Commentary on Matthew 4:1-11, Sermon 8
CHRIST'S Second Temptation to PRESUMPTION. SERMON VIII.
MATTH. 4.7.
Iesus saith unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
I Am no superstitious observer, or ceremonious affecter of mystical numbers: But I say, Seven remarkable observations discover themselves in the Text. More may, fewer cannot be raised, without leaving, and losing, what is natural, from the words; and necessary, for our selves.
Now, whereas the devil in the very last verse, had ill cited, and worse ap…lied Gods Word, and yet our Saviour still continueth to alleadge Scripture in his own behalf, we learn,
Doct. 1.We must not leave off using of Scripture, because of others abusing it.
What if some wolves come in sheeps clothing, must the sheep therefore flea off their fleeces, and strip themselves out of the Livery of their innocence? What if thieves make their swords the instruments of Robbery, must honest men ride on the high ways without any weapons?
What if the Indians (as much as lay in their power) darkned the sun with their Idolatry; shall we therefore refuse to be guided by the light thereof? O let it not put us out of conceit with S. Paul's Epistles (yea, and generally with the whole Scripture) because some unlearned and unstable (2 Pet. 3.16.) have wrested them to their own destruction. Some meats (fenced with shells) may be eaten after the most sluttish Cooks; and that place, Psal. 91. lately ill served up by Satan, (with many more, daily ill dressed and dished by the unclean hands of profane persons) may notwithstanding, without any danger, yea with great comfort, be tasted, swallowed, and digested, by the holy and hungry servants of God.
The place cited by our Saviour, (as generally, part of the Canonical Scripture; so particularly) is parcel of the Law in Deuteronomie; commending unto us this:
Christ, Doct. 2.and all Christians, ought to order their actions by the direction of the Law.
Indeed we read, Gal. 5.18. If ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not UNDER the Law. Understand it, not under the curse, malediction, and condemnation thereof. Rom. 8.1. There is therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Iesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Christ, by his death, (as he did fulfil, so he) did destroy the Law thus far forth, that it cannot binde over any Believer to damnation. Yet all are under the guidance, government, and direction of the Law; yea, Christians ought especially to apply all legal threatnings to their flesh, old creature, and unsanctified half, thereby the more effectually to subdue and mortifie the lust thereof.
The woman of Samaria, Joh. 4.12. said tartly and tauntingly to our Saviour, Art thou greater then our father Iacob, who gave us this well, and drank thereof himself? But, may we not say seriously and sadly to the modern proud and peevish Antinomians, Are ye greater then Christ himself, who [as God] gave us the Law, and [as man] drank himself thereof; and because made under the Law, Gal. 4.4. made the Law the the Square, whereby he regulated his actions? alleadging the same to deter himself here from Presumption: It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Now whereas Moses, Deut. 6.16. hath it in the plural, Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God; and our Saviour assesseth it in the singular, Thou shalt not tempt, &c. we learn,
General precepts, Doct. 3.promises, and threatnings in Scripture, must be particularized to every person;
In Precepts.
Psal. 27.8. When thou sayst, Seek YE my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face Lord will I seek.
Proportionably whereunto, In Promises.
Matth. 11.29. And ye shall finde rest for YOUR souls. Our heart should say▪ And I shall finde rest for MY soul.
In Threatnings.
Rom. 8.13. If YE live after the flesh, ye shall die. Our heart should say, If I live after the fresh, I shall die.
This serveth to discover the vanity of the Popish cavil,Use. That single persons have no particular promise to bottom their faith upon.
It is confess'd: nor is it necessary, seeing Gods promises run all in general terms: Ho everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, Isai. 55 1. Whosoever believeth on him, shall not perish, Joh. 3.10. Well then may a man, by a lively faith, inclose these common promises to himself, and bring his bucket to that fountain, which is opened for Iudah and Ierusalem.
Now (that my sword may cut on both sides) as causlesly doth T. C. carp at the practice of our English Church, for saying to every particular Communicant, Take, and eat, when Christ said it but once to all his disciples. As if we may not as warrantably pronounce the words to every single Receiver, as our Saviour, in my Text, changed Ye into Thou; a general, into a personal precept to his own soul.
Now whereas Christ countermined Satan, with alleadging Gods Word, I observe,
Doct. 4.Though Scripture cannot be brought against Scripture, to cross it; it may and must be brought unto Scripture, to clear it.
I say, cannot be brought. For God is the God, 1. of Unity, and therefore will not indite Discord and Con…tradiction: 2. of Verity; and therefore will not affirm a falshood: and such must one of the Propositions be of necessity, in all real and direct Contradictions.
I confess, some seeming contradictions (not casually scattered, but) designedly placed, by Gods providence in his Word;
First, To what and exercise our diligence and industry.
Secondly, To raise the reputation of Scripture; seeing (through mans corruption) Intellecta ab omnibus, sunt neglecta à plurimis; What all understand, many undervalue.
Thirdly, To render the profession of the Ministery necessary, were it but to reconcile those contradictions to the capacities of their people.
For these and other Reasons, some seeming contrarieties appear in Scripture; but directly and diametrically, Gods Word cannot be brought against his Word, to cross it; though it may be brought unto it, to clear it.
Use.Compare Scripture with Scripture, and one place will receive light from, and return it to another.
