Chapter 10. A Brief Application of the Point in Two Branches

Use 1 THis affords a reason why God suffers his dear children to fall into temptation, because he is able to out-shoot Satan in his own bowe, and in the thing wherein he thinks to outwit the Christian to be above him. God will not only be admired by his Saints in glory for his love in their salvation, but for his wisdom in the way to it. The love of God in saving them will be the sweet draught at the marriage-feast, and the rare wisdom of God in effecting this, as the curious workmanship with which the cup shall be enamel'd. Now wisdom appears most in untying knots, and wading through difficulties. The more crosse wards there are in a businesse, the more wisdom to fit a key to the lock, to make choice of such means as shall meet with the several turnings in the same. On purpose therefore does God suffer such temptations to intervene, that his wisdom may be the more admired in opening all these, and leading his Saints that way to glory, by which Satan thought to have brought them to hell. The Israelites are bid remember all the way that God led them in the wilderness for fourty years, Deuteronomy 8:2. The History of these warres (Christian) will be pleasant to reade in heaven, though bloody to fight on earth. Moses and Elias talk't with Christ on Tabor, (an Embleme of the sweet communion which shall passe between Christ and his Saints in glory,) and what was their talk, Luke 9:30. but of his death and sufferings? It seems a discourse of our sufferings and temptations, are not too low a subject for that blisseful state. Indeed this left out, would make a blemish in the faire face of Heavens glory. Could the damned forget the way they went into hell, how oft the Spirit of God was wooing, and how far they were overcome by the conviction of it; in a word, how many turnes and returnes there were in their journey forward and backward, what possibilities, yea, probabilities they had for heaven, when on earth; were but some hand so kinde as to blot these tormenting passages out of their memories, it would ease them wonderfully. So were it possible glorified Saints could forget the way, wherein they went to glory, and the several dangers that interven'd from Satan, and their own back-sliding hearts, they and their God too would be losers by it, I mean in regard of his manifestative glory. What is the glory wherein God appears at Zions deliverance? those royal garments of salvation, that make him so admired of men and Angels? but the celebration of all his Attributes, according to what every one has done towards their salvation. Now wisdom being that which the creature chiefly glories in, (and chosen by Satan for his first bait, who made Eve believe she should be like God in knowledge and wisdom) therefore God, to give Satan the more shameful fall, gives him leave to use his wits and wiles in tempting and troubling his children, in which lies his great advantage over the Saints, that so the way to his own Throne (where his Wisdom shall at last, as well as his mercy sit in all its Royalty) may be paved with the sculls (as I may so speak) of devils.

