the possession of life everlasting by Him.
Satan, I say, having such dominion over the chief rulers of the visible
Church, and espying in Christ, such graces as before he had not seen in
man, and considering Him to follow in fasting the footsteps of Moses and
Elias, no doubt greatly feared that the quietness and rest of his most
obedient servants, the priests, and their adherents, would be troubled
by Christ. And, therefore, by all engines and craft, he assaults Him to
see what advantage he could have of Him. And Christ did not repel him,
as by the power of His Godhead He might have done, that he should not
tempt Him, but permitted him to spend all his artillery, and received
the strokes and assaults of Satan's temptations in His own body, to the
end He might weaken and enfeeble the strength and tyrannous power of our
adversary by His long suffering. For thus, methinks, our Master and
Champion, Jesus Christ, provoked our enemy to battle: "Satan, thou
gloriest of thy power and victories over mankind, that there is none
able to withstand thy assaults, nor escape thy darts, but at one time
or other thou givest him a wound: lo! I am a man like to my brethren,
having flesh and blood, and all properties of man's nature (sin, which
is thy venom, excepted); tempt, try, and assault me; I offer you here a
place most convenient--the wilderness. There shall be no mortal to
comfort me against thy assaults; thou shalt have time sufficient; do
what thou canst, I shall not fly the place of battle. If thou become
victor, thou shalt still continue in possession of thy kingdom in this
wretched world; but if thou canst not prevail against me, then must thy
prey and unjust spoil be taken from thee; thou must grant thyself
vanquished and confounded, and must be compelled to leave off from all
accusation of the members of my body; for to them appertains the fruit
of my battle, my victory is theirs, as I am appointed to take the
punishment of their sins in my body."

What comfort ought the remembrance of these signs to be to our hearts!
Christ Jesus hath fought our battle; He Himself hath taken us into His
care and protection; however the devil may rage by temptations, be they
spiritual or corporeal, he is not able to bereave us out of the hand of
the almighty Son of God. To Him be all glory for His mercies most
abundantly poured upon us!

There remains yet to be spoken of the time when our Lord was tempted,
which began immediately after His