The Method taken for repelling thofe Attempts upon his Virtue; and the Comforts that followed thereupon: All confpire to teach us the Nature of, to put us upon our guard againft, to animate and fupport us under, thofe Tryals, which daily, hourly exercife us. It must needs therefore be of mighty Confequence, for every Man to reflect upon, and attain to a right underftanding of these things.

I begin with the Ends, for which our Bleffed Lord fuffered himself to be Tempted, and of Them these Three that follow, feem chiefly to deferve our notice.

Heb. ii. S.

First, One great Defign of our Lord's Temptation feems to have been, the Encouragement of all good Christians, under the like Circumftances. This is the Account given of it by St. Paul, In that he himself bath fuffered, being tempted, he is able to fuccour them that are tempted. This is the Captain of our Salvation, who came to fight our Battels; and fit it was, that he fhould firft engage, and try the utmoft Strength of the Enemy of Souls. But as he fought, fo did he conquer likewife, not for himfelf, but for thofe, whofe Duty it is to fight under him. And what can be more effectual to animate fuch, in all their Spiritual Encounters, than the Contempla- › tion of their victorious Leader? This gives them a fenfible Proof, that their Adverfary, fierce and fubtle, great and powerful though he be, is not invincible; that a Man, of like natural Paffions and Infirmities with themselves, hath vanquished him to their hand, and that they march against a Foe, already routed fhamefully, and forced to quit the Field.

I am fenfible, it may be objected against this Argument, That our Saviour's Cafe and Ours are far from being the faine: That He indeed had the true Human Nature, and all thofe Frailties, which are the neceffa ry Appendages and Incumbrances of it: But then,

that Human was infeparably united to his own Divine Nature. This muft render it Impregnable, and, by the fame reafon, render the Conquefts gained by a Perfon, who was God as well as Man, very unfit to be drawn into Confequence, by Them, who are but Men, weak and finful Men: not guarded by that Armour, which in Him was impenetrable.

To this it may be anfwered, That, although our Lord's Divinity did indeed fet him far above the utmoft Oppofition of any created Power; yet did not that Divinity exert it felf upon all Occafions, but sufpended its Operations, and was withdrawn, as God faw fit. That thus it ceafed to act at the time of our Lord's Paffion, feems very evident; not only from the Hiftory of his Sufferings and Death, but even from his own Words, when telling them, that came to apprehend him in the Garden; When I was daily with you in the Temple, ye ftretched forth no hands against Luke xxii. 53. me, but this is your Hour, and the power of darkness. And, as thefe Checks, and voluntary Sufpenfions of his Divine Glory and Strength, were thought expedient, after numberlefs and undeniable manifeftations of them to the World: So there is no appearance of those Perfections manifefting themfelves at all, till he entered upon the publick Exercise of his Prophetick Office. This hath been generally thought the Cafe of our Lord's Temptation in particular. In which his Divine Perfections lying by, as it were, and forbearing to engage; He is to be confidered abftractedly, as a Man, though much more perfect, than any other Man. And then the Inference arifing from hence is properly this: that, though his being God and Man both made it impoffible for him to Sin, when he was tempted; Yet, in regard he was attack'd as Man only, this Example fhews, that it is poffible for us not to fin, when We are tempted.

2.

But

But then the Confideration of his Divine Nature is a mighty Support under our Difficulties, because it affureth us of his Ability to relieve us; by fupplying our Weakneffes and our Wants, by pouring in those Recruits of Grace and Supernatural Strength from above, which none but God can give; and without which we are not in a Condition to ftand our Ground, ́or make Head against the very flighteft Affaults of that Foe, which labours our Deftruction. And thus the Contemplation of our Bleffed Lord is doubly ufeful to

us.

For, as Man, his Example proves a Victory over Temptation poffible to be attained; and, as God, his Almighty Power is our Security for thofe Spiritual Affiftances, upon the feasonable Acceffions whereof that Poffibility, in the prefent State of things, does entirely depend.

Heb. iv. 15.

