A Guide to Go to God, Petition 6 · Section 182 – Section 183
§. 182. Of the freeneſſe of mans will in ſinne.
Q. VVHat may bee obſerued from the relation of the parties tempted to the action of leading into temptation?
A. Man is not forced to ſinne. For it is implied that if man yeeld not,Qui dueitur vo lens ducitur. the tempter can hauehave no power ouer him. Hee that is led goeth along with him that leadeth him.alam, 1. 14. EueryEvery man is tempted when he is drawne away of his owne luſts and is entiſed. This phraſe (own luſts) implyeth a voluntary yealding. On this ground are the exhortations in Scripture made to men tobIam. 4. 7. reſiſt the diuel, and tocEph. 4. 27. giuegive no place to him. Whereby is implyed that if we ſtand againſt him,Sine voluntate nullum eſt peccatum. Aug. Retract. l. 2. c. 15. Naturae human… nec ſubſtantia erepta eſt in illa vniuerſalis praeuaricationis ruina, nec v…luntas, lumen decuſque vir tutum. Amb. in Luc. lib. 7. he cannot preuaile againſt vsus. Many like exhortations are giuen to withſtand, and not to yeald vntounto other tempters, as the world and the fleſh.
Sin is of the will, which cannot bee forced. Though the will by Adams fall hath loſt all that liberty and freedome to good which it had by creation, and by corruption is made a ſlaue to ſinne: yet as the minde retaineth vnderſtanding, ſo the will freedome. For freedome is as eſſentiall to the will, as vnderſtanding is to the minde. IndeededGen. 6. 5. the corrupt will of man can will nothing but that which is euill: yet the euill which it willeth, it willeth freely, and is not forced thereto. Freedome of will is not oppoſed to reſtraint in one kinde, but to conſtraint in that kinde:Liberum arbitrium captiuatum nō niſi ad peccā dum valet. Aug. contr. Epiſt. Pelag. l. 3. c. 8. to compulſion & coaction. The wil of Dieuls is reſtrained to euil, they cannot will good, but euill only: yet the euill which they will they will freely and willingly: they are not conſtrained and compelled thereto. Yea Gods will, which is moſt abſolutely free,Wherein freedome of will conſiſteth. is reſtrained to one kinde, which is good. He hath not in his will a liberty to euill. To will euill is againſt the perfection of his wil. Wherfore though the wil hauehave not a liberty to chooſe either of the contrary parts, good or euil, yet a freedome and willingneſſe it retaineth in that whereunto it yealdeth: it neither is,The meanes whereby Satan tempteth. nor can be conſtrained thereto. All that Sathan doth or can doe, is by ſome meanes or other to moue men to yeeld to that whereunto he tempteth them. Whereupon faith the Apoſtle,c2. Cor. 11. 3. I feare leſt by any meanes as the Serpent beguiled Eue through his ſubtilty, ſo your mindes ſhould be corrupted, &c. To effect this the old wily Serpent hath many and manifold meanes. Some inward, ſome outward.
Inward meanes are ſuch as delight, or affright men. Hee worketh delight by ſtirring vp their corrupt humours and ſo inclineth their will to his temptation. Thus hee ſtirred vp the corrupt humor of pride in Dauid, and therebyf1. Chro. 21. 1. proucked him to number Iſrael: and the corrupt humor of couetouſneſſe in Iudas, in which reſpect hee is ſaid togLuke 22. 3. enter into him. The meanes which in this kinde Sathan vſeth are drawne to three heads:
h1. Ioh. 2. 16. expounded.1. The luſt of the fleſh: which is voluptuouſneſſe, whereby the fleſh is ſo tickled and delighted as it draweth the will to any thing.2. Tim. 3. 4. Such perſons the Apoſtle ſtileth louers of pleaſures more then louers of God.
2. The luſt of the eyes, which is couetouſneſſe. A couetouſe man is euen rauiſhed at the ſight of wealth. When Achan ſaw ſiluer,Ioſ. 7. 21. gold, and other pretious things in Iericho, he coueted them and tooke them, though they were accurſed. There is not a thing of price which a couetous man caſteth his eye vponupon, but inſtantly he coueteth it, and ſo doteth thereon, as hee will doe any thing to hauehave it.
3. Pride of life, which is ambition, and vaine affectation of the honours and promotions of this life. This puffeth vp aboue their mortall condition, as is euident in the examples ofmEſt. 3. 5. &c. Haman, nPan. 4. 27.Nebuchadnezzar, oEzek. 28. 2.Tyrus, andpAct. 12. 22, 23 Herod. Such,qPſal. 10. 4. thorow their pride, will not ſeeke after God.
As by theſe pleaſing temptations Satan allureth ſo, by inward feares, frights, and terrors he draweth others to yeeld to him, asrIob. 1. 11.—2. 5. hee aſſayed to draw Iob: and as heeſIoh. 7. 13.—9. 22. preuailed with many of the people in Chriſts time.
The outward meanes which hee vfeth are ſuch externall obiects as he conceiueth to bee agreeable to their humour, and therefore ſetteth them before them, (as he ſet before Chriſt all the Kingdomes of the world and the glory of them: Math. 4. 8.) or ſuch as he conceiueth to be of force to terrifie them, as are all manner of troubles and afflictions. Thus it is ſaid that the Diuell caſt ſome of Smyrna, Reu. 2. 10.into priſon. Whether the meanes which are vſed to draw men to ſinne be faire or foule, by none of them is the will forced: but only moued to yeeld it ſelfe to the temptation.
