Temptations, To the reader – Errata
To the Chriſtian Reader.
AFter the Angels left their owne ſtanding, they envied ours, and out of envie became both by office and practice Tempters, that they might draw man from that happy Communion with God, unto that curſed condition with themſelves. And ſucceſſe in this trade; hath made them both skilfull, and diligent eſpecially now, their time being but ſhort. And if neither the firſt or ſecond Adam could be free from their Impudent Aſſaults; Who then may look for exemption? the beſt muſt moſt of all looke to be ſet upon, as having moſt of Chriſt in them, whom Satan hates moſt, and as hoping by diſ-heartning of them, to foile others, as great trees fall not alone; no Age or ranke of Chriſtians can be free: Beginners he labours to diſcourage; thoſe that have made ſome progreſſe, hee raiſeth ſtormes againſt; thoſe that are more perfect, he labours to undermine, by ſpiritual pride, and above all other times he is moſt buſie, when wee are weakeſt, then he doubles and multiplies his forces, when hee lookes either to have all, or loſe all. His courſe is either to tempt to ſin, or for ſinne: To ſinne, by preſenting ſome ſeeming good, to draw us from the true good, to ſeeke ſome excellencie beſides God in the creature, and to this end, he labours in the firſt place to ſhake our faith in the Word, thus he dealt with Adam, and thus he dealeth with all his poſterity. And beſides immediate ſuggeſtions, he commeth unto us, by our deareſt friends, as unto Chriſt, by Peter: ſo many tempters, ſo many devils in that ill office, though neither they, or we, are oft aware of it; the neareſt friend of al, our own fleſh, is the moſt dangerous traytour, and therefore most dangerous, becauſe moſt neare, more neare to us, than the Devill himſelfe, with which, if he had no intelligence, all his plots would come to nothing; this holding correſpondence with him, layeth us open to all the danger; it is this inward boſome enemy that doth us moſt miſchiefe. When Phocas (like another Zimry) had killed his Maſter,Cedren. Mauricius the Emperour, he laboured, like Cain, to ſecure himſelfe, with building high wals, after which, hee heard a voice telling him, that though he built his wals never ſo high, yet ſinne, within the wals, would undermine al: It is true of every particular man, that if there were no Tempter without, he would be a Tempter to himſelfe; it is this luſt within us that hath brought an ill report upon the creature: This is that which makes bleſsings to be ſnares unto us; all the corruption which is in the world, is by luſt,2 Pet. 1. 4. which lyeth in our boſome, and as an Achitophel, or Iudas, by familiaritie betrayeth us; yea, often-times in our beſt affections, and actions, Nature will mingle with our Zeale, and privie pride will creepe in▪ and taint our beſt performances, with ſome corrupt aime: Hence it is, that our life is a continual combate. A Chriſtian, ſo ſoone as Newborne, is borne a ſouldier, and ſo continueth untill his crowne be put upon him, in the meane time, our comfort is, that ere long, wee ſhall bee out of the reach of all tentation,Rom. 16. 20. the God of peace will tread downe Satan under our feet. A carnall mans life is nothing but a ſtrengthning and feeding of his enemie, a fighting for that, which fighteth againſt his ſoule. Since Satan hath cast this ſeed of the Serpent into our ſoules, there is no ſin ſo prodigious, but ſome ſeed of it lurketh in our nature; It ſhould humble us, to heare what ſins are forbidden by Moſes, which if the Holy Ghoſt had not mentioned, we might have beene aſhamed to heare of, they are ſo diſhonourable to our nature, the very hearing of the monſtrous outrages committed by men, given up of God, as it yeelds matter of thanks to God for preſervation of us, ſo of humility, to ſee our common nature ſo abuſed, and abaſed by ſinne and Satan: Nay, ſo catching is our Nature of ſin, that the mention of it, in ſtead of ſtirring hatred of it, often kindles Fancie to a liking of it: the diſcovery of divelliſh policies and ſtratagems of wit, though in ſome reſpects to good purpoſe, yet hath no better effect in ſome, than to faſhion their wits to the like falſe practiſes; and the innocencie of many ariſeth not from love of that which is good, but from not knowing of that which is evill.
