Thomas Manton, "The Temptation of Christ, Sermon 7" (Matt 4:11) in Works, Vol. 3, pp. 330-332: Quote:
Doctrine 2. When the devil is thoroughly and resolutely resisted, he departeth.
As here, when the adversary was put to the foil, he went his way. Therefore this is often pressed upon us in scripture: James 4:7, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." If you resist his suggestions to malice, envy, and strife, he is discouraged; so 1 Pet 5:9, "Whom resist, stedfast in the faith." We must not fly nor yield to him in the least, but stoutly and peremptorily resist him in all his temptations. If you stand your ground, Satan falleth. In this spiritual conflict Satan hath only weapons offensive, cunning wiles, and fiery darts, none defensive; a believer hath weapons both offensive and defensive, sword and shield, etc.; therefore our safety lieth in resisting.
About which is to be considered:—
1. What kind of resistance this must be.
2. Arguments to persuade and enforce it.
3. What graces enable us in this resistance.
1. For the kind of resistance.
[1.] It must not be faint and cold. Some kind of resistance may be made by general and common graces; the light of nature will rise up in defiance of many sins, especially at first, before men have sinned away natural light; or else the resistance at least is in some cold way. But it must be earnest and vehement, as against the enemy of God and our souls. Paul's resistance in his conflicts was with serious dislikes and deep groans: Rom 7:9, "The good that I would I do not, but the evil which I would not, that I do;" and Rom 7:24, "Oh wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" In apparent cases a detestation and vehement indignation is enough,—"Get thee behind me, Satan!" in other cases there need strong arguments and considerations, that the temptation may not stick when the tempter is gone, as the smutch remaineth of a candle stuck against a stone wall. When Eve speaketh faintly and coldly, the devil reneweth the assault with the more violence: Gen 3:3, "Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." As to the restraint, she speaketh warmly, and with some impatience of resentment, "not eat" "nor touch,"—in the commination too coldly, "lest ye die," when God had said, "ye shall surely die." A faint denial is a kind of grant; therefore slight Satan's assaults with indignation. Though the dog barketh the traveller passeth on. Satan cannot endure contempt. At other times argue for God stoutly; thy soul and eternal concernments are in danger. No worldly concernment ought to go so near to us as that which concerneth our eternal good and the salvation of our souls. What would the devil have from thee but thy soul, and its precious enjoyments, peace of conscience, hope of everlasting life? What doth he bid?—worldly vanities. As the merchant putteth up his wares with indignation when the chapman biddeth an unworthy price.
[2.] It must be a thorough resistance of all sin, "take the little foxes," dash "Babylon's brats against the stones." Lesser sticks set the great ones on fire. The devil cannot hope to prevail for great things presently. At first it is, "Hath God said?" and then, "Ye shall not surely die." The approaches of Satan to the soul are gradual, he asketh a little, it is no great matter. Consider the evil of a temptation is better kept out than gotten out. Many think to stop after they have yielded a little; but when the stone at the top of a hill begins to roll downward, it is hard to stay it, and you cannot say how far you shall go. "I'll yield but once," saith a deceived heart; "I'll yield but a little, and never yield again." The devil will carry thee further and further, till he hath not left any tenderness in thy conscience. Some that thought to venture but a shilling, by the witchery of gaming have played away all; so some have sinned away all principles of conscience.
[3.] It must not be for a while, but continued; not only to stand out against the first assault, but a long siege. What Satan cannot gain by argument he seeketh to gain by importunity; but "resist him, stedfast in the faith," as his instrument spake to Joseph, "day by day," Gen 39:10. Our thoughts by time are more reconciled to evil. Now we must keep up our zeal to the last. To yield at last is to lose the glory of the conflict. Therefore rate away the importunate suitor, as Christ doth.
2. Arguments to persuade it.
[1.] Because he cannot overcome you without your own consent. The wicked are "taken captive by him at his will and pleasure," 2 Tim 2:26, because they yield themselves to his temptations; like the young man, Prov 7:22, "He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, and as a fool to the correction of the stocks." There is a consent, or, at least, there is not a powerful dissent. Satan's power lieth not in a constraining efficacy, but persuasive allurement.