This point affordeth two vſefull directions.The blame of ſinne to be laid vponupon ones ſelfe. One is in regard of ſinnes paſt to iudge our ſelues for them, and vponupon our ſelues to lay the whole blame: and not to thinke it a ſufficient excuſe to lay the blame vponupon any other. Many will ſay when they are taken in ſome notorious ſinne, The Diuell owed mee a ſpight, and now hath paid mee it, thinking thereby to extenuate their ſinne;Gen. 3. 13. which conceit Eue had, when ſhee ſaid, The Serpent beguiled mee. And if any man hauehave beene any occaſion of their ſinne,—12. they will lay the blame vponupon them, as Adam did vponupon Eue. But had they beene reſolute in their owne will, nor Satan, nor any of his inſtruments could hauehave made them to ſinne. They who thus thinke to ſhift off ſinne, doe bring the greater load vponupon their owne ſoules. For this keepes them from that degree of humiliation and contritionaIſa. 66. 2. which would moue God to pitie them. When men in truth lay loade on themſelues,Math. 11. 28. God is ready to eaſe them. For to ſuch as Labour and are heauy loaden Chriſt ſaith, Come vntounto mee, I will giuegive you reſt. But on ſuch as by the ſhifting of ſinne thinke to eaſe themſelues, God will lay loade. WhatfMath. 23. 13. loades of woe did Chriſt lay vponupon the hypocriticall Scribes and Phariſies, who put off all burdens from themſelues? What a loade was laid ont1. Sam. 15. 20, 21, 22, 23. Saul, that by mincing his ſinne ſought to eaſe himſelfe? andu2. Sam. 12 13 what eaſe was giuen to Dauid, that laid the burden of ſin vponupon himſelfe?Vera confeſſions, non falſa defenſione opus habet. Aug. de Nat. & gra c. 53. Now whether it be ſafeſt ſo to ſhift off ſin, as to prouoke God to lay the burden of it on vsus, or ſo to burden our ſelues as to moue God to eaſe vsus, iudge you. Is there not now more need of true confeſſion, then falſe iuſtification.
The other direction is in regard of ſuch ſinnes as wee are tempted vntounto,Be reſolute againſt yeelding to tempters. but hauehave not yeelded vntounto, that we take courage and boldneſſe to our ſelues, and, with a reſolued purpoſe neuer to yeeld, reſiſt the temptation. Mans will, if he ſtand ſtoutly, and yeeld not, is an impregnable fort. Satan muſt by ſome meanes or other, faire or foule, bring a man to yeeld vp his fort, before he can enter into it. What ſtronger motiue to reſiſt, to ſtand out, to hearken to no parlie, to endure the vtter-moſt aſſault, then this? Wherefore in this ſpirituall combate againſt temptations,1 Cor. 16. 13. Watch yee, ſtand faſt in the faith, quit ye like men bee ſtrong.
Thus farre of the meaning of the firſt part of the laſt Petition, and of the Inſtructions thence ariſing. The ſecond part followeth.
BVT DELIVER VSUS FROM EVILL.
§. 183. Of the extent of this word Euill.
Q. VVHerein differeth the latter part of the laſt Petition from the former?
A. 1. In that the former part reſpecteth eſpecially euill to come, Some reſtrain this only to Satan, becauſe in the Greeke foreign. an Article is prefixed, which they thinke reſtraines the word to one euill one. But they are deceiued that imagine that Article alw …ies to imply ſuch a reſtraint. Sometimes indeede it is vſed foreign. Ioh. 1. 29. demonſtratiuely, pointing at one ſpeciall one: ſometimes foreign. Ioh. 1. 20, 21. diſcretiuely, diſtinguiſhing one ſpeciall one from all others of the ſame ſort: Sometimes foreign. Mat. 3. 17. by way of excellency: Sometimes foreign. Mat. 12. 35. … nitely mecrely for grace of ſpeech: and ſometimes in meere redundancie. The Article therefore doth not neceſſarily imply that the Diuel onelyonly ſhould be heere meant. Yet I denie not, but that he may be included among other euils. The word is of all genders, and may compriſe all euils vnderunder it. And without contradiction it is beſt (where there is no circumſtance of reſtraint, as here is none) to expound the Scripture in the largeſt extent: eſpecially in ſuch a ſummarie as the Lords prayer is, where ſo much matter is compriſed vnderunder ſo few words.to preuent it: This latter euiſt paſt or preſent, to redreſſe it.
2 In that, that noteth out the cauſe of ſinne, which is temptation, This the quality and effect of ſinne, which is euill.
Q. How many things are to bee conſidered in this latter part?
A. 1. The thing praied againſt, Euill.
2. The thing prayed for, Deliuer.
3 The Perſon to whom the one and the other is directed.
4 The Perſons for whom they are made.
Q. What is compriſed vnderunder this word EVILL?
A. 1. Satan the principall Author of euill.
2. All other kinds of euill.
Satan is thus in other places ſtiledgMat. 13. 19. 1. Ioh 2. 13, 14. Euill one: and this word hMath. 5. 39. foreign.Euill is oft put for eueryevery thing that is contrary to good, and that with the article prefixed before it.Rom. 12. 9. foreign. Now as this title good is of a large extent,2. Theſ. 3. 3. foreign. ſo on the contrary isiGen 48. 16. Euill. 1. Ioh. 5. 19.foreign.The greateſt euill of all iskMa…. 7. 23. Acts 28. 21. Sinne. Iudgements alſo for ſinne, and thoſe bothlZeph 3. 15. temporall andmLuke 16, 25. eternall, are ſtiled euill. In this large extent is the word here to be taken. And becauſe it compriſeth vnderunder it all manner of euils, it is fitly ſet in the laſt place.