Of the Sixth Petition in the Lord’s Prayer
Mat. vi. 13. And lead us not into temptation hut deliver us from evil.
TI11J5 petition consists of two parts. First, Deprecatory, “Lead us not into temptation.” Secondly, Petitionary, “but deliver us from evil.”
First, “Lead us not into temptation.” Doth Cod lead into temptation? God tempts no man to sin, James i. 13., “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God tempteth not any man.” Clod doth permit sin, but doth not promote It. He who is an encourager of holiness cannot be a patron of sin. God doth not tempt to that which he hath an antipathy against. What king will tempt his subjects to bleak those laws which he himself hath established.
Quest. But is it not saidy God tempted Abraham? Gen. xxii. 1. ‘Ans. Tempting there was no more than
trying. God tried Abraham’s faith, as a goldsmith tries gold in the fire: but there is a great deal of difference between God’s trying his people’s grace, and exciting their corruptions; he trieth their grace, but doth not excite their corruptions; man’s sin cannot be justly fathered on God. God tempts no man.
Quest. JVhal then is the meaning of this, Lead us not into temptation?
Alts. When we pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” the meaning is, we desire of God that lie would not suffer us to be overcome by temptation. That we may not be given up to the power of temptation, which is when we are trepanned into sin.
Quest. JVheitce do temptations come?
Ans. 1. Ab intra, — from ourselves. The heart is Jomes peccati, — the breeder of all evil. Our own hearts are the greatest tempters: James i. 14., “Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust.” The heart is a perfect decoy.
2. Temptations come ab extra, — from Satan. He is called ’ the Tempter,’ Mat. iv. 3., he lies in ambush to do us mischief, — .Stat in procinctu diabolus, — the devil lays a train of temptation to blow up the fort of our grace; the devil is not yet fully cast
into prison, but is like a prisoner that goes under bail; the world is his diocese where he visits; we are sure to find Satan, whatever we are doing, — reading, — praying, — meditating; we find him within, how he came there we know not; we are sure of his company, uncertain how we came by it. A saint’s whole life (saith Austin) is a temptation. Elias, who could shut heaven by prayer, could not shut his heart from a temptation. This is a great molestation to a child of God; as it is a trouble to a virgin to have her chastity daily assaulted. The more one is tempted to evil, the more he is hindered from good; we are in great danger of Satan ’ the prince of the air;’ and we had need often pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” That we may see in what danger we are of Satan’s temptations.
Consider lst. His malice in tempting. This hellish serpent is swelled with the poison of malice. Satan envies man’s happiness; to see a clod of dust so near to God, and himself (once a glorious angel) cast out of the heavenly paradise, this makes him pursue mankind with inveterate hatred, Rev. xii. 12., “The devil is come down to you having great wrath.” If there be any thing this infernal spirit of hell can delight in, it is to ruin souls, and bring them into the same condemnation with himself. This malice of Satan in tempting must needs be great, if we consider three things:
1. That when Satan is so full of torment, yet, that at such a time he should tempt. One would think that Satan should scarce have a thought free from thinking of his own misery; yet such is his rage and malice, that, when God is punishing him, he is tempting.
2. Satan’s malice is great, that lie will tempt where he knows he cannot prevail; he will put forth his sting, though he cannot hurt. He tempted Christ, Mat. iv. 3., “If thou be the Son of God.” He knew well enoufih Christ was God as well as man, yet he would tempt him. Such was hia malice against Christ, that he would put aa
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affront on Christ, though he knew he could not conquer him. He tempts the elect to blasphemy; he knows he cannot prevail against the elect; yet such is his malice, that though he cannot storm the garrison of their hearts, yet he will plant his pieces of ordnance against them.
3. Satan’s malice is great, that though he knows his tempting men to sin will increase his own torment in hell, yet he will not leave off tempting; every temptation makes his chain heavier, and his fire hotter, yet he will tempt. Therefore Satan being such a malicious revengeful spirit, had we not need pray that God would not suffer him to prevail by his temptations? “Lead us not into temptation.”
Consider 2d. Satan’s diligence in tempting, 1 Pet. V. 8., “He walketh about.” He neglects no time; he who would haA’e us idle, yet he himself is always busied. This lion is ever hunting after his prey, — he compasseth sea and land to make a proselyte, — he walks about, — he walks not as a pilgrim, but a spy, — he watcheth where he may throw in the fire-ball of a temptation. He is a restless spirit; if we repulse him, yet he will not desist, but come again with a temptation. Like Marcellus, a Roman captain Hannibal speaks of, whether he was conquered, or did conquer, he was never quiet. More particularly, Satan’s diligence in tempting is seen in this,
. If he gets the least advantage by temptation, he pursues it to the utmost. If his motion to sin begins to take, he follows it close, and presseth to the act of sin. When he tcm[)ted Judas to betray Christ, and found that Judas was inclinable, and began to bite at the bait of thirty pieces of silver, he hurries him on, and never leaves him till he had betrayed his Lord and Master. When he had tempted Spira to renounce his religion, and saw Spira begin to yield, lie follows his temptation close, and never left till he had made him go to the legate at Venice, and there abjure his faith in Christ.
2. Again, Satan’s diligence in tempting is seen in this, the variety of temptations he useth. He doth not confine himself to one sort of temptation, he hath more ])lots than one; if he finds one temptation doth
not prcA’ail, he will have another; if he cannot tempt to lust, he will tempt to pride; if a temptation to covetousness doth not prevail, he will tempt to profuseness; if he cannot fright men into despair, he will see if he can draw them to presumption if he cannot make them profane, he will see if he can make them formalists; if he cannot make them vicious, he will tempt them to be erroneous. He will tempt them to leave off ordinances; he will pretend revelations. Error damns as well as vice; the one pistols, the other poisons; thus Satan’s diligence in tempting is great, he will turn every stone, he hath several tools to work with; if one temptation will not do, he will make use of another. Had not we need then to pray, “Lead us not into temptation.”
3. Consider Satan’s power in tempting. He is called “the prince of the world,” John xii. 31., and the “strong man,” Luke xi. 21., and the “great red dragon,” who “with his tail drew down the third part of the st.irs,” Rev. xii. 4. He is full of power, being an angel; though Satan hath lost his holiness, yet not his strength. The devil’s power in tempting is seen several ways: 1. He, as a spirit having an intellectual being, can convey himself into the fancy, and poison* it with bad thoughts. As the Holy Ghost doth cast in good motions, so the devil doth bad; he put it into Judas’s heart to betray Christ, John xiii. 2. 2. Satan, though he cannot compel the will, yet he can ])resent pleasing objects to the senses, which liaA’e a great force in them. He set a ’ wedge of gold’ before Achan, and so enticed him with that golden bait. 3. The devil can excite and stir up the corruption within, and work some inclinableness in the heart to embrace the temptation; thus he stirred up corruption in David’s heart, and provoked him to number the people, 1 Chron. xxi. 1. Satan can blow the spark of lust into a flame.
4. Herein lies much of his j)ower, that he being a spirit, can so strangely convey his temptations into our minds, that we cannot easily discern whether they come from Satan, or from ourselves; a hether they are his suggestions, or the natural births of our own hearts. A bird may hatch the e^ of another bird, thinking it is her own: often we hatch the devil’s motions, thinking tlicy come from our own hearts. When Peter dissuaded Christ from suffering, sure Peter thought it came from the good affection which he did bear to his mast(M’, Mat. xvi. 22., little did Peter think Satan had an hand in it. Now, if the devil hath such a power to instil his temptations, that we hardly know whether they be his or ours, we are in a great deal of danger, and had need pray, not to be led into temptation. Here, I know, some are desirous to move the question,
Quest. How shall we perceive when a motion comes from our own hearts, and when from Satan?
Ans. 1. It is hard (as Bernard saith) to distinguish inter morsum serpentis, et morhum mentis, — between those suggestions which come from Satan, and which breed out of our own hearts. But I conceive there is this threefold difference.
1. Such motions to evil as come from our own hearts, spring up more leisurely, and by degrees; a sin is long concocted in the thoughts, ere consent be given, but usually we may know a motion comes from Satan by its suddenness; therefore a temptation is compared to a dart, Eph. vi. 16., because it is shot suddenly. David’s numbering the people was a motion which the devil did inject suddenly.
2. The motions to evil which come from our own hearts are not so terrible; few are frighted at the sight of their own children; but motions coming from Satan are more ghastly and frightful, as motions to blasplieuiy and self-murder. Hence it is temptiitioiis are compared to fiery darts, Eph. vi. 16., fi»r their terribleness, because they do, as flashes of fire, startle and affright the soul.
3. When evil thoughts are thrown into our mind, when we loathe, and h.ive reluctuiicy against; when we strive against them, and tire from them, as Moses did from the serpent, this shews they are not the natural birth of our own heart, but the hand of Joab is in this. Satan hath injected these impure motions.
4. Satan’s power in tempting appears by the long experience he hath gotten in the art: he hath been a tempter, well nigh as
long as he hath been an angel. Who are fitter for action than men of experience? Who is fitter to steer a ship than an old experienced pilot? Satan hath gained much experience, by his being so long versed in the trade of tempting. He having such experience, knows what are the temptations which have foiled others, and are most likely to prevail: the fowler lays those snares which have caught other birds. Satan having such power in tempting, we are in danger, and had need pray, “Lead us not into temptation.”
5. Consider Satan’s subtilty in tempting. The Greek word to tempt, signifies to deceive. Satan in tempting, useth many subtle policies to deceive; we read of the depths of Satan, Rev. ii. 24.; and his devices and stratagems, 2 Cor. ii. 11.; we read of his snares and his darts; his snares are worse than his darts; he is called a lion for his cruelty, and an old serpent for his subtilty; he hath several sorts of subtilty in tempting.
lst Subtilty. The devil observes the natural temper and constitution. Omnium discntit mores. The devil doth not know the hearts of men, but he may feel their pulse, know their temper, and so accordingly can apply himself. As the husbandman knows what seed is proper to sow in sich a soil, so Satan finding out the temper, knows what temptations is proper to sow in such a heart. That way the tide of a man’s constitution runs, that way the wind of temptation blows; Satan tempts the ambitious man with a crown, the sanguine man with beauty, the covetous man with a wed<re of gold. He provides savoury meat, such as the siinier loves.
2d Subtilty. Satan clsooseth the fittest season to tempt in. As a cuiming angler casts in his angle when the fish will bite best; the devil can hit the very joint of time when a temptation is likeliest to j)revail. There are several seasons he tempts in.
lst Season. In our first initiation and entrance into religion, when we have newly given up our names to Christ. Satan will never disturb his vassals; but when we have broke his prison in conversion, now he pursues us with violent temptations. Solet inter primordia conversion is acrius insurgere. Bern. When Israel were got a little out
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of E^’pt, then Pharaoh pursues them. Herod, as soon as Christ was born, sent to destroy him; so when the child of grace is newly born, the devil labours to strangle it with temptation. When the first buddings and blossoms of grace begin to appear, the devil would nip these tender buds with the sharp blasts of his temptations. Indeed, at first conversion, grace is so weak, and temptation so strong, that one would wonder how the young convert escapes with his life; Satan hath a spite at the new creature.
2d Season. The devil tempts when he finds us idle, unemployed. We do not sow seed in fallow ground; but Satan sows most of his seed in a person that lies fallow. When the fowler sees a bird sit still and perch upon the tree, now he shoots it; so when Satan obsei’ves us to sit still, now he shoots his fiery darts of temptation at us, Mat. xiii. 25., “While men slept, the enemy sowed tares;” so, while men sleep in sloth, Satan sows his tares. When David was walking on the leads, and unemployed, now the devil set a tempting object before him, and it prevailed, 2 Sam. xi. 3.
2d Season. When a person is reduced to outward wants and straits, now is the devil’s tempting time. When Christ had fasted forty days and was hungry, then the devil comes and tempts him with the glory of the world. Mat. iv. 8. When pi’ovisions grow short, now Satan sets in with a temptation; What! Wilt thou starve rather than steal? Reach forth thy hand, pluck the forbidden fruit! How oft doth this temptation prevail! How many do we see, who, instead of living by faith, live by their shifts, and will steal the venison, though they lose the blessing!
Ath Season. Satan tempts after an ordinance. When we have been at hearing of the word, or prayer, or sacrament; now Satan casts in the angle of temptation. When Christ had been fasting and praying, then came the tempter, Mat. iv. 3.
Quest. ]Vliy doth Satan choose this time to tempt in, after an ordinance? One icoidd think this were the most disadvantageous time, for notv the soul is raised up to an heavenly frame?
Ans. 1. Malice puts Satan upon it. The ordinances, that cause fervour in a saint,
cause fury in Satan. He knows in every duty we have a design against him, — in every prayer we put up a suit in heaven against him, — in the Lord’s supper, we take the sacrament upon it, to fight under Christ’s banner against the devil, — therefore now Satan is more enraged, lie now lays his snares, and shoots his darts against us.
A. 2. Satan tempts after an ordinance, because he thinks he shall now find us more secure. After we have been at the solemn worship of God, we are apt to grow remiss, and leave off former strictness, like a soldier, that after the battle leaves off his armour: now Satan watcheth his time. He doth as David did to the Amalekites, after they had taken the spoil, and were secure, they did eat and drink, and dance, now David fell upon them, and did smite them, J Sam. xxx. 17.: so when we grow remiss after an ordinance, and perhaps too much indulge ourselves in carnal delights, now Satan falls upon us by a temptation, and oft foils us. As after a full meal, men are apt to grow drowsy, so after we have had a full meal at an ordinance, we are apt to slumber and grow secure, and now Satan shoots his arrow of temptation, and hits us between the joints of our armour.
5th Season. Satan tempts after some discoveries of God’s love. Satan, like a pirate, sets on a ship that is lichly laden: so when a soul hath been laden with spiritual comforts, now the devil will be shooting at him to rob him of all. The devil envies to see a soul feasted with spiritual joy. Joseph’s party-coloured coat made his brethren envy him, and plot against him. After David had the good news of the pardon of his sin (which must needs fill him with consolation) Satan presently tempted him to a new sin in numbering the people; and so all his comfort leaked out, and was spilt.
6th Season. Satan tempts when he sees us weakest. He breaks over the hedge where it is lowest; as the sons of Jacob came upon the Shechcmites when they weie sore, and could make no resistance. Gen. xxxiv. 25. At two times Satan comes upon us in our weakness.
(1.) AVhen we are alone; so he came to Eve when her husband was away, and sho the less able to resist his temptation. Satan hath this policy, he gives his poison privately, when no body is by; others might discover his treachery. Satan is like a cuiniing suitor that wooes the daughter when the parents are from home; so, when one is alone, and none near, now the devil comes a-wooing with a temptation, and hopes to have the match struck up.
(2.) When the hour of death approaches. As the poor sheep when it is sick and weak and can hardly help itself, now the crows lie pecking at it, so, when a saint is weak on his death-bed, now the devil lies pecking at him with a temptation, — he reserves his most furious assaults till the last. The people of Israel were never so fiercely assaulted, as when they were going to take possession of the promised land; then all the kings of Canaan combined their forces against them; so, when the saints are leaving the world, and going to set their foot on the heavenly Canaan, now Satan sets upon them by temptation; he tells them they are hypocrites; all their evidences are counterfeit. Thus, like a coward, he strikes the saints when they are down; when death is striking at the body, he is striking at the soul. This is the second subtilty, Satan chooseth the fittest season when to throw in a temptation.
Sd Subtilty. A third subtle policy of Satan in tempting, is, he baits his hook with religion; the devil can hang out Christ’s colours, and tempt to sin under pretences of piety. Now he is the white devil and transforms himself into an angel of light. Celsus wrote a book full of error, and he entitled it. Liber verUatis, ’ the book of truth:’ so Satan can write the title of religion upon his worst temptation. He comes to Christ with scripture in his mouth, “it is written,” &c. So he comes to many, and tempts them to sin, under the pretence of religion; he tempts to evil, that good may come of it; he tempts men to such unwarrantable actions, that they may be put into a capacity of honouring God the more. He tempts them to accept of preferment against conscience, that hereby they may be in a condition of doing more good; he put Herod upon killing John Baptist, that hereby he might be kept from the violation of his oath. He tempts
many to oppression and extortion, telling them, tliev are bound to provide for their families. He tempts many to make away with themselves, that they may live no longer to sin against God: thus he wraps his poisonous pills in sugar. Who would suspect him when he conies as a divine, and quotes scri|)ture.
<if/i Subtilty of Satan is, to tempt to sin gradnully. The old serpent winds himself in by degrees, he tempts first to lesser sins, that so he may bring on greater. A small offence may occasion a great crime; as a little prick of an artery may occasion a mortal gangrene. Satan first tempted David to an im])ure glance of the eye, to look on Bathsheha, and that unclean look occasioned adultery and murder. First the devil tempts to go into the comj)any of ijie wicked, then to twist into a cor<l of friendship, and so, by degrees, to be brought into the same condemnation with them; this is a great subtilty of Satan, to tem])t to lesser sins first; lor these harden the heart, and fit men for the committing of more horrid and tremendous sins.
5/A Subtilty. Satan’s policy is to hand over temptations to us, by those whom we least suspect.
1. By near friends; he tempts us by them who are near in blood. He tempted Job by a proxy, — he handed o■er a temptation to him, by his wife. Job ii. 9., “Dost thou still retain thy integrity?” As if he had said, “Job, thou seest how for all thy religion, God deals with thee; his hand is gone out sore against thee: What! and still pray, and weep? Cast off all religion! turn atheist! curse God, and die!” Thus Satan made use of Job’s wife to do his work; the woman was made of the rib, and Satan made a bow of this rib, out of which he shot the arrow of his temptation. Per costam petit cor. The de il ol’t stands behind the curtain, he will not be seen in the business, but puts others to do his work. As a man makes use of a serjeant to arrest another, so Satan makes use of a proxy to tempt; as he did creep into the serpent, so he can creep into a near relation.
2. He temi)ts sometimes by religious friends; the devil keeps still out of sight, that his cloven foot may not be seen. Who
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would liavc tlioujrlit to have found the devil in Peter? When lie dissuaded Christ from suffering-, Master, * spare thyself,’ Christ spied Satan in the temptation,” Get thee behind me Satan!’ When our religious friends would dissuade us from doing our duty, Satan is a lying spirit in their mouths, and would by them entice us to evil.
6th Subtilty. Satan tempts some persons more than others; some are like wet tinder, who will not so soon take the fire of temptation as others. Satan tempts most where he thinks his policies will more easily prevail; some are fitter to receive the impression of temptations, as soft wax is fitter to take the stamp of the seal. The apostle speaks of “vessels of wrath fitted for destruction,” Rom. ix. 22., so there are vessels fitted for temptation. Some, like the spunge, suck in Satan’s temptations. There are five sorts of persons that Satan doth most fit for brooding upon by his temptations.
l.sY, Ignorant persons. The devil can lead them into any snare; you may lead a blind man any whither. God made a law, that the Jews should not put a stumbling-block in the way of the blind. Lev. xix. 14.: Satan knows it is easy to put a temptation in the way of the blind, at which they shall stumble into hell. When the Syrians were smitten with blindness, the prophet Elisha could lead them whither he would into the enemy’s country, 2 Kings vi. 20. The bird that is blind is soon shot by the fowler. Satan, the god of this world, blinds men, and then shoots them. An ignorant man cannot see the devil’s snares; Satan tells them such a thing is no sin, or but a little one, and he will do well enough; ’tis but repent.
2dh/, Satan tempts unbelievers. He who, with Diagoras, doubts of a Deity, or, with the Phocinians, denies hell, what sin will not this man be drawn to? He is like metal that Satan can cast into any mould; he can dye him of any colour. An unbeliever will stick at no sin, — luxury, perjury, injustice. Paul was afraid of none so much as them that did not believe, Rom. xv. 31., “That I may be delivered from them that do, not believe in Judea.”
Sdly, Satan tempts proud persons; these he hath more power of. None is in greater danger of falling by a temptation, than he who stands high in his own conceit. When David’s heart was lifted up in pride, then the devil stirred him up to number the people, 2 Sam. xxiv. 2. Celsa graviore casu decidunt turres, ftriuntque summos fuhnina montes. Ho race. Satan made use of Haman’s pride to be his shame.
Athly Melancholy persons. Melancholy is atra bills, a black humour, seated chiefly in the brain. Melancholy clothes the mind in sable; it doth disturb reason; Satan doth work much upon this humour. There are three things in melancholy, which give the devil great advantage: 1. It unfits for duty, it pulls off the chariot-wheels, it dispirits a man. Lute-strings, when they are wet, will not sound; when the spirit is sad and melancholy, a Christian is out of tune for spiritual actions. 2. Melancholy sides often with Satan against God; the devil tells such a person, God doth not love him, there’s no mercy for him; and the melancholy soul is apt to think so too, and sets his hand to the devil’s lies. 3. Melancholy breeds discontent, and discontent is a cause of many sins, unthankfulness, impatience, and oft it ends in self-murder. Judge then what an advantage Satan hath against a melancholy person, and how easily he may prevail with his temptations. A melancholy person tempts the devil to tempt him.
5thl!/, Idle persons. He who is idle, the devil will find him work to do. Jerome gave his friend this counsel: To be ever well-employed, that when the tempter came, he might find him working in the vineyard. If the hands be not working, the head will be plotting sin, Micah ii. 1.
Itk Subtilty of Satan is, to give some little respite, and seem to leave off tempting a while, that he may come on after with more advantage: as Israel made as if they were beaten before the men of Ai, and fled, — but it was a policy to draw them out of their fenced cities, and ensnare them by an ambush, Josh. viii. 15. The devil sometimes raiscth the seige, and feigns a flight, that he may the better obtain the victory. He goes away for a time, that he may return when
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ne sees abetter season, Luke xi. 24., “^^Ijen the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, lie walketh through dry places, seeking rest: and finding none, he saith, * I will return to my house, whence I came out.’” Satan, by feigning a flight, and leaving off tempting a while, causeth security in persons, and they think they are safe, and are become victors, when, on a sudden, Satan falls on, and wounds them. As one that is going to leap, runs back a little, that he may take the greater jump, Satan seems to retire and run back a little, that he may come on again with a temptation more furiously and successfully; therefore we need always to watch and have on our spiritual armour.
8th Subtilty of the old serpent is, either to take men off from the use of means, or to make them miscarry in the use of means.
First, He labours to take men off from duty, — from praying and hearing; his design is to discourage them; and, to do that, he hath two artifices:
(1.) He discourageth them from duty, by suggesting to them their unworthiness; they are not worthy to approach to God, or have any signals of his love and favour. They are sinful, and God is holy, how dare they presume to bring their impure offering to God? This is a temptation indeed. That we should see ourselves unworthy, is good, and argues humility; but to think we should not approach to God because of unworthiness, is a conclusion of the devil’s making. God saith, “Come, though unworthy:” by this temptation, the devil takes many off from coming to the Lord’s table. “O (saith he) this is a solemn ordinance, and requires much holiness; how darest thou so unworthily come, lest thou eat and drink unworthily?” Thus, as Saul kept the people from eating honey, so the devil by this temptation, scares many from this ordinance, which is sweeter than honey and the honey-comb.
(2.) Satan endeavours to discourage from duty, by objecting want of success. When men have waited upon God in the use of ordinances, and yet find not that comfort they desire, now Satan disheartens them, and puts them upon resolves of declining all religion; they begin to say as that wicked king, 2 Kings vi. 33.,” What should I wait
for the Lord any longer?” * When Saul saw God answered him not by dreams and visions,’ Satan tempted liini to leave God’s worship, and seek to the witch of Endor, 1 Sam. xviii. 6. No answer of prayer comes, “therefore,” saith Satan, “leave off praying; who will sow seed where no crop comes up?” Thus the devil would, by his subtle logic, dispute a poor soul out of duty. But if he sees he cannot prevail this wav, to take men off from the use of means, then he labours.
