Words of Advice to Young Men, Sermon 2 · Section 6
SECT. VI.
2. LAbour to overcome the Temptations of the Wicked one, whereby he would draw you to the commission of sin.
Sin in its own nature is so black and odious, that if your eyes were but opened to see what dishonour it reflecteth upon the pure and holy God, and how it defileth your own Souls once made after the image of God; you could not choose but loath and abhorr it, and with hatred you would flye from it as from a Pestilential disease, or venemous Serpent, and no arguments would perswade you to commit it, or give it any room or harbour in your hearts; therefore the wicked one doth use the greatest art and cunning to paint and colour over sin with fair glosses, that the monstrous nature and deadly poyson of it might be hid from your eyes and knowledge.
And as God hath his methods in the conversion of young ones, and useth many arguments by his Ministers and Spirit, to perswade them unto the practice of Religion: So Satan hath his methods and arguments to draw away young ones from God unto the commission of sin, and continuance therein.
1. The first work of God upon young Converts, is Illumination of the Understanding, he opens their eyes to see their sin and misery, the way of salvation by Christ, the beauty and excellency of holiness; so on the contrary, Sathan the wicked one, called the God of this World, doth endeavour to blind the eyes of young ones, to keep them in the dark, that the light of the glorious Gospel might not shine upon them, to discover either their sin or their Saviour; and he endeavoureth to stir up in them a hatred of the light, that so they might sin without reproof, or controul.
2. The second work of God upon young Converts, is Contrition, he awakens their Consciences, filleth them with fears and terrours through apprehension of his anger, and the dreadfull wrath that hangs over them, and they know not how soon may fall down upon them, and sink them into the lowest Hell for their sin, that hereby they being terrified, may apply themselves without any delay unto the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Saviour of mankind: So on the contrary, the wicked one doth labour to still and calm, and quiet the Consciences of young ones under the guilt of their sins; to lull them fast asleep, and keep them from all disturbances, from an unquiet Conscience, which if awakened, would plead the cause of God against sin.
3. A third work of God upon young Converts, is a powerfull bending and enclining the Will to embrace Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Advocate, and to resign up it self in full complyance with his will in every thing: So the wicked one doth endeavour to … the wills of young ones against Christ and the Law of God; he doth what he can to corrupt and depr…ve it, and to draw it unto a full bent and resolution for sin.
4. A fourth work of God upon young Converts, is upon their heart and affections, whereby he draweth them and engageth them for himself: So on the contrary, the wicked one is very busie in tampering with the affections of young ones; and as God doth use arguments in effecting a gracious change upon young Converts, so the wicked one doth use arguments to perswade them unto the practice of siń; which arguments are his temptations.
Young men, labour to overcome the Temptations of the Wicked one, and that I may help you herein, I shall
1. Set before you as in a glass the chief Temptations whereby the wicked one doth draw young men unto sin, and endeavour to arm you against those Temptations, that you may overcome.
2. Caution you against the particular sins of Youth, which the wicked one would draw you unto, and then shut up my Discourse with a word of Encouragement.
1. Concerning the Temptations whereby the wicked one doth endeavour to draw Young men unto sin. And here I shall speak of the Five most ordinary Temptations whereby young ones are drawn unto sin.
1. By the delight and pleasure of sin.
2. By the glory and repute of sin.
3. By the utility and advantage of sin.
4. By the pretended smallness of sin.
5. By the hopes of future repentance.
(1.) The first Temptation whereby the wicked one draweth young men unto the commission of sin is by the delight and pleasure of it; and here he is very cunning in the management of this temptation, that it may take effect.
1. He laboureth to hide from the eyes of young men those pure, spiritual, and more excellent pleasures, those heavenly, ravishing, and far transcendent delights and joyes which are to be found in God both here, and chiefly hereafter; perswading them, that the wayes of God are irksome and unpleasant, which is furthered by their own experience, they finde them to be so to them upon a little tryall, for want of a spiritual appetite to relish that reall sweetness which is in them; for as Angels cannot relish carnal pleasures, because they have no carnal senses, so neither can carnal persons relish spiritual pleasures, because they have no spiritual senses.
2. He laboureth to hide from them the sting and bitterness of sin, the sorrow and vexation which it will certainly produce in the conclusion; he covereth the hook out of their sight, laboureth to divert their thoughts from all serious considerations of the gall and wormwood that is in the bottom of the cup.
