8. Ephes. 6. 16. Psal. 91. 13. Thou shalt walk vpon the Lion and Asp the yong Lion and the Dragon shalt thou tread vnder feete Lidia How is this resistance confirmed Paul To confirme this these preseruatiues which follow are very necessary 1. When you are tempted to sinne do not only abstaine from it but earnestly loue and follow after the contrary Iohn 8. 44. 2. Neuer yeeld or consent to Satans words whether he speake the truth accuse falsly or flatter dissemblingly Iohn 8. 44. Ye are of your father the diuell and the lusts of your father ye will do he hath bin a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him when he speaketh a lie then speaketh he of his owne for he is a lier and the father thereof Marke 1. 24. And cried with a loud voice and said What haue I to do with thee Iesus the sonne of the most high God And Iesus said Hold thy peace and come out of him Act. 16. 17. She followed Paul and vs and cried saying These men are the seruants of the most high God which shew vnto vs the way of saluation c. August serm 241. 3. One temptation is to be looked for after another and then especially when our enemie after he hath set his snares is at rest for the diuel neuer maketh an end of his malice 1. Pet. 5. 8. Lidia I haue heard how to resist teach me I pray you what is his fall Paul The fall is whereby the souldier through infirmitie fainteth being subdued by the power of the enemie Gal. 6. 1. Brethrē if a man be fallen by occasion into any fault ye which are spirituall restore such a one with the spirit of meeknesse considering thy selfe least thou also be tempted Lidia If I fall how may I rise Paul To this appertaineth the spirituall remedie now a remedie is a thing hauing aptnesse to restore him which is fallen to his former estate Gal. 6. 1. And here two things must alwayes be thought on 1. If there be a willing mind euery one is accepted for that grace which he hath not for that which he hath not 2. Corint 8. 12 For if there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not 2. In all these things whosoeuer wil leade a godly life in Christ the power of God is to be made perfect through their infirmitie 2. Cor. 12. 9. And he said vnto me My grace is sufficient for thee for my power is made perfect through weaknesse very gladly therefore will I reioyce rather in mine infirmities that the power of God may dwell in me 10. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities in reproches in necessities in persecutions in anguish for Christs sake for when I am weake then am I strong Lidia But since Satan is mine aduersarie instruct me how many his assaults be Paul Assaults are three-fold Lidia VVhich is the first Paul The first is about the Christian mans effectuall calling and the temptation is the enterprise of the Diuell to blindfold mans mind and to harden his hart lest the word of God should work in him to saluation Mat. 1◠4. And as he sowed some fell by the way side and the fowles came and deuoured them vp 5. And some fell vpon stonie ground where they had no◠much earth and anon they sprang vp because they had no depth of earth 6. And when the sun rose vp they were parched for lack of rooting withered away 7. And some fell among thornes and the thornes sprung vp and choked them 19. Whensoeuer a man heareth the word of the kingdome and vnderstandeth it not the euill one cometh and catcheth away that which was sowne in his heart and this is he which hath receiued the seed by the way side Lidia How may I resist this assault Paul A resistance in those that are called is wrought by the spirit of God that causeth men to lend their eares to heare and doth ingraffe the word in their hearts that the immortall seed of regeneration may spring in them Psal. 40. 6. Ioh. 6. 44. Act. 16. 14. Iam. 1. 21. Wherefore lay apart all filthinesse and superfluitie of maliciousnes and receiue with meeknes the word that is graffed in you which is able to saue your soules 1. Pet. 1. 22. Seeing your soules are purified in obeying the truth through the spirit to loue brotherly without faining loue one another with a pure heart feruently 1. Ioh. 3. 9. Whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not for his seed remaineth in him neither cā he sin because he is borne of God A resistance in those that are to be called is when in a sincere heart they do ioyne the word which they haue heard with faith Luke 8. 15. But that which fell in good ground are they which with an honest and good heart heare the word and keepe it and bring forth fruit with patience Heb. 4. 2. Lidia What certaine preseruatiues are to be noted in this resistance Paul 1. Premeditation of the power and vse of the word Eccles. 4. 17. Take heed to thy feete when thou entrest into the house of the Lord and be more neare to heare then to giue the sacrifice of fooles for they know not that they do euil Cha. 5. 1. Be not rash with thy mouth n◠let thine heart be hastie to vtter a thing before God for God is in the heauen and thou art 〈◊〉 the earth therefore let thy words be few 2. Diligent attentiō of the mind Act. 16. 14. 3. An hungring desire of the heart Ioh. 7. 37. Now in the last and great day of the feast Iesus stood and cried saying If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke 4. Integritie of life Psal. 26. 6. 5. The casting away of euill affections Iam. 1. 22. And be ye doers of the word and n◠hearers onely deceiuing your owne soules 6. The inward consent and agreement of the heart with the word preached Act. 2. 37. 7. An hiding of the word in the heart lest we should sinne Psalm 119. 11. I haue hid thy word in mine heart that I might not sinne against thee 8. A trembling at the presence of God in the assembly of the Church Esa. 66. 2. For all these things hath mine hand made and all these things haue bene saith the Lord and to him will I looke euen to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my words Act. 10. 33. Then sent I for thee immediatly and thou hast well done to come now therefore are we all here present before God to heare all things that are commaunded thee of God Lidia The God of power preserue me from this assault by these preseruatiues but how may I fall in this temptation Paul Your fall is either by a coldnesse in receiuing the word and a neglect therof or else by falling into errors Lidia What