Secondly, To make them miscarry in the use of means. By this artifice he prevails over multitudes of professors. The devil stands as he did at Joshua’s right-hand, to resist men, Zech. iii. 1. If he can’t hinder them from duty, he will be sure to hinder them in duty, two ways.
1st, By causing distraction in the service of God; and this he doth by proposing objects of vanity, or by whispering in men’s ears, that they can scarce mind what they are doing.
2d/i/, Satan hinders, by putting men upon doing duties in a wrong manner. 1. In a dead formal manner, that so they may fail of the success. Satan knows duties done superperficially were as good to be left undone-That prayer which doth not pierce the hearty will never j)ierce heaven. 2. He puts then a. upon doing duties for wrong ends. Finisspecijicat actionem; he will make them look a-sqiiint, and have by-ends in duty, Matth.. vi. 5., “Be not as the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.” Prayer is good, but to pray to be seen of men, this was a dead fly in the box of ointment; the oil of vain-glory feeds their lamp; sinister aims corrupt and fly-blow our holy things. Here is Satan’s policy either to prevent duty, or pervert it; either to take men off from the use of moans, or make them miscarry in the use of means.
9//t Subtilty. Satan can colour over sin with the name and j)retence of virtue. Aleibiades hung a curtain curiously embroidered over a foul picture of satyrs; so Satan can put the image of virtue over the foul ])icture of sin. Satan can cheat men with false wares; he can make them believe, that presumption is faith, — that iii
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temperate passion is zeal, — revenge is prudence, — covetousness is frugality, — and prodigality good hospitality. “Come, see my zeal for the Lord,” saith Jehu. Satan ])ersuaded him it was a fire from heaven, when it was nothing but the wildfire of his own ambition; it was not zeal, but state-policy. This is a subtle art of Satan, to deceive by tempting, and put men off with the dead child instead of the live-child, — to make men believe that is a grace, which is a sin, — as if one should write balm-water upon a glass of poison. If Satan hath all these subtle artifices in tempting, are we not in great danger from this prince of the nir? and had we not need often pray, “Lord, suffer us not to be led into temptation?” As the serpent beguiled Eve with his subtilty, 2 Cor. xi. 3., let us not be beguiled by the snares and policies of this hellish Machiavel. Satan hath a dexterity in subtle contrivances; he doth more hurt ;is a fox, than a lion; his snares are worse than his darts, 2 Cor. ii. 11., “We are not ignorant of his devices.”
Oth. The next subtilty of Satan is, he labours to ensnare us by lawful things. In Ileitis perimus omnes. More are hurt by lawful things, than unlawful, as more are killed “with wine than poison; gross sins affright, but how many take a surfeit and die, in using lawful things inordinately? Recreation is lawful, — eating and drinking are lawful, — but many offend by excess, and their table is a snare. Relations are lawful, but how oft doth Satan tempt to over-love! how oft is the wife and child laid in God’s room! Excess makes things lawful become sinful.
]lth Subtilty of Satan is, to make the duties of our general and particular calling hinder and justlc out one another. Our general calling is serving God, — our particular calling is minding our employments in the world. It is wisdom to be regular in both these, when the ])articular calling doth not eat out the time for God’s service, nor the service of God hinder diligence in a calling. The devil’s art is to make Christians defective in one of these two; some spend all their time in hearing, reading, and under a pretence of living by faith, do not live in a calling; others Satan takes off duties of religion, under a pretence that they must provide for their families, — he makes them so careful for their bodies, that they quite neglect their souls. This is the sul>- tilty of the old serpent, to make men negligent in the duties either of the first table or the second.
12//i Subtilty of Satan in tempting is, to misrepi’esent true holiness, that he may make others out of love with it. He paints the face of religion full of scars, and with seeming blemishes, that he may create in the minds of men prejudice against it. Satan represents religion as the most melancholy thing, and that he who embraceth it, must banish all joy out of lus diocese, though the apostle saith, “Joy and peace in believing,” Rom. xv. 13. Satan suggests that religion exposeth men to danger; he shews them the cross, but hides the crown from them; he labours to put all the disgrace he can upon holiness, that he may tempt men to the renouncing of it. Satan abuseth the good Christian, and gives him a wrong name: the truly zealous man, Satan calls hot-headed and factious, — the patient man, that bears injuries A^Tthout revenge, Satan represents him as a coward, — the humble man as low-spirited, — the heavenly man Satan calls fool, he lets go things that are seen, for things that are not seen: thus the devil misrepresents religion to the world. As John Huss, that holy man, was painted with red devils, so Satan paints holiness with as deformed, misshapen a face as he can, that he may, by this temptation, draw men off from solid piety, and make them rather scorn than embrace it. The hand of Joab is in this: Satan is tempting persons to atheism, to cast off all religion.
1y/i Subtilty of Satan in tempting is, to draw men off from the love of the truth to embrace error, 2 Thess. ii. 11., “That they should believe a lie.” Satan is called, in scripture, not only an unclean spirit, but a lying spirit. As an unclean spirit, so he labours to defile the soul with lust; and as a lying spirit, so he labours to corrupt the mind with error; and indeed this is dangerous, because many errors do look so like the truth, as alchymy rej)i*esents true gold. Satan thus beguiles souls. Though
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the scripture blainos licretics for hang the promoters of error, yet it cliarpeth Satan with being the chief contriver of it. They spread the error, but the devil is a lying f’pirit in their mouths. This is Satan’s great temptation; he makes men believe sut’h are glorious truths, which are dangerous impostures; thus he transforms himself “into .an angel of light.” What is the meaning of Satan’s sowing tares in the parable, Mat. xiii. 25., but Satan’s sowing error instead of truth? How quickly had the devil broached false doctrine in the a- ])ostles’ times? That it was necessary to be circumcised. Acts xv. 1., that angel-worship was lawful, and that Christ was not yet come in the flesh, 1 John iv. 3. Now the devil tempts by drawing men to error, because he knows how deadly this snare is, and the great mischief error will do when it comes. — 1. Error is of a spreading nature; it is compared to leaven, because it sours. Mat. xvi. 11., and to a gangrene, because it spreads, 2 Tim. ii. 17. (1.) One error spreads into more, like a circle in the water, that multiplies into more circles, one error s-eldom goes alone. (2.) Error spreads from one person to another; it is like the plague, which infects all round about. Satan, by infecting one person with error, infects more. The error of Pelagius did spread on a sudden to Palestine, Africa, Italy; the Arian error was at first but a single spark, but at last it set almost all the world on fire. — 2. The devW lays this snare of error, because error brings divisions into the church; and divisions bring an opprobrium and scandal upon the ways of God. The devil danceth at discord: division destroys peace, which was Christ’s legacy; and love, which is the bond of perfection. Not only Christ’s coat hath been rent, but his body, by the divisions which error hath caused. In churches and families where error creeps in, what animosities and factions doth it make! It sets the father against the son, and the son against the father. What slaughtci-s and bloodshed have been occasioned by errors broached in the church! — 3. The devil’s policy in raising errors, is to hinder reformation; the devil was never a friend to reformation. In the primitive times, after
the apostles’ days, “the serpent cast out of his mouth water as .a flood after the woman,” Rev. xii. 15. Which was a deluge of heresies, that so he might hinder the progress of the gospel. — 4. Satan tempts to error, because error devours godliness. The Gnostics, as Epiphanius observes, were not only corrupted in their judgments, but in their morals, they were loose in their lives, Jude 4., “Ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness.” The Familists afterwards turned ranters, and gave themselves over to vices and immoralities; and this they did, boasting of the Spirit and perfection. — 5. The devil’s design in seducing by error, is, he knows error is pernicious to souls. Error damns, as well as vice; poison kills as well as a pistol. 2 Pet. ii. 1., “They shall privily bring in damnable heresies.” Now, if Satan be thus subtle in laying snares of error to deceive, had not we need to pray that God would not suffer us to be led into temptation; that he would make us wise to keep out of the snare of error, or, if we have fallen into it, that he would give us to recover out of the snare by repentance?
lith. Another subtil ty of Satan is, to bewitch and ensnare men, by setting pleasing baits before them, — the riches, pleasures, honours of the world, Mat. iv. 9., “All this will I give thee.” How many doth Satan tempt with this golden apple! Pride, idleness, luxury, are the three worms which breed of plenty, 1 Tim. vi. 9., “They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare.” Satan kills with these silver darts. How many surfeit on luscious delights! The pleasures of the world are the great engine by which Satan batters down mens’ souls. His policy is to tickle them to death, to damn them with delights. The flesh would fain be ])leased, and Satan prevails by this temptation; he drowns them in the sweet waters of jdeasure; such as have abundance of the world, walk in the midst of golden snares. We had need watch our hearts in prosperity, and pray not to be * led into temptation.’ We have as much need to be careful that we are not endangered by prosperity, as a man hath to be careful at a feast, where there are some poisoned dishes of meat.
OF THE SIXTH PETITION IN THE LORDS PRAYER.
5th Subtil ty of Satan in tempting is, to plead necessity. Satan’s policy in tempting men under a plea of necessity is this, lie knows that necessity may in some cases seem to palliate and excuse a sin. It may seem to make a lesser evil good to avoid a greater, as Lot offered to expose Lis daughters to the Sodomites, and was willing that they should defile them, that he might preserve the angel-strangers that were come into his house. Gen. xix. 8. Doubtless Satan had a hand in this temptation, and made Lot believe that the necessity of this action would excuse the sin. The tradesman pleads a necessity of unlawful gain, else he cannot live; another pleads a necessity of revenge, else his credit would be impaired: thus Satan tempts men to sin, by telling them of the necessity. Nay, the devil will quote scripture for it, that in gome cases extraordinary, there may be a necessity of doing that which is not justifiable. Did not David, in case of necessity, “eat the shew bread, which was not lawful for him, but only the priests?” Mat. xii. 4. Nor do we read he was blamed; then will Satan say, why may not you in cases extraordinary trespass a little, and take the forbidden fruit? O beware of this temptation, — see Satan’s cloven foot in it; nothing can warrant a thing in its own nature sinful; necessity will not justify impiety!
I6fh Subtilty of Satan in tempting is, to draw men to presumption. Presumption is a confidence without ground; it is made up of two ingredients, audacity and security; this temptation is common. There is a two-fold presumption: 1. Satan tempts men to presume of their own hearts, that they are better than they are; they presume they have grace, when they have none; they will not take gold on trust, but th6y will take grace upon trust; the foolish virgins presumed that they had oil in their vessels when they had none. Here that rule of Epicharmus is good, “distrust a fallacious heart.” — 2. Satan tempts men to presume of God’s mercy; though they are not so good as they should be, yet (iod is roerciful. They look upon God’s mercy with the broad spectacles of presumption. Satan soothes men up in their sins; he
preacheth to them “all hope, no fear;” and so he deludes them with these golden dreams. Qnam multi cum vana spe descendunt ad inferos! Aug. Presumption is Saj tan’s draw-net, by which he drags millions I to hell; Satan by this temptation, oft draws I the godly to sin; they presume upon their! privileges, or graces, and so venture on occasions of sin. Jehoshaphat twisted into a league of amity with king Ahab, presuming his grace would be antidote strong enough against the infection, 2 Chron. xviii. 3. Satan tempted Peter to presume upon his own strength, and when it came to a trial, he was foiled, and came off with shame. We had therefore need pray, ’ that we may not be led into this temptation ;* and with David, “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins,” Ps. xix. 13. llth Subtilty of Satan in tempting is, to carry on his designs against us under the highest pretences of friendship; he thus puts silver upon his bait, and dips his poisoned pills in sugar. Satan doth, as some courtiers, make the greatest pretences of love, where they have the most deadly hatred. Joab’s sword was ushered in with a kiss: “He kissed Abner, and then smote him under the fifth rib.” Satan puts off his lion’s skin, and comes in sheep’s clothing, — he pretends kindness and friendship, — he would consult what might be for our good. Thus Satan came to Christ, “Command that these stones be made bread,” Mat. iv. 3. As if he had said to Christ, “I see thou art hungry, and here there is no table spread for thee in the wilderness; I therefore, pitying thy condition, wish thee to get something to eat; turn stones to bread, that thy hunger may be satisfied.” But Christ spied the temptation, and with the sword of the Spirit wounded the old serpent. Thus S:itan came to Uve and tempted her under the notion of a friend: “Eat, saith he, of the forbidden fruit; fitr the Lord knows, that, ’ in the dav yo eat thereof, ye shall be as gods:’” as if he had said, “I persuade you only to that which will put you into a better condition than now you are; eat of this tree, and it will make you omniscient, ‘ye shall be as gods.’” What a kind devil was here! But it was a subtle temptation, she greedily swallowing the bait, it niidld Iter and all her posterity. Let us fear his falacious flatteries. Tvneo Danaos et donn fercntes.
?,lh Siibtihy is, when Satan hath tempted men to sin, lie persuades them to heep his counsel; like them that have some foul disease, they will rather die than tell the phyfsician. It were wisdom, in case of sore temptation, to open one’s mind to some experienced Christian, whose counsel miijht ])e an antidote ajifainst the temptation; but the danjTcr of a temptation lies in the concealing: of it; it is like the concealing of a distemper, which may prove mortal. IIow had we need renew this petition, ‘Lead us not into temptation!’
19//^ Subtilty of Satan in tempting is, to make use of fit tools and engines, for the carrying on of his work; that is, he makes use of such persons as may be likely means to promote his tem])ting designs. The devil lays the plot of a temptation, and as it were cuts out the work, and then he employs others to finish it.
(1.) Satan makes use of such as are in places of dignity. Men of renown. He knows, if he can get these on his side, they may draw others into snares; when the princes and heads of the tribes joined with Korah, they presently drew a multitude into the conspiracy, Numb. xvi. 2. 10.
(2.) The devil makes use of such to carry on his tempting designs, as are men of wit and parts; such as, if it were possible, should deceive the very elect. He must have a great deal of cunning that shall persuade a man to be out of love with his food; the devil can make use of such heretical spirits as shall persuade men to be out of love with the ordinances of God, which they profess they have found comfort in. Many who once seemed to be strict frequenters of the house of God, are now persuaded, by Satan’s cunning instruments, to leave of all, and follow an iiinus fatviif!, the light within them. This is a great subtilty of the devil, to make use of such cunning, Bubtle-pated men, as may be fit to carry on his tempting designs.
(3.) Satan makes use of bad company to
be instruments of tempting; they draw
youth to sin. First, they persuade them to
ome into their company, — then to twist
into a cord of friendship, — then to drink with them, — and by degrees, debauch them. These are the devil’s decoys to tempt others.
20th Subtilty of Satan is, be, in his temptation, strikes at some grace more than others; as in temj)ting, he aims at some persons more than others, so he aims at some grace more than others; and if he can prevail in this, he knows what an advantage it will be to him. If you ask, what grace is it that Satan in his temptations doth most strike at? I answer, it is the grace of faith; he lays the train of his temptation to blow up the fort of our faith. Fidei scutum percntil. WHiy did Christ pray more for Peter’s faith, than any other grace? Luke xxii. 32. Because Christ saw that his faith was most in danger; the devil was striking at this grace. Satan, in tempting Eve, did labour to weaken her faith, Gen. iii. 1., “Yea, hath God said. Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” The devil would persuade her, that God bad not spoken truth; and when he had once wrought her to distrust, then she took of the tree. ‘Tis called scutum fidei, “the shield of faith,” Eph. vi. 16. Satan in tempting, strikes most at our shield, he assaults our faith. True faith, though it cannot be wholly lost, yet it may suffer a great eclipse; though the devil cannot by temptation take away the life of faith, yet he may the lively acting: he cannot ^raiam diruere but he may dehilitart.
Quest. Ihit trhy doth Satan in tempting chiefly set upon our faith.
Ans. 1 Kings xxii. 31., “Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king.” So faith is as it were the king of the graces; it is a royal princely grace, and puts forth the most majestic and noble acts, therefore Satan fights chiefly with this kingly grace. I shall shew you the devil’s policy in assaulting faith most.
lst, Because this is the grace doth Satan most mischief; it makes the most resistance agsiinst him, 1 Pet. v. 9,, “Whom resist, steadfast in the faith.” No grace doth more bruise the serpent’s head than faith. Faith is both a shield and a sword, defensive and offensive. (1.) It is a shield; a shield guards the head, defends the vitals; the shield of faith causeth that the fiery darts of tempta-OF THE SIXTH PETITION IN THE LORD’S PRAYER.
tion do not pierce us through. (2.) Faith is a sword, it wounds the red dragon.
Quest. How comes faith to be so strong, that it can reiist Satan and put him to flight? Ans. 1. Because faith brings the strength of Christ into the soul; Samson’s strength lay in his hair, ours lies in Christ. If a child be assaulted, it runs and calls to its father for help, so, when faith is assaulted, it runs and calls Christ, and in his strength overcomes. A. 2. Faith furnishes itself with store of promises; the promises are faith’s weapons to fight with. Now as David, by five stones in his sling, wounded Goliah, 1 Sam. xvii. 40., so faith puts the promises, as stones, into its sling, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee,” Heb. xiii. 5. He will not break the bruised reed, Mat. xii. 20. “He will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able,” 1 Cor. x. 13. The Lord will shortly bruise Satan under your feet, Rom. xvi. 20. “None is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand,” John x. 29. Here are five promises, like five stones, put in the sling of faith, and with these a believer wounds the red dragon. Now faith being such a grace, that doth so resist and wound Satan, he will watch his opportunity that he may batter our shield, though he cannot break it.
2dli/, Satan strikes most at our faith, and would weaken and destroy it, because faith hath a great influence upon all the other graces; faith sets all the graces a-work. Like some rich clothier, that gives out a stock of wool to the poor and sets them all a-spinning, so faith gives out a stock to all the other graces, and sets them a-working. Faith sets love a-work, Gal. v. 6., “Faith which worketh by love.” When once the soul believes God’s love, this kindles love to God. The believing martyrs burned hotter in love than in fire. Faith sets repentance a-work. When the soul believes there is mercy to be had, and that this mercy is for him, this sets the eyes a-weeping. O saith the soul, that ever I should offend such a gracious God! Repenting tears drop from the eye of faith, Mark ix. 23., “The father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe.” Faith sets his eyes abroach with tears; therefore the devil hath most spite at faith, and by his temptations
broaching those doctrines
pleasing.
would undermine it, because it is such an operative grace, it sets all the other graces on work. If the devil cannot destroy our faith, yet if he can disturb it, — if he can hinder and stop the actings of faith, — he knows all the other graces will be lame and inactive. If the spring in a watch be stopped, it will hinder the motion of the wheels: if faith be down, all the other graces are at a stand.
21s Subtilty of Satan in tempting, is, in
that are flesh-Satan knows the flesh loA’es to be gratified, it cries out for ease and liberty; it will not endure any yoke, unless it be lined and made soft. The devil will be sure so to lay his bait of temptation, as to please and humour the flesh. The word saith, ‘Sti’ive as in an agony’ to enter into glory, — crucify the flesh, — take the kingdom of heaven by holy violence, — now Satan, to enervate and weaken these scriptures, comes with temptations and flatters the flesh. He tells men, there needs no such strictness, — why so much zeal and violence? a softer pace will serve, — sure there is an easier way to heaven, — there needs no breaking the heart for sin, — do but confess to a priest, or tell over a few beads, or say some Ai’e Marias, and this will procure you a pardon, and give you admission into paradise. Or, the devil can go another way to work; if he sees men startle at popery, then he stirs up the flattering Antinomian, and he comes in another disguise, and saith, “What needs all this cost? what needs repenting tears? these are legal. What need you be so strict in your obedience? Christ hath done all for you, you may make use of your Christian liberty.” This temptation draws many away; it takes them off from strictness of life. He who sells cheapest shall have most customers; the devil knows this is a cheap easy doctrine, which will please the flesh, and he doth not doubt but he shall have customers enough.
22d Subtilty of Satan in tempting, is, in reference to holy duties. His policy is either to hinder from duty, or discourage in duty, or put men too far in duty.
1. To hinder from duty, as 1 Thess. ii. 18., “I would have come once and again, but Satan hindered me.” So many duties
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of religion had been performed, “but Satan hindered.” The hand of Joab is in this. There are three duties which the devil is an enemy to, and labours to keep us from.
(1.) Meditation. He will let men profess, or pray and hear in a formal manner; this doth him no hurt, nor them no good; but he doth oppose meditation, as being a means to compose the heart, and make it serious. Satan can stand your small shot; if you do not put in this bullet, he cares not how much you hear, nor how little you meditate. Meditation is a chewing of the cud, — it makes the word digest, and turn to nourishment; meditation is the bellows of the aifections, — the devil is an enemy to this. When Christ was alone in the wilderness, giving himself to divine contemplations, then the devil comes and tempts him, to hinder him. He will thrust in worldly business, something or other to keep men off from holy meditation.
(2.) Duty, which Satan, by tempting, would keep us from, is mortification. This is as needful as heaven, Col. iii. 5., “Mortify your members which are upon the earth, uneleanness, inordinate affection.” Satan will let men be angry with sin, exchange sin, restrain sin, which is keeping sin prisoner, that it doth not break out; but when it comes to the taking away the life of sin, Satan labours to stop the warrant, and hinder the execution. When sin is mortifying, Satan is crucifying.
(3.) Self-examination, 2 Cor. xiii. 5., “Examine yourselves,” — a metaphor from metal, that is pierced through, to see if it be gohl within. Self-examination is a spiritual inquisition set up in one’s soul; a man must search his heart for sin, as one would search a house for a traitor, or, as Israel sought for leaven to burn it. Satan, if it be possible, will, by his temptations, keep men from this duty; he useth a great doa of subtilty. Here, first he tells them, their estate is good, and what need they put themselves to the trouble of examination? Though men will not take their money on trust, but will examine it by the touch- stone, yet Satan persuades them to take their grace on trust. The devil pereuaiW the foolish virgins, they had oil in
will shew men the faults of others, to keep them from searching their own: see what a proud covetous man goes there. He will allow them spectacles to see what is amiss in others, but not a looking-glass to behold their own faces, and see what is amiss in themselves.
2. Satan’s policy is, to discourage us in duty. When one hath been about the performing of holy duties, then the devil stands up and tells him he hath played the hypocrite, — he hath served God for a livre, — he hath had sinister ends, — his duties have been full of distraction, — they have been fly-blown with pride, — he hath offered the blind and lame, and can lie expect a reward from God? Satan tells a Christian, he hath increased his sin by prayer; and, by this temptation, he would make a child of God quite out of c(mceit with his duties, he knows not whether he had best pray or not.
3. Or thirdly, if this plot will not take, Satan labours by temptation to put a Christian on too far in duty; if he cannot keep a child of God from duty, he will run him on too far in it. For instance humiliation and mourning for sin is a duty, but Satan will put one on too far in it; thou art not, saith he, humbled enough; and indeed Satan never thinks a man is humbled enough, till he despair. He would make a Christian wade so far in the waters of repentance, that he should wade beyond his depth, and be drowned in the gulf of despair. Satan comes thus to the soul, “Thy sins have been great, and thy sorrow shall be proportionable to thy sins. But is it so? canst thou say thou hast been as great a mourner as thou hast been a sinner? thou didst for many years drive no other trade but sin, and is a drop of sorrow enough for a sea of sin? No! thy soul must be more humbled, and lie steeping longer in the brinish waters of repentance.” Satan would have a Christian weep himself blind, and in a desparate mood throw away the anchor of hope Now, lest any here be troubled with this temptation, let me say this, this is a mere fallacy of Satan; for sorrow proportionable to sin is not attainable in this life, nor doth God expect. It is sufficient for thee, Christian, if thou Jiast a gospel-sorrow, — if thou
their lamps. Satan hath another policy, he ^grievest so far as to see sin hateful, and
OF THE SIXTH PETITION IN THE LORD’S PRAYER.
