“when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed.  Then lust, when it hath conceived, bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”  What, then, has he hereby taught us?  To fight against our lusts.  For ye are about to put away your sins in holy baptism; but lusts will still remain, wherewith ye must fight after that ye are regenerate.  For a conflict with your own selves still remains.  Let no enemy from without be feared; conquer thine own self, and the whole world is conquered.  What can any tempter from without, whether the devil or the devil’s minister, do against thee?  Whosoever sets the hope of gain before thee to seduce thee, let him only find no covetousness in thee; and what can he who would tempt thee by gain effect?  Whereas, if covetousness be found in thee, thou takest fire at the sight of gain, and art taken by the bait of this corrupt food.  But if we find no covetousness in thee, the trap remains spread in vain.  Or should the tempter set before thee some woman of surpassing beauty; if chastity be within, iniquity from without is overcome.  Therefore, that he may not take thee with the bait of a strange woman’s beauty, fight with thine own lust within; thou hast no sensible perception of thine enemy, but of thine own concupiscence thou hast.  Thou dost not see the devil, but the object that engageth thee thou dost see.  Get the mastery then over that of which thou art sensible within.  Fight valiantly, for he who hath regenerated thee is thy judge; he hath arranged the lists, he is making ready the crown.  But because thou wilt without doubt be conquered, if thou have not him to aid thee, if he abandon thee, therefore dost thou say in the prayer, “Lead us not into temptation.”  The judge’s wrath hath given over some to their own lusts; and the Apostle says, “God gave them over to the lusts of their hearts.”  How did he give them up?  Not by forcing, but by forsaking them.

“Deliver us from evil,” may belong to the same sentence.  Therefore, that thou mayst understand it to be all one sentence, it runs thus, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”  Therefore, he added “but,” to show that all this belongs to one sentence, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”  How is this?  I will propose them singly.  “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”  By delivering us from evil, he leadeth us not into temptation; by not leading us into temptation, he delivereth us from evil.

And, truly, it is a great temptation, dearly beloved, it is a great temptation in this life, when that in us is the subject of temptation whereby we attain pardon if, in any of our temptations, we have fallen.  It is a frightful temptation when that is taken from us whereby we may be healed from the wounds of other temptations.  I know that ye have not yet understood me.  Give me your attention, that ye may understand.  Suppose, avarice tempts a man, and he is conquered