XXIV. Of the Pinacles of the Temple.

1. THere was also several Pinacles be∣longing to the Temple. These Pinacles stood on the top aloft, in the air, and were sharp, and so difficult to stand upon: what men say of their number and length, I wave, and come directly to their signification.

2. I therefore take those Pinacles to be types of those lofty, airy Notions, with which some Men delight themselves, while they hover like Birds, above the solid and godly truths of Christ. Satan attempted to entertain Christ Jesus with this type, and antitype, at once, when he set him on one of the Pinacles of the Temple, and offered to thrust him upon a false confidence in God, by a false and unsound interpretation of a Text, Matt. 4.5, 6. Luke 4 9, 10, 11.

3. You have some men cannot be con∣tent to worship IN the Temple, but must be aloft, no Place will serve them, but Pinacles, Pinacles; that they may be speaking in and to the air, that they may be promoting their heady Notions, in∣stead Page  58 of solid truth; not considering that now they are where the Devil would have them be, they strut upon their points, their Pinacles, but let them look to it, there is difficult standing upon pi∣nacles, their Neck, their Soul, is in dan∣ger. We read, God is IN his Temple, not upon those Pinacles, Psal. 11.4. Hab: 2.20.

4. 'Tis true, Christ was once upon one of these, but the Devil set him there, with intent to have dasht him in pieces by a fall, and yet even then told him, if he would venter to tumble down, he should be kept from dashing his foot against a stone. To be there, therefore, was one of Christ's temptations, consequently one of Satan's stratagems, nor went he thi∣ther of his own accord, for he knew that there was danger, he loved not to clam∣ber Pinacles.

5. This should teach Christians to be low, and little in their own eyes, and to forbear to intrude into airy and vain spe∣culations, and to take heed of being puf∣fed up with a foul and empty mind.