Of Temptation, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
The words of the Text, that are the foundation of the enſuing diſcourſe. The occaſion of the words, with their dependance; the things ſpecially aimed at in them. Things conſiderable in the words as to the generall purpoſe in hand. Of the Generall nature of Temptation wherein it conſiſts. The ſpeciall nature of temptation. Temptation taken actively and paſſively. How God tempts any. His ends in ſo doing. The way whereby he doth it: of Temptation in its ſpeciall nature: of the actions of it. The true nature of Temptation ſtated.
Matth. 26. 41.
Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation.
THESE words of our Saviour are repeated with very litle alteration in three Evangeliſts; only whereas Matthew and Mark have recorded them as above written, Luke reporteth them thus; ariſe and pray, that you enter not into temptation; ſo that the whole of his caution ſeemes to have beene; ariſe, watch and pray that you enter not into temptation.
Solomon tells us of ſome, that lye downe on the top of a maſt in the middeſt of the ſea, Prov. 23. 34. Men overborne by ſecurity in the mouth of deſtruction. If ever poore ſoules lay downe on the top of a maſt in the middeſt of the ſea, theſe diſciples with our Saviour in the Garden did ſo. Their Maſter at a litle diſtance from them, was offering up prayers and ſupplications with ſtrong cryes, and teares; Heb. 5. 4. being then taking into his hand, and beginning toaHeb. 2. 9. Gal. 3. 13. 2 …. 5. 21. taſt that cup that was filled with the curſe and wrath due to their ſinnes. The Jewes armed for his▪ and their deſtruction, being but a litle more diſtant from them, on the other hand. Our Saviour had a litle before, informed them, that, that night he ſhould be betraid, and be delivered up to be ſlaine; They ſaw that he was ſorrowfull, and very heavy verſ. 37. Nay he told them plainely, that his ſoule was exceeding ſorrowfull even unto death: verſ. 38. and therefore entreated them to tarry, and watch with him, now he was dying, and that for them. In this condition, leaving them but a litle ſpace like men forſaken of all love towards him, or care of themſelves, they fall faſt aſleepe. Even the beſt of Saints, being left to themſelves, will quickly appeare to be leſſe then men, to be nothing. All our owne ſtrength is weakneſſe, and all our Wiſdome, folly. Peter being one of them, who but a litle before, had with ſo much ſelfe-confidence, affirm'd, that though all men forſooke him, yet he never would ſo do; our Saviour expoſtulates the matter in particular with him, verſ. 40. He ſaith unto Peter, could you not watch with me one houre: as if he ſhould have ſaid; Art thou he Peter who but now boaſted'ſt of thy Reſolution, never to forſake me? Is it likely that thou ſhouldeſt hold out therein, when thou canſt not watch with me one houre? is this thy dying for me; to be dead in ſecurity, when I am dying for thee? And indeed it would be an amazing thing, to conſider, that Peter ſhould make ſo high a promiſe, and be immediately ſo careleſſe and remiſſe in the purſuit of it; but that we find the root of the ſame treachery abiding and working in our owne hearts, and do ſee the fruit of it brought forth every day. The moſt noble engagements unto obedience, quickly ending in deplorable negligence, Rom. 7. 18.
In this eſtate our Saviour admoniſhes them of their condition, their weakneſſe, their danger, and ſtirres them up to a prevention of that ruine, which lay at the doore; ſaith he, ariſe, watch, and pray, &c.
I ſhall not inſiſt on the particular aimed at here by our Saviour in this Caution to them that were then preſent with him, the great Temptation that was coming on them, from the ſcandall of the Croſſe, was doubtleſſe in his eye; but I ſhall conſider the words as containing a generall direction to all the diſciples of Chriſt in their following of him throughout all generations.
There are three things in the words;
1. The evill cautioned againſt: Temptation.
2. The meanes of its prevalency; by our entering into it.
3. The way of preventing it, watch and pray.
It is not in my thoughts to handle the common place of Temptations, but only the danger of them in Generall, with the meanes of preventing that danger. Yet that we may know what we affirme, and whereof we ſpeak, ſome concernements of the Generall nature of Temptation, may be premiſed.
For the Generall nature of tempting and Temptation, it lyes among things indifferent; to try, to experiment, to prove, to peirce a veſſell, that the liquor that is in it may be knowne, is as much as is ſignified by it.
Hence God is ſaid ſometimes to tempt; and we are commanded as our duty to tempt or try or ſearch our ſelves, to know what is in us; and to pray that God would do ſo alſo. So Temptation is like a knife, that may either cut the meat, or the throat of a man; it may be his food, or his poyſon, his exerciſe, or his deſtruction.
