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at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.”

To Scripture misapplied our Lord opposes Scripture in its true and undisguised meaning: "Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." However watchful God may be, and ready to interfere for the preservation of his servants, in all natural and necessary and involun. tary dangers, yet are they never to presume on his gracious interference in such, as are needless, and vainglorious, and wholly of their own procuring. And for this public display, that you would propose to me, how would it consist with that humble, and unostentatious, and more rational method of proclaiming my mission, which, as it has been my Father's wish to appoint, so is it mine to follow.

Convinced by these replies of the great dignity of our blessed Lord, and yet maliciously bent to effect, if possible, the fall of the second Adam, as he had that of the first, and thereby prevent whatever blessing our Lord's coming into the world might be intended to convey, the tempter gathers up all his strength for his last temptation, and taking our Lord "into an exceeding high mountain, shewed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them." And when he had filled, as he fancied, our Lord's mind with a desire of their possession, he boldly accosts him with the offer, "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worhip

me."

There is in an open and undisguised avowal of blasphemy, something truly appalling to ourselves how much more to the holy Son of the most High God! "Get thee hence Satan," was our Lord's reply, "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."

St. Luke, in his account of the

conclusion of the temptation adds, that "the Devil departed for a season," as if intimating that after a while he returned. And in truth what was the whole of our Lord's subsequent life but one continued scene of renewed temptation increasing in its intensity and violence as the hour of his death approached; "your hour," saith he to the unbelieving Jews, " and the power of darkness." The great adversary of man's salvation still continued to pursue with an inveterate malice, and the terrors of earthly persecution and bodily pains and mental agonies Him, who was to be its gracious Author and Finisher," insomuch that this first attack of the tempter may be considered but the prelude to those that in a striking similarity followed after.

Though our Lord was able by his almighty power to turn the stones of the desert into bread, yet did He prefer, as we have seen, to rely rather on the providential care of his heavenly Father, than impatiently to relieve his own necessities by the performance. of a miracle. And was not this a distinguishing feature of his conduct. throughout the whole of his painful sojourning upon earth?" We know the grace" and therein the forbearance and resignation "of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor," and often altogether subsisted on the bounty of his followers." The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man"-He, the Lord and heir of all, had not, and, since such was the appointment of his Father, would not have" where to lay his head." Hungry and thirsty, yet he fed not himself by any exertion of his miraculous power, though he was ever ready to feed the famished thousands that followed to hear his doctrines. Ever going about through the cities of Israel, weary and fatigued in his journeyings, as once, when he sat down at the well of

and without presuming, in the ab-
sence of any notice from the Evan-
gelist, to regard one part of his
narrative as less historical, or less
a plain matter of fact, than another.
We are not reading the figurative
effusion of a prophet, but the plain
relation of an historian.
pel opens, whether we take for
our guide the apostle St. Matthew,
or the evangelist St. Luke, with
certain plain matters of fact, re-
garding the life of our blessed
Lord; his genealogy; his miracu-
lous birth; the arrival of the wise
men at Bethlehem; the massacr
of the innocents; the preaching
the son of Zacharias; the bar
of our Lord; and the pub
timony given to his mis
the voice from heaven;
without any change in
any intimation that
to be taken in a figur
sense, the Evang
inform us, tha
these events,
the spirit in
tempted of

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Lord takes hi
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parallel, ▲ the hisrd, to that er they had er, and inne, continued ntain whereon disciples; hear This is of a het that should d;" behold them their temporal noprophet as a great

Aing and deliverer, and to invest our Lord with the oyal name and prerogative. And how did our Lord-He, who had

ce to before resisted from the tempter am He the offer of all the kingdoms of Father hath given the world, how did he act on this

