of his members who are but weake sinfull men Again in baptisme a man giues vp his name vnto God promising therein for euer to renounce all seruice to the Diuell the flesh and the world and contrariwise to beleeue in God and to serue him and this vow being thus made it is the will of God he should be tempted that in the schoole of temptation he might learn to practise his baptisme But here most men wil say they neuer felt by experience in themselues the trueth of this doctrine for they haue not perceiued any such combate in themselues though they haue bene baptized many yeres agone Answ. Such men whatsoeuer they be haue indeed the outward baptisme of water but they neuer yet receiued the inward baptisme of the spirit they weare Christs liuery but as yet they do seruice vnto Satan And though they haue been made partakers of the seales of the couenant yet still they abide within the kingdome of darkenesse for Christ heere teacheth by his owne example that all those who haue receiued the inward baptism of the spirit whereby they haue effectually put off sinne and put on the Lord Iesus are as sure to be tempted by Satan as himselfe was therefore let such persons as neuer yet felt in themselues this spiritual conflict now begin to reform their liues and to performe their vow of baptisme and they shal vndoubtedly find in themselues the truth of this doctrine That all that are baptized into Christ shal be tempted of the Diuell So long as the children of Israel continued vnder Pharaos bondage they were not pursued by his army but when they set their faces toward the land of Canaan then presently he makes after them with all his might and malice euen so while men liue in sinne and submit themselues to Satans spirituall bondage he will suffer all things to be in peace with them but if once they set their hearts on the heauenly Canaan and giue themselues syncerely to Gods seruice then will he with all his force pursue them meet them with armies of temptations to turne them backe into their olde way of sinne againe The silly bird that is in the snare or vnder the net so long as she lieth still feeles no harme but when she stirs offers to get away then begins her paine and the more she striues the more she finds her selfe ensnared So fareth it with silly men while they liue in sinne securely they are not troubled with Satans temptations but when they beginne to leaue their badde courses and settle themselues to serue the Lord then presently the Diuel seeks to spread his net to intangle them in his snare The consideration whereof must teach vs to watch and pray that we enter not into temptation and as Paul saith to put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against the assaults of the Diuell Ephes. 6. 11. Secondly in that our Sauiour Christ after his solemne inauguration into his mediatorship was immediatly to go to be tempted we learn that all those that are set apart by God to any speciall calling euen at their verie entrance thereinto must looke for temptations This befell the head and therefore all the members must reckon for it When Moses was first called to be the guide and conducter of Gods people out of Egypt hauing slaine an Egyptian in defence of one of his brethren vpon knowledge of the fact he was fain to flie from Pharaos court into the land of Madian and there to liue a shephers life for many yeres with his father in law Iethro And Dauid was no sooner appointed by God to be king ouer his people Israel but Saul began to persecute him and so continued all his dayes And our Sauiour Christ hauing called his Apostles to their office of preaching his kingdome tooke them soone after to the sea and there falling asleepe suffered their ship to be so tossed with waues in a great tempest that they looked for nothing but present drowning so as they cried out Master saue vs we perish And this the Lord doth in great wisedome for the good of his children first to teach them that no man is able of himselfe to carry himselfe in any acceptable course of his calling without Gods speciall assistance and grace Secondly to stir vp in them those good gifts and graces which he hath formerly bestowed on them as the feare of his name the loue of his maiesty the gifts of prayer faith patience and many other which he would haue tried in the entrance of their callings and exercised in the continuance therein vnto the end Thirdly seeing Christ begins his propheticall office of treaching his church with temptations This should admonish all Ministers of the word that howsoeuer all Gods people must prepare themselues against Satans temptations yet they must doe it aboue the rest for looke as in a pitched field the enemy aimeth principally at the standerd-bearer euen so Satan and his instruments do among all Gods people bend their greatest forces against the ministers of Christ which holde vp his scepter and display his banner in the preaching of the Gospel When Iehoshuah the high priest stood before the Lord Satan stood at his right hand to resist him Zak. 3. 1. And when Ahab went to fight against the king of Syriah Satan became a lying spirit in the mouth of 400. prophets mo 1. King 22. 22. This is that great red dragon that with his taile drew downe the third part of the starres of heauen that is of the ministers and preachers of the word and cast them to the earth Reuel 12. 