Chapter II: CHRIST doth Invite all of you to be his spouse (9)

Are there any here that can go along with me on this doctrine? But why do I ask this question, when preaching to numbers, who, I hope, have tasted of the grace of GOD long ago? I do not know; I cannot distinguish you; you are just like other people, as to your looks and habits; but if I do not, and if your neighbours cannot know you, that great GOD, in whose presence you are, knows you; He, before whose tribunal we are shortly to appear, knows you. If CHRIST JESUS hath brought his everlasting righteousness into your heart; if it is applied by the Spirit of GOD to your soul, what shall I say to you? I will say as the Angel to _John_, “Come up hither,” thou child of GOD! Come up hither, thou son, thou daughter of _Abraham_! Come and join with me, in calling upon angels and archangels, in calling upon the spirits of just men made perfect, to help thee to praise that loving Redeemer, that has brought in an everlasting righteousness. O was ever love like this! When _Abraham_ was about to offer up his son, GOD said, “Now I know that thou lovest me, since thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.” Now may each child of GOD say, “Now, O GOD, I know that thou hast loved me, since thou hast not withheld thy Son, thy dear Son, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, from dying for me.” If thou hast got CHRIST brought into thy soul by faith, O look forward, look towards a happy eternity; O look towards those everlasting mansions, into which GOD will bring thee after death. My dear friends, I could say much from this text to comfort GOD’s people: But

I must address myself to you, poor souls, who cannot say, that this righteousness has been brought home to your souls; but if it was never brought home before, may GOD, for the LORD JESUS CHRIST’s sake, bring it home now! Are any of you depending upon a righteousness of your own? Do any of you here, think to save yourselves by your own doings? I say to you, as the Apostle said to one that offered money for a power to confer the gift of the Holy Ghost, your righteousness shall perish with you. Poor miserable creatures! What is there in your tears? what in your prayers? what in your performances, to appease the wrath of an angry GOD? Away from the trees of the garden; come, ye guilty wretches, come as poor, lost, undone, and wretched creatures, and accept of a better righteousness than your own. As I said before, so I tell you again, the righteousness of JESUS CHRIST is an everlasting righteousness: it is wrought out for the very chief of sinners. Ho, every one that thirsteth, let him come and drink of this water of life freely. Are any of you wounded by sin? Do any of you feel you have no righteousness of your own? Are any of you perishing for hunger? Are any of you afraid ye will perish for ever? Come, dear souls, in all your rags; come, thou poor man; come, thou poor, distressed woman; you, who think GOD will never forgive you, and that your sins are too great to be forgiven; come, thou doubting creature, who art afraid thou wilt never get comfort; arise, take comfort, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the LORD of life, the LORD of glory, calls for thee: through his righteousness there is hope for the chief of sinners, for the worst of creatures. What if thou hadst committed all the sins in the world? What if thou hadst committed the sins of a thousand, what if thou hadst committed the sins of a million of worlds? CHRIST’s righteousness will cover, the blood of the LORD JESUS CHRIST will cleanse thee from the guilt of them all. O let not one poor soul stand at a distance from the Saviour. My dear friends, could my voice hold out, was my strength equal to my will, I would wrestle with you; I would strive with arguments, till you came and washed in this blood of the Lamb; till you came and accepted of this everlasting righteousness. O come, come! Now, since it is brought into the world by CHRIST, so in the name, in the strength, and by the assistance of the great GOD, I bring it now to the pulpit; I now offer this righteousness, this free, this imputed, this everlasting righteousness to all poor sinners that will accept of it. For GOD’s sake accept it this night: you do not know but ye may die before to-morrow. How do ye know, but while I am speaking, a fit of the apoplexy may seize, and death arrest you? O my dear friends, where can ye go? where will ye appear? How will ye stand before an angry GOD, without the righteousness of the LORD JESUS CHRIST put upon your souls? Can ye stand in your own rags? Will ye dare to appear before a heart-searching GOD, without the apparel of your elder brother? If ye do, I know your doom: CHRIST will frown you into hell: “Depart, depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,” shall be your portion. Think, I pray you, therefore, on these things; go home, go home, go home, pray over the text, and say, “LORD GOD, thou hast brought an everlasting righteousness into the world by the LORD JESUS CHRIST; by the blessed Spirit bring it into my heart!” then, die when ye will, ye are safe; if it be to-morrow, ye shall be immediately translated into the presence of the everlasting GOD: that will be sweet! Happy they who have got this robe on; happy they that can say, “My GOD hath loved me, and I shall be loved by him with an everlasting love!” That every one of you may be able to say so, may GOD grant, for the sake of JESUS CHRIST, the dear Redeemer; to whom be glory for ever. _Amen._

SERMON XVI.