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occasion? "When Jesus," saith the Evangelist, "perceived that they was it not cau- would come and make him a king, ministial, save, where he departed unto a mountain him

repugnant to the preju- and constantly repelling whatever

Jerusalem, the very or the hatred of the Jewish rulers,

two gracious reasons, that as the

necessity required boldness and self alone;" thus in this and every publicity? Did our Lord open his other instance patiently enduring dices, and opposed to the vices of temptations the malice of the devil, heart and seat of their power?- or the forward zeal of his followers, pernaum, and the coasts of the sea sumed, might offer; and for these cities of Cana, Nazareth, and Ca- which for our sakes He had asThe distant Galilee, the humble or the necessities of that nature earliest preaching. Did he aim at Captain of our salvation he might of Tiberias were the scenes of his notoriety in his miracles, which be made perfect through sufferings, would have prematurely excited, and as his disciples, we might immoderately kindled the anger and envy of the rulers? When selves, and been couraged to bear up to their sight, "Jesus," saith the the two blind men were restored straitly charged them Evangelist," saying, See that no man know it." Did he court danger? When the Jews sought to kill him, he with. drew himself. When they professed to believe in Him, he would not commit himself unto them. Throughout he never needlessly excited the envy, or hatred, or persecution of the Jewish rulers, but left in his whole ministry a prac.

be led to expect temptation our

under its assaults, and imitate his most perfect example, and more confidently apply in the time of our need for his all-sufficient and everready assistance.

Trials we must expect in this our earthly pilgrimage, for "the disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his Lord." May we then by his grace be prepared to meet them! neither disheartened at the ruggedness of a way which has been sanctified for us by

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thy foot conclusion of the temptation 3,

that "the Deril departed for a sea

through our Lord's merits shall work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

"Greater is he that is with us, than he that is against us." And to Him therefore, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be our prayers, our praises, and thanksgivings addressed, now and for evermore.

C.

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CAL ILLUSTRATIONS.

if now I have y sight, pass not away,

from thy servant :

of refreshment, is considered superfluous: but in most parts of the country, a cup of tea is generally presented to him, without any re

ue water, I pray you, be fetch-gard to the time of day.

, and wash your feet, and rest your-
selves under the tree :
And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and
comfort ye your hearts; after that ye
shall pass on for therefore are ye
come to your servant. And they said,
So do, as thou hast said.

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"It has been already mentioned, that in this country no inns are any where to be found; consequently, the necessity of the case, as well as common humanity, urges every Christian-like colonist to open his door to the hungry or benighted traveller. And, as this hospitality becomes reciprocal, by their occasionally passing each other's houses, they feel no hesitation either in asking such favours, or in granting them. Thus a boor is never at a loss for a meal on the road; and as the customary time of dinner is about noon, he, without much ceremony, unsaddles his horse at any door where he may happen to come at that hour. If he arrive later, he is supposed to have dined at some other place on the road, and the question whether he may be in want

It is

therefore a boor's own fault if he
lose his dinner. Those who travel

in
waggons, and who most fre-
quently carry their provisions and
cooking utensils with them, are
looked upon as not standing in need
of assistance, though such persons
freely make use of those houses
where they have any acquaintance
with the family."-Burchell's Tra-
vels in the interior of Southern
Africa.

Job xxxix. 13. 18.

Gavest thou wings and feathers unto the What time she lifteth up herself on high, ostrich ?

she scorneth the horse and his rider.

"The ostrich, the largest bird known to man, sometimes frequents this vicinity; and, from the house, I had this morning the pleasure of discovering a pair at a distance, running across the plain. With the telescope they could be seen very distinctly; and being the first I had met with in a wild state, I could not but watch, with the greatest gratification, this interesting sight. The bushes intercepted the view of their long legs; but their black bodies were plainly to be seen; and those beautiful plumes, destined, possibly, hereafter to decorate the head of some elegant beauty, and

Sychar, yet he never commanded the angels to his service, but sub. mitted to the weakness of his assumed humanity, and patiently awaited the natural refreshment of rest. Even under that great extremity, his agony in the garden, when "his sweat," saith the Evangelist, was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground," he kneels only, and prays to his Father, saying, "If thou be willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done." And when the hour of his death approached, and one prayer to his Father would have drawn down more than twelve legions of angels, yet used he no miraculous means for his rescue, but meekly resigned himself into the hands of his most malicious enemies in obedience to his Father's will. "I am Hethe cup that my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?"

