(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.