A treatise on Satan's temptations - Gilpin - XXIX - Chapter 8 & 9 of Part 3

Required reading
A treatise on Satan's temptations by Richard Gilpin (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapter 8 and 9 of Part 3.

My summary
This week Gilpin continues his discussion of the temptation of Christ given in Matthew 4:3 'And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.'

In Chapter Eight Gilpin looks at the rise of the temptation and observes:
(vi) that where Satan hath a design against any, he doth take the advantage of their condition, and suits his temptation accordingly;
(vii) that Satan usually endeavours to run his temptations upon the plea of necessity and from thence to infer a duty;
(viii) that Satan manageth his most cruel designs under the highest pretences of friendship.

In Chapter Nine Gilpin examines the temptation itself and observes:
(ix) that where Satan doth not judge it his present interest to suggest to us things in their own nature sinful, he will move us to things good in themselves, in hopes thereby to lead us into evil;
(x) that in one single temptation Satan may have various aims and designs;
(xi) Satan is driving on a temptation, useth such an artificial contrivement of motives and things, that still one doth infer another, one strengthens another.

What grabbed me
I was helped by the reminder that Satan often justifies his temptations under necessity: 'Thirdly, Necessity offers an excuse, if not a Justification, of the greatest miscarriages. Lot offered to expose his daughters to the raging lust of the Sodomites for the preservation of his angel-strangers, which surely he would in no wise have done, but that he thought the present necessity might have excused him. Esau profanely sells his birthright, but excuseth the matter so, ' Behold, I am at the point to die ; and what profit shall this birthright do to me ?' Gen. XXV. 32. Aaron introduceth a necessity, from the violent resolves of the people, in justification of himself in the matter of the golden calf, ' Thou knewest that this people are set on mischief,' [Exod. xxxii. 22.] '

We can find all kinds of excuses for our sin.  But it is still sin.

Next week's reading
Read Chapter 10 and 11 of Part 3.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.