24, 29-32.

ship, yet he caused the mariners to "cut the ropes," and to cast Acts 27.23, anchor; nay, when some would have gone out by boat, he would not let them. So here Christ answereth that howsoever Angels attend on Him He may not tempt God.

V. Now follow the reasons why we may not tempt God. There be two sorts of tempting; the one by ignorance, the other by unbelief. It is the manner of chirurgeons, when they are to dress a wound, and know not how far nor which way it goeth, to tent it. In the same manner is God, after the manner of men, said to tempt us; sometimes "to prove what is in our hearts, and whether we will keep His commandments," as

He did the Israelites forty years. To this end He both "made Deut.8.2,3. them hungry, and fed them with manna." We sometimes tempt God as if the arm of His power had received a wound,

or His eye a hurt, as if He could not help or discern our wants as well as before, because He brings us not "water out Nu. 20. 10. of the rock." But such miracles now are not agreeing with His will, which must content us. "He will have mercy on whom Rom.9.18. He will have mercy." And we must not "despise the riches Rom. 2. 4. of His bounteousness, and patience, and long-suffering, which leadeth to repentance." "The Lord's hand is not shortened [Isa.59.1.] that He cannot save, nor His ear heavy that it cannot hear;" because He doth not reprove us, "we think Him like us." Ps. 50. 21. When God holds His peace, we think His tongue is cut; But I will not always hold My peace, saith God. But how Mal. 4. 6. shall I know this," say men now-a-days? as Zacharias knew Lu. 1. 18. his wife was with child, who, when he would not believe the Angel that told him so but would needs have a sign, was stricken dumb. “Behold thou shalt be dumb till the day." [Lu. 1.20.] Here is a sign for incredulity; he had been as good have believed without a sign.

The second kind of tempting proceedeth of over-much familiarity, when as we think we may be bold with God, and that He will take it in good part, and therefore we will put Him to it, as we say; we will try both Him and His Angels, what metal is in them and what they can do. We are to think upon the name of God as of a heavy and weighty thing, that is not upon every small occasion to be taken up and removed. We are not to account it as a feather that we may

now added in A.

V.

SERM. lightly toss up and down at our pleasure; and even so are we to esteem of the mercy of God. It is not to be advocated Ex. 7. 11. upon every vain trifle, for that were to use God as we are wont to use our jugglers. Come on, let us see what you can [Lu. 9.9.] do, show us a miracle, say they. So Herod "desired to see" Christ, that he might see "some miracle" of Him, as in Lukc the twenty-third chapter and eighth verse. It is a heavy case when men stand thus affected toward God, when afterwards in Luke the twenty-second chapter and sixty-fourth verse they blindfolded Him, and bade IIim read who struck Ilim. We ourselves would not be so used, we could not endure to see our friends used so. How much less ought we to use God in that manner especially that attribute, quality, or property of God, which of all others He would have to be most magnified, that is, His mercy!

He must needs take it very heinously to see that abused, since of all the rest He makes most account of it. Howsoever He could be content to "serve," yet would He not be a servant Isa. 43. 24. to our “sins" in any case, especially not to be made a packhorse, if I may so say, for our sins to load on even till His Amos 2.13. back ache. He saith, that He "is pressed under us, as a cart is pressed that is under sheaves." Let us not make a dungcart of God's mercy, let us forbear Him that service of all other.

VI. The sixth is, that none of these Dominum Deum tuum, neither Lord nor God, nor that He is thine, are fit arguments to prove that we may presume upon Him. The devil belike had perceived that there was some acquaintance between Christ and God, and peradventure had said unto Him, You may be bold with Him and with His Angels. What? He is Your Father, and as Cæsar's daughter answered, that though he forget himself to be Cæsar, yet do not You forget to be His Son. No, saith Christ, these be no good arguments to make one presume. As for Dominus, we will all grant I am sure there is small matter of presumption in that. In Deus there may be some more colour, but yet very little. It is no good dealing with one that is mightier than ourselves, lest he happen not to take it in good part, but fall to earnest and so we feel the smart. We were not best to make sport with [Judg. 16. Samson, lest he pull the house about our ears and so make 25, 29, 30.] 1 Cor. 10. us pay dearly for our pastime. Paul saith, "Do we provoke

the Lord to anger? Are we stronger than He?" If we will needs tempt, we were best tempt with our matches. There is no dealing with fire, for it will burn all that toucheth it; His Angels and "ministers" are a " flame of fire:" but Hebrews Heb. 1. 7. the twelfth chapter and twenty-ninth verse it is said, "Our God is even a consuming fire." Indeed, if IIe were like Dagon, the Philistines' god, He might be set up and taken down, and we might break IIis neck and hands at our pleasure; but being the strong and mighty God of Hosts, we were best take heed how we deal with Him.

