the way of the literal interpretation of the narrative. First, it deprives the narrative of practical benefit to us; the Saviour not having, in this case, been tempted like as we are. Secondly, we are constrained to ask in what character, or form, or person, must the tempter have appeared? Not in his own proper person, or form,—that would manifestly have defeated the end he had in view. It is impossible to conceive that the Saviour could have listened to him for a moment, or that a temptation, presented by him, as the visible and avowed prince of darkness, would in fact have been a temptation at all. The devil must, then, have assumed another character or form -the form of a man, or of an angel of light. But, to assume that he has the power of doing this, is to take for granted a point of which we have no proof. Or, conceding that point, is it easy to conceive that the Saviour, after the second temptation especially, could have failed to become aware that he was in the presence of an enemy. And, if so, how can we suppose that he would have permitted himself to be carried by that enemy to the top of a mountain, without ascribing something like a want of caution to him who was in all respects an example to us? To imagine, as many have done, that he knew that the suggestions to transform the stones into bread, and to throw himself from a pinnacle of the temple, proceeded from the devil, is only another mode of saying that they were not temptations-not trials of the rectitude of his principles, and his determination to execute the great work intrusted to him, in the manner appointed by the Father. Nothing known to have emanated from that source can have been a temptation to Him. His Divine nature presents no difficulty against the supposition that, till the third suggestion was presented to him, he was ignorant of the source whence they all emanated. He must, as we have seen, have been ignorant of this, or they would not have been temptations; and he was ignorant of it in the same manner in which he was ignorant of the day of judgment—that is, as a man ; for as a man he encountered temptation, and vanquished it. Thirdly, if all these difficulties could be surmounted, we may add that the temple is said to have been so guarded that it is scarcely possible to conceive that the devil could have conveyed our Lord to the top of it but by miracle; and quite impossible to imagine that he could have shown him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, in any other way. And yet we have every reason to believe that the devil does not possess the power of working miracles; for our Lord invariably appealed to his works, in proof of his Divine mission; but, if diabolical agency be competent to the performance of a miracle, nothing can be more manifest than that a miracle is not of itself sufficient proof that the being who performs it came from God. On all these accounts I am constrained to think that there was not, on this occasion, (as we have already said,) any visible and personal appearance of the tempter; that the statements of the evangelists are not to be literally understood; that the historian is to be regarded as describing-in that picturesque and dramatic form which is so common with the sacred writers-the suggestion, on the part of the enemy, to the mind of Christ, of certain modes or plans for commencing the great work of his mission-plans of which the devil earnestly desired the adoption, because they would have defeated the object of that mission. This interpretation has the great recommendation of exhibiting our Lord as tempted in the same manner in which his people are tempted: whereas, if the devil appeared in some visible form to the Saviour, his temptations and ours bear no resemblance to each other; and his triumph affords to us no ground of encouragement that we also shall be conquerors in the day of trial. I am well aware that the form of the narrative; that the dialogue which is said to have taken place between our Lord and Satan-and, especially, the statement that the Saviour was carried from one place to another-are regarded by many wise and pious men as insuperable obstacles to the reception of that view of the meaning of the passage which I have attempted to give. At one period I thought so myself. I am now, however, fully convinced that it is safest to regard the whole as this paper has done as a highly figurative mode of representing suggestions made by Satan, to the mind of our Lord, in the same manner with that in which he conveys suggestions to our minds. The full import, as well as the propriety, of this view of the passage, will more fully appear as we unfold The fifth remark, relates to the particu. lar temptations which the devil presented to our Lord. The first was a temptation to the abuse or perversion of the supernatural gifts with which he was endowed: "Command," said the tempter, "that these stones be made bread." power, the sin of mistrusting the providence and care of God: for, since he was in the path of duty, there was sufficient ground for confidence that God, who has promised to his people that their bread shall be given them, and their water made sure, would provide necessary supplies, or continue to sustain his bodily frame-as he had done during the previous forty days-without any nourishment at all. He recollected the language of God to Israel of old-language which implies that, when ordinary means fail, he both can, and will, resort to extraordinary measures for the support of his people; and with this sacred recollection he quenched the fiery darts of the wicked one. He resolved to commit himself into the hands of his Father, and to encounter death, even in one of its most horrible forms, rather than prostitute to private purposes the important trust which, to secure important public ones, he had committed to him. The power of working miracles was The two following suggestions were conferred upon our Lord for the sole temptations to proceed in an unauthorized purpose of demonstrating the Divinity of manner in the commencement and prosecu his mission. To have employed that tion of his mission. Sufficient ground existpower, therefore, in providing for his ed for believing that the predicted Messiah personal wants, or in ministering to his would be "despised and rejected of men," personal aggrandisement, would have and that the Divine intention-in harbeen not the use but the abuse of it. mony with the whole of the previous And yet, when