2. 3. Therefore in the vision afterward shewed vnto him he is bid to waite for deliuerance for though it tary yet it shall surely come and shall not stay Cha. 2. 3. Thus Paul comforteth the Christian Corinthians God is faithfull and will not suffer you to be tempted aboue that which ye are able to beare but will giue an issue with the temptation that ye may be able to beare it 1. Cor. 10. 13. The bodies of the two Prophets who were slaine for the testimony of the Lord Iesus are suffered to lie in the streetes vnburied for three daies and an halfe that is for some short time which being expired the spirit of life comming from God shall enter into them and reuiue them then feare shall take their enimies but they shall ascend vp to heauen and their enemies shall see it All these doe plainly manifest Gods great mercie in giuing a gracious issue to the troubles of his childrē yea by good experience we may see the truth heereof in the happy issue that the Lord hath put to the most fearefull temptations of sundry in our time who haue beene exercised therein some for a yeare or two other for longer time euen many yeares together and yet in the end haue sung the song of ioyful deliuerance it may be some of Gods children beare the Crosse to their dying day yet the Lord sustains them in it by his grace and in the end shewes them mercy and peace Secondly in this departure of Satan from Christ we may obserue a notable difference between the first Adam and the second The first Adam was tempted and ouercome therein Satan preuailed in that conflict and brings him captiue into his kingdome hauing spiritually taken possession of him The second Adam is tempted also but the Diuell can find no meanes whereby to preuaile with him the prince of this world commeth but hath nought in mee saith Christ Iohn 14. 30. But after his assault is faine to flie away Further in this departure of Christ note two circumstances when Satan departed and for how long a time First when he departed is noted in this word then that is after the third temptation when Christ in indignation for his blasphemy against God had said Auoid Satan and withall had answered his temptation out of the written word then he departs Hence we learne First that the best way to vanquish satain is to giue him no ground but to withstand him manfully at the first Iam. 4. 7. resist the Diuell and he will flie Now Satan is resisted when from our hearts we cast our soules on the promises of God conteined in his word and in the whole course of our liues pray for strength of grace to stand against all his assaults whereby wee may see the great error and deceit of those who accompt of Satans temptations as of fits of melancholie and thinke they may bee remooued by musicke merrie company and such like but these are no weapons to driue away the Diuell Secondly this also shewes their dangerous course who yeeld to Satans temptations for a time taking their pleasure in their youth purposing to resist him when they are olde and then to repent too many take this course but it is fearefull for thus doing they set open al the doores of their heart to the Diuel and suffer him to take quiet possession little considering that it is beyond their power to dispossesse him at their pleasure For indeed heereby they become like to a man that is sick of the dropsie who the more he drinks the more he desires so hee that willingly giues place to Satans temptation the more he sinnes the more he may for the longer he is tempted the more by yeelding is he weakened the greater is the danger of his endlesse confusion therefore learne of Christ to resist betime Secondly in this circumstance note that when Christ rebuketh Satan and bids him auoid hee departs and is presently gone Was this any vertue in satan that hee doth thus readily depart at Christs command no verily though he obey it is not praise worthy for obedience is two fould voluntary and constrained voluntary when the creature doth Gods command without compulsion thus Adam did before his fail and all holy ones that are iustified and sanctified doe thus in part in this life Constrained obedience is when the creature is made to obey God wil he nil he This is like to the obedience of rebels who being attached and arreigned for their treasons in suffering are made to obey the Princes lawes And such was this obedience of Satan forced vpon him by the powerfull command of Christ who is Prince and Lord of all creatures And this is to be marked that when Christ giues foorth his powerfull command then Satan must obey whether he wil or not This is euident by his manifold dispossessions of vncleane spirits who came foorth at his command though they accompted him as their tormenter Now that which heere befals the Diuell shall one day bee verified of all wicked men if they will not now obey God willinglie while in the ministerie of the word he bids them repent and beleeue the Gospell they shall one day bee compelled euen at the dreadful day of Iudgement wil they nil they to obey that wofull voice of Christ Depart from mee yee cursed into euerlasting fire Mat. 25. 