Ohj. 2. " But was not our Saviour Christ himself tempted ; and is it evil to be brought into the same state and condition with him? Yea, it is not only said that he was tempted, but his being so is expressed as a thing advantageous, and conducing to his mercifulness as our priest? Heb. ii. 17, 18, ' In that he himself hath suffered, being tempt- ed, he is able to succour them that are tempted." And he makes it a ground of a gi'eat promise to his disciples, that they had ' abode with him in his temptations,' Luke xxii. 28."
Ans. It is true, our Saviour was tempted; but yet his temptations are reckoned among the evils that befeU him in the days of his flesh, — thinsfs that came on him throuG[h the malice of the world and the
11 G OF TEMPTATIOX.
prince thereof. He did not wilfully cast liimself into temptation, which he said was "to tempt the Lord our God," Matt. iv. 7; as, indeed, willingly to enter into any temptation is highly to tempt God. Now, our condition is so, that, use the greatest diligence and watch- fulness that we can, yet we shall be sure to he tempted, and be made like to Christ therein. This hinders not but that it is our duty to the utmost to prevent our falling into them ; and that namely on this account: — Christ had only the suffering j^art of temptation when he entered into it; we have also the sinning part of it. When the prince of this world came to Christ, he had " no part in him;" but when he comes to us, he hath so in us. So that though in one eifect of temptations, namely, trials and disquietness, we are made like to Christ, and so are to rejoice as far as by any means that is produced ; yet by another we are made unlike to him, — which is our being defiled and entangled : and are therefore to seek by all means to avoid them. We never come off like Christ. Who of us " enter into temp- tation " and are not defiled ?
Ohj. 3. " But what need this great endeavour and carefulness? Is it not said that ' God is faithful, who will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape?' 1 Cor. x. 13; and, ' He knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations,' 2 Pet. ii. 9. What need we, then, be soli- citous that we enter not into them ?"
Ans. I much question what assistance he Avill have from God in his temptation who willingly enters into it, because he supposes God hath promised to deliver him out of it. The Lord knows that, through the craft of Satan, the subtlety and malice of the world, the deceit- fulness of sin, that doth so easily beset us, when we have done our utmost, yet we shall enter into divers temptations. In his love, care, tenderness, and faithfulness, he hath provided such a sufficiency of grace for us, that they shall not utterly prevail to make an everlast- ing separation between him and our souls. Yet I have three things to say to this objection: —
(1.) He that wilfully or negligently enters into temptation hath no reason in the world to promise himself any assistance from God, or any deliverance from the temptation whereunto he is entered. The promise is made to them whom temptations do befall in their way, whether they will or not; not. them that wilfully fall into them,— that run out of their way to meet with them. And therefore the devil (as is usually observed), when he tempted our Saviour, left out that expression of the text of Scripture, which he wrested tohis purpose, " All thy ways." The promise of deliverance is to them who are in their ways ; whereof this is one principal, to beware of temptation.
(2.) Though there be a sufficiency of grace provided for all the
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elect, tlia.t they sball by no temptation fall utterly from God, yet it would make any gTacious heart to tremble, to think what dishonour to God, what scandal to the gospel, what woful darkness and dis- quietness they may bring upon their own souls, though they perish not. And they who are scared by nothing l)ut fear of hell, on whom otlier considerations short thereof have no influence, in my apprehen- sion have more reason to fear it than perhaps they are aware of
(3.) To enter on temptation on this account is to venture on sin (which is the same with "continuing in sin") "that grace may abound," Rom. vi. 1, 2; which the apostle rejects the thoughts of with greatest detestation. Is it not a madness, for a man willingly to suffer the ship wherein he is to split itself on a rock, to the irrecoverable loss of his merchandise, because he supposes he shall in his own person swim safely to shore on a plank? Is it less in him who will hazard the shipwreck of all his comfort, peace, joy, and so much of the glory of God and honour of the gospel as he is intrusted with, merely on supposition that his soul shall yet escape? These things a man would think did not deserve to be mentioned, and yet with such as these do poor souls sometimes delude themselves.