Defensive Armor Against Four of Satans Most Fiery Darts, Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
What Care we had need to take, for the prevention and reſiſting of Temptations to Self-Murther. From what Efficient Cauſes ſuch Temptations may be our Luſts: The World, the Devil; theſe ſometimes acting jointly. What Luſts ordinarily incline us to it. How to know if the Temptation be from a ſingle or a mixt Cauſe, and from what Cauſe it is.
YOu have heard from my former Diſcourſe, That Temptations are Motions to Sin, and that all ſuch Motions proceed either from our own Luſts, or from the World, or from our grand Adverſary the Devil; and that theſe three Principal Cauſes, ſometimes act ſingly, ſometimes jointly; and it is a matter of no ſmall moment, for a Chriſtian under the power of a Temptation, rightly to underſtand, from what hand his Temptation comes; Whether it be meerly the Dictate of his own Luſt, or whether it comes from Men in the World, or whether it comes from the Devil? From one of theſe Caſes ſingly, or from two of them acting together joyntly; and ſo the Temptation be a mixed Temptation. Nor do I think it will be very difficult to a diligent obſerving Chriſtian to make a true judgment in the Caſe. For the Men of the World, as Temptations of this Nature are not very ordinary from them, we ſhall (in theſe days of Light) ſeldom or never hear Reaſonable Perſons, ſerious and in earneſt one with another, perſwading them to deſtroy themſelves: So they can make no ſuch Motions to us, but will be obvious to our Senſe. Job heard his Wife, when ſhe ſaid unto him, Curſe God and die; Job. 2. 9. It is true, the Men of the World, may by vexing and tormenting us, be to us indirect Cauſes of ſuch a Temptation; but that ſignifieth nothing, the principal Efficiency in thoſe Temptations, muſt be from our own Luſts. So that the onelyonly difficulty of Judgment in theſe Cauſes, will be to determine, Whether ſuch Motions or Impreſſions flow meerly from our Luſts, or meerly from Satan, or partly from our Luſts, and partly from the Devil.
1. I am not difficult to believe that a Man or Woman may be Tempted to deſtroy him, or her ſelf, meerly from his or her own Luſt, drawn away and enticed. I believe Saul was ſo, and Ahithophel was ſo. Saul ſaw he was like to come into his Enemies hand, and his Luſt of Impatience prevailed upon him, to prevent it by a Self-Murther. Ahithophel had a Luſt of Ambition, and was not patient of the ſhame of being outwitted, and defeated as to his Honour and Reputation: And this I take to be the Caſe of Zimri; 1 Kings 16. 18. Now the Original Luſt which draws in theſe Caſes, is, An over eager deſire of a greater portion of thoſe which we count good things in this Life, then it will pleaſe God in the Wiſdom of his Providence to allot us: Whether they be Honour and Applauſe, Riches or a Plentiful Eſtate, Eaſe or Perſonal Freedem from Miſery and Torment, &c. This prevailing in the Soul, when it ſeeth it is croſt in theſe deſires, or is like to be croſſed as to them; the Man or Woman, either through fear of what is like to befall him or her, or in an heighth of diſcentent and impatience for what hath befallen them; deſtroyeth him or her ſelf. But now this cannot be in any Souls but ſuch as are poſſeſſed of Atheiſtical Principles, and rooted in a disbelief of the Scriptures and the whole Revealed Will of God (if at the time they be in the exerciſe of their Reaſon.) The Reaſon is this: Becauſe if they believe that there is a God, and that the holy Scriptures are the Word of God; which ſay, No Murtherer hath Eternal Life; they muſt believe, that by that Act of Self-Murther, they expoſe themſelves to Ten thouſand times greater Evils of Shame, Miſery, and Torment, and that for ever; than they can poſſibly avoid by it. So as from hence is evident, that no Child of God, no Believer, none that hath any thing of the Grace of God in him, being in the uſe of his Reaſon, can poſſibly be led away by his own Luſt and enticed to this Sin. Where this Temptation prevaileth and is the meer effect of Luſt, it muſt be in an Atheiſtical Heatheniſh Soul, wholly under the Ignorance or Unbelief of the holy Scriptures, and what they Reveal concerning this Sin, and concerning Eternal Life: Such were the Heathens; ſuch was Ahithophel; Saul, Zimri, Judas, &c. As to ſuch, the Luſts of our Iraſcible Appetite (as the Philoſopher ſpeaks) may be oft times Temptations.
2. But Secondly, Theſe Temptations or Motions to Sin, may, and doubtleſs very often do proceed from Satan ſingly. Nature doth not ſo ordinarily ſay Kill thy ſelf, as ſpare thy ſelf, and truly when we conſider, how Nature abhorreth its own diſſolution, how naturally we flee from every evil and unpleaſant thing, we may reaſonably wonder, that ever any Man ſhould from his own Luſts be moved and ſolicited to deſtroy himſelf: and no queſtion but Nature muſt be in ſome diſorder, and there muſt be a great conqueſt over it before it can be. It muſt be a great Good ſhewed us that muſt ballance the Good of Life; and a great Evil, that muſt ballance the Evil of a Diſſolution. But certainly theſe Motions are very ordinary from the Devil, he was a Murtherer from the beginning; John. 8. 44. Now where this Temptation floweth ſingly from the Devil, it is eaſily diſcerned, whether he appeareth in any viſible Shape, and diſſembleth an humane voice, or worketh by a more ſecret Impreſſion upon our Spirits; for if it floweth ſingly from him, the ſ…l… effect of it is Horror, Terror, and Trouble, to the Soul that is diſturbed with it. The Soul admits it into no Council, takes no Pleaſure in the Thoughts of it; deliberateth not upon it, ſuffereth it not to lodge within it for a Night: ſaith, Get thee behind me Satan; and though it may be the Impreſſion reneweth upon it again and again, yet ſtill it meeteth with no better Entertainment: if once the Soul hath deliberated upon it, had Thoughts to hearken to it, been pleaſed with it; it is no longer a Single Temptation.
