Satans Temptations in Three Parts, Part 1 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II. Of the Malice of Satan in particular. The Grounds and Cauſes of that Malice. The Greatneſs of it proved; and Inſtances of that Greatneſs given.
I Shall firſt give ſome account of his Malice, by which it ſhall appear, we do not wrong the Devil in calling him malicious; the truth of which Charge, will evidence it ſelf in the following particulars.
Firſt; The Devil, though a Spirit, yet is a proper Subject of Sin. We need no other evidence for this, than what doth by daily experience reſult from our ſelves; we have ſins, which our Spirits and Hearts do act, that relate not to the Body, called a filthineſs of the Spirit, in contradiſtinction to the filthineſs of the Fleſh. 'Tis true it cannot be denyed, but that thoſe Iniquities which have a neceſſary dependance upon the Organs of the Body, (as Drunkenneſs, Fornication, &c.) cannot properly, as to the formality of the Act, be laid at Satan's door, (though as a tempter and provoker of theſe in Men, he may be called the Father of theſe ſins) yet the forementioned Iniquities which are of a Spiritual Nature, are properly and formally committed by him, as Lying, Pride, Hatred, and Malice. And this diſtinction Chriſt himſelf doth hint, Joh. 8. 44. When he ſpeaketh a Lye, he ſpeaketh of his own; where he aſſerts ſuch ſpiritual Sins to be properly and formally acted by himſelf. The certainty of all appears in the Epithites given him, the wicked One, the unclean Spirit; as alſo thoſe places that ſpeak his fall, They kept not their firſt Eſtate, Jude 6. The Angels that ſinned, 2 Pet. 2. 4. If ſins Spiritual are in a true and proper ſenſe attributed to the Devil, then alſo may Malice be attributed to him.
Secondly; The wickedneſs of Satan is capable of increaſe, a magis & minus, though he be a wicked Spirit, and as to inclination full of wickedneſs, though ſo ſtrongly inclined that he cannot but ſin; and therefore as God is ſet forth to us, as the Fountain of Holineſs, ſo is Satan called the Author and Father of Sin. Yet duplicate page duplicate page ſeeing we cannot aſcribe an infiniteneſs to him, we muſt admit, that (as to acts of Sin at leaſt) he may be more or leſs ſinful, and that the wickedneſs of his heart may be more drawn out, by Occaſion, Motives, and Provocations: beſides we are expreſly taught thus much, Rev. 12. 12. The Devil is come down, having great wrath, becauſe his time is ſhort: where we note (1.) that his wrath is called great, implying greater than at other times. (2.) That External Motives and Incentives, (as the ſhortneſs of his time) prevail with him to draw forth greater acts of fury.
Thirdly; Whatſoever Occaſions do draw out, or kindle malice to a rage, Satan hath met with them in an eminent degree, in his own fall, Quia inordinatam excellentiam affectando, ordinatam amiſerunt, ideo de aliorum excellenti… dolebat, & ad eam oppugn…ndam malici…se ferebatur Am. med. l. 1. c. 11.and Man's happineſs. Nothing is more proper to beget malice, than hurts or puniſhments, degradations from happineſs. Satan's Curſe, though juſt, fills him with rage, and fretting againſt God, when he conſiders that from the ſtate and dignity of a bleſſed Angel, he is caſt down to darkneſs, and to the baſeſt condition imaginable: for the part of his Curſe, (which concerned Satan as well as the Serpent) Ʋpon thy belly ſhalt thou go, and duſt ſhall be thy Meat, implies a ſtate moſt baſe; as the uſe of the phraſe proves, they ſhall lick the duſt of thy feet. Thine enemies ſhall lick the duſt, Pſal. 72. 9. They ſhall lick the duſt as a Serpent, Mich. 7. 17. Where the Spirit is ſo wicked,Eſa. 49. 23. that it cannot accept the puniſhment of its iniquity. All puniſhment is as a poyſon, and invenoms the heart with a rage againſt the hand that afflicted it; thus doth Satan's fall enrage him, and the more, when he ſees Man enſtated into a poſſibility of enjoying what he hath loſt. The envy and pride of his heart boils up to a madneſs (for that is the only uſe, that the wretchedly miſerable can make, of the ſight of that happineſs which they enjoy not; eſpecially if having once enjoyed it, they are now deprived): this begot the rage and wrath in Cain againſt Abel, and afterward his Murther. The eye of the wicked is evil, where God is good. Hence may it be concluded, that Satan (being a wicked Spirit, and this wickedneſs being capable of acting higher or lower according to occaſions, and with a ſuitableneſs thereto) cannot but ſhew an unconceiveable malice againſt us, our happineſs and his miſery being ſuch proper occaſions for the wickedneſs of his heart to work upon.
