Defensive Armor Against Four of Satans Most Fiery Darts, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
Whether theſe Suggeſtions be the Souls guilt yea or no? Two Concluſions laid down in the Caſe. The Negative is aſſerted. Five Arguments brought to prove that they are not the Souls guilt. Two things which may stumble the Soul in this thing. Some things offered for its relief under them both.
IT is yet a more valuable queſtion, Whether theſe Thoughts or Impreſſions be the Souls guilt yea or no? This is the more conſiderable, becauſe if upon a due inquiry they prove not ſo, this is the beſt Topick to relieve a Soul from. I ſhall therefore a little inlarge my Diſcourſe here. I ſhall in the firſt place grant, That all temptations of this nature had their foundation in Mans Guilt: And as to particular Souls now exiſtent in Bodies; they may have had their advantages from their particular Actual Guilt. I ſay firſt, All Temptations of this Nature have their foundation in the Original Guilt of Humane Nature; as in Adam all ſinned. Had not the Serpent firſt beguiled Eve in the State of Innocence, we had not poſſibly been expoſed to ſuch Suggeſtions, or at leaſt not to ſuch Impreſſions from them; we might have had them, but they had not bin ſo wounding to us: The Infernal Plow-man might have plowed, but he had not made ſuch long Furrows: by theſe Suggeſtions in our Souls he had but led this Plough upon a Rock, and attempted us with them as vainly as he did our Saviour. While our firſt Parents were in their Eſtate of Innocency, the Devil aſſaulted them with a Temptation of this Nature; Gen. 3. 1, 2, 3. He did not attempt to perſwade the Woman, That there was no God, (Our firſt Parents were too lately come out of their Creators hands, to be perſwaded, That there was no Supreme Being precedent to them) but he deſigned to beget in them blaſphemous and moſt unworthy thoughts of God. That he had deceived them, and not told them the Truth, when he ſaid to them, That in the day they did eat of the fruit of the Tree of Good and Evil, they ſhould die; and that by it he deſigned to deprive them of a very great part of their happineſs: which makes it evident that Man even in his moſt perfect State, was capable of ſuch Suggeſtions. How far the poſterity of Adam ſhould have been troubled with this gueſt, had Eve at firſt ſhut him out of doors; we cannot tell. Chriſt himſelf heard ſomething of this Noiſe in the Wilderneſs, Matth 4. But with this difference, 1. That he had not a Power to embrace ſuch Motions, they could not be impreſſive upon him, who was the Expreſs Image of his Fathers Perſon, and God Equal with his Father over all, bleſſed for Ever; nor could they any way torment him, or be afflictive to him. He had a perfect power to repel them, without the leaſt Affliction or Diſturbance unto himſelf. Adam had a Paſſive Capacity to receive theſe Fiery Darts, to give credit to theſe Vile Suggeſtions, and to ſin by occaſion of them; and the Children of Adam have not onelyonly a Paſſive Capacity to receive ſuch Impreſſions, but an Active Power and Capacity; yea, poſſibly more than ſo, an Inclination and Propenſion to feed upon them, to their defilement: and poſſibly there are ſcare any Souls in the World, which at one time or other have not been defiled with them, either before or after Converſion, though in very different degrees. In ſome they have been more tranſient and volatile, in others more fixed and permanent. In ſome Souls they been entertained as Gueſts, and as it were adopted into their Family, to others they have been but as violent knockings and rappings at the doors, or like the throwing in of Stones at the Windows, which the Maſter of the Houſe could not help. Further yet, as to particular Souls troubled with them, they may for ought I know have bin occaſioned by, or advantaged from, thoſe Souls former guilt.
I ſay occaſioned from it. God by his Righteous Judgment ſuffering the Devil to ſtand at Peoples Right-hand in a juſt Puniſhment of them, for their not ſtudying to be Rooted, and Grounded in the Faith, for their Deſultory Levity, and Incertainty in the things of God; or ſome other Sins. They may be Advantaged from ſome former Guilt, when Perſons have formerly allowed themſelves to read Prophane and Atheiſtical Books, to liſten unto, and hear profane and Atheiſtical Diſcourſes, to Feed upon Atheiſtical Arguments, &c. But this is not the Queſtion.
