the heart of Judas to betray Christ," John xiii. 2, and "filled the heart of Ananias, that he should lie to the Holy Ghost, and keep back part of the price of the land," Acts v. 3. (3) The devil knows how to darken and stupify the understanding, so that it perceives neither good nor evil, by which means the will is powerfully urged to choose that which is wrong: The God of this world blinds the minds of them who believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine unto them," saith Paul, 2 Cor. iv. 4. (4) Sometimes Satan comes with power, and with an ovebearing force, and drives the soul headlong into sin: conscience indeed sometimes cries out against sin; and others dissuade from it: but he. having the ear of the soul, will not suffer her to pause, in order to attend as she ought to that which would restrain her from sinning, but he urges her violently on, and crosses every good advice. When "he provoked David to number Israel," he drove him on so, that he would not hearken to Joab's advice, but "his word prevailed," 1 Chron. *xxi. 1-4. "He works" more especially so powerfully " in the *children of disobedience," Epb. ii. 2. "He takes them captive in ►his snare at his will." 2 Tim. ii. 26. and "he persuades them, and *prevails also," 1 Kings xxii. 22. He can manage his temptations with wonderful subtilty, so that men do not observe that he tempteth them, and the children of God themselves ascribe his temptations wholly to their own corruption, unless they be greatly advanced: "He beguiled Eve" herself, when she was yet uncorrupted, "by his subtilty," 2 Cor. xi. 3. Therefore he will often begin his attacks with asking questions, that he may influence the mind to consider his propositions, and may cause it to waver, and especially when a person is in his weakest condition, and alone. And that he may not seem to have an evil design, he will pretend a wonderful appearance of a great and holy zeal, and even swear that he seeks our happiness only. See Gen. iii. 1-6, and thus he " transforms himself into an angel of light," as the apostle saith, 2 Cor. xi. 14. But when he attacks a person, who is further advanced, and who knows his devices, he appears like "a messenger of Satan," 2 Cor. xii. 7. He hath indeed wonderful artifices and "devices" 2 Cor. ii. 11, "wiles," Eph. vi. 11, and " depths," Rev. ii. 24. If any desire to see his mysteries unfolded, let them read what an eminently godly man hath written concerning the temptations of Satan.

The other enemy, who tempts the people of God, in order to se

* William Brakel in his Redelyke Godsdienst, or Reasonable Service, part 2, ch. 53

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duce them is the world, of which the devil is "the prince and god," since he governs the world, and the world obeys him, John xiv. 30. 2 Cor. iv. 4. But by the world we must not understand here the frame of the world, with all that is in it, except so far as the creature, being subject to vanity through sin, is abused by the sinner; but by the world we understand chiefly worldly-minded persons, " who are of the world, and therefore speak of the world, and the world heareth them," 1 John iv. 5, and also "worldly lusts which pass away," 1 John ii. 17, which world tempts and seduceth men, either by flattering and alluring them with her honours, pleasures and profits, "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life," 1 John ii. 16, or by hatred, persecuting them, who will not do as she doth. The Lord Jesus saith to them who are his, If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you," John xv. 19.

Nevertheless the devil and the world would not be able to seduce us in this manner, if there were not a traitor within the soul, who unites with the devil and the world to destroy the poor soul. The flesh is that traitor, namely our inbred depravity, "the oid man, the body of sin," Rom. vi. 6. "The motions of sin, which are by the law, and which work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death; indwelling sin, the law of sin, which is in the members, " Rom. vii. 5, 29, 23, for "every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed," James i 14. One while it will oppose the truth of God by foolish conceptions, "imaginations and ligh things," 2 Cor. x. 5, then it works up every abomination, " like a troubled sea and a fountain," Isaiah Ivis 20, Jer. vi 7. Mat. xv. 19. Yea, "the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be," Rom. viii. 7. "Doth the Spirit lust against the flesh, the flesh lusteth also against the Spirit: and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would," Gal. v. 17.

But why doth the Saviour choose that we should pray to the Father, that he would not lead us into temptation? doth he mislead and entice his children to evil? surely no; for " he is of purer eyes than to behold evil," Hab. i. 13. "Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity," so we say with Elihu, Job xxxiv 10. "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, when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed," VOL. II.

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according to James i. 14. This petition must however have a cer
tain meaning; we may not therefore wholly exclude the direction
of God from sin. No man will say that God commands or works
sin, or that he urges a person to commit it, but every one will
allow that he permits sin in a holy manner, not by giving license to
sin, but by not hindering it. Is he then a mere spectator of sin?
Thus the Pelagians think: but the word of God teaches us that
God doth more with respect to sin, than merely permit it: for it
saith that God blinds and bardens" a person, Exod. iv 21, Isaiah
iv. 9, 10, Ixiii. 17. "He sends a lying spirit," 1 Kings xxii. 23.
"He turned the heart of the Egyptians to hate his people," Psalm
cv. 25. "He gives men up to vile affections, and to a reprobate
mind, to do things which are not convenient, Rom. i. 26, 28, and
"he sends them a strong delusion, so that they believe a lie," 2
Thess. ii. 11. Surely these words denote more than a bare per-
mission. We must nevertheless beware that we do not impeach
the holiness of God, by endeavouring to look too deep into his un-
searchable ways, and we must not think nor say more than the
Lord himself testifieth of this work of his, which is, (a) that he
brings a person into this or that situation, in which he will be tempt-
ed and assaulted; for even "Jesus was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness, that he might be tempted of the devil," Mat. iv. 1. (b)
The word of God saith also, that God sometimes lets the tempters
loose upon a person, to tempt him. We see how the devil was let
loose upon Job and Paul, Job i. and ii. 2 Cor. xii. 7-9.
devil provoked David to number the people," according to I Chron.
xxi. 1, and it is said, 2 Sam. xxiv. 1, that " the Lord himself moved
him." How shall we understand this, except of letting Satan loose
upon David? (c) The Bible saith also that God withholds his re-
straining influence, by which a person, being left to himself, will
certainly sin. It is said of holy Hezekiah, that "his heart was lifted
up;" for "God left him to try him, that he might know all that was
in his heart," 2 Chron. xxxii. 25, 31. Therefore it is also said of
Israel, that "God gave them up unto their own hearts lusts, so that
they walked in their own counsels," Psalm lxxxi. 12. And God
manifests thus his sovereign power in a holy manner, inasmuch as
he is not obligated to man. He reveals thus also his goodness and
justice by humbling his children, and by destroying the ungodly,
"that he may show his power, and that his name may be declared
throughout all the earth," Rom. ix. 17.

