_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._—MAT. iv. 8.
_The manner of Satan’s shewing the kingdoms of the world.—Of Satan’s
preparations before the motion of sin.—Of his confronting the Almighty
by presumptuous imitation, and in what cases he doth so.—Of his
beautifying the object of a temptation, and how he doth it.—His way of
engaging the affections by the senses.—Of his seeming shyness._
This is the preparation to the third temptation; in which we have, (1.)
The place where it was acted; (2.) The object set before him there.
1. First, The place was an ‘exceeding high mountain.’ What mountain
it was, Nebo, Pisgah, or any other, it is needless to inquire. It
is of more use to ask after the reasons of Satan’s choice of such a
place. The text doth clearly imply one; that was the commodiousness of
prospect. Satan intending to give him a view of the kingdoms of the
world, chooseth a mountain as fittest for that end. But that this was
not all the reason, is not only intimated by some,[439] but positively
affirmed by others,[440] who think that Satan in this imitated the like
in God to Moses, who was called up to Mount Nebo to view the land which
God promised to Israel. Whether these circumstances of the mountain,
and the view of the kingdoms of the world, were of purpose contrived to
affront God by such an imitation, I will not be positive in it; but we
may with greater evidence affirm that in offering the kingdoms of the
world as things altogether in his disposal, he doth directly outbrave
God by an insolent comparison of his power with that of the Almighty’s,
whose is ‘the earth and the fulness of it,’ [Ps. xxiv. 1,] and to whom
the sovereignty of the disposal of it doth belong.
2. Secondly, That which Satan sheweth Christ from the mountain is
said to be ‘the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them.’ Here
some busy themselves to conjecture what kingdoms were thus pointed
at. Some keep so strictly to the word ‘all,’ that they are forced to
take up with that opinion, that all these temptations were only in
vision,[441] for they consider that no one mountain in the world can
give a prospect over one whole hemisphere, or if it could, yet no eye
would be able to discern at so great a distance. But the inconveniences
of this surmise have been pointed at before, and it is enough to
shew that the text may admit of an interpretation which shall not be
encumbered with this supposed impossibility.
Others restrain this to the land of Canaan, as if Satan only shewed
this as a famous instance of the glory of all kingdoms. Some think
the Roman empire, which was then most flourishing, and lifted up its
head above other kingdoms, was the great bait laid before Christ, as
if he had a design to divert Christ from the business of his office,
by offering him the seat and power of Antichrist.[442] But the text
runs not so favourably for any of these opinions as to constrain us
to stay upon them. ‘Kingdoms of the world’ seem to intend more than
Canaan or the Roman empire; the word κόσμος used here, and οἰκουμένη in
Luke, which we translate ‘the world,’ do so apply to one another in a
mutual accommodation, that we cannot stretch the ‘world’ to the largest
sense of the whole globe of the earth, because it is expressed in Luke
by οἰκουμένη, which signifies such a part of the world which is more
cultivated and honoured by inhabitants; nor can we so restrain it to
the Roman empire-though when they spake their apprehensions of their
own empire, they seem to engross all, Luke ii. 1—because Matthew useth
the word κόσμος, a word of greater freedom. It seems then that many
kingdoms, or the most considerable kingdoms of the then known world,
were here exposed to his sight. But then the difficulty still remains,
how the devil could shew them to his eye. That it was not a visionary
discovery to his mind, hath been said. Some think he shewed these
partly by ocular prospect of those cities, castles, towns, vineyards,
and fields that were near, as a compend of the whole, and partly by a
discourse of the glory, power, and extent of other kingdoms that were
out of the reach of the eye; but because the expression which Luke
adds, ‘in a moment of time’—ἐν στυγμῇ χρόνου—intimates, that the way
which Satan took was different from common prospecting or beholding,
others are not satisfied with that solution of the difficulty, but
fly to this supposition, that Satan used only juggling and delusion,
by framing an airy horizon before the eyes of Christ, shewing not the
kingdoms themselves, but a phantasm of his own making. But seeing this
might have been done in any place, and that a high mountain was chosen
for furthering the prospect, I think it is safest to conclude that
the prospect was ocular, and not fantastical but real, only helped
and assisted by Satan’s skill and art, as a great naturalist and as
a prince of the power of the air, by which means, in reflections or
extraordinary prospectives, he might discover things at vast distances;
which we may the rather fix upon, because we know what helps for
prospect art hath discovered by glasses and telescopes, by which the
bodies of the sun, moon, and planets, at such unspeakable distance
from us, have in this latter age been discovered to us beyond ordinary
belief.[443] And we have reason to think that Satan’s skill this way
far exceeds anything that we have come to the knowledge of, and so
might make real discoveries of countries far remote, more than we can
well imagine.