SATANS SOPHISTRIE ANSVVERED BY OVR SAVIOVR CHRIST AND in diuers Sermons further manifested by that worthy man Maister William Perkins To which is added a Comfort for the feeble minded wherein is set downe the temptations of a Christian. In that he suffered and was tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted Heb. 2. 18. LONDON Printed by Richard Field for E. E. and are to be sold at the signe of the Swanne in Paules Church-yard 1604. ⧠To the right Honorable Sir William Russell Lord Russell Baron of Thornehaugh yonger sonne to that most Christian and Honorable Earle Frauncis Earle of Bedford with the vertuous Ladie his wife Grace and Peace RIGHT Honorable as Iohn the Baptist was in one desert so our Sauiour Christ he was in an other but as these two differed in their being in the world so did they not accord in their being in the wildernesse Iohn was with some men Christ with none Iohn was with wild men Christ with wild beasts Iohn was preaching Christ praying Iohn was baptizing Christ fighting Iohn was feeding Christ fasting Iohn was encountring with Diuels incarnate Christ did encounter with the Prince of those Diuels From Iohn preaching in the desert learne we diligence in our callings from Christ tempted in the desert see we troubles at our calling Many are the troubles of the 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 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 thinke it not strange if we fall into tēptations For the griefe of the head is the griefe of the members the temptations of Christ shew the temptations of Christians It is true of Christ that by many tribulatiōs he did enter into the kingdom 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 Pharisees slaunder him He is no sooner to suffer but the Diuell assaults him apprehēded but the Iewes deliuer him deliuered but Herod derides him derided but Pilate condemnes him condemned but the souldiers abuse him Is he on the crosse the people will not pitie 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 here 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 voyage so soone as we are borne and we must saile on till our dying day We do reade in Gods word of many kinds of temptations God Satan Man the World the Flesh are said to tempt God tempteth man to trie his obedience Satan tempteth man to make him disobedient men do tempt men to try what is in them and man tempteth God to trie what is in him The world is a tempter 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 tēpted God by distrust in the desert the world tempted Demas when he forsooke the Apostles and the flesh tempted Dauid when he fell by adulterie 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 apostacie doth the flesh tempt man take heed of carnalitie But do we so are we warie of these tempters No we are not and therefore we fal We fal 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 bene there and when we see pride in the rich discontent in the poore and sinne in all we may iustly say the Tēpter hath bin 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 tong 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 cuppe our maister did the disciple is not aboue his maister The reasons why God doth visit vs thus with afflictions are 1. To humble vs. 2. To weane vs. 3. To winow 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 comfort others To humble vs that we be not proud to weane vs that we loue not this 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 aduersitie 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
then he followes our humor and feeds vs in our owne vaine As if a man be impatient of pouertie he will egge him to stealing and to vnlawfull shifts to helpe himself if a man be couetous he wil help to prick him forward that way that he may by hook or crooke inrich himselfe and so in other sins according as he finds men affected he will fit his temptations Nay the diuell is so skilfull by the experience of so many hundred yeares that he will be prying into mens complexions and the very constitutious of their bodies and finding what humour doth most a bound he can giue a shrewd guesse to what sinne a man is inclined As if he perceiue a man to be of a cholericke complexion then the diuell will stirre him vp to quarrelling fighting and killing If he find a mans complexion to be sanguine then he seeketh to allure him to be delighted with vaine and vngodly mirth and wantonnes or at the least with immoderate mirth 〈◊〉 a man be subiect to melancholy then he wilâ— feare a man with heauy dumpish thoughts and great feares and cares in his mind And thus he dealt with the poore man that waâ— lunatick for the Diuel tooke occasion by the course of the Moone and the humour of hiâ— bodie to moue him to cast himselfe into the fire and into the water And in a word lookâ— how many infirmities weaknesses we haue we do as it were giue the diuel so many darâ— to wound vs withall for we giue him the matter of all his temptations and he taketâ— aduantage of our weaknesse and