2. The danger itself, ' Behold Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.' Where observe —
[1.] The author and procurer of this trouble, the devil, called here Satan, that is an adversary. Our danger is mainly from the devil ; he hath a great hand in the troubles of God's people. He assaulteth them himself by his wiles, and fiery darts, Eph. vi. 11 and 16, and stirreth up his instruments to persecute them : Luke xxii. 53, ' This is your hoiu", and the power of darkness.' That was the time when the devil and his instruments were permitted to work their wills on Christ; when the shepherd was smitten, and the flock scattered abroad.
[2.] The way how he bringeth it about, ' He hath desired to have you.' It intimateth two things —
396 SERMON UPON LUKE XXII. 31, 32.
(1.) He asketh leave ; for Satan and his instruments cannot touch any of God's children without God's permission ; therefore he asketh leave to have the disciples of Christ in his power to vex them. So for Job ; he has leave to touch his substance, but must not meddle with his person : Job i. 11, 12, ' But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath ; and he will curse thee to th)' face. And the Lord ' said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power, only upon himself put not forth thy hand.' Then to afflict his body with boils, and sores, but he must spare his life : Job ii. 5, 6, ' But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine liand, but save his life.' Nay, he was fain to ask leave to enter into the herd of swine : Mat. viii. 31, 'So the devil besought him, saying, if thou cast us out, sufier us to go away into the herd of swine.' Surely then the flock of Christ's sheep need not be troubled. If the bristles of the swine be numbered, much more are the liairs of your heads.
(2.) It is a kind of suing out of his right. The word signifieth the putting in of a plea and suit, not a bare asking leave ; e^n^craro vfid<;, jDoposcit vos adpcenam. Sin giveth Satan some right of claim, and when we have committed some sins, we provoke God to give us over to Satan to be disciplined. Therefore this * desiring to have you' is his accusing you to God, and requiring that he may have the shaking of you. For the devil is an adversary : 1 Peter v. 8, ' Because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.' The word is av-LdLKO'i. an adversary. Satan is an enemy at law; he is always indicting and accusing you before God, that he may get you into his power and reach. Oh ! how watchful should the children of God be, when they have an adversary that pleadeth law and equity on his side, and pursueth his right against them to bring them to the trial ! But how could he do so in the case of the apostles, and of Peter in parti- cular ? Possibly it might be something criminously done by them in that contention of the disciples about primacy and superiority, who should be chiefest, mentioned ver. 24, ' And there was a strife among them, which of them should be accounted greatest ; ' and the indigna- tion of the ten against the two brethren, James and John ; and in that contest Peter might be most faulty, he being with them too. Those of the disciples whom Jesus most loved, Peter, James, and John, were often admitted to his privacies when others were excluded. Oh ! it is a sad thing when we give occasion to Satan to demand us to the judgment.
[8.] His aim and purpose, ' To sift you as wheat,' that is, to toss and shake you as grain in a sieve. The meaning is, the devil would have permission from God wholly to subvert you, and cast you away. A great judgment is expressed by this phrase : Amos ix. 9, *I will sift the house of Israel among all nations like as corn is sifted in a sieve.' This is the devil's aim, utterly to destroy God's people. But he can obtain no more than to sliake and molest them for trial. In sifting, two things are considerable — (1.) The agitation of tossing to the corn, now this way, now that way, from one side to another ; (2.) The sepa- ration of the wheat from the chaff. The devil only intends the former, but God the latter. He would have Peter and the rest of the apostles
SERMON UPON LUKE XXH. 31, 32. 397
given to him that he might trouble and vex them, and not suffer them to have any rest ; but God Avoukl turn it to an holy use, to purge you from your dross, your worldly and carnal affections. Satan desireth to trouble us, but thereby God doth cleanse and refine us. He would have liberty to do his worst to drive you from the faith of Christ ; but though somewhat of that is granted to him, yet the power of the devil is limited, both as to tempting and hurting. Crihxdione Satance non perditur, sed purgatur frummtum. The corn is not spoiled but cleansed by Satan's sifting.