[1.] First, While we are kept doing with these, we are diverted from that which might be really helpful. He puts a broken reed into our hand, that we might be deprived of a staff. Experience confirms this. Those that, with greatest devotion, use these empty inventions, are usually careless in the use of God’s own appointments.
[2.] Secondly, Besides that he thus betrays them by these lying helps, he doth by this means cast them on a further iniquity of idolising these foolish calves of their own invention. In this case men have a presumptuous expectation from such usages of that which God never promised to do by them, neither ever entered into his heart so to do, seeing he answers them all with this, ‘Who hath required these things at your hands?’ [Isa. i. 12.] And accordingly their consciences are more concerned for the omission of one of these fooleries, than for the neglect of the greater things of the law. Such are more troubled for the neglect of the sign of the cross or holy water, than for their constant carelessness and want of faith, by which their hearts should be guarded against their enemy.
[3.] Thirdly, In the meantime he makes work for his own triumph over them that dote upon these sottish inventions. If we can suppose Satan to have pleasure or mirth at anything, we may be sure he will laugh at such preparations for a spiritual welfare,[403] it being as truly ridiculous for any man to go out with these weapons against Satan, as for a combatant to assail a giant with a paper helmet, a wicker shield, and a wooden dagger. And indeed when Satan counterfeits a flight or fear of such matters, as for his advantage he sometimes doth, it is but in design to beget or confirm in men a confidence of a virtue or strength in these usages against his power, that so they may fix upon them to the neglect of God’s own institutions, which he most dreads. Thus we read that he cunningly ceased his oracle at Daphne upon a pretence of the silencing power of the bones of the martyr Babilas, which were buried near the place, on purpose to lead unwary Christians to the adoration of saints and their relics.[404] Many such instances we have in Sprenger, of the devil’s feigned flight at the sign of the cross, the sprinkling of holy water, the angelical salutation, St Bernard’s staff, or certain words and verses hung about the neck.[405] And a great deal of such stuff we may meet with in most of their writers, all which are but cunning contrivances of Satan, to advance a belief of the virtue of these things; and so to stop men there, to the neglect of those spiritual weapons which the Scripture recommends.
These we have observed from the place in general, ‘the holy city.’ Let us go on to the place in particular where Satan acted all this, ‘the pinnacle of the temple.’ Various are the conjectures of men about this, whether it were some fane, or the top of some spire, or the place whence the apostle James was thrown down, or the top of the king’s porch, which was erected to a great height over a deep valley, or some battlement, &c. But we are not concerned in such inquiries; only here shall I take notice of Scultetus, who, supposing the place to be the top of a fane or spire, and reading in Josephus that the points of such broaches were so sharp that a bird could not rest upon them without piercing its foot, was therefore willing to conclude that these temptations were not really and historically acted, but in vision only.[406] All this ariseth from a wrong interpretation of πτερύγιον, which our English renders pinnacle, whereas it properly signifies any battlement or angular prominency, jutting out over the rest like a wing, which would afford a sufficient footing and support.[407]
It is more profitable to inquire after Satan’s reason for the choice of such a place. No question but it was upon design, for else he might with equal convenience have tempted Christ to cast himself down from some tree or precipice in the wilderness; but then what that design was, is not so easy to determine. It seems plain that he might suppose that Christ might be the rather animated to the undertaking of flying in the air by the hopes of glory which might be expected from such a performance before so many spectators. But some think that he had a design also upon the men of Jerusalem, and intended some delusion to the Jews,[408] which I am not unwilling to close with, partly because the experiences that we have of his devices assure us that in one temptation his ends are oft manifold; and I cannot but think that Satan would make all things sure, and provide, in his projecting mind, against all events. For if Christ should have yielded and evidenced so great a power in the sight of all the people, it might have been a conviction general that he was the Messiah, about that time universally expected; and partly I am ready to think so, because, in case Christ had done so, it lay so fair to confirm the Jews in a misapprehension of the personal coming of Elias, of whom they understood the prophecy of Mal. iii. 1, ‘Behold, I will send my messenger; and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant.’[409] If the Jews expected Elias to come from heaven to the temple, how strongly would they have been confirmed in this opinion if they had seen a man fly from the temple in the air; and by this means John the Baptist, who was the Elias that was to come, should have been neglected, and Christ himself, though honoured as Elias, not owned for the Messiah.
Obs. 6. Observe then, That Satan’s designs are large, and that he projects the ensnaring or deluding of others by such temptations as seem only to concern those that are under the immediate trouble of them. He tempts Christ to cast himself down, and also by it, at least, intends a delusion to the Jews. He tempts one man upon the back of another. One is tempted to error; another by that man’s temptation is tempted to atheism and rejecting of all religion. One man is tempted to profaneness, another is tempted by that to an uncharitable disrespect of him. It is easy to multiply instance of this.
CHAPTER XIV.
That presumption was the chief design of this temptation.—Of tempting to extremes.—What presumption is.—The several ways of presuming.—The frequency of this temptation, in the generality of professors, in hypocrites, despairing persons, and in the children of God.—The reasons of Satan’s industry in this design.—His deceitful contrivance in bringing about this sin.—Preservatives against it.
Next to the preparation which Satan made for the second conflict, already explained, the temptation intended offers itself to our view, which is this, ‘Cast thyself down.’ What Satan chiefly intended by it, we may collect from Christ’s answer, as well as from the thing itself; for he thus replies, ‘It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.’ Christ doth not use this scripture to any such sense as this, that he should hereby prohibit Satan to tempt him because he was Satan’s Lord and God; but he mentioned this scripture as a rule of obedience: as if he should say, ‘I may not cast myself down, and so rely on extraordinary help, seeing I can go down another way;’ for the neglect of ordinary means, when we have them, is a tempting of God, which may not be done. So that it appears by this, that Satan here tempted Christ to presumption. There is only this objection in our way, that Deut. vi. 16, the place by Christ cited, refers to the temptation of the Israelites in Massah, mentioned Exod. xvii. 2, where they chide with Moses for water; and there it would seem their tempting the Lord was rather in despairing of his power and help than presuming in the neglect of the ordinary means. I answer, though the occasion and matter of that temptation be different from this of Christ’s, yet the presumptuous experiment that they there made of God’s presence and power was the same with this which Satan designed; for ver. 7, where the account of that tempting is given, it is said, ‘because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us or not?’ they put it to this issue, that the being and power of God should be tried by the giving or not giving of water. The manner, then, of that temptation being so agreeable to this, Christ very pertinently applies that command to it, presumption being the thing which Christ was tempted to. It might occasion some wonder in us to see Satan take such strange steps. He was before tempting him to despair, now to presumption; but it is no argument of his lightness or uncertain roving in his way of tempting, but rather of his depth and subtlety. Note then,