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and clashing with one another. And for this reason bad men hate and perfecute thofe that are good. Let us ly in wait (fay they) for the righteous, because he is not for our turn, and he is contrary to our doings; he is grievous unto us even to behold; for his life is not like other mens, and his ways are of another fashion; as it is expreffed in the Wisdom of Solomon. So that wicked men tempt others to fin, that they may have the pleasure and contentment of their fociety. But now for this reafon God cannot be imagined to tempt men to fin; becaufe that would be the way to make them unlike himself, and such as his foul could take no pleasure in.

Another defign that bad men have in feducing others; to fin, is thereby to give countenance to their bad actions, and to be fome kind of excufe and apology for them. Among men, the multitude of offenders does fometimes procure impunity, but it always gives countenance to vice; and men are apt to alledge it in their excufe, that they are not alone guilty of fuch a fault, that they did not do it without company and example; which is the reafon of that law, Exod. xxiii. 2. Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; implying, that men are very apt to take encouragement to any thing that is bad, from company and example. But neither hath this reafon any place in God, who being far from doing evil himfelf, can have no reafon to tempt others to do fo, by way of excufe and vindication of himself.

And when the Devil tempts men to fin, it is either out of direct malice to God, or out of envy to men. Out of malice to God, to fpoil his workmanship, and to pervert that which came innocent and upright out of his hands; to rob God of his fubjects, and to debauch them from their duty and allegiance to him to ftrengthen the rebellion which he has raised against God, and to make him as many enemies as he can. But for this end God cannot tempt any man; for this would be to procure difhonour to himself, and to deface the work of his own hands.. Another reason why the Devil tempts men, is envy. When he was fallen from God, and happiness,

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427 and by his own rebellion had made himself miserable, he was discontented to fee the happy condition of man, and it grieved him at his very heart; and this moved him to tempt man to fin, that he might involve him in the fame mifery into which he had plunged himself. It is a pleafure to envy to over. turn the happiness of others, and to lay them level with themfelves. But the divine nature is full of goodness, and delights in the happiness of all his creatures. His own incomparable felicity has placed him as much above any temptation to envying others, as above any occafion of being contemned by them. He grudges no man's happiness, and therefore cannot tempt men to fin, out of a defire to see them miferable. So that none of those confiderations which move the Devil to tempt men to fin, and evil men to tempt one another to do wickedly, can be imagined to have any place in God..

And thus you fee the force of the Apoftle's argument, that because God cannot be tempted to evil, therefore he can tempt no man. None tempt others to be bad, but those who are first fo themfelves. I fhall now, in the

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Second place, confider the nature and kind of the argument, which the Apostle here ufeth, Let no man fay, when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. He does not reject this impious propofion barely upon his own authority; but he argues against it from the nature and perfection of God and therein appeals to the common notions of mankind concerning God. We might very well have refted in his authority, being an Apoftle commiffioned by our Saviour, and extraordinarily affifted and witneffed to, by the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost, wherewith he was endowed. But he condefcends to give a reafon of what he fays, and appeals to the common principles of mankind. For all men will readily agree to this, that God hath all imaginable perfection but it is a plain imperfection to be liable to be tempted to evil, and therefore God cannot be tempted to evil. And if fo, it is as impoffible

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that he should tempt others to it; for none can have either an inclination or intereft to feduce others to evil, but those who have been first seduced to it themselves.

Now in this method of arguing, the Apoftle teacheth us one of the fureft ways of reafoning in religion; namely, from the natural notions which men have of God. So that all doctrines plainly contrary to thofe natural notions which men have of God, are to be rejected, what authority foever they pretend to; whatever plainly derogates from the goodnefs or juftice of God, or any other of his perfections, is certainly falfe, what authority foever it may claim from the judgment of learned and pious men; yea though it pretend to be countenanced from the texts and expreffions of holy fcripture. Because nothing can be entertained as a divine revelation, which plainly contradicts the common natural notions which mankind have of God. For all reafoning about divine revelation, and whether that which pretends to be fo, be really fo or not, is to be governed by thofe natural notions. And if any thing that pretends to be a revelation from God, fhould teach men that there is no God, or that he is not wife and good, and juft, and powerful; this is reafon enough to reject it, how confident foever the pretence be, that it is a divine revelation.

And if any thing be, upon good grounds in reafon, received for a divine revelation (as the holy fcriptures are amongst Chriftians) no man ought to be regarded, who from thence pretends to maintain any doctrine contrary to the natural notions which men have of God; fuch as clearly contradict his holinefs or goodnefs, or juftice, or do by plain and undeniable confequence make God the author of fin, or the like; because the very attempt to prove any fuch thing out of the fcripture, does ftrike at the divine authority of those books. For if they be from God, it is certain they can contain no fuch thing. So that no man ought to fuffer himfelf to be feduced into any fuch opinions, upon pretence that there are expreffions in fcripture which seem to

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countenance them. For if they really did fo, the confequence would not be the confirming of fuch opinions; but the weakening of the authority of the fcripture itself. For juft fo many arguments as any man can draw from fcripture for any fuch opinion, fo many weapons he puts into the hands of Atheists against the fcripture itself.

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I do not fpeak this, as if I thought there were a ny ground from fcripture for any fuch doctrine; very certain there is not. And if there be any particular expreffions, which to prejudiced men may feem to import any fuch thing, every man ought to govern himself in the interpretation of fuch paffages, by what is clear and plain, and agreeable to the main fcope and tenor of the bible, and to those natural notions which men have of God, and of his perfections. For when all is done, this is one of the fureft ways of reafoning in religion; and whoever guides himself, and fteers by this compafs, can never err much: but whoever fuffers himself to be led away by the appearance of fome more obfcure phrafes in the expreffions of fcripture, and the gloffes of men upon them, without regard to this rule, may run into the greatest delufions, may wander eternally, and lose himself in one mistake after another, and fhall never find his way out of this endless labyrinth, but by this clue.

If St. James had not been an Apoftle, the argument which he used would have convinced any reasonable man, that God tempts no man to fin, because he cannot be tempted with evil himself, and therefore it is unreasonable to imagine he fhould tempt any man. For he argues from fuch a principle, as all mankind will, at first hearing, affent to.

And thus I have done with the first thing affert ed by the Apostle here in the text; That God tempts no man to fin. Let no man fay, when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted of evil, neither tempteth he any man. Before I proceed to the fecond affertion, that every man is his own greatest tempter, I fhould draw fome useful inferences from what has been already delivered:

but

but I referve both the one and the other to the next opportunity.

SERMON
RM O N CXVI.

The fins of men not chargeable upon God; but upon themselves.

JAMES i. 13, 14.

Let no man fay, when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, nei ther tempteth he any man: but every man is tempt ed, when he is drawn away of his own luft, and enticed.

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The Second fermon on this text.

HEN I made entrance upon these words, I told you, that next to the belief of a God and a providence, nothing is more funda, mentally neceffary to the practice of a good life, than the belief of thefe two principles, That God is not the author of the fins of men; and that every man's fault lies at his own door. And both thefe principles St. James does clearly and fully affert in thefe words;

First, God tempts no man to fin.

Secondly, Every man is his own greatest tempter. The first of thefe I have largely fpoken to in my former difcourfe; and from what I then faid, I shall only draw a few useful inferences, before I proceed to the fecond, viz. these which follow:

First, Let us beware of all fuch doctrines, as do any ways tend to make God the author of fin; either by laying a neceffity upon men of finning, or by laying fecret defigns to tempt and feduce men to fin. Nothing can be farther from the nature of God, than to do any fuch thing, and nothing can be more

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