The Combat Between Christ and the Devil Displayed, Dedication 2 – Table of contents
TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE Sir WILLIAM RVSSELL, Lord Russell, Baron of Thornhaugh, yoonger sonne to that most Christian and Honourable Earle, FRAVNCIS Earle of Bedford; with the vertuous Lady his wife, Grace and Peace.
RIGHT Honorable,Mat. 3. as Iohn the Baptist was in one desert, so our Sauiour Christ he was in an other:Mat. 4. 1. 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 wilde 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 wee diligence in our callings: from Christ tempted in the desert, see we troubles at our calling:aPsa. 34. 19. Many are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord deliuereth them out of all.
If it please you to giuegive 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, thatbMat. 4. 3. Christ might despaire;cMat. 4. 6. answering, that he might presume; anddMat. 4. 11. flying, when he could not ouercome.
In Christs temptations, we see the estate of thee1. Pe. 2. 21. Church; in Satans assault, we see his malice to thef1. Pet. 5. 8. Church, Is Christ tempted? think it not strange if we fall intogIoh. 15. 20 temptations. For the griefe of the head, is the griefe of theh1. Cor. 12. 26. members: and the temptations of Christ, shew the temptations ofiIoh. 15. 20. Christians. It is true of Christ, thatkAct. 14. 21 by many tribulations he did enter into the kingdome of God: thatlHeb. 2. 10 our High Priest was consecrated by afflictions, that so he must suffer and enter into hismLuk. 24. 26 glory.
He is no sooner borne into the world, but he isaMat. 2. 14. hunted by Herod; baptized at Iordan,bMat. 3. 16. 4. 1. but Satan sets on him; a Preacher for repentance, but thecIoh. 7. 1. Scribes proscribe him; todLuk. 11. 15. worke miracles, but the Pharises slander him. He is no sooner to suffer, buteIoh. 12. 27. the Diuell assaults him; apprehended, but thefIoh. 18. 28 Iewes deliuer him; deliuered, butgLuk. 23. 11. Herod derides him; derided, but hLuk. 23. 24.Pilat condemnes him; condemned, but the souldiersiMat. 27. 27. abuse him. Is he on the crosse? the kMat. 27. 39.people will not pity him: is he risen? the high Priests willlMat. 28. 15. belie him. In a word, is he vponupon earth? he is tempted in hismLuk. 11. 16. person; is he in heauen? he isnAct. 9. 4. tempted in his members. Thus the life of Christ was a warfare vponupon earth, and the life of Christians must be a warfare vponupon 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 louelove, 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 vponupon 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 AbrahamaGen 22. 1. in the offering of his son: Satan bIob. 1. 18.tempted Iob in the losse of his goods: ac1. Kng. 10. 1. Queene tempted Salomon in trying his wisedome: men dEx. 17. 3.tempted God by distrust in the desert: the world tempted Domas,e1. Tim. 4. 10. when he forsooke the Apostles: and the flesh tempted Dauid,f2. Sa. 11. 4. when he fell by adultery. Doth God tempt vsus? take heed of hypocrisie: doth Satan tempt vsus? 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 slaineg1. Sa. 18. 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 isaGen. 21. 9. a reuiling tongue: or the sword of Esau, abGen. 27. 41. persecuting hand. Neither was there yet euer Christian man found, who had not his part in the cup of affliction. We must drinke of thecMat. 20. 23. same cup our master did:dMat. 10. 24. the disciple is not aboue his master.
