[3.] The Holy Ghost is said also to be tempted : Acts v. 9, ' How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord ? ' — namely, by their hypocrisy and dissimulation, putting it to the trial, whether he could discover them in their sin, yea or no ; they had endeavoured, as much as in them lay, to deceive the Spirit by keep- ing back part of the price ; that is, by that practice they would put it to the trial, whether the Holy Ghost, yea or no, could find out that cheat and fallacy. It is not barely to deceive the apostles, wiio were full of the Holy Ghost, and had a discerning spirit, though to them they brought their lie. No, saith the apostle, * Ye have not lied unto
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men, but unto God,' ver. 4 ; and therefore they are said to ' tempt the Holy Ghost/ whether he could find them out or no, though they had so many experiences of his care and respect to the church, and all affairs belonging thereunto ; and so the injury was done, not to the apostles, but to the Holy Ghost himself.
Secondly, The act. What is tliis temptation of God ? Tempta- tion is the proving and making trial of a thing or person, what he is, and what he will do. Thus we tempt God when we put it to the trial whether God will be as good as his word, and doubt of the comminatory and promissory part thereof, or whether he will be such an one as he is taken to be. Now, this is lawful or unlawful according as the trial is made humbly and dutifully, or else proudly and sinfully, whether God will do such a thing as we have prescribed him. And again, as the trial is made necessarily or unnecessarily. Sinfully we are said to tempt God when we make an unnecessary experiment of his truth, goodness, and power, and care of us, having had sufficient assurance of these things before.
[1.] There is a tempting or proving of God in a way of duty. So we are bidden, Mai. iii. 1 0, ' Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now therewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.' God there submitteth to a trial upon experience ; though we are to believe him upon his bare word, yet he will have us to wait for the good things promised ; and in this sense it is said, ' The word of the Lord is a tried word, he is a buckler to all them that trust in him,' Ps. xviii. 30. All those that build any hope upon it, and wait to see what the Lord will do, will find that God will stand to his word. This is a constant duty to observe God's truth and faithfulness. To sus- pend our belief till the event is distrust ; but to wait, observing what God will do as to the event, is an unquestionable duty.
[2.] There is an allowed trying of God in some cases. I cannot say it is a duty, because it is only warrantable by God's special indulgence and dispensation : and I cannot say it is a sin, because of God's gracious condescension to his people : Judges vi. 39, ' And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once : let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece ; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.' The request was not of distrust and malice, but of infirmity and from a weak faith ; not out of infidelity to tempt God, but out of humility ; being sensible of his own weakness, he desired this help, for the further confirmation of his faith concerning his calling to this work, as an instrument authorised, and the issue and success of it ; and also to assure others who followed him. To this head I refer Thomas his proof and trial : John xx. 25, ' Except I see in his hand the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.' Here was weakness in Thomas, to suspend his faith upon such a condition ; but an apostle was to be avTOTrrr]';, an eye-witness of those things which were done, especially of his resurrection; and, therefore, Christ meekly condescended to his request, ver. 27, ' Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands, and
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reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but behoving.' I put it among infirmities : he alloweth him his trial of sense, but with some rebuke. To this head may be referred that of Hezekiah, who, when he was sick of a mortal disease, and the Lord had extraordinarily promised him, on his mourning, that he should be recovered again, he asks a sign for the confirmation of his faith, and God grants it him : 2 Kings xx. 8, 9. And the instance of Ahaz, who, when the prophet bid him ' ask a sign,' he said, Isa. vii. 12, ' I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.' He believed nothing of what the prophet had spoke, and was resolved to go on in his way, but he pretended a reverent and religious respect to God. This kind of tempting God is tolerable, being an act of condescension in God to the weakness of his j^eople.