[Dr. F. W. Krummocher was a pious and learned divine of the German Protestant Church. His work on the “Suffering Saviour” has not been surpassed by any theologian known to us. It is difficult to get a copy of it to-day, but those who may have it should lend it to the “poor and needy” to comfort and strengthen their faith in the blessed Redeemer. The following discourse on “The Depths of Satan” is by the same author. The sequence will show what an experienced Christian he was, humble, sincere, and how closely he watched the enemy of God and man. We pray that it will be abundantly blessed to the poor in our Zion.—J. MacL.]
THEN Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to Him, He said, If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh Him up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down; for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning thee; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth Him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto Him.
We are here upon one of those memorable battle-fields, where glory was gotten, that still to this day smiles upon ourselves; where triumphs were achieved, which assure victory to us in Christ Jesus before we fight, and new conquests even in death. Never was a combat more wonderful in its nature, or more beneficial in its consequences, than that of which the inspired historian thus informs us. It was one which intimately concerns every human being, and has the closest relation to our most sacred interests. Therefore it well merits our devout attention.
I. THE LEADING INTO THE WILDERNESS.
Our Saviour had dedicated Himself in the baptism of Jordan, and had been visibly anointed by the fiery baptism of “the Spirit without measure,” to the Mediatorship of the new covenant of grace. There had descended upon Him from Heaven an audible Divine testimony, that He was the beloved Son of God, in whom the Father was well pleased. Thus consecrated and divinely furnished for His mediatorial and priestly office, He is led, by a powerful influence of the Holy Spirit, into the depths of the wilderness.
II. THE FASTING.
Was this fasting a part of the special plan of Him who led Him into the wilderness? It was; and a means to an end. Do you ask on what account it was expedient that Jesus should fast, and especially in such a dreary solitude, and so severely, or for such a length of time? Know this first, that our Messiah’s fasting had reference to a purpose very different from that of the fasting of Moses on mount Sinai, and of other holy persons. While it was to serve as an exercise of devotion and of preparation for His priestly office, it was also the commencement of His priestly sacrifice for the sin of man. To open the meaning not only of His temptation in the wilderness, but also of His fasting there, we must look for the key behind the barred gates of paradise lost. This fasting was the amends for Adam’s forbidden fruition, the payment for his guilt in the garden; it was a suffering that contributed to make satisfaction. Did the first father of our race sin while dwelling in the delightful paradise of Eden? Therefore we find the Second Adam in a waste and dreary wilderness. Was the first man, who is of the earth, earthy, embowered by the lovely trees of the garden, and nurtured by its delicious fruits? Therefore must the Second Man, who is the Lord from Heaven, be imprisoned in a wilderness of hunger, surrounded by nothing but stones and rugged rocks, where grew not a single plant that could relieve the cravings of nature. Did our first father, before he had sinned, enjoy the most delightful fellowship with God, and with His holy angels, and with one who was such a true help meet for him, that her unspotted innocence was most meet to mingle with his own high and divine enjoyments? Lo, He who was born the Second Adam and Father of the everlasting age, was, in order to retrieve the loss of such fellowship to our sinful race, banished into the most gloomy solitude, to “dwell with the wild beasts” (Mark i. 13), and amidst the circumventions of that old serpent, the devil and Satan. Dreadful contrast! But such is the righteous judgment of God. Our great Surety and Representative in that forlorn and inhospitable desert, fasting and hungering in the sinner’s stead, atones for the otherwise unpardonable presumption with which Adam, in despite of the express warning of God, had stretched out his hand to take the forbidden fruit. Verily, my brethren, Jesus has thus made full amends in behalf of all His people. Nothing more of the kind is required of ourselves; the atonement is made, once for all, and for ever. But as for any of you who think lightly of this satisfaction of the Lamb of God, you may regard the situation of Jesus in the wilderness as a faithful counterpart of your own future condition. For thus will ye be constrained to take up your abode in the gloomy desert of eternity; where ye shall hunger, but find stones instead of bread; where ye shall thirst, but have fire, storm, and tempest for your portion to drink instead of water; where ye shall dwell with such fallen spirits as are called ravening wolves Matt., vii. 15; Acts. xx. 29, unclean dogs, Phil. iii. 2; Rev. xxii. 15; roaring lions, Zeph. iii. 3; and hissing serpents, Deut. viii. 15; Isa. xiv. 29; Mal. i. 3. Thus shall ye be solitary and forsaken amidst whole hosts of the condemned and reprobate, Isa. xiv. 9, 19; Matt. xiii. 37-43. Ye shall be solitary and forlorn; for in hell there is neither converse nor friendship, nor affectionate intercourse; there nothing but hatred and selfishness prevail; and each reprobate spirit is too much occupied with his own torment and wretchedness to concern himself with his companions in woe. And all this inevitable and righteous punishment is moreover “everlasting!” (Matt. xxv. 46). Will not the very sound of such awful truth one day rend the rocks and make the mountains tremble? Let not then our own hearts be harder than the rock (Jer. v. 3).