Secondly therefore, I conclude: That ſuch Motions and Impreſſions (or if you will ſo call them) Thoughts, as are received with Horrour and Trouble, and Trembling, and are not delighted in, but rejected by the Soul, I ſay, Thoughts thus circumſtanced, let them have never ſo much Atheiſm and Blaſphemy in them, are not the Guilt of that Soul that feeleth the Load and Burthen of them. Now this being ſo great, if not the onelyonly thing, that can ſucceſsfully be ſpoken for the Relief of Souls under them; I ſhall endeavour to juſtify this Concluſion by ſome following Arguments.
1. My firſt ſhall be from the Received Opinion of Divines: That the very firſt Motions to Sins are not Sins. Every man may obſerve in his Soul a threefold Motion towards a ſinful Act: 1. There is a Motion which is called Primo Primus, the very firſt; and indeed is not the Motion of the Soul, but a Motion to the Soul, a Forreign not a Domeſtick intrinſick Motion, but from the Devil or the Men of the World. The Second is attended with ſome inward Delight and Pleaſure. When there is not only a Motion made to the Soul to do ſomething that is Evil, but it cauſeth ſome Ticklings and Pleaſure in the Soul. Tho poſſibly the Soul as yet reſolves not on it, nor deſireth the producing of it into Act, yet it is pleaſed with it, and the Motion is ſweet to its Taſte. This is what Divines call Concupiſcence, what the Scripture calleth Luſt, and is doubtleſs Sinful, and forbiden in the Tenth Commandement; without which the Apoſtle ſaith he had not known it to be Sin: Rom. 7. 7. The Third is, That Motion by which the Soul moveth towards the Actual Commiſſion of it, reſolving upon it, contriving how to bring it about; &c. This is forbidden in every Commandement, which according to our Saviours Interpretation of the Decalogue, doth not only reſtrain and prohibit the overt Act, but all the inward Motions of the Heart, tendent and leading to ſuch Act: but the firſt is prohibited in no Command.
2. Nor indeed is it reaſonable for any to fancy that it ſhould; for it is not reaſonable to imagine that God ſhould forbid …s Acts that are not our Acts. Motions of this Nature are not our Actions, we are only the Objects of them, not the Agents in them. When God forbiddeth us Sin, he forbiddeth us not to omit ſomething which he hath Commanded us to do, or to forbear ſomething which he requireth us not to avoid. He doth not forbid us the Actions of others, which we cannot prevent. Suggeſtions and Impreſſions of this Nature are the meer Actions of others, to which we no way concurr. What are not our Acts cannot be our Sins.
3. Thirdly, I argue from the Words of our Saviour, Matth. 15. 11. Not that which goeth into a Man d…fileth a Man; but that which cometh out of a Man, that defileth a Man: and to the ſame purpoſe, Mar. 7. 20. Are you ſo without Underſtanding alſo? Do you not perceive, that whatſoever from without entreth into a Man, it cannot defile him; becauſe it entreth not into his Heart: v. 20. And he ſaid, that which cometh out of the Man, that defileth the Man; for from within, out of the Heart of Man, proceed Evil Thoughts, Adulteries, Fornications, Murthers, Thefts, Covetouſ…eſs, Wickedneſs, Deceit, Laſ… viouſneſs, an Evil Eye, Blaſphemy, Pride, Fo…liſhneſs; all theſe Evil things come from within, and defile the Man. I know our Saviour is there diſcourſing, relating to the Phariſaical Superſticious Conceit of Mens being Defiled by Eating with unwaſhen hands. But this Diſcourſe led him to lay down ſome General Maxims of unqueſtionable Truth.
1. That that which meerly entreth into a Man from without, cannot defile him.
2. That what defileth a Man, muſt be ſomething of his own, ſomething which cometh out of himſelf. His Deſtruction muſt be from himſelf.
