3. Clirist succours liis people, by taking off the tempter. A shepherd, when the sheej) bejjin to straggle, may set the dog on the sheep to bring it nearer the fohl, but then lie calls off the dog again ; God will take ofC the temj)ter, 1 Cor. x. J 3., " He will with the temptation make a way to e- 6cai)e," he will make an outlet. Christ will rebuke the tempter, Zeeh. iii. 2., •' The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan." This is no small KUj)port, that Christ succours the tempted. The mother succours the child most when it is sick ; she sits by its bed-side, brings it cordials ; so, when a soul is most assaulted, it shall be most assisted.
Oij.r. But I have dealt nnkindhj with Christ and sinned against his love ; and sure he will not succour me, but let me perish in the battle.
Ans. Christ is a merciful high priest, and will succour thee notwithstanding thy fail- ings. Joseph was a type of Christ ; his brethren sold him away, and the ' irons en- tered into his soul ;' yet afterwards, when his brethren were ready to die in the fam- ine, he forgot their injuries, and succoured them with money and corn ; " I am, (saith he) Joseph your brother !" So will Christ say to a tempted soul, " I know thy unkind- nesses, — how thou hast distrusted my love, grieved my Spirit, — but I am Joseph, I am Jesus, therefore I will succour thee, when thou art tempted."
Mh Rock of support. The best man may be most tempted. A rich ship may be vio- lently sot ujitiu by pirates: he who is rich in faith, yet may have the devil (that pirate) set upon him by his battering pieces. Job, an eminent saint, yet how fiercely was he assaulted ? Satan did smite his body, that he might tempt him, cither to question God's providence, or quarrel with it. St. Paul was a chosen vessel, but how was this ves- sid 1 attcrcd with temptation? 2 Cor. iv. 7.
Obj. But is it not said. He who is born of God, the wicked one toucheth him not? 1 John. V. 18.
ylns. It is not meant, that the devil doth not tempt him, but he toucheth liiui not, that is, tactu lethali, Cajetan, with a dead- ly touch. 1 J<thn V. 16., " There is a sin I unto death." Now Satan with all his temp- tations doth nut make a child of God sin
" a sin unto death." Thus he t«)ucheth him not.
5th Rock of support. Satan can go no further in tempting than Ciod will ' give him leave ;' the power of the tempter is li- mited. A whole legion of devils could not touch one swine, till Christ gave them leave. Satan would have sifted Peter till he sifted out all his grace ; but Christ would not suf- fer him, " I have prayed for thee," &c Christ binds the devil in a chain, Rev. xx. 1. If Satan's power were according to his ma- lice, not one soul should be saved ; but ho is a chained enemy ; this is a comfort, Sa- tan cannot go a hair's bceadtli beyond (lod's permission. If an enemy could not touch a child further than the father did appoint, sure he should do the child no great hurt.
6th Rock of support. It is not the hav- ing a temptation makes guilty, but the giv- ing consent ; we cannot hinder a tempta- tion ; Elijah, that could by prayer shut heaven, could not shut out a temptation; but if we abhor the temptation, it is our burden, not our sin. We read in the old law, if one went to force a virgin, and she cried out, she was reputed innocent : if Sa- tan would by temptation commit a rape u- pon a Christian, and he cries out, and will not give consent, the Lord will charge it upon the devil's score. It is not the laying the bait hurts the fish, if the fish do not bite.
llh Rock of support. Our being temp- ted is no sign of (iod's hating us. A child of God oft thinks God doth not love him, because he lets him be haunted with the devil : yion scquitur, this is a wrong conclu- sion. Was not Christ liimself temj)ted? yet by a voice from heaven ])roclaimed, " This is my beloved Son," Mat iii. 17. Satan's tempting, and God's loving, may stand together. The goldsmith loves his gold in the fire , God loves a saint, though shot at by fiery darts.
Sth Rock of support. Christ's temptation was for our consolation. Jesus Christ is to be looked uj)on as a ]>ul)lic person, as our head and representative; and what (. hrist did, he did for us, — his prayer was fi)r us, — his suffering was for us, — when he was tempted, aiul overcame the temptation, ho overcame for us. Christ's concjuering Sa- tan was to shew that elect persons shall at
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last be conquerors over Satan ; wlien Christ Os'ercame Satan's temptation, it was not only to give us an example of courage, but an assurance of conquest; we have over- come Satan already in our head, and we shall at last perfectly overcome.