54 Obf. 8. Applic rentes. Wilderness affords nothing to eat, and God hath not taken care to spread a Table for thee, I therefore pittying thy Condition, as a Friend, advise thee to turn Stones to Bread. Note, That Satan manageth his most cruel defigns, under the highest pretences of Friendship. He did fo with Eve, The Lord knoweth that ye fhall be as Gods; as if he had a greater regard to them, than God himfelf. He tempted Chrift in the Mouth of Peter to spare himself, under the fhew of great kindness; and no lefs are his common pretences to all Men. This is a deep Policy, for by this means the mischief intended is the better concealed, and the less care and provifion made againft it; and befides,the Affections and defires are ftirred up to an hafty imbracement of the Motion, and an eager fwallowing of the Bait. So great a Subtilty is in this manner of dealing, that thofe who affect the name of great Politicians in the World, have learned from Satan to fhew greatest respects, and a moft friendly countenance to those whom they most hate, and intend to ruine. Thus our Richard the Third of England conftantly dealt with thofe for whose Blood he lay in wait: and the precepts of Machiavil are fitted to this, that tis Wisdom to hug those whom we defire to destroy. Ehud's Prefent made way for his Dagger. Joab's Sword could not fo well have dispatched its errand upon Abner, if he had not ushered it in with a Kifs. This should make us moft fufpect thofe Temptations that offer us molt kindneß and advantage, and fuch as are moft gratifying to our Humours and Defires. For can it be imagined in good earnest that Satan intends us a real good? Can the Gifts of Enemies pafs Timeo Dana- for Courtefies and Favours with any, but fuch as are bewitched os & dona fe- into a blockish madnefs? Satan is more to be feared when he flatters, than when he rageth; and though fuch offers may be looked upon by fome as more benign, and lefs odious Temptations, (as fome kind of Familiar Spirits are more kindly treated by fome, under the notion of white Devils) yet may we fay of them as Cormelius Agrippa fpeaks of fome unlawful Arts and ways of Thurgia, eò funt pernitiofiora, quo imperitis diviniora; They have the greateft danger that pretend the higheft Friendship. Thus much for the Rife of the Temptation. СНАР. CHAP. IX. A particular confideration of the matter of the firft Temptation, what Satan aimed at, in bidding him turn Stones into Bread. Of Satans moving us to things good or lawfull. The end of fuch a Motion. How to know whether Such Motions are from Satan or the Spirit. What to do in cafe they be from Satan. Of his various aims in one Temptation. What they are, and of his Policy therein. Of his Artificial contrivement of Motions to make one thing infer another. NE Ext follows the Temptation it felf. Command that these Stones be made Bread. There is no great difficulty in the words. The Greek, indeed hath a remarkable suitableness to the Suppofition, on which Satan infifts, taking Chrift to be the Sen of God, 'tis very pertinently fpoken, Say or Speak that thefe Stones be made Bread; for if God fpeak, it must be done. Spanhem, dub. Tis not worth the while to infift upon fo fmall a variety of expreffion, as is betwixt this Evangelift, who hath it [thefe Stones,] and Luke, who fpeaks it in the fingular Number [this Stone:] for befides that (as fome fuppofe) this Expreffion of Luke, might (for any thing that appears to the contrary) be Satans lowering his Evan. in loc. request to one Stone, when Chrift had denyed to turn many into Bread, upon his first asking) this one Stone in Luke, taken collectively for the whole heap, will fignify as much as thefe Stones in Matthew, or the phrafe (thefe Stones) in Matthew (by an imitation of a common Hebraifme) may be no more but one of these Stones, or this Stone, as it is in Luke; as 'tis faid, Jepthah was bu ried in the Cities of Gilead, that is,in one of the Cities. The thing urged, was the turning or changing the form of a Creature, which is a work truely miraculous and wonderful, and fuch as had neither bee unfuited to the power of Chrift, nor unlawful in it felf. 'Tis from hence juftly queftioned, where the fting Lightfoot of Obf. 9. Mat. 8. 29. of this fuggeftion lay,or in what point was the temptation couched. First, It was not in the unlawfulness or finfulness of the thing mentioned. For Chrift did as much as would amount to all this, when he turned Water into Wine, and when he fed Multitudes by a miráculous multiplication of a few Loaves and Fishes. Secondly, It was not unfuitable to his condition, as hungry; for fo it feeemed a Duty to provide for himself, and which Satan took for granted. Thirdly, Neither feemed it any derogation to his Power and Divine Nature, but rather an advantage and fit opportunity to give a full proof of it, to the ftopping of Satans Mouth for ever. Notwithstanding thefe, there was Poyfon and Malignity enough in the fuggeftion, and under these Green Leaves of plausible pretences,lay hid many Snakes. For (1.) By this was he fecretly tempted to admit of a doubting of the truth of the divine Teftimony, lately declaring him to be the Son of God. (2.) As alfo further to que ftion his Fathers Providence and Love; (3.) and unneceffarily to run out of the ordinary way of fupply, and to betake himself to indirect means or extraordinary courfes. (4.) And all this to the abuse and undervaluing of his power, in proftituting it to Satans direction or perfwafion; and the Devil had gained a confiderable advantage, if he could have prevailed with him to do fuch a thing by his inftigation. (5.) It may be, he further thought this might entice to an high esteem of himself, and fo make way for a vain oftentation of his power, and Intereft in God. All or most of these feem to be