TEMPTATION.

ST. LUKE, Xxii. 31-34.

"And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. And he said unto Him, Lord, I am ready to go with Thee, both into prison and to death. And He said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest Me."

OUR Blessed Lord prayed that St. Peter's faith might not fail, and it did not eventually. The immediate fall was foreseen, for Jesus adds, " And when thou art converted strengthen thy brethren;" evidently implying that the Apostle's present state of mind must lead him into sin.

This consideration may give us comfort when our own prayers against sin are not immediately answered, especially when temptations are not taken away. No doubt the experience of temptation is one means, and a very important one, of teaching us how to strengthen our brethren; and so far we may be well contented to submit to it; and, looking back upon our past lives, there are probably few of us who are now, in any degree, striving to win others into the right way, who would not own that our past conflicts, even when

they have ended in defeat, have been a great assistance towards obtaining the influence for good which we may now be permitted to exercise. But it does not do to forget that although conflict is necessary, defeat is not. Our Lord endured the former, the latter He never knew. "He suffered, being tempted," and therefore He is able to succour them that are tempted, but sin―meaning by sin, not the participation of evil, but the participation in it—is no essential part of that original nature which came pure from the Hands of its Creator. It is the attribute of fallen, but not necessarily of human nature; and our Redeemer had no need of its experience in order to become one with us, and to understand our difficulties.

In some respects, indeed, ignorance of sin in our personal experience, assists rather than prevents our comprehension of it, for it enables us to see it in its true light. A drunkard does not perceive the extent of his own degradation. A selfish man does not see the full meanness of his selfishness. Even when in a measure recovered from sin, we cannot estimate its enormity till we have removed far from it; and perhaps the most awful revelation of the Day when all secrets shall be known, will be that of the guilt of our sins, seen as they will be, in the light of a redeemed and purified nature. We may not therefore strive to soothe the reproaches of conscience by any such vain thought as that the sins which burden it have given us experience which was necessary for us. We might

have gained the experience without the sin. And although young people may be inclined to contradict such a statement, yet as we go on in life, it will unquestionably be found to be true. The knowledge of evil is necessary in this world for the attainment of good. There is no use in denying the fact. But there are two ways of acquiring it; one which we choose for ourselves, the other, which God appoints for us;-the former is the way of destruction,-the latter, through God's mercy, of life.

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All knowledge of evil which we have gained by our own wilfulness, whether it be by the actual commission of sin, or by putting ourselves in the way of temptation, and allowing ourselves, from idleness or curiosity, to witness or search into it, will leave an indelible stain upon the mind. Years of patience, remembrance which never forsakes us, regret ever freshly renewed, tears shed in the secrecy of our chamber, prayers which rise up to Heaven in the night season;-they may all be ours, and all accepted by God for Christ's sake; but the evil wilfully acquired, is still contamination, and when it presents itself to the memory, it will be felt to be such. The more earnest are our endeavours after present holiness, the more we shall shrink from anything connected with past offences. We shall feel that we dare not trust ourselves to face sin, because once we have yielded to it; and with the instinct of self-preservation, we shall too often fear to place ourselves in

positions of usefulness, because we feel that we have that within us which would make them positions of danger. Such knowledge of evil is, and must be, weakness.

The knowledge which is strength comes to us in a very different way. It is acquired either by successful opposition to the wickedness of our own hearts, or by the circumstances of our lives, ordered as they are by God's Providence. The mere glance at a forbidden book may taint our minds with thoughts which we can never forget; whilst tales of wickedness brought before us without our choice, leave scarcely an impression behind. An idle suggestion from a companion whose society we know we ought to avoid will haunt us in our best moments, and distract us in our most earnest endeavours to do right; whilst actual association with the very outcasts of society, when undertaken from duty, will only purify our hearts, and raise our thoughts to God.

There need be no morbid shrinking in any of us from looking at the world as it is. It is not the sight or the hearing of evil which constitutes sin. God and His holy angels look upon it always; and when our Redeemer bids us stand by His side and look also, we need have no fear of the consequences. Doubtless Satan desires to have us all, that "he may sift us as wheat," and he would fain seize upon outward temptations as the means of effecting his purpose. But the permission which grants his desire comes from ourselves. There is One always

at hand to pray for us that our "faith may not fail;" and whilst we turn to Him in humility, Satan may seek, but he has no power to injure us.

But St. Peter was tempted, and he fell. That, after all, is the fact which comes home the most nearly to all. None of us can look at the experience which we have gained and say that it has not been acquired, more or less, through the instrumentality of defeat rather than of victory. And is there, then, no use to be made of it? Must memory be nought but sorrowful repentance? Must the insight into the weakness of human nature which has been given us by the sad perception of our own folly be utterly thrown aside? As we journey on through life, we add, day by day, to the burden of our consciences; and though we cast it upon Christ, and He vouchsafes to bear its punishment, He does not undertake to bear its memory. Can we, then, make no use of that memory?

"When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." That was the command to St. Peter, and through him to us also. In so far as we are converted-turned from the error of our ways—our business is to keep others from falling as we have fallen. And with this object at heart, we may calmly and steadfastly review our past lives, and bring before ourselves the occasions and the circumstances of our transgressions.

It is part of the mysterious Providence of God, and one of the great arguments by which our faith may be strengthened when overpowered by the