CHAPTER IX.
A particular consideration of the matter of the first temptation, what Satan aimed at in bidding him turn stones into bread.—Of Satan’s moving us to things good or lawful.—The end of such a motion.—How to know whether such motions are from Satan or the Spirit.—What to do in case they be from Satan.—Of his various aims in one temptation.—What they are, and of his policy therein.—Of his artificial contrivement of motions to make one thing infer another.
Next follows the temptation itself, ‘Command that these stones be made bread.’ There is no great difficulty in the words. The Greek indeed hath a remarkable suitableness to the supposition, on which Satan insists, taking Christ to be the Son of God. It is very pertinently spoken, ‘Say or speak’—εἶπε—that these stones be made bread; for if God speak, it must be done.
It is not worth the while to insist upon so small a variety of expression as is betwixt this evangelist, who hath it ‘these stones,’ and Luke, who speaks it in the singular number, ‘this stone;’ for besides that, as some suppose, this expression of Luke might, for anything that appears to the contrary, be Satan’s lowering his request to one stone, when Christ had denied to turn many into bread upon his first asking; this one stone in Luke, taken collectively for the whole heap, will signify as much as these stones in Matthew; or the phrase ‘these stones,’ in Matthew, by an imitation of a common Hebraism, may be no more but one of these stones, or this stone, as it is in Luke; as it is said, Jephthah was buried in the cities of Gilead, that is, in one of the cities.[389]
The thing urged was the turning or changing the form of a creature, which is a work truly miraculous and wonderful, and such as had neither been unsuited to the power of Christ, nor unlawful in itself. It is from hence justly questioned where the sting of this suggestion lay, or in what point was the temptation couched.
(1.) First, It was not in the unlawfulness or sinfulness of the thing mentioned. For Christ did as much as would amount to all this when he turned water into wine, and when he fed multitudes by a miraculous multiplication of a few loaves and fishes.
(2.) Secondly, It was not unsuitable to his condition, as hungry; for so it seemed a duty to provide for himself, and which Satan took for granted.
(3.) Thirdly, Neither seemed it any derogation to his power and divine nature, but rather an advantage and fit opportunity to give a full proof of it, to the stopping of Satan’s mouth for ever.
Notwithstanding these, there was poison and malignity enough in the suggestion, and under these green leaves of plausible pretences lay hid many snakes. For [1.] By this was he secretly tempted to admit of a doubting of the truth of the divine testimony, lately declaring him to be the Son of God. [2.] As also further to question his Father’s providence and love; [3.] and unnecessarily to run out of the ordinary way of supply, and to betake himself to indirect means or extraordinary courses. [4.] And all this to the abuse and undervaluing of his power, in prostituting it to Satan’s direction or persuasion; and the devil had gained a considerable advantage if he could have prevailed with him to do such a thing by his instigation. [5.] It may be he further thought this might entice to a high esteem of himself, and so make way for a vain ostentation of his power and interest in God. All or most of these seem to be the design that the devil was driving forward. Several things are hence observable.
Obs. 9. That where Satan doth not judge it his present interest to suggest to us things in their own nature sinful, he will move us to things good in themselves, in hopes thereby to lead us into evil. This way of tempting is from a more refined policy than downright motions to sin, and doubtless it is less suspected, and consequently more taking. The evils that Satan would introduce by this method are such as these:—
(1.) First, Sometime when he tempts us to that which is good, it is that he might affright us from it. His approbation is enough to put a discredit and disgraceful suspicion upon anything. Such a design had he when he gave testimony for Christ, ‘that he was the Son of God,’ Mat. viii. 29; or for the apostles, that they were the ‘servants of the most high God,’ Acts xvi. 17. It was not his intention to honour him or them by bearing them witness, but to bring them under suspicion and trouble.
