The Power of Godliness, Book 6 · Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII. Descovering, what the Temptations are that we pray against in this Petition: what it is to Lead into Temptation, and how God may be said to do it.
Question: WHat are the Temptations that we pray against?
A. Whatsoever things, by the corruption of nature, are unto us occasions of sin, be they in themselves not hurtful. But more fully to answer this question sundry things are to be noted. 1. Things not good in themselves may be profitable by accident; as crosses and afflictions which of themselves destroy nature, through the mercy of God are means to purge sin. Now the good that commeth by the cross we pray not against, but against the cross and affliction which of themselves are evil. 2. God willeth some things simply, others as they are exercises of faith and prayer, tryals, and testimonies of our constancy. Now what God willeth simply, we are to will: but we are not to will evils as evils, onelyonly it is required that we patiently bear evils as they are good. That we ought not simply to will temptations, appears hence; because to bear them is an act of patience,Tentatio non appetenda, sed fortiter & cum gaudio toleranda Bell. to. 4 De bon. oper. in part. l. 1. c. …. Aug. conf. l. 10. c. 28. which it should not be, but rather of duty, if we ought to will them simply, and not to pray against them. 3. We pray to be delivered from temptation, not that we shall obtain perfect freedom in this life; but because we are delivered from many, in which we should perish, if we did not ask deliverance, and that those evils into which we fall might be profitable. God will give these two very great blessings to them that ask deliverance in general: but this benefit is imperfect for the relickes of sin that remain in us. 4. The principal sleights that Satan useth to vanquish the strong and valiant are these. 1. When the affliction doth continue long, and deliverance is differed. 2. When it seems to be an enormous, singular, extraordinary, unusual affliction. 3. When under pretence of some great good he doth tempt to undertake something, which is joyned with peril, or above our strength and calling. 4. When he doth cloak vices under pretext of vertues; as covetuousness under the shew of providence. 5. He doth abuse peace, prosperity and quietness, to cast us into a deep slumber and security.
Q. What are the degrees of Temptation?
A. It hath these degrees, Suggestion, Delight, Consent, Practice, and Perseverance in evil.Jam. 1.13, 14.
Q What is it to lead into Temptation?
Gen. 26.10. & 27.12. Ex. 32.21. 1 Reg. 21.21, 29 Ps. 66.11. & 43.3. & 78.54, 71. Luk. 5.18, 19. 1 Tim. 6.7. 1 Tim. 2.26. 2 Cor. 2.11. Eph. 4.27. 1 Tim. 3.6, 7. Drus. praet. l. 1. c. 6. Bell. to. 4. de bon. oper. in part l. 1. cap. 6. in petit. 6.A. The Hebrew word that answers to that which is translated Lead, signifies to bring upon, or cause to come upon, and is rendred of the Seventy, by words equivalent unto this. In the New Testament it signifies to bring, or to bring into: and thus according to the use of the word. To lead into temptation, is to bring into the hand and power of temptation, that we faint under it, or be foiled by it. Thus the Hebrews say, to be brought into the hands of joy, fear, sickness, sin, sleep; for to rejoyce, sin, &c. To tempt unto sin, is to intice or incline the will of man unto wickedness. To lead into temptation, is to bring things so to pass, that a man is exposed unto tempters, whether they be evil men, or Satan, or a mans own evil lusts, who are the immediate actors in temptations unto sin. In this act of leading into temptation, allusion may be made unto the acts of a General of an Army, who may according to his discretion lead which band he pleaseth, and set them in the forlorn hope, the place of greatest danger; and may reserve which band he pleaseth in the corps du guard, the greatest safety. It may likewise be resembled by an act of the Moderator of the games of combates, where none might enter the lists and play their prize, but according to the permission and appointment of the overseer and moderator of those exercises. Nor is it barely to be beaten with temptation, or exposed to temptations, but to be cast upon it in such sort that it doth get the upper hand over us, and we be overcome of it, either by consenting, or giving place. The sense of this phrase may be understood by comparison of other places. Of the incursion or immission of tentations the Scripture saith,1 Cor. 10.13. Jam. 1.2. Luk. 22.40. 1 Tim. 6.9. No temptation hath overtaken you. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations. Pray that ye enter not into tentation. And Paul saith, They that will be rich, fall into tentation and a snare.
Q. Were it not better to repeat this Petition thus, Suffer us not to be lead?
A. In no sort: for this were to lay the Lords words in water, change his tongue, and set him to school to learn to speak, who teacheth all men to speak,Rhem. annot. in Mat. 6. especially, when as Luke, which otherwise in divers words varieth from Matthew, here keepeth the same phrase with him: where if any thing had been hardly spoken of one, the other would in all likelihood have mollified it. And if this manner of speech had been but once or twice in the Scripture, it had been a great malepartness to have delayed it, that the strength of the words should perish by a waterish interpretation. But now that the Scripture useth this phrase in divers places, and that in stronger sense than here: it is too shameless an impudency to go against the stream of so plain, so often, and so vehement speeches. For it is said,Rom. 1.24. Ex. 9.16. 1 Sam. 2.25. 2 Thess. 2.11. Ex. 14.4. Jo. 12.40. 2 Chro. 10.15. 2 Sam. 16.10. Gen. 45.8. & 50.20. Ezek. 14.9. 1 Reg. 22.20, 21, 22. Act. 2.23. & 3.18. & 4.28. God gives up to a reprobate sense; that he hardeneth the heart, that it was of the Lord that Elies sons did not obey the good counsel of their Father; That Rehoboam did not hearken to the reasonable request of the Israelites: That he sent Joseph into Egypt, whom his brethren had enviously sold, and rather he sent him than they: That he took away from Job, that which the Divel, the Chaldees and the Sabees did. That sitting in the throne of his high judgement, he sendeth the divel to be a lying spirit in the mouth of the false Prophets; that he commandeth him to go and perswade the wicked. God indeed suffereth men to be tempted, but this is not an idle permission, as some imagine, but joyned with a work of God: as in crucifying Christ, it is said, they did nothing but that which the hand of God hath determined before. For if God did onelyonly permit sin and no way work in it, he should not govern in the most actions of men, seeing the greatest part of the world are wicked, all whose actions are (as themselves are) wicked. But let it here be observed, that sin hath reference unto God as it is an object or subject wherein or whereupon he worketh, disposing it to his own holy ends: but it never hath reference unto God, as the effect hath to the efficient cause, to be wrought by him.
