326 Christ's temptation. [Ser. VII.
There are alternative changes and vicissitudes in their condition upon earth ; sometimes they are vexed with the coming of the tempter, and then encouraged and cheered by the presence of angels ; after storms come days of joy and gladness, — ' the devil departeth, and the angels came and ministered to him:' So Ps. xxxiv. 19, 'Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.' Here is their present conflict and their final conquest. Look on a Christian on his dark side, and there are afflictions, and afflictions many for number and kind ; look on his luminous part, and there is the Lord to take care of him, to deliver him ; and the deliver- ance is complete, — ' the Lord delivereth him out of them all.' God will put an end to their conflict sooner or later ; sometimes visibly in this life, or if he doth not deliver them till death, or from death, he will deliver them by death ; then he delivereth them from all sin and misery at once, for death is theirs. The reasons are these : —
1. God considereth what will become himself, his jiity and fidelity.
[1]. His own pity and mercy : James v. 11, ' Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.' God will give an happy end to our conflicts and trials, as he did to Job, that he may be known to be a God pitiful and merciful : Job is set up as a public visible instance and monument of God's tender mercy. We must not measure our afflictions by the smart, but the end of them ; what the merciful God will do at length : the beginning is from Satan, but the end from the Lord. If we look to the beginning, we draw an ill joicture of God in our minds, as if he were harsh, severe, and cruel to his creatures, yea, to his best servants ; but in the end we find him very tender of his people, and that sense hath made lies of God. At the very time when we think God hath forgotten us, he is ready to hear and to remove the trouble : Ps. xxxi. 22, ' I said in my haste, I am cut off ; nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications.' The Son of God was hungry, transported and carried to and fro by the devil, from the pin- nacle of the temple to a high mountain, tempted by a blasphemous suggestion to fall down and worship the impure spirit ; but at length ' the devil leaveth him, and the angels came and ministered to him.'
[2.] His fidelity, which will not pei-mit him to suffer you to be tempted above measure. We do not stand to the devil's courtesy, to tempt us as long as he list, but are in the hands of the faithful God : 1 Cor. X. 13, ' There hath no temptation taken you but what is common to man : but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able ; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.' What a heap of consolations are there in that one place — as (1.) That temptations are but ordinary and to be looked for : there is no Treipaajjbo'i, but it isdvOpcoTTLvoi;, incident to human nature ; it hath nothing extraordinary in it. If the Son of God in human nature was not exempted, why should we expect a privilege apart to ourselves, not common to others r* (2.) That God's conduct is gentle ; he inflicteth nothing and permit- eth nothing to be inflicted upon you beyond measure, and above strength ; but, as Jacob drove as the little ones were able to bear, so God proportioneth trials to our strength. Before you have final deli-
Mat. IV. 11.] Christ's temptation. 327
verance, you shall have present support. (3.) That he will, together with the temptation, give eK^aacv, a passage out, a way to escape. And all this is assured to us by his faithfulness ; the conflict shall be toler- able when it is at the highest, and the end comfortable. God doth bridle the malice and hatred of Satan and his instruments ; he hath taken an obligation upon himself to do so, that he may omit no part of his care towards us. A good man will not overburden his beast.
2. The Lord considereth also our frailty, both with respect to natu- ral and spiritual strength.
[1.] Natural strength. The Psalmist telleth us, that ' He will not always chide, and keep his anger for ever,' Ps. ciii. 9. Why ? One reason is, that ' He knoweth our frame, and remembereth we are dust,' ver. 14. He may express his just displeasure, and correct us for our sins for a while ; but he taketii off his punishing hand again, because he knoweth we are soon apt to faint and fail, being but a little enliv- ened dust, of a weak constitution, not able to endure long troubles and vexations. Job pleadeth, chap. vi. 12, 'Is my strength the strength of stones ? or is my flesh of brass ? ' We have not strength to subsist under perpetual troubles, but are soon broken and subdued by them.