3. That amongſt theſe things may be Evil Thoughts, for they proceed from the Heart; v. 21.
4. That what proceedeth not from the Heart, cannot Defile. Let me now a little Apply this to the preſent purpoſe: Atheiſtical and Blaſphemous Thoughts thus Circumſtanced, do meerly Enter into us from without; we ſuppoſe the Soul not to contrive and breed them, not to ſtudy and delight in them: They are in a Senſe within a Man, the Soul hears the Noiſe, feels the Impreſſion of them, but they Enter from without, from an Agent that is without the Man. Secondly, They are not a Mans own, he doth not Hugg or Imbrace them, or Feed upon them; they are but as Baſtards laid at his Door, not born in his Houſe, not bred of his own Soul. Thirdly, Though they be Evil Thoughts, yet they proceed not from the Heart. A Mans Imaginative Power relates to his Senſitive Part, his Underſtanding is but the Out-room of his Soul: Thus far indeed theſe Evil Thoughts enter into a Man, they make ſome Impreſſions upon his Power of Imagination; that is an Open Faculty, to which a Man hath no Lock or Barr, ſo long as there are Senſible Objects, or Sinful Agents in the World, they will have ſome Paſſage into this Entry of the Soul of Man. The Underſtanding, which is the Porter to the Heart, takes ſome Cognizance of all Paſſengers into it, ſo as a Man may have ſome Notions and take ſome Cognizance, and make ſome Judgment of theſe Evil Thoughts; but yet they are not come into the Heart, which is the Will of Man: here they come not, out of this they proceed not, they are not willed, nor choſen, they are not loved nor delighted in, the Soul melts not in any imbraces of them, but is ſcared at the ſight of them; abominateth, rejecteth and abhorreth them. So as theſe things proceed not out of the Heart nor indeed were ever admitted into the Heart.
4. Fourthly, If theſe were the Souls Guilt, how ſhall we excuſe our Saviour from Guilt, or Eve before ſhe yielded to the Tempter, or Joſeph, though he reſiſted the Motion of his Miſtriſs. Our Saviour was made like unto us in all things (Sin only excepted) but how ſhall he be excuſed from Guilt, if Satans troubleſome Motions to him were a Guilt? The Devil tempted him, though not to things of this Nature, yet to ſinful Acts, to diſtruſt the Providence of God, to deſtroy himſelf, &c. He received his Suggeſtions with deteſtation and abhorrence, he ſaid to him, Get thee behind me Satan. The Devil was Guilty by his Motions, but no Guilt clave to our Saviour, rejecting and abominating his Motions. It is true, he did not receive them with that Paſſion, that Horrour and Trembling which Pious Men oft do, but that only ſpeaks him freed from that Paſſion and Weakneſs under which we labour. Again, Who will ſay that Eve, our Firſt Parent, ſinned, by hearing the Serpent ſpeak to her, before ſhe ſaw the Tree was Good for Food, and that it was Pleaſant to the Eyes, and a Tree to be deſired to make one Wiſe: And took of the Fruit thereof, and did Eat? Who will ſay, That Joſeph's Miſtriſs, ſoliciting him to lie with her, was his Guilt? She caſt her Eyes upon him, ſhe ſaid, Lie with me. But he refuſed, as you read; he ſaid, How ſhall I do this great wickedneſs, and ſin againſt God? Neither was this a ſingle but repeated Motion: She was Importunate with him. The Text ſaith, Gen. 39. 10. That ſhe ſpake to him day by day, but the Text alſo ſaith, That he hearkned not unto her to lie by her, or to be with her; and not doing this, Joſeph doubtleſs was not Guilty. The caſe is much the ſame with thee, the Tempter hath ſaid unto thee, Do not believe there is a God, or a Chriſt, or that he ever was made Man, or died for the ſins of man; or that God is ſuch a one, ſo Juſt, ſo Omniſcient, &c. And thus he talks to thee day by day, but thou hearkeneſt not to the Tempter, thou wilt not ſo much as parly with, or deliberate upon them, much leſs give credit unto them; how art thou in this more Guilty than Joſeph? Tho thy Tempter dealeth with thee more ſecretly by Impreſſions on thy Spirit, his, more externally by Audible Words; and thy Temptation be to a more Spiritual, his to a more Fleſhly Wickedneſs, yet this Act is not more, if ſo much as his.
