Objection 7: My Outward Afflictions Are Attended with Sore Temptations
Object. 7. “I would be silent, but my outward affliction is attended with sore temptations. God hath not only outwardly afflicted me, but Satan is let loose to buffet me; and therefore how can I be silent? How can I hold my peace now I am fallen under manifold temptations?” To this I answer,
1. No man is the less beloved because he is tempted, Eph. vi. 12, nay, those that God loves best are usually tempted most; witness David, Job, Peter, Paul; yea, and Christ himself, Matt, iv., who, as he was beloved above all others, so he was tempted above all others. He was tempted to question his Sonship; he was tempted to the worst idolatry, even to worship the devil himself; to the greatest infidelity, to distrust his Father’s providence, and to use unlawful means for necessary supplies; and to self-murder — cc Cast thyself down,” &c. Those that were once glorious on earth, and are now triumphing in heaven, have been sorely tempted and assaulted. Our whole life, saith Austin, is nothing but a temptation; the best men have been worst tempted; therefore hold thy peace.
2. Temptation resisted and bewailed, will never hurt you, nor harm you; distasted temptations seldom or never prevail; so long as the soul distastes them, and the will remains firmly averse against them, they can do no hurt; so long as the language of the soul is, “Get thee behind me, Satain,” Matt. xvi. 23, the soul is safe. It is not Satan’s tempting, but my assenting, it is not his enticing, but my yielding, that harms me; temptations may be troubles to my mind, but they are not sins upon my soul, whilst I am in arms against them. If thy heart trembles, and thy flesh quakes, when Satan tempts, thy condition is good; if Satan’s temptations be thy greatest afflictions, his temptations shall never worst thee, nor harm thee; and therefore, if this be thy case, hold thy peace.
3. Temptations are rather hopeful evidences that thy state is good, that thou art dear to God, and that it shall go well with thee for ever, than otherwise. God had but one Son without corruption, Heb. ii. 17, 18, but he has none without temptation. Pirates make the fiercest assaults upon those vessels that are most richly laden; so doth Satan upon those souls that are most richly laden with the treasures of grace, with the riches of glory. When nothing will satisfy the soul, but a full departure out of Egypt, from the bondage and slavery of sin, and that the soul is firmly resolved upon a march for Canaan, then Satan, Pharaoh-like, Exod. xiv. 6, will furiously pursue after the soul with horses and chariots, that is, with a whole army of temptations. Well, a tempted soul, when it is worst with him, may safely argue thus, If God were not my Friend, Satan would not be so much my enemy; if there were not something of God within me. Satan would never make such attempts to storm me; if the love of God were not set upon me, Satan would never shoot so many fiery darts to wound me; if the heart of God were not towards me, the hand of Satan would not be so strong against me. When Beza was tempted, he made this answer, Whatsoever I was, Satan, I am now in Christ, a new creature, and that is it which troubles thee; I see thou dost envy me the grace of my Saviour. Satan’s malice to tempt is not sufficient ground for a christian to dispute God’s love upon; if it were, there is no saint on earth that would quietly possess Divine favor a week, a day, or an hour. The jailer is quiet when his prisoner is in bolts; but if he be escaped, then he pursues him with hue and cry: you know how to apply it. Men hate not the picture of a toad, the wolf flies not upon a painted sheep; no more doth Satan upon those he hath in chains; therefore hold thy peace, though thou art inwardly tempted, as well as outwardly afflicted.
* Israel going into Egypt, had no opposition; but travelling into Canaan, they were never free.
4. Whilst Satan is tempting thee, Christ in the court of glory is interceding for thee. “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not,” Luke xxii. 31, 32. Satan would fain have been shaking him up and down, as wheat is shaken in a fan; but Christ’s intercession frustrates Satan’s designed temptations. Whenever Satan stands at our right hand to tempt us, Christ stands at his Father’s to intercede for us; “He ever lives to make intercession,” Heb. vii. 25. Some of the learned think, that Christ intercedes only by virtue of his merits; others think, that it is done only with his mouth; probably it may be done both ways, the rather because he hath a tongue, as also a whole glorified body, in heaven; and is it likely, that the mouth which pleaded so much for us on earth, should be altogether silent for us in heaven? Christ is a person of the highest honor, he is the greatest favorite in the court of heaven, he always stands between us and danger; if there be any evil plotted or designed against us by Satan, the great accuser of the brethren, he foresees it, and by his intercession prevents it. When Satan puts in his pleas, and commences suit upon suit against us, Christ still undertakes our cause, he answers all his pleas, and non-suits Satan at every turn, and in spite of hell he keeps us up in Divine favor. When Satan pleads, Lord, here are such and such sins that thy children have committed, and here are such and such duties that they have omitted, and here are such and such mercies that they have not improved, and here are such and such ordinances that they have slighted, and here are such and such motions of the spirit which they have quenched, Divine justice answers, All this is true; but Christ hath appeared on their behalf, he hath pleaded their cause, he hath fully and fairly answered whatever hath been objected, and given complete satisfaction to the utmost farthing. So that there is no accusation nor condemnation that can stand in force against them; upon which account the apostle triumphs — u Who is he that condemned? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us,” Rom. viii. 34. Christ’s intercession should be the soul’s anchorhold in time of temptation; in the day of thy temptation thou needest not be disturbed nor disquieted, but in peace and patience possess thine own soul, considering what a Friend thou hast in the court of glory, and how he is most active for thee, when Satan is most busy in tempting thee.
