permitted for one great purpose, they shall make manifest the graces concealed in their souls.

Sometimes it is pleasing to the Lord himself to behold these hidden things brought to light. For he delighteth in his work.

It was when our father Abraham had, in every respect, completed the preparations for his painful offering on Mount Moriah, that the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, "Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me." (Gen. xxii. 11, 12.) This our Lord well knew, but he wished to make manifest the fear of God which he had wrought in his heart, and which it was his delight to behold.

And so must many of the children of grace, in our own day, be tried and tempted, that the Lord Jesus may witness their perseverance in prayer, and hearing of the word; the storm is sent, that the Lord may behold them believingly pass onward over the troubled waters in their right course, and himself conduct them to the haven of peace. (Mark vi. 47, 48.) It is this that gives him joy.

We ought not, perhaps, to speak thus to those afflicted ones. They would think that we were mocking, for they perceive in themselves no graces in which the Lord should delight; but they are seen and acknowledged of him.

Frequently doth the Lord suffer his children to fall into temptation, not so much himself to behold that which is concealed in their hearts, as to make it manifest to their brethren and sisters.

For this end he reveals to us the faith of Abraham, the patience of Job, the love of Moses, the zeal of Elijah,

the humility and ardour of the woman of Canaan, that we may give glory to his power, which has wrought so mightily in the feeble children of men.

But are we disheartened, and do we think, that such holy ones may well expect an entrance into the kingdom of God, but what hope is there for us? Then he brings at one time a David, at another a Peter, before our view-grapes from which, in the wine-vat, were extracted not only wine, but the bitter waters of sin; and such a sight restores our confidence, especially when we hear that Simon is not the less called "a stone," and David "a man after God's own heart."

And so has it often been, that men, from whom holiness beamed forth with especial splendour, and who, beyond others, have enjoyed the high estimation of the church, have yet at length, under the power of temptation, been so shorn of their beams and goodly colouring, and their weakness and sinfulness have become so manifested; or, to change the figure, from a noble stream they have dwindled into an insignificant brook, which loses itself in the sand; that when compared with that which they once were, we can scarcely recognize the same individuals.

This the Lord permits to take place, that mortal man may beware of idols, may keep his graces bright, and give honour to Him only to whom it is due.

One great benefit of the temptations to which we are subjected is, that we may learn more of ourselves, that we may see the sin that dwelleth in us, and humbly lie in the dust. (Rom. vii. 17.)

We children of men too easily deem ourselves righteous, but Jesus calls the ungodly and sinners to repentance. We too quickly ascend the mountain, but

Jesus would see us in the valley. He would humble our pride. And therefore it is, that he suffers the devil, for a little while, to stir up the sink of our corrupt nature, that the noisome odour may invade our senses, and the brood of serpents and vipers, which lay lurking beneath, may crawl upon the surface before our eyes. The Lord permits the wicked one at times to arouse tumultuously the swarm of unrighteous thoughts and desires which slumber in the inmost recesses of our souls, that we may be sensible of the evils with which the temple of God is infested, and never think of pride or boasting more. He suffers the devil sometimes to invade us, and to blow the trumpet to awaken the evil propensities within. How do we wonder that they are there. We had thought that we had long ago banished them by our holy exercises, and that the house was rendered clean. But now we find it quite otherwise.

When so humbled, the bride is again conscious that the false colouring has faded from her cheeks, and is, in her own estimation, as at first, black and without comeliness, and lies low in her first repentance, and loves with her first love. (Cant. i. 5. Rev. ii. 4.)

There, breaks at once beneath our feet the topmost step in the ladder of our sanctity, and not even the lowest will serve to support us any longer, but we lie upon the ground, and are conscious that we are poor sinners, such as, perhaps, we had never seen ourselves before.

Robbed of our decorations and ornaments, we hide ourselves with shame out of sight, and again rejoice from our inmost soul that another will clothe us with a wedding garment, that a cross was erected on Golgotha, and that one sits upon the throne who is not only called Righteousness, but Grace.

IV.

THE DESIGN OF OUR LORD'S TEMPTATION.

We have already seen why God permits his children to be tempted.

The inquiry then arises, on what account did he suffer the Lord Jesus to be so tried? And here do we most solemnly protest, on the outset, against that most degrading doctrine, which irreverently declares that Jesus was placed in the fire of temptation, that he might, by wrestling and praying, overcome the sins which he bore in his flesh and in his members. No, we cannot endure to hear this of our Saviour.

That he appeared in the likeness of sinful flesh, we allow; but it was only in the likeness, not in the sinful flesh itself; (Rom. viii. 3.) and if he was in all points tempted like as we are, yet was there one point excepted, namely, sin. (Heb. iv. 15.)

Blessed be God, that his word does not leave us in doubt as to this matter. With our Mediator's perfect and entire freedom from sin stands or falls the whole building of our Gospel hope. Were the white linen of his righteousness stained with the smallest speck of ungodly emotions, could any one prove this to us, then might the churches be closed, the Bible burnt, our confidence cast away, and despair prevail.

For then would Jesus not be our Saviour, and the price which he has paid would be inadequate and unsatisfying.

The temptations which befel our Lord were very different from those which we are wont to experience. He encountered them, not for himself, but for us, and in our stead. They belong to the sufferings connected with his offering as our substitute.

We saw Adam tempted by the serpent, but he wantonly permitted himself to be hurried along by the overwhelming torrent. The second Adam, to atone for this, sustained a more painful assault, broke the spears of the enemy, signally overcame the adversary, and yielded to the Father a perfect obedience.

Adam, through disobedience, became the prey of the devil; the second Adam bore for him the curse, descended from the throne of the majesty on high, to mingle with wicked spirits in the regions of the lost. Unexampled humiliation! The Almighty God touched by the murderous hands of Satan! the King of the Universe hissed at by the old serpent! the Most Holy beset and surrounded by the powers of darkness! and the Lord of Hosts a sport for the cursed spirits of hell, and tempted and challenged to that which is most sinful! Most horrible situation for the Son of God! the most appalling that we can imagine: for we are placed by nature nearer to the devil, who, as our Lord declares, is, in our natural state, our father, (John viii. 44.) we bear his likeness, and therefore his foulness is not so abhorrent to us as it must be to him who dwelleth in light, and is himself the light. (1 Tim. vi. 16. John i. 9.)

Truly no small anguish must it have been to him