the defign that the Devil was driving forward. Several things are hence obfervable. That where Satan doth not judge it his present Intereft, to suggest to us things in their own nature finful, he will move us to things good in themselves, in hopes thereby to lead us into evil. This way of tempting is from a more refined Policy, than down-right motions to Sin; and doubtlefs 'tis lefs fufpected, and confequently more taking. The Evils that Satan would introduce by this Method, are fuch as thefe: Firft, Sometime when he tempts us to that which is Good, it is, that he might affright us from it; his approbation is enough to put a difcredit, and difgraceful fufpition upon any thing. Such a defign had he, when he gave teftimony for Chrift, That he was the Son of God; or for the Apostles, that they were the Servants Servants of the most high God. It was not his intention, to ho- A&t. 16. 17. nour him or them, by bearing them witness, but to bring them. under Sufpition, and Trouble. Secondly, There are a great many ways to miscarry in a lawful Action, either by propounding bad ends, or by failures in the manner of performance, or by a mifimprovement of the whole. Thefe mifcarriages (and the poffibility, and probability of them) Satan carries in his mind; yet doth he not at first propound · them, but moving us unto the thing, he hath an expectation that we will flide into them of our felves, or be inclined by fome futable touches of fuggeftion upon our minds; together with the tendency, or improveableness of the thing or Action, to fuch evils as are properly confequent to it. Satan did not here tempt Chrift to thefe finful ends directly, but to an Action which he hoped might infenfibly produce them. Thirdly, Another Evil hereby aimed at, is the hindrance of a greater Good, not only as a diverfion to turn us off a better or more profitable occafion, but also as an unfeasonable interruption of fomething at prefent more concerning us: Thus he makes the fuggeftion of Good things, the hindrance of Prayer, or Hearing. Some will fay, This is a perplexing cafe, that in things good or Queft. lawful in themselves, Men fhould be in fuch dangers, and will thereupon defire to know, how they may diftinguish Satans Contrivances and Motions, from thofe that have no dependance upon him, or are from the Spirit of God? ITH CHO In anfwer to this. (1.) Let us (when we fear thus to be Answi circumvented) look well to what Impreffions are upon our Spirit, when we are moved to what may be lawful. For together with the motion (if it be Satans) we shall find either a corrupt rezfon and end privatly rifing up in our Mind; or we may obferve that our hearts are out of order, and perverfly inclined; this is oft unfeen to our felves. When the Disciples moved Chrift to bring down fire from Heaven,if they had confidered the prefent revengful selfish frame of their Spirits, (which our Lord tells them, they were ignorant of) they might easily have known that the motion had proceeded from Satan. Secondly, The concurrent Circumftances of the thing or Action, are to be seriously weighed; for from thence we may take a right measure of the conveniency or inconveniency of the proceeding in it. What is from Satan, it will be either unfeasonable as to H the Applic Quest Answ. the Time, Place, and Perfon, or fome other thing will appear that may give a difcovery. As here Chrift refufeth to turn Stones to Bread, because not only the way and manner of the Propofal doth fufficiently lay open the Defign, but alfo the Circumstances of Chrift's condition at that time, fhewed the motion to be unfeasonable and inconvenient for if Satan had urged the necessity of it for the fatisfaction of his hunger; Chrift could have answered, that the experience that he had of Gods fupport for forty days together, was fufficient to engage him to rely yet further upon him. . If he had urged farther, that by this means he might have had a full proof of Gods love and care, or of his Sonship: It was at hand to tell him, that it was needless to seek a further evidence, when God had given one fo full a little before: If again he had pleaded it to have been an useful occafion to give a teftimony of his Power to the fatisfaction of others: He could have told him, that it had been impertinent to have done it then, when he was in the Wilderness, where none could have the benefit of it: So that nothing Satan could have propounded as a reafon for that Miracle, but it might have been repelled from a confideration of his prefent condition. The Inftruction that may be gathered from this, is, That we must not entertain thoughts of doing lawful things, without a due enquiry into the temper of our own Hearts, and a full confideration of all Circumstances round about, with the probable tendencies, and confequences of it. But (may fome fay) If I judge fuch a motion to be a thing lawful, which doth proceed from Satan, What am I to do? Ianfwer. (1.) Confider whether the Good be neceffary or not if it be neceffary, 'tis a duty and not to be forborn, only the abuses are to be watched against, and avoided. Secondly, If it be a duty, Confider whether it be feasonable or unfeafonable, neceffary or not, as to the prefent time; if it be not, it may be fufpended, and a fitter opportunity waited for. Thirdly, If it be only lawful, and not neceffary, we ought to abstain from it wholly, after the example of David, Pfal. 39. 2. who abftained even from Good, (that is, from lawful bemoanings of himself, or complainings against Abfalom, that had rebelled against him) because it was not neceffary, and (the circumftances. of his condition confidered) very dangerous, left vent and way being given,he might have been eafily drawn to speak paffionately, or distrustfully against God, and foolishly against Providences. That |