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can be so formed, or so situated by a just and good God, as to be under an absolute necessity of transgressing those laws which he has laid down for the regulation of our conduct. We may rest assured that he will give us powers, either natural or supernatural, to balance our defects. In the common trials of our virtue, the common efforts of human nature, and the common influences of the Holy Spirit, will be able to

"if

support us: any temptation take us, "more than is common to man," God will send us, provided we desire, and endeavour to deserve it, more than common assistance; for his strength is made perfect in our weakness, and we may in this sense most truly "that when we are with the Apostle, “weak, then in reality are we strong.

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We are not, however, to conclude from hence, that God will deliver us out of temptation without any trouble on our part. As without him we can do nothing, so neither will he do any thing without us. grace is not intended to supersede, but to cooperate with our own most earnest endea

*2 Cor. xii. 10.

His

vours and the most effectual method of securing to ourselves the Divine assistance, is to make a speedy and vigorous use of all those means with which we are furnished, for working out our salvation. What these means are, and how we may apply them to the best advantage, will be considered in a separate discourse.

SERMON IV.

JAMES i. 13.

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.

IN

the preceding discourse I attempted to show, that to throw all the blame of our vices on the infirmity of our natural constitution, is in fact to say that we are "tempted "of God;" that this indirect accusation of our Maker is as groundless as it is impious; that the notion of ungovernable passions and irresistible temptations, contradicts our clearest apprehensions of the Divine nature and perfections, the most express declarations of Scripture, the testimony of past ages,

and even our own daily experience. And, although this might be deemed sufficient for the conviction of any reasonable man, yet, in a point of such great importance, I shall readily be excused for pursuing the same subject a little further, and for going on to show, not only that temptations may be subdued, but how they may be subdued; what those means are, in short, which reason and religion have put into our hands, for combating these enemies of our salvation; for it must at last be owned, that the most effectual way of proving any end to be attainable, is to point out the path that leads to it.

I. The first step, then, towards resisting temptations, is to regulate our notions; and before we can hope to act virtuously, we must learn to think justly. The surprising influence which worldly allurements have over our minds, is in a great measure owing to the high opinion we entertain of the pleasures or advantages they set before us. That restless power of the mind, THE IMAGIN= ATION, which is "only evil continually'

* Gen. vi. 5.

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