We shall eternally belong either to the one or the other; and out of the floor, we shall be the same that we have been in it, either chaff or wheat. Grant, O Lord, that I may have a heart, not as of chaff, feeble, light, empty, barren, and tossed about with every wind; but as of wheat, pure, full of substantial virtue, firm in goodness, fruitful in good works, and fit to become the bread of God, after having been bruised under the millstone of the cross, kneaded in the water of affliction, and baked with the fire of charity!

SECT. III.-THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST.

13. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

Jesus clothes himself with us and our sins, that he may clothe us with himself and his righteousness. He takes, and, as it were, deifies in himself the marks, effects, punishment, and remedy of sin. If Christ, being innocence itself, notwithstanding chooses to bear the shame of sin, in passing for a sinner, to subject himself to (a sort of) public penance, and oblige himself by this ceremony to all the duties of a true penitent; let us be ashamed of our pride, injustice, and impenitence.

14. But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

How holy and lovely is that contest, which arises, on either side, from nothing but humility! The designs of God are incomprehensible, even to the saints. There is no person but has need of being purified by Christ; let us go to him with confidence every moment, because every moment we have need of his grace. An important lesson this, which God here, at the very first, delivers to us by his apostle; the necessity which we have of a Saviour and of his grace, were we as innocent and as penitent as St. John.

15. And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. The humility of Jesus could not but surmount that of St. John. In the former, it is firm and persevering, without heat or obstinacy; in the latter, obedient and submissive, without

flagging and growing weak. He who is truly humble, lets slip no opportunity of humbling himself without improving it. Those who are to preach this virtue, ought to make it appear in their life and conversation. Christian righteousness is almost all included in humility and repentance; because these include all sorts of good works, at least in the preparation and disposition of the heart. Prepare mine, O Lord! replenish it out of the fulness of thy own!

16. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17. And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Nothing pleases God but in his Son. The baptized [who truly receive Christ] enter into the divine filiation, and are made a part of this beloved Son by the grace of adoption. God bestows no favour, and pardons no sin, but through the merits and for the sake of his Son. The certain way for a man not to be refused, is never to present himself before God in prayer, but together with Jesus Christ; to ask nothing but in his name, to do nothing but by his Spirit, to hope for nothing but through his mediation, and to offer nothing to God but in the union of this Son, and in offering him to the Father.

CHAPTER IV.

SECT. I.-THE FAST AND TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.

1. THEN was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Thus the Holy Ghost received at baptism, inclines the Christian to retirement and a retreat from the world. The more a man is devoted to God, the more ought he to expect temptation. See here an excess of charity and humility in Christ, who exposes himself to the temptation of the devil, that he may overcome for us the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. We seek retirement, that we

may shun temptation, and we do well, because we are weak. Jesus goes into the wilderness on purpose to be tempted there, because he goes to overcome for us, clothed in our weakness without, full of his own divine strength within.

2. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward ahungered.

Fasting, and all mortification of the flesh, has been undergone, sanctified, taught, and rendered easy by Jesus Christ. The devil makes use of our body to tempt us; we ought to use it to engage, disarm, and vanquish him. He turns the strength and vigour of the body against us; we must, by weakening it, turn it into arms against him. Assist me, Lord, to do this salutary violence to my rebellious flesh. Give me the strength and fidelity which thou has merited for me by thy holy fast, to follow thy example, to obey the church, and to fight against sin in myself.

3. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

The gluttony of Adam is cured by the fasting of Christ. No necessity should induce us to relinquish the methods of God's ordinary providence, since Christ himself does not do it. It is never necessary to desire miracles for the wants of the body: it is oftenmost most expedient not to desire them; and it is always the surest way to leave God to act of himself. We often beg to be delivered from some evil and necessity; and it is by this very means that God designs to show us his mercy and to secure our salvation.

4. 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.

Providence makes use of every thing, and is confined to nothing; God being able to nourish with his word the body as well as the soul. Trust in God, in the greatest necessities, saves abundance of disquiets, temptations, and sins. He who gave us life before we could desire it, can he want either power or will to conserve it, after having loaded us with benefits, and given us his own Son?

VOL. L-6

5. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

The most holy persons, as well as Christ, are often left to the power of the devil. The devil lifts up, only in order to cast down and destroy. We could never believe how much power the devil still retains over us, so long as our regeneration and adoption continue imperfect, did we not see an instance of it even in the person of Christ, the Son of God by nature, over whom he never had any manner of right. It is in our stead, and for our sakes, that he suffers this outrageous attempt of the evil spirit; and it is by this that he weakens his power, diminishes his rights, and hinders him from encroaching upon us.

6. 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.

The curiosity of Adam, presumptuous confidence in God's assistance, and superstitious credulity, are cured by this second temptation. It is because Christ is the Son of God, that he takes so much care not to tempt his Father. His confidence is perfect, but prudent, subject to the disposition of God, and regulated by his will. The devil lays snares for us by the means of the Scripture, and of the most sacred things. He often inspires into souls a false confidence in God, in order to make them lose the true, and thereby cast them into despair, when they see they are deserted by God in that danger into which they have so rashly brought themselves.

7. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

To desire to know the power and mysteries of God by sensible experience, is no other than to tempt him. Faith is sufficient to a sincere heart. We render ourselves unworthy of the protection of God, and of the supports of his ordinary providence, when we create new wants to ourselves without necessity, and contrary to his will. Nothing is more common than to tempt God; and because it is a sin so very common, we take no notice at all of it.

8. 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;

The vanity, pride, and ambition of Adam are cured by the third temptation of Jesus Christ, the new Adam. To love to see the pomps and riches of the world, is to expose ourselves to this temptation. We certainly open our heart to the love of false riches, when we open our mouth to praise them in others. Parents do the devil's office, when they raise in their children an esteem and desire of advancement, of great wealth, and of the glory of the world, by causing them to see and admire these things in others.

9. And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

The devil promises that which is not his own. God seems to give up riches and honours to the power of the devil, and of those who belong to him, as things unworthy of his elect. How can a child of God esteem and set his heart upon them? The devil discovers himself by this promise; for God has never promised to his servants these false riches, any otherwise than to represent to them the promise of the true and eternal riches. Would to God, the world were not so full of persons who make wealth their god, and fall down and worship those who bestow it!

10. 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.

God alone is truly worthy of our service, adoration, and love. To worship, is not to say, I worship and adore thee; but it is to be really obedient to God, and from the bottom of the heart to prefer his will before all things, to live and act only for him, and to esteem nothing but him, or with relation to him. When we see men busied and employed about every thing except their God, can we believe that there are many who worship and serve him only? Grant, O Lord, that by thy grace, I may be among the small number of those who worship thee in truth, and serve none but thee!

11. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

God generally makes joy and consolation succeed temptation and trouble. He does not send invisible angels to comfort