3. As to actual temptations, when they stir indwelling sin, complaia of the violence to God : Rom. vii. '24, ' Oh wretched man that I am ! Who shall deliver me from this body of death? ' Bemoan yourselves to him who alone can help you, and is ready to do so, — when you are afraid of doing anything contrary to your duty ; and an humble sense of your impotency is not only a good preparative to receive his graces, but also to defy and rebuke the temptation : Mat. iv. 10, 'Get thee behind me, Satan;' and Gen. xxsix. 9, 'How shall I do this great wickedness and sin against God ? ' These are best smothered in the birth.
4. Take heed cif those sins which the people of God are most in danger of. It is hard to say what they are ; for all sins when they are near, and importune the flesh, by the easy and profitable practice of them without danger, or discovery, may tempt an unwary heart. Therefore we must have always our eyes in our head, and stand upou our guard ; the secure are next to a fall ; there is no cessation of arm.s in this warfare, or treaty and conclusion of peace to be made with our lusts. Sin is a bosom-friend, but yet the sorest enemy ; and if we be not resolute and vigilant, our appetites and senses, or our passions may betray us ; and if you be not daily deadening worldly inclinations, self- esteem, and conceit, you cannot stand out against the smallest tempta- tion. But they are most in danger of those sins which the temperature of body and constitution do incline them unto ; though we must watch against all sins, for all are hateful to God, and contrary to his law, and incident to us ; yet we are inclined to one sin more than to another ; there is something that is our privy sore, and may be called the plague of our own hearts, 1 Kings viii. 38. Now this must be watched and striven against ; and here the victory is never cheap or easy. Many a groan, many a prayer, many a serious thought, many a heai-ty endeavour it will cost us ; these master-lusts (they never go alone, like great diseases that have petty ones attending them), must be chiefly attended by us, and we must not discontinue the work, till we have gotten some power against them, and they be considerably weakened. Be it lust or passion, or .sloth and dulness, or worldliness, or pride, we must pray, and pray again, as Paul prayed thrice ; grace must watch over it and keep it under, and abate it by contrary actions, that we may the better govern this inclination, and reduce it to reason.
VeR. 13.] SERMONS UPON ROMANS Vin. 71
5. Take heed of an unmortified frame of spirit. There are certain dispositions of heart wliich argue mucii iinmortifiedness, and do loudly call for this remedy and cure, even the grace of the Spirit whereby we may be healed.
[1.] As impotcncy of mind, whereby temptations to sin are very catching, and do easily make impression upon us. The heart, like tinder, soon taketli fire from every spark ; certainly there is great life in our lusts, when a little occasion awakeneth them. As it is said of the young fool in the Proverbs, ' he goetli after her suddenly,' Pro. vii. 22, that is, as soon as enticed. Upon the least provocation, we grow passionate ; the temptation findeth some prepai-ed matter to work upon, as straw is more easily kindled than wood. Now this calletli upon us to weaken the incHnation.
[2.] When the temptation is small ; a little adversity puts us out of all courage and patience : Pro. xxiv. 10, 'If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.' If we be so touchy that we cannot bear the common accidents of the world, how shall we bear the most grievous persecutions, which we are to endure f(3r Christ's sake ? For the other sort of corruptions, for handfuls of barley, or a piece of bread, will that man transgress. So ' selling the righteous for a pair of shoes,' ' selling the birthright for one morsel of meat.' She is a common prostitute that will take any hire. A little thing makes a stone run down hill. Certainly the heart must be looked after ; the bias and inclination of it to God and heaven, more fixed.
[3.] When lusts are touchy, storm at a reproof. If the word break in upon the heai-t with any evidence, carnal men cannot endure it : 1 Kings, xxii. 8, ' He doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.' It is a bad crisis, and state of soul, when men would be soothed in their lusts, cannot endure close and searcliing truths ; but either affect general discourses, that they may creep away in the crowd without being attacked ; or loose garish strains that please the fancy, but do not reach the heart ; or must be honeyed and oiled with grace ; scarce can endure the doctrine of mortification ; none need it so much as they ; or love flattery more than reproof ; it is a sign sin and they ai'e agreed, and they would sleep securely. Not only did Herod put John in prison, but an Asa put the prophet in the stocks, 2 Chron. xvi. 10.