thorough his sides mortally pierced all their soules Looke then as a man by his parts or place is fitted to doe Sathan more harme as learned men wise men in the Church or Common-wealth so much the more doth Sathan oppose them and the rather because in them he ouerthrowes many others Augustine when God called him was farre more assaulted by Sathan than Alixius because of Augustine his greater learning Moses when he began to execute Moses his calling what troubles had he So Paul Paul aboue his fellowes because of greatest gifts maligned of Sathan And Zach 3. Sathan was standing Zach. 3. Iehoshua This serues first for caution at the right hand of Iehoshua the high Priest Such persons then haue heere their Item to take heede to themselues Sathan hath desired to winnow you The choisest wits the quickest spirits the greatest parts the deepest learning the highest callings he labours to prey vpon If he see a yoong gentleman of great parts place and parentage likely to bee aduanced and called foorth to great seruices he will specially labour to corrupt him with the loue of vanities and vaine pleasures and with the contagion of euill company and euill counsellours This also is comfort 2. For Consolation to those of such parts and places when thus troubled by Sathan or his instruments whether Magistrates or Ministers It is a signe Sathan is afrayd of them And on the contrary that Sathan neuer feares any great hurt from them in their places of the Magistracy or Ministery whom he lets quietly alone In the whole history of the Acts wee shall see how the Apostles almost neuer came to any place but Sathan began to rage tempest against them The second poynt The cause and manner of this 2 The cause manner of Christs going into the desert his going He was led by the Spirit By the Spirit vnderstand the Holy Spirit not the impure one First because mention was made of this Spirit immediately before in the former chapter by Matthew Secondly because of that which followes to be tempted of the Diuell whereas if the vncleane spirit the Diuell himselfe had beene meant thereby then rather the words should haue runne thus He was led of the spirit to be tempted by him Thirdly Luke is plaine He returned from Iordan full of the Holy Spirit and was led 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by that spirit into the wildernesse Doct 1 Led Some referre it onely to the inward motion of the minde others also to the motion of his body miraculously carried rapt as Philip Act 8. Acts 8. by the spirit into the wildernesse And to this doe they referre that afterwards Luc. 4. 14. concerning the rumour that went of Christ To this I rather encline both because Markes words fauoureth it the spirit thrust him foorth and because that if it had bin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mark 1. 12. otherwise hee would haue had after these miracles at Iordan so many followers that the worke of tentation intended would haue beene hindred And yet this extraordinary motion of his body hinders not the voluntarines of his minde which as it is the grace of all other of his sufferings so of his temptations that he was not led as a Beare to the stake but went to it with courage and cheerefulnesse The Vse This leading of Christ by the spirit was extraordinary yet we must thus far imitate it That the very motions of our body and our goings to and from places must bee from the direction The very motions of our bodies must be from direction of Gods word and spirit of the Word and so of the Spirit of God As was Noahs going in and comming out of the Arke Iaakobs going to and comming from Laban But many are led by the Diuell as dogs in a string and carried from the Church to the alehouse the stewes and the stage The Spirit of God carries vs to no such places Doct 2 All our temptations are disposed and ordered by the secret will and counsell of God Hee leades vs All our temptations are disposed by Gods secret will and counsell Sathan is chained 1 Chron 21. 1. 2. Sam. 24. 1. and goes before Who then would not follow such a guide and be cheerefull in all our trials Sathan is a mastiue but yet in Gods chaine and cannot come out at vs to baite vs vnlesse God loose him and set him on vs. Therefore 1. Chron. 21. 1. Sathan is sayd to mooue Dauid to number the people and 2. Sam. 24. 1. God is sayd to mooue Dauid to it euen as both the dogge may bee sayd to bait the beast and the owner of the beast that brings him to be baited and suffers the dogge to be set vpon him Heere then is sweet comfort in these baytings A Comfort to the tempted Christian God is by and lookes on hee will haue pitty on vs if he see this curre too violent hee will plucke him off As the owner of the beast is so mercifull to his beast as not to let vs bee killed by the mastiues If thou feele thy selfe ready to faile and sinke in tentation lift vp thine heart to that Spirit that led thee to be tempted and yet will not suffer thee to be led into temptation He that set him on hee onely can take him off The third poynt The end of his going To be tempted 3. The end of Christs going into the desert of che Diuell Heere six questions may be asked Quest 1 1. Quest What is it to tempt or to be tempted Answ The word which is the first roote is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What it is to tempt or to be tempted to pierce thorough And so this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 comming of it is to take triall because by piercing thorough a thing it is tried what it is within whether sound or no. Thereafter then as the meanes are to try or discouer so is the word of tempting vsed For first there is a triall by a naked offring of obiects or occasions thus we say of delicate meats they are temptations So prosperitie riches c. are temptations And crosses also Iam. 1. 2. And thus is God sayd to tempt in Scripture because in his How God tempts Iames 1. 2. prouidence he offers obiects and such occasions as will try vs and when he sends vs either wealth honours or the contrary when he sends vs his Word the precepts and exhortations thereof As by speeches cast out we also do trie and as we say feele one another So Gen. 22. God tempted Abraham in Gen 22. How Sathan tempts that commandement of offring vp Isaac Secondly Triall is by earnest perswasion and sollicitation to sinne for by this meanes we are tried what we are as Iosephs chastity was tried by his mistresses perswasions And this is the Deuils tempting Sometime the fisherman onely sets his bait without any vrging of the fish to
Take heede of that deceitfulnesse of heart whereby we promise our selues great matters of our selues if wee might but change our estates and callings to our mindes Oh how liberall would the poore man be if he were rich how vpright and iust the priuate man if he were a Magistrate But they consider not that there are temptations in those estates and callings and that more dangerous then in their owne and therefore they know not what they shall doe till they haue triall of themselues And therefore they should rather feare the worst of themselues So much of Sathans temptation Now let vs see Christs answer But Iesus answered and sayd It is written Man liueth not by bread onely but by euery word that proceedeth Christs answer to Sathans temptation out of the mouth of the Lord. The diuels argument was If thou wert the sonne of God thou wouldst turne stones into bread to releeue thine hunger and so preserue thine humanity which otherwise will perish But thou doest not turne stones into bread Therefore c. Our Lords answer now is both to the consequence and the false ground of it To the consequence hee answers by retorting it most excellently whatsoeuer proceedes out of the mouth of God can preserue mans life Therefore it followes not that if I be God I must needes nourish my body by bread oh absurd and senselesse Sathan Nay if I could not nourish my body but by bread then were I not God and therefore need I not turne these stones into bread because I am God and can make what I will to nourish me euen stones without being turned into bread To the ground of the consequence which was that without bread his life could not bee preserued he answers that it was directly false and prooues it by the words of Scripture Deut. 8. Man liueth not by bread c. Deut. 8. 3. And thus we see the scope of this answer Wherin Consider 1. Whence it is taken 2. The answer it selfe Doct. 1 For the first It is taken out of Deut. 8. Where Moses tels the Israelites that God therefore did feed them with Manna from heauen to teach them that man liueth not by bread onely Our Lord could haue confounded the Diuell otherwise but to shew the power of the Scripture and to grace it and to The word of God is the sword of the Spirit wherewith we must wound Satan Ephes 6. giue vs an example of fighting against Sathan hee chuses this way of confuting him by the written word This is that sword of the spirit Eph. 6. wherewith we must wound Sathan We are bidden to resist him by faith but this faith is grounded on Gods word Vse 1 The Vse 1. Against the Papists that take away the weapons from Gods people and so betray them into the hands of their enemies and in steed of the sharpe two edged swords of the spirit giue vs a leaden and a woodden sword of their owne as their holy water their crossings their graines and their durty reliques It is not the signe of the crosse but the word of the crosse that ouerthrowes Sathan For he is that strong man that will not yeeld but to a stronger Now the signe of the crosse and holy water and such bables are humane inuentions and therefore too weake to chase him away But the word of God hath a diuine power in it and so is able to ouercome him And indeed if there were no other argument to prooue the Scripture to be Gods word this were sufficient that it hath power to quaile and to quash Sathans temptations Vse 2 2. Against such of vs as delight in other bookes and not in Gods and this is the fault of many ministers that are mighty in the Fathers Schoole-men and Counsels but not with Apollos in the Scriptures Acts 18. 24. Acts 18. 24. But Ministers with Christ should labour to bee good Textuaries and not Ministers onely but all Christians in their places For Christ heere alledgeth Scripture not as a Minister but as one tempted to defend himselfe Now all Christians are subiect to temptations In the plague time none will goe abroad without some preseruatiue None will goe foorth into the fields but take at least a staffe with them for feare of the worst Those that trauell will not ride without their swords Those that know they haue enemies will neuer goe foorth vnweaponed and Kings alwayes haue their guards Now all of vs hauing Sathans temptations and our enemies ready for vs at euery turne we had neede daily to resort to the armoury of the Scriptures and there to furnish our selues For when this word shal be hid in our hearts and enter into our soules then shall we preuaile both against the violent man and the flattring woman that is against all kinde of temptations whether on the right or on the left hand I haue hid thy word saith Dauid Psal 119. in mine hart Psal 119. that I might not sinne Thus Ioseph preuailed against that temptation to folly by remembring the seauenth commandement The reason why we are so Genes 39. often foiled is for that we read not the Scriptures at all or else carelesly without affection or attention and impression in the heart Let vs now then like good ants hoard vp against the winter of triall of this spirituall graine In that time one sauoury sentence of Scripture shall do vs more seruice then all the pretty and witty sayings sentences of Fathers Philosophers and Poets If Christ as man notwithstanding his vnion with the God-head had vse and comfort of the Scripture how much more then the most holiest men Cast not off the study of the Scriptures onely to the Ministers Though the law bee not thy profession yet thou wilt haue so much skill in it as to hold thine inheritance and to keepe thy land from the cauiller So heere though diuinity bee not thy profession yet get so much skill as to keepe thine heauenly inheritance against Sathans cauils As any is more subiect to Sathans temptations so hath hee greater neede of the Scriptures Therefore Princes and great ones specially haue speciall great neede of them Deut. 17. 18 19. Iosh Deu. 17. 18. 19. Iosh 1. 8. 1. 8. And betimes let vs inure our little ones to them Who knowes but that the alledging of these texts heere might bee the fruit of that institution in the Scriptures in his childhood vnder his parents 2. The answer it selfe followes In which heere are two things 1. First a concession or grant implied 2. The answer it selfe in the word Onely Man liueth not by bread only It implies thus much I grant that ordinarily man liues by bread Where by bread synechdochically is meant all other the creatures made for food As Iob 1. They went to eat bread that is to feast banquet Then secondly a restriction of the grant Yet not onely by bread but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth
Of Mercy where the patience prouidence 2. Of mercy bounty and kindnesse of the Lord is seriously to be recognized of vs knowing as the Apostle speaketh that it leadeth vs to repentance But heere specially Rom. 2. excelleth the meditation of the death and passion of Christ wherein thou shalt see both the infinitenesse of thy sinne and Gods loue And heere consider thy sinnes as the Iudas that betrayed the souldiers that apprehended bound smote and wounded thy Sauiour as the gall and vineger in his mouth spittle in his face thorns on his head nailes in his hands speare in his side Surely if a man but vnwittingly should kill though the silliest and basest man that is it could not yet but be a great trouble vnto him What then should this be to vs that we haue wilfully murthered the Lord of glory the sonne of God himselfe Behold also Gods infinite loue and see Christ doing the same to thy sinnes which they to him and in suffering death at their hands inflicting death on them and all other thy spirituall enemies for God doth that to his enemies to make vs relent which he bids vs doe to ours If thine enemie hunger giue him meat if he thirst giue him drinke Nay Rom. 12. 20. when we Gods enemies were dead hee gaue vs life and that by the death of his owne sonne and so hath heaped coales of fire on our heads to melt our harts in godly sorrow The way then to pierce our hearts with sorrow for sin is to behold Christ pierced with nailes on the crosse Then shall they looke on mee whom they haue pierced and lament Ezech. 12. And this is the consideration both of our own and Gods wayes required as an incentiue and prouokement of godly sorrow The which shall bee farre more effectuall if we keepe iournals or day-bookes of them both both of our speciall sinnes and Gods speciall mercies for then in the exercises of Repentance may we the more easily set our sinnes in order before our eyes and for the better affecting of our hearts may we spread the catalogue of our sinnes before the Lord as Ezekiah did Rabsakehs 2. Kin. 19. 14. blasphemous letter This course holy Bradford tooke and some thinke Iob did so because of that speech Not one of a thousand CHAP. VII Of Confession and Deprecation HVmiliation wrought in the heart must bee expressed outwardly both in word action 2. Outward expressing it in word In word by his Confession of sinne and Deprecation In Confession consider 1. Parts 1. In Confession In it 1. parts which are 2. 2. Manner The parts of confession are two 1. Accusing of our selues 2. Iudging of our selues Both these are necessary duties For by accusing 1. Accusation In which our selues we preuent Sathan by iudging our selues we preuent God When we haue accused our selues what can Sathan that accuser of the brethen say which wee haue not sayd before so his mouth is stopt Hee comes too late wee being Accusers God is our Discharger and what then shall Sathan be but a Slanderer By iudging of our selues doe wee likewise put God out of office for he will say loe how this man iudgeth himselfe I will not therefore iudge him If in Ahabs hypocryticall iudging seest thou not 1. Kin. 21. 29 how Ahab humbleth himselfe I will not therefore humble him how much more in the sincere and seuere iudging of the Godly Indeed in iudging of others Iudge not least ye be iudged but in iudging Matth. 7. 1. of our selues iudge that ye be not iudged 1. Cor. 11. Now for the former namely the accusing of our Three things selues there must be these three things therein 1. A particularizing of our sinnes In an accusation 1. Particularizing of sinne it is not enough to accuse in generall but we must come to particulars and charge the accused with this or that crime How can the Physitian helpe him that saies he is not well and will not tell him where Many deale with God in the confession of their sinnes as Nebuchadnezar with his Inchanters Dan. 2. about his dreame that hee had dreamed hee told them and desired an interpretation but what his dreame was he could not tell So many confesse themselues sinners and desire pardon But wherein they haue sinned and what their sinnes are they cannot or will not tell Generall Confessions and in grosse are too too grosse No they must be particularly remembred and ranked and sorted together in order 2. And beeing thus set in order some of thy chiefest sinnes must be culled out which haue bin 2. Calling out the chiefe most dishonourable to God and discomfortable to thine owne soule Thus Paul in his confession insists specially in that grand and capitall sinne of persecution I persecuted the Church of God And so those Israelites Besides all other our sinnes wee haue 1. Tim. 1. 13. 1. Sam. 12. 19. sinned in asking a King For he that truely and seriously repents of one sinne specially his deerest and sweetest sinne will much more repent of his other lesser sinnes Hee that will shake off his greatest friends will much more forsake the meaner and lesse respected And indeed vsually Repentance is first occasioned by some one speciall hainous sinne layd to heart The Apostles Acts 2. doe specially presse the murther of Christ vpon the Iewes and Acts 17. Ignorance vpon the Athenians Christ adultery vpon the woman of Samaria calling her to repentance As in battels though they fight against the whole Army yet specially against the Head and Generall as Fight neither against great 1. Kin. 22. nor small but against the King of Israel so specially we must set our selues in our confession against our Master sinnes the King being caught the rest will neuer stand out 3. Though we must specially dwell vpon some of our most speciall sinnes yet the rest must not be 3. Yet not neglecting the rest neglected for as Confession must be particular so also must it be full And our more greeuous offences must bring the rest to our remembrance As Dauids murther and adultery brought euen his birth-sinne to his minde And that sin of strange Psal 51. wiues many other sinnes to Esraes minde As we in correcting our children for one fault thereupon Esr 9. remember them of and reckon with them for many other before and as in accusation when a man is endited of some speciall crime his enemies vpon that occasion bring in whatsoeuer else they can get against him further to disgrace him so heere in accusing our selues nothing willingly must bee omitted Take wee heede of spirituall guile in hiding ought Thou mayest hide God from thy selfe thy selfe from God thou canst not To the Physician thou wilt discouer euen thy most shamefull diseases the fruites of thy filthy wickednesse If thou shouldest conceale but one circumstance of such a disease it might kill thee And sixe
tempted aboue our strength 1. Cor. 10. 10. 2. On Gods part That hee will bee glorified in vs against Sathan The credit of our combating redounds to God who if he had not well taught vs in his fencing schoole would neuer haue brought vs into We should come from the Word and Sacraments full of the holy Ghost Acts 9. 17. 18. Gen. 29. 1. See Trem. the field lest we should shame him Doct 2 2. Learne how wee should come from the word and sacraments euen as heere Iesus from Iohn full of the Holy Ghost So did Paul after his baptisme and Iaakob after Bethels vision lifted vp his feete like a traueller that goes freshly after a good bait Many are like Iudas after the sippe they depart not full of the Holy Ghost but full of Satan and as the Israelites they sit downe to eat and drinke and rise vp to play As if Exod 32. 6. in the strength of good cheere I should raile at the master of the feast Good motions in hearing are not enough We must returne from Iorden the same wee were in Iorden The Church is Gods fencing-schoole thence bring we skill It is Gods armoury thence bring we furniture against Sathan Only the Holy Ghost can ouercome the filthy Ghost and he is to be got onely by the ministery A great honour it is to it that the Holy Ghost first beganne to manifest his power in Christ in the vse of it The second preparation is for the suffring of the temptations For if Christ who had lately beene so The second preparation honoured from God and from heauen had still continued in answearable glory the diuell had beene skarred away Therefore Christ by the bayts of the place and of his condition in the place drawes him on and prouokes him to fight giuing him all the ods and aduantage that might be laying away those terrible weapons the sight whereof would haue terrified Sathan and leaues himselfe naked and destitute of all helps The greater oddes Sathan had the greater was the shame of his foyle the greater the glory of Christs victory while he beats him in the desert the place where he raignes and triumphes Luc. 8. 29 as it were a cocke vpon his owne dung-hill and that in the weaknesse which hunger brought vpon him Doct. Heere wee haue an image of the conflicts betwixt Ismael and Amalek the seede of the woman and the seede of the serpent God to gaine the greater glory to himselfe giues all the aduantages that may bee to God for his greater glory giues aduantaage to the enemies the enemies of his Church How vnequall was the combate and contention betwixt Luther one poore Monke and the Pope and so many legions of his creatures They had the sword of most magistrates to sway at their pleasures great power and great authority yet Luther tooke the prey out of their teeth as poore Dauid ouerthrew the great Goliah So the Iesuites at this day haue better meanes of learning greater maintenance more countenance among theirs then our poore Ministers with vs. So hath it beene and still is in the Church Vse And when wee see that the Church is thus disaduantaged let vs not be discouraged Let vs remember that Christ gaue the Diuell all possible aduantage against himselfe and so still he doth against his Church that the aduersaries shame and the Churches and his owne glory may be the greater So much generally More particularly The first aduantage giuen Sathan was in the The first aduantage place whither Christ went which is sayd to bee the desert or wildernesse Hee was led by the spirit into the wildernesse What desert this is not set downe Only by Marke it appeares such an one wherein men Marc. 1. 13. were not but wilde beasts Heere the Papists speake in commendation of Eremeticall From Christs example the Papists falsly ground an Eremeticall life life as authorized by Christs example But absurdly For Christ was no Eremite but spent himselfe in the publique seruice of the Church He was in the desert forty dayes not his whole life And this was done both vpon speciall ground the extraordinarie motion of the spirit and vpon speciall end that he might be tempted Neither of which will they say of their owne Eremites Nay the quite contrarie as touching the end for they professe they goe into deserts to auoyde temptations Quest Quest Doth Christs example here allow vs willingly to rush and aduenture our selues vpon dangerous Whether Christs example alloweth vs to rush vpō temptations occasions of tentations to sin or to goe into such places where Sathan hath power Answ Ans Neither In some places Sathan hath power ouer bodies to doe hurt As absurd for any to venture into them as to go into a Lyons den or into such places where mad dogs are In other places Sathan hath power ouer our soules in regard of the dangerous prouocations to sinne they yeeld as the house of the harlot and the companie of wicked and godles persons If we may not put our bodies We may not put our bodies into Sathans hands much lesse our soules into Sathans hands much lesse our soules Christ had strength to encounter with him and to ouercome him and was moued here vnto by the Holy Ghost we that are weake and vnable to look him so much as in the face may not of our owne heads thrust our selues into danger but must carefully auoyde all occasions of euill Prou 4. 15. 5. 8. Come not neere the doore of the house of the harlott Prou. 4. 15. 5. 8. Bruite beasts are often afraid of those places where some euill hath befallen them and cannot bee drawne neere either to them or the like to them We may be set to schoole euen to the horse and the mule Be not like to horse and mule said Dauid In this respect I may truly say the contrarie Be like Psal 32. to horse and mule who are wyser in their generation then men reasonable creatures As these shame vs so must more the heathen So Cotys K. of Plutarch Thracia being by nature cholericke when certaine curious glasses were brought vnto him presently brake them left said he being demanded his reason I should deale cruelly with those that should breake them Obiection But here it may be obiected If all occasions of euill should be auoyded then should euen good things themselues bee auoyded for euen from thence doth Sathan take occasion to tempt vs. Solution Ans Occasions of euill are of two sorts 1. Giuen to Sathan and to our owne corruption as things We must giue no occasions of euill to Sathan or our owne corruptions either simply euill or else in themselues indifferent which yet wee such is our weaknesse cannot vse without sinne These we are to auoyde carefully 2. Not giuen by vs to them but only taken by them and these are not to be refrayned as prayer almes c.
Society is helpfull against temptation Two says Salomon are better then one woe to him that is alone Eccles 4. 10. This must teach vs to vse our company well that it may indeede bee the communion of Saints But alas wee so abuse our company that it is the best snare the Diuell hath to catch vs in And sooner are we often foiled in company then in solitarinesse So much euill example in company is giuen Doct. 2 2. In the beasts not offering violence to Christ but acknowledging the image of God in him as It is onely our rebellion against God that maketh the creatures rebell against vs. once to Adam in his innocēcy we may see what was the priuiledge of our innocency and what now the punishment of our sinne Man is truely called a little world and in him wee may see an image of that in the greater world Now in man as created of God the affections called the vnreasonable part as beeing common to vs with bruites were subiected to reason And so shewed how by like proportion in the great world the vnreasonable creatures should be subiect to the reasonable But when once order was broken in the little world then was it broken also in the other and when reason lost his authority ouer affection then man also lost his soueraignty ouer the creatures and his slaues became rebels Excellently Chrysostome As a father sometime giues ouer a lewd and desperat sonne to be scourged by his slaue so God vs men into the hands of the wild beasts Howbeit as men haue had Gods image more repaired so hath God thogh not without miracle made these beasts shew their subiection as all of them to Noah in the Arke the lyons to Daniel and the viper to Paul Whensoeuer we see any rebellion of these creatures against vs remember we our rebellion against God The Diuell and his instruments are worse then beasts to the Lord and his Church Doct. 3 3. Marke the malice of Sathan and his rage worse then the beasts Truely it is sayd Better to bee a beast then to be compared to a beast Sathan is compared to a Lyon but yet worse then a Lyon The Lyons heere reuerenced Gods image in Christ and yet here Sathan offers him violence So man by Iob compared to an asses colt Iob. the Pharisies yet were worse for the young colt whereon yet neuer man had sitten yeelded himselfe to be ridden by Christ And so should it haue been with vs if we had stood in innocencie No need then of breaking colts and framing them to the saddle Thus the deuill and his instruments shew themselues worse then beasts to the Lord and his Church Doct. 4 4. See here thine owne desert to be depriued as of all other comforts of this life so of companie We deserue no other companions but the tygers of hell and to be yoked with those lyons and tygres of hell and chayned with them in chaynes of darknesse for euer Thus much for the preparation to the temptations The temptations follow And they are of two 2. The temptations sorts First those that befell Christ in the fortie dayes fast Luc. 4. 2. Secondly those afterwards For the former they being not particularly set downe we must be content to be ignorant what they were Doct. Onely thus much may we obserue That Christ being now occupyed in heauenly and spirituall meditations Sathan sticketh not to interrupt the best meditations and actions and contemplation and talking secretly with his Father this sawcie Sathan yet durst come and interpose himselfe and offer to interrupt and to disturbe these sweet soliloquies of our Sauiour No maruell then if he deale thus with vs in our prayers meditations and hearing of the word No such disturbance feele we at a play At gaming can some sit vp all night without any heauinesse but at a Sermon how quickly doth the deuill rocke men a sleepe This shewes that the one is of God and for our good the other is against God and to our hurt It cannot but be good which the deuill is an enemie to It cannot but be euill which he is a friend vnto This serues also to comfort vs in the griefe we haue because of our distraction of minde in prayer and hearing the deuill laboured to distract Christ and came with his temptations when Christ was in his meditations The second sort of temptations follow And they are in number three The first in these words If thou be the sonne of The first temptation God command these stones to be made bread Sonne of God He meaneth as God meant before in that voice This is my wellbeloued sonne Beza thinkes onely some speciall holy man to be meant but the diuell did not thinke that euery holy man could turne stones into bread and that by his owne word and commandement for he sayes not pray to God but command that these stones be made bread Stones Luke saies stone as Miles for the whole companie of souldiours and Gen 31. the stone Gen. 31. which here I haue set vp speaking of an heape of stones and Exod. 8. The flye came vp meaning Exod 8. the swarmes of flyes If thou be the sonne of God He speakes not this scorningly as they Mat. 27. 40. Math. 27. 40. but flatteringly and with insinuation We are not to imagine that Sathan spake only these words but as Gen 3. in his temptation of Eue so here diuers amplifications and this but the abridgement of his speech It is therefore as if he had more largely spoken thus There was a voice lately heard from heauen confirming thee to be Gods sonne This miraculous fast of thine hath confirmed the same Neither see I any cause to doubt saue that thou art now pinched with hunger and hast not reliefe I would desire thee therefore both for thine owne and thy fathers honour and for his glories sake whereof I know thou art zealous and for this weake bodies sake whereunto thou oughtest to be mercifull and not by neglecting it be guilty of selfe-murther and for my sake also who would gladly be resolued that I may giue thee the honour due vnto the if it may appeare vnto mee that thou art the sonne of God In all these regards all matters of great importance I desire thee to turne these stones into bread for otherwise thou canst not liue in this necessitie If thou do not this I shall plainely thinke thou canst not and so that thou art not the sonne of God Neither would I wish to nourish any such conceit of thy selfe but rather suspect that voyce in the ayre as some deceitfull illusion for how is it likely that the sonne of God would suffer his humane body thus to be famished he being heyre of all things and able to doe euery thing Therefore I say If thou be the sonne of God command these stones to be made bread In the temptation consider two things 1. The Deuills
rope to the sword Onely this is the difference that for the most part this is from despaire of Gods mercy as in Iudas but hee would haue had our Sauiour to haue done it out of presumption and vaine-glory as still he labours with some in the same kinde as in duels single combates and going out into the field for euery trifle Thus the Diuell labours both to make vs vse and lose our liues when and as hee would As hee would haue vs to liue to him so to die to him When God calles for our liues to be spent in his quarrell then he makes vs timorous and fearefull when God would haue vs liue and doe good then the Diuell labours to make vs idlely and vainely prodigall of our liues When Christ had no calling to venture his life now he perswades him to venture it but afterwards when God called him hee set on Peter to call him backe and to say Master spare thy selfe Matth. 16. 22. So the Gallants Matth. 16. 22. of our time that seeme so little to passe by their liues that will venture them to reuenge the least disgracefull word or looke if God should call them to suffer martyrdome for his glories sake how base and dastardly cowards would they shew themselues 2. Heere would haue beene presumption in trusting to Gods power and promise for preseruation without warrant 3. Vaine-glory desiring by this meanes to bee accounted of all the sonne of God But this will better appeare by considering the arguments The Arguments whereby he tempteth whereby Sathan perswades Christ to this casting downe of himselfe 1. Argument If thou bee the sonne of God The The first argument sense is thus much Since thou art so confident in the voyce at Iordan and beleeuest verily that thou art the sonne of God and therfore in the strength of this thy faith wilt rest on thy fathers prouidence for food without turning stones into bread well then thou that art so great and so mighty both in thy God-head and in the faith of thy man-hood neuer bee afraid of this so dangerous a place Trust to the power of thy God-head Trust to the faith of thy manhood and boldly throw thy selfe downe that as thou art God so it may euidently appeare in this so famous and populous a city in the eyes of all the beholders who will receiue thee as a man come downe from heauen vnto them In this argument there are three reasons couched together Reason 1 First from his person and power Thou art Gods sonne what needest thou to feare Thou mayst doe any thing Doct. An vsuall tricke of Sathan to make vs presume It is Sathans vsuall trick to make vs presume vpon the priuiledges we haue receiued from the Lord. 1. Cor. 7. 20. and beare our selues out vpon the priuiledges wee haue receiued from the Lord euen sometimes vpon our spirituall priuiledges that we are the sonnes of God and are heires of heauen As in the seruants in the primitiue Church that therefore cast off the yoake and would bee seruants no longer 1. Cor. 7. 20. And in others heereupon to carrie themselues more highly and to despise others on whom yet God hath not shewed such mercy But in outward temporall priuiledges it is more common Great personages presume vpon their place their power and their parentage as if these were so many licenses to sinne Pharaoh thus presumed vpon his King-ship who is the Lord or who is Moses I am an absolute Prince a man to whom all stoop and to haue a meane fellow thus to talke to mee thus to threaten mee As heere hee reasoned with our Sauiour If thou be the sonne of God so will he be still ready to reason If thou be the sonne or daughter of a King of a Prince of a Noble-man of a great rich man who then should restraine thee who should be so bold to checke or controll thee Base flatterers that are alwaies haunting great personages haue learned the Diuels argument and indeed are his instruments in pressing of it As Iezebel to Ahab Art thou King of Israel And the Persian Iudges 1. King 21. 7. to King Cambyses who being desirous to marry his sister and asking them if there were any law for it answered that there was no such law but that there was another that the Kings of Persia might doe what they lift A grosse deceit For the more priuiledges the more bonds of obedience to that Lord of whom wee haue and hold them by whom euen Kings and Princes doe raigne And therefore such should rather reason as Nehemiah did Neh. 6. Neh. 6. 11. 11. should such a man as I flee should such a man as I am so honoured so aduanced by God should I so much forget him and my selfe to sinne against him The Diuell reasons Thou art the sonne of God therefore cast downe thy selfe that is therefore sin Nay the contrary argument holds strong Thou art the sonne of God Therefore sinne not against thy father So God when hee could haue made thee the basest drudge and scullion hath yet aduanced thee to high and honourable estate Therefore remember thy debt to him and shew thy thankefulnesse No doubt but Sathan thus reasoned with Dauid when he tempted him to adultery with Bathsheba 2. Sam. 12. What thou art a King and bee crossed in thy pleasure But when God sent Nathan to rebuke him 2. Sam. 12. hee inuerted the Diuels argument and reasoned quite contrary I aduanced thee from the sheepefold euen to the throne c. and so amplifies his sinne euen by that whereby Sathan extenuated it to him and made it seeme no sinne Reason 2 2. Reason From his faith in Gods prouidence and promises Thou beleeuest that that word Thou art my sonne is the word of God and so in thy want of food thou comfortest thy selfe with it and liuest by faith Thou then that hast such a strong faith in that voice of God and perswadest thy selfe that this manhood of thine is vnited personally to the second person in Trinity and therefore can bee vpheld in this danger of famine without bread Thou I say that hast such a strong faith neuer feare to cast downe thy selfe head-long but assure thy selfe that Gods prouidence can preserue thee from this danger as well as from the other Heere we learne Doct. 1 That the diuell takes occasion from our very graces to draw vs to sinne and labours to wound vs The Diuell laboureth to wound vs with our own weapons with our owne weapons as heere Christ with his faith in the former temptation What strange cunning is this The diuell like a crafty pyrate will hang out the same colours Whereas Christ stood vpon faith and resting vpon Gods prouidence why hee will be as well for that as he and so perswades him to doe that which might carry a shew of a strong faith indeede So hee sees some men zealous and feruent in the profession of
bee appropriated by particular application application As heere Sathan applies this promise to Christ in speciall and the tenour of the words of the promise shew as much Hee shall giue his Angels charge ouer thee speaking particularly to euery faithfull Christian So Galat. 4. 7. Thou art no Gal. 4. 7. more a seruant but a sonne God would not speake thus particularly if hee would not haue vs apply particularly Thus we see what is right See wee now what is naught in this Allegation 1. This is naught That the Scripture is alledged in a peruerse apish imitation because Christ had alledged Scripture before Thus hath the Diuell The Diuell Gods Ape alwayes been Gods Ape as in sacrifices washings tithes priests altars oracles of the heathen all which hee did apishly imitate and counterfet the like to those in the Church of God thinking by this meanes to disgrace the ordinances of God Pharaoh hardened his heart when he saw his sorcerers to doe the same things seemingly which Moses did truely And so when other nations should haue rites and ceremonies of diuine seruice as well as the Iewes and other sects should alleadge Scripture aswell as the orthodoxe Christians this might harden many either in wrong religion or else in a neutrality This imitation the Diuell also practises in his instruments All those courses the seruants of God at the first restoring of religion vsed for the furtherance of the Gospell haue the Papists since taken vp for the stablishing of their Kingdome As first preaching specially in great cities and pallaces of Princes though otherwise they iudge of preaching as of a matter of complement 2. Bookes of piety and deuotion 3. Seasoning and affecting youth be times by carefull instruction 4. Offers of disputations 5. Translations of Scripture with comments common places histories of the Church 6. Discouery of their scandalous liues 7. Martyrologies In all these haue they affronted vs. 2. This also is naught That the Scripture the most holy word of God by writhing wresting and The Scripture made a patron of sinne falsification is made a patron of sinne Heere the Diuell by Scripture corrupted encouraged Christ to tempt God So Epicures belly-gods drunkards fornicators couetous worldlings will alledge Scripture for themselues which I spare to recite remembring what Pliny beginning to relate some trickes of drunkards but calling himselfe presently backe saith Quae referendo pudet decere least his taxing should be a teaching Iulian the Apostata spoyling the Christian souldiers alleadged that Matth. 5. Blessed are the poore for theirs is the Kingdome of heauen Matth. 5. saying that he spoiled them to make them blessed So with the like Spirit hee alleadged another sentence out of the same chapter when thou art smitten on the one cheeke turne the other also to disgrace Christ for that being wrongfully smitten he spake in his owne defence The Popes and Papists hane excelled in this kinde The next sentence in the 91. Psalme to this sentence heere alledged by the diuell did that guilty Innocent the third alledge when hee trode vpon the Emperours necke Thou shalt walke vpon the Aspe and the Basiliske And the like is that God made two lights the greater and the lesse to shew that the Pope was aboue the Emperour And that in the Gospell Behold heere are two swords with Christs answer It is enough to prooue the Popes right to both the swords Vse This must teach vs neuer to alleadge Scripture but with reuerence and to the right ends A fault in many Preachers euen in the pulpit vsing them euen as a nose of wax and playing with and descanting vpon them We see heere it is the diuels property to corrupt the Scripture Marke then whose Church the Church of Rome is that obtrude vpon vs their vulgar latin edition for the onely authenticall which deales with the originall copies as the diuell doth with this place falsifies them somtimes by false interpretations sometimes by adding and sometimes by clipping and paring away as the Papists Index expurgatorius doth in other authours More remarkable examples heereof are these Rom. 11. 6. If it be of grace then not of workes for then grace Rom. 11. 6. is no more grace And if of workes then not of grace or else were worke no more worke The latter member of the opposition a notable inforcer of the Apostles argument against merit is quite left out So Heb. Hebr. 1. 3. 1. 3. where it is said that Christ by himselfe hath purged our sinnes that clause by himselfe forcible against our owne satirfactions is left out So Genes 3 for hee shall breake the serpents head they read shee Gen. 3. 15. which they would haue to be meant of the Virgine Mary See how they imitate the arch-corrupter of Scripture 3. This also is naught that the diuell leaues out that clause which is in the Psalm In thy wayes which Some part of the Scripture omitted is very materiall and quite against that to which he tempted our Sauiour For as Bernard hath noted the Angels shall beare vs vp in our wayes not in casting our selues downe head-long What kinde af way is this to cast a mans selfe downe from the pinnacle The In vijs nostris non in praecipitijs Qualis haec via descendere de pinnaculo via Luciferi caedentis de coelo Bern. way of Lucifer falling from heauen That which the Diuell hath left out let vs put in that which he concealed let vs specially remember for if there were not some speciall treasure inclosed in it hee would neuer haue concealed it Doct. This clause omitted by the Diuell teacheth vs that Gods good prouidence and the Angels protection Gods prouidence can only then be expected when we walke in the wayes appointed can onely then bee expected when wee are in the wayes he hath appoynted vs that is within the compasse of our generall or speciall callings Otherwise it is with vs as with the deere when they leape ouer the pale of the parke straggle into the fields Prou. 27. 8. As a bird that wandreth from her neast so Prou. 27. 8. is a man that wanders from his owne place While the bird keepes her neast she is safe from the kite from the snare the ginne and the fowler whereas out of her neast she is in danger of all these So it is with a man in or out of his calling It cost Shimei his life when he passed his bounds set him by the King and so it is dangerous to be out of the bounds and waies set vs by God Examples we haue in Balaam met by the Angell with a naked drawen sword Numb 22. Numb 22. he was out of the way of the Lord God had forbid him to goe So Moses was met by the Archangell Christ himselfe when circumcision was neglected Exod. 4. And Iaakob met with many crosses when Exod. 4. 1. King 13. his vow was neglected So the Prophet