ce upon us to be also the occasions of special and perhaps
immediate assault.

It was so with our Lord. There are few words in the narrative of
stronger or more valuable significance than the adverb with which St.
Matthew begins the fourth chapter of his Gospel: "_Then_ was Jesus led
up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil."

Bishop Andrewes says: "When as Christ was but newly come out of the
water of Baptism, and immediately after the heavens had opened unto
Him, and the Holy Ghost descended upon Him in the likeness of a dove,
and while He was yet full of the Holy Ghost, did the devil set upon
Him";[22] and saintly old Leighton warns us: "Thou shalt be sure to be
assaulted when thou hast received the greatest enlargements from
heaven, either at the Sacrament or in prayer, or in any other way; then
look for an onset. {53} This arch-pirate lets the empty ships pass,
but lays wait for them when they return richest laden."[23]

Thus the soul that has received special blessings of God must expect
special attack, not only because it is natural for Satan to seek
promptly to offset and quench the divine grace, but because when God
gives us special spiritual strength He gives it in order that it may be
used, and He Himself will supply the opportunity by permitting Satan to
make his attack. "It is God's property to look for much at his hands
to whom He hath given much. When He gives a man a large measure of
grace, He gives the devil withal a larger patent."[24]

The like experience has ever been suffered by the Saints. We read of
their struggles with temptation, and of the methods the adversary
employs against them, and they sound often impossible and grotesque.
We are inclined to dismiss them as the product of the childish
imagination of some mediaeval chronicler; but how do we know the method
of the devil with the Saints? He never has occasion to deal with us in
any unusual way. He is able to overthrow us daily with the most
ordinary and commonplace {54} temptations; how then dare we say how he
might approach those against whom no common temptation can avail?

Thus are we taught not to look forward to growth in holiness as a means
of escape from temptation. Such expectation would in itself be sin,
because we should then be seeking God's gifts for our own selfish ease
and indulgence, and not for His honour. If He should vouchsafe us the
grace to attain to great achievement in the spiritual l