ing, Ps. cvi. 35, They "were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works." Had not we need then pray, Lord, deliver us from this evil world? Living in the world is like travelling in a dirty road. of Peru in America, after it hath run into the the Jews when they were building, Neh. iv. main sea, keeps fresh, and doth not mingle 1, 2, " He mocked the Jews, and said, What with the salt waters: to this river might Lot do these feeble Jews? Will they fortify be compared, whose piety kept fresh in So- themselves? Will they revive the stones dom's salt water. Bad examples are catch-out of the heaps of rubbish that are burnt?” So the wicked world casts out squibs of reproach at the godly. What! Will ye build for heaven? What needs all this cost? What profit is it to serve the Almighty? Thus the world would pluck off our chariotwheels when we are driving towards heaven. They are called 'cruel mockings,' Heb. xi. 36. It requires a great measure of sanctity to withstand the discouragements of the world, to dance among serpents, to laugh at reproaches, and bind them as a crown about our head. A. 2. It is an evil world, as it is an ensnaring world. The world is full of snares. Company is a snare,-recreations are snares, -oaths are snares,-riches are golden snares,-Opes irritamenta malorum. The apostle speaks of "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life," 1 John ii. 16. The lust of the flesh is beauty,-the lust of the eye is money,-the pride of life is honour; these are the natural man's trinity. In mundo splendor opum, gloriæ majestas, voluptatum illecebræ, ab amore Dei nos astrahunt. The world is a flattering enemy; whom it kisses, it oft betrays; it is a silken halter; the pleasures of the world, like opium, cast men into the sleep of security. Lysimachus sold his crown for a draught of water: so many part with heaven for the world. It is an ensnaring world: the king of Armenia was sent prisoner to queen Cleopatra in golden fetters,too many are enslaved with the world's golden fetters. The world bewitched Demas, 2 Tim. iv. 10. One of Christ's own apostles was caught with a silver bait. It is hard to drink the wine of pros-ple of God, John xv. 19, "Because ye are not perity, and not be giddy. Thus the world, through our innate corruption, is evil, as it is a snare, 1 Tim. vi. 9, "They that will be rich, fall into temptation, and a snare." If an angel were to live here, there were no danger of the world's ensnaring him because he hath no principle within to receive the temptation, but we have a corrupt principle that suits with the temptation, and that makes us always in danger. A. 4. It is an evil world, as it is a deadening world. It dulls and deadeneth the affections to heavenly objects. The world cools holy motions, like a damp in a silver mine which puts out the light; earthly things choke the seed of the word. A man entangled in the world is so taken up about secular concerns that he can no more mind the things above than the earth can ascend, or the elephant fly in the air; and, even such as have grace in them, yet, when their affections are belimed with the earth, they find themselves much indisposed to meditation and prayer; it is like swimming with a stone about the neck. A. 3. It is an evil world, as it is a discouraging world. It casts scorn and reproach upon them who live virtuously. What! Will you be holier than others, wiser than your ancestors? The world deals with the professors of religion as Sanballat did with A. 5. It is an evil world, as it is a maligning world. It doth disgust and hate the peo of the world therefore the world hateth you." Hatred is-as Aristotle saith-against the whole kind. Haman's hatred was against the seed of the whole Jews. When you can find a serpent without a sting, or a leopard without spots, then you may expect to find a wicked world without hatred. The white that is shot at its piety, Ps. xxxviii. 20, “They are mine adversaries, because I follow the thing that is good." The world pretends to hate the godly for something else, but the ground of the quarrel is holiness. The world's hatred is implacable; anger may be reconciled, hatred cannot; you may as well reconcile heaven and hell, as the two seeds. If the world hated Christ, no wonder it hates is a wilderness full of fiery serpents. What storms of persecution are raised against the righteous? 2 Tim. iii. 12. The wicked are briars, Mic. vii. 4, where Christ's sheep lose some of their golden fleece. Then had we not need pray, Lord, deliver us from being hurt by this evil world? Why should we love the world? Though we are commanded us, John xv. 18, "The world hated me before it hated you." Why should any hate Christ? This blessed dove had no gall,-this rose of Sharon did send forth a most sweet perfume; but this shows the world's baseness, it is a Christ-hating and a saint-hating world. Had not we need to pray, deliver us from this evil world? A. 6. It is an evil world, as it is a deceit- to love our enemies, yet this enemy we must ful world. not love, 1 John ii. 15, "Love not the world." (1). There is a deceit in dealing, Hos. xii. 7," He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand." The Hebrew word signifies both to deceive and oppress. He who dares use deceit, will not spare to oppress. I have been all this while opening the first sense of this petition, "Deliver us from evil;" we pray to be delivered from sin in general, and to be delivered from evil under this threefold notion,-from the evil of our heart, from the evil of Satan,-from the evil of the world. Ere I leave this, let me (2). There is a deceit in friendship: Prov. xx. 6, "But a faithful man who can find?" -Trita frequensque via est per amici fallere nomen— Some use too much courtship in friend-insert a ship; they are like trumpets which make a great noise, but within they are hollow. Some can flatter and hate, commend and censure. Mel in ore, fel in corde. Dissembled love is worse than hatred. (3). There is deceit in riches, Matt. 22, "The deceitfulness of riches." The world makes us believe it will satisfy our desires, and it doth but increase them; it makes us believe it will stay with us, and it takes wings, Prov. xxiii. 