Reformed Baptist Congregation Exaltation | Edification | Evangelism
What a great word from John Owen on temptation near the end of his little work on the same. I love this part:
“Let a soul exercise itself to a communion with Christ in the good things of the Gospel. Pardon of sin, fruits of holiness, hope of glory, peace with God, joy in the Holy Spirit, dominion over sin, and he shall have a mighty preservative against all temptations.”
(John Owen , Works Vol. 6, p. 144.)
So, let us exercise our souls in this way.
The vigor and power and comfort of our spiritual life depends on our mortification of deeds of the flesh.
If we do not abide in prayer, we will abide in temptation. Let this be one aspect of our daily intercession: ‘God, preserve my soul, and keep my heart and all its ways so that I will not be entangled.’ When this is true in our lives, a passing temptation will not overcome us. We will remain free while others lie in bondage.
Let no man think to kill sin with few, easy, or gentle strokes. He who hath once smitten a serpent, if he follow not on his blow until it be slain, may repent that ever he began the quarrel. And so he who undertakes to deal with sin, and pursues it not constantly to the death.
If we would talk less and pray more about them, things would be better than they are in the world: at least, we should be better enabled to bear them.
All other ways of mortification are vain, all helps leave us helpless, it must be done by the Spirit.
Do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work? Be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.
The custom of sinning takes away the sense of it, the course of the world takes away the shame of it.
John Owen makes this great statement about temptation:
“All sin is from temptation. Sin is a fruit that comes only from that root.”
(Works, Vol. 6, p. 117)
“There can be then no calling on God, and his praises must necessarily cease, where evil-speaking prevails.”
“That we may therefore rightly praise God, the vice of evil-speaking as to our neighbor must be especially corrected.”
“He, then, who truly worships and honors God, will be afraid to speak slanderously of man.”
(James Commentary, Vol. 22, p. 323)
“I will not show partiality to any man or use flattery toward any person.” (Job 32:21 ESV)
“For I do not know how to flatter, else my Maker would soon take me away.” (Job 32:22 ESV)
“For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is can open grave; they flatter with their tongue.” (Ps. 5:9 ESV)
“Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.” (Ps. 12:2 ESV)
“May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts, those who say, ‘With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?'” (Ps. 12:3, 4 ESV)
“A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.” (Prov. 26:28 ESV)
“For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.” (Rom. 16:18 ESV)
“For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed – God is witness.” (1 Thess. 2:5 ESV)
“Now God’s truth requires us to look for something different when we think of ourselves – namely, a knowledge which banishes our arrogant belief in our own strength and which removes every excuse for vainglory, leading us instead to humility. This is a rule we ought to follow if we want to reach the goal of right thinking and right action. I know how much nicer it is for men to be allowed to recognize their gifts and praises, than to see and understand their poverty, shame, vileness and frailty. There is nothing our mind desires more than to be wooed by honeyed words and flattery…thus because man is so prone to self-flattery, nothing can please him more than to be tickled with empty praise.”
John Calvin (Institutes, French Edition, 1541, pp. 29, 30)