Christ precious, — if thou grievest so as to break off iniquity, — if thy remorse end in divorce, this is to be humbled enough. Then the gokl hath lain long enough in the fire, when the dross is purged out; then a Christian hath lain long enough in humiliation, when the love of sin is purged out; this is to be humbled enough to divine acceptation. God, for Christ’s sake, will accept of this sorroly for sin; therefore let not Satan’s temptations drive to despair. You see how subtle an enemy he is, to hinder from duty, or discourage in duty, or put men on too far in duty, that he may run them upon the rock of despair. Had we not then need (having such a subtle enemy) pray, “Lord, lead us not into temptation?” As the serpent beguiled Eve, let us not be beguiled by this hellish Machiavel.
2y/ Subtil ty of Satan in tempting to the act of sin, is the hopes of returning out of it by speedy repentance. But this is a falacy; it is easy for the bird to fly into the snare, but it is not easy to get out of the snare. Is it so facile a thing to repent? Are there no pangs in the new birth? Is it easy to leap out of Delilah’s lap into Abraham’s bosom? How many has Satan flattered into hell by this policy, that if they sin, they may recover themselves by repentance? Alas! is repentance in our power? a spring-lock can shut of itself, but it cannot open without a key, — we can shut of ourselves to God, but we cannot open by repentance, till God open our heart, who hath the key of David in his hand.
24/A Subtilty of Satan in tempting, is, to put us upon doing that which is good unseasonably.
(I.) To mourn for sin is a duty; the sacrifices of God are a broken heart, Ps. li. 17. But yet there is a time when it may not be so seasonable; after some eminent deliverance, which calls for rejoicing, now to have the spirits dyed of a sad colour, and to sit weeping, is not seasonable. There was a special time at the feast of tabernacles, when God called his people to cheerfulness, Dent. xvi. 15., “Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast to the Lord thy God, and thou ehalt surely rejoice.” Now, if at this tiuio, the Israelites had hung their harps upon
the willows, and been disconsolate, it bad be on very unseasonable, like mourning at a wedding. When God by his jn-ovidence calls us to thanksgiving, and we sit drooping, and, with Rachel, refuse to be comforted, this is very evil, and sai’ours of ingratitude. This is Satan’s temptation; the hand of Joab is in this.
(2.) To rejoice is a duty, Ps. xxxiii. 1. “Praise is comely for the upright.” But when God, by his judgments, calls us to weeping, now joy and mirth is unseasonable, Isa. xxii. 12, 14., “In that day did the Lord call to weeping, and behold joy and gladness.” Oecolampadius, and other learned writers, think it was in the time of king Ahaz, when the signs of God’s anger, like a blazing star, did appear: now to be given to mirth was very unseasonable.
(3.) To read the word is a duty, but Satan will sometimes put men upon it when it is unseasonable. To read it at home when God’s word is preaching, or the sacrament administering, is unseasonable, yea sinful, as Hushai said, 2 Sam. xvii. 7., “The counsel is not good at this time.” There was a set time enjoined for the passover, when the Jews were to bring their offering to the Lord, Numb. ix. 2. Had the people been reading the law at home in the time of the passover, it had not been in season, and God would have punished it for a contempt. This is the devil’s subtle temptation, either to keep us from duty, or to put us upon it, when it is least in season. Duties of religion not well timed, and done in season, are dangerous. Snow and hail are good for the ground when they come in their season; but in the harvest, when the corn is ripe, then a storm of hail would do hurt.
25th Subtilty of Satan in tempting, is, to persuade men to delay their repenting and turning to God. He saith, as Hag. i. 2., “The time is not come.” Now youth is budding, or you are but in the flower of your age, it is too soon to repent, “The time is not yet come.” This temj)tation is the devil’s draw-net, by which lie draws millions to hell; it is a dangerous temptation. Sin is (/nice I’cneDinm, Bkun, a poison; the longer |)oison lies in the body, the more mortal; by delay of repentance, sin
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strengthens, and the heart hardens. The longer ice freezeth, the harder it is to be broken: the longer a man freezeth in iinpenitency, the more difficult it will be to have his heart broken. When sin hath gotten a haunt, it is not easily shaken off. Besides, the danger of this temptation to delay repentance appears in this, because life is hazardous and may on a sudden expire. hat security have you that you shall live another day? Life is made up of a few flying minutes; it is a taper soon bh)wn out. Jam. iv. 14., “What is your life? It is even a vapour.” The body is like a vessel, tunned with a little breath; sickness broacheth this vessel, death draws it out: how dangerous therefore is this temptation, to procrastinate and put off tiuiiing to God by repentance! Many now in hell did purpose to repent but death surprised them.
2Glh Subtilty of Satan in tempting is, to infringe and weaken the saints’ peace. If he cannot destroy their grace, he will disturb thi’ir peace. Satan envies a Chnstian should have a good day; and if he cannot keep them from heaven, he will keep them from an heaven upon earth. There is nothing (next to holiness) a Christian prizeth more, than peace and tranquillity of mind; this is the cream of life, a bunch of grapes by the way. Now, it is Satan’s great policy to shake a Christian’s peace; that, if he will go to heaven, he shall go thither through flights, and plenty of tears. The devil throws in his fire-balls of temptation, to set the saints’ peace on fire. Of such great concern is spiritual peace, that no wonder if Satan would, by his intricate subtilties, rob us of this jewel. Spiritual peace is a token of God’s favour. As Joseph had a special testimony of his father’s kindness in the party-coloured coat he gave him, so have the saints a special token of (iod’s good-will to them, when he gives them in-Avard ])eace, which is, as it were, the party-coloured coat to wear. No womler then, if Satan so much rage against the saints’ peace, and would tear off this conifortuhh’ robe from them! The devil trouhh’s the waters of the saints’ peace, because hereby he hopes to have the more advantage of them.
1. By this perplexing of their spirits, Satan tJikes off their chariot-wheels, — unfits them for the service of God; body and mind are both out of temper, like an instrument out of tune. Sadness of spirit prevailing, a Christian can think of nothing but his troubles; his mind is full of doubts, fears, surmises, so that he is like a person distracted, and is scarce himself; either he neglects the duties of religion, or his mind is taken off from them while he is doing them. Especially there is one duty that melancholy and sadness of spirit imfits for, and that is thankfulness. Thankfulness is a tribute or quit-rent due to God, Ps. cxlix. 5, 6., “Let the saints be joyful, let the high praises of God be in their mouth.” But when Satan hath disturbed a Christian’s spirit, and filled his mind full of black, and almost despairing thoughts, how can he be thankful? It rejoiceth Satan to see how his plot takes; by making God’s children unquiet, he makes them unthankful.
2. Satan, by troubling the saints’ peace, hath this advantage of laying a stumbling block in the way of others; by this policy, the devil gets an occasion to render the ways of God unlovely to those who are looking heaven-ward. He sets before newbeginners, the perplexing thoughts, the tears, the groans of them who are wounded in sj)irit, to scar them quite off from all seriousness in religion. He will object to new beginners, “Do you not see how these sad souls torture themselves with melancholy thoughts, and will you change the comforts and pleasures of this life to sit alwavs in the house of mourninjr? Will you espouse that religion, which makes you a terror to yourselves, and a burden to others? Can you be in love with such a religion, as is ready to fright you out of your wits?” This advantiige the devil gets by troubling the saints’ peace, — he would discourage others who are looking towards heaven, — he would beat them off from prayer, and heariiiff all soul-awakening sermons, lest they fall into this black humour of melancholy, and end their days in despair.
3. By this subtle policy of Satan, in disturbing the saints’ peace, and making theiu believe God doth not love them, he hath
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tills aflvantage, he sometimes so fai* prevails over them, as to make them beijin to entertain hard thoughts of God. Through the black sjiectacles of melancholy, God’s dealings look sad and ghastly. Satan tempts the godly to have strange thoughts of God, — to think he hath cast off all pity, and hath forgotten to be gracious, Ps. lxxvii., and to make sad conclusions, Isa. xxxviii. 13., “I reckoned, that as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day, even to night, wilt thou make an end of me.” The devil setting in with melancholy, causeth a sad eclipse in the soul; it begins to think, God hath shut up the springs of mercy, and there is no hope. Hereupon Satan getteth further advantage of a troubled spirit; sometimes he puts the troubled soul upon sinful wishes and execrations against itself; Job, in distemper of mind, cursed his birthday. Job. iii. 3. Job, though he did not Gurse his God, yet he cursed his birth-day. Thus you see what advantages the devil gets by raising storms, and troubling the saints’ peace; and let me tell you, if the devil is capable of any delight, it is to see the saints’ disquiets, — their groans ai’e his music, — ’tis a sport to him to see them torture themselves upon the rack of melancholy, and almost drown themselves in tears. When the godly have unjust surmises of God, — question his love, — deny the work of grace, and fall to wishing they had never been born, — now Satan is ready to clap Lis hands, and shout for a victory.
Having shewn you the advantages the devil gets by this temptation of disturbing the saints’ peace, I shall answer a question, By what arts and methods doth Satan in templing, disturb the saints’ peace?
Ans. 1. Satan slily conveys evil thoughts, and ihen makes a Christian believe they come from his own heart. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack, but it was of Josej)h’s putting in: so a child of God often finds atheistical, blasphemous thoughts in his mind, but Satan hath cast them in. The devil doth as some, lay their children at another’s door: so Satan lays his temptations at our door, — fathers them upon us, — and then we trouble ourselves about them, and nurse them, as if they were our own.
A. 2. Satan disturbs the saints’ peace* by drawing forth their sins in the most black colours, to affright them, and make them ready to give up the ghost. Satan is called the accuser of the brethren, not only because he accuseth them to God, but accuseth them to themselves; he tells them they are guilty of such sins, and they are hypocrites; whereas the sins of a believer shew only that grace is not perfect, not th.it he hath no grace. When Satan comes with this temptation, shew him that scripture, 1 John. i. 7., “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
21th Subtil ty of Satan is, by plausible arguments, to tempt men to hefelo de se, — to make away themselves. This temptation doth not only cross the current of scripture, but is abhorring to nature, to be one’s own executioner: yet such cunning artifices doth Satan, that he persuades many to lay violent hands upon themselves, which the bills of mortality witness. 1. He tempts some to do this in terror of conscience, telling them, All the hell they shall have is in their conscience, and death will give them present ease. 2. He tempts others to make away themselves, that they may live no longer to sin against God. 3. Others he tempts to make away themselves, that they may presently arrive at happiness; he tells them, the best of the saints desire heaven, and the sooner they are there the better. Austin speaks of Cleombratas, who hearing Plato read a lecture on the immortality of the soul, and the joys of the other w’orld, threw himself down a steep precipice, or rock, and killed himself. This is Satan’s plot; but we must not break prison by laying violent hands upon ourselves, but stay till God send and open the door. Let us pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” Still bear in mind that scripture, Exod. xx. 13., “Thou shalt not kill.” Clamitat in coelutn vox sanguinis. If we may not kill another, much less ourselves; and take heed of discontent, which often opens the door to self-murder.
Thus I have shewn you twenty-seven subtilties of Satiin in tempting, that so you may the better know them, and avoid them.
There is a story of a Jew that would have poisoned Luther; but a friend sent to Luther the picture of this Jew, warning him to take heed of such a man when he saw him; by which means he knew the murderer, and escaped his hands. I have told you the subtle devices of Satan in tempting; I have shewn you (as it were) the picture of him that would murder you; I beseech you, being forewarned, take heed of the murderer.
Ui<e. From this subtilty of Satan in temptings
let me draw three inferences.
1. It may administer matter of wonder to us how any soul is saved. How may we admire, that Satan, — this Abaddon, or “angel of the bottomless pit,” Rev. ix. II., — this Apollyon, — this soul-devourer, — doth not ruin all mankind! What a wonder is it that some are preserved, — that neither Satan’s hidden snares prevail, nor his fiery darts, — that neither the head of the serpent, nor the paw of the lion destroys them! Sure it will be matter of admiration to the saints when they come to heaven, to think how strangely they came thither; that, notwithstanding all the force and fraud, the power and policy of hell, yet they should arrive safe at the heavenly port; this is through the safe conduct of Christ, the captain of our salvation; Michael is too hard for the dragon.
2. Is Satan subtle? See then what need we have to pray to God for wisdom to discern the snares of Satan, and strength to resist them. We cannot of ourselves stand against temptation; if we could, this prayer were needless, “lead us not,” &c. Let us not think we can be too cunning for the devil, we can escape his wiles and darts. If David and Peter, who were “pillars in God’s temple,” fell by temptation, how soon should such weak reeds as we be blown down, did God leave us. Take Christ’s advice, Mat. xxvi. 41., “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.”
3. See what the end of all Satan’s subtilties in tempting is, — he is a tempter, that he may be an accuser. He lays the plot, enticeth men to sin, and then brings in the indictment; as if one should make another drunk, and then complain of him to the magistrate for being drunk. The devil is first a temjjter, and then jfti informer; first a liar, and then a murderer. Having shewn
you the subtilties of Satan in tempting, I shall answer two questions:
Quest. I. JV/iy cluth God svjfer his saints to be so hurried and buffeted by Satan’s temp’ taiions?
Alls. The Lord doth it for many wise and holy ends.
1. He lets them be tempted to try them. The Hebrew word nissa in pyhil signifies both to tempt and to try, — temptation is a touchstone to try what is in the heart; the devil tempts that he may deceive, but God lets us be tempted to try us. Qici non tentat ur, non probatur, Aug.
(1.) Hereby God tries our sincerity. Job’s sincerity was tried by temptation, the devil told God that Job was an hypocrite, and served God only for a livery; but, saith he, “touch him, (that is, let me tempt him) and then see if he will not curse thee to thy face?” Job i. 11. Well, God did let the devil touch him by a temptation, yet Job remains holy, he worships God, and blesseth God, v. 20, 21. Here Job’s sincerity was proved; Job had fiery temptations, but he came out of the fire a golden Christian. ‘Temptation is a touchstone of sincerity.’
(2.) By temptation, God tries our love. The wife of Tigranes did never so shew her chastity and love to her husband, as when she was tempted by Cyrus, but did not yield; so, our love to God is seen in this, when we can look a temptation in the face, and turn our back upon it; though the devil come as a serpent subtilely, and offers a golden apple, yet we will not touch the forbidden fruit. When the devil shewed Christ all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, such was Christ’s love to his Father, that he abhorred the temptation. True love will not be bribed. When the devil’s darts are most fiery, a saint’s love to God is most fervent.
(3.) By temptation, God tries our courage, Hos. vii. 1 1., “Ephraim also is like a silly dove without an heart.” So it may be said of many, they are ex corde — without an heart; they have no heart to resist a temptation; no sooner doth Satan come with his solicitations, but they yield; like a coward, as soon as the thief approacheth, he delivers his purse; but he is a vuloroud
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Christian, that brandlslicth the sword of the Spirit ayaiust Satan, and will rather die than yield. The courage of the Romans was never more seen than when they were assaulted by the Carthaginians; the heroic spirit of a saint is never more seen than in a field-battle, when he is fighting with the red dragon, and by the power of faith puts the devil to fiight. Fidei rohor potest esse concussum, non excussnm, Tertul. This is one reason why God lets his people be tempted, — that their metal may be tried, — their sincerity, love, magnanimity; when grace is proved, the gospel is honoured.
A. 2. God suffers his children to be tempted, that they may be kept from pride. Qnos non gula svperavit! Cypr. Pride crept once into the angels, and into the apostles, when they disputed “which of them should be greatest;” and in Peter, “thouffh all men forsake thee, vet I will not,” as if he had had more grace than all the apostles. Pride keeps grace low, that it cannot thrive; as the spleen swells, so the other parts of the body consume; as pride grows, so grace consumes, (iod resists pride; and, that he may keep his children humble, he suffers them sometimes to fall into temptation, 2 Cor. xii. 7., “Lest I should be exalted, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me.” When Paul was lifted up in revelations, he was in danger to be lifted up in pride, now came the messenger of Satan to buffet him, that was, some sore temptation to humble him. The thorn in the flesh was to prick the bladder of pride; better is that temptation that Immbles me, than that duty which makes me proud. Rather than a Christian should be proud, God lets him fall into the devil’s hands a while, that he may be cured of his imposthume.
A. 3. God lets his people be tempted, that they may be fitter to comfort others who are in the same distress; they can speak a word in due season to such as aie weary. St. Paul was trained up in the fencing-school of temptation, 2 Cor. ii. IL And he was able to acquaint others with Satan’s wiles and stratagems. A man that hath rid over a place where there are quicksands, is the fittest to guide others through
that dangerous way; he who hath been buffeted by Satan, and hath felt the claws of this roaring lion, is the fittest man to deal with one that is tempted.
A. 4. God lets his children be tempted, to make them long more for heaven, where they shall be out of gun-shot; there they shall be freed from the hissing of the old serpent. Satan is not yet fully cast into prison, but is like a prisonei that goes under bail, he doth vex and molest the saints; he lays his snares, throws his fire-balls, but this is only to make the people of God long to be gone from hence, and that they may pray that they had “the wings of a dove,” to fly away beyond Satan’s temptations. God suffered Israel to be vexed with the Egyptians, that they might long the more to be in Canaan. HeaA’en is the centrum a place of rest, centrum qnietativium; no bullets of temptation fly there. The eagle that soars aloft in the air, and sits perching upon the tops of high trees, is not troubled with the stinging of serpents: so, when believers are gotten above into the empyrean heaven, they shall not be stung with the old serpent. The devil is cast out of the heavenly paradise. Heaven is compared to an exceeding high mountain. Rev. xxi. 10. It is so high, that Satan’s fiery darts cannot reach up to it. Nnllus ihi hos-Cuim metus, nullcB itisidia demoman, Bern. The temptations here are to make the saints long till death sound a it;treat, and call them off the field where the bullets of temptation fly so thick, that they may receive a victorious crown. Thus I have answered this question, why God lets his dear servants be tempted.
Quest. 2. What rochs of support are therCf or what comfort for tempted souls?
Ans. lst, That is not our case alone, but hath been the case of God’s eminent saints, 1 Cor. X. 13., “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man,” yea, to the best men; Christ’s lambs, which have had the ear-mark of election upon them, have been set upon by the world. Elijah that could shut heaven by praver, could not shut his heart from a temptation, 1 Kings xix. 4.; Job was tempted to curse God, Peter to deny Christ; hardly ever any saint hath got to heaven but hath met with a Hon by the way. Sortem quam om- himself lay under them and did feel them
ties sancti patiuntur nenio recusal. Nay, Jesus Christ himself though he was free from ein, yet not from temptation: we read of Christ’s baptism, Mat. iii., and Mat. iv. 1., “Then he was led into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” No sooner was Christ out of the water of baptism, but he was in the fire of temptation; and if the devil would set upon Christ, no wonder if he set upon us. There was no sin in Christ, no powder for the devil’s fire; temptation to Christ, was like a bur on a crystal glass, which glides oif, or like a spark of fire on a marble pillar, which will not stick; yet Satan was so bold as to tempt Christ. This is some comfort, such as have been our betters have wrestled with temptations.
2d Rock of support, that may comfort a tempted soul, is, that temptations (where they are burdens) evidence grace. Satan doth not tempt God’s children, because they have sin in them, but because they have grace in them. Had they no grace, the devil would not disturb them; where he keeps possession all is in peace, Luke xi. 21. His temptations are to rob the saints of their grace. A thief will not assault an empty house, but where he thinks there is treasure; a pirate will not set upon an empty ship, but one that is full fraught with ppices and jewels; so the devil most assaults the people of God, because he thinks they have a rich treasure of grace in their hearts, and he would rob them of that, lliat makes Ko many cudgels be thrown at a tree, but because there is so xnuch fruit hanging upon it? The devil throws his temptations at you, because he sees you have so much fruit of grace growing upon you. Though to be ten)j)ted is a trouble, yet to think why you are tempted is a comfort.
3d Rock of support or comfort, is, that Jesus Christ is near at hand, and stands by us in all our temptations. Here take notice of two things: 1. Christ’s sympathy in temptation. 2. Christ’s succour in temptation.
1. Christ’s sympathy in our temptations. Nobis com patitur Christus. Ileb. iv. 15., “We have not an high-priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” Jesus Christ doth sympathize with us; he is so sensible of our temptations as if he
in his own soul. As in music, when one string is touched all the rest sound, so Christ’s bowels sound; we cannot be tempted but he is touched. If you saw a wolf worry your child, would you not pity your child? You cannot pity it so as Christ doth tempted ones. Christ had a felh)W-feeling when he was upon earth, much more now in glory.
Quest. But how can it stand with Christ’s glory now in heaven to have, a fellow-feeling of our miseries and temptations?
Ans. This fellow-feeling in Christ ariseth not from an infirmity or passion, but from the mystical union between him and his members, Zech. ii. 8., “He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye.” Every injury done to a saint Christ takes as done to him in heaven; every temptation is a striking at Christ, and he is touched with the feeling of our temptations.
2. Christ’s succour in temptation. As the good Samaritan first had compassion on the wounded man, — there was sympathy; then he poured in wine and oil, — there was succour, Luke X. 34. So when we are wounded by the red dragon, Christ is first touched with compassion, and then he pours in wine and oil, Hcb. ii. 18., “In that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.” The Greek word to succour, signifies to run speedily to ones help: so fierce is Satan, so frail is man, that Christ, who is God-man, runs speedily to his help. AVhen Peter was ready to sink, and said, “Lord, save me!” Christ presently stretched forth his hand, and caught him: so when a poor soul is tempted, and cries to heaven for help, “Lord, save me!” Christ comes in with his auxiliary forces; noscit Chrislus, our Lord Jesus knows what it is to be tempted, therefore he is so ready to succour such as are tempted. It hath been an observation, that child-bearing women are more jiitiful to others in their travails, than such women as are barren: so the Lord Jesus having been in travail by temptations and sufferings, is more readv to ])ity and succour such as are
tempted. Concerning Christ’s succouring the tempted, consider two things: 1. Christ’s ability. 2. His agility to succour.
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1 Christ’s ability to succour, HcK ii. 18., “He is able to succour them that are tempted.” Christ is called Michael, Rev. xii. 7., which signifies “Who is like God.” Tho’ the tempted soul is weak, yet lie fights under a jiood Captain, ’ the Lion of the tribe of Jiulah.’ When a tempted soul fights, Christ comes into the field as his second. ISIichaol would be too hard for the dragon; when the devil lays the siege of a temptation, Christ can raise the siege when he pleases; he can beat through the enemy’s quarters, and can so rout Satan that he shall never be able to rally his forces any more. Jesus Christ is on the saint’s side, and who would desire a better life-guard than omnipotency?
2. Christ’s agility in succouring. As Christ is able to succour the tempted, so he will certainly succour them. Christ’s power enables him, his love inclines him, his faithfulness engages him to succour tempted Kouls, This is a great comfort to a soul in temptation, he hath a succouring Saviour. As God did succour Israel in the wilderness among fiery serpents, they had the rock set abroach, — the manna, the pillar of cloud, the brazen serpent, — what was this but a type of God’s succouring a poor soul in the wilderness of temptation, stung by the devil that fiery serpent? Alexander being asked how be could sleep so securely, when his enemies were about Iiim, said, “Antipater is awake, who is always vigilant:” so when our tempting enemy is near us, Jesus Christ is awake, who is a wall of fire about us. There is a great deal of succour to the tempted in the names given to Christ: as Satan’s names may terrify, so Christ’s names may succour. The devil is called ApoUijov, the devourer, Rev. ix. 11.; Christ is called a Saviour. The devil is called the * strong man,’ Matth. xi. 29.; Christ is called El-Gihhor, the “Mighty God,” Isa. ix. G. The devil is called “the accuser,” Rev. xii. 10.; ChriMt is called “the Advocate,” 1 John ii. I. The devil is called “the tempter,” Mat. iv. 3.; Christ is called “the comforter,” Luke ii. 25. The devil is called “the prince of darkness;” Christ is called “the Sun of Righteousness.” The devil is called “the old serpent;” Christ is called “the brazen serpent” that heals,
John iii. 14. Tims the very names of Christ have some succour in them for tempted souls.
