S. Let us to this purpose consider the general issues of men's en- tering into temptation, and that of bad and good men, of ungrounded professors, and of the choicest saints.
(1.) For the first I shall offer but one or two texts of Scripture. Luke viii. 13, " They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the Avord witli j(n', and have no root, but for a while belioAe." Well! how long do they believe? They are afiected with the preach- ing of the word, and believe thereon, make profession, bring forth some fniits; but until wlien do they abide? Says he, " In the time
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of temptation they fall away." When once they enter into temptation they are gone for ever. Temptation withers all their profession, and slays their souls. We see this accomplished every day. Men who have attended on the preaching of the gospel, been affected and de- lighted with it, that have made profession of it, and have been looked on, it may be, as believers, and thus have continued for some years; no sooner doth temptation befall them that hath vigour and perma- nency in it, but they are turned out of the way, and are gone for ever. They fall to hate the word they have delighted in, despise the professors of it, and are hardened by sin. So Matt. vii. 26, " He that lieareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, is like unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand." But what doth this house of profession do ? It shelters him, keeps him warm, and stands for a while. But saith he, verse 27, "When the rain descends, when temp- tation comes, it falls utterly, and its fall is great." Judas follows our Saviom' three years, and all goes well with him: be no sooner enters into temptation, Satan hath got him and winnowed him, but he is gone. Demas will preach the gospel until the love of the Avorld befall him, and he is utterly turned aside. It were endless to give instances of this. Entrance into temptation is, with this sort of men, an en- trance into apostasy, more or less, in part or in whole; it faileth not.
(2.) For the saints of God themselves, let us see, by some instances, what issue they have had of their entering into temptation. I shall name a few : —
Adam was the " son of God," Luke iii. 38, created in the image of God, full of that integrity, righteousness, and holiness, which might be and was an eminent resemblance of the holiness of God. He had a far greater inherent stock of ability than we, and had nothing in him to entice or seduce him ; yet this Adam no sooner enters into temp- tation but he is gone, lost, and ruined, he and all his posterity with him. What can we expect in the like condition, that have not only in our temptations, as he had, a cunning devil to deal withal, but a cursed ivorld and a cor^rupt heart also?
Abraham was the father of the faithful, Avhose faith is proposed as a pattern to all them that shall believe ; yet he, entering twice into the same temptation, namely, that of fear about his wife, was twice overpowered by it, to the dishonour of God, and no doubt the disquietment of his own soul, Gen. xii. 12, 13, xx. 2.
David is called a " man after God's own heart " by God himself; yet what a dreadful thing is the story of his entering into temptation ! He is no sooner entangled, but he is plunged into adultery; thence seeking deliverance by his own invention, like a poor creature in a toil, he is entangled more and more, until he lies as one dead, under the power of sin and folly.
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I might mention Noah, Lot, Hezekiah, Peter, and the rest, whose temptations and falls therein are on record for our instruction. Cer- tainly he that hath an 3^ heart in these things cannot but say, as the inhabitants of Samaria upon the letter of Jehu, "' Behold, two kings stood not before him, how shall we stand?' O Lord, if such mighty pillars have been cast to the ground, such cedars blown down, how shall I stand before temptations? Oh, keep me that I enter not in!" " Vestigia torrent." Behold the footsteps of them that have gone in. AVhom do you see retiring without a wound? a blemish at least? On this account would the apostle have us to exercise tenderness towards them that are fallen into sin: Gal vi. 1, " Considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." He doth not say, "Lest thou also sin, or fall, or be overtaken with a fault ;" but, " Lest thou also be tempted." " Thou seest the power of temptation in others, and knowest not how soon thou mayst be tempted, nor what will be the 'state and condition of thy soul thereupon." Assuredly, he that hath seen so many better, stronger men than himself fail, and cast down in the trial, will think it incumbent on him to remember the battle, and, if it be possible, to come there no more. Is it not a madness for a man that can scarce crawl up and down, he is so weak (which is the case of most of us), if he avoid not what he hath seen giants foiled in the under- taking of? Thou art yet whole and sound ; take heed of temptation, lest it be with thee as it was with Abraham, David, Lot, Peter, Heze- kiah, the Galatians, who fell in the time of trial.