Temptation in its ſpeciall nature: as it denotes any evill, is conſidered, either actively, as it leads to evill, or paſſively as it hath an evill and ſuffering in it, ſo Temptation is taken for affliction, Jam. 1. 2. For in that ſenſe, we are to count it all joy when we fall into temptation, in the other, that we enter not into it.
Againe actively conſidered, it either denotes in the Tempter, a deſigne for the bringing about of the ſpeciall end of temptation, namely a leading into evill; ſo it is ſaid, that God tempts no man, Jam. 1. 13. with a deſigne for ſinne, as ſuch: or the Generall nature, and end of Temptation which is Triall; ſo God tempted Abraham, Gen: 21. 1. And he proveth, or tempteth by falſe prophets, Deut. 13. 3.
Now as to Gods tempting of any, two things are to be conſidered.
1. The end why he doth it.
2. The way whereby he doth it.
For the firſt, his Generall Ends are two.
1. He doth it to ſhew unto man what is in him, that is the man himſelfe: and that either as to his grace, or to his Corruption. (I ſpeak not now of it, as it may have a place and beare a part in judiciary obduration.) Grace and corruption lye deep in the heart, men oftentimes deceive themſelves in the ſearch after the one, or the other of them. When we give vent to the ſoule, to try what grace is there, Corruption comes out: and when we ſearch for corruption, Grace appeares; ſo is the ſoule kept in uncertainty; we faile in our trialls. God comes with a Gage, that goes to the bottome. He ſends his inſtruments of triall into the body, and the inmoſt parts of the ſoule, and lets man ſee what is in him, of what mettall he is conſtituted.
Thus he tempted Abraham, to ſhew him his faith. Abraham knew not what faith he had; (I meane what power and vigour was in his faith) untill God drew it out by that great triall and Temptation;Gen. 22. 12. when God ſaies he knew it, He made Abraham know it.
So he tryed Hezekiah, to diſcover his pride: God left him that he might ſee what was in his heart, 2 Chron. 32. 31. He knew not that he had ſuch a proud heart, ſo apt to be lifted up, as he appeared to have, untill God tryed him, and ſo let out his filth, and powred it out before his face. The iſſues of ſuch diſcoveries to the Saints in thankfulneſſe, humiliation, and treaſuring up of experiences, I ſhall not treat of.
2. God doth it to ſhew himſelfe unto man, and that
1. In a way of preventing Grace; A man ſhall ſee that it is God alone who keeps from all ſinne. Untill we are tempted, we think we live on our owne ſtrength. Though all men do this or that, we will not. When the triall comes, we quickly ſee, whence is our preſervation by ſtanding, or falling. So was it in the caſe of Abimeleck, Gen. 20. 6. I withheld thee.
2. In a way of renewing Grace. He would have the Temptation continue with Paul, that he might reveale himſelfe to him, in the ſufficiency of his renewing grace, 2 Cor. 12. 9. We know not the power and ſtrength, that God puts forth in our behalfe, nor what is the ſufficiency of his Grace, untill comparing the Temptation with our owne weakneſſe it appeares unto us. The efficacy of an Antidote is found when poyſon hath been taken, and the pretiouſneſſe of medicines is made knowne by diſeaſes. We ſhall never know what ſtrength there is in Grace, if we know not what ſtrength there is in Temptation. We muſt be tryed, that we may be made ſenſible of being preſerved.
And many other good and gracious ends He hath, which He accompliſheth towards his Saints by his trialls and temptations, not now to be inſiſted on.
2. For the waies whereby God accompliſheth this his ſearch, triall, or temptation, theſe are ſome of them.
1. He puts men on Great Duties, ſuch as they cannot apprehend that they have any ſtrength for, nor indeed have. So he tempted Abraham, by calling him to that Duty of ſacrificing his ſonne; a thing abſurd to Reaſon, bitter to nature, and grievous to him on all accounts whatever. Many men know not what is in them, or rather what is ready for them, untill they are put upon what ſeemes utterly above their ſtrength, Indeed upon what is really above their ſtrength. The duties that God in an ordinary way requires at our hands, are not proportioned to what ſtrength we have in our ſelves, but to what help and reliefe is laid up for us in Chriſt; And we are to addreſſe our ſelves to the greateſt performances, with a ſetled perſwaſion that we have not ability for the leaſt. This is the law of Grace; But yet when any duty is required, that is extraordinary, that is a ſecret note often diſcovered, in the yoke of Chriſt; it is a triall, a temptation.
2. By putting them upon great ſufferings. How many have unexpectedly found ſtrength, to dye at a ſtake, to endure tortures for Chriſt. Yet their call to it was a triall. This Peter tells us is one way whereby we are brought into trying temptations, 1 Pe. 1. 6, 7. Our temptations ariſe from the fiery triall, and yet the end is but the triall of our faith.
