The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 1 — Section 64

Then let our humble fnith addrell His mercy and his power, We shall obtain delivering gmce In every trying hour." 5. Forewarned. In the conflict of the Saviour with Satan, as narrated in the Gospels, we have the prototype of, and precedent for, the perfect believer, showing us what manner of adversary we have to contend with, how he fights, how he is resisted how he is overcome; showing us also the arena on which we have to maintain the str~ggle, what weapons we must wield, how certain our victory will be when we use those weapons aright, as well as the true source of conquest and of triumph, on which we are to depend. Now, there is much truth in the old proverb, "Forewarned is forearmed;" and if this be true of conflicts where carnal weapons a.re employed, it is also true of that spiritual conflict which every Christian has to carry on with the great enemy of God and of goodness~f the soul and of salvation. Accordingly, the passage under con- sideration warns us of the adversary and of his devices, that we may not be ignorant of them ; of the boldness of his assaults and the mode of his attacks: of what he did in a green tree; and of how much more powerful the fire of his temptation may be expected to be in a dry ; of his repeated attacks on him of whom we read, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me." How much more severe and repeated attacks of this great adversary may be expected by us, in whom a wicked heart within and a wicked world without combine to render temptation successful I For who among us has not felt the truth of the sentiment- "A wicked heart and wicked world. With So.tan are combined; Each acts a too successful pnrt In harassing my mind" ? £. ForMrmed. Further, the lesson of the passage arms us with weapons of resist&nce and defence, which, if used duly, diligently, and dutifully, will enable us to resist the devil and force him to flee from us. It implies, moreover, the important duty incum- bent on every Christian to guard against all appearance of evil, to check the first risings of evil in the heart, to resist the first suggestions of the evil one, to watch and pray, and apply God's V./ ord, that we may not enter into temptation. And all this the more, that Satan's onsets are so daring and his designs so murderous; his arguments so specious and his schemes of ruin so subtle; his plan being our enslavement to himself and sin, while his purpose is to pay us the hard-earned wages of transgression. "What fruit had ye then," asks the apostle, " in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death." ill. Tm: FORMS OF THE TEMPTATION IN GENERAL. 1. Striking similarity. There is a remarkable and instructive similarity between the temptation of the first and that of the second Adam ; and also a vast dissimilarity. The similarity consists in the means and manner of the temptation; but a world-wide difference is presented in the result. There are three powerful principles of human nature, of which Satan takes advantage, and to which he adapts his temptations. These principles a.re "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" spoken of in Scripture. These have been called this world's Trinity. By means of these Satan tempted the first Adam, and succeeded; by the same means he attempted to ensnare the second Adam and failed. In tempting the first Adam he plied him with the lust of the flesh; for the tree of knowledge of good and evil, of which God had forbidden man to eat, was good for food, and so fitted to gratify the lust of the flesh and lead to the indulgence of carnal appetite. He tried him by the lust of the eyes; for the forbidden tree was pleasant to the eyes, and so adapted to gratify their lust and produce covetousness. He tried him by the pride of life; for it was a tree to be desired to make one wise-to make man as God, knowing good and evil and so suited to the pride of life, prompting and fostering pride of heart. In all this' Satan succeeded. He knew the baits to lay, and when and how to lay them,, Besides, the first Adam was of the earth, earthy, and we, alas! have all borne his image; for "as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death has passei upon all men for that all have sinned." Now, as Satan had been so successful with the first Adam, it is not to be wondered at that he shoul(l try the same mode of procedure CB. I, 1-45.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MAUK. 61