13. 4. This is he that desired to winnow the Disciples as wheat Luk. 22. 31. And as the king of Aram said of Ahab fight not against small nor great but against the king of Israel only 1. King 22. 31. So Satan fighteth not against any so much as the Prophets of Israel the ministers of the Church Fourthly in that Christ is tempted before he go to preach we learne that it is good and profitable for Gods ministers to be exercised with temptations euen of satan himselfe that for sundry causes first that they may know what temptations meane Secondly that they may be the more able to minister helpe and comfort to those that are tempted Thirdly to make them vnderstand the word of God aright for many places of Scripture can not so well be vnderstood by bare study onely as by temptations therewithall and it is true which one sayth well Reading meditation prayer and temptation make a diuine II. Circumstance The author or efficient cause of Christes going foorth to wit the Holy ghost noted in these words was led by the spirit The word led in the originall signifieth thus much that Iesus was carried apart by the spirit which must not bee vnderstood of any locall transportation of his bodie from the riuer
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
the waues and winds of troubles and persecution and they shall flie before him as Sysera did before Debora and the Philistims before Ionathan and his seruant And as Christ asking the woman of her accuser she answered There was none so in the end aske a Christian of his troubles and he will say There are none He is a buckler for our left hand and a sword in our right he is an helmet on our head and harnesse for our body We shall looke vpon troubles as Israel did on the Egyptians as the Iewes did on Goliah and as the Grecians did on Hector to triumph ouer them and as the Angell said to Ioseph They are dead that sought the childs life so the Spirit shall say to the afflicted They are dead that did seek your life A day of deliuerance a yeere of Iubile will come and then Ioseph shall be out of prison Iacob out of seruitude and Iob shall lie no more in the dust of the earth Let vs comfort our selues with these words I haue exceeded an Epistle especially to such a small bocke If the wals seeme too great for this city abundans cautela non no cet It is vsuall for students not onely to present their owne labours but also other mens to great personages especially such Workes wherein they haue beene either Translators or ouerseers It were infinit to instance this point I am bolde to doe the like to your Honour at this time This Copie it was brought vnto my hand I haue conferred it with another I haue persued it at the Presse I heard diuers of the Sermons I haue added nothing of mine owne and I desire that of those many baskets full of most delicate diet which this worthy man hath now left behind him there may not so much as any one be lost If any such come vnto my hand surely they shall not be lost By his life had I much comfort and I will seeke to honour him after he is dead I was twenty yeeres acquainted with him I at his request made the first fruits of his labours to speake English And now I am bold to present this his posthume to your patronage Your honorable Nephew his vertuous Lady your worthy sister haue heeretofore accepted the labours of this man If it shall please your good Honor to do the like this Preface of mine shall remaine as a perpetuall testimony of my duty to you and the booke following as fully armed against all such aduersaries as shall speake against it The God of heauen who hath made you honorable in your most honorable Progenitors make you thrice honorable in your future successors that the memoriall of the righteous may be euerlasting when as the name of the wicked shall rot London Saint Martins in the fields Ian. 12. 1604. Your Honours at commandement ROBERT HILL Fellow of S. Iohns Coll. in Cambridge A GENERALL VIEW OF the strange Combate betweene our Sauiour CHRIST and Satan The Description of this Combate betweene Christ and Satan conteineth A Preface or Preparation consisting of Christs going forth to the place of combate Vers. 1. Christs abode and conuersing in that place Vers. 2. The Combat it selfe consisting of three great conflicts First tending to bring Christ to vnbeliefe and it consisteth of Satans preparation thereto Vers. 3. The temptation in selfe Vers. 3. Christes repulse thereof Vers. 4. Second tending to bring Christ to presumption conteining Satans preparation Vers. 5. The assault or temptation Vers. 6. Christs repulse and answer Vers. 7. Third tending to bring Christ to idolatry conteining Satans preparation Vers. 8. The assault or temptation Vers. 9. Christs repulse and answer Vers. 10. An happie issue and euent thereof consisting of Satans departing from Christ Vers. 11. The Angels ministring vnto Christ Vers. 11. Resist the Diuell and he will flee Draw neere to God and he will draw neere to you Iam. 4. 7. 8. The true grace of faith enables vs to both for 1. Pet. 5. 9. Whom resist stedfast in the faith Heb. 10. 22. Let vs draw neere with a true heart in assurance of faith THE COMBATE BETWEENE CHRIST and the DIVELL expounded MAT. 4. 