gratification of their lust, and in consequence died in the wilderness; none of those (two only excepted) who had been redeemed from Egypt, being permitted to set their feet in the land of Canaan...Out Saviour, by his rejection of the Tempter's bait in this instance, taught us, that to abstain from forbidden gratification, is the way to live, and to arrive in safety at our journey's end. Our Saviour's temptation on this occasion was of a similar kind to that by which Eve fell in Paradise, and the Israelites in the wilderness. By mak"ing a choice contrary to that fatal one, which was made in the two cases alluded to, our Saviour foiled the devil at his own weapons; by convincing him, that he was not to be caught in the same snare ; but that, though in the form of man, he was sufficiently spiritualized to triumph over the lust of the flesh. The next attempt, truly characteristic of the devil," who "being a spirit, can be guilty only of spi

ritual wickedness," was calculated to lead our Saviour into the sin of presumption." Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle

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"pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, if thou be the Son of God, cast

thyself 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." When we are in want or distress, the devil would persuade us that God careth not for us; and this persuasion leads to a distrust of his providence. When we are confident that God is with us, and careth for us, we are tempt-ed to conclude, that we may do what we please; this conclusion generates a contempt of the ordinary means of preservation, and leads to the hazarding of unjustifiable experiments, on the presumption that God will equally provide for our safety under all circumstances. But this is to tempt the Lord, and thereby to provoke him to leave us to ourselves. The etemptation, on this occasion, assumed an -imposing shape, from being dressed up in the language of Scripture; but it was -Scripture of the devil's quoting. In our Saviour's answer to it, therefore, he immediately stopped the Tempter's mouth, con

victing

victing him, by an appeal to Scripture, of his artful perversion of it. "It is written "again," says Christ, "thou shalt not "tempt the Lord thy God."

: From our Saviour's preceding conduct, it is probable that the Tempter might suspect that he was something more than a mere ordinary man; and possibly that he was that holy and just man, described by the Psalmist in the xcist Psalm; whence the passage was taken, which the Tempter addressed to our Saviour on this occasion. Whilst our Saviour's answer in this case, as the words of it are capable of a double sense, might be intended indirectly to inform the Tempter, who our Saviour really was. On this supposition the succeeding temptation, with which the Tempter as-sailed our Saviour, was calculated to bring this point to an immediate and decisive issuc. For the third and last temptation, that we have recorded, had for its object, the spirit of pride; which the Tempter well knew, must, to our Saviour as man, present the greatest temptation; whilst to the Son of God, it could offer no temptation at all. "Again, the devil taketh "him

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him up into an exceeding high moun

tain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms "of the world, and the glory of them; "and saith unto him, all these things will "I give thee, if thou wilt fall down, and "worship me." Admitting that the kingdoms of this, world are, in some sense, through divine permission, at the devil's disposal, we see on what condition they are to be obtained. If we will have the world, we must worship the prince of it. If we would serve the Lord our God, we must despise it. Our Saviour revolting with indignation at the proposal made to him, thus brings the point to a speedy decision; "Get thee hence, Satan; for it is "written, thou shalt worship the Lord "thy God, and him only shalt thou "serve." "Then," continues the Evangelist," the devil leaveth him, and angels came and ministred unto him." Having been repeatedly foiled in his attack, the Tempter gave up the contest, and our great Representative remained master of the field. And it was not till after this -important conflict, for the due sustaining of which, our blessed Saviour fasted

during the space of forty days, was compleatly terminated, that angels came and ministred unto him.

Thus have I, in as full a way, as a Discourse of this kind would permit, pointed out to attention, the nature and design of our Saviour's temptation in the wilderness a subject, which if duly considered in all, its parts, would furnish reflections to fill a volume.

There is, however, one general consideration, of a practical tendency, which, notwithstanding the length of the present, Discourse, I must not omit to leave impressed on your minds. Be it remembered then, that as God dealt with the, Israelites, so hath Christ with us.. God rooted out the inhabitants of Canaan, and made room for his people, yet he left some of them to prove Israel, to teach. them war, and to prove whether the Israelites would hearken to the commandments of the Lord. Thus has our Saviour disposed of the great enemy of man. He hath abated his strength in the way, but hath not utterly rooted him out; he

hath