Chapter 22

Of eight more deceits in the same kind.

To go yet forwards in these deceits; the fifth is, when our hearts cause us to degenerate from the mean to the extreme, specially that which has greatest resemblance, with the mean. Wherein our hearts deal with us, as the Devil would have dealt with our Savior, when upon occasion of his strong faith in his Father's providence, which he had shown, in resisting his first temptation, choosing rather to live by this faith in want of bread, than upon his motion to command the stones to be made bread, when, I say, upon this occasion, he would have cunningly brought him on in his second temptation, to presumption, in casting himself down headlong from the top of the pinnacle, as being an action, which would carry a great color of a very strong faith indeed. Peter having made a notable profession of his faith, "You are the Christ, the son of the living God," and being therefore much commended by our Savior, presently thereupon took occasion to fall from the true boldness of faith to the sauciness of presumption, in advising his Master to decline the cross, whereupon the salvation of all the elect depended. So likewise from just and lawful zeal, how easily through this deceitfulness, do we stray into blind boldness, and unadvisedness? As the common people of their own heads throwing down images, and the Brownists as they call them, in separating from our Churches; the like was the zeal of Peter in drawing out his sword, in his master's quarrel, and cutting off Malchus's ear: as also of two of his fellows, calling down for fire from heaven, to consume the inhospitable Samaritans. In all these, zeal degenerated, and became like wine turned into vinegar. As also in the Israelites, when they were carried so far in their zeal and indignation against the Benjaminites that they swore rashly they would none of them give any of their daughters to wife to a Benjaminite. So should a whole tribe have perished, and the Church and commonwealth have been weakened and impaired. What madness was this in punishing others, so far to exceed that therein also we should punish ourselves? Like the hands and other outward parts in the parable, which denying to minister food to the belly, because as they said it was idle and lazy while they labored, did thereby pine and consume themselves. And yet to this did the deceitful hearts of the Israelites bring them upon occasion of their just and lawful zeal. So easily may the Devil cast in his wildfire into this fire of zeal. Thus from the just reverence of holy men came in religious adoration; as we may see in the examples of Cornelius and John rebuked by Peter, and the Angel. So also, from godly sorrow how easily do our deceitful hearts carry us to immoderate and excessive pensiveness, from being poor in spirit to be desperate in spirit. As the Apostle shows, admonishing the Corinthians, that they would comfort the incestuous sinner, and release him of his excommunication, lest he should upon occasion of longer continuance in his just sorrow, be swallowed up of despair. For we are not ignorant, says the Apostle, of Satan's wiles, namely how he labors to bring us from the just mean to the excess. And as it is Satan's, so also is it one of our own hearts' deceits; his deceits, by our consenting being made ours, as I showed in the beginning. Thus from the true practice of mortification, in taming and keeping under our flesh by abstinence, many have brought themselves to too great an austerity and severity. Hence the whippings, and such like exercises of the Papists. Hence the discipline that has been used in monasteries, and the practice of some, that would never eat but running, lest they should feel some pleasure, and delight in eating. Timothy was caught in this error, when under the color of abstinence, for the reproving of the luxurious Ephesians, he had so far macerated his body, that the Apostle was fain to prescribe him medicine (1 Timothy 5:23). This may teach us what an eye we need have over ourselves, even in the practice of the best things, because nothing more easy, by reason of the deceitfulness of our hearts, than to mix something of the extremes with the mean; so that we can hardly be angry without sinning, believe without presuming, repent without despairing, fear without doubting, be merry without vain lightness, be sad without heavy and unprofitable dumpishness.

