Ghoft, and to keep back part of the price of the land? At first fight, this may feem to be a very odd question: for how could that which was Satan's act, and in which Ananias himself was paffive, be imputed to Ananias as a crime? Moft certainly it could not, if Satan alone had been active, and Ananias wholly paffive therefore the phrase of Satan's filling his heart, must not be understood in such a sense as will make Ananias innocent; but in fuch a sense as will infer guilt on his part as well as on Satan's. Why bath Satan filled thine heart? i. e. "Why haft thou fuffered Satan to "overcome thee by his wicked instiga"tions, and to get the dominion over "thee? Thou waft under no neceffity of "yielding to his temptations; but, if "thou hadft watch'd and pray'd, might"eft have repelled them, and preferved "thine integrity. How comes it to pafs "then, that the devil has obtained the "victory over thee? why haft thou fuf"fered him to become mafter of thine "affections, and to gain the consent of "thy will?" The words thus paraphrafed make Ananias appear guilty of fin, and at the fame time reprefent the devil active and industrious in tempting him to it;

which is the thing I brought them to prove.

Thus we have feen what a great impediment the temptations which af fault us from without, are to a religious life. There remains but one more to be confidered; and that is,

3. The vicious habits which men contract. Indeed this is not fo univerfal as the other two: for fome are so happy as to refift the very first motions of fin, and by that means prevent its becoming habitual. But it is otherwife with the generality of men; they have not strength and refolution enough to refift a temptation at first. Having once committed a wicked .action, they are easily tempted to repeat it and having committed it twice, they are still more easily tempted to it the third time. In fhort, every repetition facilitates the action: for it not only takes off from the horror of it, and makes it appear more innocent than it did before, but also renders the man fo much the weaker and more unable to refift, upon the return of the temptation. The fcripture feems to represent the reforming of vicious habits, as a thing impoffible; for it compares it

with things which are fo; Jer. XIII. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his fkin, or the leopard his fpots? then may ye alfo do good who are accustomed to do evil. I know it is generally thought that this expreffion is hyperbolical, and above the juft meaning of the words. And fuppofing it is; yet in its mildeft interpretation, it must fignify the extreme difficulty of doing good, after men have been accustomed to do evil, and that it is next to an impoffibility, tho it doth not altogether come up to it.

And now, from all that hath been faid upon the difficulty of religion, appears the neceffity of a fupernatural aid in order to the practice of it. If men do indeed labour under fuch difadvantages as these I have mentioned, being naturally prone to vice, being furrounded with a variety of temptations, and being enflaved by vicious habits; then it is not very likely that they should of themselves, and by virtue of their own ftrength, run the way of God's commandments. The commandment of God is exceeding broad. It enjoins many duties with regard to God, our neighbour, and ourfelves. It requires us to forbear many things which are agreeable to our

fleshly

fleshly appetites, and to do many things which are contrary to them. It extends not only to our actions, but also to the fprings and principles from which they flow. Now that any one should come to yield a ready obedience to fuch a pure and holy law as this, notwithstanding all these hindrances, is really wonderful, and can be owing to nothing lefs than God's enlarging the heart.

There is not in man a power fuperior to these impediments, no nor equal to them; and therefore he cannot overcome them by virtue of any thing that is in himself. "Tis true, every man has a rational principle within him, which dictates to him to refufe the evil, and chufe the good. But alas! what can this rational principle do, when it comes to encounter with fo many powerful enemies on the other fide; fuch as our fleshly appetites, the temptations of the world and the devil, and inveterate habits of vice? I dare venture to say, that reason is not a match for any of these alone; much less for them all together. If that could infpire us with courage and refolution enough to refift temptation, it might be expected that they who are the greatest masters of it, should

be

be the most holy and religious men ; which we often find to be false in fact; for there are many who enjoy a high degree of reason, and yet are very wicked and fenfual in their lives. The lufts and paffions of men are fo ungovernable, that nothing but the grace of God can mortify and fubdue them. "Tis God alone who can overcome that difpofition which is in our natures towards fin and wickednefs, and incline us to virtue and goodness.

And this is perfectly agreeable to fcripture; which reprefents God as the principal agent in the converfion of a finner. He is there faid to put his law into mens inward parts, and to write it in their hearts; Jer. XXXI. 33. to give them a new heart, and put a new spirit within them; to take away the ftony heart out of their flesh, and to give them an heart of flesh; Ezek. XXXVI. 26. It was from the fenfe of the neceffity of a divine efficacy in the work of converfion, that David put up fuch a prayer as that in Pfalm LÎ. create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right fpirit within me ;, as well as many others of the like nature in other Pfalms, particularly in the CXXIXth.

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