The Observation of the Birth of CHRIST,
the Duty of all Christians;
or the true Way of keeping Christmas.

MATTHEW i. 21.

_And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call his Name
Jesus: For he shall save his People from their Sins._

THE celebration of the birth of CHRIST hath been esteemed a duty by most who profess christianity. When we consider the condescension and love of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, in submitting to be born of a virgin, a poor sinful creature; and especially as he knew how he was to be treated in this world; that he was to be despised, scoffed at, and at last to die a painful, shameful, and ignominious death; that he should be treated as though he was the off-scouring of all mankind; used, not like the son of a man, and, therefore, not at all like the Son of GOD; the consideration of these things should make us to admire the love of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who was so willing to offer himself as a ransom for the sins of the people, that when the fulness of time was come, CHRIST came, made of a woman, made under the law: he came according to the eternal counsel of the Father; he came, not in glory or in splendor, not like him who brought all salvation with him: no, he was born in a stable, and laid in a manger; oxen were his companions. O amazing condescension of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, to stoop to such low and poor things for our sake. What love is this, what great and wonderful love was here, that the Son of GOD should come into our world in so mean a condition, to deliver us from the sin and misery in which we were involved by our fall in our first parents! And as all that proceeded from the springs must be muddy, because the fountain was so, the LORD JESUS CHRIST came to take our natures upon him, to die a shameful, a painful, and an accursed death for our sakes; he died for our sins, and to bring us to GOD; he cleansed us by his blood from the guilt of sin, he satisfied for our imperfections; and now, my brethren, we have access unto him with boldness; he is a mediator between us and his offended Father.

Therefore, if we do but consider into what state, and at how great a distance from GOD we are fallen; how vile our natures were; what a depravity, and how incapable to restore that image of GOD to our souls, which we lost in our first parents: when I consider these things, my brethren, and that the LORD JESUS CHRIST came to restore us to that favour with GOD which we had lost, and that CHRIST not only came down with an intent to do it, but actually accomplished all that was in his heart towards us; that he raised and brought us into favour with GOD, that we might find kindness and mercy in his sight; surely this calls for some return of thanks on our part to our dear Redeemer, for this love and kindness to our souls. How just would it have been of him, to have left us in that deplorable state wherein we, by our guilt, had involved ourselves? For GOD could not, nor can receive any additional good by our salvation; but it was love, mere love; it was free love that brought the LORD JESUS CHRIST into our world about 1700 years ago. What, shall we not remember the birth of our JESUS? Shall we yearly celebrate the birth of our temporal king, and shall that of the King of kings be quite forgotten? Shall that only, which ought to be had chiefly in remembrance, be quite forgotten? GOD forbid! No, my dear brethren, let us celebrate and keep this festival of our church, with joy in our hearts: let the birth of a Redeemer, which redeemed us from sin, from wrath, from death, from hell, be always remembered; may this Saviour’s love never be forgotten! but may we sing forth all his love and glory as long as life shall last here, and through an endless eternity in the world above! may we chaunt forth the wonders of redeeming love, and the riches of free grace, amidst angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, without intermission, for ever and ever! And as, my brethren, the time for keeping this festival is approaching, let us consider our duty in the true observation thereof, or the right way for the glory of GOD, and the good of immortal souls, to celebrate the birth of our LORD JESUS CHRIST; an event which ought to be had in eternal remembrance.

It is my design to lay down rules for the true keeping of that time of _Christmas_, which is now approaching.

I. I shall shew you when you may be said, not to observe this
festival aright.

II. I shall shew you, when your observation and celebrating of
this festival is done according to the glory of GOD, and to
the true manner of keeping of it.

III. Shall conclude with an exhortation to all of you, high and
low, rich and poor, one with another, to have a regard to your
behaviour at all times, but more especially, my dear brethren,
on this solemn occasion.

I. My brethren, I am to shew when your celebration of this festival is not of the right kind.

And _First_, you do not celebrate this aright, when you spend most of your time in cards, dice, or gaming of any sort.

This is a season, for which there is no more allowance for wasting of your precious time in those unlawful entertainments, than any other. Persons are apt to flatter themselves that they are free and at liberty to spend whole evenings now at cards, at dice, or any diversion whatsoever, to pass away, as they call it, a tedious evening. They can do any thing now to pass away that, which is hastening as fast as thought: time is always upon the wing; it is no sooner present but it is past, and no sooner come but it is gone. And have we so much to do, and so little time to do it in, and yet complain of time lying heavy upon our hands? Have we not the devil and the beast to get out of our souls? Are not our natures to be changed, our corruptions to be subdued, our wills to be brought over to GOD, our hard hearts to be softened, all old things to be done away, and all things to become new in our souls? Is there not all this to be done? And yet we have too much time upon our hands! It is well, that instead of having too much time, it be not found that we have got too little, when we come to die: then we shall wish, my brethren, that we had made more account of our time, that we had improved it for the glory of GOD, and the welfare of our immortal souls.

