Take Up the Cross

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

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
~ Matthew 26:41

What the General Nature of Temptation Consists In, by John Owen. The following contains an excerpt from his work, “Of Temptation the Nature and Power of It”.

“Because you have kept the word of my patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” – Rev 3:10

CHAPTER 1

The words of the text that are the foundation of the ensuing discourse — The occasion of the words, with their dependence — The things specially aimed at in them — Things that are considerable in the words as to the general purpose in hand — What the general nature of temptation consists in — The special nature of temptation — Temptation taken actively and passively — How God tempts anyone — His ends in doing so — The way by which he does it — Of temptation in the special nature of its actions — The true nature of temptation stated
“Watch and pray, that you do not enter into temptation.” — Mat 26:41

These words of our Savior are repeated with very little alteration in three of the evangelists; whereas Matthew and Mark recorded them as written above, Luke reports them thus: “Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation;” so that the whole of his caution seems to have been, “Arise, watch and pray, so that you do not enter into temptation.”

Solomon tells us of some who “lie down at the top of a mast in the midst of the sea,” Pro 23:34 — men overborne by security in the mouth of destruction. If ever poor souls lay down on top of a mast in the midst of the sea, these disciples with our Savior in the garden did so.

Their Master,

at a little distance from them, was “offering up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears,” Heb 5:7, then taking into his hand and beginning to taste that cup which was filled with the curse and wrath due to their sins — on the other hand, the Jews, armed for his and their destruction, were but a little distance from them. Our Savior had only shortly before informed them that he would be betrayed that night, and be delivered up to be slain; they saw that he was “sorrowful, and very heavy,” Mat 26:37; no, he told them plainly that his “soul was exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death,” verse 38; and therefore he entreated them to wait and watch with him, now that he was dying, and that was for them. In this condition, leaving them but a little space, like men forsaken of all love towards him or care for themselves, they fall fast asleep! Even the best of saints, left to themselves, will quickly appear to be less than men — to be nothing. All our own strength is weakness, and all our wisdom is folly. Peter was one of them. Just a little before he had, with so much self- confidence, affirmed that even if all men forsook him, he never would. Our Savior argues the matter in particular with him: verse 40, “He says to Peter, Could you not watch with me one hour?” as if he had said, “Are you Peter, the one who just now boasted of your resolution never to forsake me? Is it likely that you would hold out in this when you cannot watch with me one hour? Is this your dying for me, to be dead in security, when I am dying for you?” And indeed it would be an amazing thing to consider that Peter would make so high a promise, and be immediately so careless and remiss in the pursuit of it, if we did not find the root of the same treachery abiding and working in our own hearts, and see the fruit of it brought forth every day — the most noble engagements to obedience quickly end in deplorable negligence, Rom 7:18.

In this estate, our Savior admonishes them about their condition, their weakness, their danger, and he stirs them up to prevent that ruin which lay at the door: he says, “Arise, watch and pray.”

I will not insist on the particular that was aimed at here by our Savior, in this caution to those who were then present with him — the great temptation that was coming on them from the scandal of the cross, was doubtless in his eye. Rather, I will consider the words as containing a general direction to all the disciples of Christ, in their following him throughout all generations.

There are three things in the words: —

I. The evil cautioned against — temptation.

II. The means of its prevalence (Chap. 2) — by our entering into it. III. The way of preventing it (Chap. 2) — watch and pray.

It is not in my thoughts to handle the common place of temptations, but only the danger of them in general, with the means of preventing that danger; yet, so that we may know what we affirm, and of what we speak, some concerns of the general nature of temptation may be premised.

I. First, the GENERAL nature of tempting and temptation lies among indifferent things. To test, to experiment, to prove, and to pierce a vessel so that the liquor in it may be known, is as much as temptation signifies.

Hence God is sometimes said to tempt; and we are commanded as our duty to tempt, or test, or search ourselves, to know what is in us, and to pray that God would do so also. So temptation is like a knife that may either cut the meat, or cut the throat of a man; it may be his food or his poison, his exercise or his destruction.

