[1.] It doth endamage our inward man, and hindereth and diminish- etli our comfortable communion with God. Other things may harm the man, but they do not touch the Christian ; and therefore saith the apostle, 2 Cor. iv. 16, ' For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.* Breaches made upon the outward man come not so near as a breach made upon the inward man ; therefore we faint not, so long as the inward man is safe,
[2.] It doth endanger our everlasting hopes and concernments, and therefore it is the greatest evil. All afflictions do but reach our tem- poral, but sin reacheth our eternal concernments ; and therefore the apostle promiseth himself this kind of deliverance, as that which was most worthy : 2 Tim. iv. 17, 18, ' I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom.' Well, then, you see it may be rendered the evil one, or the evil thing. The word carrieth it for sin ; KaKov denoteth the evil of afflictions, and malum poence, as well as malum culpce ; but irovrjpov never but evil of fault. And we need not anxiously dispute whether the one or the other, for one can- not be understood without respect to the other. Therefore I shall take it in a general sense — that evil which results from temptations, whether they arise from Satan, the world, or our own hearts.
From the words thus opened, the points will be two : —
First, That while we are in this valley of tears and snares, we should with earnestness and confidence pray to be delivered from evil.
Secondly, To be kept from the evil of sin is a greater mercy than to be kept from the trouble of temptation.
I observe the first point, because Christ thus directed us to pray to God. The second, because the evil of sin is intended. For the first, we should pray with earnestness, because of our danger, and with confidence, because of God's undertaking. The Lord Jesus knows what requests are most acceptable to his Father, Now when he would give a perfect pattern and platform of prayer, he bids you pray thus : ' Deliver us from evil.' Nay, we have not only Christ's direc- tion, but Christ's example : John xvii. 15, ' I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.' He did not absolutely pray for an exemption from temptation, though he knew the world would be a tempestuous place, that his people must expect strong assaults — Lord, take them not out of the world, but keep them from the evil ; so here, ' Deliver us from evil.'
First, We should pray with earnestness, because of our danger from the enemies of our salvation, which are the devil, the world, and the flesh ; in respect of all which, we pray to be delivered from evil.
[1.] From the evil which the devil designs against us. Both bad and good men have need to make this prayer : bad men have need ; good
234 AN EXPOSITION OF [Mat. VI. 13.
men will have a heart certainly to prny thus to God, if they consider their danger.
(1.) Natural and unconverted men, they are under the power of the devil, if they were sensible of it ; for the devils are said to be ' rulers of the darkness of this world,' Eph. vi. 12. By which is meant the wicked, ignorant, and carnal part of the world, whether they live in Gentilisra, or within the pale and line of Christ's communion; over all those that live in their unrenewed state of sin and ignorance, over all these, Satan hath an empire and dominion. And mark, when God carried on his kingdom in a way of sensible manifestation, by visions, oracles, and miracles, so did Satan visibly govern the pagan world by apparitions, oracles, lying wonders, and sensible manifestations of him- self. But now, when God's kingdom is spiritual, — ' the kingdom of God is within you,' Luke xvii. 21, — so by proportion, Satan's king- dom is spiritual too; he rules in the hearts of men, though they little think of it. All natural men, whether they be pagans or Christians, though outwardly and apparently they may renounce the devil's king- dom, and do not seem to have such open communion with him, as the Gentiles that consulted with his oracles, and were instructed by his apparitions, acted by his power, and offered sacrifice to him : but spiritually, all natural men are under the devil ; for, 1 John iii. 8, ' He that committeth sin is of the devil;' that is, he belongeth to him. How is he of the devil ? They are his children : Acts xiii. 10, ' 0 thou child of the devil.' And they are his subjects, he ruleth in them , he hath a kingdom among men, which by all means he goeth about to maintain: Mat. xii. 26, ' If Satan be divided against himself, how then can his kingdom stand ? ' And they are his workhouses, he worketh in them : Eph. ii. 2, ' The spirit that worketh in the children of dis- obedience.' The devil is hard at work in a wicked man's heart, framing evil thoughts, carnal motions ; urging them to break God's laws ; drawing them on to more sin and villainy ; fills their hearts with lying, and all manner of sins: Acts v. 3, 'Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?' He binds them with prejudices, and will not suffer them to hearken to the glorious gospel : 2 Cor. iv. 4, ' In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine unto them.' He blinds and holds them captive at his will and pleasure, their souls are fettered : 2 Tim. ii. 26. And sometimes he oppresses their bodies (for Satan carrieth on his kingdom by force, tyranny, fears, and bondage) ; and therefore it is said. Acts x. 38, that Christ ' went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil.' Yet further, as God's executioner, he hath the power over death for their torment : Heb. ii. 14, ' That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.' And un- less the Lord be merciful, he never ceaseth carrying on wicked men, until both they and he are for ever in hell : Mat. xxv. 41, ' Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.' All this is spoken, to show carnal men their condition. Oh that they would seriously think of it ! When they do evil, when they slight the motions of God's grace, they are under Satan ; and not only by force, as a child of God may be sometimes, but they are willipgly