(2.) Secondly, There are a great many ways to miscarry in a lawful action, either by propounding bad ends, or by failures in the manner of performance, or by a misimprovement of the whole. These miscarriages, and the possibility and probability of them, Satan carries in his mind; yet doth he not at first propound them, but moving us unto the thing, he hath an expectation that we will slide into them of ourselves, or be inclined by some suitable touches of suggestion upon our minds, together with the tendency or improvableness of the thing or action to such evils as are properly consequent to it. Satan did not here tempt Christ to these sinful ends directly, but to an action which he hoped might insensibly produce them.
(3.) Thirdly, Another evil hereby aimed at is the hindrance of a greater good, not only as a diversion to turn us off a better or more profitable occasion, but also as an unseasonable interruption of something at present more concerning us. Thus he makes the suggestion of good things the hindrance of prayer or hearing.
Quest. Some will say, This is a perplexing case, that in things good or lawful in themselves, men should be in such dangers, and will thereupon desire to know how they may distinguish Satan’s contrivances and motions from those that have no dependence upon him, or are from the Spirit of God?
Ans. In answer to this:—
[1.] Let us, when we fear thus to be circumvented, look well to what impressions are upon our spirit when we are moved to what may be lawful. For together with the motion, if it be Satan’s, we shall find either a corrupt reason and end privately rising up in our mind, or we may observe that our hearts are out of order and perversely inclined. This is oft unseen to ourselves. When the disciples moved Christ to bring down ‘fire from heaven,’ if they had considered the present revengeful selfish frame of their spirits, which our Lord tells them they were ignorant of, they might easily have known that the motion had proceeded from Satan.
[2.] Secondly, The concurrent circumstances of the thing or action are to be seriously weighed, for from thence we may take a right measure of the conveniency or inconveniency of the proceeding in it. What is from Satan it will be either unseasonable as to the time, place, and person, or some other thing will appear that may give a discovery. As here Christ refuseth to turn stones to bread, because not only the way and manner of the proposal doth sufficiently lay open the design, but also the circumstances of Christ’s condition at that time shewed the motion to be unseasonable and inconvenient; for if Satan had urged the necessity of it for the satisfaction of his hunger, Christ could have answered, that the experience that he had of God’s support for forty days together, was sufficient to engage him to rely yet further upon him. If he had urged further, that by this means he might have had a full proof of God’s love and care, or of his sonship, it was at hand to tell him that it was needless to seek a further evidence when God had given one so full a little before. If again he had pleaded it to have been a useful occasion to give a testimony of his power to the satisfaction of others, he could have told him that it had been impertinent to have done it then, when he was in the wilderness, where none could have the benefit of it. So that nothing Satan could have propounded as a reason for that miracle, but it might have been repelled from a consideration of his present condition.
Applic. The instruction that may be gathered from this is, that we must not entertain thoughts of doing lawful things without a due inquiry into the temper of our own hearts, and a full consideration of all circumstances round about, with the probable tendencies and consequences of it.
Quest. But, may some say, if I judge such a motion to be a thing lawful, which doth proceed from Satan, what am I to do?
Answ. I answer, [1.] Consider whether the good be necessary or not. If it be necessary, it is a duty and not to be forborne, only the abuses are to be watched against and avoided.
[2.] Secondly, If it be a duty, consider whether it be seasonable or unseasonable, necessary or not, as to the present time; if it be not, it may be suspended, and a fitter opportunity waited for.
[3.] Thirdly, If it be only lawful and not necessary, we ought to abstain from it wholly, after the example of David, Ps. xxxix. 2, who ‘abstained even from good,’ that is, from lawful bemoanings of himself or complainings against Absalom, that had rebelled against him; because it was not necessary, and, the circumstances of his condition considered, very dangerous, lest vent and way being given, he might have been easily drawn to speak passionately or distrustfully against God, and foolishly against providences.
That the thing unto which Satan moved Christ was lawful, hath been noted. Next, let us consider what end Satan might propound to himself in this motion, and we shall see, as hath been said, that he did not so narrow and contract his design as that only one thing took up his intentions, but several. Hence have we this observation:—
Obs. 10. That in one single temptation Satan may have various aims and designs.
Temptation is a complicated thing, a many-headed monster. Satan hath always many things in his eye.
[1.] First, In every temptation there is a direct and principal design, a main thing that the devil would have.