Fourthly; This Malice in Satan muſt be great:
Firſt; If we conſider the greatneſs of his wickedneſs in ſo great and total an Apoſtacy. He is ſo filled with iniquity, that we can expect no ſmall matters from him, as to the workings of ſuch curſed Principles; not only is he wicked, but the ſpirit and extract of wickedneſs,foreign. as the phraſe ſignifies, Epheſ. 6. 12.
Secondly; The Scripture lays to his charge all Degrees, Acts, and Branches of Malice; As (1.) Anger, in the impetuous haſt and violence of it, Rev. 12. great wrath, foreign there ſignifies Excandeſcentia, the Inflammation of the Heart, and whole Man; which is violent in its motion, as when the Blood with a violent ſtream ruſheth through the Heart, and ſets all Spirits on fire; and therefore this Wrath is not only called great, but is alſo ſignified to be ſo, in its threatning a wo to the Inhabitants of the Earth. (2.) Indignation is more than Anger, as having more of a fixed fury; and this is applyed to him Epheſ. 4. 27. in that thoſe that have this foreign, are ſaid to give place to the Devil; which is true, not only in point of temptation, but alſo in reſpect of the reſemblance they carry to the frame and temper of Satan's furious heart. (3.) Hatred is yet higher than Wrath or Indignation, Ira brevis furor.as having deeper roots, a more confirmed and implacable reſolution; Anger and Indignation are but ſhort Furies, which like a Land Flood are ſoon down, though they are apt to fill the Banks on a ſudden; but Hatred is laſting, and this is ſo properly the Devil's diſpoſition, that Cain in hating his Brother, is (1 John 3. 12.) ſaid to be the proper Off-ſpring and lively Picture of that wicked One, who is there ſo called, rather than by the name of the Devil, becauſe the Apoſtle would alſo inſinuate, that hatred is the Maſter-piece of Satan's wickedneſs, and that which gives the fulleſt Character of him. (4.) All Effects of his cruelty ariſe from this Root; this makes him accuſe and calumniate; this puts him upon breathing after thoſe murthers and deſtructions which damned Spirits are now groaning under.
Thirdly; This Malice is the reſult of that Curſe laid upon Satan, Gen. 3. 15. I will put enmity betwixt thee and the Woman, between her Seed and thy Seed: Which implies (1.) a great enmity; and ſome render it, inimicitias implacabiles, implacable enmities. (2.) A laſting enmity, ſuch as ſhould continue as long as the Curſe ſhould laſt. (3.) That this ſhould be his work and exerciſe, to proſecute and be proſecuted with this enmity; ſo that it ſhews, the Devil's whole mind and deſire is in this Work, and that he is whetted on, by the oppoſing enmity which he meets withal, it is the Work of his Curſe, of his Place, of his Revenge, and that wherein all the delight he is capable of, is placed. In that part of the Curſe, Duſt ſhall be thy Meat; 'tis implyed, (if ſome interpret right) that if Satan can be ſaid to have any delight or eaſe in his Condition,Vid. Pool Synop. in loc. 'tis in the eating of this Duſt, the exerciſe of this Enmity: No wonder then if Chriſt ſpeak of his deſires and ſollicitations with God, to have a liberty and Commiſſion for this Work; Satan hath deſired to have thee, that he may winnow thee.
That this Curſe relates not only to the Serpent who was the Inſtrument, but alſo to Satan who was the Agent, is agreed by all almoſt, that it was not the Serpent alone, but the Devil ſpeaking by it, is evinced, from its ſpeaking and reaſoning; and that the Curſe reached further than a natural Enmity 'twixt a Serpent and a Man, is as evident, in that Chriſt is expreſly held forth, as giving the full accompliſhment of this Curſe againſt Satan, 1 John 3. 8. The Devil ſinneth from the beginning: for this purpoſe was the Son of God manifeſted, that he might deſtroy the Works of the Devil; which is a clear Expoſition and Paraphraſis of the Womans Seed bruiſing the Serpents head.
