The Saints Temptations, Sermons · Sermon 7
SERMON VII.
2 Cor. 12.7, 8, 9.
And leſt I ſhould be exalted above meaſure through the abundance of revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the fleſh, the meſſenger of Satan to buffet me, leſt I ſhould be exalted above meaſure.
For this thing I beſought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
And he ſaid unto me, My grace is ſufficient for thee: for my ſtrength is made perfect in weakneſs.
THat which comes now in order to be ſpoken unto, it is the carriage of the Apoſtle when he was under this exerciſe, what courſe he took when he was tempted, and that is in verſ. 8. For this thing I beſought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me. So that the Obſervation or Doctrine that is next to be ſpoken unto out of the words is this,
Doct.Doct. That the proper courſe that is to be taken by us, when we are under Temptation, it is to pray much; For this thing I beſought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. I beſought the Lord thrice, that is, often and frequently, a certain number is here put for an uncertain. I beſought the Lord thrice, that is frequently, when I was tempted, I was much in prayer, that is the plain meaning. Here I might take an occaſion to ſhew what the nature of Prayer is in general.
Prayer, it is the expreſſion of our deſires to God for the obtaining of ſome good, or the removing ſome evil. Others deſcribe it that it is the ſhewing of our deſires to him, from whom we hope to obtain what we do deſire. But my work is not to treat of prayer at large, and in the general; but my work is to ſhew how we ought to pray when we are tempted, and this is that the Text leads us unto. When the Apoſtle was under this ſore conflict, and had the meſſenger of Satan ſent to buffet him, then it is that he betakes himſelf to Prayer, For this thing I beſought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. Therefore the thing I have to ſhew is this,
How we ought to pray when we are tempted, when the Lord brings us under any ſore conflict, or Temptation, and here I ſhall ſpeak to theſe things.
1. What are the things we ſhould pray for when we are under Temptations?
2. How ought we to pray when we are tempted?
3. Why is prayer the proper courſe we are to take when we are under any ſpecial temptation?
1. What are the things we ſhould pray for when we are under temptation?
There are four or five things I conceive that are the principal things that we ought to pray for when we are under temptation.
1. We ought to pray that we may know the ends of God in permitting us to be tempted, and alſo that we may have grace to anſwer thoſe ends. This is certain, God hath wiſe and holy ends in permitting our temptations. Satan could not have power to tempt us, unleſs God gave him power, and that appears from that Scripture, Luke 22.31. And the Lord ſaid, Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath deſired to have you, that he may ſift you as wheat. That which is deſired is not in our own power; therefore ſince Satan deſires to have us to winnow and tempt us, it is a ſign it is not in Satans power to tempt us without Gods permiſſion. Satan muſt have his permiſſion from God to tempt us, before he can tempt us. Now we ought to pray that we might know the wiſe and holy ends of God in permitting Satan to tempt us, God doth not afflict willingly, neither grieve the Children of men. Temptations are the neceſſary diſcipline that God exerciſeth his children with. And if the ends of God were anſwered in our temptations, God would ſoon remove the temptations from us. Experienced perſons know this to be true, that God ſoon removes and takes off a temptation when he pleaſeth. When perſons have been greatly harraſſed by temptation, God can all of a ſudden huſh the temptation and ſilence it. As Chriſt rebuked the winds and the Seas, and there was a great calm: So God can all of a ſudden take off a temptation that was ſtrong and violent upon us. Experienced ſouls have found this, that when ſuch a temptation hath been ſo ſtrong upon them, as that they thought they ſhould never be able to get out of it, and diſintangle themſelves from it, yet God of a ſudden hath taken it off from them; therefore it is our concernment to labour and pray to know the ends of God in our temptation, and to give God thoſe ends that make God let looſe temptation upon us, and then he can ſoon take off thoſe temptations that are matter of exerciſe to us.
2. We ought to pray for ſupporting grace that we may not faint under temptation, Epheſ. 3.13. Wherefore I deſire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, Heb. 12.3. Leſt you be weary and faint in your mind. When temptations are great and ſore upon us; when they are of more than an ordinary nature, eſpecially when temptations are of long continuance, we are exceeding apt to faint and deſpond under them. For this is certain, that the ſtrength of a Temptation lies in the length or continuance of it. A perſon may bear a very great and ſharp affliction if it be ſhort, better than a leſſer affliction if it be long and continued: the length and continuance of an affliction is that that makes us weary and faint in our ſpirits. Job when he was under great and ſore trials, he bare them very patiently at firſt; he bare the loſs of his Eſtate, Children, and one affliction after another; but when the affliction was lengthned out, then there was found in him many fits of impatience. So the children of Iſrael, when they were long in the wilderneſs, and tired in the length of the way, then they began to murmur; therefore we ought to pray for ſupporting grace, that we may not deſpond under our afflictions.