These things thus explained, I shall note several observations.
_Obs._ 1. First, If we consider this great preparation that Satan makes
as introductory to the temptation to follow, we may observe, _that
where Satan hath a special design, he projects and makes ready all
things relating to the temptation before he plainly utter his mind_. He
provides his materials before he builds, and lays his train before he
gives fire. What is his method we may learn from the practice of those
that are trained up in his service. They, in Rom. xiii. 14, are said to
‘make provision for the flesh’—πρόνοια—to fore-contrive their sins, and
to project all circumstances of time, place, occasion, and advantage
for their accomplishment. This is not to be understood of all sins, for
in some that are inward in the mind, as vain thoughts, pride of heart,
&c., there needs not such provisions. We may say of them their times
are always, and in many cases ‘the house is swept and garnished’ [Mat.
xii. 44] to his hand; he finds all things ready by the forwardness
of those who are free in his service, and the sudden accidental
concurrence of things. But where the temptation is solemn, and where
the thing designed, in the perfecting of it, relates to exterior acts,
there he useth this policy, to have all in readiness, though it cost
him the labour of ‘compassing sea and land’ for it, before he expressly
speak his purposes. His reasons are these:—
(1.) First, If things necessary for the encouragement and
accomplishment of a temptation _lay out of the way, and were not at
hand, his suggestions would perish as soon as they were born, and would
be rejected as impossible or inconvenient_. To tempt a man to steal
when he knows not where nor how, or to revenge when he hath no enemy
nor provocation, seem to be no other than if they should be commanded
to remove a mountain or to fly in the air, which would quickly be
declined as motions affording no ground of entertainment. And therefore
that his temptations may not bring a reason of refusal with them as
being unseasonable, he takes care to fit his servants with all things
requisite for the work he puts them upon.
(2.) Secondly, As temptations of this kind would be no temptations,
because not feasible, _without their preparations, so must we not
think that it is the bare suggestion of Satan that makes a temptation
to pierce_. The reason of its prevalency is not barely because
Satan breaks such a motion to us, but because such a motion comes
accomplished with all suitable preparations. When it prevails, it is
the sinful motion that wounds; but preparations are as the feathers
that wing his arrows, without which they would neither fly nor pierce.
_Applic._ Let this, (1.) First, _Renew our caution and suspicion in
everything and every place that Satan is at work against us, though we
see no visible snare_.
Let it put us upon such a watchful carefulness in every of our ways,
that we may resolve to undertake nothing for which we have not a good
and warrantable reason at hand, that if our conscience say to us, What
dost thou here? we may be able to give a good account.
(2.) Secondly, If we mind the behaviour of Satan in these preparations
and offers, _we see him act after the pattern of highest sovereignty,
disposing of earthly kingdoms at such a rate as if all power were in
his hand_. Hence we may observe,
_Obs._ 2. _That when Satan tempts to sin of highest contempt and
insolency against God, he then thinks it concerns him to bear himself
out by confronting the Almighty in imitating his authority and power._
This carriage of Satan is not to be found in all his temptations.
