QUEST. CXCV. What do we pray for in the sixth petition?
ANSW. In the sixth petition, [which is, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,] acknowledging that the most wise, righteous, and gracious God, for divers holy and just ends, may so order things, that we may be assaulted, foiled, and for a time, led captive by temptations, that Satan, the world, and the flesh, are ready, powerfully to draw us aside and ensnare us; and that we, even after the pardon of our sins, by reason of our corruption, weakness, and want of watchfulness, are not only subject to be tempted, and forward to expose ourselves unto temptations; but also, of ourselves, unable and unwilling to resist them, to recover out of them, and to improve them, and worthy to be left under the power of them; we pray, that God would so overrule the world, and all in it; subdue the flesh, and restrain Satan; order all things, bestow and bless all means of grace, and quicken us to watchfulness in the use of them, that we, and all his people may, by his providence, be kept from being tempted to sin; or, if tempted, that, by his Spirit, we may be powerfully supported and enabled to stand in the hour of temptation, or, when fallen, raised again and recovered out of it, and have a sanctified use and improvement thereof; that our sanctification and salvation may be perfected, Satan trodden under our feet, and we fully freed from sin, temptation, and all evil for ever.
Our Saviour having, in the foregoing petition, exhorted us to pray for forgiveness of sins, whereby the guilt of past crimes may be removed; in this he advises us to pray against temptation, lest being overcome thereby, we should contract fresh guilt, and walk unbecoming those who hope for, or have obtained forgiveness from God. In order to our understanding of which it will be necessary for us to premise something tending to explain the meaning of the word Temptation. Accordingly it may be taken in a good sense: Thus God himself is sometimes said to tempt, or rather, which is all one, to try his people. This he does by the various dispensations of his providence, whether prosperous or adverse. And sometimes by his commands, when he puts us upon the performance of difficult duties, that he might prove us, whether his fear is before us: In this respect he is said to have tempted Abraham, proved his faith, and discovered his readiness to obey his command in offering Isaac; and, after he had tried his faith, he commends him, when he says, Now I know that thou lovest God, Gen. xxii. 1, 12. And sometimes he is said to tempt, or allure, to what is good, Hos. ii. 14. to invite his people to do those things which redound to his glory and their real interest; and in this sense we may and ought to tempt others, to persuade, and, as much as in us lies, engage their affections to the performance of what is good: Thus the apostle advises us to consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, Heb. x. 24.
We are not to understand the word temptation in these senses in this petition; but it is to be taken for our being tempted to sin, in which respect God never tempts any one: Thus the apostle says, Let no man say, when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil; neither tempteth he any man, James i. 13. neither ought we to tempt one another thereunto. This being premised, we come more immediately to explain this petition: In which we shall consider some things which are supposed; and also the subject-matter thereof.
I. There are several things supposed, when we are taught to pray, Lead us not into temptation. As,
1. That man, in this imperfect state, is very much exposed to temptations. The world is always ready to present its alluring objects, which are suited to the corruption of our nature, and therefore too easily complied with: And this is farther promoted by Satan’s suggestions, who is daily endeavouring to entangle us in the snare that is laid for us.
2. As we are daily tempted to sin, so we are in great danger of being overcome thereby; which arises not only from the methods used to draw us aside from God, and the many secret snares laid for us, that are not easily discerned, but principally from the treachery of our own hearts, which are deceitful above all things, and very apt to incline us to commit those sins which bring a great deal of guilt with them. It also proceeds sometimes from a want of watchfulness; whereby the enemy comes upon us undiscovered, and we are overcome before we are aware of it; the temptation offers itself, and we are unable, but willing, to resist it. And, if fallen by it, this tends still more to weaken us, so that we cannot recover ourselves from the pit into which we are plunged; we also find it very difficult, if God is pleased, at any time, to suffer us to fall by temptations, to improve them aright to his glory and our own good.
3. It is farther supposed, that God may suffer his people, though their sins are pardoned, and their souls sanctified, to be tempted, and sometimes even foiled and led captive for a time; which may give us occasion to consider,
(1.) In what sense he may be said to tempt, or lead his people into temptation. This he does, though without being the author of sin,[123]
[1.] Objectively; when his providential dispensations, which, in themselves, are holy, just, and good, offer occasions of sin; which, nevertheless, would not ensue hereupon, did not our corrupt nature lay hold on them as such, and abuse them: Thus all God’s works of providence or grace, may prove temptations to men; as the Psalmist, speaking of the prosperity of the wicked, intimates, that it raised his envy, Psal. lxxiii. 3. and elsewhere he considers the blessings of common providence as proving a temptation, to carnal security and indifferency in religion, to some of whom it is said, Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God, Psal. lv. 19. and, on the other hand, afflictive providence sometimes prove temptations to us to murmur and entertain hard thoughts of God.—Moreover, his threatenings are oftentimes abused, and some thereby tempted to think him severe and unmerciful; others complain of his commandments as grievous, because he does not give them those indulgencies to sin which their corrupt natures desire. In these respects God may be said to lead into temptation; nevertheless, we are not to pray, that he would alter the methods of his providence, or make abatements as to the duties which he commands us to perform; but rather, that he would not suffer us to make a wrong use of them.
