Temptations, Part 1 · Chapter 1
IT appears that we all came out of Adams loynes, in that we ſmell of his diſeaſe, to father our ſinnes on the Lord: a common thing it is, and not ſo common as wicked for a man to ſay that hee is tempted of God, and ſo to make God at leaſt a co-authour of our ſins, which S. Iames finding to be up and downe in his time, cleares God,Diaboli hoc opus eſt ut faciat …ultos potius & corpus, & D…um, & proximum, quam corruptum animum accuſare, ne ſcîli…cet, inventa peccandi couſa a malorum radice liberentur. and layes the fault on man, where the root of all tentation is. He would have man to learne, that hee carries the cauſe of all tentations within his owne boſome; which the Apoſtle findes out to be our Luſt: This Luſt doth worke our tentation by degrees.
1 By drawing the minde of man aſide from thinking on God and goodneſſe,Chryſ. in 1 Cor. 6. Hom. 17. raiſing up ſudden thoughts in us, of that which is not good without any conſultation, giving a man no time to diſpute the matter with himſelfe, or with his God.
2 By inticing and baiting the hart of man, as men do for fiſhes; working on the will to bend towards ſuch or ſuch object repreſented by Luſt, as in appearance good and pleaſant; and here though we doe repell ſuch thoughts as draw, and withdraw, and ſuch wiſhes as intice and allure, even as faſt as they come to our conſideration: yet S. Iames tels us here, that they are the firſt fruits and effects of our concupiſcence. By Luſt is meant our naturall and originall corruption; the concluſion is, That all our tentations are long of our originall ſin: I deny not but Satan tempts, and ſo doth the World; but yet neither Satan nor the World can now hurt us, if all be well within; they tempt, but it is by working on our own concupiſcence, ſhould they finde nothing in us, we needed not to care thus much for their tentations. Chriſt indeed was tempted, and had no Luſt in him, and did not Satan loſe his labour? And all becauſe nothing was found in him: fire burns not where is no matter for it to work upon; no meere man is tempted and drawne aſide, but he may thanke his owne concupiſcence.
The greateſt quaere is of Adam in Paradice, and of the Angels in heaven. The maine anſwer is, that Iames ſpeakes of Man as he is now, not as he was then. The greateſt matter then is, how ſin came into Adam, which muſt be from the liberty of his will, hee was tempted from without, and ſo was Eve, but no motion of Luſt within could draw him to his firſt ſinne, for then there muſt needs have beene in him a ſin before his firſt ſinne, and then the firſt ſin could not have beene his firſt ſin; he was of ſuch a condition, that he might fal if he would, and hee did fall, but not without any tentation ſimply, though without any from himſelfe, for he was tempted by the Devill. Lust in Satan was the occaſion of Adams fall,Roff: art. 39. but the cauſe was his owne will;Contra. his firſt ſin was from Satans ſin,Luth. Sandf. (ſin,De Deſe: l. 3. Sect. 96. I ſay,) for it is a weake conceit for any learned man to write that the divill hath no ſin, becauſe the Law was not given to him▪ which proves that in forme he is not ſuch a ſinner as man is, but a ſinner hee was and is, being and doing that which was contrary to the will and Law of God, laid upon him in his Creation. The holy Page is for it, in the very termes, Io. 8. 44. Hee was a murtherer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, therefore a ſinner: He is a Lier and the father of lies; therefore a ſinner, and 1 Iohn 3. 8, The Devill ſinneth from the beginning. His Luſts then that were in him, did draw him to worke upon Eves and Adams free-will to draw them aſide. The Devill was an Angell, and then he had no Luſt within him to draw him; no object without, being in heaven, where was nothing but all perfection: A Deepe it is then to conceive, how ſinne came firſt into the Angels. That one great Angell (now Belzebub) did firſt fall, and then drew after him the reſt, is like enough; but yet the queſtion remaines, how the firſt ſinne came into that Angell ſith there was no defect within nor none without: I muſt firſt ſay that ſin is a privation, an Obliquity, no effect but