The sixth deceit is, when we encroach upon God in those things, wherein he has given us some liberty in his word, going beyond the bounds he has there set us. God has given us liberty, indeed has imposed a necessity upon us to seek the maintenance of our own credit and good name, that so we might be the fitter instruments of glorifying him in our several callings, but hereupon, as Saint Augustine has well observed, through the deceitfulness of our hearts, we are drawn on to desire, and delight in the love, the reverence, the praise of men itself, and to like well enough of it to be loved and reverenced, not for God's cause, but even in God's stead. But this deceit is specially in the use of things indifferent, as meat, mirth, marriage, recreation, sleep, apparel, and such like. Of all which, God indeed has granted us the use, yet not so, but he has confined us within certain limits, and as to the sea, has set us our bounds, saying: Thus far shall you go, and no farther. Now our deceitful hearts having once gotten this by the end, that such and such things are indifferent, and so may lawfully be done, think they are then on a sure ground, and so care not how far they lash out; as though there were no restraint in the use of things indifferent. And thus it is strange to see, how that which is lawful draws on that which is not convenient, indeed and what horrible sins are swallowed down under the name of things indifferent. Come to a swinish Epicure, that makes his belly his God, and tell him of his abuse of God's creatures: he will answer presently; why do you straiten my liberty in the use of the creatures, which Christ has purchased for me? Has not God given us wine to make glad the heart? Yes to make glad: but drunkenness and surfeiting makes it heavy. Take heed, says our Savior, lest your hearts be made heavy with surfeiting and drunkenness. Thus we see how easily our deceitful hearts remove the ancient bounds set by God, which to do, but with men, is a deceit not to be suffered. And so it steals on further till at length it brings us from Christian liberty, to a most unchristian libertinism, and luxurious licentiousness. Behold then here a noble deceit, while men think they take and use their liberty, indeed they lose it. For in the use of these things, wherein God has made them free men, they make themselves bondmen, being brought under the power of those things which they use, as the Apostle elegantly speaks. For they so enthrall themselves to the lust of their senses, and of their bellies, that though their own, and others' destruction be sometimes joined with the use of some of these things, they cannot yet forbear. Which seemed to be the fault of some of the Corinthians, covering their intemperance, and love of their bellies, whereby they hazarded some of their brethren's souls, with the pretense of Christian liberty. So much the Apostle not obscurely intimates, when to that deceitful objection, All things are lawful, he frames this answer, But I will not be brought under the power of any thing. I will not make myself a slave to my belly, whose Lord I should be. So also God has given us liberty to deal in the world, and worldly occasions. But here, an inch being given, we take an ell, rushing ourselves over head and ears in them, to the prejudice of faith in God's providence, and of the exercises of piety. So God has given this liberty to his ministers, to take of their flocks sufficient maintenance. He that attends upon the altar, may live of the altar. But Bernard observed it in some of his time, that from there took occasion to riot, and ruffle it out upon the altar, though yet the Scripture says not the minister may luxuriously lavish it, but only live of the altar. The Scripture also permits feasting and merry-making. But how easily here do we overshoot ourselves? Not only the common sort in their quaffings, carousings, toasts, and scurrilous mirth, but even the better sort also exceeding the bounds of moderation. Augustine confesses his error here. Lord, says he, drunkenness is far from me; let it not once come near me: As for gluttony, it steals sometimes upon your servant. I pray you remove it far from me. But who is there that sometimes is not carried away beyond the measure of temperance? Thus parents, because of the lawfulness of natural affections, fall to cockering of their children. In all these and such like cases, we must be as jealous of ourselves, as Job was of his children in feasting. For here the deceit is so much the more easy, by how much our suspicion of it is the less, presuming upon the lawfulness. But we must oppose to this deceit that of the Apostle, All things are lawful, but all things are not expedient. Circumstances of time, place, persons must be considered. Otherwise that saying is true: He that will do all lawful things, all that he may, will quickly come to do unlawful things, something that he may not.

The seventh deceit is, when upon some care of doing a lesser good, we jostle out the greater, and that oftentimes when it is most seasonable. Martha was thus deceived, when her care of performing one good duty, in giving the best, and most respectful entertainment to Christ, she could, detained her from the hearing of the word, a matter of far greater moment. Thus many, that read not all the week long, knowing yet that reading is a duty commanded by God, will therefore be reading of the Scriptures in the sermon time, at the Church. Some also are at home in their private prayers, and meditations, when the Church is assembled together, and with private service exclude the public. Others in hearing of the word, while they mind the method, and order of the preacher, and matters of knowledge, they neglect that which concerns affection. And various such like. Here remember, that however in evil things, that rule be false, of evils choose the least, yet in good things the contrary is true, Of goods choose the greatest.

The eighth deceit is, when having performed some good service to God, we thereupon take occasion to be the more careless and secure. Like boys, who after they have followed their books hard in the school, think then they are privileged to sport and play pranks. So is it with us. We may easily feel this disposition in ourselves, to be ready to please ourselves in unlawful liberties, when we have pleased the Lord in lawful duties. We may see it in Jonah, after his mission faithfully discharged to the Ninevites, breaking forth into anger against the Lord: and in Hezekiah, after his notable service, both of prayer in sickness, and of thanksgiving after deliverance, foully overshooting himself in a vain ostentation of his treasures to the Babylonian Ambassador. Therefore, after a lightning take heed of a foil. Never have we greater cause to tremble, than after we have well acquitted ourselves in the performance of some good duty. Then will our hearts be seeking of unlawful liberty, and offering to steal away from God, that after their pains in his service they might refresh themselves with some pleasure of sin.

