say they had sinned more if they had sinned less They are more acquainted with the Wiles and Depths of Satan and Naughtiness of their own Hearts and so are more solicitous 6. To make us more meek to others Gal. 6. 1. If any Man be fallen ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the Spirit of Meekness considering thy self lest thou also be tempted We are very apt to be severe and fierce upon the failings of others But now when we are tempted our selves we learn more pity and compassion towards them Severe Censurers are left to some great Temptation that they may be acquainted with their own Frailties they are tempted to some Sins to which their Hearts were not so inclinable before Well then that we may pity others mourn over them and have a fellow-feeling of their Condition God will make us know the Heart of a tempted Man that we may have more compassion over poor tempted Souls Possibly that may be a part of the Apostle's sense 2 Cor. 1. 6. Whether we be afflicted it is for your Consolation and Salvation or whether we be comforted it is for your Consolation and Salvation Persons in Office in the Church they are afflicted and tempted and it may be have a greater measure of Afflictions and Temptations that they may shew more pity to other Souls Therefore Luther was wont to say Three things made a Minister viz. Prayer Meditation and Temptation When he is much in communion with God much in the study of the Word and hath been exercised in Temptation then he will be of a tender and compassionate Heart over others and that he may help them out of the Snares of the Devil he is more fitted to his Work by Temptation 7. It occasions much Experience of the Care and Providence of God and the Comforts of his Promises A Man doth not know what the Comforts of Faith mean till he be exercised by Temptation And Spiritual Experiences will countervail all other Troubles This is an Hour of Temptation Rev. 3. 10. What should we do in this Hour of Temptation Be not over-confident nor over-diffident in an hour when God casts us upon trying Times Not over-confident in casting your selves upon needless Troubles without cause Mat. 14. 28. Peter said Lord if it be thou bid me come unto thee on the Water Peter thought he could do any thing in the strength of Christ's Word Peter seeks a Call before it be given him Nor yet be over-backward and diffident to own God and the Truths of God As Paul taxed Peter for dissembling Gal. 2. 12. when those false Brethren were likely to bring great trouble Peter dissembled and runs with them and separates himself from the purer sort of Christians he is taxed there for it We should not run into them without cause nor yet be ashamed to own the ways of God those which are most agreeable to his Holy Word Not be solicitous so much about Events as Duties for God is far more concerned than we and hath a greater Interest than we can have What 's our Interest and the Interest of our Families and our Children to the great Interest of God the Safety of his Children the Safety of his Glory and Cause of his Church Be not troubled about Events for all our Business is to understand our Duty that we may not sin but keep blameless in the Hour of Temptation Vse If Temptations be an usual Evil wherewith we encounter in the present World Then First We should not be dismayed at them Secondly We should be prepared for them First We should not be dismay'd at them as if some strange thing did befal us When we enter into the Lists with Satan resist the Devil Why 1 Pet. 5. 9. For all those things are accomplished in your Brethren that are in the Flesh. They are all troubled with a busy Devil a naughty World and a corrupt Heart And why should we look for a total Exemption and to go to Heaven in an unusual way That we may not be dismay'd by Temptation I shall give you several Considerations 1. We took an Oath to fight under Christ's Banner Baptism it is Sacramentum Militare our Military Oath which we took to fight in Christ's Cause against all the Oppositions and Difficulties we meet with in the World 1 Pet. 3. 21. The Apostle calls Baptism The Answer of a good Conscience towards God An Answer supposeth a Question It is an Allusion to the Questions propounded by the Catechist to the Catechumen When they came to desire Baptism they asked them Abrenuncias dost thou renounce the World the Flesh and the Devil And they answered Abrenuncio I do renounce them So Credis Dost thou believe in Jesus Christ with all thy Heart as Philip propounds the Question to the Eunuch and they answered Credo I do believe Wilt thou undertake to walk in all Holy Obedience and the Answer is I do undertake before God Conscience which is God's Deputy puts the Question in God's Name to those which take the Seals of his Covenant Are you willing to renounce the Flesh and worldly Vanities Will you cleave to God and his Ways what-ever they cost you Whosoever makes this Answer is supposed that he makes it knowingly that he doth understand the Difficulties of Salvation and what he must meet with in his way to Heaven So the Apostle saith You are not Debtors to the Flâ—sh Rom. 8. 