[2.] Secondly, There are several things subservient to the main design, as steps, degrees, or means leading to it; the lesser still making way for the greater. If Satan design murder, he lays the foundation of his work in inward grudgings and hatreds; next he gives provocations, by reproachful words, or disdainful carriages and behaviours, as our Saviour notes in the expressions of raca and fool, Mat. v. 22, and so by degrees enticeth on to murder. The like we may observe in the lusts of uncleanness, and other things.
[3.] Thirdly, Besides these there are usually reserves, something in ambushment to watch our retreats; for Satan considers what to do in case we repel and refuse his motion, that so he may not altogether labour in vain. A contrary extreme watcheth those that fly from a temptation; pride, security, self-confidence, and boasting are ready to take them by the heel. So truly may it be said of Satan, that he knoweth the way that we take: if we go forward, he is there; if backward, we may also perceive him; on the left hand, he is at work; and on the right hand, he is not idle. All these we may particularly see in this temptation in hand. He had a main design, of which more presently; he prepares means and seconds to help it forward; such were those pleas of necessity and conveniency which the hunger and want of Christ did furnish him withal, and there wanted not the reserves of presumption and self-neglect in case he resisted the motion.
The reasons of this policy are these:—
(1.) First, When Satan tempts, he is not certain of his prevalency, even when the probabilities are the greatest; and therefore doth he provide himself with several things at once, that if the tempted party nauseate one thing, there may be another in readiness that may please his palate. God gives this advice to the spiritual seedsman, ‘In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand; for thou knowest not what shall prosper, whether this or that,’ [Eccles. xi. 6.] Satan, that seedsman of the tares, imitates this; and because he knows not what shall prosper, therefore doth he use variety.
(2.) Secondly, Where many things are at once designed, it is a hundred to one they will not all return empty. It is much if many snares miss; he that hath broken one or two, may not only be enticed with a third temptation—as being either wearied out with the assaults, or made pliable with the allurements of the former, but may also sit down secure, as having, in his supposal, passed all the danger, and so unawares fall into an unseen or unsuspected trap.
Applic. This may [1.] by way of caution, assure us that we have no cause to think that all fear is over, when we have avoided the more obvious and conspicuous designments of a temptation, but rather to suspect some further train than we yet have discovered. [2.] That there is a necessity for us to be circumspect every way, and, Janus-like, to have an eye before and behind, that we may make timely discoveries of what Satan intends against us.
As we have taken a view of the various designments of Satan in one temptation, so it is also remarkable, that these various ways of his in this temptation, do give strength one to another, and have as close a connexion as stones in an arch. Christ was pleased to commend the wisdom of the unjust steward, though he intended not the least approbation of his dishonesty. So we may turn aside and observe the cunning artifice of the devil, in the management of this argument against Christ, which is to this purpose, as if he had thus proceeded: ‘If thou art the Son of God,’ as the voice from heaven lately testified, it can be no inconvenience, but every way an advantage to give a further proof of it. Thy present condition of want and hunger seem to contradict it; for how strange and unbeseeming is it for the Son of God to be in such straits! yet if thou beest what thou sayest thou art, it is easy for thee to help thyself. God, that made the world of nothing, by the power of his command, can much more change the forms of things that are made already; it is but speaking, and these stones that are before thee will be turned into bread; and besides that, in so doing thou mayest seasonably vindicate thyself from the eclipse of thy present condition. Necessity and duty—for it is duty to supply the want of the body, which cannot be supported without its proper nourishment—compel thee unavoidably to it, except thou fearest not to contract the guilt of self-destruction, especially seeing I do not urge thee to provide delicacies, but only bread, and such as is needful to keep in the lives of the poorest men, in the poorest manner.
Obs. 11. Hence note, Satan in driving on a temptation, useth such an artificial contrivement of motives and things, that still one doth infer another, one strengthens another. Temptations are like a screw, which if once admitted, will improve its first hold to draw in all the rest. By these arts doth Satan, like a cunning serpent, wriggle himself into the affections of men.