XII. SER M. be rooted out by Reading and Prayer, which otherwise the Devil is very ready to turn to their Ruin. This is the Way for a Christian to come at the Command of himself, to bring his Paffions in Subjection to his Reason, and his Reason in Subjection to the Will of God. -If any one think that fuch Discipline and Care and Guard over ourselves is at all Times needful, and therefore neceffary to be obferved at one Seafon as well as at another; I am very ready to fubfcribe to his Opinion. But unless he be a Man, or till he can fhew me a man, fo ftrictly uniform, as to observe his Duty at all Times whatever; he has no Reason to quarrel with the Church for fetting apart a particular Seafon that shall remind us all of recollecting and examining how far each of us have deviated from it. Let us therefore all of us join once more in that apt and excellent Collect which the Church appoints at the Beginning of this Seafon. O Lord, who for our fakes didft fast forty Days and forty Nights; give us Grace to use fuch Abftinence, that our Flesh being fubdued to the Spirit, we may ever obey they Godly Motions, in Righteousness and true Holiness, to thy Honour and Glory, who liveft and reigneft with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one GOD, World without End. Amen. SERMON SERMON XIII. Chrift tempted to Mistrust in God. MATT. iv. 2, 3, 4. When Jefus bad fafted forty Days, and forty W XIII. HEN Chrift, fpeaking of the Bap-S ERM. tist, asked the People, what it was which they went out into the Wilderness to see, Luke vii. 24—26. he plainly supposed that there was something very great and more than ufual in John; or elfe they would not have gone into the Wilderness on Purpose to fee him. The Scene therefore in the Text (on which I am at prefent engaged) being laid in VOL. I. Dd the XIII. SERM. the Wilderness; we may raise our Expectations to fee fomething remarkable, and well worthy of our Attention; not a Reed only fhaken with the Wind, nor a Man clothed in foft 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 Mofes; but a Battle fought for our Sakes and on our Behalf, the true Michael contending again with the fame Arch-Fiend for the Body of his Church, for Mofes, and all Men, to fave their Bodies and Souls both. We are here to see the Wisdom of the new Serpent, (that Serpent by whom, being lifted up, we are healed and live, Numb. xxi. 8, 9.) matching the Craftinefs and Subtlety of the old one, Rev. xii. 9. lurking to bite and deftroy in the Wilderness. We are to see the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Rev. v. 5. coping with that fierce and roring Lion which walks about feeking whom he may devour, 1 Pet. v. 8. In fhort we are to fee 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 XIII. all the Particulars: Of which the Time, the SERM. Place, the Guide, and the Preparation have already been spoke to: The Engagement itJelf is what we are now to confider, where we are chiefly to obferve the Devil's Art and Stratagem in the Affault, and the Arms made Ufe of by Jefus to repel him. But as it was a furious Attack which our Saviour ftood; as the Devil would have worked first upon one Paffion and then another; and fo was forced to have Recourse to different Arguments, or rather Fallacies, to apply; to give his Temptations a proper and due Confideration, it is neceffary 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 fhall make a practical Obfervation or two upon the real Intent and Design of the Temptation, and fo conclude. I. FIRST, I fhall 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 Chrift, to which his Humanity Dd 2 (though XIII. SERM. (though united with his Divinity) made him subject; and which therefore the Devil, as foon as he had difcovered it, laid hold of as a proper Opportunity to begin his Assault. For fo we read, that when Jefus had fafted 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 Bleffed Lord, during any of the Time of his Sequeftration and Retirement. No: St. Mark and St. Luke both affure us, that he was all the forty Days tempted of the Devil, Mark i. 13. Luke iv. 2. But now, because he fees 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, fince he finds him hungry, and perhaps faint and languishing for Want of fome neceffary Sustenance to fupport him; he first begins to allure him with Food, which he might reasonably fuppose was more defirable to him then, than Glory or Wealth. The Tempter therefore came to him and faid, If thou be the Son of GOD, command that thefe Stones be made Bread. Where by the Way it is worth our While to obferve the Kindness of the Devil's The hungry Jefus wants Bread, and Offer. the |