The ninth deceit is, when the flesh does perversely imitate the spirit in us; when, as the Devil transforms himself into an Angel of light, so our fleshly and corrupt hearts into the similitude of spiritual, and renewed. How is this? Specially in the raising up of many good, and holy motions, meditations, desires, and affections in our minds. For example, sometimes in prayer, or in hearing of the word, there come into our minds, such, and such thoughts, and good purposes of doing this or that good work; sometimes also many good affections, as of grief for our sins, and such like, which yet are nothing to our present, either praying or hearing. Here our deceitful hearts will be ready to think these come from the spirit of grace; but the truth is they come from our own carnal hearts, and the Devil together, both mutually conspiring to deceive us. For the spirit of God has no such office to draw away men's minds from hearing the word. No, it opens the heart, it bores through the ears thereof, and makes us to attend. So the spirit of God has no such office: neither as to trouble men's minds in prayer with thoughts impertinent. No, the spirit is the spirit of prayer, and chases away all straggling thoughts, and keeps our minds steady, and attentive in prayer. Therefore assure yourself, here is noble juggling. These thoughts suggested, though in themselves Divine, yet the spirit that suggests them in this fashion, is not divine, but fleshly, or diabolical.

The tenth deceit is, when in temptation our hearts betray us, like Judases, into the Devil's hands. If one living familiarly with us, so that we reposed some trust in him, should yet, walking abroad with us, and seeing some enemy come to offer violence, run away from us, would we not account him a deceitful person? Much more if he should conspire with the enemy, and take his part against us. So is it here with our hearts, that lie continually in our bosoms, and pretend great kindness, and friendship, no sooner yet can the Devil set upon us with any temptation, but they forsake us, yes, they deliver us up into his hands. Herein dealing with us as the false-hearted men of Keilah would have done with David. As David mistrusted them, so should we these hearts. We need not to ask the question, as David did of the men of Keilah, Will they deliver us? We may assure ourselves they will. Such is the depth of their falsehood. Judah when he went out in the morning to the sheep-shearing, had no such purpose, as to commit incest with Tamar, but yet for all that being tempted, see how his own heart deceived him, and gave him the slip, yes, thrust him into the hands of the temptation. And alas! who sees not this falseness of his own heart, yes, even then when we go forth into the world with a purpose against such and such sins? Yet no sooner are the least rising and tempting occasions offered to our eyes, ears, or other senses, but we are caught presently.

The eleventh deceit is, by holding us occupied in thinking of some good thing to come, to make us neglect our present duty. Here we should remember that saying of Samuel to Saul, When this shall come to pass, namely your kingdom, do that which comes next to hand. It is a folly to leave certainties for uncertainties. You have certainty of that which is present. If you will lay hold upon the present occasion you may. But as for that which is to come, you are wholly uncertain, you know not whether there will ever be any occasion of good for you to lay hold of, or no. Here it seems to me the deceit of our heart is like the practice of Tobiah and Sanballat against Nehemiah, who would have drawn him away from the repairing of the city by calling him to conference, and consultation with themselves; so our hearts do often divert us from the prosecution of many good purposes, by casting other odd impertinent matters in our way, like as in a case far unlike the Philistines diverted Saul from the pursuit of David, or as the fox diverts the huntsman sometimes from following the hare. But in this case we must be wise to answer our hearts, as Nehemiah did his crafty adversaries, I have a great work to do, and I cannot come down, why should the work cease, while I leave it, and come to you?

The twelfth deceit is, when admittance being gotten for something, because of some other thing on which it should wait, as a handmaid on her mistress, yet this handmaid begins to perk above her mistress, and to encroach and usurp the chief place. Augustine shows this deceit in himself in his sensual delighting in singing of Psalms, in regard of the sweetness of the sound, and contentment of his ears therein. Of which he thus writes: 'But often times the delight of my ear deceives me, while sense does not so follow reason, that it can patiently endure to come behind it, but having gotten to be received only because of it, would therefore go before and have the chief place. So I sin in these things not perceiving it: but afterward, I perceive it.' The natural delight in singing of Psalms is lawful if it be subordinate, and subservient to the spiritual delight in the matter itself. But here was Augustine's deceit, that the natural delight in the sound did overtop the spiritual delight in the substance of the Psalm. So it is lawful to delight in the witty speeches that are in sermons, so we use this our delight in the wit, to confirm our delight in the grace of the same speeches. But here is the deceitfulness of our hearts, that our affection to the wit is far more intense than to the grace, and that in affecting the wit of a sermon, we feel our affection to the grace something slackened and cooled. This is as if one who is welcome to a place, only because he is in my company, and comes as my shadow, should yet, after he were received into the house for my sake, cause my friend to thrust me out of the doors, that he may have all the welcome, and kind entertainment alone.