[2.] God leads into temptation permissively, when he does not restrain the tempter, which he is not obliged to do, but suffers us to be assaulted by him, and, at the same time, denies the aids and assistance of his grace, to prevent our compliance therewith; so that when we pray that he would not lead us into temptation, we desire that he would prevent the assault, or fortify us against it, that, through the weakness of our grace, or the prevalency of corruption, we may not comply with the temptation.
(2.) We shall now consider the reason why God thus leads his people into temptation, or suffers them to be tempted: or what are those holy, wise, just, and gracious ends, which he designs thereby; and,
[1.] It cannot be expected that it should be otherwise, when we chuse to go in the way of temptation, or indulge those corruptions, whereby we are inclined to yield to it: In this case, God’s judicial hand appears, as he punishes for one sin, by suffering us to be tempted to another.
[2.] God hereby gives us occasion to see our own weakness, and the deceitfulness of our hearts, and the need we have of his grace, to prevent our falling by temptation: Thus it is said, that God left Hezekiah, 2 Chron. xxxii. 31. compared with 2 Kings xx. 15. when he sinned in shewing the ambassadors of the king of Babylon the treasures that he had in his house, in which this good king discovered too much pride; whereas it had been better had he shewn them the bed he lay on, when he was nigh unto death, and taken occasion from thence, to give God the glory of his miraculous recovery which was the reason of their being sent to compliment him upon it: In this respect God left him to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.
[3.] God does this, that, when we experience the superior force of our spiritual enemies, we may, by faith and prayer, have recourse to his almighty power and grace. Thus when the apostle Paul was in danger of being exalted above measure, through Satan’s temptations, he says, For this I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me, 2 Cor. xii. 8.
[4.] He suffers this, that we may herein have an instance of the imperfections of this present state, and be induced to press after, and long for, that state of perfect freedom, not only from sin, but temptation, which is reserved for us in heaven.
[5.] We are led into temptation, that hereby we may see the necessity of making use of the whole armour of God, that we may be able to stand our ground. As the soldier will not put on his armour but when he is going to engage the enemy; so God has ordained that our life should be a perpetual warfare, and that we should be continually exposed to the assaults of our spiritual enemies, that we may always be prepared for them, having the girdle of truth, the breast-plate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, Eph. vi. 14-17. He also suffers this, that we may, in the end, know what it is to conquer, and have the pleasure and satisfaction arising from hence, and that he may have the glory of this victory.
[6.] God suffers this, that he may cure our sloth, and excite us to greater watchfulness, as those who are never wholly out of danger: Thus the apostle says, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the Devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, 1 Pet. v. 8. and our Saviour advises his disciples, to watch and pray, that they enter not into temptation, Matt. xxvi. 41.
[7.] God suffers us to be tempted, that we may know the depths of Satan, which we should otherwise be unapprized of; and that thereby we may be more prepared to make resistance, and, when we are enabled to overcome, may be better furnished to direct others, who are liable to like temptations, how they should behave themselves under them, and to encourage them to hope that they should be delivered, as we have been.
4. It is farther observed, that though God suffers his people to be tempted, and even foiled, and led captive, yet this is only for a time. In this the temptations of believers differ from those of the unregenerate, who are taken captive by Satan at his will, 2 Tim. ii. 26. Whereas it is said concerning the believer, that it is only for a season; and that, if need be, he is in heaviness through manifold temptations, 1 Tim. i. 6. This leads us to consider,
II. The subject-matter of the petition, when we pray that God would not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. The only difficulty in laying down the method in which this is to be insisted on, arises from the indeterminateness of the word evil; of which, there are various senses given by them, that explain the Lord’s prayer.
Some understand by it, the evil one, or the Devil; and then one part of this petition may be considered as exegetical of the other: So that, not to be led into temptation, is the same as, to be delivered from the assaults of Satan, the evil one, that we may not be brought under his power, or become vassals to him, as complying with his temptations.