Good GOD! how amazing is the consideration, that many can go to church in the morning, and take the Sacrament, and come home and spend the afternoon and evening in cards: Is this, my brethren, discerning the LORD’s body? Is this taking the sacrament according to its institution? Is not this a pollution thereof, and making the blood of the covenant an unholy thing.

Therefore, those of you who have made this your practice in times past, let me beseech you, in the bowels of mercy, not to do so any more; for, indeed, it is earthly, it is sensual, it is devilish. Consider what is said of those who eat and drink at the LORD’s table unworthily, that they eat and drink their own damnation: And can they, my brethren, be said to eat and drink any otherwise, who no sooner go from the table of the LORD, but run to the diversions of the devil? Indeed this is exceeding sinful, and displeasing unto the LORD; then forbear those diversions which are so evil in themselves: O be not found in those exercises, and in that pleasure, which you would not be found in when you come to die. Thus, my brethren, you see it is not a right celebration of the birth of the LORD JESUS, to spend it in cards, dice, or any other diversions, which proceed so directly from the devil, and are destructive to all true goodness.

_Secondly_, They cannot be said truly to celebrate this time, who spend their time in eating and drinking to excess.

This is a season when persons are apt to indulge themselves in all manner of luxury: iniquity now abounds apace; nothing is scarcely to be seen but things of the greatest extravagance imaginable; not only for the necessities of the body, but to pamper it in lust, to feed its vices, to make us go on in sin, to be a means for gratifying our carnal appetite; and this is a means to make us forget the LORD of glory. This makes us only fit to do such drudgery, as the devil shall set us about; this is only preparing to run wheresoever the devil sends: this, instead of denying ourselves, is indulging ourselves; this is not, nor cannot be called, a celebration of the birth of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, when we are making ourselves worse than the beasts that perish.

I am not speaking against eating and drinking of the good things of life, but against the eating and drinking of them to excess, because, thus they unqualify us for the service of GOD; and to our fellow-creatures they make us unsociable, and may occasion us to be guilty of saying and acting those things, which we should be ashamed to think of, if we had only eat or drank with moderation.

Therefore, my dear brethren, let me beseech you to set a watch over yourselves; be careful that you do not run into that company which may tempt you to evil; for would a man run himself into danger on purpose? Would a man enter himself into that company, where, before he goes, he knows he shall be exposed to great temptations; and therefore, if you have any reason to think that the company you are going into will be a temptation, I beseech you, by the mercies of GOD in CHRIST JESUS, that you would not run into it.

How can you say, “Lead us not into temptation,” when you are resolved to lead yourselves into it, by running into the occasions of sins. You are commanded to keep from the appearance of evil; and do you do that, by running into the place and company where it is like to be committed? No, this is so far from avoiding, and shunning it, that it is a plain proof to the contrary; therefore, if you are for observing this time, this festival of our church, let it not be done by running to excess; for you plainly see, that those who are guilty thereof, cannot be said properly to celebrate it.

_Thirdly_, Nor can they, my brethren, be said to keep, or rightly observe the commemoration of the birth of our Redeemer, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who neglect their worldly callings to follow pleasures and diversions.

Alas! many, instead of keeping this time as it ought to be, run into sin with greediness; instead of devoting their time to the LORD, it is only devoted to the devil and their own lusts. How many who thus mispend their time, at this season, lay by the work of their callings for a considerable time, with no other view, but to follow earthly, sensual, and devilish pleasures. If they should go to hear a sermon, or to a society, my brethren, the mouths of all the _Pharisees_ at once are open against them, that they are not only a going to be ruined themselves, but are going to ruin their families too; they think it needless to make so much ado; this is being _righteous over-much_; but you may be as wicked as you please, and they will not cry out; however, when you are _wicked over-much_, by serving the devil and your own pleasures for a week or a month together, then, my brethren, with them you are only taking a little recreation, spending your time in innocent diversions; no one cries out against you, there is no outcry that you are going to be ruined. Again, if you give never so small a matter among the poor people of GOD, for their relief, then you are robbing your families, then you are going to turn madmen, and in a few days will be so methodistically mad, that you are not fit for a polite gentleman’s conversation; but if you spend one hundred times the money in playhouses, &c. on your lusts and pleasures, then you are liked and esteemed as a good friend and companion; but, my dear brethren, these good companions in the world’s account, are never so in the LORD JESUS CHRIST’s. You cannot serve GOD and mammon; you must either lose your lusts, your pleasures, and your delights, or you cannot expect to find favour with GOD; for indeed, and indeed, the ways that too many follow at this time, are sinful, yea, they are exceeding sinful. You see they cannot be said to celebrate this holy time, who thus mispend their precious time to the neglect of their families; such are destroying themselves with a witness.