12. A Man is a Debtor to another either by the Obligation of some received Benefit or by his solemn Promise and Engagement both are of use in that place They that would seek the well-being of their Souls need not gratify the Flesh. They that are engaged to walk after the Spirit and come under the Bond of an Holy Oath and that are thus solemnly engaged cannot expect to carry on the Profession of Godliness without Conflicts and multiplied Difficulties 2. That is not the happiest Condition which is most quiet and free from the Temptations of Satan for Luke 11. 21. When the strong Man armed keepeth his Palace his Goods are in peace When the Devil hath-quiet possession he doth not trouble Men. The Sea must needs be smooth and calm when Wind and Tide go one way There are some which suspect their Condition because of continual Temptation and others because they have no Temptation Neither is a safe Rule for the time of our Conflict may not yet become But if any have cause to suspect themselves it is the last sort for they that are least troubled may be most hurt they are quiet and secure because Satan hath got them into his Snare and hath a quiet Dominion in their Souls 3. Jesus Christ himself was tempted and therefore we should not be dismayed with Temptations Upon several Accounts is this a Comfort to us partly as it shews that we cannot look for an Exemption for the Captain of our Salvation was thus exercised Heb. 2. 10. Be not disconsolate it becomes good
the contrary when Men cater for the Flesh provide for it indulge carnal Distempers and feed them with that Diet which they affect These tempt themselves and seem willing to lie under their Bondage and to be glad of it 3. When a Man is a Sinner to his loss and hath Reasons of Nature to disswade him as well as Reasons of Grace not only Religion but his civil Interests would counsel him to do otherwise as he that brings a Blot upon his Name or Ruin upon his Estate by evil Courses when Men draw on Iniquity with a Cart-rope as the Expression is Isa. 5. 18. that is when it is not Pleasure but a very Toil and Burden and temporal Inconvenience to them to be sinful that industriously make it their business those that are holden with the Cords of their own Sins Prov. 5. 22. He speaks of such as did bring temporal Inconveniencies upon themselves as did consume their Flesh and their own Bodies these certainly are those that have cause to complain of their own Hearts not to put it on Satan but themselves II. Having opened the Nature of Temptations I come now to give the Reasons why this is so usual an Evil we encounter with in the World Temptation 1. God permits it for his own Glory to discover the Power the Freeness and Riches of his Grace that Men may be driven the more earnestly to sue out their Peace in the Name of Jesus Christ. Luther propounds this Reason Tho Man be prone to sin of himself of his own accord yet God suffers the Tempter to be in the World because Man is backward to seek Mercy and Grace by Christ and therefore God urgeth him with sore Temptations Certainly this Reason was given by him not amiss You know when Paul felt those Paroxisms and sad Counter-buffs in his own Spirit this makes him bless God for Jesus Christ. Rom. 7. 25. But thanks be to God through Iesus Christ our Lord It makes him reflect upon the Grace of God in Christ. We keep off from the Throne of Grace till Temptations drive us thither As when the Sheep wander the Shepherd le ts loose his Dog upon them not to worry them but to bring them back to the Fold again so God lets loose Satan to drive us to himself 2. For the trial of that Grace which he hath wrought in us Grace doth better appear in Temptation than out of it The greatness of the Woman of Canaan's Faith would never have been discovered had it not been for Christ's Answer and Denial Mat. 15. 25 28. Then O Woman great is thy Faith The Glory of that Grace which God hath wrought in his People would not be discovered so much were it not for the great Trials he puts them upon Heb. 11. 