Gurnall: Satan plants his succeeding temptation in our very resistance in the former

[TheOldCourse]

And truly, though Christ had his answer ready, and was prepared to receive his charge on the right hand and on the left, being so completely armed that no temptation could come amiss, yet note we, [that] Satan's temptations on Christ were like the serpent's motion on a rock, of which Solomon speaks, Pr xxx 19. They make no impression, no dint at all; but on us they are as a serpent on sand, or dust, that leaves a print, when not in the heart yet in the fancy--colours that which is next door to it, and so the object there is ready to slip in, if great care be not observed. Especially is this the case when he doth thus change his hand as when we have resisted one way, falls on afresh in another, yea, plants succeeding temptation upon our very resistance in the former.

Now it requires some readiness in our postures and skill at all our weapons, to make our defence; like a disputant, when he is put out of his road, and hath a new question started, or argument unusual brought, now he is tried to purpose. And truly this is Satan's way when he tempts the Christian to neglect of [the] duties of God's worship (from his worldly occasions, the multitude of them, or necessity of following them); and this takes not, then he is on the other side, and is drawing Christian to the neglect of his worldly calling, out of a seeming zeal to promote his other in the worship of God. Or first, he comes and labours to deaden the heart in duty, but the Christian too watchful for him there, then he is puffing of him up with an opinion of his enlargement in it, and ever he keeps his sliest and most sublimated temptations for the last.

William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour

 

[ccravens]

Excuse my denseness, but according to Gurnall, exactly HOW does Satan plant "succeeding temptation upon our very resistance in the former?"

Love that book, BTW. 3/4 of the way through it now.

 

[TheOldCourse]

Excuse my denseness, but according to Gurnall, exactly HOW does Satan plant "succeeding temptation upon our very resistance in the former?"

Love that book, BTW. 3/4 of the way through it now.

It's in a long section on Satan's craft and subtlety and following a discussion of how, in tempting Christ, he immediately followed with a new temptation upon Christ's resistance to the first and second. He's noting how Satan, being so skilled in the art of temptation, will use our successful resisting of one temptation to draw us into another, more insidious, temptation. He uses the example of martial strategies, where a feint that is not recognized as such may lead an army to ruin. So Satan may present us with obvious temptations that are easier to resist that he may more successfully conceal subtle ones.

His example here is that in our successful resisting of the worldly temptation to neglect the worship of the Lord, we may be blinded to Satan's tempting us to neglect our natural, secular duties through devotion, at least ostensibly, to the things of God. Monasticism would be the extreme example of falling into this temptation, but there are lesser forms of withdrawal from our duties in this world that can still afflict us. His second example is even more common, where Satan tempts us severely with pride immediately upon the accomplishment of some spiritual victory or duty.