or occasion from vs of all the aduantage he hath against vs his temptations are like fire and bellowes and our infirmities and corruptions are wood and fewell The vse I. Hence then we may behold our miserable estate by reason of sinne for thereby it comes to passe that we beare about vs those darts wherewith the diuel doth wound vs. And sith Satans craft and malice is such to take aduantage from vs for to worke our wo we must labour the more diligently to be throughly acquainted with our naturall dispositions and inclinations yea with our bodilie infirmities for the Diuell will search vs and when wee haue truly found out our own estate we must set a strong watch and guard about our owne hearts in respect of our infirmities and so shall we be the better able to breake the necke of Satans temptations The fourth thing in this preparation is Satans comming to Christ The Tempter came vnto him By which phrase it is probable though not certaine that the Diuell tooke vpon him the forme of some creature and so appeared vnto Christ thus he came to Eue in Paradise abusing the serpent to further his assault against the first Adam And it is like that in his combat with the second Adam he came in the shape of some creature for otherwise he could not properly be said to come and speake Some indeed thinke that these temptations were inward in minde onely and by vision others thinke they were altogether visible and done actually but the safest way is to holde that they were in part actually done in bodily maner and partly shewed in vision And thus much for the preparation to the first conflict II. Point The temptation it selfe conteining matter of great importance being indeed the maine temptation of all in these words If thou be the Sonne of God command that these stones be made bread The Diuell being well prouided for time and place and aduantaged also by Christs bodily hunger doth heere assault our Sauiour Christ like a cunning Sophister and frame his argument Syllogistically thus If thou be the sonne of God thou canst make these stones bread But thou canst not make these stones bread Therefore thou art not the sonne of God The ground of this temptation is this It is no reason that the Sonne of God should starue for want of food but thou must starue vnlesse thou canst make these stones bread and therefore vnlesse thou canst do so thou maist perswade thy selfe it was but a false voice which thou heardest from heauen This is my welbeloued Sonne c. The scope and drift of Satan in this temptation standes in two things First hee labours to ouerthrow the faith of Christ. Secondly to bring him to a practise of vnbeleefe For the first By faith I meane a gift or grace in Christ wherby as he was man he beleeued his Fathers words to be true which said This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased whereby wee may see what the Diuell aimes at principally in his temptations against Gods children for these his assaults against our Sauiour Christ are set down for our instruction in this behalfe Satans maine drift then in temptation is to ouerthrow our faith whereby wee beleeue euerie part and parcell of Gods word to be true See this in his tempting of Eue first he labours to weaken her faith in the trueth of Gods threatning which done he easily brought her to actuall disobedience in eating the forbidden fruit The same course hee holdeth at this day first he will seeke to nuzzell men in ignorance that he may keepe them in vnbeliefe if he faile that way then will he endeuour to plunge their soules into some damnable errour and heresie and by one of these meanes doth he destroy the faith of many for while a man remaines in ignorance he can haue no saith and if he misse of the trueth of God he wants ground for his faith Now the reason why the Diuell labours so much against our faith is because we cannot truely relie vpon Gods mercie nor depend vpon his prouidence nor yeeld any acceptable obedience to his commandements vnlesse we beleeue his word More particularly we are to obserue that special branch of Gods word which the Diuell would haue Christ not to beleeue euen that voice of his Father which a little before Christ heard from heauen at his baptisme This is my welbeloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased And this hath the holy Ghost recorded in great wisedome and mercie to Gods Church for heereby doth appeare a main drift of Satan against Christs members in his temptations namely to make them doubt of their adoption and to destroy this perswasion in them that they are the sonnes and daughters of God for if heerein he spared not the head doubtlesse the members shall not escape his hands This appeares by his vsual assault against them specially when God shall lay vpon them any lingring crosse or affliction either in mind in body or in goods then the diuel will suggest this into their minds If thou werst the childe of God he would neuer lay his hand vpon thee so long a time and in so grieuous maner neuer was any child of God in this case that thou art in But God laies his hand thus heauie on thee and therefore thou maiest perswade thy selfe that thou art not the child of God The vse The consideration heereof must mooue vs aboue all things to labour for assurance of our adoption euen to haue our consciences assured out of Gods word that we are the sonnes and daughters of God in Christ. The diuels drift is to ouerthrow this perswasion in vs and therefore our endeuour must be to confirme and settle our hearts heerein This is the charge of the holy Ghost vpon euerie childe of God 2. Pet. 1. 