infirmities This being Satans cunning his dealing it must warne euery man to search his ownâ— heart to find what be his speciall infirmities and corruptions to which he is most pronâ— by nature and when we know them we muâ—â— labour against them to represse and subduâ— them otherwise they will be so many dartâ— and weapons which Satan will turne against our owne selues to hurt and wound vs and therefore it must be our wisdome to weakeâ— these infirmities and to labour by all gooâ— meanes to preuent the Diuell in these hiâ— temptations The fourth point in the preparation of the Diuell vnto his temptations is his coming vnto Christ. And by this that it is said the Tempter came vnto him it appeareth that he came in some visible forme as he did come to Euah in the shape of a Serpent so it is very likely he came in some bodily shape to our Sauiour Christ seeing it is said here that he came and spake vnto him If thou be the Sonne of God c. The Diuel hauing made this solemne preparation and hauing made choise of the fittest place and time and taken aduantage of the infirmitie of our Sauiour Christ now he sets vpon him and incounters Christ with his first temptation wherein the cunning Diuel disputeth like a subtill Sophister and disputeth very syllogistically and his syllogisme may be framed thus If thou be the Sonne of God then thou canst commaund that these stones be made bread but thou canst not make these stones bread therefore thou art not the son of God The maine scope of the diuels disputation in this his first temptation was this to bring Christ to distrust of his Fathers prouidence to ouerturne the faith of Christ that is that gift in Christ whereby he as he was man did beleeue in God his father and depend vpon him And in this dealing of the diuel with Christ we may behold what is the maine and principall end of all Satans temptations in the children of God viz. he labors to bring vs if it be possible to this to make shipwracke of faith whereby we beleeue the word of Godâ— to be true and thus he dealt with Euah Gen. â— he did labor to bring her to call Gods word into question and so to deny credence to it And thus he dealeth with all men seeking to keepe them in ignorance and blindnesse oâ— else in errors and wickednesse that they may not beleeue the truth of Gods word and 〈◊〉 performe obedience to it The special part of the word of God which the Diuell aymed at and which he labored toâ— bring Christ to deny credit too is that voice of God the Father coming from heauen This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased And here let vs see the practise of Satan against all the faithful children of God namely as he dealt with our Sauior Christ to perswade him if he could that he was not thâ— Son of God so he labours to perswade Godâ— children that they are not the sonnes and daughters of God he labours to make mâ— doubt of their adoption And therefore seeing the Diuel aimeth at this one thing especially to ouerturne our faith in Gods promises it should stir vs all vp to an earnest care to make our calling and election sure euen to haue it sealed vp by comfortable assurance to our soules and this will be a most sweet comfort vnto vs in time of affliction if we can find this blessed and setled perswasion that we are the sonnes and daughters of God And the diuell he careth not what men professe no though they haue all the common gifts of Gods spirit to heare the word to vnderstand to giue assent vnto it so that they want this blessed assurance of Gods speciall loue in Christ. Againe in this first temptation the Diuell tempts Christ to practise a worke of vnbeleefe For now Christ wanting bread the Diuell tempts him in the absence and want of bread to make bread of stones and so by vnlawfull meanes to help himselfe And as the Diuell dealt here with Christ seeking to tempt him to practise a work of vnbeleefe so doth he deale with vs to moue men and women in time of distresse to vse bad and vnlawfull shifts to helpe themselues As in time of pouerty and want when men see not ordinary means such as they desire he will tempt them to shift for themselues to filch and pilfer from their neighbors and to get bread by bad meanes In time of sicknesse when men cannot find help in the lawfull vse of phisick then he labours to draw them to seeke to the diuell for helpe by sending men to wise men and women as they call them and so by wicked meanes to seeke recouery of their health If thou be the Sonne of God What moued the Diuell to moue this question vnto Christ rather then any other Ans. First because the Diuel knew right wel that if Christ were the Son of God then he was that promised Messiah and Sauiour of the world and if he were that promised Messiah then he knew it was he that should bruise the Serpents head Gen. 3. 15. Now of all things the Diuell could not abide to heare of that and therfore he makes choise of this question before all other to proue or at