Q. How is God said to lead into Temptation?
A. God cannot possibly sin, nor be the author of sin in and with his creature, as he is of every good word and work: for he doth neither inform the manner of it by his commandment, nor work it in him by his Spirit. God cannot so far will sin, as to approve it for good in it self: he cannot be the Author of it in the creature, nor yet the creature work while it keepeth communion with him. God inticeth no man to sin; but without stain or blemish to his wisdom, holiness and justice, he leadeth whom he will into temptation. In which we may consider these acts:2 Chro. 12.7. 1 King. 22.22. 2 Cor. 12.7. 2 Sam. 24.1. Is. 19.14. & 63.17. Rom. 1.26, 28. 1. By his power and providence he upholdeth the tempters and tempted, preserving their life and strength for action, which he might take away at pleasure. 2. He doth sometimes propose some object, whereby occasion of sin may be taken; as Bathshebas washing her self was ministred unto Davids sight. 3. He doth let loose Satan, and doth not hinder the tempter from tempting. Thus he gave Satan leave to set upon our first parents in Paradise. 4. He doth leave man unto himself in the temptation, and not support him with that grace without which he seeth that man would not stand. God furnished forth our first parents that they might stand if they would, but he gave them not to will; and so being suffered to themselves, they sell by accident of their own liberty and vertibility. 5. He doth withhold from sinners his grace, without which he knoweth that they cannot stand: and thus it is just with God to forsake them that have forsaken him,2 Chro. 24.20. 2 Chro. 32.31. and made forfeiture of his grace. 6. He doth withdraw those gifts of minde which once he gave; which he hath just cause to do, if he please: for what man doth not by his sin deserve that punishment? If a man abuse his hand, why may not God wither it as he did Jeroboams? We hold this to be good, justice, and is it not as good justice, that those that have abused their powers of imagination of understanding, and of discerning things that differ, should be punished by being deprived of the right use of them? 7. God doth smite the sinner with blindness in understanding, hardness of heart, the spirit of slumber and giddiness, which doth directly bring the sinner to commit sin: for as death bodily is good in the nature of it, though not good to a living person: so is this blindness, pravity, hardness of heart, good as expressors of divine displeasure, though not good to man, who should be conformable to the Law, and free from them; good as inflicted, not as contracted and received. 8. God doth suspend all actions which in any degree tend to hinder sin, and not onelyonly presents things which may take occasion to pervert, but also seemingly provoke by occasions of sinning. Thus by his judgements he provoked Pharaoh, whose heart was hardened: and Shimei upon the sight of David his poverty, was moved to curse him. The reason of all is, it were just with God to consummate spiritual death upon the creature now sinful; and therefore much more lawful to execute such a degree as is inferiour. 9.Rom. 1.19, 20, 21.22, 23. God doth punish sin with sin, Because the Gentiles did provoke God by idolatry, he did punish them with giving them up to uncleanness. These later sins were not punishments, in regard they deserved further punishment and condemnation then the former, yea a further desertion of God, but in regard of committing these acts themselves. Lastly, God leaveth some for a time onelyonly, and suffers them to fall into some particular offence, out of which he raiseth them again by the power of grace: others he leaveth utterly, and giveth up to their own lusts,Rom. 1.26, 28. Act. 5.3. and the power of Satan,
Q. What is the ground of this petition?
A. That God our most gracious Father is the sovereign commander of all things,1 Chro. 29.11, 12, 13, 14. Psal. 62.6, 7, 8, 9. Rom. 16 20. Psal. 12.1, 2. & 142.6. 1 Cor. 10.13. Eph. 6.10. Zech. 3.2. the sole protector of his people, of invincible power, without whose leave Satan cannot assault, and through whom his Saints that seek unto and depend upon him, shall be strengthened to overcome.
Q. What do we acknowledge in respect of our selves?
A. That after we fell from God, we were justly cast into the state of bondage and servitude unto Satan; that by the corruption of our nature we are prone to deliver our selves into the power of the divel,Eph. 2.1, 2. Rom. 3.10. & 7.25. being inticed by the concupiscence of our hearts, and the allurements of this world; that we have no power to use prosperity or adversity, mercy or judgement aright; that God may justly lead us into temptation,Ps. 39.11. Ps. 103 14, 15. Eph. 6.10, 11. Apo. 12.12. 1 Cor. 10.12. 2 Cor. 11.2. Jam. 4.7. and that we of our selves have no power to withstand the least assault, that Satan is vigilant and watchful to tempt the world full of inticements and occasions of sin, and corruption ever stirring, and yet we of our selves are apt to grow secure, uncircumspect, careless, self-confident, and venturous as if there were no danger, we had no enemy.