The reasons why God doth visit vsus thus with afflictions, are: 1. To humble vsus. 2. To weane vsus. 3. To winnow vsus. 4. To preuent vsus. 5.Reasons why God doth afflict his children. To teach vsus. 6. To enlighten vsus. 7. To honour vsus. 8. To cure vsus. 9. To crowne vsus. 10. To comfort vsus. 11. To protect vsus. 12. To adopt vsus. And last of all, to teach and comfort others. ToeEc. 3. 10. humble vsus, that we be not proud:fPsal. 119. 67. to weane vsus, that we louelove not his world:gLuk. 22. 31. to winnow vsus, that we be not chaffe:hPsal. 119. 71. to preuent vsus, that we do not sinne:iPsal. 39 9 40. 1. to teach vsus, that we be patient in aduersity: tokGe. 42. 21. enlighten vsus, that we see our errors: to lLam. 5. 11.honor vsus, that our faith may be manifest: to cure vsus, that wemDeu. 32. 15. surfet not of securitie: to n2. Tim. 4. 7.crowne vsus, that we may liue eternally: tooIoh. 6. 33. comfort vsus, that he may send his spirit: topAct. 12. 7. protect vsus, that he may guide vsus by his Angels: toaHe. 12. 7. adopt vsus, that we may be his sonnes:b2. Pet. 2. 5. and to teach others, that they seeing how sin is punished in vsus, they may take heed it be not found in them: that theyc2. Cor. 1. 6. 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, asdRuth. 2. 8. 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 calledeRuth. 1. 20. Mara. WefIoh. 1. 5. see the sea, not the whale: thegExod. 14. 11. Egyptian, not the saluation: thehDan. 6. 16. 22. Lious mouth, not him that stoppeth the Lions mouth. If we could see God in our troubles, asi2. King. 6. 16. Elisha did in his, then would we say: There are more with vsus, then there are against vsus. But because we doe not, therefore at eueryevery assault of the Assyrians, we say, as the seruant tok2 King. 6. 15. Elishah did: Alas master, what shall we doe? and with the disciples: Carest thou not Master that we perish? Yet it is good for vsus to suffer affliction:mIam. 1. 12. Ioh. 5. 17. 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 louelove him. It isaPro. 3. 11. commanded by God,bMat. 4. 2. practised by Christ,c2. Tim. 3. 12. yeelded to by the Saints,dPsal. 119. 71. assigned by Gods prouidence, and good for vsus ech way. We are GodsePs. l. 1. 4. 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 vsus suffer afflictions, they aref2. Cor. 4. 17. momentany in respect of time:gPhil. 1. 29. fauors, if we respect Gods louelove, and a meanes to bring vsus to the kingdome of God. If they did consume vsus, we might wish them an end: but they doe purge vsus, let vsus be content. They hAct. 14. 21.are Gods fan, we are Gods wheat: they are Gods boulter, we are Gods meale: they are Gods iPet. 1. 5.flame, we are Gods bush: they are GodskGe. 22. 9. 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 vsus then beare them, theylPsal. 37. 37. will hauehave an end: ioymPs. 126. 5. will follow: theynIsa. 38. 10. shew vsus our weekenesse: theyoHos. 5. 15. moue vsus to pray: theypLuke. 24. 26. shew we are in the path way to heauen: andqEcc. 1. 2. make vsus contemne this present world. By them wea2. Sam. 24. 17. learne to repent vsus of sinne past,bGe. 39. 9. to take heed of sinne present, and to foresee sinne to come. By them wecAct. 2. 2. receiue Gods spirit:dPhi. 3. 10. are like to Christ: are acquainted eDa. 3. 17.with Godspower: hauehavefExod. 15. 1. ioy in deliuerance: know benefit of prosterity: made more hardy to suffer: andg1. Pet. 1. hauehave cause to practise many excellent vertues. They cause vsus (as one saith) to seeke out Gods promise: the promise to seeke faith: faith to seeke praier: and praier to finde God.hMat. 7. 7. Seeke, and yee shall finde:iIob. 21. 27. call, and he will answer:kHab. 2. 3. waite, and he will come. I am to write an Epistle, I must not be long. IobslIob. 2. messengers came not so fast on him: but Iobs afflictions may come as fast vponupon vsus. Hath Dauid slainm1. Sam. 17. 37. a Beare? he shall encounter with a Lion: hath he killed a Lion?n1. Sa. 18. 27. he must fight with Goliah: hath he subdued Goliah? he must make a rode vponupon the Philistims: are the Philistims conquered?o1. Sa. 21. 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 vsus out of all. He that deliueredpGen. 7. Noah from the floud,qGen. 19. Lot from Sodome,rGen. 33. Iacob from Esau,sGen. 41. 14. Ioseph from Potiphar,aExod. 9. Moses from Pharaoh,bExod. 12. Israel from Egypt,c1. Sa. 19. Dauid from Saul,d1. King. 21 Eliah from Achab, e2. King. 6.Elisha from the Syrians,f2. King. 5. Naaman from his leprosie,gIsa. 38. Hezechiah from the plague, hDan. 3.the three children from the fire,iDan. 6. Saint Andrewes in Norwich. Daniel from the Lions,kMat. 6. Ioseph from Herod, the Apostles lAct. 5.from the Iewes,mMat. 4. and Christ from the Diuell: he, euen he will either deliuer vsus from trouble, or comfort vsus in trouble, or mitigate troubles when they come vponupon vsus.