10. Giue all diligence to make your calling and election sure that is get the assurance thereof sealed vp in your hearts by the comfortable fruition and practise of the sauing graces of Gods spirit ioyning vertue with your faith and with your vertue knowledge with your knowledge temperance and with temperance patience and with patience godlinesse and with godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and with brotherly kindnesse loue vers 5. 6. 7. And indeed if we would haue true peace and comfort in euery estate whether aduersity or prosperitie let vs labour for the knowledge of our adoption This will be our ioy in want in wealth in bondage in freedome in sicknesse in health in life and in death Heerein is that ioy of Christ which neuer can be taken from vs Ioh. 16. 22. We cannot doe the Diuell a greater pleasure then to neglect the getting of this assurance for heereupon he will take occasion specially in time of distresse fearefully dangerously to seeke to breake the necke of our soules he cares not much otherwaies what men professe and what knowledge and other common giftes of the spirit they haue
heart that hee maketh his God Thirdly heere obserue that the Diuell would faine make a couenant with Christ for worship at Christs hands he wil giue Christ the glory riches of the world heereto is nothing wanting but Christs consent Whereby we see that it may bee true which sundrie times wee heare of and many histories do record to witte that some persons doe make a league with the Diuell wherein the Diuell couenanteth to be seruiceable vnto them in procuring them honour riches pleasures or great renowme for some strange actiuities wherto he will enable them vpon condition that they for their parts giue vnto him their bodies their soules or their bloud Some indeed are of mind that such things are meere forgeries and delusions of the Diuell and that no league can bee made betweene him and man but they are deceiued for hee attempted in effect such a thing with Christ what will hee not therefore do with silly and sinfull men especially when he finds them cast downe with discontents And thus much for the Diuels assault The third point in this conflict is Christ answer vers 10. Then Iesus said vnto him Auoid Satan for it is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serue This I will handle as the words do lie in order Before his answer hee propoundeth a speech of indignation and detestation both of the Diuell and his offer auoid Satan as if he should say I haue heard thee Satan to speake imuriously against my fathers word and against my selfe and now againe thou vtterest blasphemy against my father wherein thou goest about to dishonour him greatly but I abhorte thee Satan and these thy temptations therfore hence auoid and haue no more to do with me In this detestation of Christ towards Satan for vttering blasphmie against his father in his chalenge to haue power to dispose of all the kingdomes of the world as being his own we are taught not onely to greeue at such blasphemies as we shall heare vttered against God but to testifie our detestation and indignation towards them The world is full of black mouthed Rabshekaes who wil not spare to blaspheme the glorious name of our God to scoffe deride his sacred word now whē we meet with such we must not be like Stoicks without affection but in Christian wisdome from bleeding harts for the reproch of God shew forth godly zeale and indignation for the rescue of his glorie The Hypocriticall practise of wicked Iezabel in proclaming a fast vpon the false accusation of Nabothes blasphemie against God and the king may teach Gods Church to be zealous indeed a-against all blasphemers When Rabiheka railed on the God of Israel good king Hezekiahrent his clothes and humbled himselfe in great measure for that reproch against his God Teares were Dauids meat day and night while the heathen among whom he was constrained to liue said vnto him where is thy God And iust Lot vexed his righteous soule from day to day with the vnlawfull deeds of the filthie Sodomites liuing among them The practise of these godly men must be a president for vs to follow that we heare no blasphemie against God without detestation And as all Gods children must practise this duty so especially Masters of families Dauid would not suffer a lier or a slanderer to come in his sight or to abide in his house much lesse would he haue endured a blasphemer of God or a slanderer of his word The law commanded that the blasphemer should he stoned to death who wittinglie and willingly spake a word against God and no doubt this law is perpetuall Let a man but speake a word of disgrace against an