7. The Occasions of Sin

Now the ſeventh Device that Satan¹⁷⁵ hath to draw the ſoul to ſin, is, by making the ſoul bold to venture upon the occaſions of ſin. Saith Satan, you may walk by the Harlots door, though you won’t goe into the Harlots bed; you may ſit and ſip with the drunkard, tho you won’t be drunk with the drunkard; you may look upon Jezabels beauty, and you may play and toy with Daliloh, though you doe not commit wickedneſſe with the one, or the other; you may with Achan handle the golden wedge, though you doe not ſteale the golden wedge, &c.

1. 175. 7 Device. [dropped from the edition]

THe firſt Remedy, is, ſolemnly to¹⁷⁶ dwell upon thoſe Scriptures that doe expreſsly command us to avoid the occaſions of ſin, and the leaſt appearance of evill. 1 Theſſ. 5. 22. Abſtaine from all¹⁷⁷ appearance of evill; whatſoever is heterodox, unſound, and unſavory, ſhun it, as you would doe a Serpent in your way, or poyſon in your meats. Theodoſius tare the Arrians Arguments, preſented to him in writing, becauſe he found them repugnant to the Scriptures; and Auguſtine retracted even Ironies onely, becauſe they had the appearance of lying. When God had commanded the Jewes to abſtain from Swines fleſh, they would not ſo much as name it, but in their common talk would call a Sow another thing. To abſtain from all appearance of evill, is to doe nothing wherein ſin appears, or which hath a ſhadow of ſin. Bernard gloſſeth finely,¹⁷⁸ Whatever is of an ill ſhew, or of ill report, that he may neither wound conſcience, nor credit; we muſt ſhun, and be ſhie of the very ſhew and ſhadow of ſinne, if either we tender our credit abroad, or our comfort at home. It was p. 67 good counſell that Livia gave her Husband¹⁷⁹ Auguſtus; it behoveth thee, not onely not to doe wrong, but not to ſeeeme to doe ſo, &c. So Jude 23. v. And others ſave with fear pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment ſpotted by the fleſh. ‘Tis a phraſe taken from legall uncleaneſſe, which was contracted by touching the houſes, the veſſells, the garments of uncleane perſons. Under the Law men might not touch a menſtrous cloath, nor God would not accept of a ſpotted peace-offering. So we muſt not onely hate, and avoid groſſe ſins, but every thing that may carry a ſavor, or ſuſprition of ſin; we muſt abhor the very ſignes and tokens of ſin; ſo in Proverbs 5. ver. 8. Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the doore of her houſe. He that would not be burnt muſt dread the fire; Hee that would not heare the bell, muſt not meddle with the rope. To venture upon the occaſion of ſin, and then to pray, lead us not into¹⁸⁰ temptation, is all one, as to thruſt thy finger into the fire, and then to pray that it might not be burnt. So in the 4. Prov. 14. 15. you have another command, Enter not in the path of the wicked, and goe not in the way of evell men, avoid it, and paſſe not by it, turne from it, and paſſe away. This triple gradation of Solomon p. 68 ſheweth with a great Emphaſie, how neceſſary it is for men, to flee from all appearance of ſin: as the Sea-man ſhuns ſands, and ſhelves, and as men ſhun thoſe, that have the plague-ſores running upon them: as weeds doe endanger the corne, as bad humors doe endanger the bloud, or as an infected houſe doth indanger the neighbourhood: ſo doth the company of the bad endanger thoſe that are good; intireneſſe with wicked conforts, is one of the ſtrongeſt chaines of hell, and bindes us to a participation, both of ſin and puniſhment.

1. 176. 1 Remedy. [dropped from the edition]
2. 177. Epiphanius ſaith, that in the old Law, when any dead body was carried by any houſe, they were injoyn’d to ſhut their doors and windows.
3. 178. Quicquid eſt male celoratū.
4. 179. Socrates ſpeaketh of two young men that flung away their belts, when being in an Idols Temple, the luſtrating water fell upon them, deteſting ſaith the Hiſtorian, the garment ſported by the fleſh.
5. 180. One ſaid, as oft as I have been among vaine men, I returned home leſſe a man then I was before.

The ſecond Remedie againſt this device¹⁸¹ of Satan is, ſolemnly to conſider, that ordinarily there is no conqueſt over ſin, without the ſoule turnes from the occaſion of ſin; ‘tis impoſſible for that man to get the conqueſt of ſin, that playes and ſports with the occaſions of ſin; God will not remove the tentation, except¹⁸² we turne from the occaſion. It is a juſt and righteous thing with God, that he ſhould fall into the pit, that will adventure to dance upon the brink of the pit; and that he ſhould be a ſlave to ſin, that will not flee from the occaſions of ſin. As long as there is fuell in our hearts for a temptation, we cannot be ſecure; he that hath gun-powder about him, had need keep far enough off p. 69 from ſparkles; to ruſh upon the occaſions of ſin, is both to tempt our ſelves, and to tempt Satan to tempt our ſouls; ‘tis very rare that any ſoule playes with occaſions of ſin, but that ſoul is inſnar’d by ſin; ‘tis ſeldome that God keeps that ſoul from the acts of ſin, that will not keep off from the occaſions of ſin; he that adventures upon the occaſions of ſin, is as he that would quench the fire with Oyle, which is a fuell to maintaine it; and increaſe it. Ah ſouls! often remember, how frequently you have been overcome by ſin, when you have boldly gon upon the occaſions of ſin; look back ſouls, to the days of your vanity, wherein you have been as eaſily conquered, as tempted, vanquiſhed, as aſſaulted, when you have played with the occaſions of ſin; and therefore, as you would for the future be kept from the acting of ſin, and be made victorious over ſin, oh flee from the occaſions of ſin.