41. In regard whereof wee must euer be carefull now in the daie of grace to yeeld vnto Christ voluntary and cheerefull obedience vnto all his commandements both of the Law and Gospell lest one day wee be constrained to obey in going to our endlesse wo Satan who is a thousand-fold stronger then man could not resist his power how then shall wee that are but dust and ashes stand before so great a God This circumstance of time is more fully noted by S. Luke saying and when the Diuell had ended all the temptation he departed from him whereby thus much is signified that look what knowledge craft or power the Diuel had that did he imploy to the vttermost in these temptations before he left our Sauior Christ. Whereby it appeareth that Christ was tempted in the highest degree and measure that Satan possibly could attain vnto herein did the Diuell shew the extremity of his fraude and malice against Christ which further appeares by this that the Angels of heauen came and ministred vnto him for his comfort so as though Satan could not taint the sacred heart of our Sauior Christ with the least spot of sin yet in these temptations Christ was troubled with the same forrowes griefes vexations which Gods children vsually feele in their temptations The consideration whereof serues for speciall vse First to keepe all Gods children from despaire in the greatest extremity of their temptations euen when they shall feele their conscience as it were set on an Iron racke and the slashings of hell fire alreadie kindled in their soule for Christ
or occasion from vs of all the aduantage he hath against vs his temptations are like fire and bellowes and our infirmities and corruptions are wood and fewell The vse I. Hence then we may behold our miserable estate by reason of sinne for thereby it comes to passe that we beare about vs those darts wherewith the diuel doth wound vs. And sith Satans craft and malice is such to take aduantage from vs for to worke our wo we must labour the more diligently to be throughly acquainted with our naturall dispositions and inclinations yea with our bodilie infirmities for the Diuell will search vs and when wee haue truly found out our own estate we must set a strong watch and guard about our owne hearts in respect of our infirmities and so shall we be the better able to breake the necke of Satans temptations The fourth thing in this preparation is Satans comming to Christ The Tempter came vnto him By which phrase it is probable though not certaine that the Diuell tooke vpon him the forme of some creature and so appeared vnto Christ thus he came to Eue in Paradise abusing the serpent to further his assault against the first Adam And it is like that in his combat with the second Adam he came in the shape of some creature for otherwise he could not properly be said to come and speake Some indeed thinke that these temptations were inward in minde onely and by vision others thinke they were altogether visible and done actually but the safest way is to holde that they were in part actually done in bodily maner and partly shewed in vision And thus much for the preparation to the first conflict II. Point The temptation it selfe conteining matter of great importance being indeed the maine temptation of all in these words If thou be the Sonne of God command that these stones be made bread The Diuell being well prouided for time and place and aduantaged also by Christs bodily hunger doth heere assault our Sauiour Christ like a cunning Sophister and frame his argument Syllogistically thus If thou be the sonne of God thou canst make these stones bread But thou canst not make these stones bread Therefore thou art not the sonne of God The ground of this temptation is this It is no reason that the Sonne of God should starue for want of food but thou must starue vnlesse thou canst make these stones bread and therefore vnlesse thou canst do so thou maist perswade thy selfe it was but a false voice which thou heardest from heauen This is my welbeloued Sonne c. The scope and drift of Satan in this temptation standes in two things First hee labours to ouerthrow the faith of Christ. Secondly to bring him to a practise of vnbeleefe For the first By faith I meane a gift or grace in Christ wherby as he was man he beleeued his Fathers words to be true which said This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased whereby wee may see what the Diuell aimes at principally in his temptations against Gods children for these his assaults against our Sauiour Christ are set down for our instruction in this behalfe Satans maine drift then in temptation is to ouerthrow our faith whereby wee beleeue euerie part and parcell of Gods word to be true See this in his tempting of Eue first he labours to weaken her faith in the trueth of Gods threatning which done he easily brought her to actuall disobedience in eating the forbidden fruit The same course hee holdeth at this day first he will seeke to nuzzell men in ignorance that he may keepe them in vnbeliefe if he faile that way then will he endeuour to plunge their soules into some damnable errour and heresie and by one of these meanes doth he destroy the faith of many for while a man remaines in ignorance he can haue no saith and if he misse of the trueth of God he wants ground for his faith Now the reason why the Diuell labours so much against our faith is because we cannot truely relie vpon Gods mercie nor depend vpon his prouidence nor yeeld any acceptable obedience to his commandements vnlesse we beleeue his word More