selves, or jointly from all, or some of them, in their several combinations. [1.] Satan tempts sometimes singly by himself, without taking advantage from the world, the things, or persons of it, or ourselves. So he deals in his injection of evil and blasphemous thoughts of God, into the hearts of the saints; which is his own work alone, without any advantage from the world, or our own hearts. For nature will contribute nothing thereunto, nor any thing that is in the world, nor any man of the world; for none can conceive a God and conceive evil of him. Herein Satan is alone in the sin and shall be so in the punishment. These fiery darts are prepared in the forge of his own malice, and shall with all their venom and poison be turned into his own heart for ever. [2.] Sometimes he makes use of the world, and joins forces against us; without any helps from within. So he tempted our Saviour, by shewing him the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. And the variety of the assistances he finds from the world, in persons, and things which I must not insist on, the innumerable instruments and weapons he takes from thence of all sorts, and at all seasons, are inexpressible. [3.] Sometimes he takes in assistance from ourselves also. It is not with us, as it was with Christ, when Satan came to tempt him, he declares that he had nothing in him;' John xiv. 30. It is otherwise with us: he hath, for the compassing of most of his ends, a sure party within our own breasts; James i. 14, 15. Thus he tempted Judas; he was at work himself; he put it into his heart to betray Christ; Luke xxii. 3. he entered into him for that purpose, and he sets the world at work, the things of it, providing for him thirty pieces of silver;' ver. 5. They covenanted to give him money;' and the men of it, even the priests and the Pharisees; and calleth in the assistance of his own corruption; he was covetous, a thief, and had the bag. I might also shew, how the world had our own corruptions to act singly by themselves, and jointly in conjunction with Satan, and one another in this business of temptation. But the truth is; the principles, ways, and means, of temp e Matt. iv. 8. tations, the kinds, degrees, efficacy, and causes of them, are so inexpressibly large, and various, the circumstances of them from providence, natures, conditions, spiritual, and natural, with the particular cases thence arising, so innumerable and impossible to be comprized within my bound or order; that to attempt the giving an account of them, would be to undertake that which would be endless. I shall content myself to give a description of the general nature of that which we are to watch against; which will make way for what I aim at. Temptation then in general, is any thing, state, way, or condition, that upon any account whatever, hath a force or efficacy to seduce, to draw the mind and heart of a man from its obedience which God requires of him, into any sin, in any degree of it whatever. In particular, that is a temptation to any man, which causes or occasions him to sin, or in any thing to go off from his duty, either by bringing evil into his heart, or drawing out that evil that is in his heart, or any other way diverting him from communion with God, and that constant, equal, universal obedience, in matter and manner, that is required of him. For the clearing of this description, I shall only observe, that though temptation seems to be of a more active importance, and so to denote only the power of seduction to sin itself, yet in the Scripture it is commonly taken in a neuter sense, and denotes the matter of the temptation, or the thing whereby we are tempted. And this is a ground of the description I have given of it; be it what it will, that from any thing whatever, within us, or without us, hath advantage to hinder in duty, or to provoke unto, or in any way to occasion sin, that is a temptation, and so to be looked on; be it business, employment, course of life, company, affections, nature, or corrupt design, relations, delights, name, reputation, esteem, abilities, parts or excellencies of body or mind, place, dignity, art, so far as they further, or occasion the promotion of the ends before mentioned, they are all of them no less truly temptations, than the most violent solicitations of Satan, or allurements of the world; and that soul lies at the brink of ruin, who discerns it not; and this will be farther discovered in our process. CHAP. II. What it is to enter into temptation. Not barely being tempted. Not to be conquered by it. To fall into it. The force of that expression. Things required unto entering into temptation. Satun or lust more than ordinarily importunate. The soul's entanglement. Seasons of such entanglements discovered. Of the hour of temptation, Rev. iii. 18. what it is. How any temptation comes to its hour. How it may be known when it is So come. The means of prevention prescribed by our Saviour. Of watching, and what is intended thereby. Of prayer. HAVING shewed what temptation is, I come secondly, To manifest what it is to enter into temptation. 