Quest. Hota and in what minner, doth Christ succour them that are tempted?
Ans. Several ways:
1. Christ succours them, by sending his Spirit, whose work it is to bring those promises to their mind, which arc fortifying, John xiv. 2fi., “He shall bring all things to your remembrjince.” The Spirit furnishes us with promises as so many weapons to fight against the old serpent, Rom. xvi. 20., “The Lord will shortly bruise Satan under your feet;” 1 Cor. x. 13., “God will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;” Gen. iii. 15., The seed of the woman shall break the serpent’s head. We are oft in times of temptation, as a man that hath his house beset, and cannot find his weapons, he hath his sword and gun to seek: now, in this case, Christ sends his Spirit, and he brings things to our remembrance that helps us in our combat with Satan The Spirit of Christ doth to one that is tempted, as Aaron and Hur did to Moses, they put a stone under him, and held up his hands, and then Israel prcA’ailed; so God’s Spirit puts the promises under the hand of faith, and then a Christian overcomes the devil, that spiritual Amalek. The promise is to the soul, as the anchor is to the ship, which keeps it steady in a storm.
2. Christ succours them that are tempted by his blessed ’ interceding for them.’ When the devil is tempting, Christ is praying. That prayer Christ put up for Peter when he was tempted, extends to ;ill his saints, Luke xxii. 32., Lord, saith Christ, “it is my child that is tempted; Father, pity him.” When a poor soul lies bleedingof his wounds the devil hath given him, Christ presents his wounds to his Father, and, in the virtue of those, pleads for mercy. How powerful must Christ’s prayer needs be! He is a favourite, John xi. 42. He is both an high-priest ajid a son; if God could forget that Christ were a priest, yet he cannot forget that he is a S<m. Besides, Christ prays for nothing but what is agreeable to his Father’s will; if a king’s son petitions only for that which his father hath a mind to grant, his suit will not be denied.
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3. Christ succours his people, by taking off the tempter. A shepherd, when the sheej) bejjin to straggle, may set the dog on the sheep to bring it nearer the fohl, but then lie calls off the dog again; God will take ofC the temj)ter, 1 Cor. x. J 3., “He will with the temptation make a way to e- 6cai)e,” he will make an outlet. Christ will rebuke the tempter, Zeeh. iii. 2., •’ The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan.” This is no small KUj)port, that Christ succours the tempted. The mother succours the child most when it is sick; she sits by its bed-side, brings it cordials; so, when a soul is most assaulted, it shall be most assisted.
Oij.r. But I have dealt nnkindhj with Christ and sinned against his love; and sure he will not succour me, but let me perish in the battle.
Ans. Christ is a merciful high priest, and will succour thee notwithstanding thy failings. Joseph was a type of Christ; his brethren sold him away, and the ’ irons entered into his soul;’ yet afterwards, when his brethren were ready to die in the famine, he forgot their injuries, and succoured them with money and corn; “I am, (saith he) Joseph your brother!” So will Christ say to a tempted soul, “I know thy unkindnesses, — how thou hast distrusted my love, grieved my Spirit, — but I am Joseph, I am Jesus, therefore I will succour thee, when thou art tempted.”
Mh Rock of support. The best man may be most tempted. A rich ship may be violently sot ujitiu by pirates: he who is rich in faith, yet may have the devil (that pirate) set upon him by his battering pieces. Job, an eminent saint, yet how fiercely was he assaulted? Satan did smite his body, that he might tempt him, either to question God’s providence, or quarrel with it. St. Paul was a chosen vessel, but how was this vessid 1 attcrcd with temptation? 2 Cor. iv. 7.
Obj. But is it not said. He who is born of God, the wicked one toucheth him not? 1 John. V. 18.
ylns. It is not meant, that the devil doth not tempt him, but he toucheth liiui not, that is, tactu lethali, Cajetan, with a deadly touch. 1 J<thn V. 16., “There is a sin I unto death.” Now Satan with all his temptations doth nut make a child of God sin
“a sin unto death.” Thus he t«)ucheth him not.
5th Rock of support. Satan can go no further in tempting than Ciod will ’ give him leave;’ the power of the tempter is limited. A whole legion of devils could not touch one swine, till Christ gave them leave. Satan would have sifted Peter till he sifted out all his grace; but Christ would not suffer him, “I have prayed for thee,” &c Christ binds the devil in a chain, Rev. xx. 1. If Satan’s power were according to his malice, not one soul should be saved; but ho is a chained enemy; this is a comfort, Satan cannot go a hair’s bceadtli beyond (lod’s permission. If an enemy could not touch a child further than the father did appoint, sure he should do the child no great hurt.
6th Rock of support. It is not the having a temptation makes guilty, but the giving consent; we cannot hinder a temptation; Elijah, that could by prayer shut heaven, could not shut out a temptation; but if we abhor the temptation, it is our burden, not our sin. We read in the old law, if one went to force a virgin, and she cried out, she was reputed innocent: if Satan would by temptation commit a rape upon a Christian, and he cries out, and will not give consent, the Lord will charge it upon the devil’s score. It is not the laying the bait hurts the fish, if the fish do not bite.
llh Rock of support. Our being tempted is no sign of (iod’s hating us. A child of God oft thinks God doth not love him, because he lets him be haunted with the devil: yion scquitur, this is a wrong conclusion. Was not Christ himself temj)ted? yet by a voice from heaven ])roclaimed, “This is my beloved Son,” Mat iii. 17. Satan’s tempting, and God’s loving, may stand together. The goldsmith loves his gold in the fire, God loves a saint, though shot at by fiery darts.
Sth Rock of support. Christ’s temptation was for our consolation. Jesus Christ is to be looked uj)on as a pul)lic person, as our head and representative; and what (. hrist did, he did for us, — his prayer was fi)r us, — his suffering was for us, — when he was tempted, aiul overcame the temptation, ho overcame for us. Christ’s concjuering Satan was to shew that elect persons shall at
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last be conquerors over Satan; when Christ Os’ercame Satan’s temptation, it was not only to give us an example of courage, but an assurance of conquest; we have overcome Satan already in our head, and we shall at last perfectly overcome.
9th Rock of support. The saints’ temptation shall not be above their strength. The lutenist will not stretch the strings of his lute too hard lest they break, 1 Cor. x. 13., “God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye arc able” God will proportion our strength to the stroke, 2 Cor. xii. 9., “My grace is sufficient for thee.” The torch-light of faith shall be kept burning, notwithstanding all the winds of temptation blowing.
loth Rock of support. These temptations shall produce much good.
1. They shall quicken a spirit of prayer in the saints, they shall pray more and better; temptation is orationes stabellam, the exciter of prayer; perhaps, before, the saints came to God as cold suitors in prayer, they prayed as if they prayed not. Temptation is a medicine for security; when Paul had a messenger of Satan to buifet him he was more earnest in prayer, 2 Cor. xii. 8., “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice;” the thorn in his flesh was a spur in his sides to quicken him in prayer. The deer being shot with the dart, runs faster to the water: when a soul is shot with the fiery darts of temptation, he runs the faster to the throne of grace, — now he is earnest with God, either to take off the tempter, or to stand by him when he is tempted.
2. God makes the temptation to sin a means to j)revent sin. The more a Christian is tempted, the more he fights against the ten ptation; the more a chaste woman is assaulted, the more she abhors the mosion; the stronger Joseph’s temptation was, the stronger was his opposition; the more the enemy attempts to storm a castle, the more he is repelled and beat back.
3. A godly man’s tem])tations cause the mcrease of grace. Unus Christianus iemptatus mille, — ’ one tem])ted Christian (saith Luther) is worth a thousand.’ lie grows more in grace; as the bellows increaseth the flame, so the bellows of a temptation doth increase the flame of grace.
4. By these temptations God makes way for comfort; as Christ after he was tempted, the “angels came and ministered unto him,” Mat. iv. 11. As, when Abraham had been warring, Melchizedek brought him bread and wine to revive his spirits, Gen. xiv. 18. So, after the saints have been warring with Satan, now God sends his Spirit to comfort them; which made Luther say, that temptations were amplexus Christie ‘Christ’s embraces,’ because he doth then most sweetly manifest himself to the soul. Thus you see what rocks of support there are for tempted souls. That 1 may further comfort such as are tempted, let me speak to two cases of the tempted.
ist Case. / have horrid temptations to blasphemy.
Ans, Did not the devil tempt Christ after this manner. Mat. iv. 9., “All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me?” What greater blas])hemy can be imagined, than that the God of heaven and earth should worship the devil? Yet Christ was tempted to this. If when blasphemous thoughts are injected, you tremble at them, and are in a cold sweat, they are not yours, Satan shall answer for them; let him that plots the ti’eason, sufler.
2d Case. But my case is yet worse; I have been tempted to such sins, and have yielded; the tempter hath overcome me.
Ans. I grant, that, through the withdrawing of God’s grace, and the force of a temptation, a child of God may be overcome. David was overcome by a temptation in the case of Bathsheba, and numbering the people. There is a party of grace in the heart, true to Christ; but sometimes it may be over-voted by corruption, and then a Christian yields; it is sad thus to yield to the tempter. But yet let not a child of God be wholly discouraged, and say there is no hope: let me pour in some balm of Gilead into this wounded soul.
1. Though a Christian may fall by a temptation, yet the seed of God is in him, 1 John iii. 9., “His seed remaineth in him.” Gratia concutitur non executitur, Aug. A man may be bruised by a fall yet there is life in him: a Christian, being foiled by Satan, may be like him, who going to Jericho, fell among thieves, “Wounded and half dead,” Luke x. 30. But still there is a vital principle of grace, his seed remains in him.
2. Though a child of God may be overcome in prcelio, in a skirmish, — yet not in hello.) in the main battle; an army may be worsted in a skirmish, but may overcome at last. Though Satan may foil a child of God in a skirmish by a temptation, yet the believer shall overcome at last; a saint may be foiled, not conquered, — he may lose ground, not lose the victory.
3. God doth not judge of his children by one action, but by the frame of their heart; as God doth not judge of a wicked man by one good action, so neither of a godly man by one bad action; a holy person may be worsted by a temptation: but God doth not measure him by that. Who measures milk when it seethes and boils up? God doth not take the measure, of a saint when the devil hath boiled him up in a passion, but God judgeth of him by the pulse and temper of his heart; he would fear God; when he fails he weeps. God looks which way the bias of his heart stands: If his heart be set against sin, God will pardon.
4. God will make a saint’s being foiled by temptation, turn to his spiritual advantage.
(1.) He may let a regenerate person fall by a temptation, to make him more watchful; perhaps he walks loosely, and so was decoyed into sin, but for the future, he grows more curious and cautious in his walking. The foiled Christian is a vigilant Christian; he will have a care of coming within the lion’s chain any more, he will he shy and fearful of the occasion of sin; I’.e will not go abroad without bis spiritual armour, and he girds on his armour by prayer. When a wild beast gets over the hedge, and hurts the corn, a man will make his fence stronger: so, when the devil gets
’ over the fence by a temptation, and foils a Christian, he will be sure to mend his fence, and be more vigilant against a temptation afterwards.
(2.) God lets his children be sometimes foiled by a temptation, that they may see
, their continual dependance on God, and may go to him for strength. We need not
only habitual grace, to stand against temptation, but auxiliary grace: as the boat needs not only the oars, but wind, to carry it against a strong tide. God lets his chill dren sometimes fall by a temptation, that, seeing their own weakness, they may rest more on Christ and free-grace. Cant. viii. 5w (3.) God, by suffering his children to bo foiled by a temptation, will settle them the more in grace: they shall get strength by their foils. Tlse poets feign, that Antaas the giant, in wrestling with Hercules, got strength by every fall to the ground: it is true here, — a saint, being foiled in wrestling with Satan, gets more spiritual strength. Peter had never such a strengthening in his faith, as after his being foiled in the high -priest’s hall. How was he fired with zeal, steeled with courage? He who before was dashed out of countenance by the voice of a maid, now dares openly confess Christ before the rulers and the councils! Acts ii. 14. The shaking of the tree settles it the more: God lets his children be shaken with the wind of temptation, that they may be more settled in grace afterwards. This I have spoken that such Christians as God hath suffered to be foiled by temptation, may not cast away their anchor, or give way to sad despairing thoughts.
Ouj. But this may seem to make Christians careless whether they fall into a temptation or not, if God can make their being foiled by a temptation advantageous to them.
Ans. We must distinguish between one who is foiled through weakness, and through wilfulness. If a soldier fights, but is foiled for want of strength, the general of the army will pity him, and bind up his wounds;, but if he be wilfully foiled, and proves treacherous, he must expect no favour: so,, if a Christian fight it out with Satan, but is foiled for want of strength (as it was with Peter) God will pity him, and do him good by his being foiled; but if he be foiled wilfully, and runs into a temptation, (as it was with Judas), God will shew him no favour, but will execute martial law upon him.
The uses remain.
Use 1. Branch 1. See in what continual danger we are. Satan is an exquisite
4D
OF THE SIXTH PETITION IN THE LORD’S PRAYER.
artist, — a deep head-piece, — he lies in ambush to ensnare, — he is the tempter, — it is his delight to make the saints sin; and he is subtle in tempting, he hath ways and methods to deceive.
First, He brings a saint into sin, by making him confide in his habitual graces. Satan makes him believe he hath such a etock of grace as will antidote him against all temptations; thus Satan deceived Peter, he made him trust in his grace; he had such a cable of faith and strong tacklings, that though the winds of temptation did blow never so fierce, he could weather the point: “Though all men forsake thee yet will not I!” as if he had more grace than all the apostles. Thus he was led into temptation, and fell in the battle: a man may make an idol of grace. Habitual grace is not sufficient without auxiliary. The boat needs not only oars, but a gale of wind to carry it against the tide, so we need not only habitual grace, but the blowing of the Spirit, to carry us against a strong temptation.
Second///, Satan tempts to sin by the baits and allurements of the world. Foenuspeci(nia>J’tinns anima:. One of Christ’s own apostles was caught with a silver bait. Such as the devil cannot debauch with vice, he will corrupt with money: “all these things will 1 give thee,” was his last temptation, Mat. iv. 9. Achan was deluded by a wedge of gold. Sylvester H. did sell his soul to the devil for a popedom.
Thirdly, Satan tempts to sin, sub specie honi, under a mask and shew of good; his temptations seem gracious motions.
1. He tempts men to duties of religion. You would think this strange, that Satan should tempt to duty; but it is so. 1. He tempts men to duty out of sinister ends. Thus he tempted the Pharisees to pray and give alms, that they might be seen of men. Mat.. 5. Prayer is a duty, but to look a-squint in prayer, to do it for vain-glory, this prayer is turned into sin. 2. T le tempts to duty, when it is not in season. Numb, xxviii. 2., “My offering and my bread for my sacrifices, shall ye offer unto me in their due season.” Satan tempts to duty when it is out of season; he tempts to read the word at home, when we should be hearing
the word; he will so tempt to one duty, as it may hinder another. 3. He tempts some to duty, out of design that it may be a cloak for sin. He tempts them to frequency in duty, that they may sin and be less suspected. He tempted the Pharisees to make long prayers, that they might devour widows’ houses under this pretence. Mat. xxiii. 14. Who would suspect him of false weights, that so oft holds a Bible in his hand? Thus cunning is Satan he tempts to duty.
2. He tempts men to sin, out of a shew of love to Christ. You will think this strange, but there is truth in it. IMany a good heart may think what he doth is in love to Christ, and all this while he may be under a temptation. Christ told Peter he must suffer at Jerusalem; Peter took him and rebuked him, “Be it far from thee, Lord,” Mat. xvi. 22., as if he had said to Christ, Lord thou hast deserved no such shameful death, and this shall not be unto thee. Peter, as he thought, did this out of love to Christ, but Peter was all this while under a tem])tation. What had become of us, if Christ had hearkened to Peter, and had not suffered? So when Christ washed his disciples’ feet, Peter was so mannerly that he would not let Christ wash his feet, John xiii. 8., “Thou shalt never wash my feet.” This Peter did (as he thought) out of love and respect to Christ; Peter thought Christ was too good to wash his feet, and thei’efore would have put Christ off; but this was a temptation, the devil put Peter upon this sinful modesty, he struck at Peter’s salvation, insomuch that Christ saith, “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part in me.” So agjiin, when the Samaritans would not receive Christ, the disci i)les, James and John, said, “Lord wilt thou that we command fire from heaven and consume them?” Luke ix. 54., they did this, as they thought, out of love to Christ; thcv would wisjj for fire to consume their enemies, but they were under a temptation; it was not zeal, but the wild fire of their own passion: “ye know not (sjiith Christ) what spirits ye are of.”
Fourthly, Satan tempts to that sin which a man’s heart is naturally most inclinable to; he will not tempt a civil man to gross Bin, this is aMiornnfr to tho. Hjjlit of nature. Satan never sets a dish before men that they <lo not love: but be will tempt a civil man to pride, and to trust in bis own righteousness, and to make a Saviour of bis civility. The spider weaves a web out of her own bowels; the civil man would weave a web of salvation out of bis own righteousness. See then in what danger we are, when Satan is continually lying in ambush with bis temptations.
Brancb 2. See man’s inability of himself to resist a temptation. Could be stand of himself against a temptation, this prayer were needless, “Lead us not into temptation;” no man bath power of himself to resist a temptation, further than God gives him strength, Jer. x. 23., “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself!” If Peter who had true grace, and Adam who had perfect grace, could not stand against temptation, much less can any stand by the power of nature; which confutes the doctrine of free-will; what freedom of will hath man, when be cannot resist the least temptation?
Branch 3. Here is matter of humiliation, that there is in us such an aptitude and proneness to yield to temptation. Nitimur in vetitiim — We are as ready to swallow a temptation, as the fish to swallow the bait. If the devil tempt to pride, lust, envy, revenge, bow do we symbolize with Satan, and embrace his snares? Like a woman that hath a suitor come to her, and she doth not need much wooing, she presently gives her consent: Satan comes a-wooing by temptation, and we soon yield; he strikes fire, and we are as dry tinder that catcheth the first spark; he knocks by temptation, and it is sad to think how soon we open the door to the devil, which is as if one should open the door to a thief; this may cause a spring of tears.
Brancb 4. See hence, a Christian’s life is no easy life; it is military; he hath a Goliah in the field to encounter with, one that is armed with power and subtilty; be bath his wiles and darts. A Christian must be continually watcbinff and ficrbtincr. Satan’s designs carry death in the front, 1 Pet. v. 8., “Seeking whom be may devour;” therefore we bad need be always with our weapons in our hand. llow few think their life a warfare? Though they have an enemy in the field, that is always laying of snares, or shooting of darts, yet they do not stand sentinel or get their spiritual artillery ready they put on their jewels, but not their armour. Job xxi. 12., “They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ,” as if they were rather in music than in battle. Many are asleep in sloth, when they should be fighting against Satan; and no wonder the devil shoots them when he finds them asleep!
Use 2. It reproves them who pray, “Lead us not into into temptation,” yet run themselves into temptation: such are they who go to plays and masfpierades, and bunt after strange flesh. Some go a slower pace to bell, but such as run themselves into temptation, these go galloping tbitber; we have too many of these in this de])auched age, who as if they thought they could not sin fast enough, tempt the devil to tempt them.
Use 3. Exhortation. Let us labour that we be not overcome by temptation.
Quest. IJ’/iot means may be tiscd, that Sata7i’s temptations may not prevail against us?
Ans. 1. Avoid solitariness. It is no wisdom in fighting with an enemy to give him the advantage of the ground: we give Satan advantage of the ground when we are alone. Eve was foiled in the absence of her husband. A virgin is not so soon set upon in company, Eccl. iv. 9., “Two are better than one.” Get into the communion of saints, and that is a good remedy against temptation.
2. If you would not be overcome of temptation, beware of the predominancy of melancholy; this is a/ra ii7/.v, a black liuniour seated chiefly in the brain. Melancholy disturbs reason, and exposeth to temptation. One calls melancholy balneum diabcli, ’ the devil’s bath;’ be bathes himself with delight in such a person. Melancholy clothes the mind in sable; it fills it with su’h dismal apprehensions, as oft end in self-murder.
3. If you would not be overcome of temptation study sobriety, 1 Pet. v. 8., “Be sober, because your adversary walketh about.” Sober-mindedness consists in the moderate use of earthly things; an immo-OF THE SIXTH PETITION IN THE LORD’S PRAYER.
derate desire of these things oft brings men into the snare of the devil. 1 Tim. vi. 9., “They that will be rich fall into a snare.” He who loves riches inordinately, will ])urcliase them unjustly. Ahab would swim to Naboth’s vineyard in blood. He who is drunk with the love of the world, is never free from temptation; he will pull down l)is soul to build up an estate. ‘Quid non mortalia pectora cogis auri sacra fames?’ Be sober, take heed of being drunk with the love of the world, lest ye fall into temptation.
4. Be always upon your guard, — watch against Satan’s wiles and subtil ties, — 1 Pet. v. 8., “Be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about.” A Christian must excubias agere, — keep watch and ward; see where Satan labours to make a breach, — see what grace he most strikes at, or what sin he most tempts to: Mark xiii. 37., “I say unto you all, watch.” Watch all the senses, the eye, the ear, the touch; Satan can creep in here. O how needful is the spiritual watch! Shall Satan be watchful, and we drowsy? Doth he watch to devour us, and shall not we watch to save ourselves? Let us see what sin our heart most naturally inclines to, and watch against this.
5. Beware of idleness; Satan sows most of his seed in fallow-ground. It was Ilierom’s counsel to his friend, to be ever busied, that if the devil did come, he might find him working in the vineyard. Idleness tempts the devil to tempt; the bird that sits still is shot; he that wants employment, never wants temptation; when a man hath nothing to do, Satan will bring grist to the mill, and find him work enough.