And in nothing the ſinfulneſſe of ſin appeares more than in this, that it hindereth all it can, the knowledge of it ſelfe, and if it once be knowne, it ſtudieth extenuation, and tranſlation, upon others; ſin and ſhifting came into the world together, in Saint Iames his time, it ſeemes there were ſome that were not afraid to father their temptations to ſinne, upon him that hateth it moſt, (God himſelfe) whereas God is only ſaid to try, not to tempt. Our Adverſaries are not far from imputing this to God, who maintaine Concupiſcence, the mother of all abominations, to be a condition of Nature, as firſt created, onelyonly kept in, by the bridle of originall righteouſneſſe, that from hence, they might the better maintaine thoſe proud opinions of perfect fulfilling the Law, and meriting therby. This moved Saint Iames to ſet downe the true deſcent and pedegree of ſin; wee our ſelves are both the Tempters, and the Tempted, as Tempted, wee might deſerve ſome pity, if as Tempters wee deſerve not blame, in us there is both fire and matter for fire to take hold on, Satan needs but to blow, and often times not that neither, for many, if Concupiſcence ſtirre not up them, they will ſtirre up to Concupiſcence. So long as the ſoule keepes cloſe to God, and his truth, it is ſafe, ſo long as our way lieth above, we are free from the Snares below, all the danger firſt riſeth, from letting our hearts looſe from God by infidelity, for then preſently our heart is drawn away by ſome ſeeming good, whereby we ſeeke a ſevered excellencie, and contentment out of God, in whom it is only to be had. After we have once forſaken God, God forſakes us▪ leaving us, in ſome degree, to our ſelves, the worſt guides that can be; and thereupon, Satan joynes forces with us, ſetting upon us as a friend, under our owne colours; hee cannot but miſcarry that hath a Pirate for his guide. This God ſuffereth, to make us better knowne to our ſelves, for by this meanes corruption, that lay hid before, is drawne out, and the deceitfulneſſe of ſinne the better knowne, and ſo wee are put upon the daily practice of repentance and mortification, and driven to fly under the wings of Ieſus Chriſt. Were it not for temptations, we ſhould be concealed from our ſelves, our graces, as unexerciſed, would not bee ſo bright, the power of God ſhould not appeare; ſo in our weakneſſe, we would not be ſo pitiful and tender towards others, nor ſo je… lous over our owne hearts, nor ſo skilfull of Satans method and enterpriſes, we ſhould not ſee ſuch a neceſsity of ſtanding alwayes upon our guard; but though, by the over-ruling power of God, they have this good iſſue, yet that which is ill of it ſelfe, is not to be ventured on, for the good that commeth by accident. The chiefe thing wherein one Chriſtian differs from another, is watchfulneſſe, which though it require moſt labour, yet it bringeth most ſafety, and the beſt is no farther ſafe, than watchfull, and not onelyonly against ſinnes, but tentations, which are the ſeeds of ſinne, and occaſions which let in tentations, the beſt, by raſh adventures, upon occaſions, have beene led into temptations, and by temptation, into the ſin it ſelfe: whence ſin and temptation come both under the ſame name, to ſhew us that we can bee no farther ſecure from ſinne, than we be carefull to ſhun temptations. And in this, every one ſhould labour ſo wel to underſtand themſelves, as to know what they finde a temptation to them, that may be a temptation to one, which is not to another; Abraham might looke upon the ſmoake of Sodome, though Lot might not, becauſe that ſight would worke more upon Lots heart, than Abrahams. In theſe caſes, a wiſe Chriſtian better knowes what to doe with himſelfe, than any can preſcribe him. And becauſe God hath our hearts in his hand, and can either ſuſpend or give way to temptations, it ſhould move us eſpecially to take heed of thoſe ſins, wherby grieving the good Spirit of God, wee give him cauſe to leave us to our owne ſpirits, but that he may rather ſtirre up contrary gracious luſtings in us, as a contrary principle. There is nothing of greater force, to make us out of godly jealouſie to feare alwayes: Thus daily working out our ſalvation, that God may delight to goe along with us, and be our Shield, and not to leave us naked in the hands of Satan, but ſecond his firſt Grace with a further degree, as temptations ſhall encreaſe; it is he that either removeth occaſions, or ſhutteth our hearts against them, and giveth ſtrength to prevaile over them, which gracious providence you cannot be too thankfull for; it is a great mercy, when temptations are not above the ſupply of ſtrength againſt