Observations Divine and Moral, Chapter 46
CHAP. XLVI. Of Temptations.
GOD tempts a man, and Sathan tempts him, and one man tempts another. Gods temptations are as he is; good, and for good: and no other thing, but so many tryals of the fayth, patience, love, wisdom, and obedience of his creatures: not that he might know them (for he understands the Psal. 139.thoughts a far of) but that they might have use, & make manifestation of the grace of the heart in outward acts, that others might know them, and they themselves: or that (by accident, as they speak) the contrarie vices of unbeleif, impatiencie, and the like might be discovered where they lye hid, which is good also. It is good, on Gods part, and for his church, that mens naughtines, where it is, should in its time, be discovered. Where also we gather it to be our Saviours meaning to teach his disciples, and us all in them, to pray against temptations, Math. 6.as they are provocations unto sin; but not, as they are moderate tryals of fayth: and therewith, that our heavenly father would so sweeten the bitternes of them with the sprinklings of the sence of his love in Christ, as that they may not be excessive, or intollerable. Sathans temptations, on the contrarie, are as he is; evill, and for evill, and sin: eyther outwardly by fitting of objects, or stirring up of instruments, or provyding of furtherances of evill of all sorts: or in regard of the heart and soul, by suggestion of evill thereto, together with the so disposing, and stirring up of the humours of the body, as that they may be ready instruments for the myndes inordinate passions. And albeit he cannot compell eyther the understanding to assent, or the will to consent, or the affections to liking; and so not the body to the acting of evill: yet being a spirit, he is undoubtedly able to unite himself in his suggestions with our spirits, after an unknown manner; and the same also verie perswasive, specially with such, as upon whom he is by the Lord in anger let loose, for the punishment of former sins by latter. So we read that Sathan filled Acts 5. Luke 22. Ephes. 4. 2 Cor. 4.the heart of Annanias: entred into the heart of Iudas: works in the children of disobedience: and blyndes the minde of the unbeleevers. Notwithstanding all which his both power and mallice; seing he can doe nothing to hurt, but by the permission Ambrose.of God, and power which he hath from him; and that justly given, though, on his part, unjustly used; we are still to remember the good counsayl by one given us,Gregory. which is, never to fear the power of the divell more then the offence of God. This were to fear the exequutioner more then the judg.
Though a man cannot be drawn away, but by his own Iames 1.concupiscence; yet may he be tempted otherwise: and be compelled to suffer temptations, which is humayn; and divelish onelyonly, to be overcome of them, by assent, consent, orGregory. liking: And where none of these three is; there is the divels sin, and but mans crosse, as one sayth, in the temptation. If the thought of evill arising in the heart be such, as unto which not so much as our affections do encline; but that, on the contrarie, we wholly abhor from it, in the very first rising; we may gather it to be rayther by suggestion from Sathan, then of our own concupiscence. And as it is not in our power to avoyd the outward presentations of evill, by wicked men, to our eye, or ear; but we are compelled oftens to see, and hear their unlawfull works, and … Pet. 2.words, as did Lot the Sodomites: so neyther seemeth it to be in our power to avoyd the bare thoughts of evill, (which are not alwayes evill thoughts) by Sathans Suggestions: but that he being a spirit, and spirituall wickednes, can present them to our spirits more effectually, then can any man object, and offer outward, and corporeall provocations to our outward, and bodily senses.
As Christ our Lord, after the glorious testimonie given of him by his Father from heaven, and by the Holy Ghost sitting Math. 4.upon him in the form of a dove, and by Ihon the baptist both in word, and deed; was immediately led into the wildernes, by the spirit, to be tempted of the divell: so must christians make account, after the speciall testimonies of Gods love receaved, of some singular combat of temptation, for their tryall; wherein, if they overcome, the love of God is thereby, as it were, sealed up unto their hearts. Holy men therefore prospering in vertue must exult, and count Gregorie. Iames 1.it all joy, when they fall into divers temptations, and are exercised in them by the divine providence, for the tryall of their fayth: and therewith of Gods gratious power, which is perfited 2 Cor. 12.in their weaknes, this way.
