ascribed to Satan, or the evil spirit, when they are only such as might be supposed to come from an evil being, not that they really did so.

So Satan is said to have tempted David to number Israel; (1 Chron. xxi. 1.) when the thought flowed from nothing but his own pride, and forgetfulness of God, in whom alone he ought to have put his trust.

So Satan is said (Luke xxii. 3.) to have entered into Judas, after he had himself been marked out as a traitor, when it was only his own wicked, revengeful, covetous disposition that stirred him up to betray his kind heavenly Master. And here, as trial was to be made of our Lord in the vision by temptations to evil placed before him, Satan, or a supposed evil spirit, is properly introduced as an agent

in it.

It may further be added, that none of the disciples were present at this supposed interview between Christ and Satan, and therefore it wants the proper attestation of a real history. All the material circumstances of our Lord's life, his miracles, death, resurrection, happened in the presence of credible witnesses; some of whom committed to writing what they had seen with their eyes.

His transfiguration, as it is called, was an event as singular, and as much out of the common road of nature, as this temptation; but it had three of his most distinguished apostles eye-witnesses of it :- but here were no witnesses.

We are led then again to view it as a visionary representation made to him, most probably in his waking hours, as that afterwards to Peter, to dispose that apostle without hesitation (Acts x. 10.) to comply with Cornelius the Roman officer's message of invitation to preach the gospel to him who was a heathen.

And our Lord might have informed his apostles of this secret extraordinary transaction in his lifetime, or rather, perhaps, during the forty days after his death and resurrection, before his final departure from them; when he would further tell them of the design of it, and exhort them to relate it also to others, that the memory of it might remain.

This interpretation is further confirmed by the same kind of language being used, in which known visionary representations are expressed.

Thus, in the Apocalypse, it begins; (Rev. i. 1.)

"The

"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things that must shortly come to pass and he sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John." Afterwards John, when he would inform us of this vision, says; (ver. 10.) "I was in the spirit on the Lord's day:" i. e. I saw a vision.

The prophet Ezekiel's vision is also expressed by the spirit's entering into him : "And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet:" (Ezek. ii. 2.) i. e. he imagined he was in a standing posture.

Again he says, (iii. 12.) "Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great rushing." And in another place, (xl. 2.) "In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain." It is plain, from these two passages, that the visions of God, and to be taken up of the spirit, are one and the same thing.

It is evident then, that Jesus, being led up of the spirit into the wilderness, was his having a divine vision; and the scene of the vision was laid in a forest not far from Jerusalem.

It

It can be no objection to this interpretation that the whole is written with an air of historical truth. To those who are conversant with the Bible this will appear nothing strange.

Thus the prophet Jeremiah's carrying a cup full of wine (ch. xxv.) from God to all nations, and causing them to drink of it; his putting yokes (xxvii.) upon the necks of several kings; -Ezekiel's eating a roll (ch. iii.) of a book, which was in his mouth as sweet as honey for sweetness ;-i. e. he was highly pleased with the contents of it, as thinking it might have a good effect on his countrymen ;—and the prophet Hosea's being commanded to take a wife of whoredoms, (ch. i. 3.) and then a second time to marry an adulteress :-these have all of them, in the narration, the appearance of a real history, though they were only transacted in vision, as many writers have shown at large, and particularly that the purport of the latter was to expose the idolatry and wickedness of Israel; that the people whom God had chosen and brought near unto him by so many extraordinary favours, had behaved to him falsely, as an adulterous woman towards an affectionate husband.

We now come to inquire into the design of

this extraordinary vision in respect of our Lord.

Being now of a proper age, he was going to appear upon the public stage in the character of the Messiah, the great prophet of the Most High, the last and best messenger of his will to them; the Teacher and Saviour of the world.

Hitherto he had lived a private life, like other men; but after his baptism by John, when probably the spirit was first poured upon him, or divine powers first conferred to qualify him for his office; being immediately to enter upon his public ministry, in which, by his holy doctrine and example, he was to instruct the men of that generation, and to lay a foundation for bringing all future generations, in all time to come, to holiness and eternal life:

So much depending upon his acting the right and the virtuous part, it pleased the divine Providence in this singular manner to make a present trial and exercise of his piety and virtue, and at the same time thereby to acquaint him with the history of his future life; that it would be a scene of great and difficult trials; but that if he looked up always to God for direction and assistance, striv

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