Meditations the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Chapter 21
CHAP. XXI.
Sets forth the Power that Satan hath over men whilst in their Natural Estate. Together with a threefold Ʋse to be made hereof; from the same Clause of the fifteenth Verse, And he went and joyned himself to a Citizen of that Countrey.
WE Are to consider this Citizen, John. 14.30. 2. Cor. 4.4.as meaning Satan, who is the Prince and God of this World, which is this far Countrey; and who seeks to make a prey of men when under Conscience-straits for sin. As St. 1 Cor. 4.5. 2 Cor. 2.6, 11.knew he did by the incestuous person, who was, by his order, delivered over unto Satan. So that the second Doctrine is, Doct. 2 That Satan hath great power over men, whilst in their natural estate, both in their sinning, and in their trouble of Conscience for sin after Conviction.
Satan hath power over them, not only as he had with Adam in innocency to tempt him; Matth. 4.and with the Son of God to tempt him, though he prevailed not as he did with Adam; and with Saints to tempt them, as he did David, 2 Chron. 21. but he hath power to take them captive at his will; 2 Tim. 2. ult.to make them his Vassals.
Satan had power to enter into Judas, Luke 22.3.to influence him to the betraying of Jesus. Haply Judas might not intend the death of Christ, as the Jews did; but might conceive he would slip out of the midst of them, as he had often done, Luke 4.29, 30. John 8.59.when they sought to lay hands on him. Satan might help him to this conceit, that Jesus would save himself, and he get money; which pleased his humour at present, but brought him at last into despair.
God delivers more over to Satan than the Church doth: He is the Spirit that now worketh, foreign Eph. 2.2.that worketh effectually in the children of disobedience. And therefore sinners in their conversion are said to be turned from the power of Satan unto God.Acts 26.18.
Quest. Whence hath Satan this power?
Answ. God lets it be so in his just judgment upon the fall of man. In the fall man forsook God, and cleav'd to the Devil: so that it was first their sin to put themselves into the power of Satan; and now it is God's judgment upon men. Dan. 5.Those Scriptures may be read with trembling, as Belshazzar read the hand-writing on the wall, Psalm 78.49. The Lord cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, by sending evil Angels among them. Psal. 109.6.And that Prophetical Prayer of David concerning Judas, Let Satan stand at his right hand.
Quest. How doth Satan exercise this power?
1. In tempting men to as much sin as he can, to such sins as himself cannot act. He tempts them to Atheism, though he himself cannot be one; the Devils believe that there is a God, James 2.19.and tremble. He tempts them to Drunkenness and Adultery, sins that he cannot properly act. He provoked our first Parents to eat, Gen. 3.but he himself could not eat. Yea, Satan hath influence on them in their best actions and works, in their callings, in their holy performances: Zach. 3.1.He stood at Joshua's right hand to resist him, when he stood before the Lord for the people. But he hath power on carnal mens hearts, when they come before the Lord. He matters not how much of Religion they do, so he can poison their manner and ends. He may carry men to Church in a design, Matth. 4.as he did Jesus to a Pinacle of the Temple. The Devil had power over their souls, Matt. 7.22, 23.who had power to cast him out of other mens bodies. Satan can tempt no Creature but man to sin; and so he bestirs himself among them.
2. He puts them on to presume on the goodness of their present and final estate, however they live in this World. He teacheth them to say, We shall have peace, Deut. 29.19.though we walk in the imagination of our own hearts. The unbelieving Jews could not be moved from their confidence, that they were Abraham's Children; John 8.44.though our blessed Saviour proved it to them, that they were of their Father the Devil. A lying Spirit deludes them, as he did Zedekiah that arch false Prophet, in making him confident that he had the Spirit of the Lord, and by that gave counsel to Ahab, 1 Kings 22.
3. In presenting to their minds lying Refuges, when they are under painful convictions of Conscience for sin: 2 Cor. 11.14.Satan transformeth himself into an Angel of light to the sinner: He can turn himself into any shape or appearance, Proteus by the Paynims called the god of the Sea.as the Poets feign of Proteus. As Satan helps the man of sin to do lying wonders, 2 Thes. 2.9. so he helps many troubled sinners to lying Sanctuaries. It is likely he set Cain on building a City, to charm the evil Spirit that vexed him.
4. If this way fail, then he aggravates the sinners trouble of Conscience for sin, to get him into despair: not that he affects mens being troubled for their sins; but when they are sorrowful this way, he would have them swallowed up of over-much sorrow. 2 Cor. 2.7, 11.This is one of Satan his devices to get an advantage of the sinner, to bring about his damnation.