destitute of food-espe- conduct of God-in regard to him, was cially when he had remained destitute of that the evidence of his Divine mission it so long, and had no prospect of a should be gradually unfolded;-that the speedy supply there was room for the sun should not at once burst forth upon inquiry, on the part of the Man Christ the Jews with meridian splendour, but Jesus, whether it might not be allowable shine more and more unto the perfect to draw upon his miraculous power to day. Human reason, however, might that extent at least, that would meet the have deemed it probable, or even certain, present exigence. He was seeking pre- that the great object of the Saviour's misparation of mind for his great work. It sion would be far more likely to be sewas essential to the good of man, and the cured, if he should appear in the world glory of God, that he should be sus- with the splendour of an earthly monarch; tained. Ordinary supplies had failed. and commence his public ministry by a Might he not, then, adopt the suggestion display of miraculous power so extraordiof the devil, and command the stones to nary as to convince even the most sceptibecome bread? The mode of relief re- cal, were that possible, that he was, incommended by the tempter had much to deed, the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed! recommend it. He could not, however, have acted on the suggestion withcut adding to a perversion of his miraculous The devil endeavoured, accordingly, to insinuate such thoughts and purposes into the Saviour's mind, and to induce him to act upon them. The first of these two temptations was a vivid suggestion, to the mind of the Saviour, of the powerful impression which would be made upon the minds of the Jews, if he were to cast himself down from a pinnacle of the temple, in the sight of all, and without sustaining any injury: "Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him upon a pinnacle of the temple;" that is, not literally—for I do not imagine that they actually left the wilderness; but the devil conveyed him to a pinnacle of the temple in imagination; he led the Saviour to conceive of himself as there, -and to reflect upon the effect which the act of casting himself down in their midst, would have upon the Jews. And to induce him to act on this suggestion, i.e., actually to go to the pinnacle, and cast himself from it, he quoted a passage of Scripture which seemed to promise him preservation in the adventurous attempt. You may do it with safety, he in effect said, 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." Now, we must not forget that this temptation was of a very insidious nature; for, as it has been justly observed, the Jews, "from a mistaken interpretation of some of the prophecies concerning Christ, had concluded that he would descend suddenly in visible majesty from the clouds of heaven, and make his first public appearance in the temple of Jerusalem."-"His visible descent was probably the sign from heaven which they so frequently demanded from him afterwards, and which they regarded as essential to the attestation of his commission." It was not possible for temptation to succeed in the case of our Lord; yet the devil certainly adopted the most effectual means to insure success by suggesting to him the propriety of thus casting himself from the temple, and giving them the signs they desired. To have done this, however, would have been "tempting God," ie., putting his care, and good ness, and power, to unnecessary-and. therefore, improper-proof. In quoting the words of Scripture, the tempter had omitted the very important clause-He shall keep thee "in all thy ways;"—a clause which implies that we have no ground to expect the accomplishment of the promise, except when we are in the path of duty; and since our Lord knew that he had no command to expose himself to such imminent peril; but that, on the contrary, it was the will of the Father that his mission should be commenced in a different manner-he repelled the temptation by another passage of Scripture-a passage which it will be well for us ever to bear in mind-" It is written again, 'Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.'” Baffled in both these attempts, and rendered outrageous by defeat, the devil proceeds to make his last grand assault upon our Lord. He presented to his imagination a seductive representation of the glories of temporal dominion, "He took him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;" that is, as I understand the words -as in the former case-he succeeded, by the aid of those infernal arts which he well knows how to employ, in conveying to his imagination as lively a conception of the splendour, and magnificence, and glory of the world, as he could possibly have possessed, had he actually taken him to the top of a lofty mountain, commanding a view of the whole. In addition to this, he probably also suggested to his mind that the actual possession of all this glory would at once secure for him a cordial reception by the Jews, and render the speedy and universal extension of the gospel absolutely certain. And, having thus cautiously endeavoured to kindle the desire of earthly splendour—a desire which there did not seem to be wanting important considerations to excuse, and even to hallow; he ventured at length to disclose the horrible condition on which this glory was to be enjoyed, "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." Now, however, had Satan, as he often does, defeated his own purposes; for, as Professor Scott most justly observes, "With all the craft, and policy, and natural sagacity, which Satan possesses, he is the most foolish, because the most wicked, being in the universe." He had flashed conviction into the mind of the Saviour that all the plans, in reference to the commencement and prosecution of his work, which had passed before him, had been presented to his imagination by the enemy of all righteousness; and, therefore, he no longer continued to reason with him. He might have disputed his power to accomplish his promise; but Satan is not to be argued with, but rebuked, and fled from. Our Lord accordingly repelled the horrible suggestion of worshipping any created being-and more especially Satan-with the unspeakable disdain which it merits. He said to him, "Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." II. I am to remind the reader of some of the important practical lessons which the subject is adapted to