particularly we are to obserue that special branch of Gods word which the Diuell would haue Christ not to beleeue euen that voice of his Father which a little before Christ heard from heauen at his baptisme This is my welbeloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased And this hath the holy Ghost recorded in great wisedome and mercie to Gods Church for heereby doth appeare a main drift of Satan against Christs members in his temptations namely to make them doubt of their adoption and to destroy this perswasion in them that they are the sonnes and daughters of God for if heerein he spared not the head doubtlesse the members shall not escape his hands This appeares by his vsual assault against them specially when God shall lay vpon them any lingring crosse or affliction either in mind in body or in goods then the diuel will suggest this into their minds If thou werst the childe of God he would neuer lay his hand vpon thee so long a time and in so grieuous maner neuer was any child of God in this case that thou art in But God laies his hand thus heauie on thee and therefore thou maiest perswade thy selfe that thou art not the child of God The vse The consideration heereof must mooue vs aboue all things to labour for assurance of our adoption euen to haue our consciences assured out of Gods word that we are the sonnes and daughters of God in Christ. The diuels drift is to ouerthrow this perswasion in vs and therefore our endeuour must be to confirme and settle our hearts heerein This is the charge of the holy Ghost vpon euerie childe of God 2. Pet. 1. 10. Giue all diligence to make your calling and election sure that is get the assurance thereof sealed vp in your hearts by the comfortable fruition and practise of the sauing graces of Gods spirit ioyning vertue with your faith and with your vertue knowledge with your knowledge temperance and with temperance patience and with patience godlinesse and with godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and with brotherly kindnesse loue vers 5. 6. 7. And indeed if we would haue true peace and comfort in euery estate whether aduersity or prosperitie let vs labour for the knowledge of our adoption This will be our ioy in want in wealth in bondage in freedome in sicknesse in health in life and in death Heerein is that ioy of Christ which neuer can be taken from vs Ioh. 16. 22. We cannot doe the Diuell a greater pleasure then to neglect the getting of this assurance for heereupon he will take occasion specially in time of distresse fearefully dangerously to seeke to breake the necke of our soules he cares not much otherwaies what men professe and what knowledge and other common giftes of the spirit they haue
God in the land This Dauid knew well and therefore said He hid Gods saying in his heart that he might not sinne against him Psal. 119. 11. For as Sauls speare stood in readinesse at his head euen when he slept so should Gods word which is the sword of the spirit be euer in our hearts as it were ready drawen that to what sinne soeuer the Diuell allures vs we may be able to say for our defence It is written through want hereof it comes to passe that the Diuell at his pleasure leads men captiues into all impieties Lastly this excellent vse of the word vnderstood beleeued and obeied must moue all ignorant persons to labour for knowledge heerein and with all endeuor after growth in knowledge by holy obedience to shew foorth their faith If we had an enemy that had sworne our death and vowed to see our bloud how carefull would we be for our naturall life both to get vs weapons and also some knowledge to vse the same not only for our defence but also for the annoyance of our deadly foe Oh then how carefull should we be for the safetie of our soules to put vpon vs the whole armour of God and to learne to vse aright this sword of the spirit that when we meet with Satan our irreconciliable enemy in the field of temptation which is this miserable world we may be able both to award his blowes and to wound his head It is lamentable to see how ignorant people will blesse themselues in their ignorance and say they defie the Diuell and spit at him in defiance and yet they know not how they are intangled in his snares of their owne sinnes he little regards such defiance so long as their soules lie naked and bare before his deadly darts let two men meet that be at enmity the one armed the other naked what will it auaile for the naked man to defie his enemie with bigge words while in the meane time his armed enemy takes away his life Lo Satan is this strong man armed and ignorant persons are poore naked caâ—â—ffes they defie the Diuell and spit at him with their mouth but in the meane time the diuel wouÌ„ds their soules vnto death They wil say they feele no such wounds and therefore they feare him not but they must know that the lesse they feele the more cause they haue to feare for Satans wounds are most deadly when they are least felt The third point is Christs Answer it selfe Man shall not liue by bread onely but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God This answer is borrowed from Deuteron 8. 