Others understand the word in a more large sense, as an intimation of our desire to be delivered from evil of all kinds, and that either from the evil of sin, or the evil of afflictions, which are the consequence of sin. If we take it for a deliverance from the evil of sin; this respects the guilt thereof, and the punishment that is due to it; and then it differs little or nothing from the subject-matter of the foregoing petition, when we pray, that God would forgive us our sins; or if, on the other hand, we take it for deliverance from the evil of sin, as it includes in it a branch of sanctification, that is, from the dominion and slavery of sin, then it is well connected with the former petition; for when we pray for pardon of sin, we ought also to pray for deliverance from the reigning power thereof. And it is very well connected with our praying against temptation; for it is, in effect, to desire either that we may not be assaulted by the tempter, or that we may not be drawn aside to sin against God thereby.
As for the evil of affliction, I cannot think that this is intended by this expression, because the opposition between it and our deliverance from temptation, would not appear to be so just as we must suppose it is, unless we take temptation itself to be an affliction; and then it is the same as though we should say, deliver us from temptation, that we may not be afflicted therewith; which we must be supposed to be, by reason of the danger we are in of falling thereby.
By passing by these critical remarks on the sense of the words, Deliver us from evil, we shall consider the subject-matter of this petition, under two general heads, viz.
First, We shall enquire what are the temptations which we are exposed to.
Secondly, How we are to pray that we may not be led into them; or, if we are, how we may be delivered from the evil consequences that will arise from our compliance with them, which is principally implied in those words, Deliver us from evil.
First, What are those temptations which we are exposed to: These are of various kinds, all which take their rise either from the world, the flesh, or the Devil. Their manner of acting, indeed, is different; yet they are very often united in their assaults, from whence we are in perpetual danger of being overcome, if God, by his grace, is not pleased to interpose.—And,
1. We shall consider the temptations that we meet with from the world. These are either such as arise from the solicitations of those whom we converse with therein, who, under a pretence of friendship, persuade us to sin: Thus we read of some who entice others to lay wait for blood, and desire those whom they would ensnare into this crime, to cast in their lot among them, Prov. i. 10-14. but we are advised, not to consent to, or be confederate with them: Or else they arise from those things in the world which present themselves to us, and are temptations to sin, in an objective way, being not so much the cause as the occasion thereof; and, in many instances, the use thereof is lawful, while the abuse alone proves hurtful to us: This is what we shall principally confine ourselves to at present, and shew how the good and evil things of the world, or the various conditions in which we are, whether prosperous or adverse, prove temptations to us.
(1.) The good things of the world, or the various conditions in which we are, whether prosperous or adverse, prove temptations to us.
(2.) The good things of the world are sometimes a snare to us, or an occasion of sin, viz. the riches, honours and pleasures thereof: Thus our Saviour speaks, Matt. xiii. 22. of the care of this world, that is, either to gain or increase of it; and the apostle speaks of some who had forsaken the right way, following the way of Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, 2 Pet. ii. 15. or acted contrary to his conscience for gain; and Felix perverted justice to obtain a bribe, concerning whom it is said, He hoped that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him, Acts xxiv. 16. And we read of others that will be rich, that is, who immoderately pursue the gain of the world, that hereby fall into temptation, and a snare, and many hurtful lusts, 1 Tim. vi. 9. And the honours of the world are a temptation to others; Thus our Saviour says, How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, John v. 44. And others are ensnared by the pleasures of the world, who are stiled lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, 2 Tim. iii. 4.
And, indeed, we often find, that the necessary duties or enjoyments of life, such as eating, drinking, and recreation; and the various relations we stand in to others prove a temptation to us. Many things are so, as they are used unseasonably, immoderately, and without a due regard to the glory of God, which ought to be our highest end in all worldly enjoyments; and, indeed, whatever has a tendency to draw forth our corruption, may be said to be a temptation to us: Sometimes the prosperous condition of others has this effect upon us: Thus Cain, beholding Abel to have a more visible token of the divine regard to his person and offering than he had, hated and slew him, Gen. iv. 5, 9. And Joseph’s being a favourite in his father’s house, and honoured by God, in having divine dreams, gave occasion to his brethren to envy him; who first designed to slay him, and afterwards, out of malice, sold him into Egypt. And when Joshua saw Eldad and Medad prophesying, supposing that this belonged only to Moses; and that it was a lessening of his honour, for them to pretend to this privilege, he desires that they might be forbid; but this was plainly a temptation; for Moses gives him a check, intimating that he did not well in envying them for his sake, Numb. xi. 29.
