Chapter II. What It Means to Enter Into Temptation

Having showed what temptation is, I come in the next place to manifest what it is to enter into temptation:

1. This is not merely to be tempted: it is impossible that we should be so freed from temptation, as not to be at all tempted. Whilst Satan continues in his power and malice, whilst the world and lust are in being, we shall be tempted: Christ (says one,) was made like to us, that he might be tempted; and we are tempted that we may be made like to Christ: temptation in general, is comprehensive of our whole warfare; as our Savior calls the time of his ministry, the time of his temptation (Luke 22:28). We have no promise that we shall not be tempted at all, nor are to pray for an absolute freedom from temptations, because we have no such promise of being heard therein.

The direction we have for our prayers is, lead us not into temptation (Matthew 6:9), it is entering into temptation, that we are to pray against: we may be tempted, and yet not enter into temptation: so that,

2. Something more is intended by this expression, than the ordinary work of Satan, and our own lusts, which will be sure to tempt us every day. There is something signal, in this entering into temptation, that is, not the saints' everyday work: it is something that befalls them peculiarly in reference to seduction to sin, on one account or other, by the way of allurement, or frightening.

3. It is not to be conquered by a temptation; to fall down under it; to commit the sin or evil that we are tempted to, or to omit the duties that are opposed. A man may enter into temptation, and yet not fall under temptation. God can make a way for a man to escape, when he is in, he can break the snare, tread down Satan, and make the soul more than a conqueror, though it have entered into temptation: Christ entered into it, but was not in the least foiled by it, but

4. It is, as the Apostle expresses it (1 Timothy 6:9): to fall into temptation; as a man falls into a pit, or a deep place, where are gins, and snares, with which he is entangled. The man is not presently killed, and destroyed, but he is entangled and detained: he does not know how to get free, or be at liberty: so it is expressed again to the same purpose (1 Corinthians 10:13): no temptation has taken you: it is to be taken by a temptation, and to be entangled with it, held in its cords, not finding at present a way to escape. Thence said Peter (2 Peter 2:9), the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations: they are entangled with them, God knows how to deliver them out of them. When we suffer a temptation to enter into us, then we enter into temptation. Whilst it knocks at the door, we are at liberty; but when any temptation comes in, and parleys with the heart, reasons with the mind, entices and allures the affections, be it a long or a short time, do it thus insensibly and imperceptibly, or do the soul take notice of it, we enter into temptation;

So then; to our entering into temptation is required;

1. That by some advantage, or on some occasion, Satan be more earnest than ordinary in his solicitations to sin, by frightenings, or allurements, by persecutions, or seductions, by himself or others; or that some lust or corruption by his instigation, and advantages of outward objects provoking, as in prosperity, or terrifying, as in trouble, do tumult more than ordinary within us: there is a special acting of the author, and principles of temptation, required thereunto.

2. That the heart be so far entangled with it, as to be put to dispute, and argue in its own defense, and yet not to be able wholly to eject or cast out the poison, and leaven that has been injected; but is surprised, if it be never so little off its watch, into an entanglement not easy to be avoided; so that the soul may cry, and pray, and cry again, and yet not be delivered; as Paul sought the Lord three times for the departure of his temptation, and prevailed not. The entanglement continues. And this usually falls out in one of these two seasons.

1. When Satan by the permission of God, for ends best known to himself, has gotten some peculiar advantage against the soul. As in the case of Peter: he sought to sift him, and prevailed.

2. When a man's lusts and corruptions, meet with peculiarly provoking objects, and occasions, through the condition of life, that a man is in, with the circumstances of it: as it was with David: of both which afterward.

In this state of things, a man is entered into temptation; and this is called the hour of temptation (Revelation 3:10). The season in which it grows to a head; the discovery of which will give further light into the present inquiry, about what it is to enter into temptation; for when the hour of temptation is come upon us, we are entered into it.

Every great and pressing temptation has its hour, a season in which it grows to a head, in which it is most vigorous, active, operative and prevalent. It may be long in rising, it may be long urging more or less; but it has a season, in which from the conjunction of other occurrences, such as those mentioned, outward or inward, it has a dangerous hour, and then for the most part, men enter into it.

Hence that very temptation which at one time, has little or no power on a man, he can despise it, scorn the motions of it, easily resist it; at another, bears him away quite before it. It has from other circumstances and occurrences, gotten new strength and efficacy; or the man is enervated and weakened, the hour is come, he is entered into it, and it prevails. David probably had temptations before in his younger days to adultery or murder, as he had in the case of Nabal; but the hour of temptation was not come, it had not gotten its advantages about it, and so he escaped, until afterwards. Let men look for it, that are exposed to temptations, as who is not: they will have a season in which their solicitations will be more urgent, their reasonings more plausible, pretenses more glorious, hopes of recovery more appearing, opportunities more broad and open, the doors of evil made more beautiful than ever they have been: blessed is he who is prepared for such a season, without which there is no escaping. This as I said is the first thing required to entering into temptation; if it stays here, we are safe.

