to correspond, exactly, with the original. Understood in this obvious sense, the petition harmonizes with another of David's petitions, in the 119th Psalm, v. 36. "Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness." It also harmonizes with one of the petitions in the form of prayer, which our Lord gave to his disciples, "Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."It is just to conclude, therefore, that the literal and natural import of the petition in our text, is its true import; which will more fully appear, if we can ascertain,

II. The propriety of it.

That this petition, literally understood, was altogether proper, may appear, from the following observations:

1. The evil, deprecated in this petition, is such as every good man ought to hate and dread. To have a disposition, or inclination of heart, to sin against the Holy God, break his good law, and practise wickedness with the workers of iniquity, must appear inexpressibly odious and dreadful to every good man, in a praying frame of soul, as David was, at that time. Saints hunger and thirst after righteousness, and hate every false way. A saint, in the exercise of holy love to God and his law, dreads sin more than misery, and desires holiness more than happiness. Certainly, therefore, it was proper, that David should fear and deprecate the evil, from which, in this petition, he begs to be delivered.

2. David saw reason to believe, that God had power to incline his heart to some evil thing. If he had not, it would, indeed, have been improper for him to offer such a petition. It is absurd to pray God not to do, what he cannot do.

But David believed, that God had power to turn his heart, as he pleased. Solomon says, Prov. xxii. 1. "The king's heart (and he was himself a king) is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever he will." And David had said, Psal. cv. 25. "He (God) turned their heart (the heart of the Egyptians) to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants." So that David saw sufficient reason to believe, when he uttered the petition in our text, that God has the hearts of men in his hand, and that he had power to incline his heart to any evil thing.

3. David saw reason to believe, that God had a right, as well as power, to incline his heart to evil, as well as to good; when his glory and the good of the universe required it. He viewed God as having the same right to turn the hearts and govern the conduct of men, that the potter has to mould the clay into different sorts of vessels. In governing the hearts and actions of men, God exercises neither justice nor mercy; but only displays his sovereign benevolence towards himself and the universe. He made all things for himselfand he has a right to use all his creatures to promote his own glory, in the best manner. If it will be more for his glory, that a man should obey his law; he has a right to incline his heart to his testimonies. And, if it will be more for his glory, that a man should transgress his law, he has a right to incline his heart to some evil thing. David never suggested, nor had he the least idea, that God did wrong in turning the king's heart as the rivers of water; or the hearts of the Egyptians to hate his people. It is true, for David to offer such a petition, as that in the text, would

have been mocking God, in the most impious manner, had he not believed that it was right and holy for God, to incline the hearts of men to evil, as well as to good.But, this he did believe; and had good reason to believe. Hence,

4. David saw reason to apprehend that God might, in fact, incline his heart to some evil, hateful, dreadful thing. He knew God had inclined the hearts of the Canaanites, and the hearts of the Egyptians, to evil things; yea, what is more, he knew, to his sorrow, that God had actually inclined his own heart to do a most evil, wicked thing, which cost the lives of thousands of his people; as we are told, 2. Sam. xxiv. 1. "And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, go, number Israel and Judah." He had reason, therefore, from his own bitter experience, to apprehend, that God might incline his heart to some evil and abominable thing. I only add,

5. David knew, that his humble, fervent petition, would be a good reason with God, why he should spare him, and not incline his heart to any evil thing; and thus saw the propriety and importance of offering it up. He had read, how the prayers of Moses, Israel and Elijah, had prevailed with God: an he knew it to be as true then, as it was afterwards in the days of the apostle, that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man, availeth much with God; and will always prevail, unless God sees weighty reasons to the contrary. Thus, on every account, the petition of the man after God's own heart, as recorded in our text, and taken in its plain and obvious sense, was altogether proper, and highly necessary and important. It was such a

petition, as it was suitable for such a dependant creature as David, to offer up, and for such an independent, sovereign, and holy God, as Jehovah, to hear and accept.

IMPROVEMENT.

1. If it was proper for David to of fer the petition in our text; then it is equally proper for all other saints, in all ages of the world, to offer the same. Moral evil is the same odious, criminal and deadly thing, in itself, in all places and all periods of time. God is the same sovereign, holy and gracious being, yesterday, today and forever. That petition, therefore, which is proper for one saint, is proper for all saints. All other saints are as dependant upon God, for all their moral exercises, as David was. God has as much power, and as good a right, to incline the hearts of other saints, as the heart of the king of Israel, to evil things, to practice wicked works. Other saints have as much reason to apprehend, that God will incline their hearts to evil, as David had. Hence it is equally as proper, that all saints should offer up the petition under consideration, as it was that David should offer it up.

2. If David did right in offering the petition in our text; then all other saints ought to offer the same. The prayers and praises of the king of Israel, recorded in the book of Psalms, were designed as patterns or models, for saints, in their devotional exercises, in all succeeding time. It is the duty of all saints to sing and pray, in the very spirit of the psalms of the sweet singer of Israel. Hence, our Lord enjoined it upon his disciples, to adopt the petition in our text, and always to say, in substance, in their prayers, "Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.”

