" righteousness." In discharge of this obligation into which the Son of God, for man's sake had willingly entered, did our Saviour suffer himself to hunger in the wilderness, that through the medium of human infirmity he might be tempted, even as we are; and that through his temptation we might have a way to escape that profiting by the example of this great, Captain of our salvation, which teaches us in what manner temptation is to be resisted, and by what means it is to be overcome, we, who are soldiers under him, might know how, in some degree at least, to conquer for ourselves." Christ was tempted then, “ that he might do that in man's nature, ff which man had been found unable to

do for himself. His fulfilling all righte!“ ausness as man, was to satisfy the justice of God, by making whole that law “which man had broken. And his expe"rience of the allurements of sin, and the

appetites of human nature, was intended "to give a comfortable assurance to his "followers, that he will make favoura❝ble allowance for their infirmities.― ! Having been tempted in all points like

" as

as they are, he is inclined to succour "them when they are pressed with temp "tation, and to administer the proper "help in time of need, that they may not "be tempted above that they are able." 1 Cor. x. 13.

From the reasons for our Saviour's temp tation in the wilderness, above specified," we pass on to the consideration of the temptation itself; which we shall find bearing a striking analogy, to that to which our first parents fell, and to which all mankind will be liable to fall a sacrifice, till this corruptible shall have put on incorruption. ⠀⠀ For the Tempter is too subtil a spirit, not to know how to accommodate himself to the particular circumstances of the party, whose destruction he has in view: detasung bu

Now in the natural man, there are but three lusts to be gratified, of which St. John gives the following summary.All

that is in the world," says he," the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the ❝pride of life, is not of the Father, but is "of the world." From these three heads or sources, all the overflowings of ungod

liness may be derived; and these found entrance into the world through the subtilty of the Tempter, and the folly of our first parents. The original sin in Paradise, therefore, contained in it the seed of all sin. "The woman saw," says an old Divine," through false spectacles of Sa"tan's making, that the tree was good for "food;" here was the seed of the lust of the flesh, which manifested itself in the in-dulgence of an irregular appetite: she saw that the tree was pleasant to the sight; from this seed sprang the lust of the eye: and the tree appearing moreover to be desired to make one wise, constituted the germinating principle of pride. Thus the truth of St. James's observation was remarkably verified in the manner of our first parents fall. "Let no man say, when "he is tempted, I am tempted of God. "For God cannot be tempted with evil, "neither tempteth he any man. But

every man is tempted, when he is drawn "away of his own lust, and enticed.. "Then when lust hath conceived, (when, "the seed originally sown by the devil,

springeth into life,) it bringeth forth sin;

"and

" and sin, when it is finished, bringeth "forth death."

That it was the same Tempter, who first succeeded in Paradise, that made his second personal attack in the wilderness, in the hope of still adding to his triumph, we may be convinced from the manner of his conducting himself on the occasion. He began with our Saviour, as he began with Eve; by a persuasion to eat, on a principle which argued a distrust of God's providence." If thou be the Son of God," said the Tempter, "suffer not thyself thus "to hunger, but command that these "stones be made bread." The answer opposed to this temptation, by our Saviour, discovers the nature of the sin, which was concealed under its specious disguise. Our Saviour refers to the case of the Israelites in the wilderness, (that type of man travelling through the wilderness of this world, in his way to a better country;) who, though fed by supernatural food from Heaven, instead of depending on God, and travelling forward in faith to the promised land, murmured against their leaders, looking back into Egypt, that

A

type

type of a carnal and idolatrous world, and longing for its flesh-pots. "It is written," said our Saviour to the Tempter, “man "shall not live by bread only, but by "every word which proceedeth out of "the mouth of God;" referring to what Moses, on an occasion somewhat similar, had said to the Israelites; "the Lord thy "God led thee forty years in the wilder

ness, to humble thee, and to prove thee; " he suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, that he might make thee "know that man doth not live by bread "only, but by every word that proceed"eth out of the mouth of the Lord, doth "man live." Deut. viii. 2, 3. Our Saviour, as the Son of God, was certainly of stones able to make bread; and as a man subject to hunger, he had at this time occasion to make use of this power. But our Saviour came into the world not to do his own will, but the will of him that sent him. And one object of his temptation in the wilderness, was, that as man, by restraining irregular appetite, he might bring under subjection the lust of the fresh. The Israelites sought meat for the gratification