Of Tempting Christ, Section 12 – Section 13
SECT. XII.
Of Tempting Chriſt, with reſpect to his Inward Grace, and the Aſſiſtance of the Holy Spirit: Eſpecially by bold venturing upon Temptation, and the Occaſions of Sin.
Seventhly. ANOTHER way of Tempting God, and Chriſt, is with reſpect to his inward Grace and Aſſiſtance. Either,
1. WHEN we are not ſatisfied with the ordinary Influence of the Spirit of Grace, in the Duties of Religion; but are diſquieted and perplexed, if we have not ſuch extraordinary Tranſports, and Aſſurances, and Manifeſtations of ſpecial Kindneſs, as he hath not promiſed: If we have not ſuch ſenſible Conſolation, and Quickning in every Ordinance, ſuch Enlargement in every ſolemn Duty, &c. If we have not theſe, we make hard Concluſions againſt God and our ſelves: But this is to preſcribe to God, and ſo is a Tempting of him. The like may be ſaid of thoſe who limit God unto ſuch Means, and unto ſuch a Time, for their Aſſurance and Peace of Conſcience, &c. or elſe they are ready to deſpair of it for ever. It is to oblige God abſolutely, where he has not bound himſelf: what we deſire, not being abſolutely neceſſary in it ſelf, or ſo neceſſary as the Glory of God ſome other way.
VVE muſt not therefore make Experiments of his Love to us, by his granting our Deſires in theſe Particulars. A Father will not allow a Child to ſay, If you love me, let me have this or that, at ſuch a time, and in ſuch a manner; but when he ſubmiſſively begs and receives it, he may ſay, Now I know my Father loves me. But we Tempt God, when we would tie him up to our Circumſtances, of Time, Manner, and Meaſure, in theſe, as well as in other Caſes.
2. WHEN we voluntarily run into Temptation, and hope the Grace of God will ſecure us; tho we do, or may, very well know, that where we go, and what we do, is like to prove a Snare, and an Occaſion of Sin. If in the diſcharge of our Duty to God we meet with Temptation, we may hope his Grace will be ſufficient for us: But if we will play upon the Hole of the Aſp, and come near the Cockatrice Den; if we will walk by the Houſe of the ſtrange Woman, when we may avoid it: If we will make bold with the Opportunities, and Incentives, and Provocatives of Sin: If we will frequent ſuch Places, and ſuch Company, as did formerly inſnare us: If we will gratify our Senſes, our Appetites, or our Curioſity in ſuch Things, whereby we and others have formerly been defiled; and then expect the Extraordinary Aſſiſtance of God's Grace to preſerve us, this is a Tempting of Chriſt.
HE that dares come cloſe to the Threſhold of a Sin, as one ſays, will ſoon be pluck'd within the Door; for he hath Tempted the Lord his God. He that cannot ſwim, and will plunge himſelf into a deep River, if he ſink and be drowned, may thank his own Preſumption. You know how unable you are to ſtand againſt Temptation; and therefore it is deſperate Boldneſs to adventure where you are ſure to be Tempted. Can a Man take Fire into his Boſom, and his Clothes not be burnt? Prov. 26.27. You put your ſelves out of the Protection of God's Grace, and give the Devil an Advantage againſt you; and ſo it is no wonder if you are overcome. You cannot pretend the Strength of the Temptation for your Excuſe, for you might have avoided the Snare. Never ſay that you could not reſiſt the Tempration, it was ſo ſtrong, when you might have avoided it, ſo as not to have been Tempted.
THE more we know of the Corruption of our Nature, the more Reaſon ſhall we ſee for daily Prayer to God, that he would not lead us into Temptation: for we are ſeldom brought into Temptations, and brought off from them, without Sin. When the Devil comes to us, he cannot ſay that he finds nothing in us upon which to faſten: As is ſaid concerning our Bleſſed Saviour, Joh. 14.30. The Prince of this World cometh, and hath nothing in me. His Temptations could not enter, there was no inward Luſt to receive them. But our Hearts are ready to kindle upon the leaſt Spark that falls: As ſoon as Satan knocks, we open the Door and entertain him. We have ſo much Experience of this, that it were the greateſt Folly in the World to venture upon Temptation, and expect the Help of that Grace, which we know we have forfeited. A Man may as well put his Finger into the Fire, and hope he ſhall not feel Pain.
