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may fuppofe, to encourage all good chriftians to withstand bravely thofe temptations, with which their Lord had been affaulted before. If we fay, that Chrift's refifting temptation is no encouragement to us, because his nature was divine, we do not confider the cafe. It is true, if man was left entirely to himfelf, he could not be able to refift the temptations of fin. And in this cafe, undoubtedly, Chrift's refifting temptation, would be no encouragement to him. But we know this is not the cafe-we know, that it every where the doctrine of fcripture, that we are not left to ourselves; but that our fincere endeavours will be affifted by the Holy Spirit of God. And when we are affured that our bleffed Lord was tempted like as we are, we cannot but have encouragement to hope, that he will kindly affift us in the fame circumftances; efpecially. when we endeavour to fupport thofe temptations for his fake. Our reafon-our natural feelings, encourage us to hope, that he will thus affift us. But thefe hopes become certainty, when we read in the word of God, that Chrift having been tempted, is able to fuccour those who are tempted.

Another great ufe of our Saviour's temptation is, to convince us that we must all expect VOL. IV.

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to meet our trials, in fome shape. No man, even of the most exalted goodness, can hope to live free from temptations: they meet us in every part of our paffage through this world. In the cottage in the palace-in company-in folitude; ftill temptation, in fome form, is ready to meet us. Temptations, we know, are God's means, in this world, to try and prove our religion. If there were no temptations, there could be no goodness. Our good works confift chiefly in conquering the world, the flesh, and the devil. We must consider our temptations therefore in this light; and manfully ftrive against them, whatever they are; nay, the apostle James bids us count it all joy when we fall into divers temptations: but that is, on a fuppofition we overcome them; becaufe, as he goes on to tell us, these are trials of our faith, which, like gold that is purified in the fire, comes out more pure. For what reason, think you, are we so frequently told, that the life of a chriftian is like the life of a foldier? We are ordered to fight the good fight-to put on the armour of God-to wrestle against principalities and powers: for what, but to give us fair warning of the dangers we are to expect? Frequent action, conftant danger,

alarms,

alarms, and watchings, make up the life of a foldier on duty: he can never be in a state of repose, because he cannot tell on what fide his enemies may attack him: it is experience in all thefe things that makes the foldier: the best discipline will be incomplete without it: it is practice that confirms his valour-that acquires him prefence of mind-that makes him familiar with danger, and prevents his being overpowered by it. Juft fuch is the fpiritual foldier in Chrift: till he hath been brought into the field against his enemies-till he hath faced temptation, and boldly combated the world, the flesh, and the devil, he would be unfit for service; he would be unexperienced: having never been tried, he could not be depended on; nor expect those glorious rewards, which God hath promised to his faithful foldiers in Christ.

Again, we may learn from our bleffed Saviour's temptation, the nature of temptation in general. When the Tempter attacked our Lord, we find he did it under the pleas of reason, and religion; nay, he even quoted fcripture to fupport his delufions: Caft thyself down; for it is written, he shall give his angels charge over thee, and in their hands they fhall bear thee up, left at

any time thou dafi thy foot against a stone. It is impoffible to defcribe the various arts, under which temptations affault us. The young and the old have their particular temptations; the rich and the poor. Our different tempers, our paffions, and appetites, are all furrounded with different temptations fuited to them: nay, our very reafon often takes a part in deceiving us; our confciences often lofe their feeling; nay, the. temptation fometimes comes clothed, like the devil's temptation of our Saviour, in falfe gloffes upon the word of God itself. So ready are our paffions, and appetites, to take thelter under authority;-fo ready are we at endeavouring to reconcile our duty, and our darling fins, and dividing ourselves between God and Mammon.

Thefe remarks do not affect the profligate, abandoned finner; he fins without any thought, but to obtain the object he defires: they are directed to the lukewarm chriftian, who never fins without endeavouring to find some excuse for his fin-fome reafon, or fome piece of fcripture, which may leffen the offence at leaft, if not remove it.

Again, we may learn from our bleffed Saviour's temptation, the method in which we

ought

ought to repel temptations. Our Saviour, we obferve, to every temptation replied in the words. of fcripture. When the Tempter faid, If thou be the Son of God, command these ftones to be made bread: Jefus replied from scripture, Man fhall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Again, when the Tempter faid, If thou be the Son of God, caft thyfelf down: Jefus again replied from scripture, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And to the laft temptation he replied in the fame manner: Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, ana him only fhalt thou ferve.-What then are we to learn from this, but to oppofe the authority of God to the wicked fuggeftions of the devil? St. Paul calls the fcripture the fword of the Spirit; intimating, with it we are to fight all our fpiritual battles. In the word of God, we find fuch full and plain directions to keep us steady in our duty, that if we would attend to them, we should be a match for all the wiles of temptation. The Tempter might difplay all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them: we may answer, We have a treafure in heaven, a far more eternal weight of glory referved for us. Is our faith affaulted by the fpecious arguments of unbelievers?

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