longer regards you with the watchful eye of a tender father, but has given you up to uncertain fears, to anguish and despair in this world, and to ruin inevitable in the next: but when you remember that through all these dangers and difficulties Chrift has led the way, that he, like you, nay more than you, was tempted and expofed, you must blush at your complaints, and with confufion of face confefs, that you have charged God foolishly, and with the holy Pfalmift say, It is mine own infirmity.

Whatever you may think, there is more reason to fufpect yourself, and even to fear concerning the love of God, when all things are calm and ferene about you, and when you stand as it were exempted from the common burden of life, your body free from pain, and your mind from care. One would be apt to suspect that the enemy of mankind thought himself fecure of you, and that there wanted no trials and temptations to urge on your approaching ruin: else why should he neglect you only, whilft with the greatest diligence and application he is exercifing with tortures both bodily and spiritual all the reft of the fons of God? The beft and the only thing we can say to this, is, that profperity itself is the greatest of temptations, and the feverest trial of virtue and innocence; and that the tempter leaves men to fink under the charms of plenty and indolence, as the fureft method he can make use of. And if this be fo, I am sure our ease and our plenty call upon us for the utmost diligence and care, for the conftant exercife of all those virtues that are proper to our ftation. If we fee others led to virtue by hardships and poverty, let us reflect

that we want those tutors and guides, and that inftead of them we have only charity and humility to follow by the exercise of these we may reap the fruit of the others, and at laft be found in the number of those who mourned with those who mourned.

If others ftruggle with temptations of divers kinds, and are perfected with trials, whilft we enjoy an inward peace and reft of foul, let us remember that we want the advantages they have. And fince God has not called us to refift evil, as he has called others, he certainly expects that we should do more good it is their business to defend their virtue against the affaults of vice; but we, who enjoy a free and unmolefted virtue, muft improve it in a conftant exercise and discharge of all the duties of piety and religion, in keeping a strict hand over our paffions, that profperity be not our ruin. If others are forced to serve conftantly upon the guard, and to watch against the encroachments of vice, and have work enough to fecure an unblemished innocence; we, who are placed in the inmoft and fecureft receffes of the Lord's vineyard, where no dangers can approach to moleft and difturb our peace; we, I fay, ought to labour the more zealously to till and improve the foil, that we may be able at the laft to render a good account of the talent committed to our use.

Secondly, It appears from the circumstances of this hiftory of our Lord's temptation, that trials and temptations may be great and fevere, where the gifts and graces of the Spirit are administered in the largest proportion: and fince those who are tempted

may fall, for otherwise temptations would be no trials, it appears that those who have the gifts of the Spirit, and grace fufficient, may nevertheless fall into fin through the power of temptations, and the want of care and diligence on their own part. It is a falfe comfort, therefore, which finners administer to themselves, when they excuse their fins by laying all the blame upon their own natural infirmities, and the want of God's grace to enable them to do well. God is never wanting to those who are not wanting to themselves; and though he suffers all to be tempted, yet it is with this reftriction upon the tempter, that he tempt them not above what they are able to bear. The inftruction which I propose to you from this confideration is this, that whenever you are fo unhappy as to offend, you do not try to palliate and excufe your offences, and charge God foolishly as if he had been wanting to your affiftance; but that you rather confider your own iniquity as your own, and instead of excufing your fins, and adminiftering thereby a falfe comfort to your foul, you labour through a timely repentance to correct and amend what is amifs, and endeavour to regain the true peace of mind, by reconciling yourselves to God, and by a speedy and refolute return to your duty.

In a word, it is no man's fault that he is tempted; it is the condition of our spiritual warfare; it is the combat to which God calls us for the proof and trial of our virtue. Then only are we guilty, when we give way to temptations, and forfake God to follow the pleasures or the gains of wickedness. And whenever this is the cafe, there is but one remedy,

repentance through faith in Chrift Jefus, which will never be refused when it comes from a fincere heart, touched with a lively fenfe of God's goodness and its own unworthiness.