3. But indeed ordinarily Temptations of this Nature are mixed Temptations; with this difference,
1. Sometimes Luſt moveth firſt, and Satan falleth in with the Motions of that. Sometimes the Luſt of Diſcontent, ſometimes a Luſt of Impatience.
Men or Women are proud, and of high Spirits, aiming at high things, To be before, and to excel others, to live at a geeat Rate, or in great degrees of Honour and Applauſe; it may be they have lived ſo formerly, it hath pleaſed the Providence of God to humble them and bring them low, and out of eſteem; to Spoil their Reputation, lay their Henour in the Duſt, deveſt them of their Eſtates: they are not able to bear it, and entertain thoughts of putting an end to their Lives. You ſhall find Temptations of this Nature ſo far influencing the Servants of God, that although indeed they have not adventured upon ſuch wickedneſs, yet they have prayed to God to take away their Lives. Thus Jonah, to avoid the obloquy of a falſe Prophet, Jonah. 4. 3. Therefore now, O Lord, take I beſeech thee, my Life from me; for it is better for me to die then to live. 2. Sometimes a Luſt of Impatience under preſent afflictions prevaileth upon them, hence under great degrees of pains and miſery, we ſhall find ſome preſſed with ſuch ſinful thoughts: and this again hath ſo far prevailed with Gods own Servants, that although we do not read that in the ſenſe of them they had thoughts to kill themſelves, yet we do find that they have prayed God to put an end to their Lives; you have two great inſtances in Scripture, that of Job, who Chap. 3. Curſed the day of his Birth, and Job 6. 8, 9. Oh that I might have my Requeſt! and that God would grant me the thing that I long for! even that it would pleaſe God to deſtroy me, that he would let looſe his Hand and cut me off. So Elijah, &c.
3. Sometimes the Luſt of Servile ſlaviſh fear, when men and women have a Proſpect of ſome great Evils that are like to come upon them, and are not able to bear the thoughts of them, nor to live in the view of them. In this caſe we ſhall find Temptations alſo have prevailed upon Gods own People to deſire Death, though not to be the inſtruments of their own Death. This was the Caſe of Elijah, 1 Kings 19. 4. Jezebel ſending a meſſage to him, had ſworn by her Gods that by the next day ſhe would kill Elijah, as he had done by Baals Prieſts. v. 3. v. 4. he goes into the Wilderneſs, he goeth into the Wilderneſs and ſits under a Juniper Tree, and requeſteth for himſelf that he might die; and ſaith, It is enough now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my Fathers. Now where any of theſe Luſts predominate at any time, the Devil doth very ordinarily join his ſtrength with it, and makes frequent and violent impreſſions upon the Spirits of Chriſtians; putting them upon the murthering of themſelves; and where he meets with men or women that are ignorant or of baſe Atheiſtical hearts, who do not believe there is a God, or that there is ſuch a thing as Eternity, either an Heaven or Hell, a place of Eternal happineſs, or Eternal torment or miſery, or an Immortal State of a Soul; it is not at all to be wondered that he doth very often prevail. For if they can but look upon death coming upon them any way as a freedom from miſery and the grave, as a place where the wicked ceaſe from troubling, where the weary be at reſt, where the priſoners reſt together, and hear not the voice of the oppreſſor; it is but natural to them to cry out, Wherefore is Light given unto him that is in Miſery, and Life to the bitter in Soul, which long for death but it cometh not; and dig for it as for hid Treaſures; and rejoyce exceedingly, and are glad when they can find the Grave. But now it being impoſſible that a Believer that knoweth the Scriptures and believeth them, and agreeth to the Immortality of the Soul and the torments of Hell, the truth of the Worm never dying, and the Fire that never goeth out, and that all Murderers ſhall have their portion in the Lake where this Worm this Fire is; ſhould ever look upon Death and the Grave in this dull notion. Satan can never prevail with him. So that no ſuch Soul, while he is poſſeſſed of any Liberty to uſe his Reaſon, and to conclude from Principles, can poſſibly be prevailed upon.
2. Sometimes it may be, The Motion may be firſt from the Devil, who ſeeing a Man or Woman, in great pain or miſery, or in great fears and expectations of miſery, may come to it and ſay (as Job's Wife ſaid to him) Doeſt thou ſtill retain thy Integrity? Curſe God and die. I mean make ſome ſuch Impreſſions upon a Man or Womans Spirit. This poſſibly Men and Women at firſt diſcern and receive with great abhorrence, cry, Get thee behind me Satan; tell their Friends and Neighbours of it, beg of them to pray to God for them; but the Devil reneweth his Motions and Impreſſions with great frequency, violence, and importunity, until at length their own Luſts incline them to hearken; either their over-eager deſire to be out of their fears or out of their pain; and at ſome more reſt and quiet than they can poſſible arrive at and come to: ſo as they yield.