But the other condition is not without its snares neither. In adversity we are apt to be impatient, as well as in prosperity to be forgetful of God ; and therefore we had need learn how to go up hill and down hill, to ' know how to abound, and how to be abased,' Phil. iv. 12. Look, as the wind doth rise from all corners, so do tempta- tions. When we are kept low and bare, or in danger, then we are full of worldly fears, distrusts, cares, grow base, pusillanimous, and have not the spirit and generosity of a Christian. In a high condition we are
238 AN EXPOSITION OF [Mat. VI. 13.
proud, secure, forgetful of clianges, vain, wanton ; and press towards heaven less, and grow dead to good things.
(2.) As from the things of the world, so from the men of the world. We are apt to be poisoned by their bad example, and easily catch a- sickness one from another. Good men may receive a taint : Isa. vi. 5, ' I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.' Open excesses do soon manifest their own odiousness. I confess, a man that runs into open excess, we are not so much in danger of being enticed by him to the like practice ; but we learn of one another secretly to be cold, careless, and less mortified. I say, though we are not carried into inordinate practices and gross wicked- nesses by the example of others, yet we learn to be cold in the profes- sion of godliness, formal, less stirring in the way of holiness, and sometimes ensnared by their counsels. The flood and torrent of evil examples and counsels is so great, that it carrieth away men : Gal. ii. 13, ' Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulati ^n.' And the wills of men is one of our snares, 1 Pet. iv. 2. And besides, we are in danger to be terrified by their frowns, and act unseemly : Isa. viii. 13, ' Fear not their fear, nor be afraid.' Out of the fear of men w^e are apt to miscarry in our duty to God. Well, then, we need to go to God to be delivered from the evil of the world, that we may not be infected nor terrified by the men of the world ; or, which is the more usual temptation, corrupted by the things of the world. The world doth secretly and slightly insinuate with us ; and therefore keep us from evil.
Now how comes the world to be evil ?
In two things, when both our care and our delight is lessened to- wards heavenly things.
(I.) Wlien our care is lessened, when we are not so serious, so fre- quent in communion with God as we were wont to be ; as Martha, that was ' cumbered about many tilings,' but Mar}' ' had chosen the better part,' Luke x. 42. When you begin to lessen your cares of duty, and Hagar thrusts Sarah out of doors, when the son of the bond-woman begins to mock at the son of the free-woman, when religion begins to be looked upon but as mopishness ; to be so nice, precise, and so careful to maintain constant commerce with God ; and begin to have lessening thoughts of God, and religion goes to the walls. So,
(2.) AVhen our delight is less in heavenly things, when we have lost our savour of the word, and ordinances, and Sabbaths, and they are not so sweet as before : 1 John ii. 16, 'If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.' When the love of the world hath made you weary of the love of God, when your heart goes a-wlioring from God, the chief good. As when the affections are scattered, a man is tempted to look upon other objects, the wife of the bosom is defrauded of her right ; so God is defrauded by an over-delight in the creature, the world intercepts your delight : Ps. Ixxiii. 27, 28, ' Thou hast destroyed all them that go a- whoring from thee ; but it is good for me to draw nigli to God.' When our delight in communion with God is lessened by delight in the creature, it is spiritual adultery. Now when worldly objects are so continually with us, soliciting our affections, and drawing us away from God, oh what need have the
Mat. VI. 13.] the lord's prayer. 239
best of us to pray, ' Lord, keep us from evil ! ' The soul doth easily receive a taint from the objects to which we are accustomed ; therefore they which live in the world had need to take heed of a worldly spirit. The continual presence of the object doth secretly entice the heart ; as long suits prevail at length, and green wood kindles by long lying in the fire. Insensibly is the heart drawn away from God, and you shall find less savour in holy things.
[3.] We had need to pray earnestly, Lord, keep us from evil, because we are in danger of that other enemy, the flesh. There is not only an evil without us, as the devil and the world, but an evil within us : ' An evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God,' Heb. iii. 12. An evil heart, that is full of urgings and solicitations to sin. There are not only snares and temptations in the world, but there is a flexibleness in the party tempted : James i. 14, ' Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed,' viro TTj^ I8ia<; i7rc6vfxia<;, of his own lust. The fire burns in our own hearts, Satan doth but blow up the flame. There is bad liquor in the vessel, Satan doth but only give it vent, and set it abroach with violence. We carry sinning natures about with us, therefore, Lord, ' Deliver us from evil.' The evil of the world would do no more hurt than the fire doth to a stone, if we were not combustible matter : ' The corruption that is in the world through lust,' 2 Pet. i. 4. The danger of living in the world doth not stand in this, because here are so many enticements and baits for every sense ; but it is the corruption through lust ; as the venom is not in the flower, but in the spider. The Philis- tines could not prevail against Samson if Delilah, on whom he doted, had not lulled him asleep ; or as Balaam first corrupted Israel before he could curse them or bring them any harm : so corruption in the heart makes us liable to Satan's malice. There is a treacherous party within to open the door to Satan, without which all outward force could not annoy us.