Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
~ Matthew 24:42
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
~ Matthew 6:13
Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
~ Psalm 119:4-5
Several Discoveries of the State of a Soul Entering into Temptation, by John Owen. The following contains an excerpt from Chapter Four of his work, “Of Temptation: The Nature and Power of It: The Danger of Entering Into It: and the Means of Preventing That Danger: With A Resolution of Various Cases Belonging to It”.
Watch and pray, that you do not enter into temptation. — Matthew 26:41
In particular, a man begins to gain a repute for piety, wisdom, learning, or the like — he is spoken of much to that purpose; his heart is tickled to hear of it, and his pride and ambition are affected with it. If this man now, with all his strength, plies the things from which his repute, and esteem, and glory among men spring, with a secret eye to have his repute increased, he is entering into temptation. If he does not take heed, this will quickly render him a slave of lust. So was it with Jehu. He perceived that his repute for zeal began to grow abroad, and he got honour by it. Jonadab comes along, a good and holy man. “Now,” thinks Jehu, “I have an opportunity to grow in the honor of my zeal.” So he calls Jonadab to him, and he goes to work most seriously. The things he did were good in themselves, but he had entered into temptation, and served his lust in all that he did. So it is with many scholars. They find themselves esteemed and favoured for their learning. This takes hold of the pride and ambition of their hearts. Hence they set themselves to study with all diligence day and night — a thing good in itself; but they do it so that they may satisfy the thoughts and words of men, in which they delight: and so in all they do, they make provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts.
It is true that God often brings light out of this darkness, and turns things to a better outcome. Maybe after a man has studied many years with an eye upon his lusts — upon his ambition, pride, and vain-glory — rising early and going to bed late to satisfy these lusts, God comes in with his grace, turns the soul to himself, robs those Egyptian lusts, and so He consecrates for the use of the tabernacle, what was provided foridols. 52 Men may thus be entangled in better things than learning, even in the profession of piety, in their labor in the ministry, and the like. For some men, their profession is a snare to them. They have a reputation, and are much honored because of their profession and strict walking. This often happens in the days in which we live, in which all things are conducted by parties. Some find themselves, on account of the things mentioned, perhaps to be the darlings and “ingentia decora,” or glory of their party. If thoughts of this secretly insinuate themselves into their hearts, and influence them into more than ordinary diligence and activity in their way and profession, they are entangled. And instead of aiming at more glory, they need to lie in the dust, in a sense of their own vileness. So close is this temptation, that oftentimes it requires no food to feed upon except that the one who is entangled with it, avoids all means and ways of honor and reputation — so that it can but whisper in the heart that such avoidance is honorable. The same may be the condition with men, as was said, in preaching the gospel, in the work of the ministry. Many things in that work may yield esteem for them — their ability, their plainness, their frequency, their success; and all in this sense may be fuel for temptations. Let a man know then, that when he likes what feeds his lust, and he keeps it up by ways that are either good in themselves, or not downright sinful, he has entered into temptation.
https://takeupcross.com
takeupcross
Take Up the Cross 