own person renewing that promise and vow which was then made by others in my behalf. I do here, O LORD, in Thy Presence, Who art the great Searcher of hearts, and from Whom no secrets are hid, most freely, fully, and resolvedly, from henceforward for evermore repent of, and renounce, all sin : and will, to the utmost of the power which Thou givest me, resist all the temptations of the devil, the world, and the flesh, so that I will not willingly follow, nor be led by them. I do steadfastly believe, and will by Thy help continue in the belief of all the articles of the Christian Faith: and I am resolved, through the help of Thy grace, without which I can do nothing, to keep Thy holy will and commandments in all sincerity and godly simplicity of heart, and to persevere, walking in the same all the days of my life. I will diligently use all the means of grace; and I humbly beseech Thee, Gracious GOD, to enlighten and strengthen me by Thy HOLY SPIRIT to perform this my vow and covenant unto the end. Preserve me a living and sound member of CHRIST, a dutiful and dear child of GOD, and an heir, through faith in CHRIST, of the kingdom of heaven; that, through Thy mercy, O GOD the FATHER, and Thy merits and intercession, O GOD the SON, and Thy guidance and sanctification, O GOD the HOLY GHOST, I may in Thy good time obtain the end of my faith, even the salvation of my soul, to the glory of Thy grace. Amen, good LORD; so let it be, I most humbly beseech Thee. 111 CHAPTER XII. FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. THE FASTING AND TEMPTATION OF OUR LORD. Gospel Narrative. (See S. Mark i.; S. Luke iv.) S. Matt. iv. 1. THEN was JESUS led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If Thou be the Son of GOD, command that these stones be made bread. But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of GOD. Then the devil taketh Him up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto Him, If Thou be the SON of GOD, cast Thyself down; for 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. JESUS said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the LORD thy God. Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith JESUS unto him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the LORD thy GOD, and Him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth Him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto Him. Reflections. After the LORD JESUS had been baptized, He returned from Jordan full of the HOLY GHOST, and was led forthwith into the desert, to be tempted. He entered the desert to teach us, that if we would overcome the snares of the Devil, we must also retire from the tumult of the world, and give our leisure unto GOD, that we may hunger after the manna of the soul, and the joys which are alone everlasting. He went into the wilderness, there to offer His Spirit in prayer to the FATHER for us, and there to afflict His Body, by fasting for us; and to give us an example of offering ourselves to GOD by fasting and prayer. He would be led into the wilderness, the place of contest, to fight with difficulties, because Adam was overcome by delights, when abounding with pleasures in Paradise. He would be tempted, that overcoming temptations, He might give us power to overcome them; as He would die, that by His Death He might destroy ours. These four things, viz.: Baptism, the Wilderness; Fasting, Temptation; were so regulated in CHRIST, to signify that 1st, there must be washing away of our sins; 2ndly, an abstraction from the world, and its charms; 3rdly, mortification of the flesh; 4thly, an attack from the snares of our enemies. So with the people of Israel, there was, 1st, the Red Sea; 2ndly, the Wilderness; 3rdly, hunger and thirst; 4thly, the assault of enemies. Our LORD "fasted forty days and forty nights" in the desert, as did Moses and Elijah, and thus did He receive testimony from the Law and the Prophets. As Moses dedicated the Law, and Elijah restored it, so did our LORD accomplish the Law, and commence the preaching of the Gospel by a forty days' fast. It is by shunning the friendship of the world that we gain strength to follow GOD. Thus all these teach us not to cleave to this world, but to crucify the old man, and not to make provision for the flesh and its lusts. Fit it is that we, who are about to celebrate the Passion of our LORD, should take up our Cross, in refraining from carnal pleasures, for, "they that are CHRIST's have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts." (Gal. v. 24.) Through the whole of life, a Christian ought continually to bear his Cross, if he would not have his feet sink into the mire of this world. Fervent and constant prayer availeth much; but prayer with surfeiting, self-indulgence and idleness availeth little. Therefore, it is needful to mortify the lusts and desires of the flesh, and to withdraw, for a season, from the world. Let us then, during Lent, seek retirement, keep from bustle and excitement, shun gossipings, and sometimes hold our peace even from good; seek no new friendships, neither fill our eyes and ears with vain fancies; and, lastly, shun as poison all things that disturb the quiet and tranquillity of the soul. Our LORD, during His public life, was with His disciples by day, but when He wished to pray more earnestly, He used to retire alone. Let us, too, avoid the pleasures and distractions of the world, during the season of Lent, and seek some hours I in which we may give attention to prayer, abstinence, and reading for the salvation of our souls. "Afterwards He was an hungered," S. Luke iv., and therein He showed the truth of His Humanity, and gave the Devil an occasion of tempting Him, and likewise taught us how to vanquish and overcome him. The temptation of the LORD was in the same three modes, as that of the first man. Adam was overcome by appetite for the forbidden fruit; by vain glory, which said, "Ye shall be as Gods;" by avarice, which said, "Knowing good and evil;" for avarice (or rapacity) is also the ambition of Divine Knowledge and exaltation. Thus too, he tempted the LORD, but was vanquished. David laid the giant low by three stones from the brook, and CHRIST Overcame the Devil by three testimonies from the Law. Temptation is made in three ways: 1st, by suggestion; 2ndly, by delight; 3rdly, by consent. The LORD was tempted by suggestion only; for the delight of sin had no place in Him; nor did consent overcome Him. The whole temptation, therefore, was without, and not within, for He endured no contradiction in Himself. The 1st assault. The devil first tempted Him in His appetite. “If Thou be the SON of GOD, command that these stones be made bread." The suggestion was fitting to one who was hungry. He not only wished to try whether JESUS was GOD, but also to allure Him as man, that being hungry He might take an undue delight in food. The prince of devils intended, by the change of the stones into bread, to acknowledge |