-- CHAPTER IV: What are the aggravations of our sinful lusts.
CHAPTER IV:
What are the aggravations of our sinful lusts.
They make us fit and ready for any sin.—They are eager, greedy, and insatiate Having explained the essential parts of this aberration of our inclinations and desires, it remains that I shew the aggravations of inordinacy in these several parts, which are necessarily to be added to them, to make the ἀπάτη, and aberration more folly appear. The aggravations of their sinfulness, in regard of the first part, aversion from God, being treated of before, when I discovered that contrariety and enmity which is in our natures to God, I will omit it here, and come to those which are proper to the second, viz. conversion to other things, and what is evil, which indeed is the first of the positive part of our sinfulness by nature.
Now, the aggravation of the inordinacy of our inclinations, in regard of their conversion to what is evil, is expressed in these degrees of it.
First, The first and lowest, and indeed least positive, evil that lust adds to our nature is, that in all the faculties and powers of the soul and body, there is a fitness to be instrumental, and employed about what is evil, rather than what is good, and therefore are they called members of the body of sin: Col. 3:5, 'Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness,' &c.
And they are also called weapons or instruments of unrighteousness to obey lusts: Rom. 6:12, 13, 'Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof: neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin.' Now, that which differenceth one member from another, is a fitness or disposition to be employed about something that another is not, as the eye, that it is a fit organ for the soul to see with; the hand, which
is ὄργανον ὀργάνων, to apprehend and lay hold with; which several fitness ariseth from a several fashion that is in them. And so also one weapon differs from another weapon or instrument, by reason it hath some peculiar fitness to be used in some employment, because of the fashion given, which another wanting is unfit for such an use, as a sword to fight with, a shield to defend with. And therefore
Aristotle said, that an instrument is ἕν πρὸς ἕν, it hath a peculiar fitness for some one thing. Now, then, when the apostle calls the faculties of soul and body, members of the body of sin, and weapons of unrighteousness, it implies that there is a peculiar fitness in them to be used in any unrighteous practice, and that if they be but drawn out and wielded, they are fit instruments for sin, and for nothing else; that as grace moulds and casts our souls and faculties into such a fashion, that all are fit weapons for righteousness, sin doth so mould them, that they are fit instruments only for what is evil: Rom.
6:17, 'But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin; but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.' He calls it τύπος διδαχῆς, εἰς ὅν παρεδόθητε, 'into which ye were delivered;' so in the original, and in the margin. It was as a mould they were cast into, as vessels are, and so received such a fashion, as they were fit instruments for righteousness, ver. 13, and 2
Tim. 2:21, made vessels meet for the Master's use, and prepared for every good work. So now our nature having been cast in old Adam's mould into his image, 1 Cor. 15:49, we are shaped and formed in iniquity, as our translation reads that in Ps. 51:5, and so made fit for all iniquity, and reprobate, and unfit for every good work. That as a spade hath a fitness in it to dig in the earth, but is unfit to cut meat with, or the like honourable employment; so are all our inclinations and dispositions earthly members, Col. 3:5, as being fit to be used in earthly and sinful employments, but unfit for heavenly. As therefore
David compares his tongue to the pen of a ready writer, in regard of fitness and preparedness to indite holy and good things, Ps. 45:1, to run nimbly and fairly as a well-made pen, so a wicked man's tongue he compares (for the fitness of it for mischief, to wound others in their good name) to a sharp and keen razor: Ps. 52:2, 'Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.' So he
speaks of Doeg's tongue, in regard of the fitness of it to abuse men, by detracting from, and cutting off what is an ornament to a man, as hair is, Ezek. 14:7. Now, that which is said of the tongue is true of the rest of the members.
Secondly, The second degree of the heinousness of these lusts is, that in them all there is an active readiness to what is evil, which is a farther degree, and more than simply an instrumental fitness to be used and acted; for superadded to this there is a lively principle, a quicksilver activeness and readiness to what is evil. Acts 13:10, 'And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?' It is said of Elymas, that he was full of all readiness to work evil; so it is expressly in the original, ῥᾳδιουργίας, and in the fore-named place, Rom. 6:18, they are not only called weapons of unrighteousness, but servants also, ready to act what is enjoined them upon all occasions, that always stand readily appointed to stir upon the least watchword given. Yea, and St Paul says, Rom. 7:18, 'For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.' Evil was present with him, even at his elbow, still offering its service; so evil our inclinations are, still pushing themselves forward, when any evil is to be done, like unto that spirit, 1 Kings 22:21, when Ahab was to be tempted, one comes and says, 'I will persuade him,' And so, Rom. 3:15, our feet are said to be 'swift to shed blood,' ready to run, and that swiftly too, upon oppression's errand, or murder's errand; but when any good is to be done, we are 'slow of heart,' Luke 24:25, and need goads to prick us on to it. When we are exhorted to any good, our ears are dull of hearing: Heb. 5:11, 'Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.' Mat. 13:15, 'For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing,' &c.
The word is νωθροὶ, i.e. which are heavy, and so they are opposed to such as are swift of hearing, James 1:19.
