though it is most probable that all the People, who came to be baptized in Jordan, or, at least, the majority of them, were baptized by John himself, because of the influence of his preaching on their hearts: and the expression, when all the People were baptized, as they were by John, means, at the same time or period when the People attending on the Baptist were baptized by him, JESUS also being (in effect, was) Baptized.

The effect of Baptism, when inwardly and heartily received as the pledge of Penitence and of a lively Faith, is to receive the Communication of the Light and Guidance and the Love of The HOLY SPIRIT; though not visibly, nor with the Audible Voice of Approbation, as in the Case of The SON of GOD; but with a Still Small Voice, That Cherisheth the good, and Chideth the evil within us; and by Its Power and Encouragement, Influences to all that is righteous, holy, and becoming.

Thus was Fulfilled that Prophecy of Isaiah, And there shall Come forth A ROD out of the Stem of Jesse, and Å BRANCH shall Grow out of his Roots; and The SPIRIT of The LORD shall Rest upon Him; The SPIRIT of Wisdom and Understanding; The SPIRIT of Counsel and Might; The SPIRIT of Knowledge and of the Fear of The LORD.—Chap. xi, 1, 2. And, again, Behold, My SERVANT, Whom I Uphold: Mine ELECT, in Whom My SOUL Delighteth; I have Put My SPIRIT upon Him: He shall Bring forth Judgment to the Gentiles.-Chap. xlii, 1.

St. John, after describing the office of the Baptist, and his acknowledgment of The MESSIAH'S Infinite Supremacy, continued his evidence of CHRIST'S DIVINITY as before stated, adding, Again the next day after, John stood, and Two of his Disciples; and looking upon JESUS, as He Walked, he saith, “Behold The LAMB of GOD, Which Taketh away the sin of the World!"-Chap. i, 35, 36,

and 29.

St. Paul, in his affecting Epistle to the Colossians, admonishing the giving of thanks to The FATHER, Which hath Made us meet to be Partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light Eternal; adds, Who hath Delivered us from the Power of Darkness, and hath Translated us into The Kingdom of His Dear SON. -Chap. i, 12, 13. And St. Peter most expressly adverts to the Same Saving Truth in these important and impressive words, For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the Power and Coming of our LORD JESUS CHRIST; but were Eye-Witnesses of His MAJESŤÝ: for He Received from GOD, The FATHER, Honour and Glory, when there Came Such A VOICE to Him from The Excellent GLORY, "THIS is My Beloved SON, in Whom I am Well Pleased."-2 Peter i, 16, 17.

CHAP. iv.-Then was JESUS Led up of The SPIRIT into the Wilderness to be tempted of the Devil.-1.

The next step after repentance and baptism, towards the true conversion of the heart to GOD, is abstinence and prayer; and, for this, retirement should, as much as possible, be sought; though neither is incompatible with public or active situations and duties: for fasting may be by lessening the usual quantity consumed at meals; and by abstaining from those things, which are peculiarly indulging or grateful to the palate this may be done with a cheerful countenance, and without challenging notice from Others of our Self-denial: prayer may also be in secret, as it is more truly the action of the heart than of the lips, springing from the inmost recesses of the Soul, when real and vital. It is not that The HOLY SPIRIT Leads into Temptation, (though the Spirit of Evil may and does,) but that for the proof of our faith, and for the trial of our devotedness to GOD, He sometimes Leaves us without His Guidance and Support. The

Devil is, perhaps, the Inciter or Encourager of all our evil affections; and what greater Spiritual Enemy need we have?

St. Mark thus records the Event as occurring after the Baptism and DIVINE Acknowledgment of JESUS: And immediately The SPIRIT Driveth Him into the Wilderness.-Chap. i, 12.

