Required reading
A treatise on Satan's temptations by Richard Gilpin (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapter 18 and 19 of Part 3.
My summary
This week Gilpin begins to explain the temptation of Christ given in Matthew 4:8 'Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them'.
Gilpin observes that:
(i) where Satan hath a special design, he projects and makes ready all things relating to the temptation before he plainly utter his mind;
(ii) when Satan tempts to sin of highest contempt and insolency against God, he then thinks it concerns him to bear himself out by confronting the Almighty in imitating his authority and power;
(iii) we cannot pass by the art which the devil here useth to set off the temptation and to make it plausible;
(iv) Satan in this temptation did not bravely speak of these things, nor only make an offer in discourse, but he thought it most conducible to his design to present them to his sight;
(v) where Satan is most liberal in his proffers, he there manageth his overtures of advantage with a seeming shyness;
(vi) it is one of Satan's great designs to corrupt the worship of God.
What grabbed me
I appreciated this advice: 'In temptations to blasphemy confident refusals do better than disputings. Here we are to resist with courage and a holy contempt of Satan. If we be too timorous and fearful, he insults the more upon us ; as dogs when they are observed follow the passenger with greater eagerness and noise. Abhorrences and positive discharges, like that of Christ in the same case, ' Get thee hence, Satan,' do more for us than to debate the matter with him.'
Don't quarrel with Satan, it will lead to no good.
Next week's reading
Read Chapter 20 and 21 of Part 3.
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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