Tuum, what say we to that? An ungracious child might make that an argument of presumption, but whosoever is of ab good nature will make it an argument of the contrary. Isaac was Jacob's father, but was Jacob more bold to abuse him for that? No, but rather more timorous, "My father," saith he, "may chance feel me, and so I shall seem to him a Gen.27.12. mocker, and so bring a curse on me, and not a blessing." Is God merciful? Yea truly, "mercy is with Thee, but that Ps. 130. 4. Thou mayest be feared;" we may not abuse His mercy, as to "sin that grace may abound." Is He bountiful and long- Rom. 6. 1. suffering? We must therefore the more fear to displease Him. When the Pharisees tempted Him, and would adventure their souls in seeking a sign, it is said, "Christ sighed." Mar. 8. 12. And why did He sigh? Because God "sware in His wrath that they should never enter into His rest," whose fathers Ps. 95. 11. tempted Him in the wilderness. What rest? He doth not mean the rest in the land of Canaan only, but that which Heb.3.11; shall be in the kingdom of God.

4. 9.

These two temptations of the devil may fitly be compared to those two rocks between which Jonathan was to pass, which are said to be "sharp." One is called "Bozez," which 1Sam. 14.4. signifieth dirt; the other "Seneh," which signifieth a bramble,

13.

or some sharp prick; between which, he and his armour-bearer 1 Sam. 14. were fain to clamber up. Between two such rocks lieth our way, that is, presumption and desperation: therefore blessed is he that so loveth God, that he can be content to creep on hands and feet to Him.

bany A.

SEVEN SERMONS

UPON THE

TEMPTATION OF CHRIST IN THE
WILDERNESS.

SERMON VI.

SERM.

VI.

Lu. 4. 13.
Joh. 16. 16.

MATTHEW iv. 8, 9.

Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

And saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me.

[Iterum assumpsit Eum diabolus in montem excelsum valde, et ostendit
Ei omnia regna mundi, et gloriam eorum ;

Et dixit Ei, Hæc omnia Tibi dabo, si cadens adoraveris me. Lat.
Vulg.]

[Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and
sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
And saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall
down and worship me. Eng. Trans.]

Ar the first overthrow, we had the first "again;" and when Christ overthrew him then also, yet would not the devil leave then neither, but he cometh with his second "again;" he comes "again" and "again." The first "again" was an argument of his courage and stomach; this second is an argument of his importunity.

The first repulse could not drive him away, nor the second neither; no, nor this third for altogether; for Luke saith, "he departed for a season." So that as Christ saith, "After a while ye shall see Me, and after a while you shall not see Me;" so saith the devil also, After a while you shall not see

me, and again, after a while you shall see me. Which teacheth us this lesson: that it is not enough to have prevailed against his temptations twice or thrice, and so become secure; but we are alway to stand upon our guard, knowing how the devil will successively every turning of a hand be with us, and that while we live we shall never be at rest with him; or if he tempt us not, we shall be in as bad or worse case. For so long as the Lord left other nations among the Israelites "to prove them by," and to be pricks to their sides, it went well Judg. 3. 1. enough with them; but when they began to live in some security (having for the most part subdued them) then grew they to mutual dissension. It is the greatest temptation to be without temptation. Therefore Paul had "the messenger of 2Cor. 12. 7. Satan to buffet him;" for then follows the pressing of God by prayers. But whether we join hands with Satan or resist him, we shall be sure he will set upon us and try by fair means what he can do. Or if we say nay, yet in the end he will weary us, as Delilah did Samson, who, because she was importunate, "his soul was pained to the death," and then he Judg. 16. told her. Or if we will be obstinate in rejecting his temptations, giving him at the first a peremptory refusal, then he will go another way to work, as to imagine some device against us, and "smite us with the tongue;" he will be rough Jer. 18.18. with us. If none of these will prevail, he will persuade us we must be like other men, and that is as profitable or pleasant to us; and then say Samuel what he can, “we will have a king.” 1 Sam.8.19. And when we have yielded once, "then goes he" to fetch com- Lu. 11. 26. pany, "and takes unto him seven worse spirits than himself." So "the last state of that man is worse than the first." Give but an inch, and he will take an ell; if he can get in but an arm, he will make shift to shove in his whole body. As we see, if the point of a nail have once made entry the rest will soon in.

16.

We see an example of his encroaching even in David. 2Sam.11.4. After he had once made him commit adultery by some mean degrees with Bathsheba, see how he draws him on from one wickedness to another. She was with child; her husband, being in the service of God and the king, was by the king murdered to hide her shame and satisfy his lust. So did he

⚫ tolls A.