3. He represents the delights of sin as most sweet and satisfying; as present and at hand, and easie to be had without difficulty and labour; and sometimes as secret too, which no mortal eye can take notice of.
4. He joyneth in with the lusts of their hearts, with which he hath a secret correspondence, and proposeth such objects unto them as are most suitable and desireable. It is by the pleasure and delight of sin that most young men are bewitched and perswaded to the commission of it. It was by the pleasantness of the forbidden fruit that this Old Serpent enticed our first Parents to eat thereof, and hereby it is that he doth entice their posterity.
Dear young men, labour to overcome this temptation of the wicked one, by the delight and pleasure of sin, by taking into your most serious thoughts these few Considerations.
1. Consider, that all the pleasures of sin are low, mean, empty, thin, unsatisfying pleasures; they are sensual and br…itish: A beast can finde … pleasure in the most of them than you can do, who are capable of higher pleasures; these delights may please your sensual appe…te, but they cannot satisfie your rational souls, they may satiate and glut the senses, but they cannot content the heart: The Devil and lust may promise full satisfaction and contentment, if you will commit such and such sins, but they alwaies fall short in the performance. I would ask these three questions of the most luxurious persons. 1. Whether ever they found so much pleasure in any sin as they expected and desired? 2. Whether the choicest of their pleasures have not in a short time brought a weariness and trouble upon their spirits? 3. Whether this weariness and trouble hath not been more irksome and grievous to them, than their sensual pleasures have been pleasing and delightful? yea let me add a fourth: If amongst the choicest and chiefest of their delights in which thev finde most sweetness, they had but one delight without change and variety, whether that delight would not quickly lose its nature, and prove a torment to them? If they were bound alwaies to eat, or continually to drink. or without intermission to be alwaies in the act of adultery, would not this be more bitter than sweet? These pleasures are unsatisfying; the soul can be satisfied with nothing beneath the enjoyment of God, by whom, and for whom it was made.
2. Consider the shortness of these pleasures: The Apostle calleth them pleasures of sin for a season, Heb. 11. 25. And as he saith of some meats, that they perish in the using, Col. 2. 22. so some pleasures they perish in the enjoying; the enjoyment of them doth put a period unto them; and those that are most durable, they quickly flit away as a cloud or vapour, which if not blown away by the wind, they vanish of their own accord: If the stormy wind of outward affliction do not puff out the candle of wicked mens joy, yet the daies of old age are drawing on, in which they shall say, They have no pleasure in them, Eccles. 12. 1. Death be sure will sweep them all away; there will be no sinful pleasures in the other world.
3. Consider the sting of the pleasures of sin, which is not in the mouth, but in the tail: Grief and wounds, and piercing sorrows, will be the issue of sin: Sin hath a far differing aspect in the temptation before it is committed, and in the reflection after it is committed, especially when they begin to be plagued for it: In the temptation sin lookerh fair and beautiful, and with a pleasant countenance; but in the r…flection it is black, grizly and terrible: Hence it is that wicked men who can delight themselves so much in the fore-thoughts of sin when they are enticed unto it, yet cannot endure to look back on sin with fore-thoughts of the account they must give unto God for it. Sin, though never so pleasant, will in a short time produce more bitterness a thousandfold, than ever it did yield sweetness. Besides, the lashes and stings of conscience which sensualists sometimes have in their secret retirements; how are they (if any thing awakened) at their latter end even utterly consum…d with terrours: But O the horrible anguish that will seize upon th…ir spirits so soon as they are separated from their bodies! O the tearings that they will feel of the never-dying Worm, when they are clapt in the dark dungeon of Hell, where they will be under the immediate impression of the wrath of the sin-revenging God! If sensualists did but believe, and seriously consider the pains which they must endure in body and soul for ever for their sinful pleasures, it would quench their desires after them. If the Drunkard did see Dives; instead of his bowls and goblets of rich wine, begging for a drop of water to cool his tongue, surely they would sooner drink poison, than drink unto excess: I… filthy forn… cators did but know what dreadful horrour doth now possess and fill the parted souls of those which have lived in that sin; surely they would rather take a Toad into their bosomes, than embrace the bosome of an Harlot.