IF Peter will go into the High Prieſt's Hall without a Warrant, no wonder if he fall. If People will marry without any regard to Religion in their Choice; if they care not where they dwell, or with whom, or what kind of Perſons they have for their Domeſticks; if Perſons that pretend to Religion will frequent Play-Houſes, and read filthy Hiſtories, or Comedies, or obſcene Poetry, (for the Wit or Language-ſake, as they ſay; that is, will rake into a filthy Dunghil, in hopes of finding a Jewel, with the manifeſt hazard of being poiſoned by the Stench;) if they will adventure the corrupting of their Principles, by hearkening to every bold Atheiſt, that will burleſque the Holy Scriptures, and overturn the Foundations of all Chriſtianity, if not of Natural Religion too; ſuch Perſons they tempt God to leave them to themſelves; and the Event will prove what need there was of praying, and indeavouring, that we may not fall into Temptation.
I INSIST the longer upon this, becauſe it is ſo neceſſary to be conſidered by All: to take heed how we tempt God, by making bold with the Occcaſions of Sin. It is a merciful Providence to have our Circumſtances, and Condition of Life ſo ordered, that we muſt go out of our way to Sin, we muſt ſeek it with ſome Difficulty. For more Grace is needful to ſave us from Sin in the Neighbourhood of great Temptations, than while we are at a diſtance. Every one therefore, according to the Sins he knows himſelf moſt inclined to, ſhould watch to keep as far as lawfully he may from Temptation. Why ſhould we eat that which we know we muſt vomit up again? do that which we know we muſt Repent of? And if you may not eat, why ſhould you taſte? And if you may not taſte, why ſhould you deſire to See it, or have it before you, or come near it? Read the fifth, ſixth and ninth Chapters of the Proverbs; and what is ſpoken concerning one Sin, is true of the Occaſions that lead to others.
IF we will not keep at a diſtance from the Snare, we gratify Satan, and provoke God to leave us in his Hands. It is poſſible you may come off ſafe from the Occaſions to ſin, but you are not ſure of that Grace that is needful to it. Your Experience may teach you, your frequent Falls may inſtruct you, how dangerous it is to have Tempting Objects near, and in view. To ſee whether I am able to reſiſt Temptation, when I may avoid it, is boldly to tempt God, and to ſin for Trial-ſake. We ſhould keep as far as we may, from the Confines of that Fire that is apt to put our Paſſions into a Fever, and raiſe Diſorders in our Souls. The Nazarites, who by the Law of God were obliged to abſtain from Wine, or ſtrong Drink, or any Liquor of Grapes, were forbidden alſo to eat of the Grape green or dried; they were not ſo much as to taſte of the Husk or Kernel, or of the Skin of a Grape, or Raiſin *Numb. 6.3, 4..
IF we know that ſuch or ſuch things have been Snares to us heretofore, and are like to prove ſo again; that ſuch a Game, or ſuch a Converſation, is like to be prejudicial to me in particular, and draw me to ſin; I am acceſſory to the Temptation, and to all the Sin and Miſchief that follows, if yet I will venture.
THEY who ſeem the beſt prepared, and reſolved, do yet need this Caution: For none can tell what they are, till Trial, and Occaſion diſcover them. To be Temperate, when a Man hath not wherewithal to be otherwiſe: To be Chaſte, and have no Temptation to Uncleanneſs; to appear Meek, and have no Provocation; or for a Servant to be Juſt, and not to pilfer and ſteal, while his Maſter's Eye is upon him; this is comparatively a ſmall Matter. But to be chaſte in Sodom, to be temperate, as Timothy in Aſia, amongſt the luxurious Epheſians; to be awed by the Fear of God, and kept from Folly, when ſolicited to it, as Joſeph; this is the Trial of our Strength. If a Man be ſo fooliſh, as out of choice to ſtand near a Precipice, a ſmall Puſh will throw him over, when a far greater would not have hurt him upon a Level.
AƲSTIN relates the Story of his Friend Alyppius, who, by the Importunity of his Acquaintance, conſented to go to the Theatre; yet with a Reſolution not to open his Eyes, leſt the ſight of thoſe Spectacles ſhould intice his Heart: But being there, the Noiſe and ſudden ſhouting of the Multitude prevailed ſo far with him that he forgot his Reſolution, takes the liberty to ſee what occaſioned the Shout; and once ſeeing, is now ſo enflamed with Delight, that he ſhouts as the reſt do, and becomes a Frequenter of the Theatre as others: All his Reſolution did not avail, when the Temptation was brought to his Senſe.
