[4.] Fourthly, It is a courageous hatred that cannot suffer a sinful motion to fall upon the soul, but it puts all into a combustion within, and raiseth disquiet; for it is an argument that there is a contrariety betwixt the heart and sin; but this is their case also.
[5.] Fifthly, It is courage and constancy to hold on in gracious endeavours and strivings; so that when they fall, as soon as they can re-collect their strength they set on where they left, and renew the battle, never changing their first resolve for holiness against sin. This is implied in the apostle’s phrase of ‘standing,’—Eph. vi., ‘That ye may withstand, and when ye have done all, to stand.’ He is accounted to stand that runs not out of the field, but stands to his holy resolve to the last, though the battle go sore against him by fits; but such are these mourners.
There is true courage under mourning and disquiet of heart, so that we may say to such, ‘O thou afflicted and tossed,’ fear not, ‘the glory of the Lord shall shine upon thee,’ [Isa. lx. 1.] They that are weak in this sense shall be strong as David.
CHAPTER XXIII.
The second direction, that temptations are not to be disputed.—The several ways of disputing a temptation.—In what cases it is convenient and necessary to dispute with Satan.—In what cases inconvenient, and the reasons of it.
The next thing observable in Christ’s carriage to Satan is this, that Christ, though he rejected every temptation by giving a reason of his refusal from the command of God, did not suffer Satan to dispute his temptations further than the first proposal, and in his answers he takes no notice of the reasons or motives by which he laboured to make his temptations prevailing. In the two first temptations he gives no reply to what Satan insinuated by his supposition, ‘If thou be the Son of God,’ neither by affirming that he was so, nor discovering to him his knowledge of the secret subtlety which he had wrapped up under these plausible pretences. In the third he answers not a word to the vanity and falsehood of his deceitful offer of ‘the kingdoms of the world,’ though, as hath been observed, he might have opposed strong reasons against them all; and besides, when Satan became insolent and impudent in tempting Christ ‘to fall down and worship him,’ he chaseth him away with a severe abomination, ‘Get thee hence, Satan;’ from which we have a second direction, which is this:—
Direct. 2. That temptations to sin are to be opposed by peremptory denials rather than by disputings.
This is a note which most commentators have on this place; but it stands in need of a distinct application, because it is not a rule so general but that the practice of God’s children have made exception against it. For the clearer explanation of it, I shall,
1. First, Give you the several kinds of disputings, by which we may see that all are not alike; for,