He,nRo. 4. 21. 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 nooIoh. 5. 9. meanes be cured a creeple at Bethesda: bypIoh. 6. 12. small meanes he fed fiue thousand in the desert: byqMat. 4. 7. ordinary meanes he was brought from the pinnacle:tMat. 4. 11. by meanes extraordinary he was prouided for in hunger: and contrarie to all meanes were theDan. 5. three children preserued in the fornace of fire.
I hauehave 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 hauehave continued, if malice had not hindred me, I hauehave 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,a2. Tim. 1. 18. he will deliuer me, if that he see it be best for me.
Let man thereforeb1. Sam. 309. comfort himselfe in the Lord:cHos. 6. 2. after two daies he will reuiue vsus, and the third day he will raise vsus vp againe:dPsal. 30. 5. Heauiensse may endure for a night, but ioy will come in the morning.ePsal. 58. 11. Doubtlesse there is a reward for the righteous: verily,fM…ca. 7. 8. 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 thegAct. 28. 3. viper leaped on Paules hand, and forthwith leaped off againe, so one trouble shall leape vponupon the righteous, and anon leap off againe:hPs. 37. 24. though he fall, he shall rise againe, the righteous shall not be forsaken for euer.
if he hath deliuered vsus from the guilt of our sinnes, he will deliuer vsus from the punishment of our sinnes. Let vsus then therefore be patient in trouble, constant in hope, rooted in louelove: let vsus waite and he will come, call and he will heare, beleeue and he will performe, repent vsus of our euill committed against him, and he will repent of his euils intended against vsus. He is ouer vsus by his prouidence, about vsus by his Angels, in vsus by his spirit, with vsus by his word, vnderunder vsus by his power, and vponupon vsus by his Sonne. In him is our helpe, from him is our comfort, by him is our victory, and for him is our trouble.aPsal. 25. In thee hauehave I trusted, saith a king:bIob. 5. who euer was confounded that trusted in the Lord▪ said a friend? and as Elkanah was toc1. Sam. 1. 8. 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:dIob. 16. 2. Silly comforters are you all. They will leaue vsus, as mice doe a ruinous house▪ but the Lord (likeeRuth. 1. 16. Ruthe to Naomi) will neuer leaue vsus, nor forsake vsus, Especially in the houre of death,fEcc. 41. 1. which is in remembrance bitter to great men: in that houre of death he will be with vsus, and command hisgLuk. 16. 26. Angels to take charge of our soules, thehIsa. 37. 2. earth to be as a bed for our bodies: that so the oneiLuk. 23. may goe into glory, the other reserued in hope of like glorie,kPhil. 3. 20. and be made one day like vntounto the glorious body of Christ Iesus. Thus, right Honorable, you hauehave seene the righteous in affliction; aslP…l. 137. Israel was in Babylon: and that the Lord likemZac. 4. 6. Zorobabel is ready to deliuer them. Though in troubles Christs seemes as in thenMat. 8. 24. 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 beforeaIud. 17. 4. Debora, and theb1. Sam. 14. 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.cIoh. 8. 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 vponupon troubles, asdExo. 14. Israel did on the Egyptians, as thee1. Sam. 17. 52. Iewes did on Goliah, and as the Grecians did on Hector, to triumph ouer them: and as the Angell said to Ioseph.fMat. 2. 20. 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 thengGen. 41. Ioseph shall be out of prison,hGen. 31. Iacob out of seruitude, and iIob. 41. 12.Iob shall lie no more in the dust of the earth:k1 Thes. 4. 18. Let vsus comfort our selues with these words.
I hauehave 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 onelyonly to present their owne labours, but also other mens to great personages, especially such Workes wherein they hauehave 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 vntounto my hand, I hauehave conferred it with another, I hauehave persued it at the Presse, I heard diuers of the Sermons, I hauehave added nothing of mine owne: and I desire, that of thoseaIoh…. 22. 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 vntounto 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.The Golden chaine. And now I am bold to present this his posthume to your patronage.The Earle of Bedford. Your honorable Nephew, his vertuous Lady, your worthy sister, hauehave heeretofore accepted the labours of this man. If it shall please your good Honor to do the like,The Countesse of Bedford. 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,The Countesse of Cumberland. 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,Pro. 10. 7. 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 vntounto 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 vsus to both: for
1. Pet. 5. 9.
Whom resist stedfast in the faith.
Heb. 10. 22.
Let vsus draw neere with a true heart in assurance of faith.