Fourthly; I ſhall add to this ſome few Inſtances of Satan's Malice, by which it will appear to be great.
Firſt; That Malice muſt needs be great, which ſhews it ſelf, where there is ſuch a load of anguiſh and horror that lies upon him; he is now reſerved in Chains of Darkneſs in Hell; 2 Pet. 2. 4.he is in Hell, a place of Torment; or which is all one, Hell is in him, he carries it about him in his Conſcience, which by God's decree binds him to his horror like a Chain. 'Tis ſcarce imaginable that he ſhould have a thought free from the contemplation of his own miſery, to ſpend in a malicious purſuit of Man. What can we think leſs of it, than a deſperate madneſs and revenge againſt God, wherein he ſhews his rage againſt Heaven, and hunts after our Blood, as for a little Water to cool his Tongue; and when he finds his hand too ſhort to pull the Almighty out of his Throne; he endeavours (Panther-like) to tear his Image in Man, and to put Man, created after his Image, upon blaſpheming and diſhonouring his Maker.
Secondly; That Malice muſt needs be great, that ſeeks its own Fewel, and provides or begs its own Occaſions; and thoſe, ſuch as give no proper provocation to his anger. Of this temper is his Malice, he did thus with Job, he begs the Commiſſion, calumniates Job upon unjuſt ſurmiſes; preſſeth ſtill for a further power to hurt him, in ſo much that God expreſly ſtints and bounds him, (which ſhews how boundleſs he would have been if left to his own will) and gives him at laſt an open check, Job 2. 3. wherein he lays open the malice of his heart in three things. (1.) His own preſſing urgency, Thou movedſt me. (2.) His deſtructive Fury, no leſs would ſerve, than Job's utter deſtruction. (3.) Job's Innocency; All this without cauſe, thou movedſt me to deſtroy him without cauſe.
Thirdly; That Malice muſt needs be great, that will purſue a ſmall matter: what ſmall game will the Devil play, rather than altogether ſit out? If he can but trouble, or puzzle, or affright; yet that he will do, rather than nothing, if he can (like an Addar in the Path) but bite the Heel, though his Head be bruiſed for it, he will notwithſtanding buſie himſelf in it.
Fourthly, That Malice muſt be great, which will put it ſelf forth where it knows it can prevail nothing, but is certain of a diſappointment. Thus did Satan tempt Chriſt; thoſe Speeches, if thou be the Son of God, do not imply any doubt in Satan; he knew what was propheſied of Chriſt, and what had been declared from Heaven in teſtification of him▪ ſo that he could not but be certain he was God and Man; and yet what baſe unworthy temptations doth he lay before him, as to fall down and worſhip him? Was it that Satan thought to prevail againſt him? No ſurely, but ſuch was his Malice, that he would put an affront upon him, though he knew he could not prevail againſt him.
Fifthly▪ The Malice of wicked Men, is an Argument of Satan's great Malice; they have an antipathy againſt the Righteous, (as the Wolf againſt the Sheep) and upon that very ground, that they are called out of the World; how great this fury is, all Ages have teſtified: This hath brought forth Diſcord, Revilings, Slanders, Impriſonments, ſpoiling of Goods, Baniſhments, Perſecutions, Tortures, cruel Deaths, as Burning, Racking, Tearing, ſawing aſunder, and what-ever the wit of Man could deviſe, for a ſatisfaction to thoſe implacable, furious, murtherous minds; and yet all this is done to Men of the ſame Image and Lineage with themſelves, of the ſame Religion with themſelves (as to the main); nay, ſome time to Men of their own Kindred, their own Fleſh and Blood, and all to thoſe that would live peaceably in the Land. What ſhall we ſay to theſe things? How come Men to put on a ſavage Nature, to act the part of Lions, Leopards, Tigars, if not much worſe? The reaſon of all we have, John 8. 54. Ye are of your Father the Devil, he was a Murtherer from the beginning; as alſo Gen. 3. 15. I will put enmity between her Seed and thy Seed: So that all this ſhews what malice is in Satan's Heart, who urgeth and provokes his Inſtruments, to ſuch bloody hatreds. Hence who-ever were the Agents, Rev. 2. 10. in impriſoning the Saints, the Malice of Satan in ſtirring them up to it, makes him become the Author of it; Satan ſhall caſt ſome of you into Priſon.