3. We may, with ſubmiſſion to the will of God, pray for the removal of the temptation. Thus Paul did in the Text, for this thing I beſought the Lord thrice that it might not depart from me, that is, he prayed that the temptation might depart from him: but though Paul prayed that the temptation might depart from him; we muſt ſuppoſe that he did this with ſubmiſſion to the will of God. He did not ſimply and abſolutely pray that he might be free from temptation, but with ſubmiſſion to the will of God, he prayed he might be delivered from the preſent Temptation. Some Temptations may be good for us, and they may tend to the trying and exerciſe of our graces. Jam. 1.12. Bleſſed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he ſhall receive the Crown of life which the Lord hath promiſed to them that love him. Some temptations may tend to the trial and exerciſe of our graces, and therefore we are not to pray that we might be freed from temptation altogether, becauſe ſome temptations may be good and profitable for us. But if temptations be very heavy and preſſing on us, as Pauls was, then with ſubmiſſion to the will of God we may pray to be delivered from ſuch temptations.
4. We ought always to pray that we might be kept from the taint and defilement of temptation; and that is plainly the meaning of that Petition in the Lords Prayer, Lead us not into temptation. When our Saviour directs us to pray, Lead us not into temptation, his meaning is not that we ſhould pray that we may not be tempted at all; but his meaning is, that we ſhould pray that we might not be overcome by temptation. Our great work when temptation comes upon us, it is to pray that God would not leave us to our ſelves, unto the weakneſs and infirmity of our own hearts, nor to the malice and ſubtilty of Satan. Wo to us, when Temptation comes, if we be leſt either to Satans malice and ſubtilty, or in the hands of our own hearts, Satan is ſubtil enough to intice us, & our hearts weak enough to betray us, unleſſe divine grace keep us. Therefore when ever we are under Temptation, our great work is to pray for divine grace to keep us under our Temptations. 1 Iohn 5.18. He that is begotten of God keepeth himſelf and the wicked one toucheth him not. The wicked one toucheth him not, how is that expreſſion to be underſtood? are not the Saints toucht by Temptation? How then doth not the wicked one touch the Saints? There is a touch of temptation, if I may ſo call it, and a touch of defilement; the Saints are toucht with the touch of temptation, that is, they feel the motions of temptation. O but he that is born of God keeps himſelf, that is, he indeavors to keep himſelf, and he prays for grace that he may be ſo kept, that he may not be toucht with the touch of defilement. He keeps himſelf, that is, the grace of God in him keeps him from giving the conſent of his will to temptation. And ſo far as the conſent of the will is withheld, ſo far a man is kept from the defilement of temptation. I mean he is kept from the defilement of thoſe temptations that are from without meerly. For that we may not miſtake here, as for thoſe temptations that ariſe from within, that is, the firſt motions of ſin that ariſe from original concupiſcence in the heart, although there be no ſubſequent conſent of the will, theſe firſt motions are ſin; although when there is a ſubſequent conſent of the will, the ſin is greater than when there is no ſubſequent conſent of the will. But in thoſe temptations that come meerly from Satan, or proceed meerly from the world and external objects; in ſuch temptations as theſe are, if there be no conſent of the will there is no defilement. It is true, it is hard for us to imagine any temptation offered to us by Satan or the world, but there is ſome corruption or other ſtirred by it, and ſome degree of conſent, a partial conſent of the will; but if we could ſuppoſe an external temptation to come, and no corruption ſtirred by it, nor the leaſt conſent of the will, then there were no defilement. A clear inſtance of this we have in our Saviour, temptation could not faſten on him, he received no taint, no defilement from temptation, The Prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me, John 14.30. There was no corruption of nature in our Saviour that ſhould incline him in the leaſt, to the leaſt partial yielding to temptation, but it is not ſo with us. It is hard for us to imagine any great temptation that comes upon us without ſome motions of corruption, and therefore there is uſually ſome partial defilement. Yet we ought to pray that we might be kept from defilement as much as may be, by not giving the leaſt conſent of the will to temptation. So much as the conſent of the will is kept from yielding to temptation, ſo far we are kept from the defilement of temptation.