Use 2 Secondly, this gives a strong cordial to our fainting faith, in the behalf of the Church of Christ. If all the devils wits and wiles will not serve him to overcome one single souldier in Christs Camp, much lesse shall he ever ruine the whole Army. These are days of great confusions in the Christian world, and the chief feare of a gracious heart is for the Ark, lest that should fall into the enemies hand, (and when this Palladium is taken, the City of God (his Church,) be trod under the feet of pride,) I confesse Satan seems to get ground daily; he has strangely wrigled into the bosomes and principles of many, who by the fame of their Profession and zeal, had obtained in the opinion of others, to be reckoned among the chief of Christs Worthies in their generation. He has sadly corrupted the truths of Christ, brought a dis-esteem on Ordinances, (that by this, and as a judgment for this, the wombe of the Gospel is become in a great measure barren, and her children which hang upon her breasts, thrive not in love and holiness as of old, when the milk was not so much nor that so spiritfull) he has had advantage by the divisions of the godly, to harden those that are wicked into a further disdain of Religion, and by the bloody wars of late years, to boile up the wrath of the Popish and profane crue to a higher pitch of rage and fury against Christs little remnant then ever: so that if ever God should suffer the sword to fall into their hand, they are disciplin'd and fitted to play the bloody butchers on Christs sheep above their fore-fathers, (neither are they so crest-fallen, but that they can hope for such a day, yea, take up some of those joyes upon trust afore-hand to solace themselves, while the rest follow.) And now (Christian) may be their confidence, together with the distracted state of Christs affaires in the world, may discompose your Spirit, concerning the issue of these rolling Providences that are over our heads, but be still, poor heart, and know that the contest is not between the Church and Satan, but between Christ and him. These are the two Champions. Stand now, O ye Army of Saints, still by faith, to see the All-wise God wrestle with a subtil devil. If you live not to see the period of these great confusions, yet generations after you shall behold the Almighty smite off this Geliah's head with his own sword, and take this cunning hunter in the toile of his own policies, that says which ascribes greatness and wisdom to God, will shrink up Satans subtilty into a nigrum nihil, a thing of nothing. Incredulitiment diabolum, quasi leonem, qui fide fortes despiciunt quasi vermiculum. Bern. Unbelief feares Satan as a Lion, faith trends on him as a worme Behold therefore your God at work, and promise your self that what he is about, will be an excellent piece. None cn drive him from his work. The Pilot is beaten from the helme, and can do little in a storme, but lets the ship go a drift. The Architect cannot work, when night drawes the curtaine, yea, is driven off the Scaffold with a storme of raine, such Workmen are the wisest Counsellours and mightiest Princes on earth. A pinch may come, when it is as vain to say, Help O King, as, Help O beggar; mans wisdom may be level'd with folly, but God is never interrupted. All the plots of hell and commotions on earth, have not so much as shak't Gods hand, to spoile one letter or line that he has been drawing. The mysteriousnesse of his Providence may hang a curtain before his work, that we cannot see what he is doing, but then when darkness is about him, righteousnesse is the seat of his Throne for ever. O. where's our faith (Sirs!) let God be wise, and all men and devils fools. What though you seest a Babel more likely to go up, then a Babylon to be pull'd down, yet believe God is making his secret approaches, and will clap his ladders on a sudden to the walls thereof: Suppose truth were Prisoner with Joseph, and errour the Courtier, to have its head lift up by the favor of the times, yet doest not remember that the way to truths preferment lies through the prison? yea, what though the Church were like Jonah in the Whales belly, swallowed up to the eye of reason by the fury of men, yet doest not remember the Whale had not power to digest the Prophet? O be not too quick to bury the Church before she be dead. Stay while Christ tries his skill before you give it over: bring Christ by your prayers to its grave, to speak a Resurrection-word. Admirable has the Saints faith been in such straits: as Josephs, who pawn'd his bones that God would visit his brethren, willing them to lay him where he believ'd they should be brought; Jeremiah purchass a field of his Uncle, and payes down the money for it, and this when the Caldean army quartered about Jerusalem, ready to take the Cisy, and carry him with the rest into Babylon: And all this by Gods appointment, Jeremiah 22:6, 7, 8. that he might show the Jewes by this, how undoubtedly he (in that sad juncture of time) did believe the performance of the Promise for their returne out of captivity. Indeed God counts himself exceedingly disparaged in the thoughts of his people, (though at the lowest ebbe of his Churches affairs) if his naked word, and the single bond of his Promise will not be taken as sufficient security to their faith for its deliverance.

_VERSE 12._For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against Principalities and Powers, against the Rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

THe words are coupled to the Precedent with that causal particle For, which either referres to the two foregoing verses, and then they are a further reason, pressing the necessity of Christian fortitude in the tenth verse, and furniture in the eleventh: or else to the last words of the eleventh verse, where the Apostle having descried the Saints grand enemie to be Satan, and described him in one of his attributes, his wily subtilty, he in this further displayes him in his proper colours, not to weaken the Saints hands, but waken their care, that seeing their enemy marching up in a full body, they might stand in better order to receive his charge. Where by the way we may observe the Apostles simplicity and plain dealing; he does not undervalue the strength of the enemy, and represent him inconsiderable, as Captains use to keep their souldiers together, by slighting the power of their adversary; no, he tells them the worst at first. If Satan had been to set out his own power, he could have challeng'd no more than is here granted him. See here the difference between Christ dealing with his followers, and Satan with his. Satan dares not let sinners know who that God is they fight against; this were enough to breed a mutiny in the devils camp. Silly souls they are drawn into the field by a false report of God and his ways, and are kept there together with lies and faire tales, but Christ is not afraid to show his Saints their enemy in all his Power and Principality, the Weakness of God being stronger than the powers of hell.

