Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.' Stand your ground, and then Satan falls.
In all those assaults, Satan hath only weapons offensive, as fiery