-12 Chapter 12. Of Tempting God.

2-12 Chapter 12. Of Tempting God.

1. Tempting God, in a singular manner, is opposed to Hearing the Word, and Prayer. Psalms 95:7-9, Today if you will hear his voice, do not harden your heart, as in the provocation, as in the day of Temptation in the Wilderness: where your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works. For seeing that in hearing the word and godly Prayer, we have communion with God according to his will, if we seek such communion beyond his will, then we are properly said to tempt him.
2. To tempt God is to TEST some Divine perfection in an unlawful manner. Psalms 95:9.
3. This testing is sometimes of the POWER of God. Psalms 78:18-19, They tempted God in their heart — and speaking against God, they said, Can God prepare a Table in the Wilderness? — namely, when it is circumscribed by men, and bounds are set at their pleasure: that if he will do this or that which they would have him do, then let him be accounted omnipotent; otherwise not. Psalms 78:41, Who tempted God, and limited the holy one of Israel?
4. Sometimes a test is made of the KNOWLEDGE of God, as when men privily961 do something, doubting whether God knows it or not. Psalms 94:7, saying, the Lord does not see, nor does the God of Jacob regard.
5. Sometimes it is a test of the PRESENCE of God. Exodus 17:7. They tempted God, saying, Is the Lord among us or not?
6. Sometimes it is a test of the PROVIDENCE of God, when men abandoning the ordinary means appointed by God, still expect God to provide for them at their desire, although he promised no such thing. Matthew 4:7.962
7. Sometimes it is a test of the ANGER, JUSTICE and VENGEANCE of God. 1 Corinthians 10:22. Do we provoke the Lord to anger? This kind of tempting is found in all murmuring and strife against God, or against those sent by God. 1 Corinthians 10:9-10. Nor let us tempt Christ. Nor murmur, for which Massah and Meribah were the names of that same place. Exodus 17:7.
8. But tempting God is sometimes with an express intention to try God, as in unlawfully casting Lots, and whenever we PRESUME something of God which he has not promised.
9. Sometimes it is with a secret and implied consent, namely when what is done — of itself and in its own nature — tends to this: that God may be tried, even though the one that does it thinks no such thing.
10. And this is done in two ways. First, when one wills and expects anything to be done, and in the meantime refuses the means that are necessary for it: as in natural things those who would have health or continuance of life, and reject medicines or food; also in supernatural things, when those who would have grace and life, neglect the Word of God, and the Sacraments, and like means of grace and salvation. Secondly, when one exposes himself to danger without urgent necessity, from which he cannot be delivered in any way, or scarcely be delivered, except by a miracle from God: as those often do in natural things, who seek vainglory in contemning death,963 and as those do in spiritual things, who seem as it were, to love the occasions and the enticements to sin.964
11. This sin often flows from DOUBTING or UNBELIEF, because the one who seeks to try God, does not sufficiently trust the revealed word of God; but will undertake a new way to know the will of God. And so it is opposed to hearing the word, so far as it is to be received by Faith.
12. Sometimes it flows from DESPAIR, when men do not expect the promises of God; and so, by a disorderly hastening, they prescribe to God when and how he may satisfy their expectation. And so it is opposed to the hearing of the word, as it cherishes divine hope in us.
13. Sometimes also it flows from a base esteem and CONTEMPT of God: as when one playing and jesting will test whether God will manifest himself according to his desire. And so it is opposed to hearing the word, as the word has in it a love and fit esteem of God.
14. It flows also from a certain ARROGANCE and PRIDE whereby, refusing to subject our wills to the Will of God, we seek to make his will subject to our lust.
15. But it comes most often from PRESUMPTION, whereby one is confident that God will do this or that, which he nowhere promised, or at least which he did not promise to do in that manner and with those means they expect; this is why some refer every tempting of God to presumption. And in respect to ARROGANCE, it is opposed to Prayer, in which we humbly present our will to God, so that it may be performed by him as he pleases.
16. But it is always opposed to some act of religion by which we depend on the will of God — because when we tempt God, we do it so that God may, as it were, depend on our will.
17. To desire some special SIGN from God, with some special reason, inspiration, or instinct, is to tempt God, Matthew 16:1, The Pharisees and Sadducees tempting him, required him to show them a sign from Heaven.
18. Yet to REFUSE A SIGN offered by God, is also to tempt or weary him. Isaiah 7:11-13, Ask for a sign. ...I will not ask, nor will I tempt God. ...You weary my God965 Humbly seeking a sign from God about some particular necessary thing, which otherwise is not sufficiently manifested, may sometimes be done without sin. Genesis 15:8, How shall I know that I shall inherit the Land?
19. Proving or purging a suspected offence by a trial of hot Iron, scalding water, and the like, are temptings of God. For there is a certain miraculous showing of the power of God that is expected or required in them to prove a hidden truth. But this is without just cause, because there are other means appointed to find out men’s faults, which if they fail, such things may remain unknown without any fault.
20. Of the same kind are single Duels, or monomachies,966 which were permitted of old by public authority, and are still too frequent. For in these, the righteousness of the cause is committed to be decided by the singular providence of God, from that success which he is thought to give according to his Justice; but this is without any certain and just reason.
21. Besides these temptings which properly pertain to a trial of God, there is also a tempting as it were, of INDUCEMENT towards God, when help from him is required, or expected, in order to commit some heinous wickedness.
22. Yet those inducements may fitly enough be referred to as tempting by trial, because the Will of God is tried in them. They differ from other trials only in this: that the object about which the Will of God is tried, is an action that is unlawful in itself. In this respect, the honour of God is especially hurt and violated, because there is joined together with the temptation, a certain most foul mocking of God.
23. Tempting or proving God is sometime taken as good, and it is commanded: Malachi 3:10, Try me now in this, says the Lord of Hosts.
24. But this tempting is an act of Faith, leading us to obey and practise those things which God has commanded, with an expectation of that fruit and blessing which God has promised.
25. This lawful tempting of God pushes back all the temptations of the Devil.967
26. That unlawful tempting of God lays us open to the temptations of the Devil; nor are we ever overcome by any temptation of the Devil, unless we in some sort tempt God.