Page:The rock of wisdom.djvu/101

 crimes: whereas, the council or Sanhedrem, was a higher court and had greater authority. This was in the external performance in which they had to regulate their temporal concerns, but in the spiritual sense I understand it this way, that the adversary represents Jesus Christ, for this reason he said, he that is for me is not against me, and he that is against me is not for me, for it is in our power to agree with Christ, and he will be satisfied, and the debt is paid, while we continue to agree with him, that is, in this life, for he said "he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved." And now if-we had to agree with the devil to let us go, that, we might serve God, I ask you, how many you think would get to heaven? Judge for yourselves for Pharoah did promise to let Israel go, and although he partly consented to let them go, it seems that he did not mean it from his heart: therefore, to prove it, he followed them, and I believe he lost his soul and body.—Now the only way to get rid of the devil, is to hold no consultation with him on the subject, but like Moses do what God has commanded us, that is the only way that we can get clear of him and his crew, for he is a liar from the beginning, as the scripture saith, for after our Lord came out of the water the devil taking him up into an exceeding high mountain, showing him all the kingdoms of the world, that is, pointed out to him, where each kingdom lay, and set forth in words, what was most glorious and admirable in each of them, or also, set before his eyes, as it were, in a large map a lively representation of all those kingdom, and after all this he said unto Christ, all these things will I give unto thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me; and he even had the assurance to say unto him, it is written he shall give his angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up. Now only see the craft and knowledge of the devil; he thought he was in possession of these, as to attempt to fool our Lord in order to sap the foundation of the human family and make God a liar. But the wisdom of God being so far superior to that of his, he told him "get thee behind me Satan."

Now let us consider what he had to give. He went to give a lie: it was not received; and he went to attempt to offer kingdoms, and the glories thereof: and in all this he