Thus our great _Michael_ comes off conqueror in the second assault. And doth not the serpent feel his head bruised enough yet? Not at all: on the contrary, being more and more enraged at such unusual opposition, and want of success, “He again taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, (what mountain is not very material) and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them,” St. _Luke_ adds, “in a moment of time:” which confirms the common conjecture, that Satan did not shew our LORD really the kingdoms of the world, (for that must have taken up more time) but only took him up into an exceeding high mountain to humour the thing, and by exerting his utmost art, impressed on our LORD’s imagination _all at once_, a very strong, and to any but innocence itself, a very striking prospect of the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; not the cares: that would not serve Satan’s turn. He shewed our Saviour crowns, but never told him, those crowns were gilded with thorns; “He shewed him, (says Mr. _Henry_, my favourite commentator) as in a landscape, or airy representation in a cloud, such as that great deceiver could easily frame and put together, the glorious and splendid appearance of princes, their robes and retinue, their equipage and life-guards; the pomps of thrones and courts, and stately palaces; the sumptuous buildings in cities; the gardens and fields about the country seats, with the various instances of their wealth, pleasure, and gaiety; so as might be most likely to strike the fancy, and excite the admiration and affection. Such was this shew.” Our Saviour very well knew it, only lets Satan go to the full length of his string, that his victory over him might be the more illustrious. And now, says the devil, “All these things (a mighty all indeed; a mere imaginary bubble!) will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” He would fain have it taken for granted, that he had succeeded in the two preceding temptations: “Come, thou seest thou art not the Son of GOD, or if thou art, thou seest what an unkind Father he is; thou art here in a starving condition, therefore take my advice, disown thy relation to him, set up for thyself, call me father, ask of me blessings, and all these will I give thee; while all that I desire in return, is but a bow, only fall down and worship me.” Here Satan discovers himself with a witness: this was a desperate parting stroke, indeed. It is now high time for thee, O thou enemy of souls, to be commanded to depart! Filled with a holy resentment at such hellish treatment, and impatient of the very thought of setting up for himself, or alienating the least part of his heart and affections from his Father, or dividing them between his GOD and the world; “Then said JESUS unto him, Get thee hence, Satan, (I know thee who thou art, under all thy disguises) get thee hence, thou grand adversary: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the LORD thy GOD, and him only shalt thou serve: this is the great commandment of the law; this is the commandment my Father gave unto his _Israel_ of old, and wouldst thou have me, who came to fulfil the law and the prophets, thus shamefully be a transgressor of it? Get thee hence, I will bear thy insolence no longer: thy other temptations were hellish, like thyself, but this intolerably so: get thee therefore hence, Satan: my heavenly Father is the LORD my GOD, and him only will I serve.”
And now the battle is over: the important combat is ended: JESUS hath won the field: Satan is routed and totally put to flight. “Then,” when the devil found that JESUS could withstand even the golden bait, the lust of the eye and pride of life, in the two last, as well as the lust of the flesh in the first temptation, despairing of the least success, and quite stunned with that all-powerful _Get thee hence, Satan_, “he leaveth him.”