The Leading and Driving, differing as they do in point of meaning in our own language, may have, in the Hebrew idiom and original Text, less seeming variance; perhaps "Urged" might be nearer to the true sense. Be this as it may, the Office of The HOLY SPIRIT, Which, amidst the temptations that await or beset us, ever Giveth the Means of Resistance, in any Suggestion to engage with temptation, Imparts it only to render our Faith more firm and triumphant. With this assurance we may support and comfort ourselves that with every temptation, into which The SPIRIT either Leadeth or Driveth, or Permitteth us to enter, a Way of escape is by Him Pointed out, if we will but avail ourselves of the Light and Guidance of His Grace to follow it. And even if for a season He Leave us in a state of Spiritual trial and conflict, He is yet ever Ready to Answer our prayers, if put forth to Him in fervency and in faith, through the acknowledged Merits of CHRIST, our MEDIATOR. That CHRIST, Who was Himself of The SPIRIT and UNITY of THE GOD-HEAD, was Led of The SPIRIT into temptation and direct Encounter with Satan, must have reference to the Human Part of His Inscrutable Nature, and involves one of the many Mysteries affecting His Entire Nature and Office, Which it becomes not us feeble-minded and narrow-sighted Mortals to presume to penetrate, but to acquiesce in with the meekness and humility and thankfulness of Saints, waiting with patience the full or partial Developement of Those Great Schemes of DIVINE Mercy in that change, when we ourselves shall become Spiritual and put on Immortality, and contemplate, through the endless ages of Eternity, the Wonders of Providence and Grace, in Creation and Redemption.

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St. Luke's Narrative is thus: And JESUS, being Full of The HOLY GHOST, Returned from Jordan; and was Led by The SPIRIT into the Wilderness.-Chap. iv, 1. It must have been from our SAVIOUR Himself, probably in after Conversations with His Disciples, that a Communication of this Incident in His Early Ministry, and apart as It Occurred from Human observation, must have Proceeded. And to Accommodate Himself to their habits of interpreting the Mode of GOD'S Dealings with Mankind, He might have Used the Expression, "Led or Driven by The SPIRIT." When Obadiah remonstrated with Elijah, as recorded in the 1st Kings xviii, 12, he said, As soon as I am gone from thee, then The SPIRIT of THE LORD shall Carry thee whither I know not. So the Prophet Ezekiel frequently uses the term The SPIRIT Took or Lifted me up."-Chap. iii, 14; viii, 3; xliii, 5; adding at xi, 24, and Brought me in a Vision by The SPIRIT of GOD into Chaldea. In the narrative of St. Philip's deeply interesting intercourse with the pious Eunuch of Ethiopia, at its termination it is Recorded, that The SPIRIT of The LORD Caught away Philip, that the Eunuch saw him no more.-Acts viii, 39. But Elijah, Ezekiel, and Philip were Men, and all these Interpositions of Supernatural Aid were not for trials of their faith, or for manifestation of their obedience. Our SAVIOUR'S being Led or Driven, or even Urged by The SPIRIT, was to Encounter Satan, in his strongest holds, and for our sakes to Triumph over him. St. Mark goes on to say, And JESUS was in the Wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan, and was with the wild beasts: and the Angels ministered unto Him.-Chap. i, 13.

And when He had Fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterwards an Hungered. A And when the Tempter came to Him, he said, "If Thou be The SON of GOD, Command that these stones be made bread!"—2, 3.

It is only or chiefly in the depth of meditation that the hunger for Spiritual Food is felt.

Temptations frequently present themselves in such plausible shapes, that without attention to the motives of our actions, the main spring under DIVINE Influence of all virtue, we are liable to be seduced by them, without scarcely being aware of our danger, or feeling sufficient consciousness of the sin of neglecting to guard even our thoughts, or to shape them by Scriptural Rule. In this instance JESUS, (Who was with The FATHER before all Worlds, and by Whom All Things were Made,) being in His Adopted Human Nature Subject to like passions as we are, yet without sin, Felt the cravings of hunger, and was only Recommended to change by the Power, That Belonged to Him, stones into bread, when in a Desert, and Remote from all Human supply; but then it was at the suggestion of the Fiend of iniquity, a Compliance with which might have argued an impatience under Privations Appointed from On HIGH. The subtlety of the temptation was also great, for it was laid so as to enlist the most prevailing passion in Human Nature-pride, on its side. If Thou be The SON of GOD, Command, &c., for the Devil knew the quickness with which Man asserts his imagined or assumed rights, and his forwardness to avow any property or character of distinction belonging to him.