[2.] The sweetness of victory will recompense the trouble of resistance. It is much more pleasing to deny a temptation than to yield to it; the pleasure of sin is short-lived, but the pleasure of self-denial is eternal.
[3.] Grace, the more it is tried and exercised, the more it is evidenced to be right and sincere: Rom 5:3-5, "Knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost, which is given to us." It is a comfortable thing to know that we are of the truth, and to be able to assure our hearts before God.
[4.] Grace is strengthened when it hath stood out against a trial; as a tree shaken with fierce winds is more fruitful, its roots being loosened. Satan is a loser and you a gainer by temptations wherein you have approved your fidelity to God; as a man holdeth a stick the faster when another seeketh to wrest it out of his hands.
[5.] The more we resist Satan, the greater will our reward be: 2 Tim 4:7-8, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness." The danger of the battle will increase the joy of the victory, as the dangers of the way make home the sweeter. There will a time come when he that is now a soldier will be a conqueror: Rom 16:20, "The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly."
[6.] Where Satan gets possession, after he seemeth to be cast out, he returneth with the more violence, and tyranniseth the more: Matt 12:45, "Then goeth he and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in, and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first."
[7.] The Lord's grace is promised to him that resisteth. God keepeth us from the evil one, but it is by our watchfulness and resistance; his power maketh it effectual. We are to strive against sin and keep ourselves, and God keepeth us by making our keeping effectual.
3. What are the graces that enable us in this resistance? I answer, the three fundamental graces, faith, hope, and love, so the spiritual armour is represented: 1 Thess 5:8, "But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for an helmet the hope of salvation."
[1.] A strong faith: 1 Pet 5:9, "Whom resist, stedfast in the faith." This is, in the general, a sound belief of eternity, or a deep sense of the world to come: when we believe the gospel with an assent so strong as constantly to adhere to the duties prescribed, and to venture all upon the hopes offered therein.
[2.] A fervent love, arising out of the sense of our obligations to God, that we do with all readiness of mind set ourselves to do his will, levelling and directing our actions to his glory. "Love is strong as death, and many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it," Song 8:6-7. This love will neither be bribed nor frightened from Christ.
[3.] A lively hope, that doth so long and wait for glory to come, that present things do not greatly move us, either delights: 1 Pet 1:8, "Whom having not seen ye love, in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory;" or the terrors of sense: Rom 8:18, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us."
| Thomas Manton, "A Practical Exposition of James" in Works, Vol. 4, p. 363: Quote: |
2. Secondly, The next question is to show what it is to resist him. I answer (1.) Negatively, we must not fear him; the devil hath no enforcing power, but only a persuading sleight, Distrustful fear giveth him advantage. We are to 'resist him steadfast in the faith' 1 Peter v. 10. And again, we must not ' give place to him,' Eph. iv. 27. Anger may make way for malice; and when the first risings of sin are not grievous, the accomplishment of it is not far off. (2.) Positively; so we must manifest our resistance, partly by refusing to commune with him. Sometimes he must be checked with a mere rebuke and abomination ; as when the temptation tendeth to a direct withdrawment from obedience, it is enough to say, 'Get thee behind me, Satan,' and to chide the thought ere it be settled; so Ps. xi. 1, 'How say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to yonder mountain?' He abominateth the motion; as if he had said, Avaunt, evil thoughts! &c. Sometimes we must oppose gracious reasons and considerations; as when the temptation hath taken any hold upon the thoughts, and corruption riseth up in the defence of the suggestion, this is called a 'withstanding in the evil day' and a ' quenching of his fiery darts' Eph. vi. 13-16.
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Andrew Myers
Husband of Jessica, Father of Jackson, Katie and Samuel
Member, Presbyterian Reformed Church of Northern Virginia
Warrenton, VA USA
Editor, The Matthew Poole Project
"Let your Morning Thoughts, and your last Evening Thoughts, be what shall become of you to all Eternity." -- Matthew Poole
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