Satan makes many a soul pine away in their sins, Ezek. 33.10— Job 2.9.as those Jews said of themselves, and perswades them to curse God, and die, as he would have done Job. And as he prompted his Friends to esteem him a Hypocrite: so he prompts many a Conscience-wounded-sinner to look upon himself as a Reprobate, as having out-sinned mercy, and he must be damned.
Quest. But how cometh it to pass that natural men are no more sensible of this power of Satan over them?
Answ. Because he blinds their minds, 2 Cor. 4.4.as the Philistines put out Sampson's eyes, and did with him what they list: He deadens their sense of feeling. The holy Apostle Paul speaks of sinners that are past feeling. Satan is a Juggler, Eph. 4.19.and an Impostor, 2 Cor. 11.3.or Deceiver, from the beginning.
Quest. Have natural men no power to resist the Devil?
Answ. Matth. 4.They have lost it very much. Adam had power, if he had used it; and Jesus Christ had power, and did use it; and men in a state of grace have power to resist the Devil, James 4.7. 1 John 2.14. 1 John 5.18.and to overcome the wicked One, and to keep themselves that the wicked One touch them not, i. e. with a destructive touch; such a touch as he moved the Lord to touch Job with.
Satan indeed hath power to tempt the Saints, and in part to get advantage of them. He provoked David to number the people, 2 Chro. 21.1. Luke 22.31. Jo. ch. 1. & 2. Zach. 3.7.and he did it; and he winnowed Peter; and he assailed Job very hard; and he stood at Joshua the High Priests hand, to resist him, when he stood before the Lord. Our blessed Saviour hath taught us to pray daily, Matth. 6.13.that we be not led into tempiation. Yet Satan hath not that power over the Saints, as over other men; yea, as over man in the state of innocency, i. e. to seduce them from God, and from a state of grace. It's true, man in innocency in one respect had the advantage against Satan, which men in a state of grace have not now; in that he had no sin to joyn with Satan: John 14.13.In this point he might say, as our Lord Jesus did; The Prince of this World cometh, and hath nothing in me. Yet the Saints now have that power against and over Satan in other cases, that men in innocency had not; Luke 22.32.power to resist him, power to overcome him: Rom. 16.20.Christ prayeth for their faith; and they have a promise that Satan shall be bruised under their feet.
I, but natural mens power to resist the Devil is but small; some they have, i. e. when he tempts to sins against the light of nature, Rom. 2.14, 15.and a natural Conscience, in these they may resist temptation. There are many sins that natural men sin, which they falsly charge upon Satan, they would sin if Satan were dead and buried; they are as willing to some sins as the Devil would have them; as the Pharisees and Jewish Rulers were to be rid of Jesus.
It's to be observed in Scripture, that the people of God charge not the Devil in the confession of sin, as Eve did with hers; I have sinned, 2 Sam. 24.17.and I have done foolishly, saith David. He pleads not that Satan provoked him, as Eve did, that the Serpent gave her, and she did eat. But many wicked men charge their sins upon the Devil, when they tempt him to tempt them, 1 Sam. 28.as Saul sought to the Devil.
Application.
1. Let no man be too fearless of the Devil; he hath great power in the world, 2 Cor. 4.4.especially over this men of this world; he is called the god of this world; he would be so, Eph. 2.2.and the Lord lets him be so to some men, in some things. He is the Prince of the power of the Air, that worketh in the children of disobedience. Yea, he may have power over the people of God, to tempt them, Matth. 26.41.if they watch and pray not against temptation, to which the Lord Jesus cautioned his Disciples.
He put on Peter to disswade Christ from his sufferings, Matth. 16.for which he had this check, Get thee behind me Satan. He winnowed all the Disciples, and thereupon they all left him when apprehended. And Paul himself, after he had been in the third Heaven, 2 Cor. 12.7.was buffeted by a messenger of Satan. Yea, he was permitted to tempt our Lord Jesus to a most horrid sin; Matth. 4.4, 8.and to carry his body to a Pinacle of the Temple, and after into a high Mountain.
Yea, and Satan may be in possession of souls, and not be known; the Devil often works in men incognito. Of all Creatures he would possess men; and though he acted by the Serpent's head, yet his aim was at Eve, Sen. 3.1.and Adam's heart. He got leave to go into the Swine, yet his design was at their owners, to make them disgust Jesus the more; and so they did, Matth. 8. ult.They besought him to depart out of their Coasts.