Secondly, temptation in its SPECIAL nature, as it denotes any evil, is considered either actively (as it leads to evil), or passively (as it has evil and suffering in it): so temptation means affliction in James 1:2; for in that sense, we are to “count it all joy when we fall into temptation;” and in the other, that we “do not enter into it.”

Again, actively considered, it either denotes an intention in the tempter to bring about the special end of temptation — namely, leading someone into evil; thus it is said that “God tempts no man” with a design for sin as such, Jas 1:13. Or else it denotes the general nature and end of temptation, which is trial; thus “God tempted Abraham,” Gen 22:1. And

he proves or tempts men by false prophets, Deu 13:3.

Now, as to God’s tempting anyone, two things are to be considered: —

1. The end for which he does it; 2. The way by which he does it.

1. For the first, his general ends are two: —

(1.) He does it to show man what is in him — that is, in the man himself; and that is either as to his grace, or his corruption. (I am not now speaking of it as it may have a place or bear a part in judicial hardening.) Grace and corruption lie deep in the heart; men often deceive themselves in searching after one or the other. When we give vent to the soul, to test what grace is there, corruption comes out; and when we search for corruption, grace appears. Thus the soul is kept in uncertainty, and we fail in our trials. God comes with a gauge that goes to the bottom of it. He sends his instruments of trial into the bowels and the inmost parts of the soul, and lets man see what is in him, and of what metal he is constituted. Thus he tempted Abraham to show him his faith. Abraham did not know what faith he had (I mean, what power and vigor was in his faith) until God drew it out by that great trial and temptation. When God says he knew it, he made Abraham know it. In the same way, he tried Hezekiah to reveal his pride; God left him that he might see what was in his heart: so apt to be lifted up, as he appeared to be, until God tried him, and thus let out his filth, and poured it out before his face. I will not address the results of such revelations to the saints, in the thankfulness, humiliation, and treasuring up of experiences.

(2.) God does it to show himself to man, and that is done —

(1.) In a way of preventing grace. A man will see that it is God alone who keeps him from all sin. Until we are tempted, we think we live on our own strength. Though all men do this or that, we will not. When the trial comes, we quickly see where our preservation comes from, by standing or falling. So it was in the case of Abimelech, Gen 20:6, “I withheld you.”

(2.) In a way of renewing grace. He would have the temptation continue with St. Paul, so that he might reveal Himself to Paul in the sufficiency of His renewing grace, 2Cor 12:9. We do not know the power and strength that God puts forth in our behalf, nor the sufficiency of his grace, until comparing the temptation with our own weakness, it appears to us. The efficacy of an antidote is found when the poison has been taken; and the preciousness of medicines is made known by diseases. We will never know what strength there is in grace if we do not know what strength there is in temptation. We must be tried, so that we may be made sensible of being preserved. And God has many other good and gracious ends that he accomplishes towards his saints by trials and temptations, which will not be insisted on now.

2. As for the ways by which God accomplishes his search, trial, or temptation, here are some of them: —

(1.) He assigns men such great duties that they cannot apprehend they have any strength for, nor indeed do they. Thus he tempted Abraham by calling him to that duty of sacrificing his son — a thing that was absurd to his reason, bitter to his nature, and grievous to him on all accounts. Many men do not know what is in them, or rather what is ready for them, until they are put to what seems utterly above their strength — indeed, upon what really is above their strength. The duties that God, in an ordinary way, requires at our hands, are not proportioned to what strength we have in ourselves, but to what help and relief is laid up for us in Christ.

And we are to address ourselves to the greatest performances with a settled persuasion that we do not have the least ability for them. This is the law of grace; yet when any duty is required that is extraordinary, that is a secret not often revealed in the yoke of Christ: it is a trial, a temptation.

(2.) By putting them to great sufferings. How many have unexpectedly found strength to die at a stake, to endure tortures for Christ, yet their call to it was a trial. Peter tells us this is one way by which we are brought into trying temptations, 1Pet 1:6, 7. Our temptations arise from
the “fiery trial;” and yet the end is but a trial of our faith.

