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 Heaven; by this word if Satan endeavoured to drive Him into—

α. The sin of pride: by causing Him to perform a miracle, so as to prove Himself to be the Son of God, and thus to dispel the doubt of the querist.

β. The sin of doubt: by causing Him to question the declaration from Heaven; for Satan’s if implied that God, had He meant that Christ were His Son, would not have left Him to starve.

II. That it does not behove us to question the dealings of God’s providence, though He suffer us to want, nor if He refuse to hear our petitions. Perhaps we ask for what is wrong, unsafe, or contrary to His will.

Command that these stones be made bread. Here note—

1. God wills to draw us from temporal things to things spiritual, but the devil obtrudes carnal matters, to draw us from spiritual things to things temporal.

2. The temptation of Christ bears some analogy to that of our first parents. Eve was tempted by the sight of the fruit which was good for food, Christ by the cravings of natural hunger.

3. Satan tempts us through our need for the necessaries of life. Thus some steal, others cheat, others live unchaste lives, under the excuse that they do it for a livelihood.

4. If Christ by a word can change stones into bread,