There are none of Gods servants, but in the case of temptation have reaped the fruit of his singular providence towards them: sometimes in preventing such temptations, as if they had come upon them in their full strength, would have been most like, if not clean to have overthrown them, yet to have caused their greivous fall; by which, they have, through Gods providence sitting at the stern, glyded, as a ship by the side of a rock: sometimes in guyding them even in the verie midst of temptations compassing them about, like so many sands: and sometimes by helping and haleing them off, even when they have stuck fast, and been ready to sinck in them. Many have been the bodily dangers known, and not known, which, by Gods good providence, we have escaped: but how many more those that are spirituall; in which we had been utterly swallowed up, a thousand times, if his gratious hand from heaven had not releived us? Now, besides those common to all, everie person hath his speciall temptations, arising eyther from his temper of body, or sex, or age, or education, or custome, or state, or calling, or company, or other occasion, against which he must watch most carefully, as men use to watch in the gates of a c…ity beseiged, and in such other places, as in which the enemy is likest to make his assault: in which, if we quit our selvs as men, and stand fast, we shall have our part in his comforts, who sayd, I was upright with him, and I kept my self from mine iniquitie.Psal. 18.
Some have thought it a wise Christian course in the confession of our secret sius, resydeing in the heart, unto God, not to use the outward voyce, for fear of acquainting Sathan with them thereby, and so of advantageing him to tempt us, by applying himself to that, wherein he seeth us likest Hugo.to sin. As it is certain that he knows not our hearts at all, as God doth, by immediate insight, but gathers them by the motions, and manifestations of the body: so considering thatAustin. he himself is the originall of all evill, mediately, or immediately; it is like, he is, for the most part, acquainted with his own work in men. And so it is good wisdom in us to prefer the best manner of acknowledging our sins to God, for the advantaging of our repentance, before the fear of discovering our corruption to the divell.
Christ our Lord teaching us to pray, that God would not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evill one, Math. 6.would warn us not to lead our selvs into temptations, nor to deliver our souls into Sathans hands: which yet we do by affecting familiaritie with wicked men, which are as it were his brokers; by omitting duties of religion publiquely, or privately, or doing them unfruitfully; by neglecting our speciall callings, and doing nothing, and thereby giveing him opportunitie to tempt us to do evill; and lastly, by opening too wide the windows of our outward senses towards allureing objects. By these means we not onelyonly tempt God to leav us; but the divell, after a sort, to tempt Prov. 23.us. We have a promise, that if we resist him, he will fly from us: but that is, when he assalts us; and not when we challengeIames 4. him, as it were, with his own weapons, wherewith he hath foyled so many. He that thus puts himself within the reach of his paws, shall hardly scape being torn in peices by him. Let us commit our selvs unto Gods safe keepinPsal. 91. all our wayes: but not come in Sathans way, lest we advantage his mallice, and put our selvs out of Gods protection.
As the saylers skill is seen in carrying his ship through a storm: so is the strength of fayth in vanquishing dangerous temptations. Yet must we not measure the state of a man too much by that which befals him in some, or other such dangerous tryall. There are few so evill but have at times, their temptations (that I may so speak) to some particular good, by which they are caryed lesse or more that way: and few or none so good, but, on the contrarie, have temptations to evill, in which, at times; something humayn befals them. Now to judg of mens persons according to some such few particulars, contrary to their generall course, were partiallitie. The wicked fall not into evill, but lye groveling in evill: The godly fall sometimes by occasion; but God is faythfull, who with the temptation maketh a way for his to escape, by their renuall1 Cor. 10. of repentance, and victorie of fayth. And though in those their wrestlings they get a wrench, and limp afterwards, as Iacob did; yet they have power, and prevayl, and go on, as he did, in their way.