Thus, my dear brethren, I have shewn you who they are who do not rightly observe this holy festival.

II. I come now, in the second place, to shew you, who they are who do rightly observe, and truly celebrate the birth of our Redeemer.

And I shall shew you who they are in two particulars, directly opposite to the others; and then, my brethren, take your choice: you must choose the one or the other, there is no medium, you must either serve the LORD or Baal; and, therefore, my dear brethren, let me beg of you to consider,

_First_, That those spend their time aright, and truly observe this festival, who spend their hours in reading, praying, and religious conversation.

What can we do to employ our time to a more noble purpose, than reading of what our dear Redeemer has done and suffered; to read, that the King of kings, and the LORD of lords, came from his throne and took upon him the form of the meanest of his servants; and what great ♦things he underwent. This, this is an history worth reading, this is worth employing our time about: and surely, when we read of the sufferings of our Saviour, it should excite us to prayer, that we might have an interest in the LORD JESUS CHRIST; that the blood which he spilt upon mount _Calvary_, and his death and crucifixion, might make an atonement for our sins, that we might be made holy; that we might be enabled to put off the old man with his deeds, and put on the new man, even the LORD JESUS CHRIST; that we may throw away the heavy yoke of sin, and put on the yoke of the LORD JESUS CHRIST. Indeed, my brethren, these things call for prayer, and for earnest prayer too; and O do be earnest with GOD, that you may have an interest in this Redeemer, and that you may put on his righteousness, so that you may not come before him in your filthy rags, nor be found not having on the wedding garment. O do not, I beseech you, trust unto yourselves for justification; you cannot, indeed, you cannot be justified by the works of the law. I intreat that your time may be thus spent; and if you are in company, let your time be spent in that conversation which profiteth: let it not be about your dressing, your plays, your profits, or your worldly concerns, but let it be the wonders of redeeming love: O tell, tell to each other, what great things the LORD has done for your souls; declare unto one another, how you were delivered from the hands of your common enemy, _Satan_, and how the LORD has brought your feet from the clay, and has set them upon the rock of ages, the LORD JESUS CHRIST; there, my brethren, is no slipping; other conversation, by often repeating, you become fully acquainted with, but of CHRIST there is always something new to raise your thoughts; you can never want matter when the love of the LORD JESUS CHRIST is the subject: then let JESUS be the subject, my brethren, of all your conversation.

♦ “thnigs” replaced with “things”

Let your time be spent on him: O this, this is an employ, which if you belong to JESUS, will last you to all eternity. Let others enjoy their cards, their dice, and gaming hours; do you, my brethren, let your time be spent in reading, praying, and religious conversation. Which will stand the trial best at the last day? which do you think will bring most comfort, most peace, in a dying hour? O live and spend your time now, as you will wish to have done, when you come to die.

_Secondly_, Let the good things of life, you enjoy, be used with moderation.

I am not, as the scoffers of this day tell you, against eating and drinking the good things of life; no, my brethren, I am only against their being used to an excess; therefore, let me beseech you to avoid those great indiscretions, those sinful actions, which will give the enemies of GOD room to blaspheme. Let me beseech you, to have a regard, a particular regard to your behaviour, at this time; for indeed the eyes of all are upon you, and they would rejoice much to find any reason to complain of you. They can say things against us without a cause; and how would they rejoice if there was wherewith they might blame us? Then they would triumph and rejoice indeed; and all your little slips, my dear brethren, are, and would be charged upon me. O at this time, when the eyes of so many are upon you, be upon your guard; and if you use the good things of this life with moderation, you do then celebrate this festival in the manner which the institution calls for.

And instead of running into excess, let that money, which you might expend to pamper your own bodies, be given to feed the poor; now, my brethren, is the season, in which they commonly require relief; and sure you cannot act more agreeable, either to the season, to the time, or for the glory of GOD, than in relieving his poor distressed servants. Therefore, if any of you have poor friends, or acquaintance, who are in distress, I beseech you to assist them; and not only those of your acquaintance, but the poor in general. O my dear brethren, that will turn to a better account another day, than all you have expended to please the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, or the pride of life. Consider, CHRIST was always willing to relieve the distressed; it is his command also; and can you better commemorate the birth of your king, your Saviour, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, than in obeying one of his commands?

Do not, my dear brethren, be forgetful of the poor of this world; consider, if providence has smiled upon you, and blessed you with abundance of the things of this life, GOD calls for some returns of gratitude from you: be ye mindful of the poor, and when you are so, then you may be said to have a true regard for that time which is now approaching; if you would truly observe this festival, let it be done with moderation, and a regard to the poor of this world.

