The various aims of Satan, and their close dependence one upon another, having contributed to us their several observations, it remains that we ask after the main and chief thing that Satan principally intended. And to make way to this, it must be noted, that in grand temptations especially, the main design of Satan comprehends these two: the chief end, and the chief means conducing to that end. About these, some authors conjecture variously, whose differences we have no great occasion to mention, seeing the text gives so great a satisfaction in this matter.
1. For first, The main end of Satan we have not obscurely expressed to us in these words, ‘If thou be the Son of God,’ which if we compare with Mat. iii. 17, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,’ we shall easily apprehend that here Satan doth but echo to that voice which came down from heaven; as he did with Eve. God had said, of the tree in the midst of the garden, ye shall not eat, [Gen. iii. 3.] Satan, having as it were the sound of this yet in his ears, in a clear reference to it saith, ‘Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat?’ ver. 1. So here is also an evident respect to God’s testimony concerning Christ, as if he had said, ‘Hath God said thou art his Son? If thou beest indeed such as he testified, give some proof of it,’ &c. By which it appears that his design was to undermine this testimony, or some way or other to defeat it. Neither need it pass for an objection against this, that Satan doth not directly mention his doubt or distrust, nor positively suggest to Christ a questioning or misbelief of his sonship, for it was not suitable to his policy so to lay open his main end. That must have been expected afterward, as the last in execution, if it had taken effect, though it were first in intention.
2. Secondly, The chief means by which he would have brought this end about, may be understood from Christ’s answer to the temptation; for it cannot but be imagined that Christ knew the bottom of Satan’s policy, and that his answer must fully confront the means by which Satan endeavoured to ensnare him. His answer was, ‘Man lives not by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’ If we can then come to a certain understanding of this scripture, which is not difficult, we shall evidently know the mind of the temptation, to which this is a direct answer.
These words are cited out of Deut. viii. 3, which some interpret to this sense,[390] as if Christ had said, Man hath not only a life of the body—which is mentioned[391] by bread—to look after, but another life of the soul, which is of so great concernment, that the bodily life is to be neglected, rather than that of the soul to be endangered. This is a truth in itself, but is apparently besides the meaning of Deut. viii. Neither doth it afford so full and particular an answer as doubtless Christ intended. But let us consider the text, and we shall find more in it; for Moses first sets down God’s dealing with Israel in the wilderness, in that he suffered them to hunger, and took from them the ordinary means of life, which, as the latter part of the verse shews, is to be understood of ordinary bread; and then to supply that want, he fed them by an extraordinary means, such as they had never heard of before; this was by manna. Next he makes an inference from this way of God’s proceeding, improving this particular to a general rule, ‘That he might make thee know that man lives not by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live;’ which is clearly of this import, that man lives not by ordinary means only, but that God can provide for his life in an extraordinary way, by appointing anything to that end, through his mighty and powerful word and good pleasure. So that things never so unusual, or unfit in themselves for nourishment, will become strengthening to us, if he shall give out his command. Christ then applying this in this sense, did, as it were, thus say to Satan, ‘Though I want ordinary means of life, which is bread, yet I know God can make anything which he pleaseth to nourish me instead of it. So that I will not cast off a dependence upon the providence of God in this strait, and without warrant run to an extraordinary course for supply.’ Hence it is evident that to bring about his main end, which was to distrust of his relation to God, he used this means, that by reason of his strait in the failure of ordinary supply, he should distrust providence, and without warrant provide for himself. Observe,
Obs. 12. That where Satan carries on a main design and end, he bestows most of his pains and skill in rendering the means to that end plausible and taking. The end is least in mention, and the means in their fit contrivance takes up most of his art and care. The reasons whereof are these:—
(1.) First, The end is apparently bad, so that it would be a contradiction to his design to mention it. It is the snare and trap itself, which his wisdom and policy directs him to cover. His ultimate end is the destruction of the soul. This he dare not openly avouch to the vilest of men; he doth not say to them, ‘Destroy your souls,’ ‘Bring eternal miseries upon yourselves,’ but only tempts them to that which will bring this misery upon them; and as for those intermediate ends, which are the formal acts of sin, he useth also a kind of modesty in their concealment. He doth not usually say, Go and murder, or, Commit adultery; but rather puts them upon ways or means that will bring them up to those iniquities, except that he sometime have to deal with those that are so hardened in sin, that they make a sport to do wickedly, and then he can more freely discover his ends to such in the temptation.
(2.) Secondly, The means to such wicked ends have not only an innate and natural tendency in themselves, which are apt to sway and bias men that way, but are also capable of artificial improvement, to a further enticement to the evils secretly intended; and these require the art and skill for the exact suiting and fitting of them. The end cannot be reached without the means, and means so ordered, without the aid of grace, will scarce miss of the end.
(3.) Thirdly, The means are capable of a varnish and paint. He can make a shift to set them off and colour them over, that the proper drift of them cannot easily be discovered; whereas the ends to which these lead cannot receive, at least so easily with some, such fair shows. It is far easier to set off company-keeping, with the pleasurable pretences of necessity or refreshing divertisement, than to propound direct drunkenness, the thing to which company-keeping tends, under such a dress.
Query. If it be demanded, How and by what arts he renders the means so plausible? I shall endeavour a satisfaction to that query, by shewing the way that Satan took to render the means he made use of in this temptation, plausible to Christ, which were these:—
[1.] First, He represents it as a harmless or lawful thing in itself. Who can say it had been sinful for the Son of God to have turned stones into bread, more than to turn water into wine?