Matthew 4

Why else did he enter into the calling of the ministry? But to teach the mysteries of Heaven (Matthew 4:23). Jesus went about teaching and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of diseases among the people.

Repentance is by some Antinomian spirits cried down as a legal doctrine; but Christ himself preached it. Matthew 4:17: From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent, etc. And in his last farewell, when he was ascending to Heaven, he commanded that repentance should be…

4. Watch your hearts after holy duties. When Christ had been praying and fasting then the Devil tempted him (Matthew 4:23). After our combating with Satan in prayer, we are apt to grow secure, and put our spiritual armor off, and then the Devil falls on and wounds us.

I will bless her provision. Man lives not by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds out of God's mouth (Matthew 4:4). What is that but a word of blessing?

First, in case he has already had an abundance of revelations from God. As after that glorious testimony given to Christ at his baptism — 'This is my beloved Son' (Matthew 3) — then Jesus was led aside to be tempted (Matthew 4:1). The text points out this timing to this very pur…

For then, when he is once sensible and apprehensive that he is resisted, does he flee from us, as the apostle speaks (James 4:7), and that of his own accord, as the expression there implies — even as a foiled and disgraced soldier. And this we may see in his carriage in those hi…

When therefore Christ says to him, 'Get behind me, Satan: you are an offense to me' — so still Satan was kept at a distance and could come no nearer. And that he should yet come thus near to him made Christ also in that great temptation in the wilderness, with so much vehemence…

That place in James is thus to be understood; God tempteth no man: that is, God does not stir up, or move any man's heart to sin. Yet further it will be said, That temptation is an action of Satan; for so in the Gospel we may read (Matthew 4:3,) that he is called the tempter? An…

This appears plainly in Christ's temptations by the Devil: for, in those three, Satan betrays his malice and craft against Christ and his Church most notably. Now Satan, not prevailing with the two first, makes his third and last assault from the glory and dignity of the world:…

Joab when many Aramites came against him, he heartened his soldiers though they were but few in number, bidding them be strong and valiant for their people, and for the cities of their god, and then let the Lord do that which is good in his eyes (2 Samuel 10:12). And our Savior…

Upon this sure ground I conclude that we may not pray to saints departed, for in Scripture there is no word either commanding us to pray to them or assuring us that we shall be heard when we pray. Nay, we are commanded only to call upon God: Him only shall you serve (Matthew 4:1…

Yet when the people burned incense to it, Hezekiah broke it in pieces and is therefore commended (2 Kings 18:4). And when the devil bade our Savior Christ but to bow down the knee to him and he would give him the whole world, Christ rejected his offer, saying: You shall worship…

When the poor sinner says, I have nothing to pay, but there is a price in Christ's satisfaction offered in the Gospel, and the Judge says, admits it for the sinner that lays claim to it, as if the sinner had never sinned, or had actually paid the price himself. But 4. Look a lit…

Men of private spirits, who carry a reciprocation of designs only to themselves, and die and live with their own private interests, are bad men. When our self is the circle, both center and circumference, we are so much like the devil, who is his own god, adores himself, and wou…

"You tithe every herb" — that is, herbs of all kinds (Luke 11:42). Christ cured every disease (Matthew 4:23). "You shall eat of every tree of the garden" (Genesis 2:16).

This is, first when a man has such respect to all the commandments of God, as that there is none of them but he greatly delights in it (Psalm 119:6) then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect to all your commandments: He looks at them all with such respect, as the commandm…

THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST. Matthew 4:1. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil. This Scripture gives us the history of Christ's Temptation, which I shall go over by degrees.

Matthew 4:2-4. And when he had fasted forty days, and forty nights, he was afterwards hungry. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If you are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Matthew 4:5-6. Then the Devil takes him into the Holy City, and sets him on a pinnacle of the Temple. And says to him, if you are the Son of God, cast yourself down, for it is written he shall give his Angels charge concerning you, and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest…

Matthew 4:7. Jesus said to him, It is written again, You shall not tempt the Lord your God. Here is Christ's Answer to the second Temptation; where two things are observable.

Matthew 4:8-9. Again, the Devil takes him into an exceeding high mountain, and shows him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. And says to him, all these things will I give you, if you will fall down, and worship me.

Matthew 4:10. Then says Jesus to him, Get away from here, Satan, for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. Thirdly, Christ's answer and reply, which is double.

Matthew 4:11 Then the devil leaves him, and behold angels came, and ministered to him. In these words you have the issue, and close of Christ's Temptations.