1. This is not merely to be tempted: it is impossible that we should be so freed from temptation, as not to be at all tempted. Whilst Satan continues in his power and malice, whilst the world and lust are in being, we shall be tempted: Christ, says one, was made like unto us, that he might be tempted; and we are tempted that we may be made like unto Christ temptation in general is comprehensive of ur whole warfare; as our Saviour calls the time of his ministry, the time of his temptation;' Luke xxii. 21. We have no promise that we shall not be tempted at all, nor are to pray for an absolute freedom from temptations, because we have no such promise of being heard therein. The direction we have for our prayers, is, Lead us not into temptation;' Matt. vi. 9. it is entering into temptation,' that we are to pray against: we may be tempted, yet not enter into temptation. So that, 2. Something more is intended by this expression, than the ordinary work of Satan, and our own lusts, which will be sure to tempt us every day. There is something signal in this entering into temptation, that is not the saints' every day's work it is something that befalls them peculiarly in reference to seduction unto sin, on one account or other, by the way of allurement or affrightment. 3. It is not to be conquered by a temptation; to fall down under it; to commit the sin or evil that we are tempted to, or to omit the duties that are opposed. A man may' enter into temptation, and yet not fall under temptation. God can make a way for a man to escape, when he is in, he can break the snare, tread down Satan, and make the soul more than a conqueror, though it have entered into temptation: Christ entered into it, but was not in the least foiled by it. But, 4. It is as the apostle expresseth it, 1 Tim. vi. 9. uTiπTE, to fall into temptation;' as a man falls into a pit πίπτειν, or deep place, where are gins and snares, wherewith he is entangled, the man is not presently killed and destroyed, but he is entangled and detained, he knows not how to get free, or be at liberty. So it is expressed again to the same purpose, 1 Cor. x. 13. ' no temptation hath taken you :' that is, to be taken by a temptation, and to be tangled with it, held in its cords, not finding at present a way to escape. Thence saith Peter, 2 Eph. ii. 9. 'The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations :' they are entangled with them, God knows how to deliver them out of them. When we suffer a temptation to enter into us, then we enter into temptation: whilst it knocks at the door, we are at liberty; but when any temptation comes in, and parlies with the heart, reasons with the mind, entices and allures the affections, be it long or a short time, do it thus insensibly and imperceptibly, or do the soul take notice of it, we enter into temptation. So then, unto our entering into temptation is required, (1.) That by some advantage, or on some occasion, Satan be more earnest than ordinary in his solicitations to sin, by affrightments or allurements, by persecutions or seductions, by himself or others; or that some lust or corruption by his instigation, and advantages of outward objects provoking, as in prosperity, or terrifying, as in trouble, do tumultuate more than ordinary within us. There is a special acting of the author, and principles of temptation, required thereunto. (2.) That the heart be so far entangled with it, as to be put to dispute, and argue in its own defence, and yet not be wholly able to eject or cast out the poison, and leaven that which hath been injected; but is surprised, if it be never so little off its watch, into an entanglement not easy to be avoided; so that the soul may cry, and pray, and cry again, and yet not be delivered; as Paul sought the Lord thrice for the departure of his temptation, and prevailed not. The entanglement continues. And this usually falls out in one of these two seasons. [1.] When Satan by the permission of God, for ends best known to himself, hath got some peculiar advantage against the soul. As in the case of Peter: he sought to winnow him,' and prevailed. [2.] When a man's lusts and corruptions meet with peculiarly provoking objects and occasions, through the condition of life that a man is in, with the circumstances of it; as it was with David: of both which afterward. In this state of things, a man is entered into temptation; and this is called the hour of temptation;' Rev. iii. 10. The season wherein it grows to a head; the discovery whereof will give farther light into the present inquiry, about what it is to enter into temptation; for when the hour of temptation is come upon us, we are entered into it. Every great and pressing temptation hath its hour, a season wherein it grows to a head; wherein it is most vigorous, active, operative, and prevalent. It may be long in rising, it may be long urging more or less; but it hath a season, wherein from the conjunction of other occurrences, such as those mentioned, outward or inward, it hath a dangerous hour, and then for the most part, men enter into it. Hence that very temptation, which at one time hath little or no power on a man, he can despise it, scorn the motions of it, easily resist it; at another, bears him away quite before it: it hath from other circumstances and occurrences, got new strength and efficacy; or the man is enervated and weakened, the hour is come, he is entered into it, and it prevails. David probably had temptations before in his younger days to adultery or murder, as he had in the case of Nabal; but the hour of temptation was not come, it had not got its advantages about it, and so he escaped, until afterward. Let men look for it, that are exposed unto temptations, as who is not? they will have a season wherein their solicitations will be more urgent, their reasonings more plausible, pretences more glorious, hopes of recovery more appearing, opportunities more broad and open, the doors of evil made more beautiful than ever they have been blessed is he who is prepared for : |