a defect, and therefore wee are not to trouble our ſelves to enquire after any proper and efficient cauſe; God cannot bee a deficient cauſe, bee cauſe there can bee no defect in him, and therefore the defect muſt bee in the Angell, and wee muſt reſt in the will of the Angel who without motion from with in, or any tentation from without, fell from his eſtate, abode not in the truth as Iudes Phraſe is,Iude v. 6. left his habitation voluntarily and maliciouſly, left it becauſe he would leave it. The firſt ſin or Luſt was a ſinne then, whoſe cauſe was (ſuch cauſe as a ſinne could have) not ſinne, for then the firſt ſinne could not bee the firſt ſinne, if there were a ſinne the cauſe of that ſin; and againe, we are where we were; and are left to inquire the cauſe of that ſin, to which if wee ſay, ſinne, to have bin the cauſe of that,Vid. Scot. Collat. 5. then wee may aske after the cauſe of that ſinne againe and ſo in infinitum. Here then we muſt ſtop and ſay, that Eves ſinne and Adams ſin came not from any Luſt within, but from an act of their owne free will, drawne out by the tentation of the devill, and of the devils firſt ſin, no internall Luſt, no externall tempter at all, was the cauſe, for there was neither, but we muſt ſay that of that ſin, ſin was not the cauſe, but the will of the Angell created good, but mutable and free; no good I confeſſe can be the univocall cauſe of any ſin but an equivocal cauſe; and accidentall cauſe of ſin good may be, for the will of the Angels good in it ſelfe was the cauſe, not by working neither, but by not working. Adam then (to come to him) turning himſelfe of himſelfe from God:Cenſur. Remonſt: in ca. 7. Becan. God then took away his aſſiſting and actuall grace,Sum. part. 2. c. 9. q. 6. concl. 6. Aquin. 2. 2. q. 24, art. 10. and then Adam did put away from him his original righteouſneſſe, put out his owne eyes and ſo came in Originall ſin, viz. this Luſt,Bradward. that ever after tempts all meere men that are tempted,Sum. contr. by drawing them aſide from good,Pelag. l. 2. c. 9. and enti…ing them to evill. They dreame then, who ſay that God tooke away originall righteouſneſſe from Adam, and that hee by an act of his will did not thruſt it away: Tis ſafeſt to ſay that hee deprived himſelfe, fell off from God, elſe wee come to neare to make God ſome kinde of author of his ſinne. Thus came in this Luſt, the fewell of all ſinful tentations whatſoever; What cauſe have wee then to looke about us, ſith our righteouſneſſe within, in the regenerate is very weak, and exceeding imperfect, our luſts ſtrong, a world of ſins lurking up and downe in our ſoules. For did the Angels in heaven whoſe innate holineſſe and righteouſneſſe was moſt perfect, in whom there was a concurrence of all grace in all perfection, did they fall? and did Adam in whom there was no ſpice of ſinne? oh then, how ſtands it us upon to implore the continuall aſſiſtance of the actuall grace of God, and inceſſantly to call in for theaPhil. 1. 19. ſupply of the ſpirit of Ieſus Chriſt, elſe we fall and ſin moſt miſerably; we have ſtrange luſts within (the devils ſouldiers) warring againſt our ſoules,1 Pet. 2. 11. & Satan ever blowing at the divine Candle of the ſpirit of God,Rom. 7. 23. hee never gives over by a circle and round of tentations to powre cold water on our faith;foreign. Looke wee ever upward then for the daily ayd of Gods aſſiſting grace,Non friglde repugnat. that hee would ever blow the bellowes to keepe this holy fire in;Pro. 20. 27▪ for we ſee by Adam and the Angels, that it is not the perfect habit of internall grace, no, nor the abſence of external tentations neither, that can keepe a man from ſinne,Zu…res Opuſe. 8. l. 3. c. 4. …m. 1. tis onelyonly the actuall worke of the right-hand of the moſt high muſt doe the deed; elſe if Adam having no luſt fell, we having little elſe but luſt muſt needs be drawne aſide and enticed: Say day and night, Lord lead me not into tentation. Habits of grace are like the fire of a Smith,VVard. be they never ſo pure and perfect,Grat. Diſcrim. they burne not in us no longer than they bee blowne: if God withhold or withdraw his aſſiſting hand, Luſt drawes us aſide preſently and down we fall.