Dæmonologia Sacra; or, A Treatise of Satan's Temptations / In Three Parts

by Richard Gilpin

Of Christ’s answer in the general.—That these temptations were upon design for our instruction.—Of the agreement betwixt Eph. vi. and Mat. iv.—The first direction.—Of courageous resolves in resisting temptations.—Its consistency with some kind of fear.—The necessity of this courage.—Wherein it consists; and that there is a courage in mourning spirits.

These answers of Christ to the several temptations, which are now to be explained, are different as to their matter, yet the general purport of them being the same, I shall therefore handle them together. They may be considered two ways:—

1. First, As they are fit and pertinent answers to particular temptations, of distrust, of presumption, of debauching the heart by worldly delights to the service of Satan; and thus may they be useful in their consideration, to those who are directly moved by Satan to such sins. And when at any time we are tempted in straits to cast away our reliance upon the careful providence of God, we may look upon Christ’s answer, that man’s life doth not so depend upon the usual means, but that any other thing blessed by divine appointment may be useful to that end. When we are enticed to presume of extraordinary supports, then by Christ’s example the temptation may be resisted, by considering, that however God be to be trusted, yet he is at no time to be tempted by unnecessary expectations in the neglect of the ordinary means. If our hearts be wooed by worldly delights to cast off our care of God and religion, we may then call to mind that this is abominable idolatry, and so may we turn off our hearts from sinful compliance by charging our souls with the opposite duties, upon a true discovery of the vileness and inconvenience of the transgressions urged upon us.

2. But, secondly, They may be considered as they give instruction for the management of our spiritual armour against all Satan’s wiles in the general; and in this sense I shall endeavour to open them, laying down first these two conclusions:—

(1.) First, That the whole business of these temptations, as permitted to Satan, and submitted unto by Christ, was certainly upon design. The same wisdom that contrived the wonderful method of the salvation of men by a Redeemer, did also order these temptations; for else Christ could have prevented them, or by a divine authority commanded silence to the tempter, and by his power might have chased him away. As Christ told Pilate, ‘Thou couldst have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above,’ [John xix. 11;] thereby manifesting that his suffering was from a higher design than he was aware of; so might he have said to the devil, ‘Except this had been designed by an eternal counsel, thou couldst not have made this attempt.’ So that we must look further for the spring and rise of this, than to any supposed occasional outbreaking of satanical malice upon him.

(2.) Secondly, That this design, however it touched upon the person and offices of Christ, as mediator and second Adam, for thus it became him to overcome the enemy at the same weapon by which he overcame our first parents, and by this personal experience, to be fitted with feeling compassions to the tempted, yet was it wholly for our sakes, as may appear by two things:—

[1.] First, In that Christ, if his answers had only concerned himself, might have given other fit replies to the first temptation, of turning stones to bread. He could have retorted the argument upon Satan, as Jerome and others observe.[472] If I am not the Son of God, it is in vain to require a miracle of me. If I am, it is in vain to tempt me. Or he might have answered, ‘That as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself, and that by this divine power he could sustain himself without bread.’[473] To the second it might have been a sufficient answer to have excepted against his unfaithfulness in citing that testimony out of Ps. xci., where, by discovering his wilful omission of the clause, ‘in all thy ways;’ ‘He shall keep thee in all thy ways;’ his temptation might have fallen to the ground, as no way encouraged from that promise. To the third might have been returned such answers as these: that Satan’s offer was a lie; that it was not in his power to dispose of the kingdoms of the world—that these were Christ’s already; that these were vain arguments to draw him from the glory of a heavenly kingdom; and finally, that of all creatures Satan, being God’s sworn enemy, had least reason to expect divine honour.

[2.] Secondly, In that all Christ’s answers were from Scripture, which is properly a ‘light to the steps of men,’ and all these scriptures cited shew man’s duty. He saith not, ‘the Son of God shall not live by bread alone,’ but ‘man lives not by bread alone;’ he saith not, Christ must not tempt, but thou, man, shalt not tempt the Lord thy God, &c. By all which we may discern that Christ answered not by arguments peculiarly agreeable to his person and nature, but by such as suit the general state of God’s children. And this certainly was for our advantage. He conquered with such weapons, not for any necessity that he had to take that course, but for the need that we had of such instruction; for hereby we see that Satan is conquerable, and also how we must use our weapons.[474] In this also he left us ‘an example, that we should follow his steps;’ as Gideon said to his soldiers, ‘As you see me do, so do you likewise,’ [Judges vii. 17.] Thus, as it were, doth our Lord speak to us: For your sakes suffered I these temptations, that I might teach your hands to war, and your fingers to fight; for your sakes I used these weapons of yours, rather than my own, that I might shew you the use of your sword and shield, and how your adversary may be overcome by them; dealing herein with us as a master at arms,—it is Musculus’s comparison,—who, for the better instructing and animating of his tyro, takes rather his disciple’s sword than his own, to beat his adversary withal, minding not only the conquest of an enemy, but also the encouragement of a young soldier.[475]

If any carry a suspicion in their mind that Christ had not our instruction so much in his eye as hath been said, because he gives not such particular instructions for our spiritual welfare[476] as the apostle in Eph. vi., expecting that our Saviour should have been more punctual in making particular applications from every part of his carriage to our use, and drawing out from thence some positive conclusions or draughts of the way and manner of resistance, they may know that there is no other difference betwixt Eph. vi. and Mat. iv. than there is betwixt precept and example. What the apostle there prescribed in the theory, here Christ teacheth in the practice; here we have in their use the girdle of truth, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, the helmet of salvation, and all the other parts of that armour; and withal we may know that this is a far more advantageous way of teaching young beginners, to let them see things in a plain example, than only to give general precepts. But besides, we are to consider that Christ did many things, the meaning whereof the disciples then present with him did not know as yet, neither was it expected from them that they should; like to what he said to Peter, John xiii. 7, ‘What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter;’ but were intended to be laid up in store to be more fully made use of, as after-directions should come in to give them information. He therefore that had purposed to give further light in this matter by his apostle and servant, was now doing that which his design led him to in his personal actings, with a secret respect also to those instructions which he intended after to communicate. We have then no reason to be jealous that these temptations were not intended for our use, but the more to assure ourselves that it was even so, because we find that those very weapons which here Christ in his own person wielded against Satan, are afterwards recommended to us.

Having thus laid the foundation, we must then, if we will imitate our captain, carefully observe his deportment from point to point, that we may draw out those instructions which he intended for us.