For in most cases he acts with greatest secrecy; and as a thief that
is afraid of discovery, he useth all ways possible for concealment;
but when he sets up himself as ‘the god of the world,’ and stands
in competition with the Lord, claiming an interest in the fear and
devotion of men, then he boldly avoucheth himself, and labours to
outvie God in point of greatness, that he might possess them with a
belief that he only ought to be feared. This arrogancy of Satan against
God may be seen in three things:—
[1.] First, _In imitating divine ordinances and institutions_. There
is not any part of divine worship, the observation whereof God hath
enjoined to men, but Satan hath set up something like it for himself.
As God appointed his temple, priests, altars, sacrifices, offerings,
tithes, sanctuaries, sacraments, &c., so hath Satan had his temples,
priests, altars, sacrifices, offerings, sanctuaries, sacraments, &c.
This is sufficiently known to any that read his histories; and I could
give a full account of it from heathen authors, but that I have done
already when I spoke of Satan’s subtlety in promoting idolatry in the
world. I shall only add here that which Varro relates[444] of the books
of Numa Pompilius, which were casually cast up by the plough of one
Terentius coming too near the sepulchre of Numa, where these books
had been buried. This Numa was the second king of the Romans, who
instituted the rites and ceremonies of pagan worship for his subjects,
and in these books, which he thought fit to conceal by burying them
with him, he had laid open the bottom of these devilish mysteries, so
that when they were brought to the senate, they, judging them unfit
to be known, adjudged them to the fire; which is a clear ground of
suspicion that he had there discovered so much of the causes of these
rites, or of the way whereby he came to be instructed in them, that
the public knowledge thereof consisted not with the interest of their
heathenish religion. This conjecture Austin hath of the matter,[445]
who also notes that Numa pretended familiar converse with the nymph
Ægeria as a plausible cover to that devilish art of _Hydromantia_, by
which he was instructed in ordering the ceremonies of idolatry which he
established.
[2.] Secondly, Satan, with no less arrogancy, takes upon him to imitate
God _in his acts of power for the countenancing of his worship in
the world_. He had his miracles frequently, of which I have spoken
elsewhere; so had he his oracles, as at Delphos and other places. Here
it shall suffice to note that, as the sending the Lord Jesus into the
world, furnished with such power of doing miracles for the confirmation
of that office and authority which he had received from God for the
redemption of man, was the highest instance that can be given of the
mighty power, wisdom, and goodness of God; so Satan set himself with
greatest industry to imitate that. Christ was almost no sooner ascended
to the Father, but we hear of Simon Magus, Acts viii. 9, who was cried
up as an instance of ‘the great power of God;’ and after that at Rome
he gave out that he was God, confirming the people in such a belief,
by the strange things which he there did among them, that a statue
was erected for his honour, with this inscription, ‘To Simon, a great
god.’[446] Long after this the devil raised up Apollonius Tyanæus, a
man of an abstemious and commendable life. Him the devil did design
to match Christ in his miracles, which were so many and so strange,
that Philostratus doth not only compare him to Christ, but prefer him
as the more honourable person. Christ himself foretold this stratagem
of Satan, that he should raise up ‘false Christs’ with ‘lying signs
and wonders.’ And to omit instances of former days, it is not beyond
the memory of most of you, that the devil renewed this policy in
James Nayler, who, in a blasphemous imitation of Christ’s riding to
Jerusalem, rode to Bristol with a great company before him, crying,
‘Holy, holy,’ and ‘Hosanna to the son of David,’ and strewing the way
with branches of trees. The authority that was then, taking notice
of this and other blasphemous outrages, sentenced him to exemplary
punishment; but here also the devil renewed his mockery, for a certain
citizen of London of good note, being overcome with delusion, printed a
book of Nayler’s sufferings, wherein the devil had opportunity to vent
his malice more fully, for he compared all the parts of his punishment
to the sufferings of Christ; his whipping, he said, was that it might
be fulfilled which was spoken by Matthew, ‘And Pilate delivered him
to be scourged;’ his stigmatizing, he said, was that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, ‘His visage was marred more
than any man’s;’ the boring of his tongue with a hot iron, he said,
was the fulfilling of that, and they ‘crucified him;’ and after other
particulars of comparison, in all which he equalled him to Christ, he
at last takes notice that the multitude of spectators held off their
hats while his tongue was bored through, a thing common in a crowd to
give opportunity of sight to those that are behind, and to this act he
applies that of the evangelists, ‘The vail of the temple was rent from
the top to the bottom.’
