every thing which tends to foster his corruption, or to give scope for its exercise. When the priests went into the taber- nacle of the congregation to minister before the Lord, they were to " drink no wine nor strong drink," lest they should be in any respect unfitted for the holy service in which they were engaged1. In like manner, we, who are "a holy priest- hood," should abstain even from lawful things, if by an unre- strained indulgence we are likely to be ensnared, Our blessed Lord has taught us to " watch and pray, that we enter not into temptation:" and this he has done, because in an hour of temptation it is so difficult to stand. We should be on our guard, not only against evil itself, but against the means and occasions of evil: the places and the company that are ensnar- ing to our souls, we should avoid ; as Solomon has well admo- nished us : " Enter not into the path of the wicked ; and go not in the path of evil men : avoid it ; pass not by it : turn from it, and pass aways." Joseph found his safety in flight1: and we, in like manner, must " keep our heart with all dili- gence11;" and " make a covenant with all our senses x," which may by any means prove inlets to temptation, and instruments for our destruction.]
It is in this way only that we can hope to be kept from the foulest sins —
[What is said of contention, may be said of sin in general, that " the beginnings of it are like the letting out of water." In the first instance, the danger seems small : but soon the breach is widened, and defies all the efforts that may be made to stop it. Of this we have an awful instance in David, who little thought, when first his eye glanced upon Bathsheba, what evils would ensue. The Apostle's primary object in our text was, to guard the Church against gross enormous evils. But how does he teach us to avoid them ? He bids us to aspire after the highest possible attainments, even the " putting on of our Lord Jesus Christ ;" and to be on our guard against the very smallest occasions of sin, and in no respect to make pro- vision for the indulgence of it. And these two things must occupy our attention from day to day. O ! " let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall :" and let him " keep under his body, and bring it into subjection, lest by any means, after having preached to others, he himself should be a cast-away y. If, for the obtaining of a prize in earthly contests, a long habit of laborious and self-denying discipline is necessary, much more is it in order to the ensuring of final success in our heavenly conflicts. To all, then, would I say,
r Lev. x. 8 — 10. s Prov. iv. 14, 15. l Gen. xxxix. 12.
u Prov. iv. 23. x Job xxxi. 1. y 1 Cor. ix. 27.