XIII.

SERM. and Providence over us: Let us not fret ourfelves, left we be moved in any wife to do evil, Pf. xxxvii. 8. Let us be neither angry or impatient; be anxious for nothing, but in every thing by Prayer and Supplication, with Thankfgiving let our Requests be made known to GOD, Phil. iv. 6. Let us learn with the Apostle, in whatsoever State we are in therewith to be content, ver. II. For we may be assured that he, who wants not Power if he pleases, to turn even Stones into Bread; and the Goodness of whose Nature moves him to be always more compaffionate, than the tenderest or most affectionate Father on Earth can be, will fupply us, if not according to our wanton Defires, yet according to our real Neceffities and Wants. Cast thy Burthen therefore upon the Lord, (as the Pfalmist directs) and be shall fuftain thee, Pfal. v. or as St. Peter (in like Words) Cast all your Care upon GOD, for he careth for you, I Peter v. 7. Be fober, be vigilant, because your Adversary the Devil (as you may learn from my Text) like a roaring Lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour; whom therefore resist (after the Example of Christ here set before you) stedfast in the Faith.

SERMON

SERMON XIV.

Christ tempted to Presumption.

MATT. iv. 5, 6, 7.

Then the Devil taketh him up into the Holy
City, and fetteth him on a Pinnacle of the
Temple,

And faith unto him, If thou be the Son of
GOD, cast thyself down : For it is writ-
ten, He shall give his Angels Charge con-
cerning thee, and in their Hands they shall
bear thee up, left at any Time thou dash thy
Foot against a Stone.

Jefus faith unto him, It is written again,
Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy GOD.

HEN the Angel that wrestled with SERM.

Web The Angele

was not able to

prevail against him, Gen. xxxii. 24, &c. he would have left him and gone his way: But it is not fo here it seems with the Devil: Who, when he finds his first Affault upon our Lord to fail, is for trying another: Just as he had VOL. I. done

Ee

XIV.

SERM. done with Job of old, whom when he could XIV. not move to blafpheme God, by the first

Power he had to rob and deprive him of his Substance, Servants, Children and every thing else he was possessed of; fues for and obtains another Commission to grieve and afflict him by Sores and Pains in his Flesh and Bones. By these Solicitations he gives us to understand, that it is not one Foil that can put this bold and daring Spirit out of Countenance, or make him give over. He is not only content to take a Foil; but out of the very Foil itself he invents Matter for a new Temptation. Since Christ will place his Trust and Confidence in his Father's Care and Providence over him, rather than use unlawful Means to provide for himself; he will move him next to trust still more, to prefume fo much upon his Father's Protection, as to throw himself into Danger with no other Purpose, than that he might send his Angels to save him. If he cannot drive him down to Despair, he will labour to lift him up to Presumption. Either Extreme being all one and the fame to him, provided he can but fucceed by it to tempt and miflead to Evil. As his first Temptation therefore was grounded upon a Supposition that his Father's Care of him was wanting;

XIV.

this now before us infinuates the Divine Pro- SER M. vidence and Watchfulness over him to be extraordinary and abundant. But to give the whole Passage it's due Confideration, I shall treat of it in the same Manner I did of the former, i. e.

I. FIRST, I shall make some cursory Observations upon this Tempter's Suggestions and our Saviour's Reply : And then

II. SECONDLY, I shall shew the practical Result of the whole and conclude.

I. My Observations on the Temptation I shall begin with pointing out to you the Condefcenfion of Jesus in still yielding to the Devil the Advantage of Situation and Place. As he was content to be led from Jordan into the Wilderness, that Satan might have the more convenient Opportunity and Handle to fet upon him; so now he yields to be led again from the Wilderness to Jerufalem, that the Devil might again have him in a Place favourable to his Design. The Wilderness was fit for a Temptation arifing from Hunger and Want; but not for one that was to move to Vain-glory. A populous City was a much likelier Place for such a Temptation: And

SERM-as Jerufalem was at that Time the Capital of

XIV.

☑ Judea, the Temple, almost in the Center of Jerufalem, and the Pinnacle, (or highest Battlement of the Tower) the most confpicuous Place of the Temple; there is our Saviour content to be fet for the Opportunity of Temptation. And here the Devil, standing by him, faith unto him, my Text tells us, If thou be the Son of GOD, cast thyself down, for it is written, &c. These general Words only the Evangelifts record, it being only their Defign just to hint to us the fubject Matter of the Temptation: But fince the Words, as short and general as they are, let us into the Devil's Drift; we may suppose that the Intent and Meaning of them might be something like this : "Since in the Matter of Nourish

ment and Food, thou wilt needs depend upon thy Father's Providence, that he can "sustain thee without any outward and vifi"ble Provision; make now a further Trial " of his Care of thee, by cafting thyself

down, that Angels may catch thee. Thou
art now at Jerufalem, the famous and Holy
City of the World; here thou art on the

Top of the Pinnacle of that Temple which
" is dedicated to GOD : And if thou art his

66

Son, there cannot be devised a more ready