Secondly, Another excellent Defign, for which our Saviour was tempted, is, hereby to convince us of his Compaffion and Readiness to help us. This alfo is the Apoftle's Inference, We have not an High-priest, that cannot be touched with a feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted as We are, yet without fin. By partaking of our Nature, he hath also taken part in all the innocent Affections of it. Among which This is One, to be moved with more than ordinary Tenderness, and apply our felves with greater Zeal to fuccour our Brethren, where Their Calamities are the fame, or very near to thofe, which We have, in our own Perfos, formerly felt the weight of. This prefently awakens the Remembrances of our paft Sorrows, makes us feel them afresh in Theirs, and endeavour their Relief with a degree of Compaffion, which they, who never had any Experience, how needful and how welcome it was in the like Circumftances, feldom are fensible, fcarce indeed capable of. Now it is Our unfpeakable Advantage, not only, that our Lord is of the X 2 fame

fame Constitution and Difpofition, by virtue of his Humane Nature; but that the utmost we do or can endure, cannot exceed, cannot come up to the Hardships, he condefcended to suffer in that Nature. So that, as the Former Particular proved his Ability, This proves his Difpofition and Forwardnefs, to help us. And upon this it is, that the Apostle grounds that Confidence, with which he ought to be addreffed to in all our Straits and Exigencies. For fo it follows there: Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find Grace to help in time of need.

Heb. iv. 16.

Thirdly, Another very useful Design, ferved by our Lord's being tempted, is that of inftructing us, that not any, even the best and most exalted degree of Virtue, fets Men above Temptation. 'Tis true, What Jefus fuffered of this kind was an Inftance of Choice and voluntary Condefcenfion; but fo was his taking that Human Nature, which alone could render him capable of fuffering it. With Us the Matter is far otherwise. As we are altogether paffive in receiving this Nature; fo must we be content with the Difficulties, to which the Condition of it exposes us of course. And fuch, to be fure, are Temptations (as will appear more fully by and by.) And with Thefe too we have reason to be very well contented, because, tho' they be occafions of Vice, yet are they alfo Exercises of Virtue; and, as they may become inftrumental to our Punishment and Mifery, fo may they, to our Happinefs and Reward. Hence that of St. James, My brethren count it all joy, when ye fall into James i. 2. divers temptations; And therefore juft matter of Joy, because, as he goes on, these are Trials of our Faith, and fuch repeated Trials contribute to our Perfection. When we find the Chriftian's Life so often compared to a Warfare, we have fair warning, what we must expect. Frequent Action, and continual Dan

ger,

ger, are the Lot of Soldiers. Experience of thefe is fo neceffary to their excelling in this Art, that all the Difcipline in the World will not fuffice to make Them Mafters of it, who never were engaged. Valour is confirmed, and Prefence of Mind acquired, by those things, which Nature ufes to dread, becoming familiar. So that, could these fpiritual Soldiers never be brought into the Field, it were to their difadvantage. This would ftill keep them raw, and defeat the End of lifting them under Christ's Banner. As for Those among them, who have already learnt their Trade, and eminently distinguished themselves heretofore, to be excufed from Action, would be an Injury and a Blemish upon fuch. It would hinder their Promotion, and rob their Prince of the Glory their Gallantry would bring to him. By this fcriptural Allufion fo pursued, 'tis easy to difcern, that no Man muft, that Good Men least of any fhould, flatter themselves with freedom from Temptations. That to do fo is in effect every whit as abfurd, as to look for profound Peace in the Field of Battel. Since our whole Life is unavoidably, profeffedly, a State of War; and Temptations are the Stratagems of that Enemy of Souls, who is perpetually labouring to overcome us.

II. This may receive fome farther Illustration by the Second thing I mentioned, as obfervable here, The Time of our Lord's Temptation. Which, if we look back to the Conclufion of the Third Chapter, and attend to the Continuation of the Hiftory, expreffed by the Word Then, at the beginning of This Chapter, will evidently appear, to have followed close upon his Baptifm, and the Defcent of the Holy Ghost upon him, immediately consequent to it.

Now the Ufe, we fhall do well to make of This, is, I conceive, to form a right Judgment concerning the Sacraments of the Chriftian Religion, and the Advantages to be expected from them. A thing the more ne

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ceffary,