First application: This gives the reason why God permits His dear children to fall into temptation — because He is able to out-shoot Satan with his own bow, and to rise above Satan precisely in the thing Satan uses to try to outwit the Christian. God will be admired by His saints in glory not only for His love in saving them, but for His wisdom in the path He chose to bring them there. God's love in saving them will be the sweet wine at the marriage feast. His extraordinary wisdom in accomplishing it will be the fine craftsmanship engraved on the cup. Now wisdom is most clearly seen in untangling knots and navigating through difficulties. The more intricate the mechanism of a lock, the more wisdom is required to fit a key to it — to choose the means that can meet every turning within it. God deliberately permits such temptations to occur so that His wisdom may be all the more admired in resolving them all, leading His saints by the very road Satan meant to take them to hell — to glory instead. The Israelites were commanded to remember all the way God led them through the wilderness for forty years (Deuteronomy 8:2). The history of these wars, Christian, will be pleasant reading in heaven, though the fighting was bloody on earth. Moses and Elijah talked with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration — a picture of the sweet communion that will pass between Christ and His saints in glory. And what was their conversation (Luke 9:30)? His death and sufferings. It seems that a discussion of our sufferings and temptations is not too low a subject for that blessed state. Left out, it would leave a blank in the beautiful face of heaven's glory. If the damned could forget the road they traveled to hell — how often God's Spirit was pleading with them, how far they were moved by conviction, the many turnings and returnings of their journey toward and away from God, what real possibilities, indeed probabilities, they had of reaching heaven while on earth — if some hand were kind enough to erase those tormenting memories, it would ease them enormously. So if it were possible for glorified saints to forget the path they took to glory — the various dangers from Satan and their own backsliding hearts — both they and their God would be the poorer for it, I mean in terms of His manifest glory. What is the glory in which God appears at Zion's deliverance — those royal garments of salvation that make Him so admired by men and angels? It is nothing less than the celebration of all His attributes, according to what each one accomplished toward their salvation. Now wisdom is what the creature prizes above all else — and it was the first bait Satan used, when he convinced Eve that she would become like God in knowledge and wisdom. Therefore God, in order to give Satan the more shameful defeat, allows him to use his cleverness and schemes in tempting and troubling His children — which is where Satan supposes himself most advantaged over the saints — so that the road to His own throne (where His wisdom will at last sit in full majesty alongside His mercy) may be paved, as I may say it, with the skulls of devils.

