Temptations, Part 1 · Chapter 3 – Chapter 4
CHAP. 3. Of the enticing of Luſt.
AFter Luſt hath drawn us aſide from God,foreign. it doth entice us and wooe us; the word ſignifies baiting us, as men doe bait for fiſhes, coozening ſometimes the eye, ſometimes the of the ſilly fiſh, ſo doth ſin uſe us puts on guiſes and maskes, making the ſin to appeare in an other colour than it is. Thus our own Luſt doth nibble at us with ſome delight, propoſeth it to us under tearmes of pleaſure, profit, honour; alluring us with the ſeeming ſweetneſſe, that to our ſancies and ſenſes do appeare to be in ſeveral ſins, and all to bring us to accept of the motion to finiſh ſin, and to finiſh it, is to act it indeed; ſo meanes S. Iames. Luſt I know doth worke by force, but nothing ſo much as by enticing. Man is a creature guided by his will, and where will is, there conſtraint and violence prevailes little, wee love not to be forced, and therefore our Luſt doth goe moſt an end the other way to worke,Ineſt peccatum cum delectatis: regnat ſi conſenſeris, Auguſt. in Pſal. 50. to bring us on to ſin by licoriſh courſes, ſawcing us with a propoſall of ſome ſeeming ſweetneſſe to bee found in the doing of ſin, for then is ſin like to breake out into act, when it hath gained conſent within; and enticing is the likelieſt way to wooe us to conſent and aſſent to ſinne the ſin in queſtion; ſin uſeth not to come againſt the haire, but when wee are caught with the ſpiced pleaſures of ſin, then we goe a maine downe the ſtreame, and wee give too free conſent and allowance to ſinne, when wee are beſotted with the deceits of ſin. Tis very often that wee read in the Word of the deceitſulneſſe of ſinne: and I doe deſire all Chriſtians to beware, leſt that their owne hearts, that is their owne luſts doe not goe beyond them with cunning, and get within them by ſome enticing ſleight. For Luſt is ſuch an enticing harlot, as will undoe the party enveagled for ever, and leave him nothing but ſhame and miſery, loocheth him from his right maſter, and makes him a ſlave of ſlaves, even to delight in his ſlavery; robs a man of his liberty, honeſty, comfort, ſalvation and all. Goe to GOD then, that hee would bee pleaſed to ſtand betwixt us and this Coozener, that our concupiſence having great advantage, in that it is within us, may not cheate us with golden mountaines, and leave us in the ſuds at laſt. I meane not to enter into the deſcription of the particular veynes that ſinne hath to entice us; Bookes are full of admirable matter about the deceitfulneſſe of ſin; ſhewing, how the heart firſt deceives us with colours, and when we are once a doting after ſin, then wee joyne and deceive our hearts;Iam. 1. 26 uſing fallacious and ſpecious Sophiſmes, to make our ſelues thinke that to be lawfull to day, which we our ſelves held to be unlawfull but yeſterday. Lye therefore day and night at God for wiſdome to prevent the ſtratagems of ſinne; by nature our imaginations are vaine, our hearts are fooliſh, and willing to be deceived by ſin, little ſuſpecting to find a Serpent and a Snake in the graſſe of ſin. Luſt would allure us to pleaſure it in the tents of Meſhecke, Gen. 9. 27.God will perſwade and allure his to dwel in the tents of Sem: Only I muſt cōmend to the honeſt Chriſtian, the two maine treacheries of Luſt to goe beyond us. 1. Luſt ſits upon our upper part; and by probable reaſons to ſee to, ſtrives to win our judgements, and in caſe a man looke not well to the matter; Luſt will ſo bleare his underſtanding with myſts, that he ſhall think he hath reaſon to bee mad, and that there is great ſence in ſinning▪ Man being a reaſonable creature is apt to be caried by reaſon; and if luſt can once bring us over wth pretended reaſons, why then the will is glad of the motion, the affections wait on the will, as on their Queen and Miſtris, and the ſin is like to be finiſhed and bring forth