17. By Faith Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac Before we go to Heaven we shall have our Trials and shall be tried in our dearest Comforts and choicest worldly Contentments and all to see what Faith we have and what Loyalty to God in the midst of these Trials A great Tempest discovereth the goodness of a Ship and skill of the Pilot and so these great Trials they discover the soundness of our Hearts and the fruit of that Grace which God hath wrought in us Gold is most tried in the Fire and discovered to be pure and perfect Stars that lie hid in the Day shine in the Night We have but dry Notions of the Comforts of Christianityâ— and make them matter of talk until we are put upon great Trials then is our belief and sense of them proved A gilded Potsherd may shine until it comes to scouring but then the Varnish and Paint is worn off The Valour and Worth of a Souldier is not known in times of Peace and when he is out of Action When we are put to some difficulty and straits then is Faith seen Now this is a very pleasing Spectacle to God to see them approve their Faith and Loyalty to his Majesty 3. Temptations as they serve to prove so also to humble us that we may never be proud of what we have or conceited of what we have not As Paul that he might not be exalted above measure he was buffeted with a Messenger of Satan 2 Cor. 12. 7. Poor Bladders we are soon blown up and swoln into Vanity and vain Conceits of our selves therefore had need be pricked that we may let out those swelling Winds A Ship that is loaden with precious Ware needs to be ballasted with Wood Stones or contemptible Stuff But why will God humble us by Temptations and such kind of Temptations as are solicitatious to Evil Answer Spiritual Evils need a Spiritual Cure Outward Afflictions they humble but not so much as Temptations do they are not so conducible to humble a gracious Heart as Temptations to Sin Why For then the Breach is made upon our Souls and the Assault is given to that which a gracious Man counts to be dear and therefore these are suffered to come upon us If any thing will humble a Child of God this will do it It may be he may bear up under losses tollerably but when his Peace comes to be assaulted and his Grace this will humble him to purpose Worldly Men they value their Estate by their outward Interest But a Child of God by his Peace of Conscience and his thriving in Grace O this wounds him to the Heart when in either of these he suffers loss This sets him a praying and groaning to God as Paul groans bitterly when he felt those gripes of Sin and those reluctances in his Heart O wretched Man c. Afflictions they conduce to humble and prove us Deut. 8. 16. And besides too the Lord loves to make the Cause of our Mischief to be the Means of our Cure This giveth us the sight of some Corruption we saw not before 4. God permits this Exercise to his People to conform us to Christ. We must pledg him in his own Cup it must go round He himself was tempted Heb. 2. 7. Christ hath felt the weight burden and trouble of Temptations and knows the danger of them Now the Disciple is not above his Lord nor the Scholar above his Master The Devil that did set upon Christ will not be afraid of us 5. By Temptations to Sin God mortiâ—â—eth Sin not only that Sin to which we are tempted but others that we may not be so heedless When we have smarted under Temptation we are not so indulgent to Corruption as before we do not let our Senses nor Affections run loose as David speaks that he got this by his Fall Psal. 51. 6. In the hidden part thou shalt make me to know Wisdom O I shall be wiser and more circumspect for this all my Life When Men have smarted they grow more cautious and so by the over-ruling and good Hand of God our Sins do us service in our passage to Heaven as well as our Graces And God's Children may
Men Angels and Devils according to his Pleasure It is more absolute than any Superiority in the World and more universal as comprizing all Persons and Things God hath right to be King because he gave being to all things which no Earthly Pâ—tentate can Therefore the Author must be owner All other Kings are liable to be called to account and reckoning by this great King for their Administration but God is Absolute and Supream Now this is a great incouragement to us that we go to a God that hath an absolute Right for which he is responsible to none We go not to a Servant or a subordinate Agent who may be controul'd by a higher Power and whose Act may be disanulled but to an absolute Lord to whom none can say What dost thou Job 9. 12. Here 's the Comfort of a Believer that he goes immediatly to the Fountain and Owner of all Things the Absolute Lord of all the World is his Father the soveraign and free disposing of all Things is in his Hand If we expect any thing from subordinate Instruments God's leave must first be asked or they can do nothing for us but he can do what he pleaseth 't is his own Mat. 20. 15. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own None can call him to an account 2. His Relation to the Saints It is the Duty of a King to defend his Subjects and provide for their welfare So God being King will see that it be well with those that are under his Government It concerns you much to get an Interest to be under this King then to mention it in Prayer Psal. 44. 