5. CAUTION. Not that our abstaining from, or forbearing the external acts of sin, is sufficient to entitle us to salvation: but when we pray, "Deliver us from evil," there is more implied in it, namely, that we make a proxiii.gress in holiness. Being divorced from sin is not enough, unless we are espoused to virtue; therefore in scripture these two are joined, Ps. xxxiv. 14, “ Depart from evil, and do good," Rom. xii. 9, and Isa. i. 16, "Cease to do evil, learn to do well," 2 Cor. vii. 1, “ Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness." Leaving sin is not enough, unless we embrace righteousness. Virtutis est magis honesto ageri, quam non turpia. As it is in the body, it is not enough that the disease be stopped, but it must grow in health; so it is in the soul, it is not enough acts of sin be forborne,—which is the stopping a disease-but it must be healthy, that is, grow in holiness. A. 7. It is an evil world, as it is a disquieting world. It is full of trouble, John xvi. 33. The world is like a bee-hive; when we have tasted a little honey, we have been stung with a thousand bees. St Basil was of opinion, that before the fall, the rose did grow without prickles; but now every sweet flower of our life hath its prickles. There are many things cause disquiet: loss of friends,-law-suits,-crosses in estate; relations are not without their troubles,-some are troubled that they want children,-others troubled that they have children; the world is a vexing vanity. If a man be poor, he is despised by the rich; if he be rich, he is envied by the poor. If we do not find it an ensnaring world, we shall find it an afflicting world; it hath more in it to wean us than tempt us. The world is a sea where we are tossed upon the surging waves of sorrow, and often in danger of shipwreck; the world Use. Which reproves those who labour only to suppress the outward acts of sin, but do not press on to holiness; they cease from doing evil, but do not learn to do well. Their religion lies only in negatives; they glory in this, that they are given to no vice, none can charge them with any foul miscarriages, Luke xviii. 11, "God I thank thee, that I am not as other men are; extor. tioners, unjust, adulterers." This is not enough, you must advance a step further in solid piety; it is not enough that a field be not sown with tares or hemlock, but it must be sown with good seed. Consider two things: 1. If this be the best certificate you have Use. In all the troubles that lie upon us, to show that you are not guilty of gross sins, let us look up to God for ease and succour. God makes no account of you. A piece of "Deliver us from evil," Isa. viii. 19, “Should brass, though it be not so bad as clay, yet not not a people seek unto their God?" To being so good as silver, it will not pass for blame then are the papists, who knock at the wrong door; when they are in any trouble, they pray to the saints to deliver them; when they are in danger of shipwreck, they pray to St Nicholas; when they are in the fit of a fever, they pray to St Petronelle; when they are in travail, they pray to St How unlawful it is to invocate pray to be delivered from temporal evils conditionally, so far as God sees it fitting for us, and may stand with his glory. current coin: so though you are not grossly profane, yet not being of the right metal, wanting the stamp of holiness, you will never pass current in heaven. 2. A man may abstain from evil, yet he may go to hell for not doing good, Matt. iii. 10, "Every tree that bringeth not forth good | Margaret. fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire." saints in prayer, I will prove from one scripture, Rom. x. 14, "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?" We may pray to none but such as we believe in; but we ought not to believe in any Why were the foolish virgins shut out? they had done no hurt,—they had not broke their lamps,-yea, but their fault was, there was no goodness in them, they had no oil in their lamps. Oh therefore let us not content our-saint, therefore we may not pray to him. selves in being free from gross acts of sin, but let us launch forth further in holiness; let us cleanse ourselves from all pollution, 'perfecting holiness.' Secondly, "Deliver us from evil," that is, from temporal evil. We pray that God will either prevent temporal evils, or deliver us out of them. 1. We pray that God will prevent temporal evils; that he will be our screen, to stand between us and danger, Ps. vii. 1, "Save, me from them that persecute me." We may lawfully pray against the plots of the wicked, that they may prove abortive, that, though they have a design upon us, they may not have their desire upon us. Ps. cxli. 9, "Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me." The papists have, in their Lady's psalter, directed their prayers for deliverance to the virgin Mary: "Deliver me, O Lady!" Benedicta Domina, in manibus tuis reposita est nostra salus,—' O thou blessed Lady, in thy hands our salvation is laid up.' But "Abraham is ignorant of us," Isa. lxiii. 16: the saints and virgin Mary are ignorant of us. To pray to saints, is idolatry advanced to blasphemy. Our Saviour hath taught us better, in all our distresses to pray to God for a cure, "Deliver us from evil." He only knows what our troubles are, and can give us help from trouble; he only that laid the burthen on, can take it off. David went to God, Ps. xxv. 17, “O bring thou me out of my distresses!" God can, with a word, heal, Ps. cvii. 20, "He sent forth his word, and healed them." He delivered the three children out of the fiery furnace,-Joseph out of prison,-Daniel out of the lion's den; this proves him to be God, because none can deliver as he doth, Dan. iii. 29, "There is CAUTION. We may pray to be delivered no other God that can deliver after this from temporal evils only so far as God sees sort." Let us then, in all our straits and it good for us. We may pray to be delivered exigencies, seek to God, and say, "Deliver from the evil of sin absolutely, but we must us from evil." 2. We pray that God will deliver us out of temporal evils, that he will remove his judgments from us, whether famine, sword, pestilence, Ps. xxxix. 10, "Remove thy stroke away from me." Yet with this END OF THE AUTHOR'S LECTURES ON THE CATECHISM. |