Commentary on Matthew 4:1-11, Sermon 7
CHRISTS Second Temptation to PRESUMPTION. SERMON VII.
MATTH. 4.6.
For it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
COme we now to the Bait under which the Hook was hid, God's Word.
We will consider it,
1. As indicted by the best;
2. As abused by the worst of spirits. Or, As written by David, as wrested by the Devil.
Of the first:
We finde the words, Psal. 91.11, 12. Wherein three things are considerable.
1. God's Injunction.
2. Angels Attendance.
3. Man's Protection.
First, God's Injunction, Shall give his angels charge. This solemn charge proceeded not from the least distrust God hath of Angels performance, but from the great desire he hath of mans protection. A word being enough to the Wise.
Secondly, Angels Attendance; Thou shalt not dash thy foot against a stone. An expression which alludeth to what befel Balaam, when a (not protecting, but prosecuting) Angel, so withstood him, (Num. 22.25.) that his ass crush'd his foot against the wall. The foot (we know) is not onelyonly the extremest, but meanest part of the body; and shews the extensiveness of Angelical protection. If the foot be kept, surely the head shall not be hurt; but Christ shall be preserved cap-a-pe, with an universal safety.
Thirdly, Man's Protection. I say, Man's Protection. The words being spoken principally of Christ as a person, and secondarily of him and his, as they make up one mystical Body, whereof Christ is the Head. In which sense, it will fall to the share of the meanest sincere Christian, to come within the compass of this Angelical protection: conceive him but the last joynt of the least toe of Christ's foot, yet is he a lively member thereof, and by the promise in the Text to be secured.
Angels are very handy to preserve Gods servants from danger.Doct. 1.
Psal. 34.7. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. Matth. 18.10. In heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. Their Angels, that is, deputed to their protection. Thus such Pages, and servants, which wait on the young children of great persons, are commonly called the childrens men, and the childrens maids, though their parents hired them, and pay them meat, drink, and wages. Angels are God's angels, as he employeth them; our angels, as employed about us.
Object.How then comes it to pass, that many of Gods servants have such mischances, even in their feet? Mephibosheth, a childe of five yeers old, (therefore the more innocent) son to a good father, and afterward a good man himself, 2 Sam. 4.4. was lame of his feet, by a fall from the arms of his fleeing nurse. Reverend Doctor Willet, with a fall from his horse, Anno 1621, returning from London to his house, so bruised his foot, that it hastened his death. Are the Angels of good men absent, or impotent, or sullen, or sleeping, when such mischances betide them?
Answ.No mischances can befal the godly. Not chances, because all things are ordered by divine Providence not mischances, because all things work for the good of Gods children. Know then, that all promises of temporal preservation run with this tacite reservation in Gods bosome (always provided that He in his infinite wisdom conceiveth not the contrary more conducing to his own glory, for reasons best known to himself.) For this cause sometimes God countermands Angelical protection, and ordereth that those heavenly spirits should in some cases suspend their attendance on men.
What shall we return to the Angels,Quest. in recompence of their attendance about us, seeing omne beneficium requirit officium; All favours received, require some duty returned? Let not God's servants be ever found unthankful.
No worshipping of them,Answ. which they themselves disavow, Rev. 22.9. See thou do it not. No praying to them; whereof no promise, precept, nor precedent in Scripture. But first, make honourable mention of them; give them their titles. It is uncivil to speak of Gentlemen, Knights, Lords, Dukes, Kings, without the additions of Worship, Honour, Grace, Majestie. So, name Angels with their due Epithets; Good angels, (contrary to evil angels, Psal 78.49.) Excelling angels, Psal. 103.20. Holy angels, Matth. 25.31. Angels of light, 2 Cor. 11.14. Elect angels, 1 Tim. 5.21. Such honour have all his Angels.
Secondly, Learn Humility by them. No better thanks can be given the Angels, then if thou beest made the better by them. Much was the condescension of Maximilian the Germane Emperour, when at the Siege of a City he served in daily pay under our King Henry the eighth. Hence that in the Grammar, Meruit sub rege in Gallia, understand Belgica. But the distance is not so great between an Emperour and a King, as between Angels and Men: yet they, without any regret, attend on the servants of God.
Lastly, Be thankful to God for them. David knew as well as we, what service the Angels performed for us; yet it never troubled him, what he should do in requital thereof, whose thoughts were taken up to deserve an higher engagement, Psal. 116.12. What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me? I will take the cup of salvation. Amongst which benefits, Angels protection was a principal. Serve God, and thou shalt satisfie the Angels for all their attendance about thee.
Come we now to behold the words as abused by Satan.
Here some will tax the devil for mis-citing the text, because, whereas David said, Lest thou dash thy foot; Satan inserts, Lest [at any time] thou dash. But, though Satan accuseth us, we will not accuse him without cause. An Indefinite is equivalent to an Universal. At any time, though not literally expressed, is vertually implyed in the words. His grand fault in mis-alleadging the words, is this, That as Hanun (2 Sam. 10.4.) cut off the beards and cloathes of David's Ambassadours in the middle; so Satan cites this Scripture by halfs. I confess, not for number of words, but for the sense thereof, he leaves out a moytie of the text, the most effectual and operative words therein, which were not onelyonly of the Commission at large, but the Quorum, viz. in all thy ways. God promising his protect…on on no other terms, but whilst men confine themselves to their Vocation.