Before I descend to other particulars, having now entered hereon I shall show in general.

1. How, or by what means, commonly any temptation attains its hour.

2. How we may know when any temptation is come to its high noon, and is in its hour.

1. It does the first by several ways.

1. By long solicitations, causing the mind frequently to converse with the evil solicited to, it begets extenuating thoughts of it. If it makes this process, it is coming towards its hour. It may be when first it began to press upon the soul, the soul was amazed with the ugly appearance of what it aimed at, and cried, am I a dog? If this indignation be not daily heightened, but the soul by conversing with the evil, begins to grow as it were familiar with it, not to be startled as formerly, but rather inclines to cry, is it not a little one? then the temptation is coming towards its high noon, lust has then enticed and entangled, and is ready to conceive (James 1:14). Of this more at large afterwards, in our inquiry, how we may know, whether we are entered into temptation, or no: our present quest is after the hour and power of temptation itself.

2. When it has prevailed on others, and the soul is not filled with dislike and abhorrence of them and their ways, nor with pity and prayer for their deliverance. This proves an advantage to it, and raises it towards its height. When that temptation sets upon any one, which at the same time, has possessed and prevailed with many, it has so great, and so many advantages thereby, that it is surely growing towards its hour. Its prevailing with others, is a means to give it its hour against us. The falling off of Hymenaeus and Philetus, is said to overthrow the faith of some (2 Timothy 2:17-18).

3. By complicating itself with many considerations, that perhaps are not absolutely evil. So did the temptation of the Galatians to fall from the purity of the Gospel, freedom from persecution, union and consent with the Jews: things in themselves good, were pleaded in it, and gave life to the temptation itself. But I shall not now insist on the several advantages, that any temptation has to heighten and enlarge itself, to make itself prevalent and effectual, with the contribution that it receives to this purpose, from various circumstances, opportunities, specious pleas and pretenses, necessities for the doing that, which cannot be done without answering the temptation, and the like; because I must speak to some of them afterwards.

2. For the second, it may be known,

1. By its restless urgency, and arguing. When a temptation is in its hour it is restless: it is the time of battle, and it gives the soul no rest. Satan sees his advantage, considers his conjunction of forces, and knows that he must now prevail, or be hopeless forever. Here are opportunities, here are advantages, here are specious pleas and pretenses; some ground is already gotten by former arguings, here are extenuations of the evil, hopes of pardon, by after endeavors, all in a readiness; if he can do nothing now, he must sit down lost in his undertakings. So when he had gotten all things in a readiness against Christ, he made it the hour of darkness. When a temptation discovers a thousand arts of harming, presses within doors by imaginations and reasonings, without, by solicitations, advantages and opportunities, let the soul know, that the hour of it is come, and the glory of God, with its own welfare, depends on its behavior in this trial: as we shall see in the particular cases following.

2. When it makes a conjunction of frightenings and allurements. These two comprise the whole forces of temptation. When both are brought together, temptation is in its hour. They were both in David's case, as to the murder of Uriah; there was the fear of his revenge on his wife, and possibly on himself; and fear of the publication of his sin, at least; and there was the allurement of his present enjoyment of her, whom he lusted after. Men sometimes are carried into sin by love to it, and are continued in it by fear of what will ensue upon it. But in any case, where these two meet, something allures us, something frightens us, and the reasonings that run between them are ready to entangle us, then is the hour of temptation.

This then it is to enter into temptation, this is the hour of it, of which more in the progress of our discourse.

3. There is the means of prevention prescribed by our Savior, they are two.

1. Watch. 2. Pray.

1. The first is a general expression, by no means to be limited to its native signification, of waking from sleep: to watch is as much as to be on our guard, to take heed, to consider all ways, and means by which an enemy may approach to us. So the Apostle (1 Corinthians 16:13): this it is to watch in this business, to stand fast in the faith, as good soldiers, to conduct ourselves like men. It is as much as to take heed, or look to ourselves, as the same thing is by our Savior often expressed. So (Revelation 3:2): a universal carefulness, and diligence, exercising itself in, and by all ways and means, prescribed by God, over our hearts and ways, the baits and methods of Satan, the occasions and advantages of sin in the world, that we be not entangled, is that which in this word is pressed on us.