[3.] Thirdly, _In acts of empire and sovereignty he imitates God_,
that is, as God propounds himself as the only Lord God, and enjoins
himself to be worshipped accordingly by promises of advantage in
case of obedience, and threatenings of miseries and plagues in case
of disobedience; so doth Satan set up himself in the world as god to
be adored and worshipped, and him do all idolaters worship, as God
testifies: Deut. xxxii. 17, ‘They sacrificed unto devils, not to God:’
Ps. cvi. 37, ‘They sacrificed their sons and daughters unto devils:’ 1
Cor. x. 20, ‘The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice
to devils, and not to God.’ And though it be true that many of these
blind worshippers did not formally worship the devil, but thought they
had worshipped God, yet by such cunning did he engage them to take
up with ways of worship of his prescribing, that it was in reality a
service done to him. But, besides this, in those places of the world
where he hath greater power, he formally propounds himself to be
worshipped, and doth accordingly often appear to them in a visible
shape; so that many of these blind heathens acknowledge two gods,
one good and another cruel and hurtful, which latter they say they
must worship, lest he destroy or harm them. By this Satan contests
with God for an empire in the world; and to promote it the more he
sometimes deals by fair promises of riches, advancement, pleasure, and
such other baits, to allure men to his professed service. Thus are
witches drawn to a compact with him. Thus Sylvester the Second gave up
himself to the devil for the popedom, and so did several others. When
this is not enough to prevail, he adds menacings, and breathes forth
cruel threatenings, by which means many heathens are kept in awe by
him and worship him, _ne noceat_, for no other reason but to preserve
themselves from hurt by him. In this temptation he propounds himself to
Christ as the object of divine worship, and boasts of the kingdoms of
the world as things of his disposal; by which he seeks to draw him to
fall down before him.
This course Satan takes for these reasons:—
First, _As this proud and malicious ostentation of his power is some
kind of satisfaction to his revengeful humour against God_; so,
Secondly, _He doth hereby raise up himself and his wicked institutions
of idolatry into credit and esteem with men_. Thirdly, _As this is
a mockery to true religion, and a scorn cast upon the ways of God’s
service, to bring it into disgrace and discredit_; so, Fourthly, _By
this means he hardens the hearts of men against God_. This was the
consideration by which Pharaoh hardened his heart. When Moses turned
his rod into a serpent, changed waters to blood, and did so many signs
before him, his magicians did the like; upon which the king might
thus reason with himself, that Moses had no other power but what his
magicians had, though he might think him a more skilful magician; and
therefore there was no reason to believe his message as being from God,
seeing his miracles might be no other than the effect of his art to
countenance a pretended command from heaven.
_Applic._ This insolency of Satan may inform us, First, _Of the great
patience of God_, that sees these outrageous mockings, and yet doth not
by a strong hand put a stop to them. Secondly, _Of the great power and
pride of Satan_, that he both can—though not without permission from
God—and dare attempt things of this nature. Thirdly, _The great power
of delusion_, that can so blind men, that they not only are drawn to
act a part in such designs, but believe confidently a divine impulse
and heavenly warrant for their so doing. Fourthly, _The miserable
slavery of such vassals of Satan_ that are thus led by him, who are
therefore sadly to be pitied and lamented, as being under such strong
chains of captivity.