5. Laſty, I argue from that known Maxime in Divinity, Omne peccatum eſt voluntarium. All ſin muſt be voluntary: It is moſt certainly true of Actual Sin: It is alſo true of Original Sin. The Sin of Adam, which was Peccatum Originans, was voluntary, and we all in him voluntarily hearkened to the Serpent, and had our Hands, all our Hands in Eves Hand, which ſhe reached up to pluck of the Fruit of that Tree. And for the Original Corruption and depravation of our Natures, it was but conſequent to that, and ſo contracted voluntarily. But Actual Sin muſt apparently be voluntary, for an involuntary Action is no humane Action. Now in this caſe here is nothing of the Will, the poor Creature cries, Get thee behind me Satan: It would not hear ſuch a Noiſe, nor entertain ſuch a Thought, it trembleth at the fears of the returns of them. I have ſeen one my ſelf in ſuch an Agony at but the fears of the return of them, that I have thought every Limb of him ſhaked, and trembled: I have heard another, that had recovered once from theſe violences, hearing me Diſcourſe of them, ſay, O Sir it is an Hell upon the Earth. (And theſe are but two Inſtances of diverſe I could name) ſo that apparently here is nothing of the Will imbracing and chuſing theſe things, nothing of the Affections, deſiring, loving, delighting in ſuch Thoughts: ſo as they cannot be the Souls defilement and guilt, tho they indeed be its moſt inſupportable Burthen and Affliction. This is to me ſo plain, that I can hardly conceive upon what miſtake a Soul under this intollerable Burden, ſhould charge it ſelf with Guilt, with reference to theſe Thoughts: Yet two things it may poſſibly ſay,
1. That it is hard to conceive that the Tempter, following this poor Soul from day to day, but that it ſhould have ſo far deliberated upon, or conſented unto ſuch Thoughts, as to be rendred Guilty before God.
2. That by giving Ear to ſome Atheiſtical Diſcourſes, or by Reading ſome Blaſphemous and Atheiſtical Books, or it may be, Entertaining ſome ſuch Atheiſtical Thoughts formerly, and Arguing within it ſelf for them, it is become Guilty; and now God doth but Righteouſly puniſh it with them.
To both which I ſhall oppoſe but two things,
1. That as to the firſt it muſt be determined by the Soul, that is under theſe Impreſſions, they troubling it from day to day, month to month, and it may be year to year; whether it hath not at all, in any degree, deliberated upon them, conſented and agreed ſo far to them, as to make it Guilty in ſome degree; and indeed it is hard to conceive, that in this thing the Soul ſhould be wholly and intirely Innocent: but admit it be not, yet ſurely theſe are no other Spots then what may be found in the Faces of Gods deareſt Children, no other then Sins of Infirmity, and Humane Frailty; and ſuch as in other caſes, the beſt of Men and Women daily incurr the Guilt of: which upon our daily Confeſſion and Repentance of, a Soul may warrantably expect Gods Pardon for, through the Blood of Jeſus Chriſt, and ſo ought not to ly ſo heavy upon the Soul.
