Mat. IV. '5, 6.] Christ's temptation. 283
enterprises of Satan. Some men are careless of God's interest in the world, or else heated into the activity of a bitter zeal. Some are of a scrupulous spirit, that they may make conscience of all things ; and the devil hurrieth them into a large atheistical spirit, that they make conscience of nothing. Hoav often have we known a fond scrupulosity to end in a profane licentiousness, when they have been wearied out of that kind of frame of spirit ! Some are dead and heartless, like Gallic, — ' care for none of these things ;' fight Christ, fight Antichrist, it is all one to them ; and usually they are such as formerly have been heated w4th a blind and bold madness : as Peter at first refused to have his feet washed by Christ, and then would have head, hands, feet and all washed, John xiii. 8, 9, being out in both. What sad work is there made in the church of God by Soli- fidians and Nullifidians : heretofore it was all faith and free grace misapplied and misunderstood ; and now it is all morality and virtue, while Christ is neglected, and the mystery of the gospel little set by or valued. It is ever the devil's policy to work upon the humour of people. If they will reform the church, it shall be to a degree of separation, and condemning all churches and Christians that are not of their mode ; if they be for uniting, Christ's unquestionable interests must be trodden underfoot, and all care of truth and reformation must be laid aside. If he can destroy religion and godliness no other way, he will be religious and godly himself ; but it is either, as to private Christians, to set them upon overdoing, that he may make tb^m weary of the service of Christ ; or, as to the public, by crying up some unnecessary things, which Christ never commanded. If men be troubled with sin, and see a necessity of the gospel, and prize the comforts of it, the gospel must be over-gospelled, or else it will not serve their turns ; and that over-gospel must be carried to such a length as to destroy the very gospel, and free grace itself. The devil first tempted the world to despise the poor fishermen that preached the gospel ; but the world, being convinced by the power of the Holy Ghost, and gained to the faith, then he fought by riches and grandeur to debase the gospel ; so that he hath got as much or more by the worldly glory he puts upon Christ's messengers as by persecution. Then, when that is discovered, the devil will turn reformer ; and what reformation is that ? the very necessary support and main- tenance of ministers must be taken away. All overdoing in God's work is undoing. If Christ will trust, the devil will persuade him to trust, even to the degree of tempting God.
5. Observe, That the devil himself mny pretend scripture to put a varnish upon his evil designs ; for here he seeketh to foil Christ with his own weapons: which serveth to prevent a double ex- treme.
[1.] One is, not to be frighted with the mere noise and sound of scriptures, which men bring to countenance their errors. See whether they be not wrested and misapplied ; for the devil may quote .'icri})ture, but he perverts the meaning of it. And usually it is so by his instru- ments ; as that pope, who would prove a double power to be in him- self, temporal and spiritual, by that scripture, Ecce duo gladii ! ' Behold, here are two swords ! ' Luke xxii. 38. It is easy to rehearse
284 Christ's temptation. * [Ser. III.
the words of scripture, and therefore not the bare words, but the meanino; must be regarded.
[2.] The other extreme is tliis: Let none vilify the scriptures, because pleaded by Satan ; for so he might as well vilify human reason, which is pleaded for all the errors in the world ; or law, because it is urged .sometimes to justify a bad cause. For it is not scripture, that is not a nose of wax, as Papists say. It is a great proof of the authority and honour of scriptures, that Satan and his greatest instruments do place their greatest hopes of prevailing by perverting and misapplying of it.
6. Observe, That God hath given his angels a special charge about his people, to keep them from harm. Here I shall show : —
[1.] That it is so.
[2.] Why it is so.
First, That it is so is evi<lent by the scripture, which everywhere shows us that angels are the first instruments of his providence, which he maketh use of in guarding his faithful servants : Heb. i. 14. The apostle saith, 'Are they not a.\\, XecTovpytKa Trvev/jLara, ministei'ing spirits, sent forth to minister to them that shall be the heirs of salva- tion ? ' Their work and employment is to attend us at God's direc- tion, not to be worshipped and served by us by any devotion. They are ' ministering spirits,' not ours, but Christ's ; he that serveth hath a master whom he serveth, and by whom he is sent forth : their work and employment is to attend us indeed, but at the command and direction of their own Master. They are not at our beck to go and come at our pleasure, neither do they go and come at their inclination, but at the commission of God : their work is appointed by him, they serve us as their Master's children, at his command and will ; and whom do they serve ? ' The heirs of salvation.' They are described, Titus iii. 7, ' That being justified by grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.' They are not ministers of con- version and sanctification : to this ministry Christ hath called men, not angels ; but in preserving the converted the angels have a hand. Therefore it is notable they arc sometimes called God's angels : Ps. ciii. 21, ' Bless the Lord, all ye his hosts, ye ministers of his that do his pleasure ; ' sometimes their angels : Mat. xviii. 10, ' Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones, for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.'