_Thirdly_, Let me beg of you not to alienate too much of your time from the worldly business of this life, but have a proper regard thereunto, and then you may be said rightly to observe this festival.

GOD allows none to be idle: in all ages business was commended; and therefore do not think that any season will excuse us in our callings: we are not, my brethren, to labour for the things of this life inordinately, but we are to labour for them with all moderation: we are not to neglect our callings; no, we are to regard those places and stations of life, which GOD in his providence has thought convenient for us; and therefore, when you neglect your business to the hurt of your families, whatever pretence you thereby make for so doing, you are guilty of sin; you are not acting according to the doctrine of the gospel, but are breaking the commands of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, both according to his word, and to his own practice.

At this festival, persons are apt to take a little more liberty than usual; and if that time from our vocations is not prejudicial to ourselves or families, and is spent in the service of GOD, and the good of immortal souls, then I do not think it sinful; but there is too much reason to fear, that the time is spent upon our own lusts, and then it is exceeding sinful, it is against our own souls, and it is against the good of our families, and instead of commemorating the birth of our dear Redeemer, we are dishonouring him in the greatest degree possibly we can.

Therefore, enquire strictly into your end and design in spending your time; see, my brethren, whether it proceeds from a true love to your Redeemer, or whether there is not some worldly pleasure or advantage at the bottom: if there is, our end is not right; but if it proceed intirely from love to him that died, and gave himself for us, our actions will be a proof thereof; then our time will be spent, not in the polite pleasures of life, but according to the doctrines and commands of the blessed JESUS; then our conversation will be in heaven: and O that this might be found to be the end of each of you, who now hear me; then we should truly observe this festival, and have a true regard to the occasion thereof, that of CHRIST’s coming to redeem the souls of those which were lost.

Let me now conclude, my dear brethren, with a few words of exhortation, beseeching you to think of the love of the LORD JESUS CHRIST. Did JESUS come into the world to save us from death, and shall we spend no part of our time in conversing about our dear JESUS; shall we pay no regard to the birth of him, who came to redeem us from the worst of slavery, from that of sin, and the devil; and shall this JESUS not only be born on our account, but likewise die in our stead, and yet shall we be unmindful of him? Shall we spend our time in those things which are offensive to him? Shall we not rather do all we can to promote his glory, and act according to his commands? O my dear brethren, be found in the ways of GOD; let us not disturb our dear Redeemer by any irregular proceedings; and let me beseech you to strive to love, fear, honour and obey him, more than ever you have done yet; let not the devil engross your time, and that dear Saviour who came into the world on your accounts, have so little. O be not so ungrateful to him who has been so kind to you; What could the LORD JESUS CHRIST have done for you more than he has? Then do not abuse his mercy, but let your time be spent in thinking and talking of the love of JESUS, who was incarnate for us, who was born of a woman, and made under the law, to redeem us from the wrath to come.

Now to GOD the Father, GOD the Son, &c.

SERMON XVII.

The Temptation of CHRIST.

MATTHEW iv. 1‒11.

_Then was JESUS led up of the spirit into the wilderness, to be
tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and
forty nights, he was afterwards an hungered. And when the
tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of GOD,
command that these stones may be made bread. But he answered
and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of GOD.
Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth
him on a 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. JESUS said unto him, It is written again,
Thou shalt not tempt the LORD thy GOD. Again, the devil taketh
him up into an exceeding high mountain, 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. Then saith JESUS unto him, Get thee hence,
Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the LORD thy GOD,
and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and
behold, angels came and ministered unto him._

DEARLY beloved, to-day you are invited to take a walk into the wilderness, to behold, sympathize with, and get instruction and comfort from a Saviour tempted. In the conflict, he approves himself to be GOD’s beloved Son; and the Father gives demonstrable evidence, that with, and in him, he is indeed well pleased. Let us with serious attention consider, when, where, and how, our great _Michael_ fought with and overcame the dragon. The Evangelist _Matthew_ is very particular in relating the preparations for, the beginning, process, and issue of this glorious and important combat.