_Obs._ 3. Thirdly, _We cannot pass by the art which the devil here
useth to set off the temptation, and to make it plausible_. He sets
before him the world in all its glory. Here observe, _That Satan, in
his temptations to worldly pleasures, doth usually paint the object
with all its utmost beauty_.
When I have sometime observed a mountebank upon a stage, giving
excessive commendations of a trivial medicine, asserting it good
almost for every disease, and with a great many lies and boastings
enforcing it upon the credulous multitude, it hath put me in mind of
this spiritual mountebankery of the devil. How doth he gull and delude
the foolish by laying out the pleasures of sin! and no otherwise doth
he keep them at a gazing admiration of worldly pomp, delights, and
satisfaction, which he promiseth them from iniquity, than the serpent
Scytale doth with passengers, whom she stays, by amazing them with her
beautiful colours, till she have stung them.[447] The art of Satan in
this matter lies in four things:—
[1.] First, _If there be anything that can be called a delight, or may
any way conduce to a satisfaction in any sin, he will be sure to speak
of it in its highest praises_. He not only stretcheth his rhetoric to
the height in giving commendations to the most noted pleasures that men
propound to themselves, but he seeks out the hidden things of delight,
and raiseth in men an itch of desire after the improvement of delight,
by the contrivances of wit or art. Thus he tells them of jollity,
ravishing mirth, high satisfaction, and, if they will believe him, of
unspeakable delight to be had by giving themselves up to the world and
the course of it. Nay, he hides nothing that will bear any praise; the
least advantage, the smallest gratification that any sin can afford to
human desire, he will be sure to speak of it.
[2.] Secondly, _He carries on this design by lying_. He promiseth
more than ever sin can give, and he sends his proselytes out after
sin under the highest expectations, and when they come to enjoy it,
they often find the pleasure falls short of his boast. He whispers
honours, preferments, and riches, in the ear of their hearts, and often
pays them with poverty and disgraces, and gives them _pro thesauro
carbones_, stones for bread, a serpent for a fish. Witches give
frequent accounts of Satan’s lying promises; he tells them of feasts,
of gold, of riches, but they find themselves deluded; he sends them oft
hungry away from those banquets, so that they have no more than when a
man dreams he eats. He gives that which seems gold in appearance, but
at last they find it to be slates or shells. We find in this temptation
he is liberal and large in his offers to Christ, and what he requires
he will have in present payment, but the reward for the service is
future. It is his business to engage men in sin by his promise of
advantage, but being once engaged, he takes not himself concerned in
honour or ingenuity for performance. Hence doth the Scripture fitly
call the pleasures of sin ‘lying vanities,’ a ‘vain show,’ a ‘dream;’
thereby warning men from a forward belief of Satan’s promises, in
that they find by experience they shall be at last but lies and
disappointments.
[3.] Thirdly, To make his bait more taking, _he conceals all the
inconveniences that may attend these worldly delights_. He offers
here the kingdoms of the world to Christ, as if all were made up of
pleasure. Those cares, troubles, and vexations that attend greatness
and rule, he mentions not; their burden, hazard, and disquiet, he
passeth over. Thus in common temptations he is careful to hide from men
the miseries that follow these empty pleasures. So that often men do
not consider the mischief, till ‘a dart strike through their liver,’
Prov. vii. 23, and till a dear-bought experience doth inform them of
their mistakes.
[4.] Fourthly, _His power and work upon the fancies of men, is none of
the least of his ways whereby he advanceth the pleasures of sin_. That
he hath such a power, hath been discoursed before, and that a fancy
raised to a great expectation makes things appear otherwise than what
they are, is evident from common experience. The value of most things
depends rather upon fancy than the internal worth of them, and men are
more engaged to a pursuit of things by the estimation which fancy hath
begat in their minds, than by certain principles of knowledge. Children
by fancy have a value of their toys, and are so powerfully swayed by
it, that things of far greater price cannot stay their designs, nor
divert their course. Satan knows that the best of men are sometimes
childish, apt to be led about by their conceits, and apt in their
conceits to apprehend things far otherwise than what they are in truth.