IT is a bold and dangerous Undertaking, to court the Opportunities of ſinning, to invite an Enemy, to imbrace a Danger; tho a Man do it, as he pretends, to get the Pleaſure of a Victory, and to give Proof of his Piety in reſiſting; it is twenty to one but he is ſurprized, and overcome: Like the Folly, as one obſerves, of that Egyptian who acknowledged Fire for his God; and one day doing his Devotions, kiſſed his God after the manner of Worſhippers, and burnt his Lips. Juſt ſuch a Fool is he who hugs a Temptation, tho with a deſign of Vertue; he burns himſelf in the Neighbourhood of the Flame, and is like to periſh in his own Folly. It is to call the Danger nearer, that we may run from it. And let Men mean never ſo well, they cannot act wiſely, who will go to meet the World, and invite the Devil, and venture upon his Ground: They conſider not, that by running upon Temptation, they have no Promiſe of God to be delivered out of it; and becauſe they Tempt him, he juſtly leaves them to miſcarry, as the Puniſhment of their Raſhneſs.
BEWARE therefore of trying Concluſions, how near you may approach to Sin, and not be defiled; how you adventure to gratify your Curioſity, to go where you may be enſnared, where your Danger is greater than your Buſineſs. You conſider not, that to be near Sin, is to be near the Wrath of God, and the Fire of Hell; and to come near it, is the common way of coming to it. It is the Devil's cunning to make you confident of your own Strength, to tell you you need not fear; you can run a greater Hazard than this, you can bear a ſtronger Temptation than this; What tho you are in bad Company, are you ſuch a Child that you cannot govern your ſelf? But ſince our Fleſh and corrupt Inclination is on the Tempter's ſide, our ſtrongeſt Reſolutions may then fail us: And if we make bold with the Temptations, and Occaſions of Sin, we Tempt God, and provoke him to leave us to our ſelves.
3. WHEN we run upon any ſuch thing as requires the Extraordinary Aſſiſtance of God's Grace and Spirit, without any Ground or Promiſe from the Word of God to expect it: When a Man of weak Shoulders will attempt to bear a Burden, that would require a Sampſon's Back. When we will ruſh upon ſuch things, as are beyond our Ability and Strength, and expect Extraordinary Help, without a Promiſe. As when, by the neglect of the ordinary way of improving our Minds in Knowledg, we think to do thoſe things unto which the greateſt Improvements of Knowledg are required. If the Sons of Sceva will undertake to exerciſe the Devil, no wonder if he prevail againſt them, Acts 19.16.
THE Popiſh Vows of perpetual Virginity are a Tempting of God and Chriſt in this reſpect; becauſe there is no Promiſe of God's Aſſiſtance, that they ſhall be able to perform ſuch a Vow: There is no Promiſe, that whoever will reſolve and endeavour it, ſhall be able to lead a ſingle Life without Marriage. So the Apoſtles were offended with them that would injoin Chriſtians to obſerve the Jewiſh Ceremonies, after Chriſt's Aſcenſion to Heaven: Not only becauſe they were laid aſide by the Death of Chriſt, but becauſe there was no Promiſe of the Divine Preſence, and Aſſiſtance any longer in that Worſhip: This therefore is called a Tempting of God, Acts 15.10.
SECT. XIII.
Of Tempting God and Chriſt, as to his Patience.
Laſtly. WE Tempt him as to his Patience and Longſuffering. And thus the Jews are ſaid to tempt God, while they rebelled againſt him, and abuſed his Forbearance. What is termed the Day of Temptation in one place, is called the Day of Provocation in another. You have now tempted me, ſays God, theſe ten times, and will not obſerve my Orders, or hearken to my Voice; your continued Diſobedience is a conſtant Tempting of me.
TO how many of us may God ſay the like and worſe! You have tempted me, not only theſe ten times, but theſe ten Years, or twenty Years, or more; and would not obey my Voice, notwithſtanding many Convictions of Conſcience, many inſtructive Warnings and Reproofs, many loud Calls of Providence, and many Motions of my Spirit ſtriving with your Hearts, &c. You have tempted my Patience, and Long-ſuffering, and made a bold Trial how long I would bear with you.