Obj. But how is it consistent with truth that the temptation should continue, when James tells us that Satan will fly upon resistance?
Ans. (1.) It may be the resistance is not as it ought, and so the blame is ours. If we be not serious, as some who defy the devil in words, and resist him by crossing themselves, things which doubtless the devil laughs at; or if in the confidence of a presumptuous bravado, or if not with that humility and care that is requisite, it will be no wonder if he depart not.
(2.) Secondly, He doth fly at every resistance more or less; he doth give back, and is discouraged, and is a loser by every opposition.
(3.) Thirdly, Though the scripture say that he shall fly,—that is, sooner or later,—yet it doth not say that he shall do so immediately, though most usually he doth so where he is peremptorily rejected. But in some cases time must be allowed; for the devil, as it is in Chrysostom’s comparison, stands like a fawning dog scratching and waving his tail, and if anything be given him, it makes him importunate for more; yet though we give him nothing, we cannot expect that the first or second denial should make him cease his trouble: as he hath been encouraged by former compliances, so will he not be discouraged but with many and continued denials.
If we consider the fast of Christ as an occasion designed by God for an advantage to the temptation, and then look upon his condition in the wilderness, being under hazards from wild beasts, in want of necessaries, and without a possibility of supplies in a usual way, and also under the discomforts of cold and long nights,—for according to the conjectures of some this was about our October and November[375]—then we may observe,
Doct. 4. That it is Satan’s way to second outward distresses and afflictions with inward temptations. We see the like carriage of Satan toward Job. His affliction was followed with many temptations. All his friends, in urging him with hypocrisy, were no other than parties to Satan’s design, though they knew it not apparently. His wife is set on by the tempter, as the serpent against Eve, to provoke him to ‘curse God and die.’ Besides all this, whosoever shall consider what inward workings of heart, spiritual trouble and conflict, his words frequently express, they will quickly find that when God put Job into Satan’s hand, under that only limitation of not touching his life, he gave Satan a liberty to pursue him with inward temptations as well as outward vexations. When Israel was pinched with the straits of the wilderness, Satan was most busy with them to put them upon distrust, murmuring, revolt, disobedient oppositions, idolatry, and what not. David gives in his experience to confirm this truth. He never met with outward troubles but he had also inward temptations with them, as fretting, disquiet, sad apprehensions of God’s wrath, haste, distrust, fear, &c., as the relation of his several straits do testify. And besides these, the generality of God’s children find it so. Outward afflictions seldom pass alone. When they have ‘fightings without,’ they have ‘fears within’ usually. Seldom have they a sickness, or meet with a sad providence, but they have Satan busy with their souls, molesting their peace, or endeavouring to ensnare them. Thus their feet are never in the stocks but the iron enters into their soul. And for this reason is it that outward afflictions and troubles are called temptations in Scripture, because temptations usually accompany them, and they are indeed the solemn seasons that Satan desires to improve for that end; and for that is it that Luke expresseth that which we translate a time of temptation by καιρὸς πειρασμοῦ, which signifies an occasion or opportunity of temptation, Luke viii. 13; 1 Peter i. 6; 2 Peter ii. 9.
The temptations that Satan drives on, upon the advantage of an afflicted estate, are these:—
(1.) First, To drive men upon impatient outbreakings against God, as the Israelites in the wilderness turn upon Moses with this, ‘Hast thou brought us into the wilderness to slay us?’ [Exod. xiv. 11.] To this tended Job’s temptation by his wife, ‘Curse God, and die,’ as it is in our translation, which cannot in anywise admit of the excuse that Beza makes for her, as if she gave wholesome advice, ‘to die blessing of God,’ because he reproves her sharply as having spoken foolishly and wickedly; but at best it is an ironical scoff at Job’s integrity, ‘Dost thou bless God while thou art killed by his displeasure?’ if it be not a direct suggestion of revengeful despite. At such times men are too apt to entertain cruel thoughts of God, and sadly reflective upon his mercy or justice.
(2.) Secondly, In this posture of affliction he strives to put them upon direful conclusions against themselves, as if God called solemnly their sin to remembrance, and that they are forsaken of God, and marked out for destruction, the pledge and earnest whereof they take these troubles to be. We may observe that David’s afflictions awakened his conscience to object guilt and miscarriage, so that he is as earnest to deprecate the marking and remembrance of his sin as he is to pray against his troubles. For this see Ps. xxv. 6, 7, xxxviii. 1, 4.
(3.) Thirdly, He pusheth them usually upon contempt of religion, and abandoning the ways of God. We are too apt to blame religion for all our troubles; and as we expect that our owning the ways of God should secure us from outward affliction, so when we find it otherwise we are too forward to say, ‘We have washed our hands in vain,’ &c., [Ps. lxxiii. 13.]