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St. Luke's account corresponds with St. Matthew's, being thus: JESUS was forty days tempted of the Devil: and in those days He did Eat nothing; and when they were ended He afterwads Hungered; and the Devil said unto Him, “ If Thou be The SON of GOD, Command this stone, that it be made bread!”Chap. iv, 2, 3.

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.'"-4.

It is Written, instancing the importance of not only reading GOD'S Word, but seeking the Assistance of His SPIRIT for Grace to understand and apply It on all appropriate occasions.

Man shall not live, &c. Unquestionably he shall not, for the bread of this Life is more perishable than this Life itself; but the Bread of Heaven, Which is the Ever-Flowing Grace of GOD, Endureth unto Life Eternal: It hath the Promise too of the Life that is, as well as of That to Come. It is the Fruit of a meek and patient Spirit, and of a pure and perfect obedience to the Will and Word of GOD, and of a lively faith in the Efficacy of His Blessed SON'S Merits and Mediation. The Words Uttered by our SAVIOUR were a Scriptural Quotation, and originally delivered by Moses as a portion of his carnest and SPIRIT-Prompted Exhortation to the Israelites before their entrance into their Promised Land, reminding them that The LORD GOD had Led them forty years in the Wilderness to Humble them and to Prove them, to Know what was in their heart: but He Humbled them, and Suffered them to hunger; and had Fed them with Manna, which neither they nor their Fathers had before known, to the Intent, he added, that He might Make them know that Man doth not live by bread only, but by every Word, That Proceedeth out of the Mouth of The LORD doth Man live.-Deut. viii, 2, 3.

The Bread of Life consisteth of every Word, &c. Not one, therefore, is to be disregarded or deemed Unprofitable or Unimportant.

St. Luke's narrative is similar: And JESUS Answered, Saying, It is Written, "That Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of GOD.”Chap. iv, 4.

Then the Devil taketh Him up into the Holy City, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the Temple, 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." JESUS Said unto Him, "It is Written again, 'Thou shalt not tempt The LORD thy GOD!"-5 to 7.

The Devil, thus baffled in an attempt upon the Faith of CHRIST through the Human passion of pride, only changes his ground, and tries to assail Him, not through that passion singly, but connectedly with presumption, or a confidence in Self-Righteousness; and in this attempt Satan manifests a more active power, having before only accosted JESUS, but now taking Him up into the Holy City. From this may be gathered, that in the most sacred of Places, the House of Prayer, yea, even in the most exalted Station in it, the Pinnacle of the Temple, the heart is open to temptation, and can alone be effectually guarded from its influence by fervently supplicated and thankfully used Grace, and the Word of GOD. If Thou be the same subtle device continued. For it is Written.-Satan himself quoting Scripture shews that, to utter the Word of GOD, or professedly to believe in It, is not enough for a true Servant of GOD; and that obedience must mix with it, and be the fruit of such knowledge, to be profitable towards Salvation.

How deeply artful was this scheme for seduction and the overthrow of Man's only Means of Salvation! The Devil knew that the Words, he quoted, Referred to CHRIST, and Him only; but he knew also that that was not the Season for their being Verified. The truly Faithful, and Such as indeed possess their Souls in patience, are never off their guard; but on all occasions, not trusting in their own sufficiency, seek the Light and Guidance of The HOLY SPIRIT, Who is ever Willing and Ready to Assist them. CHRIST would indeed have Dashed His Foot against a stone, if, at the instance of Satan, He had Descended from the Pinnacle of His Sanctity, and not Awaited the Appointed Time. Thou shalt not tempt.-Meaning not to Assert His Own DIVINITY by these Words, but to Enforce the observance of Them, as the Express Commandment of GOD; and not, under any circumstances, to try to influence Him to Deviate from His Avowed Purpose, or to Extend His Peculiar and Signal Protection, when capriciously or presumptuously sought of Him.