earthlie prince and it costs him his life and that iustlie how much more then should he die the death though he had a thousand liues that shall blaspheme the king of kings Shal one that hath been baptized into the name of Christ say there is no God and that the Scriptures are but a deuice of man and yet liue God forbid for this hellish sinne defiles a kingdome And therefore the Magistrate with the sword of iustice must cry out against such wretches Away from vs blasphemers Secondly in this Auant of Christ giuen to Satan wee learne how to behaue our selues against entisers from religion and the obedience of God wee must hold them as limmes of the Diuell and in that regard haue nothing to do with them but with Christ bid them auoid from vs. The Lord commanded that in this case Parents should not spare their owne children nor children spare their Parents if they were enticers to idolatrie but their owne hands must be first vpon them to put them to death Our Sauiour Christ would not spare Peter when he gaue him bad counsell to spare himselfe from suffering that which God hath ordained for him but saith vnto him get behind me Satan So that we are without excuse if we shal reiect this counsel of Salomō Heare no more the instruction that causeth to erre from the words of knowledge Thirdly heer by we also learne how to behaue our selues towards satan when he is violent and importunate in his temptations to wit that howsoeuer we may reply to them out of Gods word when they are more milde yet when Satan begins therein to shew his force and violence we must not reason with him for Christ would not endure his blasphemy though hee answered his temptations In schooles of learning it is counted a simple part to hold alwaies to the conclusion but in the schole of Christ when the conscience is to deale with Satan the safest way is by both hands of faith to lay fast hold of the conclusion cleause fast to Christ let the Diuell say what he wil be not drawen thence one iot After Christ hath shewed his detestation to Satans blasphemy he answers his temptation saying It is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God c. And whereas he saith the third time it is written taking his answer from the Scripture it teacheth vs that Scripture of it selfe is of power sufficient to vanquish the Diuell This the Church of Rome wil not admit for they make Scripture to bee of two kinds inward and outward By inward Scripture they meane the vniuersall consent of all Catholikes in all ages And by outward Scripture they vnderstand the written word contained in the Bible Now they say inward Scripture is the more excellent for the outward Scripture they call a dead letter of little or no power they make general councels equall with them for substance of doctrine If this were true Christ would not haue alledged outward Scripture as they call it but hee knew the written word was the powerfull weapon sufficient to vanquish the Diuell And therefore heerein they doe shamefully blaspheme the truth of God and so God himselfe Secondly this allegation of Christ teacheth vs how
righteous but the Lord deliuereth them out of all If it please you to giue these after-lines the reading you shall see set downe that monomachie or single combat which was hand to hand betwixt Christ and the Diuell And as for Christ Iesus you shall see him fasting fighting conquering Fasting and an hungry to shew he was man fighting and encountring to shew he was Messiah and conquering and triumphing to shew he was God And as for the diuell you shall see him obiecting answering flying Obiecting that Christ might despaire answering that he might presume and flying when he could not ouercome In Christs temptations we see the estate of the Church in Satans assault we see his malice to the Church Is Christ tempted think it not strange if we fall into temptations For the griefe of the head is the griefe of the members and the temptations of Christ shew the temptations of Christians It is true of Christ that by many tribulations he did enter into the kingdome of God that our High Priest was consecrated by afflictions that so he must suffer and enter into his glory He is no sooner borne into the world but he is hunted by Herod baptized at Iordan but Satan sets on him a Preacher for repentance but the Scribes proscribe him to worke miracles but the Pharises slander him He is no sooner to suffer but the Diuell assaults him apprehended but the Iewes deliuer him deliuered but Herod derides him derided but Pilat condemnes him condemned but the souldiers abuse him Is he on the crosse the people will not pity him is he risen the high Priests will belie him In a word is he vpon earth he is tempted in his person is he in heauen he is tempted in his members Thus the life of Christ was a warfare vpon earth and the life of Christians must be a warfare vpon earth We liue heere in a sea of troubles the sea is the world the waues are calamities the Church is the ship the anker is hope the sailes are loue the Saints are passengers the hauen is heauen and Christ is our Pilot. When the sea can continue without waues the shippe without