All saints ought to believe and realize their absolute dependence upon God, and his sovereign right to turn their hearts, as he turns the rivers of water. All saints ought to deprecate moral evil, as the most hateful and dreadful thing in the universe. All saints ought to be sensible of the danger of being inclined to moral evil, and of the importance and prevalence of humble, fervent prayer. They should, each one, therefore, daily offer up the petition, Lord, incline not my heart to any evil thing." If saints would, more generally and more constantly and more sincerely, of for up this petition; there is reason to believe, that they would less frequently fall into sin, to the dishonour of religion, and the wounding of their own souls: For Christ hath said, that "the Father giveth the Holy Spirit to thein that ask him." But,

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3. If the petition under consideration, be so proper and important, as we have seen;-Then those Christians, who refuse to adopt it, have great reason to apprehend that God will correct them for their neglect, by inclining them to such presumptuous sins, as will expose them to shame and sorrow. If they will not be convinced of their entire dependence, God may take some effectual and severe method to teach it to them. If they will not acknowledge God's sovereignty over them; he may see it necessary to exhibit it to them in an awful manner. It is not improbable, that the heart of David was inclined to number the people and to sin in the matter of Uriah, to convince him of his absolute dependence upon God, to bring him humbly and devoutly to acknowledge the divine sovereignty, and constantly and fervently to pray, "Keep back thy servant from pre

sumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me-Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness--Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity." Peter was once so foolish, as to trust in his own heart; but his foul and profane denial of his Lord, convinced him, it is presuined, that it is not in man that walketh, to direct his steps. Let those, who imagine that the way of man is in himself, that they possess an independent, self-determining power of will, remember David, Peter, and themselves, and no longer trust their own hearts. Let them consider, that they are not sufficient of themselves to think any thing, and pray for the Holy Spirit to work in them to will and to do that which is pleasing to God; lest, to convince them of their de pendence and humble them for their self-sufficiency, he should

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cause them to err from his ways, harden their hearts from his fear, and draw them away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity.'

4. If saints ought to adopt the petition in our text; then they ought to be willing to have their hearts inclined to evil, whenever that shall be most for the glory of God and the good of the universe. The petition implies, that God has aright to incline the hearts of saints to evil, whenever his glory demands it. This right must be cordially acknowledged by all who adopt this petition. The glory of God does require, that the hearts of all saints should sometimes be inclined to evil: This is evident from his sanctifying them but imperfectly, in this life. And ought not saints to value the glory of God above all things else? Besides, prayer is begging, not demanding.

All sincere prayer implies an acknowledgment of God's right to withhold the thing prayed for, and a willingness that he should withhold it, if he sees best. Saints, therefore, cannot sincerely adopt the petition in our text, unless they do feel entirely willing, that God should incline their hearts to evil; if his own glory and the good of his kingdom require it.

5. We may learn, that there may be a holy willingness to be unholy. This some positively deny; and others are slow of heart to understand and believe. They think, and sometimes say, that to be willing, in any sense and on any account, to be unholy, must imply a love to sin and an aversion to holiness, which is sinful and criminal in any rational creature. But, we have seen, that saints may and ought to pray, that God would not incline them to sin, or make them unholy; which involves a willingness, that he should do this, if he sees it best; since it is impossible to pray for any thing, without submission to the will of God. That person does not pray, but demands, or rather commands, who does not feel willing to be denied his request, whatever it may be, if God shall see it best to deny him.

But, if saints, when they pray that God would not incline them to any evil thing, feel willing to be thus inclined, if the glory of God require it; this must be a holy wil lingness; for that cannot be unholy, which is necessarily included in a good and acceptable prayer. The truth is, that such a willingness does not imply love to sin, but supreme love to God. When the saint prays, that his heart may not be inclined to any evil thing, he hates every false way, and greatly desires to be made perfect and complete in all the will of God. Why

should he, or how can he pray to be delivered from that, which he loves? And, while the saint thus prays, he feels willing to be denied his request, only on condition, that the glory of God requires it. He exercises self-denial, and is ready to make any sacrifice of his private good, which the divine glory may require. The language of his heart is, let the glory of God be promoted and the interest of his kingdom advanced, whatever evil, natural or moral, this may render it necessary for me to undergo. Such a willingness to be unholy, is truly disinterested, and the very opposite of that selfishness, in which all sin consists. Saints never hate sin or love God more, than when they pray, as David did in our text; with a willingness to be denied their request, if God shall see fit. But if, when putting up this petition, they should feel unwilling to sacrifice their own good, to promote the glory of God and the greatest good of his kingdom; this would be a selfish, and therefore, a sinful unwillingness, involving in it the essence of enmity against God. There not only may be a holy willingness to be unholy, but it is manifest, there can be no holiness, which does not include such a willingness. Hence,

6. We may infer, that it is possible for saints to be willing to be damned. This many deny and the most plausible reason they assign, is this; that damnation includes a state of everlasting sin and enmity against God; and this is a state, in which saints, in the exercise of holiness, cannot, on any consideration, be willing to be placed.

But this reasoning, however plausible, comprises two mistakes. First. It is not true, that damnation, strictly speaking, includes everlasting sin and enmity against