5. Becauſe we uſually get ſome wound more or leſs in the conflict with temptation, even when we are victorious in the battail, we ſhould pray for the pardon of thoſe ſins that attend our temptations. It is obſerved by Auſtin, No one is ſuch a Conqueror in temptation, but he hath reaſon to pray, forgive us our treſpaſſes.
6. The Laſt thing we ſhould pray for, is, the ſanctification of our temptations. We ought to pray that Divine grace might ſo concur with our temptations, as that they may be a means to humble us; and that our temptations may be a means to quicken us to do thoſe things for which God lets temptations come upon us. God, as I ſaid before, permits temptations to come upon us for wiſe and holy ends, and we ſhould pray for Divine grace to quicken us to do thoſe things for which God ſends temptations upon us.
2. How ought we to pray when we are under temptations?
1. We ought to pray under a deep ſenſe of our own infirmities; we ought to have ſuch a ſenſe of our own infirmites as to be ſenſible that the leaſt temptation is enough to foil us, unleſs Divine grace help and aſſiſt us. It is proper only to indigent perſons to pray. They that are ſenſible of no wants, ſee no need they have to pray. None can pray aright but thoſe that are ſenſible of their own infirmity. When we come to pray under temptation, we ought to be ſenſible of our own weakneſs; how unable we are without Divine grace to overcome our temptations. Satan knows by experience what the ſtrength or infirmity rather of our free will is by the breach he made on our firſt parents in paradiſe. Satan alſo knows what habitual grace can do without the preſent aſſiſtance of actual grace, by the falls of many of the Saints that have been overcome by his temptations: we ought therefore to pray under a great ſenſe of the need we have of preſent actual grace to aſſiſt us. Although our wills be never ſo firmly fortified and reſolved as we think againſt ſuch a ſin, yea although we have the habits of grace in us, yet unleſs we have preſent actual grace in the ſame moment that we are tempted, we are like to be foiled, and that ſhamefully; therefore let us pray under a great and deep ſenſe of our infirmities.
2. We ought to pray frequently: For this thing, ſaith the Apoſtle, I beſought the Lord thrice. Thrice, that is often; thrice in a more ſolemn manner: ſo ſome learned men underſtand this expreſſion. Beſides Pauls ordinary way of prayer, beſides that he was wont to pray in an ordinary manner; he prayed thrice in a ſolemn manner, about this temptation, ſo ſome underſtand it, A time of temptation, ought to be a time of much prayer; when we are tempted in a more than ordinary manner, we ought to pray more than ordinary. You know what our Saviour ſaith, Ask and you ſhall receive, ſeek and you ſhall find, knock and it ſhall be opened to you. We muſt ask, ſeek, knock. If we receive not upon asking, we muſt ſeek, and if we find not upon ſeeking, we muſt then knock; the meaning is, we muſt reinforce and redouble our prayers. Our Saviour when he was in the Garden prayed three times, Father, if it be poſſible, Father, if it be poſſible, Father, if it be poſſible, he repeated his prayer thrice. Eliſha when he was to raiſe the Widdows child, prayer thrice over it; and when he came to pray for rain, he prayed ſeven times. And as a learned man obſerves, he would have prayed ſeven times more if God had not given him an anſwer, he was reſolved to have continued praying ſtill if God had not given him an anſwer. And what do all theſe things teach us, but that we ſhould not be diſcouraged, but continue in praying, for this thing I beſought the Lord thrice.
3. We ought to pray with great fervency. One end why God ſends temptaions on us is to quicken us to prayer; therefore when our trials and temptations are more than ordinary, our prayers and cries ſhould be more than ordinary. It is ſaid of our Saviour when he was in his agony, he prayed more earneſtly, Luke 22.44.foreign. More intenſely. When our Saviours ſufferings and conflicts were higheſt, then he intended the ſtrength of his prayer moſt. When our temptations and conflicts are ſharp, our prayers ſhould then be moſt fervent. Our prayers are oftentimes cold, remiſs and lukewarm, therefore God ſends temptations to ſet an edge on them, and that we might intend the ſtrength of them.
