God to the face, he beheld him holding fast his. integrity.

From this view of temptation it appears, that we can never yield to it without criminality. As the plea-“the serpent beguiled me, and I did eat," was rejected in the case of the first temptation, so every similar plea will be rejected in all other cases of temptation. And as a curse was pronounced upon our first parents for yielding when tempted, so also will a curse be pronounced upon us, whenever we may yield. When he seduces, or attempts to seduce, his intelligent creatures from their God, Satan commits sin which will be visited upon him; but they equally commit sin, and equally subject themselves to punishment, who listen to his solicitations, and revolt from their Creator. God has an indisputable claim to our supreme and perfect love and obedience, and from answering this claim no possible circumstances can exonerate us. The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed,-heaven and earth shall pass away; but there shall in no wise pass away one jot, or one tittle of the decree which pronounces-"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy mind, and all thy

soul, and all thy strength." The obligation, therefore, is absolute-to "resist the devil."

From this view of temptation, also, it appears possible, and even highly probable, that much of the sin we commit is not even instigated by Satan. We have seen that it is congenial to our fallen nature to commit sin. "Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false-witness, blasphemies." Matt. xv. 19. We do not, therefore, need any inducement from without to lead us to commit sin,-we have sufficient inducements within to lead us to commit it. It is, therefore, quite possible, and not at all improbable, if it be not absolutely certain, that with many of the sins we commit, Satan has nothing whatever to do. Our own heart alone is guilty. This consideration, while it should not make us in the least degree less watchful of Satan, should make us constantly and jealously watchful of ourselves. From the deceitfulness and desperate wickedness of the heart, the man is pronounced in Scripture a fool that trusts it; and no man that is in the smallest degree acquainted with his heart, ever does trust it. Every man who is acquainted with his heart,

any lust should This guard over

is constantly watching it, lest arise in it and draw him away. the heart we are expressly commanded to keep, and on the ground of the heart's being the seat of action, and, consequently, in cases of sin, its being the incentive to sin: "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Prov. iv. 23.

CHAPTER II.

THE CHARACTER OF THE TEMPTER.

FROM the foregoing view of temptation, while it appears that we actually commit the sin, it appears also that the sin is suggested to us, and instigated by Satan. With the character of Satan, therefore, as a tempter, or with the qualities possessed by him tending to give effect to his temptation, it is important that we become acquainted. With a view to imparting knowledge of Satan as the tempter of mankind, let it be observed thatFirst, He possesses extensive knowledge and Satan is a being of a superior order. Originally he was an angel of light, which order of beings is declared by implication to be superior to that of man; for man is said to have been made lower than the angels. And his apostacy from God, although it has impaired his moral powers, has not impaired those which are natural.

wisdom.

But, in addition to his capacity for acquiring it, he has had many and most favourable opportunities for acquiring knowledge. Ever since his fall, which happened previously to the fall of man, and during the whole of his prior existence, he has had ample opportunities for investigating the character and works of God. The Scriptures,

which make additional discoveries to those made by the works of creation, would appear to be open to his perusal for, when tempting our Lord, he readily quoted them. "It is written," said the tempter, quoting from the 91st Psalm, "it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." Matt. iv. 6.-He can obtain information through the medium of the church : for, if to principalities and powers in heavenly places is made known, by the church, the manifold wisdom of God, (Eph. iii. 10,) we cannot but suppose that to Satan it is also made known, in some degree at least, by the same instrumentality. Moreover, God has occasionally made communications to him cases of Job and Ahab.

E

personally: as, in the

Thus it appears both