1. Then was Iesus led aside of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the Diuell THE eleuen first verses of this chapter do conteine a briefe description of Christes tēptations wherof I haue chosen to intreat hauing formerly handled the doctrine of Conscience because all that endeuour either to get or keepe a good conscience are most of all subiect to temptations Now here we haue the speciall temptations of the Diuell wherewith he assaulted our Sauiour Christ and in Christs example the best way to auoid the same This description consisteth of three distinct parts First A Preface or preparation to a Combate betweene Christ and the Diuell vers 1. 2. Secondly The combate or conflict it selfe vers 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Thirdly The issue or euent of this combate vers 11. I. Part. The Preparation to the combate hath two parts First Christs going foorth to that place where the combate was to be fought vers 1. Secondly his abode conuersing in that place vers 2. 1. Christs going forth to the place is set out by sundry circumstances of the Euangelists as The time when he went The authour of his going The maner how he went furnished the place whither he went And the end wherefore I. Circumstance The time when Christ went foorth to be tempted is noted in this word Then what time this was we shall see in the end of the former chapter where is set downe the baptisme of our Sauiour Christ by Iohn in the riuer Iordan as also the great honour and maiesty wherewith he was there renowmed for it pleased Christ for speciall end and purpose to be baptized not as we are to put off sinne for he had none but to be ordained a Mediatour for vs that putting on our sin he might beare the burden thereof in our steed Againe in his baptisme he was distinctly proclaimed The doctour of his Church for immediately thereupon The Holy ghost descended vpon him like a doue and a voice came from heauen saying This is my welbeloued sonne in whom I am well pleased Now so soone as Christ was thus solemnly inaugurated into his office and proclaimed from heauen to be the sole Doctor and Prophet of Gods Church euen then immediately without any delay was he driuen forth as Marke saith chapt 1. 12. The vse In that Christ is no sooner baptized but he is presently tempted we learne that all those who are truely baptized into Christ must make account to be tempted and prepare for a combat with the Diuell euen through the whole course of their liues for if Satan durst be so bolde as to encounter with Christ Iesus the head of the Church after his baptisme then doubtlesse he will not spare any
God in the land This Dauid knew well and therefore said He hid Gods saying in his heart that he might not sinne against him Psal. 119. 11. For as Sauls speare stood in readinesse at his head euen when he slept so should Gods word which is the sword of the spirit be euer in our hearts as it were ready drawen that to what sinne soeuer the Diuell allures vs we may be able to say for our defence It is written through want hereof it comes to passe that the Diuell at his pleasure leads men captiues into all impieties Lastly this excellent vse of the word vnderstood beleeued and obeied must moue all ignorant persons to labour for knowledge heerein and with all endeuor after growth in knowledge by holy obedience to shew foorth their faith If we had an enemy that had sworne our death and vowed to see our bloud how carefull would we be for our naturall life both to get vs weapons and also some knowledge to vse the same not only for our defence but also for the annoyance of our deadly foe Oh then how carefull should we be for the safetie of our soules to put vpon vs the whole armour of God and to learne to vse aright this sword of the spirit that when we meet with Satan our irreconciliable enemy in the field of temptation which is this miserable world we may be able both to award his blowes and to wound his head It is lamentable to see how ignorant people will blesse themselues in their ignorance and say they defie the Diuell and spit at him in defiance and yet they know not how they are intangled in his snares of their owne sinnes he little regards such defiance so long as their soules lie naked and bare before his deadly darts let two men meet that be at enmity the one armed the other naked what will it auaile for the naked man to defie his enemie with bigge words while in the meane time his armed enemy takes away his life Lo Satan is this strong man armed and ignorant persons are poore naked caâ—â—ffes they defie the Diuell and spit at him with their mouth but in the meane time the diuel wouÌ„ds their soules vnto death They wil say they feele no such wounds and therefore they feare him not but they must know that the lesse they feele the more cause they haue to feare for Satans wounds are most deadly when they are least felt The third point is Christs Answer it selfe Man shall not liue by bread onely but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God This answer is borrowed from Deuteron 8. 