teach. First, We learn that God sometimes prepares his people to serve him, in the discharge of important and difficult duties, by grievous trials and temptations. Before we enter into any important engagement we feel, as already stated, the necessity of retirement and reflection; that we may consider what is the best method of procedure; calculate the difficulties and dangers of the enterprise; measure our own strength with that which is manifestly requisite for the discharge of the work;-aud especially that we may enjoy an opportunity of engaging on our behalf, by fervent and persevering prayer, the blessing of Him who, however incompetent we may be to the task, can impart any measure of wisdom and of strength which the services to which we expect to be called may require. Now, it is in these seasons of retirement that we are especially exposed to the assaults of the tempter. He is fully The aware of the importance of endeavouring to distract our minds;-of sending us into the field of service unprepared for duty by calm consideration and fervent prayer; and therefore he assails us as he did our Lord; and, by the grace of God, he fails in the case of the servant, as he did in that of his Master. fierce onsets of the adversary produce a deeper conviction of weakness and danger; they add to the importunity of prayer: and Satan has the mortification of perceiving that he has been the indirect means of polishing a shaft which is to be used against himself-of giving stability to a cause which he intended to subvert and destroy. Secondly, The subject teaches us that we shall have no cause for astonishment even though we should see Christians tempted to commit the most horrible sins, since our Lord was tempted to ambition and idolatry. We may add, also, that, though the occurrence of such temptations must prove the source of bitter distress, it should not excite any apprehensions in regard to the reality of our Christian character. It is not uncommon for eminent believers to be thus assailed; and some have written bitter things against themselves on this account. They have done so, however, without sufficient reason. It should never be forgotten that character is developed, not by the suggestions which the tempter endeavours to intrude into our minds, but by the reception we give to them. Improper modes of conducting his mission were presented, by Satan, to the imagination of the Holy and Just One. They were contemplated by him; but, as they did not secure the concurrence of his mind, they produced no stain of defilement. The conception of crime may in like manner be awakened in the mind of a believer. Satan may prompt him to cherish that conception, and to act upon it. But as long as the conception is not cherished-as long as the mind endeavours to repel and cast it out as an accursed thing, so long does it retain its purity. that the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, is the best instrument we can employ for repelling the assaults of the adversary. Thirdly, We learn from this subject | selves by measures which conscience and Scripture, and the Judge on the great white Throne will approve. No doubt such submission demands firmness, but let us remember the conduct of our Lord. He refused to work a miracle for his support in the deepest exigence. This was the instrument to which our Lord and Master resorted. He baffled and confounded the enemy by the words of eternal truth. Now, it may be well to remember, that, to secure the same happy result in our case, a superficial acquaintance with the word of God is not sufficient. The devil is too wise to tempt an experienced Christian, in the first instance at least, to anything that is grossly and palpably wrong. He begins, generally at least, by suggesting conduct, in defence of which it might be possible to produce at least apparent argument; and he sometimes, as in the case of our Lord, twists Scripture to his own purpose, so as to cause it to appear to sanction the very conduct which he wishes us to adopt. To repel the attacks of such an adversary, perhaps I may say, the ordinary attainments of Christians-much lower as they are than they ought to be, through negligence can scarcely be expected to be sufficient. We must be mighty in the Scripture. It must dwell in our hearts, and, by constant study, in our memories; and then it will supply us with arms to resist the enemy-arms which he cannot withstand, and before which he will be compelled to flee. Fourthly, We learn that we must not resort to unlawful or questionable means to rescue ourselves from suffering or danger-but, committing ourselves to God, rely upon his power and providence for deliverance. In a season of commercial embarrassment, under the burden of poverty, and when smarting under the rod of oppression, there may be strong temptation to do this. But, in all these cases, the conduct of the Christian should be marked by unbending integrity. No questionable means must be resorted to to sustain a falling credit, to vindicate an aspersed character. Reproach, and poverty, and oppression, and ruin must be submitted to, if we cannot save our VOL. XXVI. Fifthly, We learn that we must not rashly expose ourselves to danger in the confidence that Divine protection will be afforded. When, indeed, duty calls him to do it, the motto of the Christian is, "Onwards," the Lord will protect. Though the heathen rage, and the kingdoms be moved, the Lord of Hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge. But when we rush uncalled into danger, to look for Divine protection is not faith, but presumption. It is to tempt the Lord our God. He may indeed afford assistance, but we have no right to expect it. We most unwarrantably put his power and grace to a trial to which they ought not to have been subjected. And, were we to fall, his faithfulness would remain unimpeached. sooner Sixthly, We learn that every suggestion possessing a tendency to diminish our holy reverence for the character and authority of God, must be diabolical in its origin. The tempter had no uttered the words, "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me," than the Saviour replied, "Get thee hence, Satan." The source from which that suggestion proceeded— whatever might be the case with the others could not be mistaken. Let us parley with no temptation which tends to undermine the Divine authority. It had its primary origin in hell. Get thee hence, Satan, is the treatment we should give to it. |