Second application: This gives strong encouragement to our faltering faith on behalf of the Church of Christ. If all of Satan's wit and cunning cannot overcome one single soldier in Christ's camp, much less will he ever destroy the whole army. These are days of great confusion in the Christian world, and the deepest fear of a godly heart is for the ark — lest it fall into enemy hands, and once this sacred thing is taken, the city of God, His church, be trampled under the feet of pride. I admit that Satan appears to be gaining ground daily. He has worked his way in a remarkable way into the hearts and convictions of many who, by the reputation of their profession and zeal, had been counted among the chief of Christ's servants in their generation. He has badly corrupted the truths of Christ and brought the ordinances into contempt — so that by this, and as a judgment for it, the womb of the gospel has become largely barren, and her children who hang at her breasts are not thriving in love and holiness as they once did when the milk was richer and more full of life. He has taken advantage of divisions among the godly to harden the wicked into greater contempt of religion. Through the bloody wars of recent years, he has stirred the rage of the godless and those hostile to Christ to a level of fury against His little flock higher than ever before — so that if God should ever allow the sword to fall into their hands, they are trained and primed to play the bloody slaughterers on Christ's sheep more thoroughly than their predecessors did. And they are not so discouraged that they have given up hope of such a day; some even draw on those anticipated joys in advance to cheer themselves while waiting for the rest to come. Now, Christian, perhaps their confidence, along with the disordered state of Christ's cause in the world, is disturbing your spirit about how these rolling providences above our heads will resolve. But be still, poor heart, and know that the contest is not between the church and Satan — it is between Christ and him. These are the two champions. Stand still, O army of saints, and by faith watch the all-wise God wrestle with a cunning devil. Even if you do not live to see the end of these great confusions, generations after you will see the Almighty strike off this Goliath's head with his own sword, and catch this cunning hunter in the trap of his own scheming. As Bernard wrote: Unbelief fears Satan as a lion; faith treads on him as a worm. Watch your God at work, therefore, and trust that what He is doing will be a masterpiece. Nothing can drive Him from His work. A pilot may be knocked from the helm and can do little in a storm, leaving the ship to drift. An architect cannot work when night falls, and is driven from the scaffolding by a driving rain. The wisest counselors and mightiest princes on earth are like these. A crisis can come when calling on the king for help is as futile as calling on a beggar. Human wisdom can be leveled with folly — but God is never interrupted. All the plots of hell and all the tumults of earth have not so much as shaken God's hand enough to spoil one letter or line that He has been drawing. The mystery of His providence may hang a curtain before His work so we cannot see what He is doing — but when darkness is all around Him, righteousness is the foundation of His throne forever. Where is our faith? Let God be wise, and all men and devils be fools. What if it seems more likely that a new Babel will rise than that a Babylon will fall — yet believe that God is making His secret approaches and will suddenly plant His ladders against its walls. Suppose truth were a prisoner like Joseph, and error the courtier with its head lifted up in the favor of the times — do you not remember that the path to truth's promotion runs through the prison? What if the church were like Jonah in the whale's belly, swallowed up in the eyes of reason by the fury of its enemies — do you not remember that the whale had no power to digest the prophet? O do not be too quick to bury the church before she is dead. Wait while Christ tries His skill before you give up. Bring Christ to her grave by your prayers, to speak a resurrection word. The faith of the saints in such crises has been remarkable: Joseph pledged his bones that God would visit his people, asking them to carry him along to where he believed they would be brought. Jeremiah purchased a field from his uncle and paid for it in cash — and this while the Babylonian army was camped around Jerusalem, ready to take the city and carry him away with the rest into exile. All of this by God's direction (Jeremiah 32:6-8), that he might show the Jews how firmly he believed, even at that dark moment, that God's promise of their return would be fulfilled. Indeed, God considers Himself greatly dishonored in the thinking of His people — even at the lowest point of His church's circumstances — if His bare word and single promise are not accepted as sufficient security for faith in His deliverance.

Ephesians 6:12 — "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."

These words are connected to what came before by the word "for," which either refers back to the two preceding verses — in which case they add further reason pressing both the necessity of Christian courage in verse 10 and the necessity of full Christian armor in verse 11 — or they connect specifically to the last words of verse 11. There the apostle identified the saints' great enemy as the devil and described him in one of his characteristics — his cunning subtlety. Here the apostle portrays him more fully, not to discourage the saints but to awaken their alertness, so that seeing their enemy advancing in full formation, they might stand in better order to meet his charge. Notice here the apostle's straightforwardness and plain dealing. He does not minimize the strength of the enemy and present him as insignificant — the way commanders sometimes try to keep their soldiers steady by making light of the enemy's power. No, he tells them the worst from the start. If Satan himself had been given the task of describing his own power, he could not have claimed more than is acknowledged here. See here the difference between Christ's way of dealing with His followers and Satan's way with his. Satan dares not let sinners know who the God is they are fighting against — that knowledge alone would be enough to start a mutiny in the devil's camp. Poor souls are drawn into the field by a false picture of God and His ways, and they are kept there by lies and flattery. But Christ is not afraid to show His saints their enemy in all his power and rank — because the weakness of God is stronger than all the powers of hell.