ample! how very inftructive! The fecond temptation, is that of fetting Jefus upon a pinacle of the temple, or on the battlements, and then defiring that he would caft himself down; and thereby fhew his confidence in the care of angels very probably, now vifible both to Jefus and the tempter. No; fays Jefus, I have not any fuch permiffion; but am forbidden to tempt the Lord my God.-How very inftructive this conduct? as it condemns all prefumption upon the divine care, or needlefsly hazarding our lives, in order to exprefs a trust and reliance on God! The third temptation, has its scenery on an exceeding high mountain, where the devil reprefents, in feveral artificial vifionary appearances, to the utmost advantage, all the Kingdoms of the world, as large in the scenery as the eye could take in and examine, with the glory, the grandeur, and the extensiveness of them ;probably this was done in fucceffion. Thefe, he fays, he will give to Jefus, if he will but fall down, and worship him fignifying to him," that the greateft earthly monarchs were his fubjects, and paid him a conftant homage! Jefus repels this temptation, by affuring him, that he knew infinitely better. It is the duty of all men to worship the Lord their God, and to ferve him only. The dignity and glory of human nature, is no otherwife attainable. Is there not great inftruction contained in this? Chrift came to deftroy the works of the devil: And this interview gave the earnest of it.

To me, there appears no unmanning of one's felf, in affenting to the truth of this narrative. For Matthew is not the only hiftorian who mentions the fact; but Mark has, ch. i. 12, 13. And alfo Luke, eh. iv. 1-14. It would indeed have been incredible, if the hiftory had affirmed, that

the

the spirit of God tempted Jefus, Or if it had intimated, that the devil had been permitted to do any violence to the freedom of our Lord's will; that he took him againft, or with his confent; or that any injury was done either to our Lord's mind, or his body. On the contrary, tho' he is permitted to move him from place to place; yet Jefus fuffers no bodily harm. And altho' he tempts him, by an addrefs to the appetites and paffions, the common scenery of human temptations; yet thefe are repelled by a reverence of God, and a fupreme regard to his authority. Jefus was before prepared for the combat, by forty days miraculous fupport, without food or hunger, and by proper inftructions. And as he was to affert a Sovereignty over evil fpirits, and to deftroy the works of the devil; yea, abolish all that influence and power, which evil fpirits had been permitted to have over the bodies of men; manifest in those poffeffions, or in their inflicting ftrange diforders, which our Lord's hiftory maketh mention of, the narrative does hence appear to be credible. And it is fo far from being an objection to Christianity, that no fuch inftances of demoniacks have fince been known, in any age after the apoftolic; that it is a confirmation of the truth of Christianity.

If any should ask, how the Evangelifts came to know the particulars of this temptation? I would anfwer, that the fame fpirit which led Jefus into the wildernefs, was able to inform them. And that probably Jefus himself had informed them of it, within the forty days he abode with them after his refurrection.

It is manifeft, that good purpofes are intended to be answered by this temptation; and altho' it is a very eafy matter to burlefque the whole of

the

.

the scenery, and call the devil a fool; yea, to affirm, that the author of this story knew nothing of the Antipodes: yet, it is not fo eafy to make the burlesque fasten on the subject. Jefus was but newly inaugurated into his office, as the Meffiah, God's anointed, He was to be inftructed in the whole of his miniftration; and to have the most finished teftimony of God's being with him. But it does not follow, that the devil must be informed in the true nature of his office, and the defign of his miffion. Neither is there one article in the temptations, inconfiftent with the character of the tempter. The temptations are adapted to the fufpicions which the evil spirit had of Jefus being the promised feed of the woman, that fhould bruife his head; and put an end to that fway and dominion which had been exércifed over the bodies of men. And the very manner in which temptation does make its addrefs to the human mind, is in this scenery expofed, and overcome! accordingly, in all the difpoffeffions, the fovereign power of Jefus was manifefted and he acknowledged, even by demons, to be the son of God. They folicit, he would not fend them into the ABYSS, Luke viii. 31. or torment them before the time, Matthew viii. 29. or not fend them out of the country, Mark. v. 10.

་

Many good ends are defigned to be answered by this narrative to others. The apostles would learn that miraculous power was not to be exercifed by them for fhew or oftentation; or for extricating themselves from perils.-It forbids all complaint, on account of the prefent life of man being a ftate of temptation. It fhews us that God does not fuffer any invifible beings to violate the liberty and freedom of man.-It points. out to us the utmost ftrength of temptation,

which lies in fenfible, perifhing things.-It fhews us the certain method of overcoming temptation, viz, a fupreme reverence of God's word or will. It is written. If these are not good ends, let the objector fhew us what are. befides,

This narrative fuppofeth, yea, teacheth the miniftration of good angels, as well as the influence which wicked fpirits have had in this world of ours. And there must have been facts fubfifting, during our Lord's miniftrations, and thofe of his apoftles, upon which the narratives are grounded; or elfe they could never have been fo univerfally received, For, the New Teftament writings have no one worldly motive, or maxim of worldly policy to give them any recommendation. To compare this narrative with Romih legends is therefore very difhonourable; reflects greatly both on the judgment, and ingenuity of our author.

" Now

Sect. XXXIV. Mar. v.

The miracle related in Mark v. 1-19. has the following reflexions made upon it: "for Chrift to be acceffory to fo great an evil as 1-19. this, viz. the deftruction of fo many innocent objected "creatures, to the great hurt and damage of to. "their owners, and to the injury of the public; "creatures who were called into being, as well "to answer a purpose to themfelves, as to be "fubfervient to the common good; creatures "who had not done any thing to draw forth "Chrift's difpleasure against them; when the "doing this tended to alienate the minds of the

people against Christ's perfon and miniftry, as "we find it did, fuppofing it to be fact, for they "defired him to depart out of their coaft; and "to do this at the requeft, and to gratify the wicked defires of a great number of devils or evil fpirits; this is fo contrary to Chrift's ge-.

"neral

"neral behaviour, and to the falutary purposes "he proposed to answer in this world, as renders "the story perfectly incredible; and therefore I "confider it to be either a falfe branch of hiftory, or else that it is falfely related to us. " Vol. II. p. 181.

What must be taken for granted, in fupporting the credibility of the narrative is, that dæmons, or evil fpirits had an influence upon the bodies of men, in the time of our Lord's perfonal ministry. This feems manifeft from many paffages in the New Teftament writings, fuch as Matth. iv. 24. Luke vii. 21. x. 17. Acts xix. 12, 13, 15, 16. And that it was not a Jew dream, fhould appear from Peter's declaring to Cornelius a Roman officer, Alts x. 38. that God anointed Jefus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghoft, and with power, who went about doing good, and bealing all that were oppreffed of the devil.-All that were under the dynasty and influence of the devil. And St. John tells us, that Chrift was manifefted to destroy the works of the devil. Eph. iii. 8. I can fee nothing unreasonable or abfurd, in fuppofing that evil fpirits had had fuch influence, and that Christ and his apostles difpoffeffed them of that influence, both in Judea and elsewhere. Idolatry and vice had univerfally prevailed. And the permiffion of fuch influence may perhaps be accounted for, from its exhibiting to the view of the world, the malignant difpofition of the dæmons which men worshipped, as well as the evil effects of vice upon the devotees of it. But this not reclaiming mankind, the power of Jefus exercised over dæmons was a convincing evidence of its divinity, by his removing fuch evils from countries and nations. If the unbeliever should say, that this is all imaginary, let him give us fome principles which will conclude

3