he was really and truly the Son of God: he left examples and precepts for us to follow he established Christianity in a land which, before, was barren of virtue and overgrown by sin, and set up a standard, around which converts might rush to the glory of their Maker. He appeased the wrath of heaven by his atonement, and placed the guilty creature in the way of salvation. He left the seeds of his Gospel upon the earth, which should grow up in the hearts of men, and bring forth fruit meet and acceptable to God. By that Gospel-by the words of eternal life—by the very same weapons used by our Saviour, we can resist temptations and pass through the trial with victory and honour. We can, by means of that Gospel, endure the warfare-yea, we can overcome the difficulties and trials of the world, and obtain a complete and glorious victory over death and the grave. Yes, we can do all things through Christ, who will strengthen us. By the help of heaven and the strong arm of the Lord on our side, no difficulty shall

remain unconquered, no temptation unresisted, and no evil power on earth unsubdued.

The life of our Saviour affords unto us an ample example. He had upon him all our infirmities, sin excepted. His human nature, like ours, was subject to feeling. We read of him being an hungred, thirsting, being tempted-suffering the pains of infancyyielding to the weight of his cross, as he bore it to Mount Calvary-being sensitive to the cruel persecutions of his enemies, and feeling the rough nails, as they pierced his hands and feet; and the spear, as it entered into his sacred side: and at last, as if it were to prove his humanity, yielding up the ghost, or spirit. He has indeed left us an example to follow, during our temptation, our trials, and our sufferings in this life. With respect to our temptations, how great are they upon every side of us! and how little persuasion does our nature require, to be seduced from that way, that leadeth unto life! In different shapes does the great adversary approach us. In the first days he came unto Adam in the form of a serpent, then per

haps a glorious and beautiful creature', with seductive wiles, which unfortunately proved irresistible to the virtue and purity of Eve. To the second Adam he came as a mighty prince :-evidently so, for he promised to give to our Saviour all the kingdoms of the world, if he would fall down and worship him. In different forms thus does he approach us with various success. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life proceed from him. What is there that men will not do to gratify the lust of the body?—Indeed the body is the whole care of the natural man. To supply its wants and desires he will haste to rise up early, and late take his rest. He will form schemes for its enjoyment, at a time when his mind should be occupied with better and holier things. He will lay plans, no matter how they be at variance with the laws of God, for its ease and happiness. In short, he will be backward at no attempt to secure that passing joy, which yields but momentary and fleeting

1

See "Prophecy, Types, and Miracles, the great bulwarks of Christianity," by the same Author, p. 25.

consolation. And what will he not do to satisfy the lust of the eye? What treasures will he not heap up, no matter to him who shall gather them? he attains his object, he appeases the lust of the eye. He adds to his accumulated store treasure upon treasure he joins field to field, house to house; and at last rejoices with satisfaction over the few earthly gains, which he has succeeded in obtaining. And then there is the pride of life. Oh! what is there that man will not do to gratify this? It was pride, that caused the fall of our first parents. To be equal to God' was their ambition. To become as all-powerful and as all-wise as their Maker. Pride made them forget the injunction of their Creator. But that very pride reduced them from their original purity to sinful creatures. From a forbidden lust to become wise, they instantly became foolish-they lost the divine image and the certainty of being being translated to God's God's abode

1 Elohim, in this passage, certainly refers to the true God; for what idol was then known?

without the wasting of the flesh.-They exchanged their spiritual nature for an earthly nature, which consequently became subject to corruption and the miseries of the grave. So was it with them, and so it is with us from being their children. We partake largely of their follies-we share in their sin-and in consequence incur the wrath of heaven. The pride of life is strong in us-ambition maddens our reason, destroys our intellect, and renders us unfit for the kingdom of heaven. These are the temptations, that endanger our salvation; these are the ways and means, that the Devil takes to gain us over to him; and how readily do we yield to the seduction! Our eyes become dazzled with the prospect of bliss, which he spreads before us-the mind is in raptures at the gorgeous sight, shallow and frivolous though it be, and the soul at once becomes entangled in the meshes of destruction. But when these temptations come upon us, God will give us the power to resist them. Have you not read, that "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted