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A09463
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The combat betvveene Christ and the Diuell displayed: or A commentarie vpon the temptations of Christ: preached in Cambridge by that reuerend and iudicious diuine M. William Perkins; Satans sophistrie answered by our Saviour Christ
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Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Pierson, Thomas, ca. 1570-1633.
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1606
(1606)
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STC 19748; ESTC S115736
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100,567
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72
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like by all which God is robbed of his honour And though we condemne the Papists for giuing to Saints diuine worship yet wee must beware of despising the Saints of God in Heauen for there is due vnto them a threefold honour first thanksgiuing to God for them who inabled them by his gifts and graces to be in their times speciall instruments of good vnto Gods church Secondly we are to carrie a reuerent estimation of them being now in heauen as of the friends of God and temples of his holy spirit Thirdly we are to follow the example of their godly conuersatiōs in the duties of godlinesse But from giuing vnto them diuine worship we must carefully abstaine Againe if the diuine worship of saints be heere condemned then much more is the worshipping of their reliques then also is their instituting and obseruing fasting daies and holy daies vnto their saints heere iustly reproued Neither can our Church heerein be condemned with them though wee retaine the names of such daies among vs because it is for another end out fasts are meerely ciuill on such daies and our holy dayes turned from the adoration of saints to the seruice of God whereon also our conscience knowes her libertie giuen of God for honest labour in a lawfull calling as neede requires Further obserue how Christ heere ioines the worship of God and the seruice of God together teaching vs not to content our selues with doing the duties of Gods worship but withall wee must yeeld vnto him absolute seruice and obedience Men commonly thinke they haue done enough if on daies appointed they come to the Church and there performe outward worship vnto God in hearing the word in praier and receiuing the Sacraments these I confesse be worthy workes if they be well performed but heerein is the common errour that when they haue performed this outward worship they make no conscience of absolute seruice the thing which Christ heere ioines to worship they thinke that in their callings they may liue as they list either idly or vniustly by fraud and dissembling but seuer not thou seruice from worship which Christ hath ioyned together lest God say vnto thee forthy worship as hee did once to the Iewes My soule hateth your new moones and your appointed feasts they are a burden vnto me c. What doth God hate that worship himselfe appointed no but he hares the seuering of it from seruice and obedience wherein they should shew foorth to their brethren loue iustice and mercy he reiects all seruice at their hands because their hands were full of blood v. 15. Read Micha 6. v. 6. 7. 8. The offering of sacrifice was a speciall part of worship vnder the Law and yet though a man should bring for his sacrifice thousands of Rammes or ten thousand riuers of oile nay though he brought his first borne the fruite of his body for the sinne of his soule yet all is nothing without iustice mercy humbling himselfe and walking with his God vers 8. Let vs therefore serue God sincerely in our conuersations as wee seeme to honour him in duties of religion let vs shew the feare of God in our liues for worship without seruice is like the cutting off of a dogs head or offering swines flesh c. as I say 66. 3. which is abhomination to the Lord. Thirdly obserue that Christ addeth only to Moses words for the better clearing of Moses meaning which may serue for our iust defence against the Papists they blame vs greatly for teaching that a man is iustified by faith only saying the word only is not in any place ascribed to iustification by faith We answer in all the old testament this word only is not ioyned to this command Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and serue him and yet Christ saith it is written him only shalt thou serue because the restraint and inhibition annexed from giuing this worship and seruice to any other doth in effect include only euen so though in letters and syllables we doe not find this word only adioyned to this sentence man is iustified by faith yet because of the exclusion of workes vsually annexed to that phrase as that we are iustified by faith without the workes of the Law Rom. 3. 28. and are iustified freely by his grace v. 24. and that a man is not iustified by the workes of the Law but by faith Gal. 2. 16. hereupon I say we may hold and teach and that truly according to the true sense thereof following Christs example in this place that the scripture saith a man is iustified by faith only Lastly from this commandement we must learne our duty touching Gods seruice in word we wil all acknowledge our selues to be his seruants but if heerin we will approue our selues to be his seruants we must resolue and labour to yeeld vnto him absolute obedience as well in hart mind will and affection as in outward conuersation The end of the ministery of the word is not onely to reforme the outward man but to cast downe the inward holds of sinne in the Imagination and to bring into captiuitie euery thought to the obedience of Christ. And this is done when after true repentance a man endeuoureth to yeeld vnto God totall obedience and that from the whole man in soule and body and spirit not for a time but continually VERSE 11. Then the Diuell left him and behold the Angels came and ministred vnto him THese words containe the third part of this description of Christs temptation to wit the happie euent and issue thereof in Christs glorious victory ouer the Tempter which is the principall part wherein consists the maine comfort of Gods church for as in temptation Christ stood in our roome and stead so is this victory not his a lone but the victory of his Church This issue conteines two parts First Satans departing from him Secondly the ministery of good Angels vnto him For the first Then the Diuell left him that is after that by temptations he could nothing auaile then he betakes himselfe to flight In this appeares the vnspeakeable mercie of God vnto his Church in mitigating and in due time putting an end vnto the afflictions and temptations thereof for the case of Christ the head in this conflict is the case and condition of all his members Now heere we see what a gratious issue the Lord put to these great assaults of Satan in due time his enimie flies and so will the Lord deale in all the miseries of his Church children God promiseth to Dauid concerning Salomon that if he sin hee will chastise him with the roddes of men and with the plagues of the children of men that is with such punishments as he shall be able to beare but his mercy he will not take from him The Prophet Habacucke in his complaint against the wrong violence of the wicked done to the iust is somewhat impatient towards God for his delay Hab. 1.
who hath power iudiciall to expound the scripture Indeed their answer is that the Church is this Iudge and that we must consult at her mouth for the true meaning of the Scripture Answ. The church hath a ministery and dispensation committed vnto her in the execution whereof she deliuereth the meaning of the Scripture vnto Gods people but that is not from any iudiciall authority committed vnto her to determine of the sense of Scripture of her selfe but onely by comparing scripture with scripture and expounding one place out of another euen as the Lawyer giues the sense of the law not from any iudicial power giuen vnto him aboue the law but by obseruing the words with the scope and circumstances of the law But heere I would know if the Church must needs bee iudge by what meanes must she determine They answer by the rule of faith the consent of Councels and Fathers and if these faile then by the Pope Answ. By their rule of faith they vnderstand vnwritten traditions that is such truth beside Scripture as hath beene kept by tradition from hand to hand since the primitiue Church But these are meere forgeries and shame it were to subiect the truth of God to the deuice of man if these bee made iudge of Scripture then shall the faith of the church depend vpon the wisedome of man and not vpon the power of God a thing abhorred of the Apostle 1. Cor. 2. 5. The onely rule of faith is the Scripture and true faith will admit no other iudge beside the Scripture to determine of that whereon it must depend Secondly for their consent of Fathers and Councels that is no sufficient meanes to determine of the true sense of Scripture for their seuerall errors and contradictions one to another many times to themselues shew that they wanted the immediate assistance of the Spirit And the same is true of the Pope as might easily be proued at large by their grosse ignorance errors And therfore it remaines that the true iudge and expounder of Scripture is Scripture it selfe as Christ himselfe by his practise sheweth in this place The place alledged by Christ is this commandement of God vnto his people Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God For the vnderstanding whereof we must search out three things first what the tempting of God signifieth secondly the manner how God is tempted and thirdly the cause and root thereof For the first to tempt God signifieth to make triall and experience of God and to prooue whether hee be so true iust mercifull prouident and powerfull as his word reporteth him to be Thus did the Israelites often tempt God as the Lord saith When your fathers tempted me proued me and saw my workes which latter words shew what it is to tempt God euen to seeke to haue proofe by his works whether he be such a one as his word saith he is If any shall say we are commanded to taste and see how gratious the Lord is Ps. 34. 8. yea the Lord bids his people proue him Malach. 3. 10. Answ. Those places do sufficiently expound themselues for Dauids taste and sight is by the grace of true faith and affiance for in the same verse he pronounceth such blessed and in Malachie the Lord bids them prooue him but yet in their way of obedience in prouiding for his Sanctuary according to his ordinances Therefore we must know for the second point that euery triall of God is not simply euill but that which is needlesse when without warrant from his word we presume vpon him beyond the meanes of his ordinary prouidence Thirdly the root of this sinne is an vnbeleeuing heart whereby a man doubts of the truth of Gods word of his power presence and prouidence Ps. 78. 18. The Israelites tempted God in their hearts there is this sinne the maner how followeth in requiring meat for their lusts c. not contenting thēselues with Gods present prouidence the root ground whereof is set downe vers 22. because they beleeued not in God and trusted not in his helpe When a man doubts of the fidelity of his seruant he wil lay something in his way as a peece of siluer his purse c. to trie him withall so when a man begins to doubt of Gods goodnesse and fidelity towards him hee will easily be brought to make needlesse triall of him by some worke of God beside his ordinary prouidence The meaning then is this Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God that is thou shalt not make any needlesse triall of Gods goodnesse mercy power or prouidence from a distrustfull heart in the truth of his word Heere yet further for our instruction wee are to know that God is tempted fiue waies as the word of God doth manifest first when a man shall appoint vnto God either the time when the place where or the maner how God shall helpe him and performe his word vnto him heerein he seeks experience of the truth and power of God Thus the Israelites tempted God in the wildernesse when they wanted water saying Is God among vs or no God had promised to bee with them in all their iourney to Canaan but that they will not now beleeue vnlesse he wil shew his presence by giuing them water in that place And so likewise they tempted him in the want of foood Ps. 78. 19. Can God prepare a table in the wildernesse The consideration whereof must teach vs in all our petitions which we make vnto God for the accomplishment of his promises vnto vs to beware of limiting God as the Iewes did by prescribing vnto him time place maner for the accomplishment thereof but wait with patience his good leasure For hee that beleeueth will not make haste but wil commit his way to the Lord Ps. 37. 5. Secondly God is tempted when men require a signe at his hands Thus the Pharisies tempted Christ Matt. 12. 38. Master we would see a signe of thee meaning thereby to be certified whether hee were the Messias and Luke saith they tempted him Luk. 11. 16. And thus doe all those tempt God which refuse to embrace the doctrine of the Gospel because they cannot see the ministers therof to confirme the same by miracles Thus do many Papists plead against our religion embracing rather the mysterie of iniquity because it is confirmed vnto them by lying wonders not considering that the truth which wee professe was once sufficiently confirmed to bee the truth of God by his owne testimony thereunto in signes wonders through the hands of his Apostles Quest. Is euery asking of a signe a tempting of God for Gedion asked a signe when he was to be a Iudge and deliuerer of gods people Iudg. 6. 17. And so did Hezekiah to bee assured of the lengthning of his daies 2. King 20. 8. And yet we reade not that God charged them with tempring him but did condescend to their requests Answ. There be two causes