2. For the second direction of prayer, I need not speak to it. The duty and its concerns are known to all: I shall only add, that these two comprise the whole endeavor of faith for the soul's preservation from temptation.

Having shown what temptation is, I come next to explain what it means to enter into temptation.

1. It is not simply being tempted. We cannot be so free from temptation that we are never tempted at all. As long as Satan remains in his power and malice, and as long as the world and sinful desire exist, we will be tempted. As one writer puts it: Christ was made like us so that He might be tempted, and we are tempted so that we might be made like Christ. Temptation in general encompasses our entire spiritual warfare — just as our Savior called the whole time of His earthly ministry the time of His temptations (Luke 22:28). We have no promise that we will never be tempted at all, nor should we pray for an absolute freedom from temptation, since no such promise exists to ground that prayer.

The direction we have for prayer is "lead us not into temptation" (Matthew 6:9). It is entering into temptation that we pray against. We may be tempted, and yet not enter into temptation — and so:

2. This phrase means something more than the ordinary daily work of Satan and our own sinful desires, which are sure to tempt us every day. There is something distinctive about this entering into temptation — it is not the believer's everyday experience. It is something that comes upon them in a peculiar way with respect to being drawn toward sin, whether through allurement or through fear.

3. It is not the same as being conquered by a temptation, or falling under it — committing the sin we are tempted toward, or omitting the duties that are being opposed. A person may enter into temptation and still not fall under it. God can make a way of escape even when a person is already in it; He can break the snare, tread down Satan, and make the soul more than a conqueror — even after it has entered into temptation. Christ entered into it but was not in the slightest overcome by it.

4. Rather, entering into temptation is what the apostle describes in 1 Timothy 6:9 as falling into temptation — like a man falling into a pit or deep place where there are traps and snares that tangle around him. The man is not immediately killed or destroyed, but he is caught and held. He cannot find a way to get free. The same idea appears again in 1 Corinthians 10:13: "No temptation has overtaken you." To be overtaken by a temptation is to be caught by it, entangled in it, held in its grip, with no way of escape immediately at hand. This is why Peter says in 2 Peter 2:9 that the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations — they are entangled in them, and God knows how to bring them out. When we allow a temptation to enter into us, we enter into temptation. While it knocks at the door, we are free. But when a temptation comes inside and parleys with the heart, reasons with the mind, entices and draws the affections — whether for a long time or a short time, whether imperceptibly or whether the soul clearly feels it — we have entered into temptation.

So then, for entering into temptation to occur, two things are required:

1. That by some advantage or occasion, Satan becomes more urgent than usual in his attacks on us toward sin — through fear or allurement, through persecution or seduction, by himself or through others. Or that some lust or corruption, stirred up by his instigation and by outward circumstances — whether the excitement of prosperity or the pressure of trouble — rises and rages beyond its ordinary level within us. A special intensification on the part of the author and source of temptation is required.

2. That the heart becomes so entangled that it is thrown into internal argument and dispute in its own defense, yet is unable to fully expel the poison and corruption that has been injected. The soul is caught off guard — even a brief lapse of watchfulness is enough to trap it in an entanglement that is not easily escaped. It may cry and pray and cry again, yet find no deliverance — just as Paul sought the Lord three times for his temptation to depart, and did not prevail. The entanglement remained. This usually occurs in one of two seasons.

1. When Satan, by God's permission for purposes known to Himself, has obtained some particular advantage over the soul. As in Peter's case: Satan sought to sift him — and prevailed.

2. When a person's own lusts and corruptions encounter particularly provocative objects and circumstances through the condition of life he is in. As it was with David — of both cases more later.

In this state, a person has entered into temptation. This is what is called the hour of temptation (Revelation 3:10). The hour of temptation is the season in which it comes to a head — understanding this will shed further light on our present inquiry into what it means to enter into temptation, for when that hour has come upon us, we have entered into it.

Every great and pressing temptation has its hour — a season in which it reaches its peak and is most vigorous, active, and effective. It may be slow to rise, and may press more or less for a long time. But it has a season in which, from the coming together of other circumstances — outward or inward, of the kind already mentioned — it reaches its most dangerous hour. And in that hour, most people enter into it.

That is why the very same temptation that at one time has little or no power over a person — which he can despise, dismiss, and easily resist — at another time carries him completely away before it. From changed circumstances, it has gained new strength. Or the person himself has been weakened. The hour has come; he has entered into it, and it prevails. David probably faced temptations toward adultery or murder in his earlier years, just as he did in the case of Nabal. But the hour of temptation had not yet come — the advantages were not yet in place — and he escaped, until later. Let those who are exposed to temptations — and who is not? — watch for this: there will come a season when the enticements are more urgent, the arguments more plausible, the pretenses more glorious, the hope of recovery more appealing, and the door to evil more wide open than it has ever been. Blessed is the one who is prepared for such a season — without that preparation, there is no escape. This, as I said, is the first requirement for entering into temptation. If it stops at this point, we are safe.

