Matthew Poole and continuators on Matthew 4:6

6 And saith unto him, if thou be the Son of God, cast thy self down, for it is written, He shall give his Angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Before the Devil had Tempted our Lord, to diffidence or distrust in Gods Providence, and the use of means not allowed by God to supply himself: Here he Tempts him to an unwarrantable Presumption, and Confidence of, and concerning the Divine Protection. In the former Temptation, the Devil used no Scripture, but having been repelled in that Assault, by the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, Eph. 6.17. He here takes up the same Weapon: The thing to which the Tempter solliciteth our Saviour, was the throwing himself down from a Precip[illegible: 1 letter]ce, a Temptation in Effect, to destroy himself (which is one of those Fiery Darts, which he commonly throweth at the People of God, in their hours of Melancholly, or under great Pressures of affliction) but the usual Argument, which he useth to them, is Deliverance from their Terrors, the preventing of want▪ or avoiding Shame. The Argument he useth to our Lord is [illegible: 2 letters]ite of another Nature, the special Protection of God, promised to Gods People, Psal. 91. v. 11, 12. herein he transformeth himself into an Angel of Light, according to 2 Cor. 11.14. and lets us know that Truth may be abused to the Patronage of lyes, and that there is [illegible: 1 letter]o hook more dangerous to the Members of Christ, than that which is baited with Scripture mis-interpreted, and mis-applyed: Which Holy-writ always is, when it is so interpreted, or so applyed as to be made an Argument to sin. This Portion of Holy-writ is both. 1. Falsely cued, and, 2 As ill app[illegible: 1 letter]yed. In the Quotation the Te[illegible: 1 letter]pter leaves out those words [in all thy ways] This was none of our Saviours ways, he had no call, no Warrant from God to decline the Stairs by which he might have gone down, and to throw himself down. God had never promised, nor ever given any the Protection of Angels, in sinful, and forbidden ways▪ 2 He mis-applyeth this Text, using it not to instruct, but to deceive, dividing betwixt, Mans Duty, and Gods Providence, making this word a Promise to be fulfilled, upon Christs neglect of his Duty, extending the Promise of special Providence, as to Dangers, into which men voluntarily throw themselves. Putting God upon working Miracles to declare Christ to be his Son, where there was no need, and of which there was no use, mocking our Saviours true use o[illegible: 1 letter] Scripture, with Scripture abused, and many other ways, but he had to do with one not [illegible: 1 letter]gnorant of his devices.