Doct. 2.Satan is an excellent Textuary, and most knowing in Scripture.
He knoweth every Book, Chapter, Verse, Word, Syllable, Letter, in the Old and New Testament, even in the Original Languages wherein they were written. He needeth no Concordance alphabetically to finde out places, who hath them all ad unguem. But it is observable, that in all the Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, Satan knoweth not one text which tendereth comfort unto him. Many are unto him doleful messengers of despair; as that, Heb. 2.16. He took not on him the nature of angels. That, Iude vers. 6. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the judgement of the great day. Many texts present him with sadness, partly from his incapability of salvation, for want of a Saviour; partly from his impossibility to repent, because of his implacable and invincible malice. How far more happie is the poorest soul, who, though not book-learn'd, hath onelyonly a magazine of some select places, and promises in Scripture (gotten not onelyonly by heart, but in his heart) whence he may apply consolation to his soul! Satan may be cunning in Scripture, but the Scripture cannot be comfortable to him.
It is not enough to hear Scripture alleadg'd, Doct. 3.in point of faith or fact; but, with the Bereans, we must examine whether the things be so.
Five things herein must be enquired after.
1. Is the thing alleadg'd, in Scripture, or no? It is strange, that many things, by vulgar errour, and common credulity, pass for currant to be in Scripture, when no such matter is to be found therein. Many things are taken up by content, without either weighing or telling them. Ye have heard it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy, Matth. 5.45. But, where is it said, Thou shalt hate thine enemy? Surely nowhere in Gods Word, though some silly Jews might ignorantly suppose it there.
2. If it be in Scripture, Is it just so as they cite it? Is it not alleadged defectively, with Adoni-bezek, cutting off a thumb, or a toe? or redundantly, with the Gyants of Gath, 1 Chron. 20.6. with a finger or a toe too much? Is it exactly and adequately, as by them quoted?
3. If just so, Is it truely printed? This is quickly discovered, by comparing one Bible with another of a different impression. Here (be it spoken to the shame of careless Correctors) it may be said, It is printed, where it could never be said, It was written; dangerours errata's unrecall'd, unconfess'd, having crept into many Editions.
4. If just so, and rightly printed, Is it truely translated? I speak this in opposition onelyonly to the Rhemish Testament, so full fraught of affected falshoods in favour of Popery; and in honour of our last Translation under King Iames, performed (by the confession of forraigners unconcerned therein) usque ad orbis invidiam.
Lastly, Whether that Scripture, if there, so there, truely printed, rightly translated, be not unproperly applied? The Papists have a good stroke herein (especially in the point of the Pope's Primacie, wherein the Scripture of it self is silent.) As these words were abused by the devil; so the next in the same Psalm, (Psal. 91.31. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder, the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet) were blasphemously profaned by Pope Alexander, when he trod on the neck of Frederick the Emperour. The precept to Peter in a vision, Acts 10.13. Rise, kill and eat, was produced by the Pope, to warrant his war against the Venetians; though the same words obliged him to eat their corpses, as well as to slay them. But, devil-like, he could leave out what was against him, and make use of the rest. Those words of the same Apostle, Behold, here are two swords, Luke 22.38 are abused to prove the Pope's double power, Temporal, and Spiritual.
Moe instances might be added, but are better forborn. For, though alleadged by us, not with the least approbation, but reprehension, and detestation of such blasphemies; yet they can hardly be told, or heard, without leaving in our hearts some diminution of the Majestie of God's Word (the dignity whereof all ought to maintain) and therefore it is ill trusting of our corruptions with the bare reporting of such Scriptures abused, for fear of the bad effects our badness may make thereof.
Lastly, Hence we observe, Gods protection cannot rationally be expected of them, who wilfully run out of their Vocation. Out of thy Calling, out of God's keeping.
What is thy profession? A Carpenter? An honest Calling: Christ's reputed father was of the same. Fell timber, frame fabricks, build houses, thou art in thy ways; God and his angels will keep thee.
What is thy Calling? A Weaver? A necessary Calling, without which we could neither be warm, nor clean. Cast thy Shuttle truely, (the swiftness whereof is the lively embleme of the shortness of mans life, Ioh 7.6) labour faithfully, God and his Angels will keep thee; thou art in thy ways.
Art thou a Souldier? Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsly, and be content with your wages. March, Charge, Retreat, do Duty according to Command, God shall cover thy head in the day of battel: for, thou art in thy ways.
But, if thou invad'st the Ministerial Office, presuming to preach, who never was sent; look to thy self; thou canst not, without usurpation, pretend to God's keeping: for thou art out of all thy ways. Nor do I fear the frowns of any, if offended hereat, and reproving me for giving this just reproof. I am sure I am in my Calling, in my ways; and therefore, with comfort and confidence, may rely on God and his Angels protection.
To conclude, though the Angels may be instrumental to keep our feet from dashing against a material stone, that is, to keep us from temporal danger; yet there is a stone that passeth their power to preserve men from being hurt thereby; viz. the stone mentioned by Matthew, Chap. 21.44. Whosoever shall fall on this stone, shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grinde him to powder.
Let our prayers be to the God of these Angels, That he (who onelyonly can) would keep us from stumbling at that which should stay us, and from taking dangerous offence at our Saviour, the onelyonly preserver of our souls.
Amen.