(2.) The second Temptation whereby the wicked one draweth young men unto the commission of sin, is, by the glory and repute of it. Not long after our Saviour was baptized, he was led into the wilderness, and tempted by the wicked one, and amongst other temptations, this was one, the discovery and proffer which he made unto him of the glory of the world, if he would fall down and worship him, Luk. 4. 5, 6, 7. And with the proposals of glory and repute in a way of sin he doth perswade young men to the practice thereof; in the management of which Temptation,
1. He doth represent unto them the waies of God as reproachful, the service of God as ridiculous, the people of God as the most contemptible persons under the Sun, as base, ignoble, and mean-spirited people; hiding the high dignity and honour the Lord hath conferred upon them.
2. He covereth the shame and disgrace of sin, he doth what he can to hide from their consideration the filthiness and loathsome nature of it, and what confusion of face will be the consequent of sin at the last.
3. He putteth a glorious attire upon sin, and painteth it over with such fair colours, and representeth it unto them with such a varnish of brightness and beauty, that it seemeth to them very desirable. He useth many arts to bring sin into credit, and employeth his cursed Agents to commend sin with the highest Elogiums, as if it were a noble thing, and worthy of great repute, to encourage young men by acclamations of bravery of spirit, when they aspire to be wicked in a high degree.
4. And so fourthly, joyning in with the lust of Pride and a desire of esteem, he doth provoke them to do any thing which may make for their repute.
But dear young ones, labour to overcome this temptation of the wicked one, whereby he would draw you to sin by the glory and repute of it; which that you may do, consider,
1. That sin hath no repute, except it be amongst the vilest persons, whose esteem thereof doth render it so much the more odious and abominable.
2. That the Holiness of God is his most glorious Attribute, and therefore sin which is directly opposite hereunto can have no real glory in it, therefore sin is the only abominable thing which he hateth, therefore he lightly esteemeth, he looketh upon afar off, he scorneth and despiseth, he loatheth and abhorreth all the workers of iniquity.
3. That the honour of sin is empty, vain, windy, short, transitory, like the crackling of thorns under a pot, it soon vanisheth away, and will quickly end in disgrace, in shame and confusion.
4. That sin is matter of the greatest shame in the world, as it dishonoureth God, defileth the soul, blotteth the name, enslaveth the whole man unto the black Prince of darkness; and will bring upon such as live in the practice of it, contempt and scorn at the appearance of Jesus Christ.
(3.) The third Temptation whereby the wicked one doth draw young men unto the commission of i…, is …y the utility and advantage of it: He perswadeth them that such and such sins will bring in much profit and … unto them; and so joyning in with the dust of covetousness and worldly-mindedness, he draweth them unto sin. Hereby it was that Achan was tempted to take the silver, and gold, and Babylonish garment, which God had expresly forbidden, Josh. 7. 21. Hereby it was that Geh…zi was temp…ed to take the Talents and change of rayment of Naam…, which his Master had refused, 2 King. 5. 20, 23. Hereby Ahab was tempted to permit the cuting off of Naboth for his Vineyard, 1 King. 21. 4, 5, &c, Hereby Judas was tempted to betray his Master for thirty pieces of silver, M…th. 26. 15. Hereby Demas was tempted to forsake the Truth, and cleave to this present world, 2 Tim. 4. 10. And here the wicked one doth represent a great conveniency to themselves and families in getting earthly gain… whatever sin they commit to effect it: And he doth sometimes perswade them of a necessity of these gains, that they cannot live without them; and a necessity of such and such sins, as lying, over-reaching, oppression, and the like, without which they could not thrive.
But young men, take heed of being overcome by the wicked one here, of being taken with the bait of profit and worldly advantage. Consider,
1. What the Apostle saith, 1 Tim. 6. 10, 11. They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown them in perdition and destruction: For the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some have co…eted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves thorow with many sorrows. And then think with your selves whether there be a conveniency in unlawful gains: Is it convenient to be entangled and drowned? Is it convenient to make shiowrack of faith, and to make shipwrack of the soul? Is it convenient to wound the conscience with guilt, and pierce the heart with many sorrows? Are these things (the attendants of sin by this temptation) more gainful or more hurtful? Is it conv…nient to steal a Cloak which is infected with the Plague, and will bring death almost as soon as warmth? Is it convenient to gain any thing which shall be mingled with Gods curse, a far worse evil than that of the Plague? Consider, is there nothing lost by sinful gains? What think you of the favour of God, which is b…tter than life; of the peace of conscience, which is a continual feast; of grace here, and glory hereafter, the choicest treasures? Can any sinful gain our-ballance that which is lost by sin?