3. And it is that lesson which Moses sought to teach the children of Israell after the Lord had fedde them with food from heauen in that barren wildernesse where they were afflicted with hunger The words are something hard and therefore I will shew the meaning of them Man shall not liue that is shall not preserue his temporall life in this world for of eternall life neither Moses nor Christ did intend to speake By bread only that is onely by such ordinary meanes as food and raiment sleepe physicke c. which God hath appointed in his prouidence for the ordinary preseruation of natural life But by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God This title word betokens diuers things in scripture I. The substantiall word of God the second person in Trinity Ioh. 1. 1. In the beginning was the word and the word was God II. It is vsually taken for the written word conteined in the bookes of the olde and new Testament 1. Pet. 1. 25. Thirdly it is sometime taken for Gods will and decree and it is called his good pleasure so Heb. 1. 2. Christ sustaineth all things by the word of his power that is according to his will and decree by his powerfull appointment and by this word were all things made in the beginning and heerby haue they been preserued euer since this is that word that melteth the Ice Psal. 147. 18. And in this last sense must we vnderstand word in this place meaning that man doth not preserue this naturall life by ordinarie meanes onely but withall by Gods good pleasure will and decree sanctifying the meanes for his good Note further that it is said by euery word and therein lieth the substance of this sentence for the vnderstanding whereof wee must know that this powerfull working word of God may be distinguished according to the matter whereabout it is occupied Thus sometime God will haue men to liue by bread the ordinary food of naturall life and this is his ordinary word Sometime his will and appointment is that man shall liue by extraordinarie meanes as the Israelites did in the wildernesse while they liued vpon Mannah and this is his extraordinary word Otherwhiles hee ordaines that man shall liue without all meanes as Moses did in mount Sina Elias in mount Horeb and our Sauiour Christ in this wildernesse for the space of fortie daies and fortie nights together And lastly he ordains sometime that man shall liue against meanes and contrary to the course of nature Thus Daniell liued in the Lions denne and the three children in the firy furnace both which last may be called Gods miraculous word So that wee see good reason of this clause euery for heereby we learne that man doth not preserue his life only by ordinary means ordained of God but likewise by euerie word proceeding out of the mouth of God that is by euery appointment and decree of God whether extraordinary aboue the vsuall meanes or miraculous without all means or against the course of nature this we must labour to know and be perswaded of Nature teacheth that man liueth by Gods blessing and appointment in ordinary meanes But nature knowes not this that God preserueth mans life by his worde aboue meanes without meanes yea against meanes The beleeuing hart will hardly yeeld to this which Moses would teach the Israelites and therefore wee must take the more paines to be resolued of it If any shall thinke hereupon that a man may liue by the written word without meat and drinke he is deceiued for Christ meaneth not that euery word that God hath spoken shall preserue naturall life but that whatsoeuer way he hath appointed whereby man shal liue whether by ordinary or extraordinary meanes whether without meanes or against meanes the same shall be effectuall for mans preseruation Thus much for the meaning The applying of this testimony to the Diuels temptation is thus to be conceiued the Diuels temptation was this If thou be the sonne of God then commaund these stones to be made bread But thou canst not make these stones to become bread Therefore thou art not the sonne of God To this Christ answers by denying the proposition or first part of this argument the ground whereof was this which the Diuell tooke for granted that when a man is hungry
in which we may require a signe of God not tempt him first when God commands a man to ask a signe at his hands so might Azah haue asked a signe of God for his assurance of victorie according to Gods promise yea he is blamed for not asking it when the Lord commanded him Secondly a man may aske a signe of God when it serueth for the necessary confirmation of an extraordinary calling or of some special promise of God made to man in this case did Gedion aske a signe of God for the further confirmation of his extraordinary calling to bee a Deliuerer vnto Gods people And so did Hezekiah for his further assurance in the lengthning of his life by an extraordinary promise fifteene yeares But out of these cases to aske a signe of God is to tempt him as the Pharisies did who would prescribe vnto God what kinde of miracle they would haue euen a signe from heauen not contenting themselues with those miracles which Christ did ordinarilie worke among them Thirdly a man tempts God when he goes on in any sinne against Gods commandements for hereby he makes needlesse triall of Gods iustice mercy and patience The Lord saith of his people they tempted him ten times and haue not obeied his voice Mal. 3. 