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A89018 Spiritual vvisdom improved against temptation. In a sermon preached at Stepney Septemb. 16. 1660. And now made publick to obviate misrepresentation. By Matthew Meade. Mead, Matthew, 1630?-1699. 1660 (1660) Wing M1559; Thomason E1045_12; ESTC R202905 17,363 37

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and pray Mat. 16.41 that ye enter not into temptation Prayer is faiths recourse to the fountain of strength to fetch help and succour against the Tempter in praying much when we are tempted much we counter work Satan in his design for one of his great designs in temptation is to stop the stream of prayer Christ should be most sought when we are most assaulted Paul had a strong temptation and he made strong supplication The thorn in his flesh caused the groans of his Spirit The Messenger of Satan comming to buffet him made him send many a Message to Christ to come and support him For this I besought the Lord thrice 2 Cor. 12.7 8. that is often that it might depart from me When Satan doth his worst in tempting a Christian should do his best in praying There are four things especially which should be the matter of our Prayer in Temptation Pray that our grace may be above our tryal Pray that Temptation may be first Sanctified to us then removed from us Pray that though we suffer by temptation yet we may not sin in temptation deliver us from evil Pray that Christ would not be so far from us when Satan is so neer to us that when we are under the greatness of Satans malice we may be under the experience of Christs promise who hath said my grace is sufficient for thee 2 Cor 12. Faiths diligence for preparation in the hour of the souls temptation lies much in supplication Satan may tempt us but if he find a praying frame of heart he cannot hurt us I have heard of a malicious woman who gave her self to the Devil provided that he would do a mischeif to such a Neighbour whom she mortally hated the Devil went once and again to do his errand but at last returns and tells her he could do no hurt to that man for when ever he came he found him either reading the Scriptures or praying There is no voice God loves better or that Satan likes worse then the voice of prayer One of the fathers calls it Diaboli Flagellum the Devils whip to torment him The Apostle when he would teach us to stand against Satan bids us pray always Eph. 6.18 He that prayeth much is seldome taken in sin but he is never taken with sin he seldome acts it but he never likes it Now then if temptation doth not make me lay aside duty if I turn times of temptation into times of supplication if when I am in greatest danger I run to Christ for help and succour then do I walk wisely in temptation 13. It is wisdom when Satan is tempting for us to be believing all the Christians strength and comfort is fetched without doors and he hath none to send of his errand but Faith In temptation thy work is to believe and then God will do the rest Therefore saith David At what time I am affraid Psa 56. I will trust in thee he tells God he will make bold to step into his house when taken in a storm and doth not question his welcome It is one means of preservation to believe that God will preserve us As the duty that Satan hates most is the duty of praying so the grace that Satan opposes most is the grace of believing all his temptations are levelled at the ruine of Faith He may tempt thee to sins against the Law to uncleanness unjustice c. but this is not his ultimate end his great design lieth against thy interest in the Gospel what ever sin he tempts thee to his aim is not onely to draw thee to commit that sin but to ruine thy faith and so rob thee of all good and benefit by Jesus Christ This was his design in sifting Peter and this the Lord Christ foresaw and therefore tells Peter I have prayed for thee Luk. 22 32 that thy faith fail not And hence it is that the Apostle exhorteth us Above all to take the shield of faith Eph. 6.16 wherewith we shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked Every grace is of use in this combate but faith is above all 1 Iob. 5.4 This is the victory that overcomes even our Faith Faith hath two hands a receiving hand and a working hand and the receiving hand releiueth the working hand the receiving hand fetcheth in from Christ the working hand improveth it for Christ in temptation the receiving hand fetcheth in strength and succour and the working hand useth this strength whereby we conquer could we but believe Satan could never hurt us for then in our greatest conflicts the Lord Christ would help us There are eight things we should exercise our Faith upon in temptations 1. Believe the great efficacy of the blood and Cross of Christ to quench temptations 2. Believe that thou hast interest in all the fullness and merits of Christ and say when thou art in temptation Christ is my wisdome right cousness 1 Cor. 1.10 sanctification and redemption 3. Believe that when thou art in Satans hands Satan is then in Gods hands 4. Believe that the promises run with the sweetest streams when Satan raiseth the greatest stormes 5. Believe what spiritual assistances there are at hand to help and incourage us in the combate the love of God the grace of Christ the power of the spirit and besides all this Psal 4.7 Heb. 1.14 The good Angels guard us by Gods commission when the bad Angels molest us by Gods permission 6. Believe that the Lord Christ hath learned to have compassion Heb. 1.19 and 6.5 by his own tryal in the day of his humiliation 7. Luk. 17.32 Ioh. 17.15 Believe that while we are conflicting on earth with the tempter Christ is interceding for us in heaven with the Father 8. Believe the glorious recompences that are appointed for all such as overcome when they are tempted Rev. 2.26 and ● 12 to him that overcomes will I give to sit with me on my threne as I also overcame and am set down with my Father on his throne Rev. 3.21 Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life Rev. 2.10 Now then if when I am tempted much I trust much if I turn times of temptation into times of believing then do I walk wisely in temptation And thus I have done with this third season of walking wisely and that is in time of temptation Now the Lord help you and me to pray for Iam. 1. ● and seek after this spiritual wisdom that we may be fortified against temptation 2 Tim. 3.15 and so made wise to Salvation FINIS