3. By his providentiall diſpoſing of things ſo, as that occaſions unto ſinne will be adminiſtred unto men, which is the caſe mentioned, Dent. 13. 3. and innumerable other inſtances may be adjoyned.
Now they are not properly the Temptations of God, as coming from him, with his end upon them that are here intended: and therefore I ſhall ſet theſe apart from our preſent conſideration, that is then Temptation in its ſpeciall nature, as it denotes an active Efficiency towards ſinning (as it is mannaged with evill, unto evill) that I intend.
In this ſenſe, Temptation may proceed either ſingly from Satan, or the world, or other men in the world, or from our ſelves, or joyntly from all, or ſome of them, in their ſeverall Combinations.
Satan tempts ſometimes ſingly by himſelfe, without taking advantage from the world, the things, or perſons of it, or our ſelves. So he deales in his injection of evill and blaſphemous thoughts of God, into the hearts of the Saints; which is his own work alone, without any advantage from the world or our owne hearts. For nature will contribute nothing thereunto, nor any thing that is in the world, nor any man of the world; for none can conceive a God, and conceive evill of him.
Herein Sathan is alone in the ſin▪ and ſhall be ſo in the puniſhment. Theſe fiery darts are prepared in the forge of his owne malice, and ſhall with all their venome and poyſon, be turned into his owne heart for ever.
2 Sometimes he makes uſe of the world, and joines forces againſt us, without any helps from within. So he Tempted our Saviour, by ſhewing him the kingdomes of the world, Mat. 4. 8▪and the glory of them. And the variety of the Aſsiſtances he findes from the world, in perſons, and things which I muſt not inſiſt on, the innumerable inſtruments and weapons he takes from thence of all ſortes, and at all ſeaſons, are inexpreſſible.
3. Sometimes he takes in Aſsiſtance from our ſelves alſo. It is not with us, as it was with Chriſt, when Satan came to tempt him, he declares that he had nothing in him, Joh. 14. 30. It is otherwiſe with us: He hath, for the compaſſing of moſt of his ends, a ſure party within our owne breaſts, Jam. 1. 14, 15. Thus he tempted Judas; He was at worke himſelfe; he put it into his heart, to betray Chriſt, Luk▪ 22. 3; he entred into him for that purpoſe, and he ſets the world at worke, the things of it, providing for him 30 peices of ſilver, verſ. 5. they covenanted to give him money; and the men of it: even the Prieſts and Phariſees; and calleth in the aſſiſtance of his own corruption; he was coveteous, a theife, and had the bagge.
I might alſo ſhew, how the world and our own Corruptions doe act ſingly by themſelves, and joyntly in conjunction with Satan, and one another in this buſineſſe of Temptation.
But the Truth is; the principles, wayes and meanes of Temptations, the kinds, degrees, efficacy, and cauſes of them, are ſo inexpreſſibly large, and various, the circumſtances of them, from providence, Natures, conditions, ſpirituall, and naturall, with the particular caſes thence ariſing, ſo innumerable, and impoſſible to be comprized, within any bound or order, that to attempt the giving an account of them, would be to undertake that, which would be endleſſe. I ſhall content my ſelfe to give a deſcription of the generall nature of that which we are to watch againſt; which will make way for what I ayme at.
Temptation then in Generall! is any Thing, ſtate, way, condition, that upon any account whatever, hath a force or efficacy to ſeduce, to draw the mind, and heart of a man from that obedience which God requires of him, into any ſinne, in any degree of it whatever.
In particular, that is a Temptation to any man, which cauſes, or occaſions him to ſinne, or in any thing to goe off from his dutie, either by bringing evill into his heart, or drawing out that evill, that is in his heart, or any other way, diverting him from communion with God, and that conſtant, equall, univerſall obedience, in matter, and manner, that is required of him.
For the clearing of this deſcription, I ſhall only obſerve that, Though temptation ſeemes to be of a more active importance, and ſo to denote only the power of ſeduction to ſinne it ſelfe, yet in the Scripture it is commonly taken in a neuter ſenſe, and denotes the matter of the Temptation, or the thing whereby we are tempted.
And this is a Ground of the deſcription I have given of it; be it how it will, that from any thing whatever, within us, or without us, hath advantage to hinder in duty, or to provoke unto, or in any way to occaſion ſinne, that is a Temptation, and ſo to be looked on; Be it buſineſſe, imployment, courſe of life, company, Affections, nature, or corrupt deſigne, coyne, Relations, delights, name, Reputation, Eſteeme, Abilities, parts or excellencies of body, or mind, place, dignity, art, ſo farre as they further, or occaſion the promotion of the Ends before mentioned they are all of them, no leſſe truely Temptations, than the moſt violent ſolicitations of Sathan or allurements of the world; and that ſoule lyes at the brink of ruine, who diſcernes it not; and this will be farther diſcovered in our proceſſe.