Isaiah had beautifully declared the Providence of GOD over All, who, with meek submissison to His Will, truly trust in His Gracious Word: the Prophet recording that, Thus Saith The LORD, "When thou passest through the Waters I will be with thee; and through the Rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee!"-Chap. xliii, 1, 2. The Passage Referred to in Holy Writ by our SAVIOUR, as contained in the Writings of King David, though allowedly Prophetical of The DIVINITY, That Surrounded The HOLY JESUS, Contains also in It much of Consolation, as, in a degree, Applicable to every True Believer in his Spiritual conflict through life, Because thou hast made The LORD, Which is my Refuge, even The MOST HIGH, thy Habitation, there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling; for He shall Give His Angels Charge over thee, to Keep thee in all thy ways; they shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone; thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon Me, therefore will I Deliver him; I will Set him On High, because he hath known My Name: he shall call upon Me, and I will Answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will Deliver him, and Honour him; with long Life will I Satisfy him, and Shew him My Salvation.-Psalm xci, 9 to 16. If the

more subtle Adversaries of our Souls are figured in our minds in these terrors to our Bodies, how true, universally is it, that, if we make The LORD our Refuge, the Soul's Salvation, through the Mediation of The SON of GOD, and through the Benign Agency of The HOLY SPIRIT, assuredly Awaits us!

The Mosaic injunction, not to tempt The LORD! though directed to the Israelites of old on their advance to the Promised Land, is applicable to all People, and all ages and all seasons; and the observance of it will assist us materially in our progress towards That Spiritual Land of Heavenly Promise, Which is Reserved for Those, who do not tempt The LORD; but diligently keep His Commandments, and the Statutes, Which He hath Appointed, and do that, which is right and good in His Sight.-Deut. vi, 16 to 18.

St. Luke's narrative transposes, in point of order, this and the following temptations, as mentioned by St. Matthew: the account by the former Evangelist is thus: And he (the Devil) brought JESUS to Jerusalem, and set Him on a Pinnacle of the Temple, and said unto Him, "If Thou be The SON of GOD, Cast Thyself down from hence! for, It is Written, HE shall Give His Angels Charge over Thee, to keep Thee, and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou Dash Thy Foot against a stone."" And JESUS Answering, Said unto him, "It is Said, Thou shalt not tempt The LORD, thy GOD.""Chap. iv, 9 to 12.

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; and saith unto Him, "All these Things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me!" 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!'"-8 to 10.

A further channel of temptation sought out by the Father of all evil, was, the too prevalent spirit of Ambition in Human Nature, the thirst of power and wealth, as alike gratifying to Human pride and vanity and luxuriousness. But how dangerous such a passion is may be thus judged of from the circumstance of its being gratified only by a surrender of the Soul to iniquity, in effect, by falling down and worshipping Satan.

JESUS, at length Roused beyond Forbearance at the Hellish depravity and insolence of him, He was addressed by, Commanded him to depart, and thus own himself vanquished; still Ready in His Reply with the most appropriate Passages of Scripture, wherewith to Confront and Confound His Adversary, and Silence his arguments. Thou shalt worship, &c., and that with the whole heart, and serve The LORD, thy CREATOR, with all fervency of zeal and purity of intention, neither mistrustful of His Providence, nor presuming unhallowedly on His Mercies or Favour, and not over-anxious for any thing incompatible with His Appointments or opposed to His Revealed Will.

The Mosaic Institution had thus directed the Soul of Man to its rightful worship: Thou shalt fear The LORD, thy GOD, and serve Him, and to Him shalt thou cleave, and shalt not go after other gods; for The LORD thy GOD is a Jealous GOD.-Deut. vi, 13, 14., x, 20, and Ex. xx, 5. Such was the admonishment of the great Law-Giver of Israel, and its effects upon the minds of his faithful Followers, as shewn by the dying advice of his Successor Joshua, in which he said, Fear The LORD, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth!—Chap. xxiv, 14. So also the Prophet and faithful Servant of The LORD, Samuel, who thus spake unto all the House of Israel, saying, Return unto The LORD with all your hearts; and prepare your hearts unto The LORD, and serve Him only!—1 Sam. vii, 3. If the heart be thus given to The CREATOR in faithfulness and truth, then, whatever temptation may present itself, the Soul will be fortified, and will refuse to yield to it; for,

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