wear a Surplice then to pinch our carkass Thus many it is to be feared destroy their consciences to keep their places and conform against their judgements to preserve their profits this is as if a man to save his hat should lose his head or as if a man should sink the ship to avoid the storm Alas poor souls how are they fallen in the hour of temptation Suppose a man were put to this either he must swear canonical obedience or he must be put to silence either he must prostitute the seals to all or he must preach to none Either he must take up the ceremonies or lay down his Ministry This would be a great temptation which part ought a man to chuse in this case Why you will say It is pitty but such a man should preach I but it is greater pitty that he should sin you will say He may do much good in his Ministry would he but conform I but he must not do evil that good may come on it Rom. 3.8 If I suffer for conscience sake God is honoured but if I sin for Gods sake he is dishonoured for my lye cannot advance his glory and 3.7 and therefore the resolution of the three children is a good pattern we will not worship the image thou hast set up So that if when temptation brings me under a dilemma I chuse that part of the dilemma which is for Gods glory though to my loss rather then that part which is for Gods dishonour and my gain then I walk wisely in temptation 9. Wisdom lies in a diligent endeavour to improve grace by temptation As the Israelites were multiplied by being oppressed Exod. 1.12 it is said The more they were afflicted the more they grew so a true Israelite the more he is tempted the more is his grace encreased as trees are the deeper rooted by the wind that most shakes them so beleevers are most strengthned by the temptations that most try them Temptation is the Devils bellows which he brings to blow out the spark of that heavenly fire that is in us but as the breath of the bellows makes the fire flame the more so the blasts of temptation make grace increase the more God hath an over-ruling hand over temptation and he turns them to good when Satan intends them for hurt and makes grace prosper by that very means whereby Satan hopes to make it wither Thus can God out-shoot Satan in his own bow So then if I labour to grow in grace in time of temptation if I turn a tempting season into a growing season then do I walk wisely in temptation 10. It is wisdom in temptation to use no indirect means for riddance but to rest upon the promise for deliverance There is no temptation that can befalus but God hath made a suitable promise to releive us that so we might not sinfully deliver our selves but patiently rest on him for deliverance He hath promised to tread Satan under our feet to bind the strong man Rom. 16.20 not to suffer us to be tempted above what we are able but to make a way for us to escape Cor. 10. that we may be able to bear it O that Christians would study the promise and converse much with the promise in time of temptation Heb. 13.5 God hath promised never to for sake us and therefore neyer let us forsake the promise There are three things very remarkable in every promise The faithfulness of the Father who gives it Owen The grace of the Son which is the matter of it The power of the Spirit which accomplisheth it The faithfulness of the Father makes the promise good to us The grace of the Son makes the promise sweet to us The efficacy of the Spirit make the promise good in us So that the promise is a sure resting place for a tempted soul Now then if in temptation I use no indirect means for riddance but rest upon the promise for deliverance then do I walk wisely in temptation 11. The wisdom of walking in temptation lieth in not yielding to temptation Temptation from Satan is our suffering but it is from our selves if it becomes our sin The Devil may flatter us but he cannot force us He may provoke but without our consent he cannot prevail He may tempt us unto sin but he cannot tempt us into sin He could never come into the house if we did not open the door Iam 1. ● Every man is tempted when when he is assaulted no but when he is drawn away of his own lust and onticed The true procreating cause of sin is in every mans soul Satan is the Father of temptation but the heart is the Mother of sin Suggestion without could do nothing were it not for corruption within it is not calliditas diaboli decipientis Aug. de ●ec orig l 2 ap 37. but voluntas hominis consentientis outward crast could do nothing without inward lust Satan woes our wills but we will our own woes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fire is in our wood though it be the Devils flame we may do the Devil wrong as bad as he is to lay all our sins at his door as though we were innocent For though the Bastard be gotten by him it is conceived and brought forth by us This is an old trick as old as Adam when God asketh him Go● 3.11 12. Hast thou eaten of the tree I forbad thee mark how he shifteth it off The woman which thou gavest to be with me she gave me of the fruit of the tree and I did eat And when God comes to the woman and asketh What is this that thou hast done saith she the Serpent beguiled me and I did eat Adam shifteth the fault from himself to the woman and she from her self to the Serpent But had not they been willing what could the Serpent have done if we are tempted it is Satans fault but if we yeild it is our guilt Sceva at the siege of Dyrrachium so long alone resisted Pompeys Army that he had two hundred and twenty darts sticking in his shield and lost one of his eyes and yet gave not over till Caesar came in to his rescue Deut. 22.23 to 2● Under the Law if a man met a Damsel and lay with her if she consented she dyed but if she cryed out she was innocent and acquitted So if when Satan assaults us he obtaines consent from us we die for fin when it is finished brings forth death Iam. 1.15 But if we consent not but cry out to Christ for help against temptation we shall be delivered So that if I stand out and yeild not when temptation comes if I consent not to the sin the temptation leads to if though Satan perswades yet he prevailes not then I walk wisely in temptation 12. The wisdom of walking in temptation lyeth in praying much when we are tempted much this is the Lord Christs own counsell Watch