The Devil knows that men only, of all Creatures in this world, are capable of sin and hell; and therefore he lays his contrivances against men, to bring as many as he can into his own Condemnation: And he had rather possess their souls than their bodies; he would have the best room in the house for himself, and that's the heart; He entred into Judas his heart, and into Ananias his heart: Why hath Satan filled thy heart? Yet Satan's spiritual possessions may be known, and how? why, when men will do the lusts of the Devil; John 8.44. foreign. Gal. 5.19.Ye delight to do his lusts. The lusts of the flesh in carnal men, are so many unclean spirits: Not that the Devil does all these works of the flesh, but he tempts men to all. He did not dance about the golden Calf, Exod. 32.but he made Israel to do so.
Let no man therefore be too fearless of Satan. Paul was jealous over the believing Corinthians, 2 Cor. 11.3.Lest as the Serpent beguiled Eve, their minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2. Yet let not any sinner, under the power of conviction of sin, despair of Conversion, because of the power that Satan improves to hinder it. For consider, Rom. 1.16. 1 Cor. 1. Acts 26.18.that the word of reconciliation which is preached to you, is the power of God to the salvation of the greatest of sinners. St. Paul's Ministery turned men from the power of Satan unto God. Therefore let such wait on the Ministery of the Gospel, and do it in hope, as the infirm people did for the Angels troubling of the waters of that healing Pool, John 5.
And be advised also to be in the company of the godly; Satan hath not that power to vend his wares there, as among other Company. The Spirit of Divination knew this in that possessed Damosel he made use of to disturb Paul and his holy Company in their meeting to pray; their prayers, Acts 16.v. 18.and Paul's authority from the Lord Jesus, cast him out.
In thy trouble of Conscience for sin be not overmuch alone. In this case I may use the words of the Preacher, Eccles. 4.10. Wo to him that is alone. Solitariness in this season is Satan's house of temptation; he assaults where there is no help in resisting him, as he did by Eve. The evil Spirit used that man to solitariness Luke 8.27. God is much for the society of his people; he appears with his power and glory in the Assemblies of the Saints. Frequent solitariness is useful indeed for men of grace; Mark 1.35.Jesus Christ went oft aside into a solitary place: but poor souls afflicted in their spirits for sin, should be afraid of it, as Children are to be alone.
And be further advised to follow faithfully the affairs of your Calling: Matth. 13.25.Idleness is the Devil's working time. While men slept, the Enemy came and sowed his tares. 2 Sam. 11.When David was lazing and gazing on his House-top, the Devil presented an Object to stir up his lust.
Again, Eph. 4.26, 27.take heed of an angry passionate spirit; this gives place to the Devil: And take heed of an envious spirit; Satan is the envious one; he filled Cain with envy at his brothers good works, because his own were evil: And beware of a discontented spirit; this was one of the Devil's first sins, and the sin of our first parents: And above all, seek to Jesus Christ for deliverance from Satan's bondage. John 8.36. Luke 4.18.If the Son make you free, ye are free indeed. He was anointed to preach deliverance to the captives. He loosed the daughter of Abraham, Luke 13.16.whom Satan had bound eighteen years; and it is observable how affectionately Jesus both spake and did in her case.
3. Here is comfort to God's people, that Satan's power is exceedingly broken as to them; he hath no interest in them, Eph. 6.12. to the 18th. John 14.17.and they have armour of proof, both defensive and offensive against him. You have the Spirit in you to guide and assist you; and he that is in you, 1 John 4.4. Heb. 1. ult.is greater than he that is in the world: And you have the Ministery of the holy Angels, who are stronger than Devils: And you have the continual prayers of the Lord Jesus Christ for you, that your faith fail not: And you have a promise, that God will bruise Satan under your feet shortly; Rom. 16.20. Matth. 16.and that the gates of hell shall not prevail against you.
In a word, let all poor sinners, that have any sense of the sad estate of their souls, come from under the shadow of this Bramble, the Devil, unto the shadow of Jesus Christ, the true Vine. The Devil writes all his Laws in Blood, as Draco did; O but Jesus Christ came meek into the World to save sinners; and he came into his Ministery with a beseeching Spirit to sinners; and left such a spirit in his Ministers, that were to treat sinners in his Name, when he was gone to the Father: As though God did beseech you by us, 2 Cor. 5.20.we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. Jesus Christ is the sinners near Kinsman; he hath took part of flesh and blood, that he might have the right to redeem them. Poor Conscience-afflicted sinners may have gentle usage of Christ; He will not break the bruised reed, Mark 12.20.nor quench the smoaking flax. His Laws are not written in the sinners blood, but in his own. And thus much for the first Clause of the sifteenth Verse.