Page:Sermons on the Lord's Prayer.djvu/117

, you observe, are expressed in the negative form, as, "Thou shalt not steal," "Thou shalt not kill," "Thou shalt not commit adultery," &c. Now what we have to do, when the temptation to break these or other commandments is presented, is this:—Looking up to the Lord for strength, we must resist and fight against and drive away the sinful thought,—abstain from the evil act,—with an effort conquer ourselves, and overcome the evil passion or inclination. When we have done this, then the Lord enters with his Holy Spirit and removes that evil inclination, takes away the sinful desire itself, and so purifies the internal man; and at the same time he introduces the opposite good affection, he brings in new heavenly loves and aspirations, and so, gradually forms heaven in the soul. This is the way we are delivered from evil: this is the way we are regenerated; and regeneration is salvation: for salvation is not merely introduction into a certain place, but it is a change in the state of the mind.

This, now, is what is meant by "taking up our cross and following the Lord." Jesus said, "If any one will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." To "deny ourselves" is to resist our evil inclinations, and to "take up our cross" is to endure spiritual temptations. Both of these are necessary to man's deliverance from evil. We must both passively submit to trials, and we must actively fight against evils. Trials and spiritual temptations, as shown in the preceding discourse, are