Lastly, All temptations that the saints meet with, shall work for their good; they shall be for their gain; the profit and advantage that will redound to tempted souls, by all their temptations, is very great. Now, this will appear to be a most certain truth, by an induction of particulars, thus:
(1.) By temptations God multiplies and increases his children’s spiritual experience, the increase of which is better than the increase of gold ;# in the school of temptation God gives his children the greatest experience of his power supporting them, of his word comforting them, of his mercy warning then, of his wisdom counselling them, of his faithfulness joying in them, and of his grace strengthening them. “My grace is sufficient for thee,” 2 Cor. xii. 9. Paul never experienced so deeply what almighty power was, what the everlasting arms of mercy were, and what infinite grace and goodness were, as when he was under the bufferings of Satan.
(2.) All their temptations shall be physical; their temptations shall be happy preventions of great abominations.” Lest I should be exalted, — lest I should be exalted,?’f 2 Cor. xii. 7. It is twice in that one verse; he begins with it, and he ends with it: if he had not been buffeted, he might have been more highly exalted in his own conceit than he was before
* Frequent engagements add to the soldier’s skill, and much increase his experience.
t Those soldiers that are most in fighting are least in sinning, and most free from diseases.
in his ecstacy. Ah, tempted souls! you say you are naught, very naught; but, had it not been for the school of temptation you might have been quite naught before this time. You say you are sick, you are even sick to death; why, your sickness had before this time killed you, had not temptations been physical to you; you are bad under temptations, but, doubtless, you would have been much worse, had not God made temptation a diet-drink for you.
(3.) Temptations shall much promote the exercise of grace. As the spring in the watch sets all the wheels a-going, and as Solomon’s virtuous woman set all her maidens to work; so temptation sets faith on work, and love on work, and repentance on work, and hope on work, and holy fear on work, and godly sorrow on wrork. As the wind sets the mill at work, so the wind of temptation sets the graces of the saints a-going. Now faith runs to Christ, pleads the blood of Christ, looks to the recompense of reward, and takes the sword of the spirit, &c.; now love cleaves to Christ, hangs upon Christ, and will fight it out to the death for Christ; now hope flees to the horns of the sanctuary, puts on her helmet, and casts her anchor upon that within the veil, &c. Grace is never more acted than when a christian is most tempted. Satan made a bow of Job’s wife, (of his rib, as Chrysostom speaks,) and shot a temptation by her at Job, thinking to have shot him to the heart — u Curse God, and die;)? but the activity of Job’s graces was a breastplate that made him temptation-proof. The devil tempting Bonaventure, told him he was a reprobate, and therefore persuaded him to drink in the present pleasures of this life; for, saith he, thou art excluded from the future joys with God in heaven. Bonaventure’s graces being active, he answered, No, not so, Satan; if I must not enjoy God after this life, let me enjoy him as much as I can in this life. (4.) By temptations the Lord will make you the more serviceable and useful to others ;* none so fit and able to relieve, to sympathize with, to succor, to counsel, to pity, to support, to bear with, and to comfort tempted souls, as those who have been in the school of temptations. “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God,” 2 Cor. i. 3, 4. By temptations God trains up his servants, and fits and capacitates them to succor and shelter their fellow-brethren. One tempted christian,
* The most skilful commanders and leaders are of greatest service and use to the soldiers.
saith Luther, is more profitable and useful to other christians, than a hundred (I may add, a thousand) that have not known the depths of Satan, that have not been in the school of temptation, Rev. ii. 24. He that is master of arts in the school of temptation, hath learned an art to comfort, to succor, and gently to handle tempted and distressed souls, infinitely beyond what all human arts can reach; no doctor like him that has been a doctor in the school of temptation; all other doctors are but illiterate dunces to him.