4. We ought to pray unweariedly, if the Lord do not hear us preſently, we ought not to give over praying, but ought to continue inſtant in prayer, Luke 1. And he ſpake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint. It is the way of God to defer anſwering the prayers of his people, that ſo he might give them the more abundant anſwer at laſt; therefore we ought to be unwearied in prayer. Paul had not ſuch an anſwer to his prayer as to have the temptation removed, yet he continued praying, and ſo ought we to do; though temptations are lengthned out, yet we ought to continue praying: And although the ſenſe of our unworthineſs might ſometimes diſcourage us from praying, yet the ſenſe of our own unworthineſs ought not to take us off from prayer. Luther confeſſes of himſelf he was oftentimes diſcouraged from praying with the ſenſe of his own unworthineſs; but at laſt, ſaith he, the ſpirit of God overcame in me, by ſuggeſting ſuch thoughts as theſe are, whatſoever an one thou art, how unworthy ſoever thou art, thou muſt pray, it is thy duty to pray. God will not be ſought unto, neither will he hear for thy worthineſs ſake, but for his own mercy ſake, therefore we ought to continue unwearied in prayer, and nothing ought to take us off from prayer.
The third and laſt thing I am to ſpeak to in the doctrinal part, is this.
Why ought we to pray much, when we are under temptation?
1.Reaſon 1. We ought to pray much, becauſe we have ſtrong and potent enemies to graple with. We wreſtle not againſt fleſh and blood, but againſt principalities, againſt powers, againſt the rulers of the darkneſs of this world, againſt ſpiritual wickedneſs in high places, Epheſ. 6.12. We have all the malice and ſubtilty of Hell to conteſt with; and we have the baits and allurements of profit, pleaſure and honour, which we ſee the greateſt part of men are overcome by. And over and above all this, we have the treachery of our own deceitful hearts to deal with; the heart of man is deceitful above all things, and deſperately wicked; therefore having ſuch ſubtil and potent enemies to deal withal; it concerns us to pray much.
2.Reaſon 2. We ought to pray much, becauſe our infirmity and weakneſs is more than we think it is. There is not the leaſt temptation but will be too hard for us, if Divine grace do not help us. As ſtrong as we think we are, and as much grace as we tkink we have, yet when temptation comes we ſhall ſoon be foil'd, if Divine grace doth not help us. What the ſtrength of free-will is, we have an inſtance of in our firſt Parents in paradiſe (and we can never think enough of it) and we have another inſtance of it in the Angels that fell from Heaven. And how weak we are for all the principles of grace we have received, many of the Saints, as David, Peter, and others are inſtances of it; therefore what reaſon have we to pray for continual ſupplies of grace? If the Angels did not keep themſelves in Heaven; If Adam in Paradiſe did not keep himſelf by his own free-will; If the Saints of God have not kept themſelves by the ſtrength of habitual grace, what are we able to do by our free-will or habitual grace received? Certainly our infirmity is greater than we are apt think it to be, and therefore we ought to pray from the conſideration of our own infirmity.
3.Reaſon 3. It is one end why God permits us to be tempted, to quicken us to prayer; you will find it by experience to be true, when God ſees his people cold or remiſs in prayer, he doth ordinarily let looſe ſome temptation upon them to quicken them to prayer: and though it be not always ſo, yet it is frequently ſo, that ſome coldneſs and remiſneſs in prayer doth uſually preceed our greateſt temptations. I do not ſay it is always ſo, for God doth ſometimes bring great trials and afflictions on his children when they are moſt watchful, praying, and in the moſt holy frame. And when trials come upon us when we are in this poſture, in a trembling, watchful, praying frame, then theſe trials are the greateſt mercies. And God by putting us into a praying frame before ſuch trials, prepares us for them before ſuch trials, prepares us for them before they come. Happy is that ſoul that is a praying, watchful, cloſe walking ſoul before temptation comes. But ordinarily we ſhall find that ſome fit of ſecurity hath overtaken us, before ſome remarkable trial and temptation comes upon us. We do not ſee the danger we are in of ſuch temptations, and therefore do not pray againſt them; and therefore God ſends temptations to awaken us from our ſecurity, and to make us ſenſible of the danger we are in.
