Expositions Upon Matthew 1-10, Treatise · Chapter 5 · Section 23
Remedies againſt heart-luſt through the eye.
1 Beware of private converſing men and women together. A Chriſtian man is commanded to confer with a Chriſtian woman with all chaſtity, 1 Tim. 5.2. foreign.
2 Call back your hearts from meditations of beauty and feature to better meditations. The abſence of holy thoughts cauſes the Lord to deliver us up to vain thoughts, Pſal. 81.10, 11. I gave them up to their own hearts luſts, and they walked in their own counſel. Rom. 1.24, 26, 28. As they liked not to retain God in their knowledge, he gave them up to a reprobate minde, to chuſe things reprobated, yea he gave them up to the luſts of their hearts.
3 Be often eying Gods eye in all places, Hebr. 4.13. There is not any creature which is not manifeſt in his ſight, Pro. 15.3. Pſal. 139.2. He knowes our thoughts far off.
4 Be not greedy to hunt after beauties; Remember one fit of an ague blurs it, and how that beauty withers as graſs, Pſal. 39.11. Thou makeſt his beauty to conſume away like a meth: think what a change age and death puts upon it.
5 Conſider, the eye is not ſatisfied with ſeeing, Eccl. 1.8. but rather more unſatisfied, whiles the more they behold the more are burning deſires kindled in the ſoul.
6 Uſe prayer that God would turn thy eyes from vanity, Pſal. 119.31. and watchfulneſs, that thou keep thy heart with diligence, for out of it are the iſſues or goings out of life and death, Prov. 4.23.
V. 29. And, if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out and caſt it from thee, for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members ſhould periſh, and not that thy whole body be caſt into hell.
V. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, out it eff, and caſt it from thee, for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members ſhould periſh, and not that thy whole body ſhould be caſt into hell.
Theſe words belong to the former command, forbidding adulterous looks. They are an Objection, Who can but love beautiful men and women? nature inclines to love that which is beautiful.
Anſw. To this Chriſt anſwers by an argument from the greater to the leſs; If a Gangrene had infected part of the body, you would rather have that infected member cut off, then have the whole body hazarded; how much more ſhould we do it, when the doing thereof will prevent the eternal deſtruction of ſoul and body? if we could not therefore ſave our ſouls otherwiſe, we ſhould be content to pull out our eys, but I require no more but that thou turn thy eye from an enſnaring countenance; thou oughteſt to cut off thy hand, but I require no more then that thou keep it off from unchaſte touchings. We ſuffer hard things for the ſaving of our body, much more ſhould we ſuffer hard things for the ſaving of our ſouls, and ſo much more, becauſe it coſts leſs, namely the cutting off of our luſts. Such phraſes there are, Matth, 18.8. Mark. 10.45. onelyonly there they are applied to every darling ſin, here they are applied to that ſin wherein perſons have the leaſt power of reſiſtance. Of this Job 23.11. My foot hath held his ſteps, his way have I kept and not declined. Job 31.1. I have made a covenant with mine eyes, v. 7. No blot hath cleaved to my hands, alſo, v. 5. his foot haſtened not to deceit; the meaning of this precept is, that the nouriſhment of luſt is to be avoided; luſt travelling with a ſinfull act, Pſal. 7.14. Jam. 1.14, 15. if it be hindered to bring it forth, that ſinful act becomes abortive, and luſt it ſelf dies.
Therefore this command, as all other commands that ſeem to command wickedneſs or ſin, ought to be taken figuratively, literally this precept were a breach of the ſixt command, Thou ſhalt not kill, and ſo it were a cruel command, but it is a moſt gentle Command: it had been hard if he had bid us keep company with women, behold them, and abſtain from them. Julian taking theſe ſentences literally mockt at Chiſtian Religion as fooliſh, cruel and vain, becauſe it commands to maim our own members: He mockt at Chriſtians becauſe no man did it, he mock at Chriſt becauſe no man obeyed him; but this Apoſtate might have ſeen from the ſcope, that theſe words were not to be taken literally, but figuratively. For Chriſt teacheth this, ſeeing there is ſo much danger of the eyes that they are as gates to let luſt in and out, they are to be pluckt away from vanity, yea to be pluckt out rather then be offenſive to the ſoul.
Some of the ancients underſtood by right hand kindred and friends, any dear thing which draws from God, but here is meant all occaſions of luſt taken from the eye in particular, ſuch was that curioſity of looking into the Ark of God, 1 Sam. 6.19.