Thirdly, A third aggravation of their aberration is, that there is in them not only an active readiness to sin, but a powerful prevailing injunction to do a wicked action. Lusts do not only make all the faculties fit and ready, but with power and authority carry a man on to sin; therefore sin is compared to a tyrant reigning in us, whereof the laws, in which the power of this tyrant lies, he calls lusts: Rom.
6:12, 'Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.' Let it not reign. If you ask by what? he tells you, that you obey it in the lusts thereof, which therefore in Rom. 7:23 are called expressly a 'law of the members' carrying captive unto sin. For what is more powerful than a longing lust, coming with a strong mandamus into the heart, and with a springtide that bears all before it? And therefore, 2 Peter 2:14, they are said to have eyes full of adultery, it coming in like a full sea filling all the banks, flowing into the eyes, and overflowing there, so as the man cannot cease from sin; neither is it compared to a strong tide only, but to a strong wind also. Wicked men are as clouds carried about with a whirlwind, and as empty clouds with a tempest, Jude 12, which are carried by reason of their lightness irresistibly.
Fourthly, A fourth degree of their inordinacy is an untainted greediness of sinning, which is in our lusts also: Eph. 4:19, 'Who being past feeling, have given themselves unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.' They give themselves to work uncleanness, all uncleanness (that is, sin in general), with a πλεονεξία, as desiring to have their fill, to be stuffed with it, as the word πλεονέχειν implies, come with full mouth to every act of sinning, as a thirsty man doth to drink; so is the comparison, Deut.
29:19, desiring to swallow down all the pleasure that is to be had in sin at one gulp, if it be possible. And therefore it is also said of wicked men, Jude 11, that they go greedily after the wages of Balaam, they ἐξεχύθησαν, that is, effundunt corda, they pour out all, which is very emphatical. And whereas the desires of grace are pure and peaceable, James 3:18; lusts do war in our members, chap. 4:1, 'From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts, that war in your members?' The soul is up in arms
for anything it desires; when it would have anything, it musters up all its forces, carries out an army to conquer the Helena or Golden
Fleece of our desires.
This appears, 1. In that they carry us clean against reason. Rachel's desire of children was so violent, and so transported her, as against all sense she comes to her husband and says passionately, 'Give me children, or else I die,' Gen. 30:1, whenas, poor man (as he truly answered her), it was not in his power: 'Am I in God's stead?' ver. 2. And so, 1
Tim. 6:9, he that will be rich is led into many foolish lusts, to do things which even reason is against. So, how foolishly was Herod transported to promise a woman, merely for a dance, to give her the half of his kingdom! Mark 6:9.
2. Their greediness appears, that if one lust be not satisfied, nothing else can please us as long as that fit lasts. Rachel, when she could not have her longing, she would in pet die in all haste,—'Give me children, or else I die,'—though she had an husband was worth ten children to her. And so was it with Haman, Esther 5:11–13; all the honour and riches which he possessed would not content him, so long as he was not revenged on a poor porter that would not rise to him. So Ahab, though a king, had his stomach took away to all other delights, because that he wanted one bit, Naboth's vineyard, which he coveted, 1 Kings 21:4.
3. It appears in the unseasonableness of them. Men cannot stay, but must have them satisfied immediately. Hence men make haste to be rich, Prov. 28:22, so greedy are they that they would presently be at the journey's end of their desires. And therefore the intemperancy of princes is noted out, Eccles. 10:16, 17, that they drink not in season, but in the morning, so impatient and unseasonable are their desires, like eagles that haste to the prey, as Hab. 1:8 compares them, it being a greedy bird. Whereas the desires of grace are seasonable and
patient: 'He that believes makes not haste.' And in Ps. 1:3, a godly man is compared to a tree which brings forth fruit in season.
4. It appears in that the greater the difficulty is to attain to them, the more eager we are, so as the difficulty whets our desires for it, sets a greater price upon the thing desired. Amnon fell sick, and thought it hard to do anything to his sister, 2 Sam. 13:2; and this is noted to shew how his desire was the more whetted, by how much he thought it harder to compass, though with some hope. Let a thing seem to be concealed from us, and we long the more earnestly to know it; as the pulling away of the bait makes fish greedier.
5. It appears in that nothing can tame a lust. Therefore, James 3:7, 8, the tongue is called 'an unruly evil, which none can tame,' and so more fierce than any beast, for there is no beast but hath been tamed by the art of man; but no reason can tame this. Solomon, speaking of the vanity of all human knowledge, Eccles. 1:15, brings this in for one, that it cannot rectify the crookedness of a man's desires; nothing but grace can do it: James 4:5, 6, 'Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace: wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.'
6. Yea, the greediness is increased by all the means we use to quell it, till God give more grace; the more we are forbidden a thing, the more we long after it, nitimur in vetitum. The law, which was as water to cool the heat of ill desires, forbidding them, stirred them up in Paul's heart the more: Rom. 7:13, 'Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.' The law prohibiting, makes our lusts more violent, as water cast by smiths on their forge makes the fire burn faster, or as the wind that blows out the fire one would think, doth but spread the flame, and stir it up the more. John told Herod it was unlawful to have his brother Philip's wife, and the more he loved her;