1. This is matter of reproof to us,Uſe 1. that we give way to deſpondency, and ſinking of ſpirit, under temptation, and do not take the proper courſe that is to be uſed under temptation. Gods own children are to be reproved in this caſe, they are apt to give way to deſpondencies, and dejection, and ſinking of ſpirit under temptation, and do not take the proper courſe they ought to take when they are under it. The proper courſe we are to take when we are under temptation, is to pray much; the Apoſtle directs us, If any man be afflicted let him pray. So it may be ſaid, is any tempted, let him pray. Temptation is not one of the leaſt afflictions the Saints meet with; the Saints conflicts and temptations are oftentimes far more bitter than their outward afflictions. Now art thou tried, afflicted, tempted? pray, pray. Prayer is thy proper work: but inſtead of praying we droop and deſpond; or if we pray, we pray but a little, we are ſoon weary and give over, we think God muſt anſwer us the very next time we pray, or elſe we think God doth not regard our prayer. It is an infirmity that is incident to many of the children of God to think, If God doth not anſwer them this day, this week, this month, that then God doth not hear their prayers. But it is one thing for God to hear our prayers, and another thing for God to give a preſent and ſenſible anſwer to them. God doth always hear the Saints prayers, which are according to his will; but he doth not always preſently give them the thing they pray for; and it is a great miſtake to conclude that therefore God doth not hear our prayers becauſe he doth not preſently give us what we pray for. Paul prayed that the meſſenger of Satan might depart, but it did not depart; yet Pauls prayer was heard for all that. When we pray for temporal things, God doth not always give us thoſe things. God gives us temporal things, when temporal things are good for us, and when they are not good for us, he denies us thoſe things. But we may take this for a certain rule, If we pray as we ought to pray, we ſhall have an anſwer of our prayers one way or other; either we ſhall have what we ask or ſomething better; and this is certain, ſpiritual grace is far better than any temporal thing that we can ask. And it is a ſign that we have carnal ſouls if we do not think ſo. Paul had not his temptation removed, but he had ſpiritual grace given him, and that was far better than if the temptation had been removed.
2. In the ſecond place,Uſe 2. This ſhould exhort us whenever we are tempted to pray, and the more we are tempted the more we ſhould pray. Here lies the skill of a Chriſtian, when ever any particular temptation comes upon him, then to deal with God much about that temptation. What we ſhould pray for, and how we ſhould pray, I have already intimated. We ſhould pray to know the end of God in temptation, pray for ſupporting grace under temptation; pray to be kept from the ſin of the temptation, and pray for the ſanctification of temptation: and with ſubmiſſion pray for deliverance from the temptation. And we ought to pray with a ſenſe of our own infirmity, and we ought to pray frequently, fervently and unweariedly. This is the proper courſe to be taken when we are under temptations. The Devil is afraid of prayer, when Satan ſeeth that temptation puts us upon prayer, and makes us more ſervent in prayer, this will cauſe him to deſiſt from tempting, or to change his temptation. As when an enemy makes an attempt at one fort, and finds ſtrong oppoſition and reſiſtance there, he leaves that and begins his aſſault ſome where elſe, where he may be leſs ſuſpected, and thinks to meet with leſs reſiſtance. If the Devil find himſelf ſtrongly oppoſed in his temptation, he will retire, Reſiſt the Devil and he will flee from you. And if we can pray, we ſhall be ſure always to have ſome relief, For thou, Lord, haſt not forſaken them that ſeek thee, Pſal. 9.10. God never forſakes praying ſouls, Lam. 3.29. The Lord is good to them that wait for him, to the ſoul that ſeeks him. It is a memorable expreſſion of one of the Antients, God is ſo good to his people, Bonus Dominus ſaepe non trib it quod volumus, ut tribuat quod mall…mus.that he doth not always give them that which they would have, that ſo he might give them that which they would rather have. God is able to do for us abundantly above all we can ask or think. God doth not always give us what we do deſire, that ſo he might let us ſee at laſt, that that which he doth give us is better than what we do deſire. An eminent inſtance we have of this in our Apoſtle in the Text. Paul had not the temptation removed from him, but he had that given him which was far better; he had Divine grace given to him, My grace ſhall be ſufficient for thee. This was a far greater mercy than the bare removal of the temptation, and this is that which leads us to the next point, which is this,
Doct. That praying ſouls ſhall have a ſufficiency of grace to carry them through all their trials and temptations. Paul had not an anſwer given to him that the temptation ſhould be removed, but he had this anſwer given him, My grace ſhall be ſufficient for thee.
The end of the Seventh Sermon.