Mat. IV. 11.] Christ's temptation. 329
17, ' Our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us,' and what thea can let ?
2. Patience: we must be contented, with the Son of God, to tarry his leisure, and undergo our course of trial, as Christ patiently con- tinued, till enough was done to instruct the Church : Isa. xxviii. 16, * He that believeth will not make haste/ The people of God miscarry in their haste : Ps. xxxi. 22, ' I said in my haste, I am cut off, but thou heardest the voice of my supplication :' Ps. cxvi. 11, 'I said in my haste. All men are liars ; ' even Samuel and all the prophets who had assured him of the kingdom. It will come in the best time when it Cometh in God's time, neither too soon nor too late ; it will come sooner than your enemies would have it, sooner than second causes seem to promise, sooner than you deserve, soon enough to discover the glory of God to you : Ps. xl. 1, 'I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined unto me, and heard my ciy.' God will not fail a wait- ing soul ; his delay is no denial , nor a sign of want of love to you : John xi. 5, ' Jesus loved Lazarus;' and yet, ver. 6, 'When he had heard that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.' It may come sooner than you expect: Ps. xciv. 18, 'When I said, My foot slippeth, thy mercy, 0 Lord, held me up.' David was apt to think all was gone, help would never come more to him, and in that very season God delivered him.
3. Obedience : the son of God submitted to the Holy Spirit while the impure spirit tempted him. If you would look for a ceasing of the conflict, do as he did, carry it humbly, fruitfully, faithfully to God.
[1.] Humble carriage will become you under your conflicts : 1 Pet. V. 6, ' Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.' The stubbornness of the child maketh his correction double to what it otherwise would be. The more submissive you are, the more the cross hath its effect ; whether you will or no, you must passively submit to God.
[2.] Carry it fruitfully, otherwise you obstruct the kindness of the Lord. He proveth us, that we may be fruitful : John xv. 2, ' Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away ; and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.' The rod hath done its work when it maketh us more holy ; then the comfortable days come: Heb. xii. 11, 'Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous ; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.' Righteousness brings peace along with it, inward and outward. This maketh amends for the trouble. Then God beginneth to take it off.
[3.] Carry it faithfully to God, still opposing sin and Satan ; for the more you give way to Satan, the more you are troubled with him, and your misery is increased, not lessened. But if you repel his tempta- tions, he is discouraged : Eph. iv. 27, ' Neither give place to the devil.' The devil watcheth for a door to enter and take possession of your hearts, that he may exercise his former tyranny. If he gaineth any ground, he makes fearful havoc in the soul, and weakeneth not only our comfort but our grace. Therefore imitate Christ's resolution and resistance here. But this will deserve a point by itself. Therefore :
330 Christ's temptation. [Ser. VII.
Doct. 2. When the devil is thoroughly and resolutely resisted, he departeth.
As here, when the adversary was put to the foil, he went his way. Therefore this is often pressed upon us in scripture : James iv. 7, ' Resist the devil and he will flee from you.' If you resist his sugges- tions to malice, envy, and strife, he is discouraged ; so 1 Pet. v. 9, ' Whom resist, stedfast in the faith.' We must not fly nor yield to him in the least, but stoutly and peremptorily resist him in all his temptations. If you stand your ground, Satan falleth. In this spiritual conflict Satan hath only weapons offensive, cunning wiles, and fiery darts, none defensive ; a believer hath weapons both offensive and defensive, sword and sliield, &c. ; therefore our safety lieth in resisting.
About which is to be considered : —
1. What kind of resistance this must be.
2. Arguments to persuade and enforce it.
3. What graces enable us in this resistance. 1. For the kind of resistance.
[1.] It must not be faint and cold. Some kind of resistance may be made by general and common graces ; the light of nature will rise up in defiance of many sins, especially at first, before men have sinned away natural light ; or else the resistance at least is in some cold way. But it must be earnest and vehement, as against the enemy of God and our souls. Paul's resistance in his conflicts was with serious dis- likes and deep groans : Rom. vii. 9, ' The good that I would I do not, but the evil which I would not, that I do ; ' and ver. 24, ' Oh wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the body of this death ?' In apparent cases a detestation and vehement indignation is enough, — 'Get thee behind me, Satan ! ' in other cases there need strong arguments and considerations, that the temptation may not stick when the tempter is gone, as the smutch remaineth of a candle stuck against a stone wall. When Eve speaketh faintly and coldly, the devil reneweth the assault with the more violence: Gen. iii. 3, ' Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.' As to the restraint, she speaketh warmly, and with some impatience of resent- ment, ' not eat' ' nor touch,' — in the commination too coldly, ' lest ye die,' when God had said, ' ye shall surely die.' A faint denial is a kind of grant ; therefore slight Satan's assaults with indignation. Though the dog barketh the traveller passeth on. Satan cannot endure contempt. At other times argue for God stoutly ; thy soul and eternal concernments are in danger. No worldly concernment ought to go so near to us as that which concerneth our eternal good and the salvation of our souls. What would the devil have from thee but thy soul, and its precious enjoyments, peace of conscience, hope of everlasting life ? What doth he bid ? — worldly vanities. As the merchant putteth up his wares with indignation when the chapman biddeth an unworthy price.