6. Make known thy case to some godly friend; the hiding a serpent in the bosom, is not the way to be safe; when the old serpent hath gotten into your bosom by a temptation, do not hide him there by keeping his counsel. If a spark be got into the thatch, it is not wisdom to conceal it, it may set the house on fire; conceal not temptation. The keeping of secrets is for familiar friends: 1)6 not so great a friend to Satan, as to keep his secrets; reveal your temptations, which is the way to procure others’ prayers and advice; let all see that you are not true to Satan’s party, because you tell all his plots, and reveal his treasons. Besides, the telling of our case to some experienced Christian, is the way to have ease; as the opening of a vein gives ease, so the opening of our case to a friend gives ease to the soul, and a temptation doth not so much inflamie. 7. Make use of the word. This the apostle calls ’ the sword of the Spirit,’ Eph. vi. 17., a fit weapon to fight against the tempter. This ’ sword of the Spirit’ hg/audius anceps, ’ a two-edged sword;’ it wounds carnal lust, and it wounds Satan. He who travels a road where there is robbing, will be sure to ride with his sword: we are travelling to heaven, and in this road there is a thief will always beset us, Satan is in every place where we go, — he meets us at church, he doth not miss a sermon, he will be tempting us there, — sometimes to drowsiness; when you sleep at sermon, the devil rocks you asleep, — sometimes he tempts by distracting the mind in hearing, sometimes he tempts to question the truth of what you hear, — thus we meet with the templer at church. And he tempts in the shop he tempts you to use collusion and d?*ceit, IIos. xii. 7., “The balances of deceic are in his hand,” so that we meet with the tempter every where. Therefore, this thief being in the road, we had need ride with a sword; we must have ’ the sword of the Spirit’ about us. We must have skill to use this sword, and have an heart to draw it out, and this sword will put the devil to flight. Thus our blessed Saviour, when Satan tempted him to distrust and blasj/hemy, he used a sciijiture weapon, “It is written.” Three times Christ wounded the old serpent with this sword. Christ could with his power and authority have rebuked the ])rince of the air, as he did the winds; but he stops the devil’s mouth with scripture, “It is written.” It is not our vows and resolutions will d«) it, — it is not the j)apist’s holy water or charms will drive away the devil, — but let us bring the word of God against him; this is such an argument as he cannot answer. It was a saying of Luther, “I have had groat troubles of mind; but so soon as I laid hold on any place of scrij)ture, and stayed myself upon it, as upon my chief anchor, straightway my temptations vauisjied away.” There’s no temptation but we have fit scri])tnre to answer it. If Satan tempts to sabbath breakiiijr, answer Iiim, “ft is written, * Remomhor the sabbath rlay to keep it lioly.’” If he tcMnpts to iincleanncss, ariswiM- liiin, It is written, ’ whoremonnfers and adulterers (lod will judyc’ “If he tempts to carnal fear, say, “It is written, * fear not them that kill the body, and after that, have no more that they can do.’” No such way to confute temptation as by scripture; the arrows which we shoot against Satan must be fetched out of this quiver. Many people want this sword of the Spirit, they have not a liible; others seldom make use of this sword, but let it rust; they look seldom into the scripture, therefore no wonder they are overcome by temptations. He who is wellskilled in the word is like one who hath a plaster ready, to lay upon the wound as soon as it is made, and so the danger is prevented. Oh study the scripture, and you will be too hard for the devil; he cannot stand against this!
8. Let us be careful of our own hearts that they do not decoy us into sin. The aposlle saith, “a man is drawn away of his own heart, and enticed,” James i. 14. Quisqtte sihi Satan est, Bern. Every man hath a tempter in his own bosom. A traitor within the castle is dangerous. The heart can bring forth a temptation, though Satan do not midwife it into the world; if Satan were dead and buried, the heart could draw us to evil. As the ground of all diseases lies in the humours of the body, so the seed of all sin lies in the original lust. Look to your hearts.
9. If you would not be overcome of temptation, flee the ’ occasions of sin.’ Occasions of sin have a great force in them to awaken lust within. He that would keej) himself free from infection, will not come near an infected house: if you would be sober, avoid drunken company. Joseph, hen he was enticed by his mistress, shunned the
■•»ccasion; the text saith, he would not be with her, (icn xxxix. 10. If you would not be ensnared with popery, do not hear the mass. The Nazarite, who was forbid wine, might not eat grapes, which might occasion intemperance. Come not near the borders of a temptation. Suppose one had a body
be blown up: many pray “lead us not into temptation,” and they run themselves into temptation.
10. If you would not be overcome by temptation, make use of faith, “above all things take the shield of faith,” Eph. lx 16. Faith wards off Satan’s fiery darts, that they do not hurt, 1 Pet. v. 9., “Whom resist, stedfast in the faith.” Mariners in a storm flee to their anchor: flee to your anchor of faith; faith brings Christ along with it; duellers bring their second with them into field: faith brings Christ along for its second. Faith puts into Christ, and then the devil cannot hurt us. The chicken is safe from the birds of prey, under the wings of the hen: and we are secure from the tempter, under the wings of the Lord Jesus. Though other graces are of use to resist the impulsions of Satan, yet faith is the conquering grace; faith takes hold of Christ’s merits, value, and virtue; and so a Christian is too hard for the devil. The stars vanish when the sun appears: Satan vanisheth when faith appears.
11. If you would not be overcome of temptation, be much in prayer. Such as walk in infectious jdaces, carry antidotes about them: prayer is the best antidote against temptation. When the apostle had exhorted to “put on the whole armour of God,” Eph. vi. 11., he adds, v. 18., “Praying always with all ])rayer.” Without this, reliqua armn parum prosunf, Zanch. All other weajmns will do little good. Christ prescribes this remedy, “Watch and pray, lest ye enter into tem|)tation,” Mark xiv. 38. A Christian fetchcth down strength from heaven by prayer. Let us cry to God for help against the tempter, as Samson cried t(» heaven for help, Judges xvi. 28., “O Lord God, remember me and strengthen me, I pray thee, that I may be avenged of the Philistines!” And v. 30., “The house fell upon the lords and all the people.” Prayer ls fngelhm diafxi/i, — it whips and torments the devil; the a|>ostle bids us “pray without ceasing,” 1 Thes. v. 17. It was Luther’s advice to a lady, when temptation came, to fall upon her knees by prayer. Prayer doth assuage the force of
made of gun-powder, he would not come a tempUition. Prayer is the best charm or near the least spark of fire, lest he should! spell we can use against the devil. Temo-OF THE SIXTH PETITION IN THE LORD’S PRAYER.
tation may bruise our heel; but by prayer we wound the serpent’s head. When Paul bad “a messenger of Satan to buffet him,” what remedy doth lie use? He betook himself to prayer, 2 Cor. xii. 8., “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.” When Satan assaults furiously, let us pray fervently.
12. If you would not be overcome of temptation be humble in your own eyes: such are nearest falling, who presume of their own strength. Penelton, who said, Lis fat flesh should melt in the fire, instead of his fat melting, his heart melted, and he turned from the truth: when men grow into a big conceit, (lod lets them fall, to prick the bladder of ])ri(h’. O be humble! such are like to hold best out in temptation, who have most grace; but God gives more grace to the humble, James iv. 6. Beware of pride; an imj)ostliume is not more dangerous in the body, than pride in the soul. The doves (saith Pliny) take a pride in their feathers, and in their flying high; at last they fly so high, that they are a prey to the hawk: when men fly high in pride and self confidence, they become a prey to the tempter.
13. If you would not be foiled by temptation, do not enter into a dispute with Satan. When Eve began to argue the case with the serpent, the serpent was too hard for her; the devil, by his logic, disputed her out of paradise! Satan can mince sin, make it small, and varnish it over, and make it look like virtue: Satan is too subtle a sophister to hold an argument with him. Dispute not, but fight. If you enter into a parley with Satan, you give him half the victory.
14. If we would not be overcome of Satan, let us put on Christian fortitude. An enemy we must expect who is either shooting of darts, or laying of snares, therefore let us be armed with courage, 2 Chron. xix. 11., “Deal courageously, and the Lord shall be with the good.” The coward never won victory; and, to animate us in our combat with Satan, 1. We have a good Captain that marcheth before us; Christ is called ‘the Captain of our salvation,’ Ileb. ii. 10. 2. We have good armour; grace is armour of God’s making, Eph. vi. 11.
3. Satan is beaten in part already, Christ hath given him his death-wound upon the cross, Col. i. 15. 4. Satan is a chained enemy, — his power is limited, — he cannot force the will; it was all Eve complained of that the serpent deceived her, not ccnstrainedQY, Gen. iii. 13. Satan hath astutium suadendi not potentinm cogendi, — he may persuade, not compel. 5. He is a cursed enemy, and God’s curse will blast him: therefore put on holy gallantry of spirit and magnanimity. Fear not Satan, (ireater is he that is in you, than he that is against you.
15. If we would not be overcome of a teinptation, let us call in the help of others If an house be set on fire, would not you call in help? Satan tempts, that he may rob you of your soul; acquaint some friends with your case, and beg for their counsel and prayers. Who knows but Satan may be cast out by the joint prayers of others? In case of temptation, how exceeding helpful is the communion of saints?
IG. If we would not be overcome of temptation, let us make use of all the encouragements we can. If Satan be a roaring lion, ‘Christ is the lion of the tribe of Judah.’ If Satan tempts, Christ ])rays. If Satan be a serpent to sting, Christ is a brazen serpent to heal. If the conflict be hard, look to the crown, James i. 12. Whilst we are fighting, Christ will succour us; and when we overcome he will crown us. What makes the soldier endure a blootly fight, but the hope of a golden harvest? Think, that shortly God will call us out of the field where the bullets of temj)tation fly so fast, and he will set a garland of glory upon our head. How will the case be altered! Instead of fighting, singing; instead of an helmet, a diadem; instead of a sword, a palm-branch t»f victory; instead of armour, white robes; instead of Satan’s skirmishes, the kisses aiul embraces of a Saviour; the viewing these eternal recompenses, would keep us from yielding to temj)tation. Who would to gratify a lust, lovse a crown?
Use 4. A word of counsel to such as are tempted; be so wise as to make good use of your temptation. As we should labour to improve our afflictions, so to improve oar tempt.’itions. We should pick some good out of temptation, as Sarasou got honey out of the lion.
Quest. JV/iat good comes out of a temptation? Ca?i there be any good in being set vpon brj an enemy? Can there be any good to have fiery darts shot at ns?
Ans. Yes, God that can make a treacle of poison, can make his people get much good by their temptations. First, hereby a Christian sees that corruption in his heart, which he never saw before. Water in a glass looks pure, but set it on the fire, and the scum boils up: so in temptation a Christian sees that scum of sin boil up, that passion and distrust of God, as he thought had not been in his heart. Secondly, hereby a Christian sees more of the wiles of Satan, and is better able to withstand them; St. Paul had been in the fencing-school of temptation, and he grew expert in finding out Satan’s stratagems, 2 Cor. ii. 11., “We are not ignorant of his devices.” Thirdly, hereby a Christian grows more humble; God will rather let his children fall into the devil’s hands, than be jjroud; temj)tation makes the jilumcs of pride fall, 2 Cor. xii. 7., “Lest I should be exalted above measure, there was given me a thorn in the flesh.” Better is that temptation that humbles, than that duty which makes one proud. Thus you see how much good a Christian may get by temptation; which made Luther say, three things make a good divine, — prayer, meditation, temptation.
Use 5. To such as have been under sore temptations and buflfetings of Satan, to lust, revenge, self-murder, but God hath stood by them, and given them strength to overcome the tempter.
1. Be very thankful to God; say as 1 Cor. XV. 57., “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory!” Be much in doxology. Why were we kept more than others from falling into sin? Was it because temptation was not so strong? No! Satan shoots his darts with all his force. Was the cause in our will? No! such a broken shield would never have conquered Satan’stem])tations; know, that it was free grace that beat back the tempter, and brought us off with trophies of victory. O be tlianktemptation, you might have put black spots in the face of religion, and given occasion to the enemies of God to blaspheme, 2 Sam. xii. 14. Had you been overcome you might have lain sick of ’ a wounded spirit,’ and cried out, with David, of ’ broken bones.’ After Dalid yielded to temptation, he lay for three quarters of a year in horror of mind; and some divines think, he never recovered his full joy to the day of his death. O therefore, what cause have they to stand upon mount Gerizim blessing of God, who in a field of battle have got the better of Satan, and been more than conquerors! Say, as the Psalmist, Ps. cxxiv. 6. “Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us a ])rey to their teeth!” so, blessed be God who hath not given us as a prey to Satan that roaring lion! When God puts mercy in the premises, we must put praise in the conclusion.
2. You that have been tempted, and come off victors, be full of sympathy, — pity tempted souls, — shew your piety in your pit v. Do you see Satan’s darts sticking in their sides? Do what you can to pull out these darts; communicate your experiences to them; tell them how you broke the devil’s snare, and your Saviour was your succourer. The apostle speaks of restoring others, ’ in the spirit of meekness,’ Gal. vi. 1. The Greek word for rest, alludes to chirurgeons, who set bones out of joint: so when we see such as are tempted, and Satan hath, as it were, put their bones out of joint, labour to put them in joint again, with all love, meekness, and compassion. ‘A word sjjoken in season’ may relieve a soul fainting in temptation; and you may do, as the good Samaritan, drop in oil and wine into the wound, Luke X. 34«. Vir spiritualis consilia mogis quam convitia meditatur, Aug.
3. You that have got a conquest of Satan, be not secure. Think not that you shall never be troubled with the tempter more; he is not like the Syrians, 2 Kings vi. 23., “The bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.” A cock, if he be made once to run away, he will fight no more; but, it is not so with Satan, he is a restless enemy, atul if you have beaten him back, he will make a fresh onset. Hanniful to God! Had you been overcome by j bal said of Marcellus, a Roman captain, tha>
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whether he did beat or was beaten, lie was never quiet. When Christ had worsted Satan, he went away from Christ, but ad tempns, “for a season,” Luke iv. 13., as if lie meant to come ajjain. When we have gotten the better of Satan, we are apt to g-row secure, to lay aside our armour, and leave off our watch; which, when Satan perceives, then he comes upon us with a new temptation and wounds us; he deals with us as David did with the Amalakites, when they had taken the spoil, and were secure, 1 Sam. XXX. 16., “They were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating, and drinking, and dancing:” then, ver. 17., “David smote them, and there escaped not a man of them.” Therefore, after we have got the better of the tempter, we must do as the mariners in a calm, mend our tackling, as not knowing how soon another storm may come. Satan mav for a time retreat, that he may afterwards come on more fiercely; he may go awav a while, and bring other seven spirits with him, Luke xi. 26. Therefore, be not secure, but stand upon your watch-tower, lie in your armour, always expect a fight. Say, as he that hath a short respite from an ague, I look every day when my fit shall come; so say, I look every day when the tempter should come; I will put myself into a warlike posture. Satan when he is beaten out of the field, is not beaten out of heart, he will come again, lie had little hope to prevail against Christ; Christ gave him three deadly wounds, and made him retreat; yet he departed only ’ for a season.’ If the devil cannot conquer us, yet he knows he shall molest us; if he cannot destroy us, he will surely disturb us; therefore we must, with the pilot, have our compass ready, and be able to turn our needle to any point where temptation shall blow. If the tempter come not so soon as we expect, yet, by putting ourselves into a posture, we have this advantage, we are always prepared.
To conclude all: let us oft make this prayer, “Lead us not into temptation.” If Satan woo us by a temptation, let us not give consent. But in case a Christian hath, through weakness, and not out of a design, yielded to a temptation, yet let him not ’ cast away his anchor;’ take heed of de-. spair, this is worse than the fall itself. Christian, steep thy soul in the brinish waters of repentance, and God will be appeased. Repentance gives the soul a vomit; Christ loved Peter after his denial of him, and sent the first news of his resurrection to him; “Go tell the disciples and Peter.” It is an error to think that one act of sin can destroy the habit of grace. It is a wrong to God’s mercy and a Christian’s comfort, — to make this despairing conclusion, that after one hath fallen by temptation, his estate is irrecoverable. Therefore, Christian, if thou hast fallen with Peter, repent with Peter, and God will be ready to seal thy pardon.
Mat. vi. 13. But deliver us from evil.
Ana. First, In general, from the evil of
THE second branch of this sixth Petition is, Lihern nos a ma/u, — ‘’ Deliver us from evil.” There is more in this petition than is expressed; the thing expressed is, that we may be kept from evil; the thing further intended is, that we may make a progress in piety, Titus ii. 12., “Denying ungodliness, and worldly lusts;” there is being delivered from evil; “that we should live soberly, righteously, and godly;” there is a progress in piety. I begin with the first thing in this petition expressed, “Deliver us from evil.”
Quest. What evil do xve pray to be delivered from f
sin.
Secondly, More particularly, we pray to be delivered, —
1. From the evil of our own heart; it is called “an evil heart,” Ileb. iii. 12.
2. From the evil of Satan; he is called “the wicked one,” Mat. xiii. 19.
3. From the evil of the world; it is called “the ])resent evil world,” Gal. i. 4.
First, In general, “Deliver us from evil:’* we pray to be delivered from the evil of sin. Not that we pray to be delivered immediately from the presence and in-being of sin, for that cannot be in this life, we cannot shake off this viper; but we pray, that God wouUl deliver us more and more from the power and practice, from the scandalous acts of sin, which cast a reflection upon the gospel. Sin then is the deadly evil we pray agrunst: “Deliver us from evil.” With what pencil shall I be able to draw the deformed f.ice of sin? The devil would baptize sin with the name of virtue: it is easy to lay fair colours on a black face. But I shall endeavour to shew you what a prodigious monster sin is; and there is great reason we should pray, “Deliver us from evil.”
Sin is (as the apostle saith) “exceeding sinful,” Rom. i. 13. Sin is the very spirits of mischief distilled; it is called “the accursed thing,” Josh. vii. 13. That sin is the most execrable evil, appears several ways;
1. Look upon sin in its original.
2. Look upon sin in its nature.
3. Look upon sin in the judgment and opinion of the godly.
4. Look upon sin in the comparative.
5. Look upon sin in the manner of cure.
6. Look upon sin in its direful effects; and when you have seen all these, you will apprehend what an horrid evil sin is, and what great reason we have to pray, “Deliver us from evil.”
1st, Look upon sin in its original; it fetcheth its predigree from hell. Sin is of the devil, John viii. 34. Sin calls the devil, father. It is serpentis venenwn, as Austin saith, — it is the poison the old serpent hath spit into our virgin-nature.
2dly, Look upon sin in its nature, and so it is evil.
L See what the scripture compares it to. Sin hath got a had name, it is compared to the vomit of dogs, 2 Pet. ii. 22., to a menstruous cloth, Isa. xxx. 22., which, as Jcrom saith, was the most unclean thing under the law; it is compared to the plague, 1 Kings ln. 38., to a gangrene, 2 Tim. ii. 17. Persons under these diseases we would be loath to eat and drink with.
2. Sin is evil in its nature, as it is injurious to God three wavs:
(L) It is a breach of God’s royal law, 1 John iii. 4.,” Sin is a transgression of
! the law:” It is crimen lessee majestafis-^ — l“gJ» treason against heaven. What greater injury can be offered to a prince than to trample upon his royal edicts? Neh. ix. 2fi., “They have cjist thy laws behind their backs.”
(2.) Sin is a contum.icious affront to God, it is a walking contrary to him. Lev. xxvi. 40. The Hebrew word for sin signifies rebellion: sin flies in the face of God, — Job XV. 25., “He stretcheth out his hand against God.” We ought not to lift u|) a thought against God, much less to lift up an hand against him; but the sinner doth so. Sin is Deicidium; it would not only unthrone God, but ungod him; if sin could help it, God should be no longer God.
(3.) Sin is injurious to God, as it is an act of high ingratitude. God feeds a sinner, screens off many evils from him; yet he not only forgets God’s mercies, but abuseth them; IIos. ii. 8., “I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver, which they prepared for Baal.” God may say, I gave thee wit, health, and riches, which thou hast employed against me. A sinner makes an arrow of God’s mercies, and shoots at him, 2 Sam. xvi. 17., “Is this thy kindness to thy friend?” Did God give thee life to sin? Did he give thee wages to serve the devil? O what an ungrateful thing is sin! Ingratitude forfeits niercv, as the merchant forfeits his goods by not paying custom.
3. Sin is g in its nature, as it is a foolish thing, Luke xii. 20., “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee!” Is it not foorish to prefer a short lease before an inheritance? A sinner prefers the plejisures of sin for a season before those pleasures which are at God’s right-hand for evermore. Is it not folly to gratify an enemy? Sin gratifies Satan. Morldlium irrores cpuhe sunt damomnn, men’s sins feast the devil. Is it not folly for a man to bo felo fie se, guilty of his own destruction, to give himself poison? A sinner hath an hand in his own death, Prov. i. 18., “They lay wait for their own lilood;” no creature did ever willingly kill itself but man.
4. Sin is a polluting thing. Sin is not only a defection, but a pollution; it is as rust to gold, — as a stain to beauty; it is
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c’lUcd “filtliiiiess of the flesh and s])irit,” 2 Cow vii. 1. It makes the soul rod with puilt and hhick with filth. Qitantn fceditasvithsfc mentis! Cicero. This filth of sin is inward; a spot in the face may easily be wiped off, but to have the liver and lunys tainted is far worse; sin hath cfot into the conscience, Tit. i. 15. Sin defiles all the faculties, the mind, memory, affections, as if the whole mass of blood were corrupted; sin pollutes and fly-blows our holy thinjrs; the leper, in the law, if he had touched the altar, the altar had not cleansed him, but he had polluted the altar; an emblem of sin’s leprosy spotting our holy things.
.5. Sin is a debasing thing, it degrades us of our honour, Dan. xi. 21. In those days “shall stand up a vile person.” This was spoken of Antiochus Epiphanes, who was a king, and his name signifies illustrious; but sin had made him vile. Sin blots a man’s name; nothing so turns a man’s glory into shame as sin doth; sin makes one like a beast, Ps. xlix. 20. It is worse to be like a beast, than to be a beast; it is no shame to be a beast, but it is a shame for a man to be like a beast. Lust makes a man brutish, and wrath makes him devilish.
6. Sin is an enslaving thing. A sinner is a slave when he sins most freely. Grave servitntis jugum! Cicero. Sin makes men the devil’s servants; Satan bids them sin, and they do it; he bid Judas betray Christ, and he did it; he bid Ananias tell a lie, and he did it. Acts v. 3. When a man commits a sin, he is the devil’s lackey and runs on his errand; they who serve Satan have such a bad master, that they will be afraid to receive their wages.
7. Sin is an misavoury thing, Ps. xiv. 3., “They are altogether become filthy;” in the Hebrew, they are become stinking. Sin is very noisome to God; that person who shall worship in God’s house, yet live in the sin of uncleanness, let him be perfumed with all the spices of Arabia, his prayers are unsavoury, Isa. i. 13., “Incense is an abomination to me;” therefore God is sjiid to behold the proud afar off, Ps. cxxx’iii. 6. He will not come near the dunghill-sinner, that hath such noisome vapours coming from him.
8. Sin is a painful thing, it costs men much labour and pains to accomplish their wicked designs, Jer. ix. 5., “They weary themselves to commit iniquity.” Peccatnm est sui ipsius pceiut. Vliat pains did Judas take to bring about his treason! He goes to the high priest, and then after to the band of soldiers, and then back again to the garden. What pains did the powdertraitors take in digging through a thick stone-wall! What pains in laying their barrels of powder, and then covering them with crows of iron! How did they tire out themselves in sin’s drudgery! Chrysostom saith, virtue is easier than vice; it is easier to be sober than intemperate; it is easier to serve God than to follow sin. A wicked man sweats at the devil’s plough, and is at great pains to damn himself.
9. Sin is a disturbing thing; whatever defiles, disturbs. Sin breaks the peace of the soul, Isa. I vii. 21., “No peace to the wicked.” When a man sins presumptuously, he stuffs his pillow with thorns, and his head will lie very uneasy when he comes to die. Sin causeth a trembling at the heart. When Spira had sinned, he had a hell in his conscience; he was in that horror, that he professed he envied Cain and Judas. Charles IX. who was guilty of the massacre in Paris, was afterwards a terror to himself; he was frighted at every noise, and could not endure to be awakened out of his sleep without music. Sin breaks the peace of the soul. Cain in killing Abel, stabbed half the world at a blow, but could not kill the worm of his own conscience. Thus you see what an evil sin is in the nature of it; and had we not need pray, “Deliver us from evil.”
3dly, Look upon sin in the judgment and opinion of the godly, and it will appear to be the most prodigious evil.
1. Sin is so great an evil, that the godly will rather do any thing than sin, Ilcb. xi. 24, 25., “Moses chose rather to suffer with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin.” The primitive Christians said, ad leonuin putiiis quam lenonem, — they chose rather to be devoured by lions without than lusts within. Irenreus was carried to a place where w<is a cross on one side and an idol on the other, and he was put to his choice, either to bow to the idol, or suffer on the cross, and lie chose the latter. A wise man will choose rather to have a rent in his coat than in his llesh; the godly will rather endure outward sufferings than a rent in their conscience. So great an evil is in sin, that the godly will not sin for the greatest gain; they will not sin though they might purchase an estate by it, nay though they were sure to promote God’s glory by it.