Hence is it, as one observes,[448] that of thousands of men that return
from Jerusalem, or from Mount Sion, or from the river Jordan, scarce
can we find one which brings back the admiration which he had conceived
before he had seen them. Fancy doth pre-occupate the mind with a high
opinion of things; and these exorbitant imaginations pass to such an
excess, that men think to find a satisfaction beyond the nature of
these pleasures they aim at, which hath these two inconveniences: the
one, that this affects and draws as powerfully as if they were all as
real and high as they are conceited to be; the other, that sight and
fruition takes away the estimation, and by a disappointment doth deaden
and dull the affections to what may be really found there. Thus Satan
by one deceit makes men believe that sin hath pleasure, which indeed it
hath not, and by that belief leads them on powerfully to endeavour an
embracement of them, and at last urgeth them with a delusion.
_Applic._ In opposition to this deceit of the devil, we must learn to
esteem worldly delights as low as he would value them high. And to
this purpose the Scripture speaks of them in undervaluing language,
calling worldly pomp an opinion, a fantasy, a fashion or figure, an
imagination rather than a reality; and further enjoins us not to admire
these things in others, not to envy them that enjoyment of them, nor to
fret at our want of them, much less to be transported with any angry
passion about them, nor to concern ourselves in any earnest pursuit of
them.[449]
_Obs._ 4. Fourthly, _Satan in this temptation did not bravely speak of
these things, nor only make an offer in discourse, but he thought it
most conducible to his design to present them to his sight_. He knew
full well that the heart is more affected by sensible discoveries than
by rational discourses.
Note here, _That Satan in temptations of worldly pleasure, endeavours
to engage the affections by the senses_.
That it is Satan’s great business to work upon the affections, I have
shewed at large. Here he endeavoured to prepare the affections of
Christ, that so the motion, when it came, might not die, as a spark
falling upon wet tinder, but that the affections being stirred up might
cherish the offer, and that the offer by a mutual warmth might more
inflame the affections that were heated before.
To this end he works by the senses, and would have Christ’s eye to
raise his affections of love, desire, hope, and whatever else might
wing his soul to activity. There is a great connexion betwixt the
senses and the affections. The senses bring intelligence unavoidably,
and are apt to stir up our powers to action. As the jackal is said to
hunt the prey for the lion, so do the senses for the affections, and
both for Satan.
It is also remarkable that Satan, endeavouring to make the eyes of
Christ traitors to his affections, and that he thinking it necessary to
give him a view of what he proffered him, should not give him time to
take a full survey of these kingdoms, but should huddle it up in such a
haste, that all, as Luke tells us, was done in ‘a moment of time.’ Was
Satan in haste? or was he unwilling to part with what he so liberally
proffered? Surely no, but this transient view was his subtlety, to
entice him the more, and to inflame his heart with greater desires.
_Obs._ 5. Observe then, _That where Satan is most liberal in his
proffers, he there manageth his overtures of advantage with a seeming
shyness_. And this he doth, _First_, To heighten the worth of them in
our estimation, as if they were jewels not to be gazed at, or curious
pieces not fit to be exposed to common view. _Secondly_, By this art he
makes men more eager in the pursuit. Our natural curiosity presseth us
with great earnestness after things of difficult access, and we have
also strange desires kindled in us from a prohibition, so that what
we list not to choose if we have a liberty of enjoyment, when we are
forbidden, we are troubled with impatient longings for it, and cannot
be at quiet till we do enjoy it: _nitimur in vetitum_.
When Satan makes nice with men, offering the pleasures of the world,
and yet hedging up the way with difficulties, they should make no other
construction of it, but that Satan doth, so far as he is concerned,
more strongly entice them. He plays at peep with them, that he may make
them more earnest to follow him, and to bid high for the possession of
these delights.
Malo me Galatea petit, ...
Et fugit ad salices, et se cupit ante videri.