“Then was JESUS led up of the spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil.” In the close of the foregoing chapter we are told, that the blessed JESUS had been publicly baptized, and was also solemnly inaugurated to his mediatorial office, by the opening of the heavens, by the Spirit of GOD descending on him like a dove, and by a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased;” and then it was, when he came from the solemn ordinance of baptism; when he was about to shew himself openly unto _Israel_; when he was full of the Holy Ghost (_Luke_ iv. 1.); even _then_ was he led, with a holy unconstrained violence, as a champion into the field, to engage an enemy, whom he was sure to conquer. But whither is this conqueror led? Into a lonesome, wide, howling wilderness: probably, says Mr. _Henry_, into the great wilderness of _Sinai_; a wilderness, not only lonesome, but inhabited by wild beasts. _Mark_ i. 13. Hither was our LORD led, not only that he might prepare himself by retirement and prayer, but also that he might be alone, and thereby give Satan all the advantages he could desire. In this combat, as well as that of his last agony, “of the people, there was to be none with him.” Neither does he content himself with praying, but he fasts also, and that “forty days and forty nights,” (verse 2.): as _Moses_ and _Elias_ had done, many years before, it may be, in the very same place. All these fasts were miraculous; and therefore, though we are taught hereby, that fasting is a christian duty, yet, to pretend, in an ordinary way, to imitate them, by fasting for so long a term together, is no doubt superstitious, presumptuous, and sinful: but few people, I believe, need such a caution.

During these forty days, we may suppose, our LORD felt no hunger: converse with heaven, to him was instead of meat and drink; but “afterwards he was an hungered;” exceedingly so, no doubt. And now, the important fight begins. For, then “the tempter,” emphatically so called, because he first tempted our first parents to sin, and hath ever since been unwearied in tempting their descendants; then the tempter, who in an invisible manner had been attacking our blessed LORD all the whole forty days, when he saw him hungering, and in such distressing circumstances, came to him, as it should seem, in a visible shape, and probably transformed into the appearance of an angel of light. And what does he tempt him to? To nothing less, than to doubt of his being the Son of GOD. “If thou be the Son of GOD.” What! put an _if_ to this, Satan, after the glorious JESUS had been proved to be GOD’s son, and repeatedly too in such a glorious manner? Surely, thou thyself couldst not but see the heavens opened, and the Spirit descending; surely, thou didst hear the voice that came to him from heaven, immediately after his baptism, saying, “This is my beloved Son:” And dost thou now say unto him, “If thou be the Son of GOD.” Yes; but Satan knew, and believed he was full well; but he wanted to make our LORD to doubt of it. And why? Because he was in such a melancholy situation. As though he had said, “If GOD was thy father, he would never suffer thee to starve to death in a howling wilderness, among wild beasts. Surely, the voice thou lately didst hear, was only a delusion. If thou wast the Son of GOD, especially his beloved Son, in whom he was so pleased, thou wouldst be taken more care of by him.” Thus he attacked our first parents, by suggesting to them hard thoughts of their all-bountiful Creator: “Yea, hath GOD said, Ye shall not eat of every tree in the garden?” “Hath he placed you amidst such a variety of delicious fruits, only to teaze and make you miserable?” And how artfully now does he labour to insinuate himself into our LORD’s affections, as he then did to ingratiate himself with our first parents. “If thou be the Son of GOD, says he, come, prove it, by commanding these stones (a heap of which, probably, lay very near) to be made bread: this will demonstrate thy divinity, and relieve thy pressing necessity at the same time.” Thus, as in all his other temptations, Satan would fain appear to be his very kind friend; but the holy JESUS saw through the disguised enmity of his antagonist; and scorning either to distrust his righteous Father on the one hand, or to work a miracle to please and gratify the devil on the other, although he had the Spirit of GOD without measure, and might have made use of a thousand other ways, yet answers him with a text of scripture: “It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of GOD.” This is a quotation from _Deuteronomy_ viii. 3, and contains a reason given by the great GOD, why he chose to feed the _Israelites_ with manna; that they might learn thereby, man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of GOD. This our blessed LORD here applies to himself; and his being in the wilderness, made the application of it still more pertinent. _Israel_ was GOD’s son: out of _Egypt_ was he called to sojourn in the wilderness, where he was miraculously supported. And therefore our LORD, knowing that he was typified by this _Israel_, and that, like them, he was now in a wilderness, quotes this scripture as a reason why he should not, at Satan’s suggestion, either despair of receiving help from his Father in his present circumstances, or distrust the validity of his late manifestations, or make use of any unwarrantable means for his present relief. For as GOD was his father, he would, therefore, either in an ordinary way spread a table for him in the wilderness, or support and sustain him, as he did his _Israel_ of old, in some extraordinary way or other without it: “For man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of GOD.”