them. This care onelyonly taketh up the heart of thoſe, who having the life of Christ begun in them, and his Nature ſtampt upon them, have felt how ſweet communion and acquaintance with God in Chriſt, and how comfortable the daily walking with God, is: theſe are wary of any thing that may draw away their hearts from God, and hinder their peace. And therefore they hate temptations to ſin, as ſin it ſelfe, and ſinne, as hell it ſelfe, and hell moſt of all, as being a ſtate of eternall ſeparation from all comfortable fellowſhip with God. A man that is a ſtranger from the life of God, cannot reſist tentation to ſin, as it is ſin, becauſe hee never knew the beauty of holines, but from the beauty of a civill life he may reſiſt tentations to ſuch ſins as may weaken reſpect, and from love of his owne quiet, may abſtaine from thoſe ſins that will affright conſcience. And the cauſe why civil men feele leſſe diſturbance from temptations, is, becauſe they are wholly under the power of temptation, til God awaken their heart. What danger they ſee not, they feare not, the ſtrong man holds his poſſeſsion in them, and is too wiſe, by rowzing them out of their ſleepe to give them occaſion of thoughts of eſcape. None more under the danger of tentation, than they that diſcerne it not, they are Satans ſtales, taken by him, at his pleaſure, whom Satan uſeth to draw others into the ſame ſnare; therefore Satan troubleth not them, nor himſelfe about them, but a true Chriſtian, feares a temptation in every thing, his chiefe care is, that in what condition ſoever hee bee, it proves not a temtation to him: Afflictions, indeed, are more ordinarily called temptations, than proſperity, becauſe Satan by them, breedeth an impreſſion of ſorrow and feare, which affections have an eſpeciall working upon us, in the courſe of our lives, making us often to for ſake God, and deſart his cauſe; yet ſnares are laid in every thing we deale with which none can avoid,Domine, quis vadet l…ueos iſto …nultos … videat iſtos, & … vid… iiſtos, niſ… … illuminaveris …mine … ipſe enim pater ten… rum … queo… ſous abſcondit. out thoſe that ſee them, none ſee, but thoſe whoſe eyes God opens, and God uſeth the miniſtery of his ſervants for this end, to open the eyes of men, to diſcover the net, and then (as the Wiſeman ſaith) in vain is the net ſpred before the ſight of any bird.
This moved this godly Miniſter, (my Chriſtian friend) to take paines in this uſefull argument,Soliloq. cap. 16. as appeareth in this Treatiſe,Which goeth under Auguſtines name, Tome 9. which is written by him in a cleare, quicke, and familiar ſtile; and for the matter and manner of handling, ſolid, judicious, and ſcholler-like; and which may commend it the more, it is written by one, that beſides faithfulneſſe, and fruitfulneſſe in his miniſtry, hath beene a good proficient in the ſchoole of temptation himſelfe, and therefore the fitter, as a skilfull Watch-man, to give warning and aime to others; for there be ſpirituall exerciſes of Miniſters, more for others, than for themſelves. If by this, he ſhall attaine, in ſome meaſure, what hee intended, God ſhall have the glory, thou the benefit, and he the incouragement, to make publike ſome other Labours.
Fare-well in the Lord. R. SIBBS.
Faults eſcaped.
PAge 40. line 20. for, ſinne this, reade, this ſinne. p. 123. l. 7. for, who can ſay. r. who can ſay? p. 183. l. 23. for, ſtake, r. ſlake. p. 212. l. 9. for, blame, r. flame. p. 225. l. 5. after againe, put in, who can ſay. p. 380. l. 22. for, manner. r. Manour. p. 416. l. 18. for, we keep, r. keep we. p. 549. l. 23. for, alienated, r. alienum. p. 203. l. 17. for, freed once, r. freedome. p. 58. l. 24. for, will, r. would. p. 65. l. 8. after not, put in, only. In the Epiſtle to the Reader, for deſart. r. deſert. p. 18. l. 20. r. armand. p. 387. l. 18. for, thoughts r. faults. p. 239. l. 21. r. ſinfull affections. p. 240. l. 18. for, both, r. back. p. 238. l. 20. for, grave, r. growne. p. 190. l. 17. for, we, r. he. p. 191. l. 10. for, the ſure, r. ſure the. p. 136. l. 15. for, doth God, r. God doth. p. 137. l. laſt, for, from, r. for. p. 108. l. 21. put out, and. p. 75. l. 23. for, reproved, r. approved. p. 61. l. 18. after certaine, put in, of all ſinnes. p. 138. l. 10. for, ſuffer, r. chuſe. p. 290. l. 18. put out, Art. p. 342. l. 19. after man, put in, may. 362. l. 7. in the margent, after, they dranke, put in, they married. p. 84. l. 9 r. liking. p. 376. l. 8. r. convenient. p. 384. l. 3. put out the point at heard. p. 337. l. 7. put out, to. p. 377. l. 25. the point at not, put at will. p. ibid. l. 22. firſt of Timothy 5. 11. put in the margent. the first 227. muſt be 225.