3. And it is that lesson which Moses sought to teach the children of Israell after the Lord had fedde them with food from heauen in that barren wildernesse where they were afflicted with hunger The words are something hard and therefore I will shew the meaning of them Man shall not liue that is shall not preserue his temporall life in this world for of eternall life neither Moses nor Christ did intend to speake By bread only that is onely by such ordinary meanes as food and raiment sleepe physicke c. which God hath appointed in his prouidence for the ordinary preseruation of natural life But by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God This title word betokens diuers things in scripture I. The substantiall word of God the second person in Trinity Ioh. 1. 1. In the beginning was the word and the word was God II. It is vsually taken for the written word conteined in the bookes of the olde and new Testament 1. Pet. 1. 25. Thirdly it is sometime taken for Gods will and decree and it is called his good pleasure so Heb. 1. 2. Christ sustaineth all things by the word of his power that is according to his will and decree by his powerfull appointment and by this word were all things made in the beginning and heerby haue they been preserued euer since this is that word that melteth the Ice Psal. 147. 18. And in this last sense must we vnderstand word in this place meaning that man doth not preserue this naturall life by ordinarie meanes onely but withall by Gods good pleasure will and decree sanctifying the meanes for his good Note further that it is said by euery word and therein lieth the substance of this sentence for the vnderstanding whereof wee must know that this powerfull working word of God may be distinguished according to the matter whereabout it is occupied Thus sometime God will haue men to liue by bread the ordinary food of naturall life and this is his ordinary word Sometime his will and appointment is that man shall liue by extraordinarie meanes as the Israelites did in the wildernesse while they liued vpon Mannah and this is his extraordinary word Otherwhiles hee ordaines that man shall liue without all meanes as Moses did in mount Sina Elias in mount Horeb and our Sauiour Christ in this wildernesse for the space of fortie daies and fortie nights together And lastly he ordains sometime that man shall liue against meanes and contrary to the course of nature Thus Daniell liued in the Lions denne and the three children in the firy furnace both which last may be called Gods miraculous word So that wee see good reason of this clause euery for heereby we learne that man doth not preserue his life only by ordinary means ordained of God but likewise by euerie word proceeding out of the mouth of God that is by euery appointment and decree of God whether extraordinary aboue the vsuall meanes or miraculous without all means or against the course of nature this we must labour to know and be perswaded of Nature teacheth that man liueth by Gods blessing and appointment in ordinary meanes But nature knowes not this that God preserueth mans life by his worde aboue meanes without meanes yea against meanes The beleeuing hart will hardly yeeld to this which Moses would teach the Israelites and therefore wee must take the more paines to be resolued of it If any shall thinke hereupon that a man may liue by the written word without meat and drinke he is deceiued for Christ meaneth not that euery word that God hath spoken shall preserue naturall life but that whatsoeuer way he hath appointed whereby man shal liue whether by ordinary or extraordinary meanes whether without meanes or against meanes the same shall be effectuall for mans preseruation Thus much for the meaning The applying of this testimony to the Diuels temptation is thus to be conceiued the Diuels temptation was this If thou be the sonne of God then commaund these stones to be made bread But thou canst not make these stones to become bread Therefore thou art not the sonne of God To this Christ answers by denying the proposition or first part of this argument the ground whereof was this which the Diuell tooke for granted that when a man is hungry
by them the Diuell can cunningly conuey his temptations into our hearts the senses specially these two are the windowes of the heart and soule and if we keepe them not well Satan will be sure to conuay some euill into vs. We must therefore obey Salomons counsell keepe thy heart aboue all watch and ward this we cannot do vnlesse we looke well to our outward senses for they are the doores of the heart This made Dauid to pray Lord turne away mine eies from beholding vanity and Iob to make a couenant with his eies And so must wee make conscience of hearing and looking lest thereby wee giue aduantage to the Tempter Further in this sight obserue the deep policy of the Diuell there are in the kingdomes of the world besides glory and dignity many troubles hurliburlies and vexations now these the Diuell conceales from Christ and shewes him only the glory pompe wealth and dignity of the world that so hee might the more easily winde his temptation into the heart of our Sauiour Christ. And this same course he stil obserueth in tempting men to sinne he hides from their eies all the miseries plagues and punishments which are due to sin and that will follow vpon it and shewes them onely all the profits and delights that they may reape thereby thus hee sugars ouer the poison of his temptations that men neuer feele