" It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God1." Did Satan then urge him to cast himself down from a pinnacle of the temple with an assurance of miraculous preservation ? he replied again, " It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy Godm." Did Satan once more assault him with solicitations to fall down and worship him ? he smote the fiend yet a third time with the same irresistible weapon : " It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve"." Thus Jesus conquered : and thus his people in all ages have subdued their enemies. David tells us whence his success arose : " I have hid thy word within me, that I might not sin against thee0:" and, " By the word of thy lips, I have kept me from the paths of the destroyerp." To us also he recommends an adoption of the same plan ; " Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way ? even by taking heed thereto according to thy word4."
The Scripture aids us, in the next place, by its- powerful motives. As for all the motives that reason can suggest, the experience of all ages has proved them weak and inefficient. But the Scripture sets before us the happiness of heaven and the misery of hell : and thus with irresistible efficacy addresses itself to our hopes and fears. " He that overcometh shall inherit all things'," saith the Lord; "but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him : he draws back unto perdition5." When an enemy would allure us by the prospect of plea- sure, or alarm us by the apprehension of suffering, with what indignation shall we spurn him from us, if we advert for one moment to the concerns of eternity ! Shall I forego the blessedness of heaven for a momentary gratification ? Shall I consign mvself over to all the torments of hell rather than endure some momentary evil ? What if the acqui-
1 Matt. iv. 4. m Matt. iv. 7. n Matt. iv. 10.
0 Ps. cxix. 11. p Ps. xvii. 4. i Ps. cxix. 9.
r Rev. xxi. 7. s Heb. x. 38, 39.