Will you give way to him? Resist the devil, and he will flee from you: think not you can perform a flesh-displeasing duty, when Satan is quiet, and does not molest; he will be busy to tempt when you are going to your God; this is no new thing, he will jog your hand when you are…

Secondly, he asks the giving of the pardon, that is, that God would certify his conscience thereof. The use: Seeing the intent of the Devil and wicked men, is to destroy the faith (as it appears in this place, and in the first temptation wherewith Satan assaulted Christ (Matthew…

Moses says, Him shall you serve (Deuteronomy 6:16). Christ alleging the same words, says, Him only shall you serve (Matthew 4:10). David says, Sacrifice and burnt offering you would not, but my ears have you pierced (Psalm 40:7); the author to the Hebrews citing this text, says,…

The sum is then, that even in the midst of darkness, indeed of death itself, they were nevertheless to hope, seeing God is able sufficiently to give life to his people when they shall be thought as good as dead. It seems that Saint Matthew in alleging this place turns it to anot…

36. And trembling came upon all, and they talked among themselves, saying, What speech is this? for with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they go out. This demoniac was probably one of that multitude, which was mentioned, a little before, by Matthew 4:24.…

Matthew 4:1-4 1. Then Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit, that he might be tempted by the devil;

Matthew 4:12, 17 12. And when Jesus heard that John had been delivered up,

MATTHEW 4:18-25; MARK 1:16-20; LUKE 5:1-11 Matthew 4:18-25

Matthew 4:5-11 5. Then the devil takes

The Spirit drives him into the Wilderness. It is evident that the same Spirit and the same Act is intended in all the Evangelists here and, Mat. 4. 1. Luke 4. 1.

The first consists in the want of those Means whereby alone they may be enlightned in the Knowledg of God and Spiritual Things. This is intended, Mat. 4. 16. This Means is the Word of God, and the preaching of it.

John the Baptist first began to preach it; and then after him, Christ, and his disciples, preached the same. Thus Christ preached, Matthew 4:17: 'From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' So the disciples were directed to pr…

God indeed makes many promises to those that serve him, but he never makes any bargains with them: his own obey him freely. Satan makes bargains to hire men to his service, as he did with Christ (Matthew 4:9): All these things will I give you, if you will fall down and worship m…

They are enemies to Idolatrie; for, Apoc. 19. 10. when John would have worshipped the Angel, he forbad him, saying, See you doe it not, worship God: herein also we must be followers of Angels, by furthering the Gospel and true worship of God to the vttermost of our power; by hin…

They may be reduced to 7. heads: the first is allegation of Scripture, which they will as often use as the true Prophet; & hereby they blind the eies of many. But the truth is, that in alleaging Scripture, they depraue & change the sense, & either adde to, or detract from the wo…

3. The lovers of Christ may be assaulted by both these extremes successively, and when temptations from the one hand fail, then temptations from the other begin, so that the believer would constantly be on his guard. 4. The temptations that come from the right hand, and entice t…

When the Devil tempted Christ, he three times wounded the old Serpent with the Sword of the Spirit. It is written (Matthew 4:7). Satan never sooner overcomes a Christian, than when he is unarmed, and without Scripture weapons.

1. The forerunner of Christ's coming in his public ministry was John the Baptist. He came preaching repentance for the remission of sins, to make way for Christ's coming, agreeable to the prophecies of him, Isaiah 40:3, 4, 5, and Matthew 4:5, 6. It is supposed that John the Bapt…

(2) It opposes it more constantly, it is like a continual dropping: a man can no more fly from this enemy, than from himself. There is a time when the devil leaves tempting (Matthew 4:11), but no time when corruption ceases from working. And lastly, it opposes grace more advanta…

There is something too great in it, to be the effect of a created power. When the Lord Jesus Christ, at one word stilled the raging of the sea and wind, all that were with him, knew there was divine power at hand (Matthew 4:39). And when the Holy Ghost by one word stills the tum…

2. Sometimes he makes use of the world, and joins forces against us, without any helps from within. So he tempted our Savior, by showing him the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them (Matthew 4:8). And the variety of the assistances he finds from the world, in persons, an…

But it is as plain that Doing the ten Commandments of the moral Law, are not the only things that are meant here in this Text: But these Commandments which give a right to the Tree of Life, et cetera include at least, if not chiefly design, the peculiar Commands of God in the Go…

(Job 12:16): "The deceived, and the deceiver, are his," his creatures; and nothing can be done or suffered in this kind, without God's providence. See it in Christ's instance (Matthew 4:1): It is said, "He was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the Devil"…

As Jubal was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ (Genesis 4:21), that is, he was the first that taught the use of that instrument: so all the sins in the world, are by his furtherance, both actual and original; therefore he may be fitly called the Evil One. Again…

4. He who Fears God dares not commit sin, though it might bring him in Emolument. Gain is the Golden bait with which Satan fisheth for Souls: this was the last temptation the Devil used to Christ, All this will I give you, Matthew 4:9. How many bow down to the Golden Image!

Besides this, he puts us not to the doing of anything which he himself has not first done for our sakes, to give us the more comfort and encouragement by his own example. If we be tempted, so was he (Matthew 4; Hebrews 4:15). If we be smitten for our sins, so was he: for he bore…

The Devil tempted Christ, when he sought to corrupt the second Adam. (Matthew 4:8) He takes him up into an exceeding high mountain, and shows him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. He knew the best way to work was by sight, and though he could not prevail agai…