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force. In fact, it loses its reality and becomes a mere farce, as it must be the veriest folly to talk of His Divinity being tempted. But the Scriptures say that Christ was tempted in all points as we are." He was therefore capable of being tempted. In considering the temptation of Christ we have nothing whatever to do with His Divinity. He was Divine, but His Divinity rendered Him no more assistance in his trial than Adam or any other man might have received under similar circumstances. He met, resisted, and defeated the devil not as God, but as man. We consider that the sum total of the temptations and sufferings of Christ were all endured and exhausted within the proper limits of His humanity.

2. The Temptation was a test of His Moral Character as a Man. While Christ was perfectly human he was also perfectly sinless. In Him there was no moral or spiritual deficiency. In the constitution and condition of His human nature he was on a par with Adam before the fall-perfectly human, but perfectly sinless— capable of sin, but without any bias whatever towards it. Adam being tempted, might have resisted and retained his innocence and dignity; but he yielded and fell. Christ being tempted with all the force and cunning of the same great foe, and under less favourable circumstances, resisted and defeated the enemy. Peter's courage gave way before the accusations of the servant-maid in the hall. David's character was trailed in the mire by an inordinate passion. Samson yielded to the solicitations of Delilah and was dishonoured. Moses' patience failed him at Meribah; and Adam and Eve were deceived and ruined by the serpent. But the heart and character of Christ proved invulnerable to every attack. After repelling repeated assaults of Satan, He could boldly lift up His head and exclaim, 'The Prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in Me.' And into the eyes of scheming Pharisees he could look unabashed and ask, Which of you convinceth me of sin?' And as the testing of the true mettle makes more manifest its reality and worth, so the beauty and strength of the moral character of Christ were more fully revealed by the temptations and sufferings through which He passed.

3. The Temptation was part of His Discipline for the Messianic office. It was necessary that Christ should be tried and tempted in all points as we are, in order to the fulfilment of Scripture prophecy, and in order that He might be able to sympathise with those whom he came to succour and save. A person who has always lived in the light cannot be expected to have a fellow feeling with those whose lot

it is to walk in darkness. Jesus Christ was not only the most unselfish man that ever lived, but He was emphatically a Man of sorrows.' He was touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and is able to sympathise with and succour them that are tempted in as much as He Himself has suffered, being tempted. For it became Him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons unto glory to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.' Consider the temptation

III. IN ITS RELATION TO US.

It furnishes us with several useful lessons.

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1. That Holiness of Character does not Exempt from Temptation and Trial. There never was so perfect and holy a Man as our Lord. All that gives beauty and strength to manhood He possessed in the highest degree. In His disposition and character He was altogether lovely. And yet He was led into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil; and thus we see that the best of men are liable to be conducted to the dreary wilds of life to do conflict with the great enemy of their souls. Daniel, David, Job, and Paul were all conversant with temptations and trial. The beauty of the flower does not keep it from withering. The ripeness of the fruit does not preserve it from decay. The artistic genius of the picture does not protect it from injury. And so the purity and perfections of moral character do not secure it against the attacks of Satan. There is, however, this differThe picture, the flower, and the fruit have no power to resist the attacks that are made upon them, but man has; he can repel the approach of evil, he can resist the devil.'

ence.

2. That Solitude is no Safeguard against Temptation. Thousands since his day have said with David, 'Oh that I had wings like a dove, for then would I fly away and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off and remain in the wilderness,' and, like David, did not know what they were saying. Solitude is certainly no safeguard either against the approach of Satan or the evil promptings of our fallen nature. Christ was in the wilderness, but there the devil found Him and severely attacked Him. We think those who go to monasteries and nunneries to escape sin make a mistake. They take their own evil hearts with them and find the devil there awaiting them. Our safeguard is the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit.

3. That our Seasons of most Exultant Joy may be followed by severe Temptation and Trial.—It was just after the heavens had opened upon

Christ, and His Father had said, 'This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased,' that he underwent this severe and protracted conflict with Satan. One of David's worst falls took place directly after he had boasted of his security, saying that he should never be moved. It was immediately after that splendid victory on Carmel that Elijah fled for his life, terrified by the threat of Jezebel. It was just after Peter had expressed his absolute devotedness to Christ, saying, Though all men shall be offended because of Thee, yet will I never be offended, though I should die with Thee, yet will I not deny Thee,' that he shrank back in the presence of the servant-girl, and, with oaths and curses, denied that he knew his Master.