Thus is the tempter foiled in the first onset; but he hath other arrows in his quiver, with which he will farther strive to wound the immaculate Lamb of GOD. Since he cannot draw him in either to distrust, or despair, he will now try if he cannot prevail on him to presume. In order to effect this, “He taketh the blessed JESUS up into the Holy City,” or _Jerusalem_, called by our Saviour, the city of the Great King, and here called holy, because the holy temple was in it, and, we would hope, many holy people. This was a populous place, and therefore, would greatly befriend the devil’s design. And not only so, but “he setteth him on a pinnacle,” a battlement or wing, “of the temple,” the top of which was so very high, that, as _Josephus_ observes, it would make a man’s head run giddy to look down from it. And some think this was done at the time of public worship. How the holy JESUS suffered himself to be taken hither; whether he was transported through the air, or whether he followed Satan on foot, is uncertain; but certainly it was an instance of amazing condescension in our LORD, that he should permit so foul a fiend, to carry or lead his holy body about in this manner. Well! Satan hath now gotten him upon the pinnacle of the temple, and still harping upon his old string, “If thou be the Son of GOD, (says he) cast thyself down,” and thereby shew to this large worshipping assembly, (who will assuredly then believe) that thou art GOD’s beloved Son, under the special protection of heaven, and art that Messiah, “who was to come into the world.” This was artful, very artful. But he seems to improve in cunning: for he brings his Bible with him, and backs his temptation with a text of scripture; “For it is written, (says he) 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.” But is _Saul_ also among the prophets? Does the devil quote scripture, yea, and seemingly such a very apposite one too? I suspect some design, without doubt: for herein, he would mimic our LORD, who, he perceived, intended to fight him with this weapon; and not liking the sharp edge of it, he thought that if he quoted scripture, the LORD JESUS would not employ it against him any more. “It is written, (therefore said he) 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: and therefore, since thou art sure of such protection, thou needst not fear to cast thyself down.” This was plausible, and by the length of it, one would be apt to imagine, it was a fair quotation; but Satan takes care, not only to misapply, but also to maim it, purposely omitting these important words, “in all thy ways.” It is true, GOD had given charge to his angels, concerning his children in general, and his beloved Son in particular, that they should keep him in all his ways; but, if our LORD had at this time, at the devil’s request, and to gratify pride, thrown himself down from the pinnacle, and thereby unnecessarily presumed on his Father’s protection, he would not have been in GOD’s way, and therefore, would have had no right to the promised protection at all. Satan was aware of this, and therefore slily left out what he knew would not suit his purpose. But is scripture the worse, for being abused or perverted by the devil, or his emissaries? No, in no wise. Our LORD, therefore, lets him know, that he should not throw aside this important weapon upon this account, but puts by this home thrust, with another scripture: “It is written _again_, Thou shalt not tempt the LORD thy GOD.” Still our LORD quotes something out of the book of _Deuteronomy_, and hath his eye upon _Israel_ in his wilderness state. Originally these words were directed to the _Israelites_ in general, and accordingly are in the plural number; but here our LORD, as before, makes a particular application of them to himself: Satan bids him cast himself down, assuring him, GOD had promised in his word, to order his angels to take care of him: Now, says our LORD, “It is written in another part of his word, that the _Israelites_ should not tempt the LORD their GOD, by distrusting his goodness on the one hand, or presuming on his protection on the other: And, therefore, as I would not command the stones to be made bread, needlessly and distrustfully set up to provide for myself; neither will I now presume unnecessarily upon GOD’s power, by casting myself down, though placed by thee in such a dangerous situation.”

Thus our great _Michael_ comes off conqueror in the second assault. And doth not the serpent feel his head bruised enough yet? Not at all: on the contrary, being more and more enraged at such unusual opposition, and want of success, “He again taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, (what mountain is not very material) and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them,” St. _Luke_ adds, “in a moment of time:” which confirms the common conjecture, that Satan did not shew our LORD really the kingdoms of the world, (for that must have taken up more time) but only took him up into an exceeding high mountain to humour the thing, and by exerting his utmost art, impressed on our LORD’s imagination _all at once_, a very strong, and to any but innocence itself, a very striking prospect of the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; not the cares: that would not serve Satan’s turn. He shewed our Saviour crowns, but never told him, those crowns were gilded with thorns; “He shewed him, (says Mr. _Henry_, my favourite commentator) as in a landscape, or airy representation in a cloud, such as that great deceiver could easily frame and put together, the glorious and splendid appearance of princes, their robes and retinue, their equipage and life-guards; the pomps of thrones and courts, and stately palaces; the sumptuous buildings in cities; the gardens and fields about the country seats, with the various instances of their wealth, pleasure, and gaiety; so as might be most likely to strike the fancy, and excite the admiration and affection. Such was this shew.” Our Saviour very well knew it, only lets Satan go to the full length of his string, that his victory over him might be the more illustrious. And now, says the devil, “All these things (a mighty all indeed; a mere imaginary bubble!) will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” He would fain have it taken for granted, that he had succeeded in the two preceding temptations: “Come, thou seest thou art not the Son of GOD, or if thou art, thou seest what an unkind Father he is; thou art here in a starving condition, therefore take my advice, disown thy relation to him, set up for thyself, call me father, ask of me blessings, and all these will I give thee; while all that I desire in return, is but a bow, only fall down and worship me.” Here Satan discovers himself with a witness: this was a desperate parting stroke, indeed. It is now high time for thee, O thou enemy of souls, to be commanded to depart! Filled with a holy resentment at such hellish treatment, and impatient of the very thought of setting up for himself, or alienating the least part of his heart and affections from his Father, or dividing them between his GOD and the world; “Then said JESUS unto him, Get thee hence, Satan, (I know thee who thou art, under all thy disguises) get thee hence, thou grand adversary: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the LORD thy GOD, and him only shalt thou serve: this is the great commandment of the law; this is the commandment my Father gave unto his _Israel_ of old, and wouldst thou have me, who came to fulfil the law and the prophets, thus shamefully be a transgressor of it? Get thee hence, I will bear thy insolence no longer: thy other temptations were hellish, like thyself, but this intolerably so: get thee therefore hence, Satan: my heavenly Father is the LORD my GOD, and him only will I serve.”