2. The godly testify sin is a great evil, in that they desire to die upon no account more than this, that they may be rid of sin: they are desirous to put off the clothing of the flesh, that they may be unclothed of sin; it is their greatest grief that they are troubled with such inmates, they have the stirrings of pride, lust, envy. It was a cruel torment Mezentius used, he tied a dead man to a living: thus a child of God hath corruption joined with grace, — here is a dead man tied to the living. So hateful is this, that a believer desires to die for no other reason more than this, that death shall free him from sin. Sin brought death into the world, and death shall carry sin out of the world. Thus you see, in the opinion of the godly, sin is the most hyperbolical and execrable evil.
4thly, Look upon sin in the comparative, and it will appear to be the most deadly evil. Compare what you will with it: I. Afflictions. 2. Death. 3. Hell, and still sin is worse.
1. Compare sin with affliction: there is more evil in a drop of sin, than in a sea of affliction.
(1.) Sin is the cause of affliction, the cause is more than the effect. Sin brings all mischief; sin hath sickness, sword, famine, and all judgments in the womb of it. Sin rots the name, consumes the estate, wastes the radical moisture. As the poets feigned of Pandora’s box, when it wjis opened, it filled the world full of diseases: so when Adam broke the box of original righteousness, it caused all the penal evils in the world. Sin is the Phaeton that sets the world on fire. Sin turned the angels out of heaven, and Adam out of jjaradise. Sin causeth mutinies, divisions, massacres, Jer. xlvii. fi., ‘’ ■’ O thou sword of the Lord, how long will
it be ere thou be quiet!” The sword of (i()d’s justice lies quietly in the scabl)ard, till sin draws it out and whets it against a nation. So that sin is worse than affliction, it being the cause of it: the cause is more than the effect.
(2.) (jod is the author of affliction, Amos iii. ()., “Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hith not done it?” It is meant of the evil of affliction. (Jod hath an hand in affliction, but no hand in sin; (jod is the cause of every action, so far as it is natural, but not as it is sinful. He who makes an instrument of iron, is not the cause of the rust and canker which corrupts the iron, so God made the instrumen of our souls, but the rust and canker of sin, which corrupts our souls God never made. Peccatiun Deus non fecit, Austin. (Jod can no more act evil, than the sun can darken. In this sense sin is worse than affliction. God hath an hand in affliction, but disclaims having any hand in sin.
(3.) Affliction doth but reach the body, and make that miserable, but sin makes the soul miserable. The soul is the most noble part. Hie soul is a diamond set in a ring of clay; it is excellent in its essence, a spiritual, immortal substance, — excellent in the price paid for it, redeemed with the blood of God, Acts xx. 28. It is more worth than a world; the world is of a coarser make, the soul of a finer spinning; in the world we see the finger of God, in the soul the image of (iod. To have the precious soul endangered, is far worse than to have the body endangered. Sin wrongs the soul, Prov. viii. 36. Sin casts this jewel of the soul overboard. Affliction is but skin-deep, it can but take away the life, hut sin takes away the soul, Luke xii. 20. The loss of the soul is an unparalleled loss, it can never be made up again. “God (saith St. Chrysostom) hath given thee two ey<’s, if thou losest one thou hast another; but thou hast but one soul, and, if that be lost, it can never be repaired.” Thus sin is worse than affliction; the one can but reach the body, the other ruins the soul. Is there not great reason then, that wo should oft( n put up this petition, “Deliver us from evil.’’”
(4.) Afflictions are good for us, Ps. cxix..
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71., “It is good for me that I have been afflicted.” Many can bless God for affliction. Affliction humbles, Lam. iii. 19, 20., “Remembering my affliction, the wormwood and the gall, my soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.” Afflictions are compared to thorns, Hos. ii. 6., these thorns are to prick the bladder of pride. Affliction is the school of repentance, Jer. xxxi. 18, 19., “Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised; I repented.” The fire being put under the still, makes the water drop from the roses: the fire of affliction makes the water of repentance drop from the eyes. Affliction brings us nearer to God. The loadstone of mercy doth not draw us so near to God as the cords of affliction. When the prodigal was pinched with want, then, saith he, “I will arise and go to my father,” Luke xv. 18. Afflictions prepare for glory, 2 Cor, iv. 17., “Our light affliction worketh for us an eternal weight of glory:” The limner lays his gold upon dark colours, so God lays first the dark colours of affliction, and then the golden colour of glory. Thus affliction is for our good; but sin is not for our good, it keeps good things from us, Jer. v. 25., “Your sins have withholden good things fi-om you.” Sin stops the current of God’s mercy, it precipitates men to ruin. Manas-Rch’s affliction brought him to humiliation; but Judas his sin brought him to desperation. (5.) A man may be afflicted, and his conscience may be quiet. Paul’s feet were in the stocks, yet he had the witness of his conscience, 2 Cor. i. 12. The head may ache, yet the heart may be well: the outward man may be afflicted, yet the soul may dwell at ease, Ps. xxv. 13. The hail may beat upon the tiles of the house, when there is music within; in the midst of outward pain, there may be inward peace. Thus, in affliction, conscience may be quiet; but when a man commits a ])resumptuous, scandalous sin, conscience is troubled; by defiling the purity of conscience, we lose the peace of conscience. When Spira had sinned and abjured the faith, he was a terror to himself, he had an hell in his conscience. Tiberius the emperor felt such a sting in his conscience, that he told the senate, he suffered death daily.
(6.) In affliction we may have the love of God. Afflictions are love-tokens. Rev. iii. 19., “As many as I love, I rebuke.” Afflictions are sharp arrows, but shot from the hand of a loving father. If a man should throw a bag of money at another, and it should bruise him a little, and raise the skin, he would not be offended, but take it as a fruit of love: so, when God bruiseth us with affliction, it is to enrich us with the golden graces of his Spirit, all is love: but when we commit sin, God withdraws his love, — it is the sun overcast with a cloud, nothing appears but anger and displeasure. When David had sinned in the matter of Uriah, 2 Sam. xi. 27., “The thing that David had done displeased the Lord.”
(7.) There are many encouragements to suffer affliction. God himself suffers with us, Isa. lxiii. 9., “In all their afflictions he was afflicted.” God will strengthen us in our sufferings, Ps. xxxni. 39., “He is their strength in the time of trouble.” Either God makes our burden lighter, or our faith stronger. He will compensate and recompense our sufferings. Mat. xix. 29., “Every one that hath forsaken houses or lands for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit life everlasting.” Here are encouragements to suffer affliction, but there is no encouragement to sin. God hath brandished a flaming sword of threatenings to deter us from sin, Ps. lxviii. 21., “God shall wound the hairy scalp of such an one as goes on still in his trespasses.” There is a flying roll of ciu’ses which enters into the house of a sinner, Zech. v. 4., “If a man sin, be it at his peril; Dent. xxxii. 42., “I will make mine arrows drunk with blood.” (iod will make men neary of their sins, or he will make them weary of their lives. Tims sin is worse than affliction; there are encouragements to suffer affliction, but no encouragement to sin.
(8.) When a person is afflicted, only he himself suffers; but by sinning openly he doth hurt to others. 1. He doth hurt to the unconverted; one man’s sin mav lav a stone in another man’s way, at M-hich he may stumble and fall into hell; O the evil of scandalous sin! Some are discouraged, others hardened; thy sinning may be the c(l than Alexander the conqueror. Thus afflictions maynify a person, but sin doth not magnify hut vilify him. When Eli’s sons had sinned and profaned their ])ricsthood, they turned their glory into shame; the text saith, “They made themsolves vilo,” 1 Sam. iii. 13. Sin casts an indelible blot (m a man’s name, Prov. vi. 32, 33., “Whoso commits adultery with a woman, a wound and dishonour shall he get, and his reproach shall not be wiped away.”
(11.) A man may suffer affliction, and bring honour to religion. Paul’s iron chain made the gospel we.ir a gold chain; suffering credits and propagates the gospel, but committing of sin brings a dishonour and scandal upon the ways of God. Cyprian saith, when in the primitive times a virgin, who vowed herself to religion, had defiled her chastity, totum ecclesice ccclinn erubescere, — shame and grief filled the face of the whole congregation. When scandidous sins are committed by a few, they bring a reproach upon all them that profess; as three or four brass shillings in a sum of money make all the rest suspected,
(12.) When a man’s afflictions are upon a good account, when he suffers for Christ, he hath the prayers of God’s people. ‘Tis no small privilege to have a stock of prayer iroin<’’: it is like a merchant that hath a ])art in several ships; suffering saints have a large share in the ])rayers of others, Acts xii. 5., “Peter was in j)rison, but prayer was made without ceasing of the church to (iod for him.” What greater ha])))ines8 than to have (iod’s promises, and the saints’ prayers? But when a man sins presinnjituouslv ami scandalously, — he hath the saints bitter tears and just censures, — he is a l)nrden to all that know him, as Dayid sjteaks ill another case, Ps. xxxi. 11., “They that did see me without, fled from me.” So a scandalous sinner, the people of God flee deals with you as sons.” Every print of j from him, he is like an infected person, ethe rod is a badge of honour. 2. As the very one shuns and aA’oids him. Bufferings of the godly have raised their (13.) Affliction can hurt a man only fame and renown in the world; the zeal i while he is living, but sin doth hurt him and constancy of the martyrs in their suf- i when he is dead. As a man’s virtues and ferings have eternized their name. O how alms may do good when he is dead, so a eminent was Job for his patience! James man’s sins may do him mischief when he V. 11., “Ye have heard of the patience of is dead. When a spider is killed, the poi-Job.” Job the sufferer was more renown- son of it may do hurt; so the poison of an
cause of another’s damning, Mai. ii. 7, 8. The priests going wrong caused others to stumble. 2. He doth Imrt to the converted; by an open scandalous sin he offends weak believers, and so sins against Christ, 1 Cor. viii. 12. Thus sin is worse than affliction, because it doth hurt to others.
(9.) In affliction the saints may rejoice, 1 Thes. i. 6., “Ye received the word in much affliction, with joy.” Heb. x. 34., “Ye took joyfully the spoiling of your goods.” Aristotle speaks of a bird that lives among thorns, yet sings sweetly, so a child of God can rejoice in afflictions. St. Paul had his prison songs, Rom. v. 3., “We glory in tribulation.” The Greek word signifies an exuberancy of joy, — a joy with boasting and triumph. God doth oft pour in those divine consolations as cause the saints to rejoice in afflictions; they had rather have their afflictions, than want their comforts; God doth candy their wormwood with sugar, Rom. v. 5. You have seen the sun-shine when it rains: the saints have had the shinings of (iod’s face, when afflictions have rained and dropped upon them. Thus we may rejoice in affliction, but we cannot rejoice in sin, IIos. ix. 1., “Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people, for thou hast gone a-whoring from thy God.” Sin is matter of shame and grief not of joy. David having sinned in numbering of the j)eo|)h’, his “heart smote him,” 2 Sam. xxiv. 10. As the pricking of a vein lets out the blood, so, when sin hath pricked the conscience it lets out the joy.
(10.) Affliction is a magnifying of a person. Job vii. 17, 18., “What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him, and visit him every morning!” That is, visit him with affliction.
Quest. How do afflictions magnify us?
Ans. 1. As they are signs of sonship, Ileb. xii. 7.,” If ye endure chastening, (iod
OF THE SIXTH PETITION IN THE LORD’S PRAYER.
evil example may do much hurt, when a man is in his grave. Affliction at most can hut last a man’s life, but sin lives and doth hurt when he is gone. Thus you see sin is far worse than affliction.
2. Sin is worse than death. Aristotle calls death ’ the terrible of terribles,’ and Job calls it, ’ the king of terrors,’ Job xviii. 14., but sin is more deadly than death itself. 1. Death,* though it be painful, yet it were not hurtful but for sin; it is sin that imbitters death and makes it sting, 1 Cor. XV. 56., “The sting of death is sin.” Were it not for sin, though death might kill us, it could not curse us. Sin poisons death’s arrow, so that sin is worse than death, liecause it puts a sting into death. 2. Death doth but separate between the body and the soul: but sin, without repentance, separates between God and the soul. Judges xviii. 24., *’ Ye have taken away my gods, and what
have I more?” Death doth but take away our life from us, but sin takes away our God from us: so that sin is worse than death.
3. Sin is worse than hell. In hell there is the worm and the fire, but sin is worse. 1. Hell is of God’s making, but sin is none of his making; it is a monster of the devil’s creating. 2. The torments of hell are a burden only to the sinner, but sin is a burden to God, Amos ii. 13., “I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.” 3. In hell-torments there is something that is good, — there is the execution of God’s justice, — there is justice in hell; but sin is the most unjust thing, — it would rob God of his glory, — Christ of his purchase, — the soul of its happiness; so that it is worse than hell.
5thly, Look upon sin in the manner of its cure; it cost dear to be done away; the guilt of sin could not be removed but by the blood of Christ; he who was God must die, and be made a curse for us, before sin could be remitted. How horrid is sin, that no angel or archangel, nor all the powers of heaven, could ])rocurc the pardon of sin, but it cost the blood of God! If a man should commit an offence, and all the nobles should kneel upon their knees before the king for him, but no pardon could be had, unless the king’s son be arraigned and suffer death for him, — all must conceive it was an horrible fact that must be the cause of this, such is the case here, the Son of God must die to satisfy God’s justice for our sins. O the agonies and sufferings of Christ! L In his body; his head crowned with thorns, his face spit upon, his side pierced with the spear, his hands and feet nailed — Totum pro vidnere corpus. — 2. He suffered in his soul. Mat. xxvi. 38., “My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death.” He drank a bitter cup, mingled with curses; which made him, — though he was sanctified by the Spirit, — supported by the Deity, — comforted by angels, — sweat drops of blood, and cry out upon the cross, “]My God, why hast thou forsaken me!” All this was to do away our sin. View, sin in Christ’s blood, and it will appear of a crimson colour.
GthJy, Look upon sin in the dism<il effects of it, and it will appear the most horrid prodigious evil, Rom. vi. 23., “The wages of sin is death,” that is, “the second death,” Rev. xxi. 8. Sin hath shame for its companion, and death for its wages. A wicked man knows what sin is in the pleasure of it, but doth not know what sin is in the punishment of it. Sin draws hell at the heels of it. This hellish torment consists of two parts;
1. Poena damni, — the punishment of loss, Mat. vii. 23., “Depart from me.” It was a great trouble to Absalom, that he might not see the king’s face; to lose God’s smiles, to be banished from his presence, in whose presence is fulness of joy, how sad and tremendous! this word, ’ depart,’ (saith Chrysostom) is worse than the fire. Sure sin must be the greatest evil, which separates us from the greatest good.
2. Pvcna seyisus, — the punishment of sense. Mat. xxv. 41., “Depart from me, ye ye cursed, into everlasting fire, ])repared for the devil and his angels.” — “Why,” might sinners plead, “Lord, if we must depart from thee, let us have thy blessing:” “No! Go ye cursed.” — “But if we must depart from thee, let it be into some place of ease and rest.” “No! Go into fire.” — “But, if we must into fire, let it be for a little time; let the fire be quickly put out.” “No! Go into everlasting fire.” — “But if it be BO, that we must be tlicro, let us be with good company.” — “No! with the devil and Ills angels.” O what an evil is sin! all the torments of this life are but ludibriiun ct risus, a kind of sport to hell-tornients. What is a burning fever to the burnini in hell! it is called, “the wrath of Almitjhty God,” Rev. xix. 15. The Almifrhty God inflicts the punishment, therefore it will be hcavv. A child cannot strike very hard, but if a pliant strike, he kills with a blow: to have the Almighty God to lay on the stroke, it will be intolerable. Hell is the EMPHASIS of misery. The body and soul, which have sinned t<»yether, shall suffer tofjethcr; and those torments shall have no period put to them. Rev. ix. G., “They shall seek death and shall not find it.” Rev. xiv. 11., “and the smoke of their torments ascendeth for ever and ever;” here the wicked thought a ])raycr long, a sabl)ath long, but how long will it be to lie upon ])eds of flames for ever! This word, ever, breaks the heart. Thus you see sin is the most deadly arid execrable evil; look upon it in its original, in* its nature, in the judgment and estimate of the wise; look upon it comj)aratively, it is worse than affliction, death, hell; look upon it in the manner of cure, and in the dismal effV’ct, it brings eternal damnation; is there not then a great deal of reason that we should make this prayer, “deliver us from evil?”
Use ls{. Branch 1. Is sin such a deadly, pernicious evil, the evil of evils? See then what it is we are to pray most to be delivered from, and that is from sin, our Saviour hath taught us to pray, “deliver us from evil.” Hypocrites pray more against temporal evils than spiritual. Pharaoh prayed more to have the plague of hail and thunder to be removed, than his hard heart should be removed, Exod. ix. 28. The Israelites prayed, tolle serpoites, — take away the serpents from us, — more than to have their sin taken away, Numb. lxi. 8. The hypocrite’s prayer is carnal, — he prays more to be cured of his deafness and lameness, than of his unbelief, — more that God would take away his pain, than take away his sin. But our prayer should be, “deliver us from evil.” Spiritual prayers are best. Hast thou a diseased body? pray more ’
that the disease of thy soul may be removed, than thy body, Ps. xli. 4., “Heal my soul, for I have sinned.” The plague of tho heart is worse than a cancer in the breast. Hast thou a child that is crooked? pray more to have its unholiness removed than its crookedness. Spiritual prayers are more pleasing to God, and are as music in his ears. Christ hath here taught us to pray agjiinst sin, “deliver us from evil.”
Branch 2. If sin be so great an evil, then admire the wonderful patience of (iod that bears with siimers. Sin is a breach of (Jod’s royal law, it strikes at his glory; now, for God to bear with sinners, who ])rovoko him, it shows admirable patience; well may he be called “the God of patience,” Rom. xy. 4, 5. It would tire the patience of the angels, to bear with men’s sins one day;” but what doth God bear? How many affronts and injuries doth he put up? God sees all the intrigues and horrid impieties committed in a nation, Jer. xxix. 23., “They have committed villany in Israel, and have committed adultery; even I know, and am a witness, saith the Lord.” God could strike men “dead in their sins;” but he forbears and respites them. IVIethinks I see the justice of (Jod with a flaming sword in his hand, ready to strike the stroke; and patience steps in for the sinner. Lord, spare him a while longer. INIethinks I hear the angel saying to God, as the king of Israel to the ])ro|)het, 2 Kings vi. 21., “Shall I smite them? Shall I smite them? Lord, here is such a sinner, shall I smite him? Shall I take ofl the head of such a drunkard, swearer, sabbath-breaker?” And God’.s patience saith, as the dresser of the vineyard, Luke xiii. 8., “Let him alone this year.” O the infinite patience of (Jod, that sin being so great an evil, and so contrary to God, he should bear with sinners so long! 1 Sam. xxiv. 19., “If a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away?” God finds his enemies, yet he lets them go, he is not presently avenged on them. Every sin hath a voice to cry to God for vengeance; Sodom’s sin cried, (ien xviii. 20. ct God spares men; but let notsinners presume upon God’s patience; if they repent not, long forbearance is no forgiveness; God’s j):itience abused will leave men more inexcusable.
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Branch 3. If sin be so jj:reat an evil, then there is no sin little. There is no little treason; every sin strikes at God’s crown and dijTnity, and in this sense it may be said, as Job xxii. 5., “Are not thy iniquities infinite?” The least sin as the schoolmen say is infinite objective, because it is committed ajjainst an infinite Majesty; and besides, nothing can do away sin, but that which hath an infiniteness in it; for though the sufferings of Christ as man were not infinite, yet the divine nature did shed forth an infinite value and merit upon his sufferings. So that no sin is little, there is no little hell for sin. As we are not to think any of God’s mercies little, because they are more than we can deserve, so neither are we to think any of our sins little, because they are more than we can answer for. That sin we esteem lightest, without Christ’s blood will be heavy enough to sink us into perdition.
Branch 4. If sin be so great an evil, then Bce whence all personal or national troubles come; they come from the evil of sin; our sin grows high, that makes our divisions grow wide; sin is the Achan that troubles us, it is the cockatrice egg out of which comes a fiery flying serpent. Sin is like Phaeton, who, as the poets feign, driving the chariot of the sun, set the world on fire. Sin, like the planet Saturn, hath a malignant influence; sin brings us into straits, 2 Sam. xxiv. 14., “David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait.” Jer. iv. 17., “As keepers of a field are they against her round about;” as horses or deer in a field are so enclosed with hedges, and so narrowly watched, that they cannot get out, so Jerusalem was so close besieged with enemies and watched, that there was no escape for her. Whence was this? v. 1 8., “This is thy wickedness.” All our evils are from the evil of sin. The cords that pinch us arc of our own twisting. Sin raiscth all the storms in conscience; the sword of God’s justice lies quiet till sin draws it out of the scabbard, and makes God whet it against a nation.
Branch 5. If sin be so great an evil, then how little reason hath any one to be in love with sin. Some are so infatuated with sin that they delight in it. The devil can so
cook and dress sin that it y)leaseth the sinner’s palate, Job XX. 12., “Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth.” Sin is as delightful to corrupt nature, as meat to the taste. Sin is a feast on which men feed their lusts; but there’s little cause to be so in love with sin, Job xx. 12, 14., “Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, it is the gall of asps within him.” To love sin is to hug an enemy. Sin puts a worm into conscience, — a sting into death, — a fire into hell. Sin is like those locusts, Rev. viii. 10., “On their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions, and they had tails like scorpions, and they had stings in their tails.” After the woman’s hair comes in the scorpion’s sting.
Branch 6. If sin be so great an evil, then what may we judge of them who make light of sin as if there were no danger in it; as if God were not in earnest when he threatens sin; or as if ministers were about a needless work, when they preach against sin? Some people make nothing of breaking a commandment; they make nothing of telling a lie, of cozening, of slandering; nothing of living in the sin of uncleanness. If you weigh sin in the balance of some men’s judgments, it weighs very light; but, who are those that make so very light of sin? Solomon hath described them, Prov. xiv. 9,, “Fools make a mock at sin.” Stultus in vitia cito dilahitur, Isidor. Who but fools would make light of that which grieves the Spirit of God? Who but fools would put such a Viperous thing in their bosom? Who but fools would laugh at their own calamity, and make sports while they give themselves poison?
Branch 7. If sin be so great an evil, then I infer, that there is no good to be gotten by sin; of this thorn we cannot gather grapes. If sin be so deadly an evil, then we cannot get any profit by it; no man did ever thrive upon this trade. Those Atheists said, Mai. iii. 14., “It is vain to serve God, and what profit is it?” But we may say more truly, What profit is there in sin? Rom. vi. 21., “What fruit had ye then in those thinjrs whereof ye are now ashamed?” Where are your earnings? What have you gotten by sin? It bath sliainc for its companion; and death for its wajies. What profit had Achan of his wedge of gold? That wedge seemed to cleave asunder his soul from God. What profit had Aliah of the vineyard he got unjustly? The dogs licked his blood, 1 Kings xxi. 19. What profit had Judas of his treason? For thirty pieces he sold his Saviour, and bought his own damnation. All the gain men get by their sins, they may put in their eye; nay, they must, and weep it out again.