death. Againſt this we are to ſet the Word, and ſith ſin can ſhew no reaſō out of the Word; ſay my reaſon is corrupt and I am onelyonly for the Word. 2. Luſt works on our inferiour parts, and ſlatters our affections with pauſible perſwaſions; and a man is ſoone taken by faire offers to ſatisfie his affections: they be quick and ſudden, and it is hard to hold them in; & when the fume of ſin hath wound it ſelf into the affections, it quickly creeps up into the very judgment and eates out all faculty of diſcerning, and then good goes for evill, and evill for good. Wat…h we over our ſelves both wayes before hand, in making head at the very firſt againſt theſe entiſings of luſt, leſt both our reaſon and affections go after ſin; a world of difficulties will come in, when we are not onelyonly to bring in our affections, but our judgement too: That Fort loſt is not had againe with a ſong; remember that we have not a novice in hand, but are to deale with an old man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull luſts, ſo Paul▪ Moſt dangerous of all is the deceit of luſt, when it ſeemes to carry with it our reaſon: becauſe then it is next to an impoſſible thing, to keepe out of the ſnare and clutches of ſin; an inſtance or two, and then an end. Why is it paſt the power of our Divines with their pens and tongues to cry downe vſury? the cauſe is, becauſe moſt men doe thinke that they have reaſon to make the moſt of their money, and as yet they will ſee no reaſon againſt it; there is an unanimous conſent I thinke amongſt all the Divines; that to incloſe is an oppreſſio of an high degree, and yet many of our Gentry incloſe more and more every day, and that they doe it with an high hand is too plain, elſe they would not have us in deriſion as they have; and dare proclaime that they will incloſe, ſay all the Preachers in the world the contrary. A proud word, and well might they, if GOD did not ſay the contrary,Pro. 13. 23 12 11. 28. 19. as hee doth; the beſt is, God is not mocked: for we ſee that the poſterity of the great incloſers, would be right glad with all their harts to feed a poore beaſt in ſome common and cannot. Thus the Lord doth laugh at their calamity,Pro. 26. 31 and mocke when their feare commeth: but why are men ſo ſet in that ſin? Becauſe they thinke that they have reaſon to incloſe. Thus when Luſt hath enticed and bewitched our reaſon: wiſe men grow to deſperate reſolutions; all I ſay, is in a word. He that keepes from ſinne becauſe reaſon is againſt it,Audaciam exiſtimo de bono divini precepti diſputare, nec quia bonum eſt, auſcultare debemus, ſed quia deus praec epit, Ter…l de poenit. and not becauſe the Word of GOD is againſt it; that man obeyes reaſon and not GOD.
CHAP. 4. Of our being tempted by our luſt.
GOD I know is often ſaid to tempt us,Aug. Tract. 13. in Ioan. Evang. Deus neminem tentat ſecundum eam teutationem quae decipit. Deus neminem tentat formaliter loquendo, tentatione ad peccandum. Caiet. in Iacob. 1. vid Twiſſe Vindic: but never to ſin; we ſpeake not of his tempting us for our triall, but of our tempting our ſelves: His tentation meant often for our good wee abuſe, and take occaſion thence to ſin, and ſo wee turne it in the event to be our owne. As for our tempting our ſelves it is a reflect act, wee are the tempters, we are the tempted: tis not hard for a man to make himſelfe a worſe ſinner than hee is.Grat. l. 2. And is not Sathan ſaid to tempt us?Criminat. hee is;3. Digreſſ. 2. cap. 5. hee is the Grand tempter; he brought ſin into mankind firſt, and he is ſtill by tentations keeping of it in, and increaſing of it: ſometimes, though ſeldome, Satan tempts us and we joyne not with him: ſometimes, and but ſeldome, neither we tempt our ſelves, and Satan doth not joyne with us; but moſt times our tentations are mixt, hee and we concurre and make one act of tempting; the ſin finiſhed is his and ours too.