And now the battle is over: the important combat is ended: JESUS hath won the field: Satan is routed and totally put to flight. “Then,” when the devil found that JESUS could withstand even the golden bait, the lust of the eye and pride of life, in the two last, as well as the lust of the flesh in the first temptation, despairing of the least success, and quite stunned with that all-powerful _Get thee hence, Satan_, “he leaveth him.”

Hell, we may well suppose, like the Philistines of old, was confounded, and gave a horrible groan, when they saw their great _Goliah_, in whom they had so long trusted, thus shamefully and totally defeated in no less than three pitched battles. The first _Adam_ was attacked but once, and was conquered; but the second _Adam_, though thus repeatedly assaulted, comes off without the least sin, not only conqueror, but more than conqueror. Think you not, that there was joy, joy unspeakable in heaven, upon this glorious occasion? Think you not that the angels, those sons of GOD, and the multitude of the heavenly host, who shouted so loud at our LORD’s birth, did not repeat, if possible, with yet greater extasy, that heavenly anthem, “Glory be to GOD in the highest.” For a while they were only spectators, orders, we may suppose, being issued out, that they should only wait around, but not relieve their praying, fasting, tempted LORD; but now the restraint is removed: Satan departs, and “behold, angels came and ministered unto him;” they came to administer to his bodily necessities, and to congratulate him upon the glorious and compleat victory which he had gained: some of them, it may be, had done this kind office for _Elijah_ long ago; and with unspeakably greater joy, they repeat it to the LORD of _Elijah_ now. His Father sends him bread from heaven; and by this lets him know, that notwithstanding the horrid temptations with which he had been attacked, he is his own beloved son, in and with whom he was well pleased.

And was there joy in heaven on this happy occasion? What equal, and if possible, what infinitely greater joy ought there to be among the children of GOD here on earth? For we should do well to remember, that our blessed LORD in this great fight with, and conquest over the dragon, acted as a public person, as a fæderal head of his mystical body the church, even the common representative of all believers. We may therefore from this blessed passage gather strong consolations; since by our LORD’s conquest over Satan, we are thereby assured of our own, and in the mean while can apply to him as a compassionate High-Priest, who was in all things tempted as we are, that he might experimentally be enabled to succour us when we are tempted.

Who, who after hearing of or reading this, can think themselves hardly used, or utterly cast off by GOD, because they are tempted to self-murder, blasphemy, or any other horrid and shocking crimes? Who can wonder at wave being permitted to come upon wave, and one trial to follow upon the back of another? Who can admire, that Satan follows them to holy ordinances, and tempts them to doubt of the reality of all their manifestations, and of their being GOD’s children, even after they have enjoyed the most intimate and delightful communion with their heavenly Father? Was not our LORD treated thus? And “shall the servant be above his Lord, or the disciple above his Master?” No, it is sufficient that the servant be as his Lord, and the disciple as his Master.

But not to dwell on a general improvement, let us see what particular lessons may be learned from this affecting portion of holy writ.

And _First_, was our LORD thus violently beset in the _wilderness_? then we may learn, that however profitable solitude and retirement may be, when used in due season, yet when carried to an extreme is hurtful, and rather befriends than prevents temptation. Woe be to him that is thus always alone; for he hath not another to lift him up when he falleth, or to advise with when he is tempted. As a hermit in _America_ once told me, when I asked him whether he found that way of life lessened his temptations; “Dost not thou know, friend, (said he) that a tree which grows by itself, is more exposed to winds and storms than another that stands surrounded with other trees in the woods?” Our LORD knew this, and therefore he was _led by the Spirit_ into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. LORD, keep us from leading ourselves into this temptation, and succour and support us whenever led by thy providence into it! Then, and then only, shall we be safe amidst the fiery darts of the grand enemy of our souls.