3. The time, then.
4. The place, the ivilderness. From the whole observe : —
Doct. The Lord Jesus Christ was pleased to submit himself to an extraordinary combat with the tempter, for our good.
1. I shall explain the nature and circumstances of this extraordinary combat.
2. The reasons why Christ submitted to it.
3. The good of this to us.
I. The circumstances of this extraordinary combat. And here —
1. The persons combating — Jesus and the devil, the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. It was designed long before : Gen. iii. 15, ' I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed : it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel;' and now it is accomplished. Here is the Prince of Peace against the prince of darkness, Michael and the dragon, the Captain of our salvation and our grand enemy. The devil is the great architect of wickedness, as Christ is the Prince of life and righteous- ness. These are the combatants : the one ruined the creation of God, and the other restored and repaired it. .
2. The manner of the combat. It was not merely a phantasm, that Christ was thus assaulted and used: no, he was temjited in reality, not in conceit and imagination only. It seemeth to be in the spirit,
Mat. IV. 1.] Christ's TEMPTATION. 259
though it was real ; as Paul was taken up into the third heaven, whether in the body or out of the body we cannot easily judge, but real it was. I shall more accurately discuss this question afterwards in its more proper place.
3. What moved him, or liow was he brought to enter into the lists with Satan ? He was ' led by the Spirit,' meaning thereby the impul- sion and excitation of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God. For it is said, Luke iv. 1, ' Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.' He did not voluntarily put himself upon temptation, but, by God's appointment, went up from Jordan farther into the desert.
We learn hence : —
[1.] That temptations come not by chance, not out of the earth, nor merely from the devil ; but God ordereth them for his own glory and our good. Satan was fain to beg leave to tempt Job : Job i. 12, 'And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power, only upon himself put not forth thine hand ; ' there is a conces- sion with a limitation. Till God exposeth us to trials, the devil can- not trouble us, nor touch us. So Luke xxii. 31, 'Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.' Nay, he could not enter into the herd of swine without a patent and new pass from Christ : Mat. ^dii. 31, 'So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.' This cruel spirit is held in the chains of an irresistible providence, that he cannot molest any creature of God without his permission ; which is a great satisfaction to the faithful : all things which concern our trial are determined and ordered by God. If we be free, let us bless God for it, and pray that he would not ' lead us into temptation : ' if tempted, when we are in Satan's hands, remember Satan is in God's hand.
[2.] Having given up ourselves to God, we are no longer to be at cm* own dispose and direction, but must submit ourselves to be led, guided, and ordered by God in all things. So it was with Christ, he was led by the Spirit continually : if he retire into the desert, he is ' led by the Spirit,' Luke iv. 1 ; if he come back again into Galilee, ver. 4, ' Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee.' The Holy Ghost leadeth him into the conflict, and when it was ended leadeth him back again. Now there is a perfect likeness between a Christian and Christ : he is led by the Spirit off and on, so we must be guided by the same Spirit in all our actions : Kom. viii. 14, ' For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.'
[3.] That we must observe our warrant and calling in all we resolve upon. To put ourselves upon hazards we are not called unto, is to go out of our bounds to meet a temptation, or to ride into the devil's quarters. Christ did not go of his own accord into the desert, but by divine impulsion, and so he came from thence. We may, in our place and calling, venture ourselves, on the protection of God's providence, upon obvious temptations; God will maintain and support us in them; that is to trust God ; but to go out of our calling is to tempt God.
[4.] Compare the words used in Matthew and Mark, chap. i. 12,
260 Christ's temptation. [Ser. I.
' And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.' That shows that it was a forcible motion, or a strong impulse, such as he could not easily resist or refuse, so here is freedom — he was led ; there is force and efficacious impression — he was driven, with a voluntary condescension thereunto. There may be liberty of man's will, yet the victorious efficacy of grace united together : a man may be taught and drawn, as Christ here was led, and driven by the Spirit into the wilder- ness.