2. Moreover as to the plea of necessity, consider that most of those necessities which the worldlings suppose they have of these things, are created n… ties, created by themselves, but fancied necessities; they are necessities only to satisfie the lust, not for the stay and support of life. Nature craveth but very little for necessity; what nec…ssity is there of getting so much to lay out upon superfluities? what need so much to lay up for posterity? and would not the Lord supply necessities, if you kept within the bounds of duty, and cast your care upon him? hath not he given the life, and would not he giv… meat? hath not he given the body, and would not he give rayment? doth not he take care of irrational creatures? and would not he take care of you? hath not he promised? and is he not faithful?
But what necessity is there of sin, to get the good things of this life? Duty is necessary to all, but sin is never necessary to any. There is one thing necessary, to get an interest in Christ, and lay up the treasure in Heaven; but it is not necessary to commit any sin to get provisions for the body and family; yea, it is dangerous and destructive: Sin, whatever necessity is pretended, will bring ruine and damnation upon such as live in the practice of it: Better starve the body, than damn the soul; better the body should drop presently into the pit of the grave through want, than that the soul should drop into the pit of Hell through sin: A man had better be without meat or drink, without house or friend; yea, he had better lose his life a thousand times, if it were possible, than to live in the practice of any known sin, though all these might be preserved hereby; because the gain of all these, yea of the whole world, cannot countervail the loss of the soul, Matth. 16. 26. But who can plead such necessity as this for sin?
(4.) The fourth Temptation whereby the wicked one doth draw young men unto the commission of sin, is, by the pretended smalness of it. As Lot said of Zoar, Is it not a little one? they are but small faults; if it were blasphemy, or murder, or adultery, or drunkenness, or the like heinous sins, there might be more scruple; but they are but little sins, small ones, and not many, a little wantonness, lying, and the like.
But dear young men, be not overcome by the pretence of the smalness of sin, considering,
1. That no sin is little or small in its own nature; Though some sins have more venome in them than others, yet all are of a poisonous nature: Some sins are greater, but all are great; all are the breaches of the Law of the great, the infinite Majesty of Heaven and Earth; and that which hath an infinite object cannot be small. Est eadem ratio rotundi in nummulo exiguo, quae est in magno, there is the same reason of roundness in a small piece of money, as in the greatest: and there is the same reason of sin in small sins, that there is in the most heinous, because it is committed against the same Law of the same God. See Jam. 2. 10, 11. Wh…soever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the Law. Though you should refrain some sins, yet if you venture to commit others, though they be less sins, and allow your selves therein, you break the Law of the same God, and are under the guilt and power of sin, and as equally liable to the punishment of sin, as those which live in the practice of those which are most notorious: And let me tell you, that it is as hard to get a pardon for those sins which you call small ones, as for the greatest; God can as easily pardon the one as the other; the smallest sins require the infinite mercy of God, and the infinite merits of Christ for their pardon; therefore no sin is in it self small.
2. Consider, is the thing but small which you are tempted unto? this in some respect aggravateth the offence, if you yield to the temptation: A man that will forfeit the favour of his Prince, or friend, for a small thing, it argueth a great slighting of their favour: So the least wilful sin argueth a great slighting of the favour of God, which hereby is forfeited. Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not encrease thy wealth by their price, saith the Psalmist, when he apprehended that God took little regard to his people, Psal. 44. 12. So may I say on the contrary, when you will offend God for a small thing, you do, as it were, sell your God for nought, and what advantage will you get hereby? It was the saying of our Saviour, Mat. 24. 26. What shall it profit a man if be gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? And what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Much more may I say; What shall it profit a man, if he should gain the whole world, and lose his God? and what can a man give in exchange for God, who is the chief good, and in whom doth consist our chiefest happiness? But if you will lose or exchange your God for nought, for a trifle, by little sins, this, as it argueth great folly; so it is a great aggravation of sin.