Moreover, we often find, that our own condition in the world, when we enjoy the outward blessings of providence, proves a temptation: Some are like the vessel that is in danger of being overset by having too much sail, and no ballast to keep it steady: In like manner, the abundance of this world, without the grace of God, to sanctify and set bounds to our affections, will oftentimes prove a snare to us. Some are hereby tempted to covetousness, than which, nothing is more preposterous; yet nothing more common. This seems to be supposed in the Psalmist’s advice; If riches increase, set not your heart upon them, Psal. lxii. 10. and it is an intimation, that our desires often increase with our substance, so that the more we have, the more we want, and are less disposed to contribute to the necessities of others: We have an instance of this in Nabal, whose answer to the obliging message, sent by David to him, Say ye to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast. Give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand, unto thy servants, and to thy son David, 1 Sam. xxv. 6, 8, 11. argued him to be of a churlish disposition, and that his prosperous circumstances in the world were a temptation to his corruptions, having no sense of gratitude for those favours that he had received from him and his men, while they resided in the wilderness, and were conversant with those that kept his flocks there. It would have been a more plausible excuse, had he alleged the danger that might accrue to him thereby: or, that it was possible that Saul might hear of it, and deal with him as he had done with Abimelech, and the other priests, at Nob, for that small respect that he had shewed him: But this be takes no notice of, but treats him morosely, when he says Shall I take my bread and my water, and my flesh, that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be. This manifested him to be a man of Belial, as Abigail confesses, when she says, Nabal is his name, and folly is with him, ver. 25.
Again, we sometimes find, that a prosperous condition in the world, is a temptation to God’s people to presumption and carnal security; as the Psalmist says, In my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved, Psal. xxx. 6. and the wicked are hereby tempted to obstinacy and disobedience; as God says by the prophet, to the Israelites, I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear; This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice, Jer. xxii. 21. And sometimes to pride, haughtiness, and oppression; thus the Psalmist speaks of those who were not in trouble, neither plagued like other men; therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain, violence covereth them as a garment, Psal. lxxiii. 5, 6. We are not, indeed, to suppose, that this is the necessary result of a prosperous state in the world, since that temptation, which is only objective, may be fenced against: But the pernicious tendency thereof arises from the depravity of our nature, and its proneness to abuse the blessings of providence; from whence some take occasion to cast off fear, and put the evil day far from them: Therefore, when we pray, that the world may not prove a temptation to us, we desire, that God would keep us from using any indirect means, either to get or increase our worldly substance, but, on the other hand, enable us to improve it to his glory; and that our affections may not be so much set upon it as to alienate them from him; but that we may make it the matter of our deliberate choice, rather to be deprived of outward blessings, than receive them as our only portion, and, by having our hearts set too much upon them, forfeit, and be denied an interest in, his special and distinguishing love.
(2.) The evil things in the world often prove a temptation to us. By evil things, we mean afflictive providences, which are inseparable from this present state; since man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upwards, Job v. 7. These are either personal or relative; some more immediately from God, others from men, as instruments in his hand: Some arise from the present experience we have of affliction, others from our expectation or fear of future troubles: and all these sometimes prove temptations to us, unless God is pleased to interpose in a way of preventing grace, and make them conducive to our spiritual advantage. Now afflictions prove temptations to us,
[1.] When we are discontented and uneasy under the hand of God, complaining of the burdens that he is pleased to lay on us, as though they were insupportable, and it were impossible for us to bear up under them; or, when we are ready to conclude, that no affliction is like ours, and are apt to insinuate, that God hereby deals hardly with us.
[2.] When they disturb or disorder our thoughts, weaken our faith, and unfit us for spiritual meditations, or attending aright on ordinances of God; or when we are more concerned, about our afflictions, than about sin, the cause of them.
[3.] When we have unbelieving apprehensions concerning the event thereof, concluding that they will certainly end in our ruin; notwithstanding the promises, which God has made of their working together for good, to them that love him.—This temptation David was exposed to, when he said, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul, 1 Sam. xxvii. 1. which was an ungrounded fear, especially considering the promises that God had given him, and the many experiences he had of his being a help to him in the time of trouble.
[4.] Afflictions are temptations to us, when we take occasion from them to question God’s fatherly love, or to conclude, that they are sent in wrath, and are intimations that we are cast off by him, when we have no reason to think so from any thing that there is in the nature of affliction itself; also when we are hindered thereby, from applying those suitable promises which God has made to his people, in like cases, for their comfort and support.
Now when we pray that God would not lead us into temptation, as afflictive providences expose us to it, we are to pray against them with submission to the divine will, not as though the removal thereof were of equal importance, or as necessary to our happiness, as the taking away the guilt or power of sin: However, we are to pray, that afflictions may be sanctified to us; and that corrupt nature may not take occasion from them, to have unbecoming thoughts of God; but that we may hereby be led nearer to him, that so they may not prove a temptation to us, or at least, that with the temptation, he would make a way for our escape.
