The Saints Temptations, Title page – Errata
THE SAINTS TEMPTATIONS, WHEREIN The
NATURE,
KINDS,
OCCASION of TEMPTATION,
And the Duty of the Saints under Temptation are laid forth.
AS ALSO The Saints Great Fence againſt Temptation, viz. Divine Grace:
WHEREIN The Nature, Excellency, and Neceſſity of the Grace of God is diſplayed in ſeveral Sermons.
By Iohn Rowe, Miniſter of the Goſpel.
LONDON, Printed for Francis Tyton at the three Daggers in Fleet-ſtreet. 1675.
TO THE READER.
WHat the Power, or rather Impotency of Free-will is, may be clearly ſeen in the Angels that fell, who being at firſt created with perfect freedom of will, did not yet keep their firſt eſtate. And alſo it may be ſeen in our firſt Parents, who by ill uſing of Free-will, loſt themſelves and their Free-will, as Auſtin expreſſeth it.Appareat itaque nobis in noſtro capite ipſe fons Gratiae unde ſecundum uniufcuju que menſuram ſe per cuncta ejus membra diffundit. Auguſt. de Praedeſt. ſanct, cap. 15. On the other hand, what the Power and Efficacy of Divine Grace is, and the tranſcendent excellency of it above the will of man, doth no where more clearly and illuſtriouſly appear than in our Head the Lord Jeſus, who, as he was Man, depending upon the Fountain of Grace in the Deity; and living not meerly upon the ſtock of created principles: Joh. 6.57. Propter unionem Divinitatis vitam vivebat gratiae & Gloriae, &c. Tolet. in Joh. 6. In Chriſt anima quidem eſt foreign carnis, ſed tamen foreign à Ve…-Destate. Damaſcen.But (as Himſelf telleth us) living by the Father (his humanity in its operations being influenced and governed by the Divinity inhabiting in him) was kept from all ſin, and the leaſt inclination to it, and carried on in a way of perfect obedience unto the end of his life. And as the holineſs and happineſs of Chriſt as he is man ſlows from the union of his humane nature with the Deity, and the Grace which it receiveth from it: ſo the holineſs and happineſs of Believers and their perſeverance in both depends upon their ſpiritual and myſtical union with Chriſt, and the influence of Grace they receive from him. Of his fulneſs have all we received, Joh. 1.16.and Grace for Grace. And the Text before in part hinted,Joh. 6.57. ſpeaks fully to this; As the living Father hath ſent me, and I live by the Father; ſo he that eateth me ſhall live by me. Hence alſo is that of Paul, Chriſt liveth in me. Gal. 2.20.And alſo thoſe other words of our Saviour, Joh. 17.23.I in them, and thou in me.
It is too natural unto the ſons of men, as to ſeek a Righteouſneſs in themſelves, ſo to ſuppoſe ſome ſtrength and ability in themſelves to work it out, and to attain unto it. But the Goſpel is directly oppoſite unto this humour of corrupt nature; the whole ſcope and deſign of it being to ſhew, that both mans righteouſneſs and ſtrength lies perfectly out of himſelf:Iſa. 45.24. Rom. 1.17. In the Lord have we righteouſneſs and ſtrength. And, In the Goſpel is the righteouſneſs of God revealed from Faith to Faith. And,2 Cor. 3.5. We are not ſufficient of our ſelves to think any thing as of our ſelves, but our ſufficiency is of God.
The principal thing intended in theſe Sermons is to commend the Grace of God, and to ſet forth the excellency and neceſſity of it; and what is treated of in the former Part of the Book is preparatory and leading thereunto.
And this I may ſay, That what I have Preached, and is here repreſented in theſe Sermons, I have had experience of the Truth of, throughout the greateſt part of my life; eſpecially in ſeveral ſickneſſes, and many infirmities, with which the moſt wiſe and holy God hath pleaſed to exerciſe me in the courſe of my Pilgrimage. For what ever we may ſuppoſe our own ſtrength, ability, and attainments to be, when we come to be under exerciſe and affliction, then ſhall we ſoon perceive that we are Nothing without preſent actual Grace. When the hand of God is upon us in any ſpecial Tryal, then ſhall we find that we cannot fetch in that comfort from former experiences, as we would think we might eaſily do, nor ſupport our ſelves under ſuch a Tryal, nor put forth any one Act of Faith or obedience, without new ſupplies of preſent actual Grace. And thus doth Chriſts ſtrength come to be perfected in our infirmity.
It is confeſſed by a ſober moderate Papiſt, Alvarez de Auxiliis Gratiae, libr. 6. Diſp. 54.That Man in his fallen eſtate cannot reſiſt greater temptations, without the ſpecial help of the Grace of God. But the Scripture goes much farther when it telleth us, That without Chriſt we can do nothing; Joh. 15.5.No, not ſo much as the leaſt thing. And when we are taught to pray, Lead us not into temptation; it is ſuppoſed that every Temptation will be too hard for us, if Divine Grace do not help us. Let no man therefore preſume on his own ſufficiency, when an hour of temptation cometh, he may ſoon experiment what his own ſtrength or rather infirmity is. He that truſteth in his own heart is a fool: Prov 28.26. Joh. 17.9.But Bleſſed is the man that truſteth in the Lord; our greateſt ſtrength and ſecurity lieth in dependence, and he will be found the happieſt perſon at laſt, that depends moſt. Abide in me, is the Counſel of him who is,Joh. 15.4. and is called the wiſdom of God.
The Doctrine of Grace hath met with many Adverſaries; and many Controverſies, both formerly and of late, thorough the malice and ſubtilty of him who is the Arch-enemy of Grace, have been raiſed concerning it: I have not lanched far into any Polemicaly Diſcourſe about it, but contented my ſelf for the moſt part with aſſerting the Doctrine of Grace in General, endeavouring to accommodate it unto practice, this way of Handling it, being moſt ſuit-table to the Auditory I was to Preach unto. What is here Delivered in a plain and familiar manner, ſuch who are acquainted with their own hearts, and who have their Senſes exerciſed in ſpiritual things, will, I truſt, find to be the Truth of God; And what ever Benefit any may receive by theſe Sermons of Grace (the Deſign of which is to Commend and Illuſtrate the Grace of God) that it may be wholly Aſcribed to the Glory of Grace, is earneſtly deſired by him who is,
Thine, in the Lord Jeſus, John Rowe.
ERRATA.
PAge 102. line 28. read Soveraign, p. 106. l. 9. for joyed r. joyned, p. 138. l. 22. r. might depart, p. 143. l. 29. r. proper, p. 149. l. 23. r. apt to think, p. 163. l. 28. r. actually, p. 212. l. 15. r. elevates, p. 241. l. 14. r. ſo vaſt a, p. 242. l. 3. for doſt r. doth, p. 357. l. 23. for cauſe r. cauſed, p. 366. l. 11. for you r. your, p. 380. l. 5. for on r. once, p. 393. l. 14. for Sperm r. Spring.