And as to the character of our Lord's ministry, was it not cautious and prudential, save, where necessity required boldness and publicity? Did our Lord open his mission so repugnant to the prejudices, and opposed to the vices of the Jews at Jerusalem, the very heart and seat of their power?The distant Galilee, the humble cities of Cana, Nazareth, and Capernaum, and the coasts of the sea of Tiberias were the scenes of his earliest preaching. Did he aim at a notoriety in his miracles, which would have prematurely excited, or immoderately kindled the anger and envy of the rulers? When the two blind men were restored to their sight, "Jesus," saith the Evangelist, "straitly charged them saying, See that no man know it." Did he court danger? When the Jews sought to kill him, he with. drew himself. When they professed to believe in Him, he would not commit himself unto them. Throughout he never needlessly excited the envy, or hatred, or persecution of the Jewish rulers, but left in his whole ministry a prac

tical comment on that humble, and prudent and pious admonition of Moses, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

And to complete the parallel, carry your eyes onward in the history of your blessed Lord, to that vast multitude, that after they had been fed by his power, and instructed by his doctrine, continued to surround the mountain whereon Jesus sat with his disciples; hear their confession: "This is of a truth that Prophet that should come into the world;" behold them advancing full of their temporal notions of that prophet as a great earthly king and deliverer, and eager to invest our Lord with the royal name and prerogative. And how did our Lord-He, who had before resisted from the tempter the offer of all the kingdoms of the world, how did he act on this occasion? "When Jesus," saith the Evangelist," perceived that they would come and make him a king, he departed unto a mountain himself alone;" thus in this and every other instance patiently enduring and constantly repelling whatever temptations the malice of the devil, or the hatred of the Jewish rulers, or the forward zeal of his followers, or the necessities of that nature which for our sakes He had assumed, might offer; and for these two gracious reasons, that as the Captain of our salvation he might be made perfect through sufferings, and as his disciples, we might be led to expect temptation our selves, and been couraged to bear up under its assaults, and imitate his most perfect example, and more confidently apply in the time of our need for his all-sufficient and everready assistance.

Trials we must expect in this our earthly pilgrimage, for "the disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his Lord." May we then by his grace be prepared to meet them! neither disheartened at the ruggedness of a way which has been sanctified for us by

the bleeding feet of the holy and beloved Son of God, nor surprized at the approach of temptation, which, as it is the lot of humanity, so is it the peculiar portion of the Christian: nor dismayed at its weight, under which we shall assuredly be supported by the grace of our Lord; nor dispirited at a contest, which

through our Lord's merits shall work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

"Greater is he that is with us, than he that is against us." And to Him therefore, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be our prayers, our praises, and thanksgivings addressed, now and for evermore. C.

BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATIONS.

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"It has been already mentioned, that in this country no inns are any where to be found; consequently, the necessity of the case, as well as common humanity, urges every Christian-like colonist to open his door to the hungry or benighted traveller. And, as this hospitality becomes reciprocal, by their occasionally passing each other's houses, they feel no hesitation either in asking such favours, or in granting them. Thus a boor is never at a loss for a meal on the road; and as the customary time of dinner is about noon, he, without much ceremony, unsaddles his horse at any door where he may happen to come at that hour. If he arrive later, he is supposed to have dined at some other place on the road, and the question whether he may be in want

of refreshment, is considered superfluous but in most parts of the country, a cup of tea is generally presented to him, without any reIt is gard to the time of day.

therefore a boor's own fault if he lose his dinner. Those who travel in waggons, and who most frequently carry their provisions and cooking utensils with them, are looked upon as not standing in need of assistance, though such persons freely make use of those houses where they have any acquaintance with the family."-Burchell's Travels in the interior of Southern Africa.

Job xxxix. 13. 18.

Gavest thou wings and feathers unto the What time she lifteth up herself on high, ostrich ?

she scorneth the horse and his rider.

"The ostrich, the largest bird known to man, sometimes frequents this vicinity; and, from the house, I had this morning the pleasure of discovering a pair at a distance, running across the plain. With the telescope they could be seen very distinctly; and being the first I had met with in a wild state, I could not but watch, with the greatest gratification, this interesting sight. The bushes intercepted the view of their long legs; but their black bodies were plainly to be seen; and those beautiful plumes, destined, possibly, hereafter to decorate the head of some elegant beauty, and

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