It would seem impolitic on the part of the enemy to attack men just after they have been abundantly blessed and filled with joy-just after some especial manifestation of Divine favour. But the devil knows that nothing more readily throws people off their guard than prosperity. When men are highly exalted and filled with joy, they are apt to forget their weakness, grow self-confident, and neglect prayer. Christian perfection, the higher life, or sanctification, is a doctrine of Scripture, is attainable in this life, and should be earnestly sought after by all believers; but it is truly painful and humiliating to witness the slips and falls of some whose professions are very loud on this point. We have heard men profess the rest of faith' and 'perfect love' one moment, and almost the next moment we have seen their faces red with passion under very slight provocation, and we have thought in their case the rest of faith' was a rest from watchfulness, prayer, and work; and consequently a rest of unconscious and unprotected danger. We may well say, 'Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.' Not only when in the valley, but when on our Pisgah mountains, we shall do well to watch and pray that we enter not into temptation.'

4. That a Well-sustained Resistance of Temptation will bring a Reward.-Christ resisted until the devil gave up the contest and retired; and it is said, then the angels came and ministered unto Him.' We cannot fully understand how spirit influences spirit, and therefore we cannot say how the angels ministered to Christ; but undoubtedly they comforted and strengthened Him. And then, strong in conscious innocence, full of blissful thoughts, and encouraged by these angelic messengers, Christ went forth to toil and suffer until He should finish the work which He came to do. And, like Him, we may overcome. Though the great enemy is still abroad, deceiving the

us.

nations and tempting man to sin and ruin, we need not fear. We go not on a warfare at our own charge. The angels have charge concerning 'Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation?' Whenever the devil can come to tempt and harass, then angels will come to soothe, strengthen, and deliver the faithful; for the angel of God encampeth round about them that fear Him and delivereth them.' The reward of resisted temptation and faithful service in the present life includes an increase of moral strength and courage, a deeper and more appreciative experience of Divine favour, the soothing and inspiring ministries of angels, and greater success in all that pertains to Christian life. And all that may be enjoyed here is but the earnest. The fulness of the reward is yet to come. Eye hath not seen,' &c. 'Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.'

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THOMAS PRICE.

LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND POLITICS.

LITERATURE.

THE apologetic literature of Christianity has received a valuable addition in Natural Elements of Revealed Theology, by the Rev. G. MATHESON, D D. (London: Nisbet & Co.) The volume is the Baird Lecture for 1881, and the design of it is to show the extent to which the doctrines of revealed religion have a basis in the natural instincts of the human mind. A more important subject than this Dr. Matheson could scarcely have selected at the present time. The infallibility of the Church in matters of faith is now abandoned by all except Romanists, though there is great trust in authority and antiquity on the part of High Churchmen; and the infallibility of the Book is rudely shaken by modern speculation and various theories of inspiration that find more or less favour. Recognising all this, Dr. Matheson proposes to do more than establish the historical truth of Christianity; he undertakes to show its thorough adaptation to the known and felt needs of human nature, and upon this ground to found an argument for its credibility. To the view commonly held in the last century and the early part of this-that the credibility of Christianity cannot be tested by the truth of the message it brings, but that all that can be done is to test the credibility of the messengers by whom the message is communicated, Dr. Matheson takes very decided objection. Christianity is a Divine remedy for man's needs; and the adaptation of remedy to need should certainly count for not a little in evidential value. Dr. Matheson takes some objection to Butler's apologetic position, which, though admirable enough so far as it goes, is scarcely suited to the argument as it now stands between Christianity and its opponents. When Butler wrote the purpose of Apologetics was not so much to show that Christianity was true as to show that its opponents had not proved it false. There was more attempt to show that nothing in Christianity shocked the natural instincts of humankind rather than that the Gospel of Christ harmonized with these instincts and adequately met the deep spiritual needs of man in his present condition. Now, Dr. Matheson's purpose is not to show that other forms of faith are encumbered with the same difficulties as the Christian faith, and that the latter no more shocks the instincts of men than the former; but that the Gospel of Christ affords positive evidence of