(3.) By providentially disposing things so that occasions for sin will be administered to men, which is the case mentioned in Deu 13:3; and innumerable other instances may be adjoined. Now, they are not properly the temptations of God that are intended here, as coming from him with his end upon them; therefore I will set these apart from our present consideration. What I intend then, is temptation in its SPECIAL nature, as it denotes an active efficiency towards sinning (as it is managed with evil unto evil).

In this sense, temptation may proceed either singly from Satan, or from the world, or from other men in the world, or from ourselves, or jointly from all or some of them, in their several combinations: —

(1.) Satan tempts sometimes singly by himself, without taking advantage from the world, the things or persons of it, or ourselves. This is how he deals in his injection of evil and blasphemous thoughts of God into the hearts of the saints; this is his work alone, without any advantage from the world or our own hearts: for nature will contribute nothing to it, nor anything that is in the world, nor any man of the world. For none can conceive of God and conceive evil of him. In this, Satan is alone in the sin, and will be alone in the punishment. These fiery darts are prepared in the forge of his own malice, and with all their venom and poison, they will be returned back into his own heart forever.

(2.) Sometimes he makes use of the world, and joins forces against us, without any helps from within. So he tempted our Savior by “showing him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them.” Mat 4.8 And the variety of assistance he finds from the world are inexpressible, in persons and things (which I must not insist on) — the innumerable instruments and weapons he takes from there, of all sorts, and at all seasons.

(3.) Sometimes he also employs assistance from ourselves. It is not with us as it was with Christ when Satan came to tempt him. Christ declares that Satan “had nothing in him,” John 14:30. It is otherwise with us: To accomplish most of his ends, Satan has a sure party within our own breasts, Jas 1:14, 15. Thus he tempted Judas, who was at work himself; Satan put it into Judas’ heart to betray Christ; Luke 22:3, “he entered into him” for that purpose. And he sets the things of the world to work, providing for Judas “thirty pieces of silver” (verse 5, “They covenanted to give him money”); and the men of the world, even the priests and the Pharisees; and Satan calls in the assistance of Judas’ own corruption — he was covetous, “a thief, and he had the (money) bag.”

I might also show how, in this business of temptation, the world and our own corruptions act singly by themselves, and jointly in conjunction with Satan and one another. But the truth is, the principles, ways, and means of temptations, the kinds, degrees, efficacy, and causes of temptations, are so inexpressibly large and various — from their circumstances, providence, natures, conditions, both spiritual and natural, with the particular cases arising from them — are so innumerable and impossible to comprise within any bound or order, that to attempt to give an account of them would be an endless undertaking. I will content myself to give a description of the general nature of what we are to watch against, which will make way for what I aim at. Temptation then, in general is any thing, state, way, or condition that, on any account whatever, has a force or efficacy to seduce — to draw the mind and heart of a man away from the obedience which God requires of him, into any sin, in any degree whatever.

In particular, a temptation is that which causes or occasions any man to sin, or to go away from his duty in anything, either by bringing evil into his heart, or by drawing out the evil that is in his heart, or in any other way diverting him from communion with God, and from that constant, equal, universal obedience, in matter and manner, which is required of him. To clarify this description, I will only observe that, although temptation seems to be of a more active importance, and so it denotes only the power of seduction to sin itself, yet in Scripture it is commonly taken in a neuter sense: it denotes the matter of the temptation, or the thing by which we are tempted. And this is a ground of the description that I have given it. Whatever it is, within us or without us, that has an advantage to hinder us in our duty, or to provoke us to sin, or in any way occasions sin — that is a temptation, and so it is to be taken. Whether it is business, employment, course of life, company, affections, nature, or corrupt design, relations, delights, name, reputation, esteem, abilities, parts or excellencies of body or mind, place, dignity, art — to the extent these further or occasion the promotion of the ends mentioned before, they are all of them, no less truly temptations than the most violent solicitations of Satan, or the allurements of the world. And that soul lies at the brink of ruin who does not discern it. This will be further revealed in our process.

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