15. The people murmuringly say they that worke wickednesse are set vp and they that tempt God are deliuered where working wickednesse and tempting of God are al one Which serues to admonish vs that with al speed we break off the course of our sins by repentance for while we continue in sinne we tempt God and so lie open to all his iudgements depriuing our selues of the guard and protection of Gods holy Angels nay they will become our enemies and insteed of protection execute gods heauy vengeance vpon vs. Fourthly they tempt God that impose vpon Gods people there ligious obseruation of legall ceremonies abolished by Christ Act. 15. 10. Why tempt ye God saith Peter to lay a yoake on the Disciples neckes which neither our Fathers nor we were able to beare This is to make triall of Gods power in the sauing of his people Whereby we may see how wicked and damnable the Romish religion is which wholly stands in the obseruation of ceremonies partly heathenish and partly Iudaical whereto when men submit themselues they do nothing else but tempt God Fiftly they tempt God that refuse or neglect the ordinarie and necessarie meanes of their preseruation either for body or soule as hee that being to goe ouer a water will leaue the bridge which is the ordinarie way and aduenture dangerously through the water for heerein he seekes a needlesse experience of Gods power so doe they also that neglect or contemne Gods holy ordinance for the sauing of mens soules in the ministery of the word Now to this kinde of tempting God doth Christ apply this commandement in this place as if he should say when God hath affoorded vnto men an ordinarie meanes for their helpe and safety they are not to refuse the same and seeke for safety from God extraordinarily I am now in a dangerous place I confesse vpon this pinnacle yet there is some ordinarie way to get down as staires or ladder and therefore vnlesse I would tempt the Lord my God I may not cast my selfe downe and thereby seeke for extraordinarie preseruaiton as thou perswadest me Thus also they sinne that goe into places of great danger without a calling so Peter sinned in thrusting himselfe into Caiphas hal a place of temptation as by lamentable experience he found too true Thus Dauids three Worthies sinned in aduenturing vpon their enemies host for the fetching of a little water out of the well of Bethlehem therfore when it was brought vnto him Dauid would not drinke thereof but powred it out for a sacrifice vnto the Lord 2. Sam. 23. 16. Heere some may aske whether they do not tempt God that aduenture to clime on high places to stand on spire steeples to runne on the ridge of high houses and to goe on ropes a great height from the ground Answ. Men may doe such things in a twofold estate either hauing a lawfull calling thereto as Carpenters and Masons who are to worke vpon high buildings now they without tempting of God may clime and stand on high and dangerous places or else hauing no lawfull calling thereto as they who vse to doe such things to make knowen their actiuity or only to affoord delight and admiration vnto others for their priuate gaine and aduantage and such tempt God fearefully for Christ was better able to haue cast himselfe downe from this pinnacle and haue preserued himselfe without hurt then these men are to saue themselues in their aduentures and yet hee refused so to do because hee would not tempt the Lord his God Thus much for the meaning of this commandement The doctrine for instruction hence is to be gathered from this command applied to the text which the Diuell alledgeth and it is this whosoeuer looketh for the accomplishment of Gods promises vnto him must be carefull to walke before God in the waies of his commandements and in the workes of his calling with all good conscience God indeed hath made many gratious promises in his word of blessings temporall and eternall but they that tempt God shall not find the comfort of them mens sinnes hinder these things from them Gods goodnesse is to bee seene and tasted in the waies of faith and obedience God hath promised the guard of his Angels to his children while they keep themselues in their waies if therefore thou wouldest haue this protection thou must keep thy selfe in those waies that God would haue thee to walke in Also in theri hesse of his loue God hath made a promise of euerlasting life with freedome from eternall perdition to those that beleeue in Christ Iohn 3. 16. Thou therefore that wouldest enioy the comfort of this promise to thine immortality and life must get true faith into thy heart and thereby liue all the daies of thy life The same may bee said of euery promise of God pertaining either to soule or body the fruition of them doth depend vpon the practise of some part of obedience which if thou doest neglect thou doest but presume in making title to the promise Peter tels Symon Magus plainely he had no part with them in the gifts of the spirit while his heart retained a purpose to liue in sinne Act. 8. 21. Breake off therefore the course of sinne and inure thy selfe to the practise of obedience so shall Gods promises be sweet vnto thine heart and the more thou proceedest in obedience the more comfort thou shalt find in Gods gratious promises but if thou doe lay hold on sinne the comfort of the word will depart from thee And thus much for the second temptation VERSE 8. Againe the Diuell tooke him vp into an exceeding high mountaine and shewed him all the kingdomes of the world and the