when they unnecessarily expose themselves to danger from which they cannot escape without the intervention of a miracle;-or, when they sin knowingly and wilfully, as though they dared the justice of Heaven to execute its threatenings upon them.

As it is used in the text, the word refers principally, if not exclusively, to those enticements which beguile and allure men to the commission of sin. When God tempted Abraham, his object was good; as he designed thereby to prove the fidelity and attachment of his servant. And when he suffers temptation, in the form of persecution, to assail the church, his object is equally good; as he intends to exercise the faith and virtue of his people, and to expose such as are formal and insincere. It is in reference to this kind of temptation that St. James says, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations." Now the temptation to which the text alludes, so far from being an occasion of joy, is a source of great heaviness and sorrow. A Christian may rejoice in suffering earthly privations, but he cannot rejoice in being tempted to commit sin. When our Lord was thus tempted, his soul was troubled; "he offered up strong crying and tears, and was heard in that he feared." "He suffered, being

tempted." It was to him a source of unspeakable anguish; and it will produce a similar effect in every serious mind. A Christian may endure persecution with a smile, and rejoice that he is counted worthy to suffer for the sake of the Lord Jesus; but, if he be harassed with unholy suggestions, "his spirit is overwhelmed within him; his heart within him is desolate." This difference of feeling may be accounted for: persecution will rouse the spirit and awaken the heroism of one who is truly pious; it will be likely to bring him into closer contact with the Redeemer, and induce him to emulate the holy courage of the confessor and the martyr. But temptation to evil (whatever may be the result of the conflict) has a direct tendency to draw the heart away from God, to entangle the affections, and enslave the mind. This is the object of all the actings and allurements of sin. It never rises up without intending to inflict a deep and incurable wound, nor makes a thrust at the soul without a fixed resolution to destroy it.

It is an affecting consideration, that, while temptation is frequently so injurious to the souls of men as to involve their present and future ruin, it extends its baneful influence to every situation; so that those things which in themselves are good, not unfrequently,

through the deceitfulness of the heart, and the malicious vigilance of evil spirits, become occasions of sin. How often does wealth, which, if used aright, might be highly beneficial to its owners, prove a fatal snare to their souls! How often do influence and authority, instead of being employed for the public good, become the instruments of personal aggrandizement; of disseminating the most injurious principles; or of oppressing the innocent and defenceless. How often are learning, talent, and genius, which, if well employed, might greatly increase a man's treasure in heaven, devoted to the shrine of vanity. On the other hand, there are occasions of temptation arising from poverty and adversity, which have a natural tendency to depress the spirits, and to make "the heart fret against the Lord." Still, it must be remembered, that riches and poverty, authority and subjection, can of themselves produce no ill effect, and are hurtful to us so far only as they come into contact with our corrupt dispositions. Thus, when riches are bestowed on a selfish worldling, when honours fall to the lot of one who is vain or imperious, when power devolves on one who is hasty and overbearing,-when severe afflictions befall one who is irritable and peevish: every preparative is found for successful temptation;

and, as when fire is applied to combustibles, the least breath of infernal influence will serve to fan the flame, and to endanger the welfare of the soul.

II. We are to show what it is to be led into temptation.

It would be improper for us to imagine, from the construction of this petition, "Lead us not into temptation," that the Divine Being is ever disposed actually to draw men into evil, or even to excite in them an inclination towards it. This would be a reflection beyond endurance on the character of the High and Holy One. The language of the Apostle James is directly to the purpose; "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man, but every man is tempted," (that is, every man enters into temptation, and falls thereby,) "when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." To prevent misconception on this subject, permit me to offer two or three remarks.

1. God cannot be the Author of temptation, because he himself is not liable to sin.

The infinite grandeur of his nature, and the sublimity of his perfections, place him beyond the possibility of temptation. Superior circumstances have no such happy effect on mankind. Their elevation in life does not suppose an increase in virtue: they usually carry with them the same character through all the stages of their advancement, and therefore are no less susceptible of temptation in the higher than they are in the lower circles of life. Let a man be raised to a throne, let him see half the world crouching at his feet; he is not superior to temptation; nay, his very exaltation becomes a snare to him. But it is otherwise with God; for, unlike the princes of this world, who, in most instances, derive their pre-eminence from external splendour, he is inconceivably glorious in his nature, independently of the unapproachable light which surrounds his throne, and the myriads of angels that adore him: consequently, mere circumstances cannot open any sources of temptation to him.

God also is unchangeably holy. Men and angels were created upright and pure, but not unchangeable. How temptation effectually assailed them, it is not for us to determine; and all that we can say on that awful event, is, that being naturally mutable, they were liable to sin; but God is the same for ever; necessarily