4. Thou art my King O God command deliverances for Jacob. If you want any thing for your selves or the Church put God in mind of his Relation to you Thou are my King Let not this Interest lie neglected or unpleaded All the Benefit which Subjects can expect from a potent King you may expect from God Again the word Command is notable and expresseth the Case to the full command Deliver ances All Things are at God's Command and Beck if he do but speak the word or give out Order to second Causes it is all done in a trice So Psal. 5. 2. Hearken unto the Voice of my Cry my King and my God for unto thee will I pray to thee and to none other Why should we go to Servants when we may go to the King himself So Psal. 74 12. For God is my King of old working Salvation in the midst of the Earth God will defend his Kingdom and right his injur'd Subjects Therefore if we would have any Blessing to be accomplished for our selves or for the Publick let us go to God Thine is the Kingdom And more especially if we would have any good thing to be done by those in Authority and subordinate Power over us do not so much treat with them as with God Let us beseech God to perswade and incline their Hearts for his is the Kingdom he can move them to do what shall be for the glory of his Name and the comfort and benefit of his afflicted People Let us go to God who is the sovereign King he can give you to live a quiet and peaceable Life in all Godliness and Honesty 1 Tim. 2. 2. Or he can give you Favour dispose of their Hearts to do good to his People Nehem. 1. 11. Prosper I pray thee thy Servant this day and grant him Mercy in the sight of this Man For I was the King's Cup-bearer The soveraign disposal of all things is in the Hand of God 2. Thine is the Power This also is an Argument of Confidence that God hath not only â— Kingdom but Power to back it Titles without Power make Authority ridiculous and beget â—â—orn nâ—t Reverence and Respect But now 〈◊〉 Kingdom is accompanied with Power and 〈…〉 He hath right to command all Kings no Creature can be too hard for him Earthâ—◠〈◊〉 when they have Authority and Power 〈◊〉 it is limited 2 Kings 6. 27. When the Woâ—an came to the King of Israel Help my Lord O â—ing Aâ—d he said If the Lord do not help 〈…〉 shall I help thee â—ut God's is an â—nlimited Power An absolute Right and an â—nlimited Power they meet fitly in God thereâ—ore this is an encouragement to go to him Christians that Power of God which educed all things out of nothing which established the Heavens which fixed the Earth that Power of God it 's the ground of our Confidence Psal. 121. 2. My help cometh fâ—om the Lord which made Heaven and Earth This Power should we depend upon We can ask nothing but what God is able to give yea above our asking Eph. 3. 20. Now unto him that is able â—o do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think Our Thoughts are vast and our Desires very craving and yet beyond all that we can ask or think According to the mighty Power that â—orkâ—th in us We cannot empty the Ocean with a Nutshel nor comprehend the Infinite God and raise our Thoughts to the vast extent of his Power only we must go to some instances oâ— God's Power that Power which made the World out of nothing and that Power which wrought in you where there is such infinite Resistance We may go to God and say Mat. 8. 2. Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean You need not trouble your selves about his Will he is so Good and Gracious prone and ready to do good so inclineable he is your heavenly Father But that which is most qâ—estioned is the Sufficiency of God can you believe his Power Now determine but that Lord thou canst and that 's a great relief to the Soul Our Wants are not so many but God is able to supply them our Enemies and Corruptions not so strong but God is able to subdue them surely your heavenly Father will do what is in the Power of his Hand A Beggar when he seeth an ordinary Man coming lets him pass without much Importunity but when he seeth a Man well habited well attended and with rich Accoutrements he runs close to him and will not let him alone but follows him with his Clamor knows it is in his power to help him So this should encourage us to go to the mighty God which made Heaven and Earth and all things out of nothing The third Argument which Christ propounds Thine is the Glory The Honour and Glory of all will redound to God as the Comfort accrueth to us it is for God's Honour to shew forth his Pâ—wer in our Relief and to be as good as his Word Now this is a ground of Conâ—idence That he hath joyned his Glory and our Good togâ—ther And that God's Praise waiteth while our dâ—liverance waiteth Psal. 65. 1. Praise waiteth for thee O God in Zion You think your Comfort stays and all this while God's Honour waits So Psal. 112. 1. Praise ye the Lord Blessed is