2. Another sort of temptations proceed from the flesh, which are the greatest and most dangerous of all. The apostle speaks of them as though they were the only temptations, when he says, Every man is tempted when he is drawn aside of his own lust, and enticed, James i. 14. since all others might, without much difficulty, be resisted and overcome, were there not a corrupt disposition in our nature, which the apostle calls lust, that inclines us to adhere to, and comply with them. This consists in the irregularity and disorder of our passions; which are not only prone to rebel against God, but to act contrary to the dictates of our own consciences, which is the result of our fallen state; and the temptations are oftentimes various, according to the prevailing bias of our natural temper. A melancholy constitution sometimes inclines us to slavish fears, or distrust of God’s providence; or to have such black and dismal apprehensions of our spiritual concerns, that we are led to the very brink of despair. A choleric temper prompts us to revenge, injustice, and oppression, and puts us upon magnifying small offences, and expressing a furious resentment without ground. A sanguine and airy constitution often proves a temptation to cast off all serious thoughts about God and another world, and to count religion a needless, melancholy and distasteful thing, and to make a jest of what is sacred, and ought to be treated with the utmost reverence; and this temper frequently exposes persons to the pernicious influence of bad company, and induces them to be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Again, a stupid, phlegmatic and heavy constitution, often proves a temptation to negligence in our civil and religious affairs, and not to make provision for a time of trial: Hereby persons are often tempted to neglect holy duties, especially such as are difficult; or to perform them in a careless manner, and so rest in a form of godliness, without the power thereof.
This difference of natural tempers is the reason why we behold lust appearing in different shapes; so that the same temptation that presents itself from without, suits the natural disposition of one who eagerly embraces it, while another is not greatly moved by it. This is what we understand by those temptations which arise from the flesh; and, when we pray against them, it is not to be supposed, that we expect to be perfectly freed from them in this world, in which, as has been elsewhere observed[124], there are the remnants of sin abiding in every part, even in them that are sanctified, and the perpetual lustings of the flesh against the spirit. Therefore, when we pray against such-like temptations, we desire,
(1.) That God would restrain and prevent the irregularity and pernicious tendency of our natural temper, which inclines us to those sins which it is most prone to; or that he would keep us from those sins that more easily beset us, by reason of the propensity of our nature to commit them. And,
(2.) That he would sanctify our affections and bring them under the powerful influence of a principle of grace, which may maintain a perpetual opposition to those habits of sin that are daily leading us to turn aside from God, so that, whatever temptations we meet with from objects without us, our souls may be internally fortified against them, and disposed to hate and avoid every thing that is contrary to his holy law, or tends to his dishonour.
2. We shall now consider those temptations that arise from Satan, who is, for this reason, called the tempter, Matt. iv. 3. 1 Thess. vi. 3. and he is also said to enter into, Luke xxii. 3. and fill the hearts of sinners, Acts v. 3. As for the unregenerate, they are wholly under his power: Therefore conversion is called a turning them from the power of Satan unto God, chap. xxvi. 18. There are, indeed, some who deny that Satan has any hand in those temptations, which we are exposed to; in which they are too much disposed to give into the error of the Sadducees of old. And if they do not expressly deny the existence of spirits, yet they will not allow that they have any thing to do in this world: And, indeed, they think it impossible for the Devil to give us any disturbance, seeing he is shut up in chains of darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day; and, inasmuch as we often read in scripture, of those things that he does against men in this world, they suppose that all these are to be understood in a metaphorical sense, and that nothing else is intended thereby, but the temptations we meet with from men, or from our own lusts: These, according to them, are the only devils that we need to fear.—This error they are led into under a pretence of avoiding the contrary extreme of those who seem to lay all the sins they commit, to the Devil’s charge, rather than their own; when, probably, he has nothing to do with them, but they wholly proceed from their own corruptions: The middle way between these two extremes, is, as I conceive, much more consonant to scripture and experience, and rather to be acquiesced in. And therefore we shall endeavour to prove, that we are often tempted by Satan, as well as our own lusts; which will appear, if we consider the following propositions.
1st, It is not unreasonable to suppose, that spirits may so far have access to our souls, as to suggest good or bad thoughts; for, being reasonable creatures, it is beyond dispute, that they are able to converse with one another; and, if so, it contains no absurdity to suppose, that they may, some way or other, have conversation with the souls of men, which are capable of having things internally suggested to them, as well as receiving ideas from sensible objects, by means