SERMON XIII.

Christ tempted to Mistrust in God.

When Jefus had fasted forty Days, and forty
Nights, he was afterwards an hungred.
And when the Tempter came to him, he said,
If thou be the Son of GOD, command that
thefe Stones be made Bread.

But be answered, and faid, It is written,
Man shall not live by Bread alone, but by
every Word that proceedeth out of the
Mouth of GOD.

W

:

HEN Christ, speaking of the Bap-SE tist, asked the People, what it was which they went out into the Wilderness to fee, Luke vii. 24-26. he plainly supposed that there was fomething very great and more than usual in John; or else they would not have gone into the Wilderness on Purpose to fee him. The Scene therefore in the Text (on

which I am at present engaged) being laid in

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the

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SERM. the Wilderness; we may raise our ExpectatiXIII. ons to see something remarkable, and well

worthy of our Attention; not a Reed only Shaken with the Wind, nor a Man clothed in Soft Raiment; but an immoveable Rock, a Man clothed with Power and Strength; a Prophet greater much than He, who was much the greatest of any before him. We are here called to behold not Michael the Arch-Angel contending with the Devil for the Body of Moses; but a Battle fought for our Sakes and on our Behalf, the true Michael contending again with the same Arch-Fiend for the Body of his Church, for Mofes, and all Men, to fave their Bodies and Souls both. We are here to fee the Wisdom of the new Serpent, (that Serpent by whom, being lifted up, we are healed and live, Numb. xxi. 8, 9.) matching the Craftiness and Subtlety of the old one, Rev. xii. 9. lurking to bite and destroy in the Wilderness. We are to fee the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Rev. v. 5. coping with that fierce and roring Lion which walks about Seeking whom he may devour, I Pet. v. 8. In short we are to see the Saviour of Men, the Son of GOD, conquering the Devil, the Adversary both of God and Man: A Combat worthy the closest Observation through

all

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all the Particulars: Of which the Time, the SERM. Place, the Guide, and the Preparation have already been spoke to: The Engagement itfelf is what we are now to confider, where we are chiefly to observe the Devil's Art and Stratagem in the Affault, and the Arms made Use of by Jesus to repel him. But as it was a furious Attack which our Saviour stood; as the Devil would have worked first upon one Paffion and then another; and so was forced to have Recourse to different Arguments, or rather Fallacies, to apply; to give his Temptations a proper and due Confideration, it is necessary we should confider them distinctly. I shall therefore,

I. FIRST lay before you the Nature and Subtlety of the Devil's Temptation, with the Strength and Force of our Saviour's Reply.

II. SECONDLY, I shall make a practical Observation or two upon the real Intent and Design of the Temptation, and so conclude.

I. FIRST, I shall lay before you the Nature and Subtlety of the Devil's Temptation, with the Strength and Force of our Saviour's Reply. And here I must begin with that Infirmity of Christ, to which his Humanity

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SERM. (though united with his Divinity) made him fubject; and which therefore the Devil, as foon as he had discovered it, laid hold of as a proper Opportunity to begin his Assault. For so we read, that when Jesus bad fasted forty Days and forty Nights, he was afterwards an hungred. And then the Tempter made his Approach. The Devil's Eye was not off our Blessed Lord, during any of the Time of his Sequestration and Retirement. No: St. Mark and St. Luke both assure us, that he was all the forty Days tempted of the Devil, Mark i. 13. Luke iv. 2. But now, because he sees him in one Part more open to his Attempts, he applies himself more closely, and falls upon him there with his utmost Violence and Art. In order to this, since he finds him hungry, and perhaps faint and languishing for Want of fome necessary Sustenance to support him; he first begins to allure him with Food, which he might reasonably suppose was more defirable to him then, than Glory or Wealth. The Tempter therefore came to him and said, If thou be the Son of GOD, command that these Stones be made Bread. Where by the Way it is worth our While to observe the Kindness of the Devil's Offer. The hungry Jesus wants Bread, and the

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the indulgent Satan shews him a Stone. IfSERM. a Son ask Bread of any of you that is a Father, will be give him a Stone? Luke xi. 11. The very Propofal, (if Christ had not known him before) was enough to have discovered whence he came. And yet the Temptation, confidering the present Circumstances of our Lord, and the Barrenness of the Place, was well laid and artfully applied. It seems to be fetched from that miraculous Provifion, which God always had made for his former Servants, whenever any of them had been driven to the fame Distress; and consequently it appears to be urged with a Design to raise in Jesus a Diffidence and Distrust of God's Care over him; to put him upon renouncing any further Dependance upon his Provision; and to make Ufe of that Power which he had already received, to provide for himself., The Words of the Devil (if taken in this View) may be paraphrafed thus: Son of GOD, if so thou art; (and sure a Voice which pronounced thee so from Heaven may be believed) what is it that induces thee in this desolate Place, to abide so patiently in this Hunger and Distress, and to feem as helpless as if thou wert but meer Man?

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