1. 181. 2 Remedy. [dropped from the edition]
2. 182. The Fable ſaith, that the Butterflie asked the Owle how he ſhould deale with the fire, which had ſinged her wings, who counſel’d her not to behold ſo much as its ſmoak.

The third Remedy againſt this Device¹⁸³ of Satan, is ſeriouſly to conſider, that other precious Saints that were once glorious on earth, and are now triumphing in heaven, have turned from the occaſions of ſin, as Hell it ſelfe; as you may ſee in Joſeph, Gen. 39. 10. And it came to paſſe, as ſhe ſpake to Joſeph day by day, that he hearkned not unto her, to lye by p. 70 her, or to be with her. Joſeph was famous for all the four Cardinall vertues; if ever any were in this one temptation, you may ſee his Fortitude, Juſtice, Temperance,¹⁸⁴ and Prudence, in that he ſhuns the occaſion (for he would not ſo much as be with her) and that a man is indeed, that he is in a temptation, which is but a tap to give vent to corruption. The Nazarite might not only not drink wine, but not taſte a grape, or the husk of a grape. The Leaper was to ſhave his haire, and paire his nailes. The Devill counts a fit occaſion, halfe a conqueſt; for he knowes that corrupt nature hath¹⁸⁵ a ſeed-plot of all ſin, which being drawn forth, and watered by ſome ſinfull occaſion, is ſoon ſet a work to the producing of death and deſtruction; God will not remove the temptation, till we remove the occaſion. A Bird whiles a loft, is ſafe, but ſhe comes not near the ſnare without danger; the ſhunning the occaſions of ſin renders a man moſt like the beſt of men; a ſoul eminently gracious, dares not come near the traine, though he be far off the blow. So Job 31. 1. I made a Covenant with mine eyes,¹⁸⁶ why then ſhould I think upon a maid? I ſet a watch at the entrance of my ſenſes, that my foul might not by them be infected, and endangered; the eye is the p. 71 window of the ſoule, and if that ſhould be alwayes open, the ſoul might ſmart for it. A man may not look intently upon that, that he may nat love intirely. The Diſciples were ſet a gogg, by beholding the beauty of the Temple; ‘tis beſt and ſafeſt to have the eye alwayes fixt upon the higheſt and nobleſt objects; as the Marriners eye is fixt on the ſtar, when their hand is on the ſterne: ſo David, when he was himſelf, he ſhuns the occaſion of ſin, Pſal. 26. 4, 5. I have not ſat with vaine perſons, neither will I goe in with diſſemblers; I have hated the Congregation of evill doers, and will not ſit with the wicked. Stories ſpeak of ſome that could not ſleep, when they thought of the Trophies of other Worthies, that went before them; the higheſt and choyceſt examples are to ſome, and ſhould be to all very quickning and provoking; and oh! that the examples of thoſe worthy Saints, David, Joſeph, and Job, might prevaile with all your ſouls to ſhun and avoid the occaſions of ſin; every one ſhould ſtrive to be like to them in grace, that they deſire to be equall with in glory. He that ſhooteth at the Sun, though he come far ſhort, will ſhoot higher, then he that aimeth at a ſhrub; ‘tis beſt (and it ſpeaks out much of Chriſt within) to eye the higheſt, p. 72 and the worthieſt examples.

1. 183. 3 Remedy. [dropped from the edition]
2. 184. There are ſtories of Heathens, that would not look upon excellent beauties, leſt they ſhould be inſnared.
3. 185. Democritus pluck’t out his own eyes, to avoid the danger of uncleanneſſe.
4. 186. ברית כרתי I cut a Covenant; In making Covenants, it was a cuſtome among the Jewes, to cut ſome beaſt or other in pieces, and to walk between the pieces, to ſignifie, that they deſired God to deſtroy them that ſhould break the Covenant.

The fourth Remedy againſt this Device¹⁸⁷ of Satan, is, ſolemnly to conſider, that the avoiding the occaſions of ſin, is an evidence of grace, and that which lifts up a man above moſt other men in the world; that a man is indeed, which he is in temptation; and when ſinfull occaſions doe preſent themſelves before the ſoul, this ſpeaks out both the truth,¹⁸⁸ and the ſtrength of grace; when with Lot, a man can be chaſt in Sodome, and with Timothy can live temperately in Aſia, among the luxurious Epheſians; and with Job can walk uprightly in the land of Ʋz, where the people were prophane in their lives, and ſuperſtitious in their worſhip; and with Daniel, be holy in Babylon; and with Abraham righteous in Chaldea; and with Nehemiah, zealous in Damaſco, &c. Many a wicked man is big, and full of ſinful corruption, but ſhews it not for want of occaſion; but that man is ſurely good, who in his courſe will not be bad, though tempted by occaſions; a Chriſtleſſe ſoul is ſo far from refuſing occaſions when they come in his way, that he looks and longs after them, and rather then he will go without them, he will buy them not onely with love or money, but alſo with the loſſe of his ſoul; nothing p. 73 but grace can fence a man againſt the occaſions of ſin, when he is ſtrongly tempted thereunto; therefore as you would cherriſh a precious evidence in your own boſomes, of the truth and ſtrength of your graces, ſhun all ſinfull occaſions.

1. 187. 4 Remedy. [dropped from the edition]
2. 188. Plutarch ſaith of Demoſthenes, that he was excellent at praiſing the worthy acts of his Anceſtors, but not ſo at imitating them, oh that this were not applicable to many profeſſors in our times.