Sacred Therapy, Book 3 · Chapter 26
CHAP. XXVI.
Concerning the converts mistaking of his condition because of tentations.
GOds children oft-times are not only heavy and grieved because of tentations (which the Apostle, 1 Pet. 1. 6. presupposeth to be ordinary, and in some respects needfull) but also fall in a mistaking of their condition, as if it were altogether evil and displeasant unto God, because they perceive themselves many wayes polluted in their conflict with them. Which pollutions, albeit they cannot be denyed to be pollutions, and should not be excused, or extenuat, yet should not darken or obscure the grace of God in a convert striving against tentations, and lamenting his pollutions contracted by occasion of them.
2. These tentations, that they may be the more clearly discovered, we shall divide them in three sorts. 1. some of them are directly from God, in a wise and holy manner, for tryall and exercise of faith, hope, charity and other graces, and do not in any way tempt men to sin. 2. Some are from the flesh and the world, alluring or inducing men to sin; which two we joyn together, because concupiscence or the flesh, or corrupt nature, joyneth it self with the world, and these two help one another, and therefore are joyned together by the Apostle, 1 Ioh. 2. 16. All that is in the world is the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. And when men are tempted by their own lusts, the world doth furnish objects, allurements▪ and inducements to sin. The third sort are, the tentations from Sathan, who beside that he is not idle to take advantage of concupiscence and the worlds inducements, so is he chiefly busie to throw his fiery darts against the convert, and to sollicit men to such sins as the convert doth most detest and abhor.
As for the first sort of tentations from God, they are ordinarily by afflictions bodily or spiritual, wherein oft-times the converts do not observe the Lords purpose and will revealed in Scripture, or are forgetfull of the admonitions and consolations which they have heard from Scripture, which was the case of the afflicted Saints, Heb. 12. 5. and so they are more vexed then they should be; and, (Ps. 42. 11.) dejected and disquieted, and do suspect that God is angry with them and with the way they walk in, Heb. 12. 12, 13.
Of this sicknesse, there may be three causes, 1. the bitternesse of affliction for the present time wherein it is …elt. 2. The sense of by-past sin which the afflicted doth suspect God is pursuing, and making hi… possesse the sins of his youth, Iob. 13. 26. The third, is the observation of in-born corruption, discovered unto the afflicted much more then in prosperity.
4. For remedy of this evil, let the afflicted convert perswade himself from the Word of God, that in all the afflictions of Gods children, the Lord doth intend the tryall and exercise and increase of faith, and other grace, bestowed on them. And upon this consideration, the afflicted should rejoyce in this exercise, Iam. 1. 2, 3. Secondly, let him remember, that with the tryall of faith, there is alwayes a discovery of infirmity and corruption of nature in the afflicted: As in the purifying of gold, both the good mettal and the drosse are discovered, which as he should acknowledge, that he may be keeped from fretting, So must he still remember, that the Lord doth intend the tryal of his faith, that he may be constant in believing on Christ, the only help and relief from sin and misery. Thirdly, in whatsoever condition he is in, let him endeavour to go on in patience, experience and hope, which shall never make him ashamed, for this doth the Lord teach us, Rom. 5. 3, 4. and Iam. 1. 4.
As for the second sort of tentations, from the concupiscence of the fl…sh and from the worlds allurements and terror, let the convert afflicted follow the same course which is prescribed in the remedy of the tentations of the first sort.
As for the third sort of tentations, which are from the devil tempting men to atheism, or blasphemy, or dispair, or self-murder, and such like, which even nature doth abhor, whereof something is spoken elsewhere, 1. let the afflicted convert put difference between the devils sin in tempting to vile sins, and his own seeming feeble resisting, wherein albeit he thinketh himself polluted, yet his not yielding testifieth his dissenting from those fearfull sins whereunto Sathan doth tempt him. 2. Let him put difference between the consent of his unmortified corrupt nature inclinable to every evil, from the lust of the spirit which fighteth against the lust of the flesh, which hindereth the adversary from getting the victory. 3. Let him put difference between the sufficiency of Gods grace upholding him in the conflict, and the full victory against the messenger of Sathan buffetting him: for, God useth to susspend the victory for a time, and yet make his grace sufficiently uphold his souldier till the victory be given, as Pauls experience, 2 Cor. 12. teacheth us. And indeed, it is a pleasant spectacle to the Lord to look upon his weak child striving against the flesh, the world and Sathan, and standing out by faith in Christ against them all. 4. Let him consider, that by these tentations of Sathan unto vile sins, God can, and doth mortifie sin, and make his child watchfull and strong against both the sinfull inclination unto these and all other sins. In the mean time, let him beware of a more slye and subtile tentation, which Sathan useth to slide in at the back of these ugly and grosse tentations; which is this, when he hath pressed with all violence these fiery darts and vile suggestions upon the convert, he chargeth the afflicted soul with a giving consent unto them, and like a scolding calumniator impudently beareth guiltinesse upon him, and all to make him apprehend his condition to be worse then it is, and to suspect, that God, by this exercise, is pursuing him in wrath; and this tentation is not readily observed by the afflicted convert, but yielded vntounto more then to the gros…e tentation. Therefore, in the last place, let the convert guard against this tentation which brangleth his faith, and lay the blame, with the Apostle, on corrupt nature, whatsoever guiltinesse is found, Rom. 7. 17. Now, then it is no more I that doth it, but sin that dwelleth in me; a speech beseeming a man free of out-breaking and prevailing corruption, and striving against all inward motions of corrupt nature. And for remedy of this and other evils, let him renew the acts of his faith in Christ, laying hold upon the covenant of Grace, that he may more confidently draw near unto God reconciled in Christ, and so no more doubt of Gods good will to him, notwithstanding of his hard exercise under tentations: for, thus Sathan shall not only flye from the first tentation, being resisted, but also be disappointed of the successe he expected in questioning the coverts condition and weakening of his faith.