Branch 8. If sin be so great an evil, see then the folly of those who venture upon sin, because of the pleasure they have in it, 2 Thess. ii. 12., “But had pleasure in unrighteousness.” As for the pleasure of sin, 1. It is but seeming, it is but a pleasant fancy, a golden dream. 2. And besides, it is a mixed pleasure, it has bitterness intermingled, Pro v. vii. 17., “I have saith the harlot perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.” For one sweet, here are two bitters; cinnamon is sweet, but mjTfh and .ilocs are bitter; the harlot’s pleasure is mixed. There are those inward fears and lashes of conscience, as imbittcr the pleasure. 3. If there be any pleasure in sin, it is only to the body, the brutish part; the soul is not at all gratified by the pleasure, Luke xii. 19., “Soul, take thy ease;” he might have more properly said, “Body take thy ease;” the soul cannot feed on sensual objects. 4. In short, that pleasure men talk of in sin, is their disease. Some take pleasure in eating chalk or coals, this is from their disease: so, when men talk of pleasure in eating the forbidden fruit, it is from the sickness and disease of their souls, “thcv put bitter for sweet,” Isa. v. 20. O what folly is it, for a cup of pleasure, to drink a sea of wrath! Sin will be bitter in the end, Prov. xxiii. 31, 32., “Look not on the wine when it is red, when it gives its colour in the cup; at last it bites like a serpent.” Sin will prove like Ezekiel’s roll, sweet in the mouth, but bitter in the belly, — mel in ore.^fel in corde. Ask Cain now how he likes his murder? Achan, how he likes his golden wedge? O remember that saying of Austin, Momentnrnm est quod delcctnt, cBternnm qwxi cruciat! The pleasure of sin is soon gone, but the sting remains.
Branch 9. If sin be so great an evil, then, what wisdom is it to depart from evil! Job xxviii. 28., “To dcpait from evil is understanding.” To sin, is to do foolishly: therefore, to depart from sin, is to do wisely. Solomon saith, Prov. xxix. 6., In every transgression is a snare. Is it not wisdom to avoid a snare? Sin is a deceiver, it cheated our first parents; instead of being as gods, they became as the beasts that perish, Ps. xlix. 20. Sin hath cheated all that have meddled with it; is it not wisdom to shun such a cheater? Sin hath many fair pleas, and tells how it will gratify all the senses with pleasure: “But,” saith a gracious soul, “Christ’s love is sweeter, — peace of conscience is sweeter, — what are the pleasures of sin to the pleasures of paradise?” Well may the saints be called wise virgins, because they spy the deceits that are in sin, and avoid the snares. “The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil, is understanding.”
Branch 10. If sin be so great an evil, then, how justifiable and commendable are all those means which are used to keep men from sin? IIow justifiable are a minister’s admonitions and reproofs? Tit. i. 13., “Rebuke them sharply;” or cuttivgly; a metaphor from a chirurgeon that searches a wound, and cuts out the proud flesh that the patient may be sound; so God’s minister come* with a cutting reproof, but it is to keep you from sin, and to save your souls. Si merito ohjnrgaverit te aliquis, scito quia prn/uit, Seneca. Esteem them your best friends who would keep you from sinning against God. If a man were going to poison or drown himself, were not he hwfriend who would hinder him from doiu it? All a minister’s reproofs are but to keep you from sin, and hinder you from self-murder; all is in love, 2 Cor. v.. 11., “Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” ‘Tis the passion of most to he angry with them that would reclaim them from sin, Amos v. 10., “They hate him that rcbuketh in the gate.” Who is angry with the physician for prescribing a bitter potion, seeing it is to purge out the peccant hiimonr? ‘Tis mercy to men’s souls to tell them of their sins. And surely those are priests for the devil, 2 Cor. xi.
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15., who see men go on in sin, and ready to drop into hell, yet never pull them back by a reproof, nay, perhaps flatter them in their sins. God never made ministers as false glasses, to make bad faces look fair; such make themselves guilty of other men’s
sms.
Branch. 11. If sin be so great an evil, — the evil of evils, — then see what a bad choice they make, who choose sin to avoid affliction: as, if to save the coat from being rent, one should suffer his flesh to be rent. It was a false charge that Elihu brought against Job, xxxvi. 21., Thou hast chosen iniquity rather than affliction. This is a bad choice. Affliction hath a promise made to it, 2 Sam. xxii. 28., but sin hath no promise made to it. Affliction is for our good, but sin is not for our good; it would entail hell and damnation upon us. Spira chose iniquity rather than affliction, but it cost him dear; he at last repented of his choice. He who commits sin to avoid suff’ering, is like one that runs into a lion’s den to avoid the stinging of a gnat.
Branch 12. If sin be so great an evil, see then what should be a Christian’s great care in this life, to keep from sin; “Deliver us from evil.” Some make it all their cai’e to keep out of trouble; they had rather keep their skin whole than their conscience pure; but our care should be chiefly to keep from sin. How careful are we to forbear such a dish, as the physicians tells us is hurtful for us, — it will bring the stone or gout: much more should we be careful that we eat not the forbidden fruit, which will bring divine vengeance, 1 Tim. V. 22., “Keep thyself pure.” It hath always been the study of the saints to keep alooff off” from sin, Gen. xxxix. 9., •’ How can I do this great wickedness, and sin agqjnst God?” Ps. xix. 13., “Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins.” It was a saying of Anselm, “If sin were on one side, and hell on the other, I would rather leap into hell, than willingly sin against my God.” O what a mercy is it to be kept from sin! We count it a great. mercy to be kept from the plague and fire, but what is it to be kept from sin?
Branch 13. Is sin so great an evil? see hen that which may make us long for heaven, when we shall be perfectly freed from sin, not only from the outward acts of sin, but from the inbeing of sin. In heaven we shall not need to pray this prayer, “Deliver us from evil.” What a blessed time will it be, when we shall never have a vain thought more? Then Christ’s spouse shall be sine macula et ruga, — without spot or wrinkle, Eph. v. 27. Now there is a dead man tied to the living; we cannot do any holy duty, but we mix sin; we cannot pray without wandering, — we cannot believe without doubting, — but then, our virgin-soul shall not be capable of the least tincture of sin, but we shall all be as the angels of God. In heaven we shall have no temptation to sin. The old serpent is cast out of paradise, and his fiery darts shall never come near to touch us.
Use 2d. Exhortation. And it hath two distinct branches.
Branch 1. To all in general. If sin be so great and prodigious an evil, then, as you love your souls take heed of sin. If you taste of the forbidden fruit, it will cost you dear, — it will cost you bitter tears, — it may cost you lying in hell, — O therefore flee from sin!
1. Take heed of sins of omission. Mat. xxiii. 23. It is as really dangerous not to do things commanded, as to do things forbidden. Some think it no great matter to omit reading scripture; the Bible lies by like rusty armour, which they never use; they think it no great matter to omit family or closet-prayer; they can go several months, and God never hear of thera. These have nothing sanctified to them; they feed upon a curse; for every creature is sanctified by prayer, 1 Tim. iv. 5. The bird may shame many, it never takes a drop but its eye is lifted up towards heaven. O take heed of living in the neglect of any known duty! It was the prayer of a reverend holy man on his death-bed, “Lord, forgive my sins of omission.”
2. Take heed of secret sins. Some are more modest than to sin openly in a balcony; but they will carry their sins under a canopy, they will sin in secret. Rachel did not let her father’s images be seen, but she put them under her,” and sat up-
(on them,” Gen. xxxi. 34. Many will b*i diunk and unclean, if they may do it when ] nobody may see them; they are like one that shuts up his shop-windows, but follows his trade within doors. But if sin be so great an evil, let me warn you this day not to sin in secret; know, that you can never sin so privately, but that there are two witnesses always by, — God and conscience.
3. Take heed of your complexion-sin, that sin which your nature and constitution doth most incline you to. As in the hive there is a master-bee, so in the heart there is a master-sin, Ps. xviii. 23., “I have kept myself from mine iniquity.” There is some sin that is a special favourite, — the peccatum in deliciis, — the darling sin that lies in the bosom, and this doth bewitch and draw away the heart. O beware of this!
Quest. How may this darling sin be
known?
Ans. 1. That sin which a man doth most cherish, and to which all other sins are subservient; this is the sin which is most tended and waited upon. The Pharisees’ darling-sin was vain-glory; all they did was to feed this sin of pride. Mat. vi. 2., “That they may have glory of men;” when they gave alms, they sounded a trumpet. If a stranger had asked the question, “Why doth this trumpet sound?” The answer Was, “The Pharisees are going to give alms to the poor. Their lamp of charity was filled with the oil of vain-glory,” Mat. xxiii. 5. All their works they did to be seen of men. Pride was their bosom-sin. Oftentimes covetousness is the darling-sin; all other sins are committed to maintain this. Why do men equivocate, oppress, defraud, take bribes? all is to uphold covetousness.
A. 2. That sin which a man doth not love to have reproved, is the darling-sin. Herod could not endure to have his incest spoken against: if John the Baptist meddles with that sin it shall cost him his head.
A. 3. That sin which hath most power over one, and doth most easily lead him captive, that is the beloved of the soul. There are some sins a man can better put off, and give a repulse to; but there is one sin, which, if it comes to be a suitor, he cannot deny, but is overcome by it: this is the bosom-sin. The young man in the
gospel had a complexion-sin which he could not resist, and that was the love of the world; his silver was dearer to him than his Saviour. It is a sad thing a man should be so bewitched by a lust, that he will part with the kingdom of heaven to gratify it.
A. 4. That sin which men use arguments to defend is the darling sin. To plead for sin, is to be the devil’s attorney; if the sin be covetousness and we vindicate it; if it be rash anger, and we justify it, Jonah iv. 9., “I do well to be angry;” this is the complexion-sin.
A. 5. That sin which doth most trouble one, and flee in his face in an hour of sickness and distress, that is the beloved sin. When Joseph’s brethren were distressed, their sin came to remembrance in selling their brother. Gen. xlv. 2.: so, when a man is upon his sick-bed, and conscience shall say. Dost not thou remember how thou hast lived in such a sin, though thou hast been often warned, yet thou wouldst not leave it? Conscience reads a curtain-lecture; sure that was the darling-sin.
A. 6. That sin which a man is most unwilling to part with, that is the darling-sin. Jacob could of all his sons, most hardly part with Benjamin, Gen. xlii. 36., “Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away:” so saith the sinner, this and that sin have I parted with; but must Benjamin go? must I part with this delightful sin? that goes to the heart. This is the Delilah, the beloved sin. O if sin be such a deadly evil, dare not to indulge any bosom-sin! This is of all the most dangerous: like an humour striking to the heart, which is mortal, leave open but one gap, the wild beast may enter at it; one darling sin lived in, is setting open a gap for Satan to enter.
4. Take heed of the sins which attend your particular callings. A calling you must live in; Adam in Paradise tilled the ground; God never sealed warrants to idleness; but every calling hath its snare; as some sin in living out of a calling, so others sin in a calling. Remember how deadly an evil sin is; avoid those sins which you may be exposed to in your trade; take heed of all fraud and collusion in your dealings, Mat. vii. 12.,” Whatsoever ye would
OF THE SIXTH PETITION IN THE LORD’S PRAYER.
that men slioulJ do to you, do ye even so to them.”
(1.) Take heed of a deceitful tongue in selling. The scripture makes it the character of one that goes to heaven, Ps. xv. 2., “He speaketh the truth from his heart.” It is the custom of many to say, the commodity stands them more, yet take less. This is hardly credihle.
(2.) Beware of a deceitful hallance, Hos. xii. 7., “The ballances of deceit are in his hand.” Men by making their weights litrhter, make their accounts heavier.
(3.) Beware of sophisticating, mingling and embasing commodities, Amos viii. 6., “They sell the refuse of the wheat.” They would pick out the best grains of the wheat, and sell the worst at the same price as they did the Iwst; to mix a coarser commodity with a fine, and yet sell it all for fine, is no better than deceit, Isa. i. 22.
(4.) Beware of stretching your consciences too far, or taking more for a commodity than it is worth. Lev. xxv. 14., “If thou sellest ought unto thy neighbour, ye shall not oppress one another.” There is a lawful gain allowed, yet one may not so advantage himself as to damnify another. Let that be the tradesman’s motto, Acts xxiv. 16., “A conscience void of offence, toward God and toward man.” He hath an hard bargain, that doth purchase the world with the loss of his soul.
(5.) Sin being so deadly an evil, “take heed of the appearance of sin.” Abstain not only from apparent evil, but the appearance of evil: if it be not absolutely a sin, yet if it looks like sin, avoid it. He who is loyal to his prince, not only forbears to have his hand in treason, but he will take heed of that which hath a shew of treason. Joseph’s mistress tempted him, and he fled and would not be with her, Gen. xxxix. 12. An apj)earanee of good is too little, and an aj)pearance of evil is too much. 1. The appearance of evil is oft an occasion of evil; dalliance is an appearance of evil, and oftentimes it occasions evil. Touching the forbidden fruit, may occasion tasting: dancing in masquerades, hath often been the occasion of uncleanness. 2. The appearance of evil may scandalize another, 1 Cor. viii. 12., “When ye sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ:” sinning against a member of Christ, is a sinning against Christ.
Thus you see sin being so deadly an evil, we should avoid all sin, — sins of omission, — secret sins, — complexion-sins, — sins that attend our particular calling, — yea, the appearance of evil.
Quest. JVhat means shall ice use to be kept from the acts of sin?
Ans. 1. If you would be preserved from actual and scandalous sins, labour to mortify original sin. If you would not have the branches bud and blossom, smite at the root. I know original sin cannot in this life be removed, but labour to have it subdued. Why do men break forth into actual sins, but because they do not mortify heart sins? Suppress the first risings of pride, lust, passion; original sin unmortified, will prove such a root of bitterness, as will bring forth the cursed root of scandalous sin.
A. 2. If you would be kept from actual sins, think what an odious thing sin is. Besides what you have heard, remember, sin is ’ the accursed thing,’ Josh. vii. 13. It is the abominable thing God hates, Jer. xliv. 4., “O do not this abominable thing that I hate! ‘Sin is the spirits of witchcraft; it is the devil’s excrement; it is called ’ filthincss,’ James i. 21. If all the evils in the world were put together, and their quintessence strained out, they could not make a thing so filthy as sin doth. So odious is a sinner, that God loathes the sight of him, Zech. xi. 8., “My soul loathed them.” He who defiles himself with avarice, what is he but a serpent licking the dust? He who defiles himself with the lust of uncleanness, what is he but a swine with a man’s head? He who defiles himself with prid’S what is he but a bladder, which the devil hath blown up? He who defiles himself with drunkenness, what is he but a beast that hath got the staggers? To consider how odious and base a thing sin is would be a mean to keep us from sinning.
A. 3. If you would be kept from actual sins, get the fear of God planted in your hearts, Prov. xvi. 6., “By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.” Cavcbis si pavehis. Fear is a bridle to sin, and a spur to holiness. Fear puts an holy awe upon tin? heart, and binds it to its ^ooA behaviour. By the foar of the Lord men depart from eldl. When the empress Eudoxia, threatened to banish Chrysostom, “Tell her (saith he) I fear nothing but sin.” Fear ls janitor animce; it stands as a porter at the door of the soul, and keeps sin from entering; all sin is committed for want of the fear of God, Rom. iii. 14. 15. 18., “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood; there is no fear of God before their eyes.” Holy fear stands sentinel, and is ever watching against security, pride, wantonness. Fear is a Christian’s life-guard to defend him against the fiery darts of temptation. Si vis esse securus, semper time. The way to be safe, is always to fear, Prov. ii. 14.
A. 4. If we would be kept from actual sins, lot us be careful to avoid all the inlets and occasions of sin; run not into evil company; he that would not have the plague, will not go into an infected house. Guard your senses, which may be the inlets to sin. Keep the two portals, the eye and the ear; especially, look to your eyes; much sin comes in by the eye, — the eye is oft an inlet to sin, — sin takes fire at the eye, — the first sin in the world, began at the eye, Gen. iii. 6., “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and was pleasant to the eyes, then she took of the fruit thereof.” Looking begat lusting. Intemperance begins at the eye: looking on the wine when it is red and gives its colour in the glass, causeth excess of drinking, Prov. xxi. 31
eye. Josh. vii. 21., “When I the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and a wedge of gold, I coveted and took them.” The fire of lust besins to kindle at the eye: David walking upon the roof of his house, saw a woman washing herself, and she was, saith the text, ’ very beautiful to look upon,’ and he sent messengers and took her, and defiled himself with her, 2 Sam. xi. 2. O therefore look to your eyes! Job made a covenant with his eyes, Job xxxi. 1. If the eye be once inflamed, it will be hard to stand out long against sin; if the outworks are taken by the enemy.
Covetousness begins at the
saw anion”:
there is great danger of taking the AlhoIe castle.
A. 5. If you would be kept from actual gross sin, study sobriety and temperance, 1 Pet. V. 8, Sobrii est, ’ be sober.’ Check the inordinancy of appetite; sin doth frequently make its entrance this way. By gratifying the sensitive appetite, the soul, that is a-kin to angels, is enslaved to the brutish part. Many drink, if not to drunkenness, yet to drowsiness. The not denying the sensitive appetite, makes men’s consciences so full of guilt, and the world so full of scandal. If you would be kept from running into sin, lay restraint upon the flesh. What hath God given reason and conscience for, but to be a bridle to check inordinate desires?
A. 6. If you would be kept from actual sins, be continually upon your spiritual watch.
1. Watch your thoughts, Jer. iv. 14., “How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?” Sin begins at the thoughts. First, men cherish revengeful thoughts, then they dip their hands in blood. Set a spy over your thoughts.
2. Watch your passions: passions of anger, passions of lust. The heart is ready to be destroyed by its own passions, as the vessel is to be overturned by the sail. Passion transports beyond the bounds of reason; it is brevis insania, Seneca, ‘A short frenzy.’ Moses in a passion spake unadvisedly with his lips, Ps. cvi. 33. The disciples in a passion called for fire from heaven, A man in a passion is like a ship in a storm, that hath neither pilot nor sails to help it, but is exposed to the waves and rocks.
3. Watch your temptations. Satan continually lies in ambush, and watcheth to draw us to sin. Stat in procinctu diabolns: lie is fishing for our souls, — he is either laying of snares, or shooting of darts, — therefore we had need watch the tempter, that we be not decoyed into sin. Most sin is committed for want of watchfulness.
A. 7. If you would be kept from the evil of sin, consult with the oracles of God, be well-versed in scri[)ture, Ps, cxix. 11., “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee,” The word is, amceps gladins, — a two-edged sword, to cut asunder men’s lusts. When the fogs and
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vapours of sin begin to arise, let but the lio-ht of scripture shine into the soul, and it dispels those fogs; “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,” Col. iii. 16. Alphonsus king of Arragon, read over the bible fourteen times. The word shews the damcable evil of sin; it furnisheth us with precepts, which are so many recepes and antidotes against sin. When Christ had a temptation to sin, he beat back the tempter, and wounded him three times with this sword of the Spirit, “It is written.” Why do men live in sin, but because they either do not read the word or do not believe it? A. 8. If you would be preserved from gross, presumptuous sin, get your hearts fired with love to God. Love hath great force in it, it is “strong as death,” it breaks the league between the heart and sin. Two things in God cause love.
1. His glorious beauty: Moses desired to see some glimpse of it. “Lord, shew me thy glory.”
2. His amazing love. What a prodigy of love was it, to give his Son out of his bosom, and lay such a jewel to pawn for our redemption! Those two, — the glories of God’s beauty, and the magnitude of his love, — may, like two loadstones, draw our love to God; and if we love him, we will not sin against him; he that loves his friend, will not by any means disj)lease him. I have read of four men meeting together, who asked one another, what it was that kept them from sinning? One said, the fear of hell; another said, the joys of heaven; the third said, the odiousness of sin; the fourth said, that which keeps me from sin, is, love to God; shall I sin against so good a God? shall I abuse love? Love to God is the best curbing-bit to keep from sin.
A. 9. If you would be kept from the evil of sin, be diligent in a calling. DH laboribus omnia vendant. Adam in j)aradise must till the ground. Such as live idly, expose themselves to sin; if we have no work to do, Satan will find us work; he sows most of his seed in fallow-ground. A woman being much tempted to sin, came to the reverend Mr. Greenham for advice, what she should do to resist the temptation? He gave her this answer Be always well-em- I
ployed, that so when Satan comes, he may find thee busied in thy calling, and thou mayest not be at leisure to listen to his temptation.”
A. 10. If you would be kept from sin, fix the eye of your mind upon ’ the beauty of holiness.’ Holiness consists in our conformity to God; holiness is the sparkling of the divine nature, a beam of God shining in the soul. How lovely is Christ’s bride, when decked and bespangled with the jewels of holiness! What makes the seraphims angels of light; but their holiness? Do but think with yourselves what a splendid, glorious thing holiness is, and it will cause a disgust and hatred of sin, which is so contrary to it. The beholding of beauty, makes one out of love with deformity.
A. 11. If you would keep from the evil of sin, meditate frequently on death: First, the unavoidableness of it, Heb. ix. 27., “It is appointed unto all men once to die.” We are not so sure to lie down this night in bed, as we are to lie down in the grave. Secondly. The uncertainty of the time. We are but tenants at will; we hold our life at the will of our landlord, and how soon may God turn us out of this house of clay? Death oft comes when we least look for it. The flood as some learned writers observe came in the month Ziph, or April, — in the spring, — when the trees were blossoming, and the birds singing, then came the flood, when they least looked for it: so oft in the spring of youth, when the body is most healthy, and the spirits most sprightly and vigorous, and death is least thought on, then it comes. Could we think often and seriously of death, it would give a death’s-wound to sin. No stronger antidote against sin than this: I am now singing, and to-morrow may be dying? What if death should take me doing the devil’s work, would it not send me to him to receive my wages? AVould but the adulterer think, I am now in the act of sin, but how soon may death come, and then I who have burned in lust, must burn in hell: this sure would strike a damp into him; and make him afraid of going after strange flesh.
A, 12. If ye would be kept from gross scaruhilous sins, beware of a covetous heart. Covetousness is a dry drunkenness. He who thirsts insatiably after the world will stick at no sin, he will betray Christ and a good cause for money. Cui nihil satis, eidem nihil turpe, Tacitus. 1 Tim. vi. 10., “The love of money is the root of all evil.” From this root comes, First, theft: Achan’s covetous humour made him steal the wedge of gold, Josh. vii. 21. Covetousness makes the gaols so full. Secondly, from this root comes murder. Why did Ahab stone Naboth to death, but to possess his vineyard? 1 Kings xxi. 13. Covetousness hath made many swim to the crown in blood. Thirdly, from this bitter root of covetousness proceeds cozenage; it is the covetous hand holds false weights. Fourthly, from this root of covetousness comes unclcauness. You read of the Iiire of a whore, Deut. xxiii. 1*^. For money she would let both her conscience and chastity be set to sale. O if you would be kept from the evil of sin, beware of coVetousness which is the inlet to so many sins!