tossings and passengers not be sicke vpon the water then shall the Church of God be without trials We begin this voiage so soone as we are borne and we must saile on till our dying daie We doe reade in Gods word of many kinds of temptations God Satan Man the World and the Flesh are saide to tempt God tempteth man to trie his obedience Satan tempteth man to make him disobedient man doe tempt men to trie what is in them and man tempteth God to trie what is in him The world is a temper to keepe man from God and the flesh is a tempter to bring man to the Diuell So God tempted Abraham in the offering of his son Satan tempted Iob in the losse of his goods a Queene tempted Salomon in trying his wisedome men tempted God by distrust in the desert the world tempted Domas when he forsooke the Apostles and the flesh tempted Dauid when he fell by adultery Doth God tempt vs take heed of hypocrisie doth Satan tempt vs take heed of his subtiltie doth man tempt man take heed of dissembling doth man tempt God take heed of inquiring doth the world tempt man take heed of apostasie doth the flesh tempt man take heed of carnalitie But dowe so are we warie of these tempers No we are not and therefore we fall We fall on the right hand by temptations in prosperitie and we fall on the left by temptations in aduersitie Of the one it may be said it hath slaine thousands of the other that it hath slaine ten thousands When we come and see cities dispeopled houses defaced and wals pulled downe we say the souldier hath beene there and when we see pride in the rich discontent in the poore and sinne in all we may iustly say the Tempter hath beene there Now of all other temptations it pleaseth God to suffer his church to be tempted with afflictions It is neuer free either from the sword of Ishmael which is a reuiling tongue or the sword of Esau a persecuting hand Neither was there yet euer Christian man found who had not his part in the cup of affliction We must drinke of the same cup our master did the disciple is not aboue his master The reasons why God doth visit vs thus with afflictions are 1. To humble vs. 2. To weane vs. 3. To winnow vs. 4. To preuent vs. 5. To teach vs. 6. To enlighten vs. 7. To honour vs. 8. To cure vs. 9. To crowne vs. 10. To comfort vs. 11. To protect vs. 12. To adopt vs. And last of all to teach and comfort others To humble vs that we be not proud to weane vs that we loue not his world to winnow vs that we be not chaffe to preuent vs that we do not sinne to teach vs that we be patient in aduersity to enlighten vs that we see our errors to honor vs that our faith may be manifest to cure vs that we surfet not of securitie to crowne vs that we may liue eternally to comfort vs that he may send his spirit to protect vs that he may guide vs by his Angels to adopt vs that we may be his sonnes and to teach others that they seeing how sin is punished in vs they may take heed it be not found in them that they seeing our comforts in troubles may not be discouraged in the like trials Thus a Christian mans diet is more sowre then sweet his physicke is more alcës then hony his life is more a pilgrimage then a progresse and his death is more despised then honoured This if men would thinke of before afflictions would be as welcome to the soule of man as afflicted Ruth was to the field of Boaz. But because we looke not for them before they come thinke not on Gods doing when they are come and doe desire to be happie both heere and hereafter therefore we can away with the name of Naomi but in no case would we be called Mara We see the sea not the whale the Egyptian not the saluation the Lious mouth not him that stoppeth the Lions mouth If we could see God in our troubles as Elisha did in his then would we say There are more with vs then there are against vs. But because we doe not therefore at euery assault of the Assyrians we say as the seruant to Elishah did Alas master what shall we doe and with the disciples Carest thou not Master that we perish Yet it is good for vs to suffer affliction Blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tried he shall receiue the
crowne of life which the Lord hath promised to them that loue him It is commanded by God practised by Christ yeelded to by the Saints assigned by Gods prouidence and good for vs ech way We are Gods trees we shall groe better by pruning Gods pomander smell better by rubbing Gods spice he more profitable by bruising and Gods conduits we are the better by running Let vs suffer afflictions they are momentany in respect of time fauors if we respect Gods loue and a meanes to bring vs to the kingdome of God If they did consume vs we might wish them an end but they doe purge vs let vs be content They are Gods fan we are Gods wheat they are Gods boulter we are Gods meale they are Gods flame we are Gods bush they are Gods cords we are Gods sacrifice they are Gods fornace we are Gods gold The wheat will not be good without the fan nor the meale without the boulter nor the bush without the flame nor the sacrifice without the cords nor the gold without the fornace they are trials not punishments if we be sonnes