"The

When we pray against temptation, we then also call on God for

i

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deliverance from the evil one.* The words apo tou ponerou, which occur here in the Greek, may be rendered "from evil," and we should thus pray against the evil of sin. But because we are drawn by temptation into the evil of sin, and this is opposed to temptation, we may with the greatest propriety understand this with our translators of the evil one, who tempteth us, and therefore of the devil, the world, and our own flesh. Our flesh is evil, it is "an evil treasure," Mat. xii. 35. "There dwelleth no good thing in it," Rom. vii. 18. "The world is evil," Gal. i. 4. "It lieth in wickedness," 1 John v. 19. But the prince of the world is more especially evil. He is called "the evil one," Mat v. 37, xiii 19, 38. He is evil and evilminded toward all that is of God, and that is good: it is his disposition to be evil: he loves and delights in evil and is the cause of all evil.

The Lord doth indeed deliver his people from the evil one, when "he delivers them out of the power of darkness, and translates them into the kingdom of his dear Son," Col. i. 13, and when he "gives them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, so that they recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, in which they were taken captive by him at his will," 2 Tim. ii. 25, 26 The Son of God "bands the strong man, and spoils his goods," Mat. xii. 29. But those evil enemies endeavour to bring them under their power again, and therefore tempt them time after time. Their Father however delivers them continually, and particularly, (a) when he places them out of the way, and beyond the reach of temptation, Jesus knowing the weakness of his apostles, surrendered himself to those who came to take him, upon condition that they should let them go their way." " If ye seek me," said he. John xviii. 8, "let these go their way." Having learned by frequent experience, that the least occurrence perverts them, they are fearful of every circumstance that might seduce them: and therefore they pray to be preserved from it. (b) Also when the Lord binds and controls the tempters, so that they have not the power to entice them: "The Lord sometimes rebukes Satar," Zech. iii. 1, 2, binds and controls him, Rev. xx. 1-3. (c) He also affords the soul sometimes in her temptation his restraining grace and power, by which she is enabled to fight and conquer, " preserving and strengthening her by the power of his Holy Spirit, so that she is not overcome in the spiritual warfare, but resists her foes constantly and strenuously: He keeps her from the hour of temptation," according to his promise, Rev. iii.

10 He invigorates her conscience, which saith to her continually in the name of the Lord, "Seek thou my face," Psalm xxvii. 8. He renders her watchful and careful, "setting a watch before her mouth, and keeping the door of her lips," as she prays, Psalm cxli. 3. He puts his fear into her, and "unites her heart to fear his name, that she may walk in his truth," as David prayed, Psalm Ixxxvi. ii. Yea, he fills her sometimes with so much comforting grace, that she is not afraid of the most violent assaults, but saith, "The Lord is my light, and my salvation, whom shall I fear?" &c. Psalm xxvii. 1, or he speaks a word of encouragement to her, "My grace is sufficient for thee," 2 Cor. xii. 9, and he places her above the reach of her enemies, and becomes " a strong habitation to her, whereunto she may continually resort, and he gives thus commandment to save her," Psalm lxxi. 3. The believer prays also for this restraining grace, with David, Psalm xix. 13. "Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins," &c. (d) Are the children of God sometimes enticed by a temptation, the Lord limits the temptation, that it may not proceed too far, and that the life of the soul may not be trodden down to the ground, and that the enemy may not wholly overcome her, as we may see in the temptations of Job and Peter, Job i. 12, ii. 6. Luke xxii. 31, 32. Yea, the Lord raiseth his favourites up again, after they have fallen, that he may deliver them: "Though the righteous fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand," saith David, Psalm xxxvii. 24, and his Son saith, Prov. xxiv. 16. " A just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again." Upon which they begin to fight anew, with their Father's aid, and thus "resist constantly and strenuously, until at last they obtain a complete victory," and exclaim triumphantly with Paul, 1 Tim. iv. 7, 8. "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness," &c. (e) And finally, he conducts them to that glory, where there will not be any more temptation or curse; but all their enemies he casts into perdition, Rev. xx. 14, xxi. 27. xxii. 3.

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As every believer must pray thus for himself, so they must all, and each of them pray thus for the whole church, and therefore say, Lead "us" not into temptation, but deliver " us from evil. All the enemies combine together against all the believers; they must therefore "strive together in one spirit, and with one mind: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints," Philip. i. 27. Eph. vi. 16. But we must not therefore think