A. 13. Let us be much in prayer to God, to keep us from ingulphing ourselves in sin, Ps. xix. 13., “Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins.” We have no power inherent to keep ourselves from evil. Arnoldus saith, that man, in his corrupt estate, hath aliquas reliquias vifce spiritualis, — some reliques of spiritual life left. And Arminias saith, man hath a sufficiency of grace in himself whereby he may abstinere a malo, abstain from evil; free-will is a sufficient curb to check and pull him back from sin. But then what needed Christ to have taught us this prayer: Libera nos a tnalo, “Deliver us from evil?” If we have power of ourselves to keep from sin, what need we pray to Clod for power? Alas! if David and Peter, in an habit of grace, fell, for want of a fresh gale of the Spirit to hold them up, much more will they be in danger of falling, who have only the power of free-will to hold them. Let us therefore sue to God for strength to keep us from sinning; pray that prayer of David, Ps. cxix. 117., * Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe.” And that other prayer, Ps. xvii. 5., “Hold up my goings in thy paths that my footsteps slip not.” Lord, keep me from dishonouring thee, — keep me from the defiling sins of the age, that I may not be worse for the
times, nor the times the worse for me, — “Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins.” Lord, whatever I suffer, keep me from sin. The chihl is safe in the nurse’s arms; and we are only safe from falling into sin, while we are held up in the arms of Christ and free-grace. The
2d Branch of the exhortation hath an aspect to (iod’s children. You that aie j)rofessors, and carnj’ Christ’s colours, I beseech you, above all others, to take heed of sin; beware of any action that is scandalous and unbecoming the gospel. You have heard what a prodigious liyperbolical evil sin is. Come not near the forbidden fruit, Hos. iv. 15., “Though thou Israel, ])lay the harlot, yet let not Judah oflfend.” So, though wicked men run into sin, yet let not the spouse of Christ defile the breasts of her virginity. Sin doth ill become any but doth worse become professors. Dung is unhandsome in the street; but to see it in the temy)le, how offensive is it? Leprosy in the foot doth ill, but to see a leprous sore in the face is much worse; to see sin break forth in them who have a face of religion, is most to be abominated. The sins of the wicked are not so much wondered at, Dan. xii. 10., “The wicked shall do wickedly.” It is no wonder to see a tod sj)it poison; it was not so much wondered to see Cain or Ahab sin; but to see Lot’s incest, — to see David’s hands stained with blood, — this was strange. When the sun is eclipsed, every one stands and looks upon it: so when a child of light is eclipsed by scandalous sin, all stand and gaze at this eclipse. The sins of God’s people do, in some sense, more provoke God than the sins of the wicked. We read “of the provokings of his sons and daughters,” Deut. xxxii. 19. The sins of the wicked anger God, but the sins of his peoj)le grieve him. The sins of God’s people have a more malignant aspect, and are of a blacker dye, than others; there are those aggravations in the sins of God’s people, as are not to be found in the sins of the unregenerate, in eight particulars.
For, 1. The godly have something which may ponere obicem, restrain them from sin. Wicked men, when they sin, have no principle to restrain them; they have wind and
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tide to carry them, but have nothinjy to pull them back from sin; but a child of God hath a principle of grace to give check to sin; he hath the impulses of (iod’s Spirit dissuading him from evil; therefore, for him to commit sin, is far worse than for others, — this is to sin more desperately, — it is, as if a woman should go about to kill the babe in her womb. Christian, this thou art to do, when thou sinnest presumptuously, thou dost what in thee lies to kill the babe of grace in thy soul.
2. The sins of God’s people are greater than others, because they sin against more mercy. This is like a weight put in a scale, it makes sin weigh heavier. God hath given Christ to a believer; he hath cut him off from the wild stock of nature, and grafted him into the true olive; and for him to abuse all this mercy, it is to out-do the wicked, and to sin with an higher aggravation, because it is to sin against greater love. How was Peter’s sin enhanced and accented, that when Christ had done more for him than others, — had dropjied some of the holy oil upon him, — had taken him into the number of the apostles, — had carried him up into the mount of transfiguration, and shewn him the glory of heaven in a vision, — that Peter should deny Christ after all this mercy, this was heinous, and could not be forgiven but by a miracle and prodigy of love.
3. The sins of the godly are worse, and have this aggravation in them that they sin against more clear illumination than the wicked, Job xxiv. 13., “They are of those that rebel against the light:” light is here taken figuratively for knowledge. It cannot be denied, but the wicked sin knowingly; but the godly have a light beyond them, — such a divine penetrating light, as no hypocrite can attain unto; they have better eyes to see sin than others; and for them to meddle with sin, and embrace this dunghill, how must this needs provoke God, and make the fury rise uj) in his face! Oh therefore, you that are the people of God, flei! from sin; your sins are more enhanced, and have worse aggravations in them than the sins of the unregcnerate!
4. The sins of the godly are worse than the sins of the unregcnerate, for, when they
sin, it is against great experiences. They have felt the bitterness of sin in the pangs of the new-birth, and afterwards God hath spoken peace, and they have had an experimental taste how ’ sweet the Lord is;’ and yet, after these experiences, that they should touch the forbidden fruit, — venture upon a / presumptuous sin, — how doth this enhance and aggravate their guilt; it is like putting a weight more in the scale to make their sin weigh heavier. The wicked, when they sin, never tasted the sweetness of an heavenly life, — they never knew what it was to have any smiles from God, — they never tasted any thing sweeter than corn and wine, therefore no wonder if they sin: but for a child of God, who hath had such love-tokens from heaven, and signal exy)eriences from God, — for him to gratify a lust, ho%v horrid is this! It was an aggravation of Solomon’s sin, that ’ his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel which bad appeared to him twice,’ 1 Kings xi. 9.
5. The sins of the godly are greater than others, because they sin against their sonship. ^Tien wicked men sin, they sin against the command; but when the godly sin, they sin against a privilege, they abuse their sonship. The godly are adopted into the family of heaven, they have a new name. Is it a light thing said David to be son-in-law to a king? So, to be called the sons of God, to be heirs of the promises, is no small honour; now, for such to run into an open offence, it is a sinning against their adoption; they hereby make themselves vile, as if a king’ s son should be tumbling* in the mire, or lie among swine.
6. The sins of the godly are worse than others, because they are committed against more vows and engagements. They have giA-en up their names to God; they have bound themselves solemnly to God by oath, Ps. cxix. 106., “I have sworn that I will keep thy righteous judgments.” And in the supper of the Lord they have renewed this sacred vow; and, after this, to run into a ])resumptuous sin, — it is a breach ol vow, a kind of perjury, which dies the sin of a crimson colour.
7. The sins of the godly are worse than others, because they bring a greater reproach upon religion For the wicked to Bin, there is no other expected from them; swine will wallow in the mire, but when sheep do so, — when the godly sin, — th.at redounds to the dishonour of the gospel, 2 Sam. xii. 14., “By this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to bhaspheme.” A stain in scarlet, every one’s eye is upon it: for the godly to sin, it is like a spot in scarlet, it is more taken notice of, and it reflects a greater dishonour upon the ways of God. When the sun is eclipsed, every one stands and looks upon it, so, when a child of light is eclipsed by scandalous sin, all stand and gaze at this eclipse. How doth the gospel suffer by the miscarriages of the godly? Their blood never can wash off the stain that they bring upon religion.
8. The sins of the godly are worse, because they are a mean to encourage and harden wicked men in sin. If the wicked see the godly to be loose and uncircumspect in their lives, they think they may do so too: the wicked make the godly their pattern, not in imitating their virtues, but their vices, and is not this fearful to be a mean to damn others? These are the affgravations of the sins of the godly; therefore you, above all others, beware of presumptuous sin; yt)ur sins wound conscience, weaken grace, and do more highly provoke God than the sins of others, and God will be sure to punish you. Whoever escapes, you shall not, Anios iii. 2., “You only have I known of all the families of the earth, therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” If God doth not damn you, yet he may send you to hell in this life; he may cause such agonies and tremblings of heart, that you will be a terror to yourselves; you may draw nigh to despair, and be ready to look upon yourselves as castaways. When David had stained himself with adultery and murder, he complained of his ’ broken bones,* Ps. li. 8, — a metaphor to set forth the grief and agony of his soul; he lay in sore desertion three quarters of a vear, and it is thought he never recovered his full joy to his dying day. Oh, therefore, you who belong to God and are enrolled in his family, take heed of blemishing your profession with scandalous sin; you will pay dear for it! Think of the
])roken bones: though God doth not blot you out of his book, yet he may cast you out of his ])rescnce, Ps. li. 11. He may keep you in long desertion. You may feel such lashes in your conscience, that you may roar out, and think yourselves half in heli.
So much for the first, “deliver us from evil:” we pray to be delivered from evil, in general, that is sin.
Secondly, In special. “Deliver us from evil.” We pray to be delivered from evil, under a threefold notion. 1. From the evil of our heart; it is called ’ an evil heart,’ Heb. iii. 12. 2. From the evil of Satan; he is called “the wicked one,” ]Mat. xiii. 19. 3. From the evil of the world; it is called ’ an evil world,’ Gal. i. 4.
1st, In this petition, “deliver us from evil,” we pray to be delivered from the e’il of our heart, that it may not decoy and trepan us into sin. The heart is the poisoned fountain from whence all actual sins flow, Mark. vii. 21., “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, fornications, murders.” The cause of all evil lies in a man’s own breast, all sin begins at the heart. Lust is first conceived in the heart, and then it is midwifed into the world. Whence conies rash anger? The heart sets the tongue on fire. The heart is a shop or work-house where all sin is contrived and hammered out; how needful therefore is this prayer, “deliver us from evil,” from the evil of our hearts? The heart is the greatest seducer, therefore the apostle James saith, “every man is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed,” James i. 14. The devil could not hurt na, if our own hearts did not give consent, all that he can do is, to lay the bait, but it is our fault to swallow the bait. Olet us pray to be delivered from the lusts and deceits of our own heart! “Deliver us from evil.” Luther feared his heart more than the pope or cardinal; and it was Austin’s prayer, li bera me, Domine, a meipso, — ‘Lord deliver me from mysidf.’ It was a good ad ice one gave to his friend, Caveas feipsum. Beware of the bosom traitor, the flesh. The heart of a man is the Trojan horse out of which comes a whole army of lusts.
2dly, In this petition, “deliver us from evil,” we pray to be delivered from the evil
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of Satan. He is ’ the evil one,’ Mat. xiii.
Quest. In what respect is Satan the wicked one?
Ahs. 1. He was the first inventor of evil, John viii. 44. He plotted the first treason.
A. 2. His inclination is only to evil, Eph. vi. 12.
A. 3. His constant practice is doing evil, 1 Pet. V. 8.
A. 4. All the evils and mischiefs that fall out in the world, he hath some hand in them.
(1.) He hinders from good, Zech. iii. 1., “He shewed me Joshua the high-priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right-hand to resist him.”
(2.) He provokes to evil; he put it into Ananias’ heart to lie, Acts v. 3., “Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?” The devil blows the fire of lust and strife. When men are proud, the old serpent hath poisoned them, and makes them swell. Thus he is the evil one; and well may we pray, “Lord, deliver us from the evil one.” The word Satan in the Hebrew signifies an opponent or adversary.
L He is a restless adversary, he never sleeps; spirits need no sleep. He is a peripatetic, — “He walks about,” 1 Pet. v. 8. And, how doth he walk? not as a pilgrim, but as a spy; he narrowly observes where lie may plant his pieces of battery and make his assaults with most advantage against us. Satan is a subtle engineer; there is no place that can secure us from Satiin’s assaults and inroads. We find him while we are praying, hearing, meditating. We are sure of his company, uncertain how we came by it.
2. Satan is a puissant adversary, he is armed with power. He is called ’ the strong man,’ Luke xi. 2L He takes men captive at his pleasure, 2 Tim. ii. 26., “Who are taken captive by him Jit his will,” — who arc taken alive by him. It alludes to a bird that is taken alive in the snare. Thus you see he is in the evil one. The devil’s work is to angle for men’s souls; he lays suitable baits; he allures the ambitious man with honour, — the covetous man with riches, he hooks his baits with silver, — he allures the
lustful man with beauty, he tempts men to Delilah’s lap to keep them from Abraham’s bosom. The devil glories in the damnation of souls. How needful then is this prayer, “Deliver us from evil.” Lord, keep us from the evil one; though Satan may solicit us to sin, suffer us not to give consent; though he may assault the castle of our hearts, yet let us not deliver up the keys of the castle to our mortal enemy.
3dly, In this petition, “Deliver us from evil,” we pray to be delivered from the evil of the world. It is called an ’ evil world,’ Gal. i. 4.; not but that the world (as God made it) is good, but through our corruption it becomes evil, and we had need pray, deliver us from an evil world.
Quest. In what sense is it an evil world?
Ans. 1. As it is a defiling world. It is like living in an infectious air; it requires an high degree of grace to “keep himself unspotted from the world,” James i. 27. It is as hard to live in the world and not be defiled, as to go much in the sun, and not be tanned.
(1.) The opinions of the world are defiling; that a little religion will serve the turn, like leaf-gold, it must be spread but thin; that morality runs parallel vniYi grace; that to be zealous, is to be righteous over much; that it is better to keep the skin whole than the conscience pure; that the flesh is rather to be gratified than mortified. These opinions of the world are defiling.
(2.) The examples of the world are defiling. Examples have a great force in them to draw us to evil. — Princeps imperio magnus example major, Princes are looking-glasses which we dress ourselves by; if they do evil, we are apt to imitate them. Great men are copies we set before us, and usually we write most like the copy when it is blotted. There is a great proneness in us to follow the examples of the world; therefore God hath put in a caveat against it, Exod. xxiii. 2., “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil.” How easily are we Imrried to sin, when we have the tide of natural corruption, and the wind of exam])le to carry us! Lot was the world’s wonder; the complexion of his soul kept pure in Sodom’s infectious air. The river of Peru In America, after it hath run into the main sea, keeps fresh, and doth not mingle with the salt waters: to this river might Lot be compared, whose piety kept fresh in Sodom’s salt water. Bad examples are catching, Ps. cvi. 35., They “were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.” Had not we need then pray. Lord, deliver us from this evil world? Living in the world is like travelling in a
diftv road.
A. 2. It is an evil world, as it is an ensnaring world. The world is full of snares. Company is a snare, — recreations are snares, — oaths are snares, — riches are golden snares, — Opes irritamenta malorinn. The apostle speaks of “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,” 1 John ii. 16. The lust of the flesh is beauty, — the lust of the eye is money, — the pride of life is honour; these are the natural man’s trinity. In mundo spleidor opum, gloricB mnjestas, voluptatinn illecehrcp, ab ainore Dei nos astraliimt. The world is a flattering enemy; whom it kisses, it oft betrays; it is a silken halter; the pleasures of the world, like o])ium, cast men into the sleep of security. Lysimachus sold his crown for a draught of water: so many part with heaven for the world. It is an ensnaring world: the king of Armenia was sent prisoner to queen Cleopatra in goldon fetters, — too many are enslaved with the world’s golden fetters. The world hewitclied Demas, 2 Tim. iv. 10. One of Christ’s own apostles was caught with a silver bait. It is hard to drink the wine of pros|)crity, and not be giddy. Thus the worhl, through our innate corruption, is evil, as it is a snare, 1 Tim. vi. 9., “They that will be rich, fall into temptation, and a snare.” If an angel were to live here, there were no danger of the world’s ensnaring him because he hath no principle within to receive the temptation, but we have a corru])t principle that suits with the temj)tation, and that makes us always in danger.
A. 3. It is an evil world as it is a discouraging world. It casts scorn and reproach upon them who live virtuously. What! Will you be holier than others, wiser than your ancestors? The world deals with the professors of religion as Sancalled * cruel mockinofs,’ requires a great
ballat did with the Jews when they were building, Neh. iv. 1, 2., “He mocked the Jews, and said, What do these feeble Jews? Will they fortify themselves? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish that are burnt?” So the wicked world casts out squibs of reproach at the godly: What! Will ye build for heaven? What needs all this cost? What profit is it to serve the Almighty? Thus the world would pluck off our chariot-wheels when we are driving towards heaven. They are
^^, Heb. xi. 36. It a great measure of sanctity to withstand the discouragements of the world, to dance among serpents, to laugh at reproaches, and bind them as a crown about our head.
A. 4. It is an evil world, as it is a deadning world. It dulls and deadneth the affections to heavenly objects. The world cools holy motions, like a damp in a silver mine which puts out the light; earthly things choke the seed of the word. A man entangled in the world is so taken up about secular concerns that he can no more mind the things above than the earth can ascend, or the elephant fly in the air; and, even such as have grace in them, yet, wlicn their affections arc belimed with the earth, they find themselves much indisposed to meditation and prayer; it is like swimming with a stone about the neck.
A. .5. It is an evil world, as it is a maligning world. It df»th disgust and hate the people of (lod, John xv. 19., “Because ye are not of the world therefore the world hateth you.” Hatred is — as Aristotle saith — against the whole kind. Haman’s hatred was against the seed of the whole Jews. When you can find a serpent without a sting, or a leopard without spots, then you may expect to find a wicked world without hatred. The white that is shot at is piety, Ps. xxxviii. 20,, ‘• They are mine adversaries, because I follow the thing that is good.” The world pretends to hate the godly for something else, but the ground ot the quarrel is holiness. The world’s hatred is implacable; anger may be reconciled, hatred cannot; you may as well reconcile heaven and hell, as the two seeds. If the world hated Christ, no wonder it hates u-s John XV. 18., “The world hated mc before it hated you.” Why should any hate Christ? This blessed dove had no gall, — this rose of Sharon did send forth a most sweet perfume; but this shews the world’s baseness, it is a Christ-hating and a saint-hating world. Had not we need to pray, deliver us from this evil world?
A. 6. It is an evil world, as it is a deceitful world.
(1.) There is a deceit in dealing, Hos. xii. 7., “He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand.” The Hebrew word signifies both to deceive and oppress. He who dares use deceit, will not spare to oppress.
(2.) There is a deceit in friendship: Prov. XX. 6., “But a faithful man who can find?”
Trila freqvensqve via est per amici fallere nomen
Some use too much courtship in friendship; they are like trumpets which make a great noise, but within they are hollow. Some can flatter and hate, commend and censure. Mel in ore fel in corde. Dissembled love is worse than hati’ed.
(3.) There is deceit in riches. Mat. xiii. 22., “The deceitfulness of riches.” The world makes us believe it will satisfy our desires, and it doth but increase them; it makes us believe it will stay with us, and it takes wings, Prov. xxiii. 5.
A. 7. It is an evil world, as it is a disquieting world. It is full of trouble, John xvi. 33. The world is like a bee-hive; when we have tasted a little honey, we have been stung with a thousand bees. St. Basil was of opinion, that before the fall, the rose did grow without prickles; but now every sweet flower of our life hath its prickles. There are many things cause disquiet: loss of friends, — law-suits, — crosses in estate; relations are not without their troubles, — some are troubled that they want children, — others troubled that they have children; the world is a vexing vanity. If a man be poor, be is despised by the rich; if he be rich, he is envied by the poor. If we do not find it an ensnaring world, we shall find it an afflicting world; it hath more in it to wean us than tempt us. The world is a sea where we are tossed upon the surging waves of sorrow, and often in
danger of shipwreck; the world is a wilderness full of fiery serpents. What storma of persecution are raised against the righteous? 2 Tim. iii. 12. The wicked are briars, Mic. vii. 4., where Christ’s sheep hpse some of their golden fleece. Then had we not need pray, Lord, deliver us from being hurt by this evil world? Why should we love the world? Though we are commanded to love our enemies, yet this enemy we must not love, 1 John ii. 15., “Love not the world.”
I have been all this while opening the first sense of this petition, “Deliver us from evil;” we pray to be delivered from sin in general, and to be delivered from evil under this threefold notion, — from the evil of our heart, — from the evil of Satan, — from the evil of the world. Ere I leave this, let me insert a
Caution. Not that our abstaining from, or forbearing the external acts of sin, is sufficient to entitle us to salvation: but when we pray, “Deliver us from evil,” there is more implied in it, namely, that we make a progress in holiness. Being divorced from sin is not enough, unless we are espoused to virtue; therefore in scripture these two are joined, Ps. xxxiv. 14., “Depart from evil, and do good,” Bom. xii. 9. and Isa. i. 16., “Cease to do evil, learn to do well,” 2 Cor vii. 1., “Let us cleanse ourseh’es from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness.” Leaving sin is not enough, unless we embrace righteousness. VirtiUia est magis hnnesto ogeri qnam non turpio. As it is in the body, it is not enough that the disease be stopped, but it must grow in health, so it is in the soul, it is not enough acts of sin be forborne, — which is the sto])ping a disease — but it must be healthy, that is, grow in holiness.
Use. Which reproves those who labour only to 6U])press the outward acts of sin, but do not press on to holiness; they cease from doing evil, but do not learn to do well. Their religion lies only in negatives; they glory in this, that they are given to no vice, none can charge them with any foul miscarriages, Luke xviii. 11., “God I thank thee, that I am not as other men are; extortioners, unjust, adulterers.” This is not enough, you must advance a step further in solia piety; it is not enough that a field be not sown with tares or hemlock, but it must be sown with good seed. Consider uvo things:
1. If this be the best certificate you have to shew that you are not guilty of gross sins, God makes no account of you. A piece of brass, though it be not so bad as clay, yet not being so good as silver, it will not pass for current coin: so though you are not grossly profane, yet not being of the right metal, wanting the stamp of holiness, you will never pass current in heaven.
2. A man may abstain from evil, yet he may go to hell for not doing good, Mat. iii. 10., “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” Why were the foolish virgins shut out? they had done no hurt, — they had not broke their lamps, — yea, but their fault was, there was no goodness rn them, they had no oil in their lamps. Oh therefore let us not content ourselves in being free from gross acts of sin, but let us launch forth further in holiness; let us cleanse ourselves from all pollution, ’ perfecting holiness.’
Secondly “Deliver us from evil,” that is, from temporal evil. AVe pray that God will either prevent temporal evils, or deliver us out of them.
J. We pray that God will prevent temporal evils; that he will be our screen, to stand between us and danger, Ps. vii. 1., “Save me from them that persecute me.” We may lawfully pray against the plots of the wicked, that they may prove abortive, — that, though they have a design upon us, they may not have their desire upon us. Ps. cxli. 9., “Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me.”
2. We pray that God will deliver us out of temporal evils, — that he will remove his judgments from us, whether famine, sword, pestilence, Ps. xxxix. 10., “Remove thy stroke away from me.” Yet with this
Caution*. We may pray to be delivered from temj)oral evils only so far as God sees it good for us. We may pray to be delivered from the evil of sin absolutely, but we
must pray to be delivered from temporal evils conditionally, so far as God sees it fitting for us, and may stand with his glory.
Use. In all the troubles that lie upon us, let us look up to God for ease and succour. “Deliver us from evil,” Isa. viii. 19., “Should not a people seek unto their God?” To blame then are the papists, who knock at the wrong door; when they are in any trouble, they pray to the saints to deliver them; when they are in danger of shipwreck, they pray to St. Nicholas; when they are in the fit of a fever, they pray to St. Petronelle; when they are in travail, they pray to St. Margaret. How unlawful it is to invocate saints in prayer, I will prove from one sciipture, Rom. x. 14., “Hvpw then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?” We may pray to none but such as we believe in; but we ought not to believe in any saint, therefore we may not j)ray to him. The papists have, in their Lady’s psalter, directed their prayers for deliverance to the virgin Mary: “Deliver me, O Lady!” Benedicta Doitnna, in manibus tuis reposita est nostra sains, — ‘O thou blessed Lady, in thy hands our salvation is laid up.’ But “Abraham is ignorant of us,” Isa. lxiii. 16: the saints and virgin Mary are ignorant of us. To pray to saints, is idolatry advanced to blasphemy. Our Saviour hath taught us better, in all our distresses to pray to God for a cure, “Deliver us from evil.” He only knows what our troubles are, and can give us help from trouble; lie only that laid the burden <»n, can take it off. David went to God, Ps. XXV. 17., “() bring thou me out of my distresses!” (lod can, with a word, heal, Ps. cvii. 20., “He sent forth his word, and healed them.” He delivered the three children out of the fiery furnace, — Joseph out of prison, — Daniel out of the lion’s deu; this proves him to be God, because none can deliver as he doth, Dan. iii. 29., “There is no other God that can deliver after this sort.” Let us then, in all our straits and exigencies, seek to God, and say, “Deliver us from evil.”
END OF THE AUTHOR’s LECTURES ON THE CATECHISM.
SERMONS AND TREATISES.