Before going on to the other particulars, having now entered on this subject, I want to address two general questions.

1. How, and by what means, a temptation commonly reaches its hour.

2. How we can know when a temptation has reached its peak — when it is in its hour.

1. A temptation reaches its hour in several ways.

1. By prolonged pressure — causing the mind to dwell repeatedly on the evil being urged, until the mind gradually comes to minimize it. When this process is underway, the temptation is approaching its hour. It may be that when the temptation first began pressing on the soul, the soul recoiled in horror at what it aimed at and cried, "Am I a dog?" But if that indignation is not daily renewed, and the soul — through prolonged contact with the evil — begins to grow used to it, no longer startled as before, but instead inclined to say, "Is it not a small thing?" — then the temptation is approaching its peak. Lust has enticed and entangled, and is ready to conceive (James 1:14). I will say more about this later, in our inquiry into how we may know whether we have entered into temptation or not. Our present concern is with the hour and power of temptation itself.

2. When a temptation has prevailed with others, and the soul is not filled with dislike and horror at them and their ways, nor with pity and prayer for their deliverance. This gives the temptation an advantage and lifts it toward its height. When a temptation attacks someone at the same moment it has already gripped and prevailed with many others, it gains such great advantages from that fact that it is surely growing toward its hour. Its success with others is a means by which it gains its hour against us. The falling away of Hymenaeus and Philetus is said to have overthrown the faith of some (2 Timothy 2:17-18).

3. By entangling itself with many other considerations that are not entirely evil in themselves. The temptation of the Galatians to fall away from the purity of the Gospel did this — freedom from persecution and unity with the Jews were things good in themselves, yet they were argued into it and gave it life. I will not now go into the many other advantages that any temptation uses to amplify and strengthen itself — the contribution it receives from various circumstances, opportunities, plausible arguments, apparent necessities, and similar things — because I must speak to several of these later.

2. As for the second question — how we may know when a temptation has reached its peak — it can be known in two ways.

1. By its restless urgency and argument. When a temptation is in its hour, it gives the soul no rest. It is the time of battle. Satan sees his advantage, measures the forces he has assembled, and knows that he must prevail now or lose the ground forever. The opportunities are there, the advantages are there, the plausible arguments are in place; the evil has already been minimized through prior reasoning; grounds for hoping for future pardon have been prepared. If he cannot do it now, he must give up on this particular assault. So when he had everything in readiness against Christ, he made it the hour of darkness. When a temptation reveals a thousand clever methods of attack, pressing from within through imagination and reasoning and from without through solicitations, advantages, and opportunities — the soul should recognize that its hour has come. The glory of God and the welfare of the soul depend on how the soul conducts itself in that trial, as will become clear in the particular cases that follow.

2. When it combines fear and allurement together. These two forces make up the full arsenal of temptation. When both are at work together, temptation is in its hour. Both were present in David's case with the murder of Uriah: there was fear of Uriah's revenge on his wife and possibly on David himself, and fear that his sin would be exposed. And there was the allurement of continuing to enjoy the woman he had desired. People are sometimes carried into sin by love for it, and then kept in it by fear of what will follow. But whenever these two forces meet — something drawing us toward a sin, something frightening us regarding it, and the reasoning between them ready to entangle us — that is the hour of temptation.

This, then, is what it means to enter into temptation, and this is the hour of it — of which more as our discussion continues.

3. There is the means of prevention our Savior prescribes. There are two.

1. Watch. 2. Pray.

1. The first is a broad expression, not at all to be restricted to its literal meaning of staying awake from sleep. To watch means to be on guard, to take care, to consider all the ways and means by which an enemy might approach. As the apostle puts it in 1 Corinthians 16:13: "watch" in this context means to stand firm in the faith, to conduct yourself like a soldier, to act like a man. It is equivalent to "take heed" or "look to yourself" — the same command our Savior often expressed in other words. So in Revelation 3:2: a universal carefulness and diligence, exercising itself in all the ways and means God has prescribed — over our hearts and our ways, over the baits and methods of Satan, over the occasions and advantages of sin in the world, so that we are not ensnared. That is what this word presses on us.

2. As for the second direction — prayer — I need not say much about it. The duty and its importance are known to all. I will only add that these two together — watch and pray — comprise the complete effort of faith for the soul's preservation from temptation.