2. Secondly, Admit that the Soul, before its turning unto God, may have given too much occaſion and advantage to the Tempter to offer thoſe Impreſſions; and that theſe are but youthful vanities repeated to us by the Tempter: yet certainly the Souls preſent abhorrence and deteſtation of them, its preſent trembling, and trouble, at the repetition of them, ought to be a far greater comfort and relief to the Soul, than the repetition of them ought to be trouble, or diſturbance. Thou heretofore had'ſt ſuch Thoughts, but then they did not trouble thee, thou didſt entertain and cheriſh them: now the repetition of them makes thee weary of thy Life, are the greateſt burden that thou didd'ſt ever feel: What is here to diſturb thee? If thou indeed didd'ſt delight to roll over thoſe Follies, former Follies in thy Thoughts, if thy Soul allowed them its cloſe embraces and pleaſure, this were ſomething formidable; but while thy Soul abhorreth, deteſteth them, while with all thy might, thou repelleſt them; it is a ſign God hath both pardoned thy former Guilt, as to them, and alſo renewed and changed thy Heart; then which nothing can ſpeak better for thee.
So that if we wiſtly conſider it, we ſhall find, That admit a Chriſtian under theſe diſturbances, can juſtly check himſelf, for too free an Admiſſion of ſuch Thoughts formerly, yet his preſent Affliction for them, abhorrence, and deteſtation of them, ſpeaks comfort, not trouble to him; and from this Diſcourſe it may eaſily be concluded, That the great Torments and Diſturbances of Souls upon this account, are generally groundleſs. The Souls which ſhall Account unto God another day for Atheiſtical and Blaſphemous Thoughts, are generally ſuch as never made any complaint of them. A Man never feels the Eternal Wrath of God in another Life, for thoſe ſins, the burden of which he hath felt in this Life, and the Guilt of which he hath been truly afraid of, and trembled at and ſtudied to avoid: Much leſs for the ſinful acts of another, to which he hath not conſented. This is a thing ſo obvious, that one would wonder that any thing of this nature ſhould ſtick with an Intelligent Chriſtian, or with any Soul that is but indifferently acquainted with the Covenant of Grace and the Promiſes of the Goſpel. Haſt thou formerly been Guilty of ſome Atheiſtical Blaſphemous Thoughts, which for a time thou entertainedſt without any juſt regret? Or haſt thou not made ſo quick and ready an Oppoſition to them as thou oughteſt, yet thou haſt a Promiſe, Matth. 12. 31. All Sin and Blaſphemy wherewith a man ſhall blaſpheme, ſhall be forgiven unto Men. To what men thinkeſt thou? What to them that perſiſt in them, and ſtudy to maintain them, or to thoſe that repent of them? Thou wilt certainly ſay to the later, not to the former. Why are thou then thus unreaſonably diſturbed? Thou heareſt that even for this Guilt, there is a Balm in Gilead, there is a Phyſician there. Doeſt thou ſay, Ah but I do not repent? What doeſt thou underſtand by Repentance? Is it not an hearty Trouble for them, an hearty Loathing and Deteſtation of them, a Trembling at the very remote Thoughts of them, an hearty deſire to be rid of them; and to entertain them no more: Repentance? What is Repentance then? With what Imaginable colour of Reaſon or Pretence of Scripture, canſt thou charge thy ſelf with the Guilt of that Sin which thou truly Loatheſt, Abhorreſt, Trembleſt at, Studieſt to avoid. And indeed this Temptation hath apeared to me, ſometimes converſing with Souls in their Diſtreſs, one of the moſt Inaccountable Things in the World, as to the cauſes of it; eſpecially when this Diſturbance hath fallen upon Intelligent Souls, acquainted with the Goſpel and the Terms of the Covenant of Grace. For whereas the Devil uſeth this ordinarily but as a praevious Temptation, to enforce another to Self Murther or habituated Deſpair, one would wonder that any ſuch Suggeſtions as theſe, no better entertained, could poſſibly induce the Soul to thoſe other Sins: but ſo it is, upon Experience we find it, that theſe are oft times moſt unſpeakable diſturbances. It will be therefore worth our while, in the laſt place to conſider what may be done, by, or for our Souls, yet at Liberty, to prevent theſe great incumbrances of our Peace; as alſo for the Relief of thoſe Souls, who (through the permiſſion of a Wiſe God) are fallen under ſuch a tremendous Providence as this is: and this is my laſt Work.