3. Consider that the least sin which you allow your selves in the practice of, is sufficient to damn your souls. A small leak in a ship unstopped, will quickly let in water enough to drown the ship, though not so soon as the greatest breach. A prick with a pin in the heart, will as surely kill a man, as a wound with a sword: So the least sin unrepented of, will as surely shipwrack and destroy the soul, as the greatest and most heinous osfences. The Law curseth and condemneth every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them, Gal. 3. 10. And such as lie under the curse cannot inherit the blessing. Let not any think then to get to Heaven, who allow themselves in the practice of the least sins; who make no conscience of petty oaths, officious lyes, idling away their precious time, and the like, which are accounted small and trivial things by the men of the world.
4. Consider, though the wicked one seemeth modest and shamefac't in his first temptations in asking but little things, yet he will not rest there, but by degrees will proceed further, and hereby bring you unto the commission of greater. As the habits of grace, so the habits of sin are strengthened by degrees; though the beginning be but small, yet within a little while sin will greatly encrease. Rivers at first arise from small springs, which in running gather waters, and encrease into a great stream: So actual sins (I speak not of original sin, which is a deep and unsearchable fountain, from whence actual sin doth arise, and by which it is fed) I say, actual sins in their first beginning are but small, which if a man alloweth himself in the practice of, they will swell and encrease, and carry him with a strong stream towards the Ocean of Gods wrath; if you make no conscience of small sins, you will easily be tempted to those which are great and more notorious. First, Satan will propose sin to your thoughts, it is no great thing to think; and if you can dally with sin in your thoughts, then he will by delightful pleasing thoughts of sin lay siege to your will; it is no great matter to desire, if you do not act; then if the fort of the will be taken, all the under-forts of the affections will quic…y yield; and when you have entertained sin in your hearts, you will be tempted to proceed further, to vent it at your lips; it is no great thing to speak, and then, as you have opportunity, he will tempt you to practice; go a little further, the sin is sweet, try but once, put but one step into this way, and retire again as soon as you will; and when once you have committed the act, it may be with smitings and reluctance of conscience, then he will entice again; it cannot be much worse, try once again, and by degrees the reluctance wears off; and though you commit sin at first with more regret, yet afterwards you will do it with more ease and delight; yea, with greediness and resolution, with hardness and obstinacy; and one great sin will make way for the commission of more; so that in time you will not forbear the greatest sins. Nemo repentè fit turpissimus, no man arriveth to the highest degree of wickedness upon a sudden, but is step by step drilled on by the Devil, and his own hearts lusts from little sins to the greatest. By degrees Gods reverence is more lessened, the will more enclined, the conscience more seared, the habits of sin more strengthened, the Devil more encouraged, and so way is made for any sin. Lesser Commandments (saith one) are a hedge about the greatest; if by small sins you break down this hedge, you will quickly make breaches upon the greater too: Smaller sins many times will engage you to commit greater, to maintain and defend them; the least link in a chain will draw the greatest after it. If you would be kept from great sins, you must take heed of the first beginnings, obsta principiis, &c. A small wound in the body, if it be not looked after, may fester and gangrene, and endanger the life: So small sins, if not stopt and healed, will breed a gangrene in the spirit, and bring certain death and destruction. If you do not resist the beginnings of sin, it will be hard to make head against it afterwards, when it hath got more strength: It will be as hard to leave off a custom of sin, which will be a second nature, as for the Aethiopian to change his skin, or the Leopard his spots. Non obtinebis ut desinant, si in…ipere permiseris: Imbecillis est primò, vires dum procedit par at: Excluditur facilius quàm expellitur: Facilius non recipiuntur quàm exeunt: saith Seneca. Vice is but weak at the first, it gathereth strength as it proceedeth; it is easier kept out, than thrust out; it is easier not to receive it, than being received, to leave it. Dear Youths, take heed then of small sins, resist the first motions and temptations to sin, crush sin in the first rising of it, delight not in the thoughts of it: Keep your hearts, guard your senses if you would overcome this temptation of the wicked one.
(5.) The fifth Temptation whereby the wicked one doth draw young men to the commission of sin, is, by the hopes of future repentance. You may allow your selves a little longer in the practice of sin; you may rejoyce, and take pleasure in the dayes of your youth, it is time enough hereafter to think of growing serious and religious, to think of repenting and turning, and making your peace with God. That you may overcome this temptation, remember what hath been said already, concerning the uncertainty of your Life, the uncertainty of the Means of grace, the uncertainty of Gods working by the Means.
Thus much for the first particular, concerning the most ordinary and prevailing Temptations whereby the wicked one doth draw young men to sin.