to him who does it, nor to any one else; then it may be allowed, that temptation is an unnecessary hardship; but otherwise it is plain, that we are only forbidden to do, what it would be injurious to us to do; and, therefore, the first rule is to connect together resistance of temptation with increase of happiness; to perceive that we are only enlarging our conceptions of enjoyment by resisting temptation, and not pleasing ourselves for the moment that is passing by, at the expence of the years that are to

come.

The next rule is not only to connect resistance of temptation with happiness; ut to connect it with immortal glory, to cosider it as a mean of distinction, an occasio of doing something more difficult, and us, than any other thing in the whole

meritor

world.

here are many laws of the gospel which prohi religious pride; but none which prohibit religs ambition; it is not lawful to glory that we a better than other men; it is quite lawful, it quite right, it is quite evangelical to strive to

but

ecome so: no man

strives too hard to out- others in extir

pating from his soul the seeds of corruption, fing is W འ་ཡ་ས་ཅདས་མ་

in

ficing to God his beloved sins; no hope is too eager for this, no industry too perfect, no dedication of time, and understanding too absorbing, too exclusive, and too entire.

It is quite certain, also, that after the first efforts of temptation are overcome, the occupation of bending our minds to religious obedience, of subjugating our inclination, and actions, to the dictates of our reason, may be rendered the most interesting of all human occupations, as it certainly is the most important. It is ever to be remembered, in reflecting on these matters, that there is an intimate connection between virtues, and between vices; that one virtue fairly established in the character, will probably introduce many others, that one sin corrupting our nature, will generate, andnourish many other principles of corruption; so that in conquering, and completely subduing any species of temptation; we gain a double blessing, and we avoid a double curse, for in freeing ourselves of the sin, we not only are clear of that sin, but clear

of others, which would have connected with it; and in gaining

I

posite virtue, we gain other virtues associated with it: He who withstands the sin of avarice, withstands the temptation to hardness of heart, and callous indifference to human misfortune; he who has all his bodily appetites in perfect command, gains sweetness of disposition, a love of order, and an habit of self-command, which may conduct him to every sublimity of active, and passive righteousness, and make him the chosen servant of Christ. This last observation is addressed, particularly to those who imagine they can indulge in any one fault, and stop there; that they can atone for indulgence in a darling vice, by abstaining from others, for which they have less inclination; in the first place, this is a mere mockery of God, that an epicure may give himself up to sensuality, if he keeps clear of ambition; or a meek man sacrifice his pride, and console himself by fraud, and falsehood; but if it were no offence against religion, it would not be possible to gratify any one single sin, and keep ourselves clear from others; it is so deadly to

live in a state of disobedience to the gospel, to know that you do so, and to continue to do so, that there is no evil, and no combination of evils, which may not be expected from it; if any man sees in his soul one speck of death, and decay, and does not rush to stop it with all the resources of healing righteousness, it will become more dark, and more deep at every moment, it will spread over all his counsels, it will blacken all his thoughts, it will put on the genuine signs, and characteristics of hell, and cut him off, for ever, from the mercy of God.

If this affinity, and connection of sins, makes temptation so terrible, if, for these reasons, it is so difficult to confine ourselves to any one error, still more difficult is it to proceed to a certain length in any one sin, and to stop there, to say thus far will I be tempted, and no farther; and when I have sinned up to a particular point, I will then put on the spirit of righteousness, and resist; in truth, the delicate, and graduated softness of doing wrong is not to be resisted; when the first step is made, the descent is so easy, the intervals so gentle, the accommodation so happy, the contrivance so exquisite, that

any

we are far advanced down, before we are thoroughly aware of having began; there is, in fact, but one spot where effectual resistance is ever made, and that is at the very beginning; if we give way there, it is quite certain, from the common experience of life, that we can rarely, or ever return; and this first step of sin, is not what we commonly suppose it to be, action, but thought; nothing which outwardly appears, but something which inwardly disposes; what we are to beware of in avoiding temptation, is, (as our blessed Saviour tells us) the adultery of the heart, the revenge of the heart, the malice of the heart: The beauty of the Christian religion is, that it does not wait for sin, till it is strong, and flourishing, but roots it up just as the seed is bursting into its pernicious life; it carries the order and discipline of heaven into our very fancies, and conception, and by hallowing the first shadowy notions of our minds from which actions spring, makes our actions themselves good, and holy.

Prayer, in all temptation, is ever to be resorted to, for it is much to be believed, that the prayers of men, hum