Luke 4:2-4 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungry.… The devil fits and shapes his temptations according to our several estates, conditions, and dispositions. As here one temptation for hunger and want. If Christ had been in fulness and abundance He would have had another. He hath temptations on the left hand, and temptations also on the right. When in want, then comes the temptation to distrust, to use shifts and unlawful means. If in discontent, then to be impatient; and if we be of great spirit, then to lay hands on ourselves, as in "Achitophel." If we be rich, and in great and high places, then he tempts to pride, disdain, and oppression, epicurism, and voluptuousness (Proverbs 3:8, 9). Thereafter also as our constitution of body, are his temptations. The sanguine man is tempted to vain lightness and scurrility; the choleric to wrath and fury; the melancholy to dead and unprofitable lumpishness, to strange and idle conceits; the phlegmatic to sloth and drowsiness. Every calling also hath a several temptations. As the judge to be corrupted with bribes, the preacher either with man-pleasing (Ezekiel 13.), or to self-pleasing, as complains in Psalm 51.; the tradesman with deceit, and the serving-man with idleness and gaming. Every age hath its temptations — youth to be overcome with the love of pleasure, and old age with coveteousness. Yea, every gift hath its temptations, as the gift of learning, valour, eloquence, beauty — yea, the saving graces of Christianity and the calling of a Christian. He will not tempt a Christian ordinarily to the grosser and more odious sins of the world, but to the close and more secret — of privy pride, hypocrisy, coldness, negligence, and security. 1. Look, then, to what temptation thou liest most open, and so accordingly arm thyself. 2. Be not over-censorious in condemning others that are of other estate, calling, age, spirit, constitution of body, gifts, than ourselves, for we know not their temptations. And specially should moderation be showed to those of high place, because their temptations are more dangerous. 3. Take heed of that deceitfulness of heart, whereby we promise ourselves great matters of ourselves, if we might but change our estates and callings to our minds. Oh how liberal would the poor man be if he were rich, how upright and just the private man, if he were a magistrate I But they consider not that there are temptations in those estates and callings, and that more dangerous than in their own. (D. Dyke.) Parallel Verses KJV: Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. |
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