(5.) It is an honor to the saints to be tempted, and, in the issue, to have an honorable conquest over the tempter. It was a great honor to David that he should be put to fight hand to hand with Goliah, 1 Sam. xvii., and, in the issue, to overcome him; but it was a far greater honor to Job and Paul, that they should be put to combat in the open field with Satan himself, Job i. ii.; 2 Cor. xii. 7 — 10, and, in the close, to gain a famous conquest over him, as they did. It was a very great honor to David three mighty men, that, in jeopardy of their lives, they broke through the host of the Philistines, 2 Sam. xxiii. 13 — 17, to bring water to David out of the well of Bethlehem, and did effect it in spite of all the strength and power of their enemies, though it were to the extremest hazard of their blood and lives; but it is a far greater honor to the saints to be furnished with a spirit of strength, courage, and valor, to break through an army of temptations, and, in the close, to triumph over them; and yet, this honor have all the saints. “But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will, with the temptation, also make a wTay to escape, that ye may be able to bear it,” 1 Cor. x. 13. “And the God of peace shall tread Satan under your feet shortly,” Rom. xvi. 20. “I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one,” 1 John ii. 13, 14. “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not,” that is, “that sin that is unto death,” ver. 16; or he sinneth not as other men do, delightfully, greedily, customarily, resolvedly, impenitently, &c. “But he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not,” 1 John v. 18. The glorious victory that the people of God had over Pharaoh, Exod. xiv., and his great host, was a figure of the victory that the saints shall obtain over Satan and his instruments; which is clear from Rev. xv. 3, where we have the song of Moses and of the Lamb. But why the song of Moses and of the Lamb? but to hint this to us, that the overthrow of Pharaoh was a figure of the overthrow of Satan, and the triumphal song of Moses was a figure of that song which the saints shall sing for their overthrow of Satan. As certainly as Israel overcame Pharaoh, so certainly shall every true Israelite overcome Satan. The Romans were worsted in many fights, but were never overcome in a set war; at length they overcame all their enemies. Though a christian may be worsted by Satan in some particular skirmishes, yet, at the end, he is sure of an honorable conquest. God puts a great deal of honor upon a poor soul, when he brings him into the open field to fight it out with Satan; by fighting, he overcomes, he gains the victory, he triumphs over Satan, and leads captivity captive. It is the glory of a christian to be made strong to resist, and to have his resistance crowned with a happy conquest.
(6.) By temptations the Lord will make his people more frequent and more abundant in the work of prayer: every temptation proves a strong alarm to prayer. When Paul was in the school of temptation he prayed thrice, that is, often; days of temptation are days of great supplication. Christians usually pray most when they are tempted most; they are most busy with God when Satan is most busy with them; a christian is most upon his knees when Satan stands most at his elbow.
Augustine was a man much tempted, and a man much in prayer. Holy prayer, says he, is a shelter to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to the devil.
Luther was a man under manifold temptations, and a man much in prayer; he is said to have spent three hours every day in prayer; he used to say, that prayer was the best book in his study.
Chrysostom was much in the school of temptation, and delighted much in prayer. Oh! says he, it is more bitter than death to be spoiled of prayer; and, hereupon, (as he observes,) Daniel chose rather to run the hazard of his life, than to lose his prayer. But,
(7.) By temptations the Lord will make his people more and more conformable to the image of his Son. Christ was much tempted, he was often in the school of temptation; and the more a christian is tempted, the more he will be transformed into the likeness of Christ. Of all men in the world, tempted souls must resemble Christ, in meekness, holiness, heavenliness, &c. The image of Christ is most fairly stamped upon tempted souls; tempted souls are much in looking up to Jesus; and every gracious look upon Christ changes the soul more and more into the image of Christ, Heb.
18S THE MUTE CHRISTIAN
xii. 1, 2; 2 Cor. iii. 18; Heb. ii. 17, 18. Tempted souls experience much of the succorings of Christ; and the more they experience the sweet of the succorings of Christ, the more they grow up into the likeness of Christ; temptations are the tools by which the Father of spirits doth more and more carve, form, and fashion, his precious saints into the similitude and likeness of his dearest Son.
Lastly, Take many things in one, God, by temptations, makes sin more hateful, the world less delightful, and relations less hurtful. By temptations God discovers to us our own weakness, and the creatures’ insufficiency, in the hour of temptation, to help us, or to succor us; by temptations God will brighten our christian armor, and make us stand more upon our christian watch, and keep us closer to a succoring Christ; by temptations the Lord will make his ordinances to be more highly prized, and heaven to be more earnestly desired. Now, seeing that temptations shall work so eminently for the saints’ good, why should not christians be mute and silent? why should they not hold their peace, and lay their hand upon their mouth, though their afflictions are attended with great temptations!