Many have written excellent Comments on the 91 Psalm; both Fathers, Papists and Protestants. But give me, Moses on David: (who, though writing before him, wrote both with the same Spirit, to which there is neither Before, nor After.) How excellently is David's promise expounded by Moses's precept? That all assurance of Angelical protection must not thrust us on unnecessary dangers, for fear of temptiug the Lord.
Doct. 5.It is tempting of God, to do that per saltum, with a leap, which He will have done by degrees.
Now suppose one on the top of an high wall or hill, there are three ways for his coming down:
1. Ordinary, by the stayrs, from the wall, and from the hill, by surrounding the sides thereof, where it is least steep and precipitous.
2. Industrious. Understand ye hereby, by, a way out of the common road, unusual; but neither unlawful, nor miraculous; acquired by mens pains and brains, in case of extremity. Thus, when Saint Paul, 2. Cor. 11.33. had his life way-layed for by King Aretas, in the City of Damascus, his way from the wall, by the stayrs, was obstructed, where souldiers were set to surprize him. What then? did Paul presently vault from the wall, and cast himself desperately into the embraces of a miracle? Oh no. The brethrens brains being at a loss, beat about, and (according to the promise, *Matth. 10.19.It shall be given you in the self-same hour) discover an expedient, and let him down through a window in a basket.
3. Miraculous, when all other ways fail. Thus our Saviour, Luke 4.29. being brought to the brow of an hill, whence the Nazarites intended to cast him down headlong, passed (but which way, God knows) thorow the midst of them. Thus when the disciples were in danger of drowning in a tempest, there being a necessity of Christs coming to comfort them, and no ship at hand to waft him over unto them, he miraculously did walk on the water, Matth. 14.25. who in my text refused to flie thorow the air, though both motions we…e equally easie unto him. Chiefly, because now the way lay open for his safe and easie descending, by the stayrs of the temple.
Use.It serveth to confute the pride, impatience, and laziness of such, who will not go pede-tentim, fair and softly, in the path and pace of Gods appointing, but (offended at the pretended tediousness thereof) embrace more compendious courses of their own devising, which in fine prove farthest about, and never lead, with comfort, to their desired ends.
We meet with a Speculative Stayr-case of Gods own Architecture, (reaching from heaven to earth, and then from earth to heaven again) Moreover, whom he predestinated, them be also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified, Rom. 8.30. Now such who will leap instantly from Predestination to Glorification, without treading on the intermediate steps betwixt them, may be well assured to miss of their desired mark.
There is also a Practical Stayr-case recommended unto us, 2 Pet. 1.5. Adde to your faith vertue, and to vertue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity. Let us thus adde grace to grace, and raise our souls to heaven by those degrees which God hath appointed. The Proverb is most true in this, Haste makes waste; whereas, He that believeth maketh not haste, but leasurely and treatably goeth on in the way of salvation.
Let not us Pastors begrutch our pains to our People, in teaching them, as we finde them capable to learn. God hath designed unto us herein, certain stayrs and steps: Isai. 28.10. Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little. We must not think to do all at once; Christ in my Text would not leap down from the Temple, but go down by the Stayrs: and it is folly in us to think, to leap up in the edifying of Gods spiritual Temples, (to inform them in an instant in all fundamental matters) which requireth much time, and must be done by degrees.
The Lord.
Doct. 6.It is height of Madness, to tempt so great a Majestie as the LORD.
Abner disswaded Asahel from pursuing him, 2 Sam. 2.21. Turn thee aside to the right hand, or to the left, and lay hold on one of the young men. If you must needs be tempting, be trying conclusions, be making experiments; let men meddle with their matches, and tamper with those which are equal with themselves; but forbear chalenging one infinitely above us. 1 Cor. 10.22. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousie? What, are we stronger then he? What king (Luke 14.31.) going forth to war against another king, doth not first sit down, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand, to meet him who cometh against him with twenty thousand? I confess here is a possibility implied, that one may manage a Defensive war, with hope of success, though the enemy be two to one against him; namely, where the lesser number are better armed, disciplin'd, victuall'd, flesh'd with success, have the advantage of the time and place, not to speak of the goodness of the Cause. But will any tempt the Lord, and not first consider with himself, Can thy folly mate his Wisdom, thy Weakness his Strength? thy (I say not ten, his twenty thousand, but) cypher, his infinite millions? O tempt him not; he is the Lord.
Thy God.
It is the height of Badness, Doct. 7.to tempt so good a Majestie as Thy GOD.
Christ said unto the Pharisees, Ioh. 10.32. Many good works have I shewed you, for which of those works do you stone me? So may the God of heaven say to us sinful men, Many benefits I load you with daily, Psal. 68.19. (Whilst we, vile wretches, as it is Amos 2.13. press him with our sins, as a cart is pressed under sheaves) for which of those benefits do you thus tempt me, and constantly rebel against me? Is it because God gave thee plenty and freedom, in the penury and captivity of others, that therefore thou dost tempt him? Is it because God hath endowed thee with many natural abilities above thy fellows, that therefore thou dost tempt him? Or because he hath conferred on thee many spiritual gifts and graces, that therefore thou dost tempt him? Ioseph, when sollicited by his Mistress to uncleanness, brought an argument to disswade himself from wronging his Master, fetched from the many favours he had heaped upon him, Gen. 39.9. There is none greater in this house then I, neither hath my master kept, &c. The same seriously considered, and sincerely applied to our hearts, would keep us from committing many sins against him, who hath endeared us unto him with many mercies, and who is not onelyonly The Lord, but Thy God.