punishments not trials if we be slaues Let vs then beare them they will haue an end ioy will follow they shew vs our weekenesse they moue vs to pray they shew we are in the path way to heauen and make vs contemne this present world By them we learne to repent vs of sinne past to take heed of sinne present and to foresee sinne to come By them we receiue Gods spirit are like to Christ are acquainted with Godspower haue ioy in deliuerance know benefit of prosterity made more hardy to suffer and haue cause to practise many excellent vertues They cause vs as one saith to seeke out Gods promise the promise to seeke faith faith to seeke praier and praier to finde God Seeke and yee shall finde call and he will answer waite and he will come I am to write an Epistle I must not be long Iobs messengers came not so fast on him but Iobs afflictions may come as fast vpon vs. Hath Dauid slain a Beare he shall encounter with a Lion hath he killed a Lion he must fight with Goliah hath he subdued Goliah he must make a rode vpon the Philistims are the Philistims conquered Saul wil assault him Remember Dauids troubles and feresee what may be our troubles The more righteous we are the more manifold are our troubles and he better we are the better we may indure them But as our troubles are many so are our deliuerances many God will deliuer vs out of all He that deliuered Noah from the floud Lot from Sodome Iacob from Esau Ioseph from Potiphar Moses from Pharaoh Israel from Egypt Dauid from Saul Eliah from Achab Elisha from the Syrians Naaman from his leprosie Hezechiah from the plague the three children from the fire Daniel from the Lions Ioseph from Herod the Apostles from the Iewes and Christ from the Diuell he euen he will either deliuer vs from trouble or comfort vs in trouble or mitigate troubles when they come vpon vs. He he hath promised to doe it and he that hath promised is able to do it And this he doth sometimes by no meanes sometimes by small meanes sometimes by ordinary meanes sometimes by extraordinarie sometimes contrarie to all meanes By no meanes be cured a creeple at Bethesda by small meanes he fed fiue thousand in the desert by ordinary meanes he was brought from the pinnacle by meanes extraordinary he was prouided for in hunger and contrarie to all meanes were the three children preserued in the fornace of fire I haue good cause to thinke of Gods gracious deliuerance being my selfe deliuered from a great trouble Since the time I was vnkindly dismissed from my poore charge where I would haue continued if malice had not hindred me I haue liued in an end of this City dangerously in respect of the sicknesse poorely in regard of maintenance and painfully in respect of my ministerie yet till this time hath the Lord deliuered me and as Paul said he will deliuer me if that he see it be best for me Let man therefore comfort himselfe in the Lord after two daies he will reuiue vs and the third day he will raise vs vp againe Heauiensse may endure for a night but ioy will come in the morning Doubtlesse there is a reward for the righteous verily God retaineth not his wrath for euer Could he ouercome the world and can he not ouercome many troubles in the world Yea let one plague follow another as one quaile sings to another yet as the viper leaped on Paules hand and forthwith leaped off againe so one trouble shall leape vpon the righteous and anon leap off againe though he fall he shall rise againe the righteous shall not be forsaken for euer if he hath deliuered vs from the guilt of our sinnes he will deliuer vs from the punishment of our sinnes Let vs then therefore be patient in trouble constant in hope rooted in loue let vs waite and he will come call and he will heare beleeue and he will performe repent vs of our euill committed against him and he will repent of his euils intended against vs. He is ouer vs by his prouidence about vs by his Angels in vs by his spirit with vs by his word vnder vs by his power and vpon vs by his Sonne In him is our helpe from him is our comfort by him is our victory and for him is our trouble In thee haue I trusted saith a king who euer was confounded that trusted in the Lord said a friend and as Elkanah was to Hannah in stead of many sons so God is to his in stead of many comforters Of other comforters we may say as Iob did of his frinds Silly comforters are you all They will leaue vs as mice doe a ruinous house but the Lord like Ruthe to Naomi will neuer leaue vs nor forsake vs Especially in the houre of death which is in remembrance bitter to great men in that houre of death he will be with vs and command his Angels to take charge of our soules the earth to be as a bed for our bodies that so the one may goe into glory the other reserued in hope of like glorie and be made one day like vnto the glorious body of Christ Iesus Thus right Honorable you haue seene the righteous in affliction as Israel was in Babylon and that the Lord like Zorobabel is ready to deliuer them Though in troubles Christs seemes as in the ship to sleepe yet in deliuerance he awakes as a man out of sleepe and as a Giant refreshed with wine He will rebuke