the bitternesse of them till their soules be thereby deadly infected but then he takes a cleane contrary course and shewes to the wounded soule all the woes and terrours of Gods wrath that if it be possible he may bring a man to despaire And therefore we must be most watchfull of being insnated with the deceitfulnesse of sinne in the false shew of profit and pleasure Secondly the diuels policy doth notably appeare in reseruing this temptation for the last place for he knowes full well how forcible with man be the temptations of profits pleasures honors From whence we may also learne that temptations fetched on the right hand from honour pleasure and commodity are the most dangerous and doe soonest creepe into the heart of man preuailing far more then temptations on the left hand which are taken from aduersity The Diuell foiled Dauid worse in the time of peace ease then euer he could do during the time of Sauls grieuous persecution against him And he preuailed more against the Church by errours and heresies vnder Constantine and other christian Emperours then he could do by most bloudy persecution for the space of three hundred years before Yea in these our daies wordly hopes haue drawn those from the syncerity of religion whom outward violence could not moue prosperity is a slippery path wherein a man doth soone catch a fall and therefore we must learne to be most watchfull ouer our owne harts when we haue fairest weather with the world Lastly S. Luke addeth this circumstance of time that the Diuell shewed all these things vnto Christ in as short a time as might be euen in a moment or point of time whereby we may perceiue the Diuels great celerity speed in doing any thing he takes in hand herein he goes beyond all men in the world for being a spirit hee is able to worke wonders and though he cannot go beyond the strength and compasse of nature because his power is finite yet by reason of his agility and speed he can goe beyond the ordinary course of nature in the maner of working the things hee takes in hand And this exceeding quicke speed the Diuell heere vseth to stirre vp in Christ a more eager desire after those strange goodly things wherof he had but as it were a glimple that so by degrees he might worke in Christ a liking of them for the nature of man doth more eagerly affect strange things when they be sudden and the eie of man doth more wistly behold them And this also as the former must make vs watchful against all Satans crafty wiles that wee be not beguised by him Thus much for Satans preparation The second point in this conflict is the temptation it selfe in these words vers 9. And said vnto him all these will I giue thee if thou wilt fall downe and worship me The drift of Satan in this assault which we must carefully obserue is to draw Christ to commit idolatry by the hope of wordly kingdomes and the glory of them heerwith he proues him when he could neither weaken his faith by his first temptation nor worke presumption in him by his second And looke how he dealeth heere with Christ so doth he commonly in the world many a ones conscience and religion doth he quite ouerthrow by wordly hopes of riches pleasures and preserments heerby not only ordinary professours but ministers and preachers of the Gospell haue beene drawen to absure and renounce that truth which formerlie they haue taught and to betake themselues as the Popes vassals to professe and maintain his blasphemous idolatries heerby also Protestant merchants are drawen to become very seruiceable to the Popish Churches by transporting among them wax and such like merchandize which serue as necessary helps furtherances to their idolatrous seruice And what else is it that makes the people generally to change religion with the times and states but because they would still enioy their wordly commodities And the more men doe possesse in the world ordinarily the lesse courage and resolution they haue for the religion of God as experience in Queen Maries daies hath shewed which in generall may admonish vs how dangerous an enemy the world is to the power of true religion This temptation hath two parts A promise made to Christ and the condition thereof The promise in these words All these will I giue thee he saith not I will procure God to giue them vnto thee but I will giue thee them where we may see that Satans drift is to cause Christ to take him for his Lord to depend and wait on him for his kingdom and to acknowledge him to be the giuer thereof which notably bewraies his egregious boldnesse that dares thus challenge to himselfe the Lords owne right euen in the presence of him who was true Lord King of heauen and earth Let no man therefore thinke that Satan will lose ought for want of aduenture but in regard thereof be better armed against him Now that which the Diuell aimed at in Christ doth hee commonly effect in the world he makes men beleeue that he is the giuer of all things and so brings many a one to relie vpon him Indeed with their lips men wil confesse that God giues them their daily bread euen all things they haue but their dealings and practises speake aloud that the diuel is gouerner and giuer of all for how do many men get their liuings Is it not by lying fraud and oppressio Doe not most men heereby seeke to inrich themselues Wel the iust Lord neuer