least to go about to proue that Christ was not the Sonne of God Another reason may be this since the diuelâ— fell and for his pride was cast downe out of heauen he beares a deadly hatred against theâ— Lord God himselfe and we shall see that 〈◊〉 this question he doth notably bewray hiâ— spite against God for when as the Lord haâ— spoken from heauen saying This is my 〈◊〉 beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased here the Diuell comes and contradicts the voice of God nay goeth about to proue God a lier in that he would make Christ beleeue that he was not the true Sonne of God Hence we may by this practise of Satan learne to discerne false teachers There haue bene many both excellent and learned men which haue denied Christ to be the sonne of God as Ebeon Cerinthus and others onely affirming that Christ was an excellent man and a worthy Prophet Now seeing they denie Iesus Christ to be the true Son of God they shew themselues to be false teachers and such as be the diuels scholers for so saith the Apostle Iohn 1. Iohn 4. 1 2 3. Again in that the diuel seekes to perswade Christ that he is not the son of God though God by his owne voice from heauen had immediatly before proclaimed him to be his Son hence we may perceiue the impudent malice of Satan who seeketh in all things to contradict God himself For if the Lord pronounce a blessing vpon any man the diuell he wil presently pronounce cursing and damnation If God testifie to a mans soule that he is the child of God the Diuell he wil labour to perswade him that he is not the child of God If the Lord affirme a wicked man to be out of Gods fauor and no child of God the diuel will labour on the contrary to perswade him that he is in good estate shal be saued and so fils his heart with extreme presumption maketh him more bold then he ought to be Commaund That is as if Satan should haue said to Christ Bid this or do but speake the word and it shall be done And herein appeareth the maruellous pollicy of Satan who in these few words the better to bring his purpose to passe toucheth three especiall points of Diuinitie First that he which is the son of God is true God equal to the Father which many heretickes haue denied and the Pharisies also did not graunt for to worke a miracle it is the proper and peculiar work of God alone Secondly the diuell confesseth that God is able to make all things of nothing and that without all meanes matter or helpers by his almightie power Thirdly he confesseth that God can effect a true miracle and that is proper to God alone neither can any creature whatsoeuer worke a miracle Now when the diuel acknowledged al this one would haue thought he should haue intended no harme in these words but the truth is we shall see that in the propounding of these points his pollicy was to ouerthrow the faith of Christ and he in propounding of the truth doth it not for any loue or liking to it but that he might more easily deceiue our Sauiour to bring him to doubt whether he was indeed that Sonne of God or not This must admonish vs to take heed that we do not alwayes giue credit to the diuel listen vnto him though he speake the truth for such is Satans pollicie that when he wold seeme most to speake the truth then he meaneth to deceiue vs most and by speaking the truth he seeketh most to ouerthrow our faith in the truth But as our sauiour Christ did refuse their testimonie though the diuels spake the truth and as Paul did not suffer the Diuel to speak in the maid though he did acknowledge the Apostles to be the seruants of the true God so we must beware how we listen to Satan euen when he speakes the truth for he neuer speakes the truth because he loueth the truth but that speaking the truth he might be sooner beleeued and more easily deceiue vs and do vs the greater harme That these stones S. Luke saith this stone in the singular nomber To reconcile these two places whereas Mathew speaks in the plural number of many stones this we must vnderstand that he speakes of Satans temptations as he first set vpon Christ and then in the beginning of his temptation he bids Christ to turne all these stones into bread Luke he saying this stone speaking but of one must be vnderstood as the Diuell vrged and inforced his temptation the better to perswade Christ to yeeld vnto it as if the Diuell should haue said It may be thou thinkest it too much to turne all these stones being so many into bread do but turne this one stone into bread because I would not trouble thee ouermuch that so I may beleeue thou art the son of God By this dealing of the diuel with Christ we may learne that when the diuell hath once begun his temptation then he will be more instant in vrging of it he is very loth to haue the repulse and therefore will vrge it and follow it but if he can gaine but a litle ground at least in some smaller matter he would be content as here to perswade Christ though he would not turne many stones into bread that he would turne but this one stone into bread And therefore we must learne that as the diuell is very instant to inforce and vrge his temptations so we must be as instant to resist them and yeeld no not in the least matter that he tempts vs to Vers. 4. But he answering said Man shall â—ot liue by bread onely but by euerie word that â—roceedeth out of the mouth of God These words containe the most wise and heauenly â—nswer of our Sauior Christ to the first temptation of the diuell and in this answer of his note three points first the answer it self And Iesus answering said secondly whence our Sauior Christ took his answer It is writteÌ„ thirdly the words of his answer Man shal not liue c. First the Spirit of God sets downe the answer of Christ to shew that he was not onely willing to incounter the Diuell but that he was most able to vanquish foile the diuell Now what a singular comfort is this to Gods Church and children to remember that our Lord and Sauior Christ Iesus was in â—his base estate of a seruant wheÌ„ he liued here vpon earth able to incounter with Satan to ouercome the diuell notwithstanding all his might and malice how much more is Iesus Christ able now being aduanced vnto the right hand of God his Father in heauen hauing all power and maiestie and being King of Kings and Lord of all Lords how much more able is he now to confound Satan to destroy al the works of the diuel in his members And this may be a great comfort vnto euery