Fastings there are even still in the kingdom of God upon earth; bodily and spiritual fasts of all kinds; painful and cheerful fasts. Those which are most cheerful are kept in the Lent weeks of the spiritually renewed and converted life; in that vernal season of the soul, when in the genial warmth of the risen Sun of righteousness, it first begins to bring forth fruits meet for repentance; for it now feels the kindness and love of God our Saviour, which hath appeared unto all men, and it is affianced to the heavenly Bridegroom. The soul now no longer needs self-denial and forbearance to be commanded and enjoined; for it renounces self of its own accord. It flies, as by a new instinct, from scenes of temptation and danger, like a bird from the deadly weapon of the fowler. How could the once lost son, now happily recovered, content himself any longer with the husks? For he has tasted the fruit of the vine that flourisheth in “the pleasant land,” and of the refreshments of its milk and honey. He can no longer find his delight with those, who spending their days in earthly prosperity, are practically saying unto God, “Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of Thy ways”; who, while they are enjoying the timbrel and harp, and rejoicing at the sound of the organ, are saying in their conduct, “What is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto Him?” (Job xxi. 11-15). With such he can have no more communion. With the harp of David does he now raise his holy songs of joy. In opposition to the vanities, disappointments, and follies of this world, he sets the certainties which his faith now beholds in the opening glories of Heaven; and with the couch of ease and luxury he contrasts the cross with the beloved Sufferer suspended thereon, bleeding and crowned with thorns. Away then at once with every wretched and shadowy joy, and every glittering vanity, troubles us not, vain world, with these, for we are keeping a fast to the Lord. How often do we hear it controverted and questioned whether one pleasure or another be compatible with real piety! Only let men become really in earnest about their own salvation, and they will cease from such flimsy casuistry; and will perceive at once what agrees or disagrees with the spirit of true religion; or how far permission and ability to pursue any pleasure may belong to children of God and heirs of the kingdom.
Other fastings are incident to a state of grace, which are not joyous, but grievous. These happen when the soul is allured away, not from the wild luxuries of the world into the pastures of the good Shepherd, but from these refreshing and invigorating pastures into a seeming wilderness. Oh, it is a bitter change, and we have felt it the more from having enjoyed such remarkable happiness while leaning on Jesus’ bosom. We then cry out, where is the blessedness I knew? Where are now those lively and sweet emotions, those congenial delights and lively enjoyments which we realized in the Lord’s nearness to our souls? We were so happy that we could gladly have departed from this present life at once, and have passed beyond our present precincts of paradise into the unseen world. The south wind breathed upon our garden, so that the spices thereof flowed out (Sol. Song 4 16); the clusters of Canaan were gathered abundantly, and a heart-gladdening sense of love was like the fresh morning dew diffused upon our spirits; it made us feel ourselves at the King’s table, recreated and comforted, and caused us to forget all sorrow. But unexpectedly, a fast was announced to us, and the Bridegroom was taken away. Now are the streams of milk and honey dried up; the soul is deprived of its pleasant food; it sits down, in leanness and indigence, on the ground; its harp is hung upon the willow, and with our utmost efforts we can do no more than sigh for one dew-drop of heavenly blessing. This is fasting indeed to the children of God in the wilderness. Happy he, whose place of security is the munitions of rocks; who rests upon Christ and His Word, and not in his own frames and feelings! “Bread shall be given him, his waters shall be sure” (Isa. xxxiii. 16). Such an one, even when he is “as having nothing,” in the way of positive relish and enjoyment, yet is “possessing all things” by simple and implicit faith; and, though exulting feelings may have left him, the peace of God is still with him. He casts anchor beneath the immovable and sheltering rocks of the Divine promises, and comforts himself with the assurance that they stand fast for ever. He knows that though the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, the kindness and love of God shall never depart, neither the covenant of His peace be broken, or come to nought. Even such a fasting in the wilderness, when God appoints it, is good and wholesome. It is ordained for us to-day, by the very same grace which bade us yesterday eat and drink with gladness and singleness of heart. What can we better wish for than to be always under the rule and guidance of Divine grace? Therefore let it order and conduct us according to its good pleasure.
III. THE TEMPTATIONS.
Jesus went into the wilderness to endure a fast of forty days and forty nights. But we have already noticed that more than this was designed by the purpose of God. And now what saith the Scripture? “Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” How terrific, strange and extraordinary a portion of our Saviour’s history is this! that the Son of God should be led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil! Yet comfort yourselves, ye tried and tempted heirs of the kingdom, with this very thing, for it is recorded in Scripture expressly for your consolation. Neither imagine that the roaring lion goeth about in Israel unchained and at large; or that he has full liberty to fall upon whomsoever he will, or that he can throw his fiery darts at pleasure, and lay his snares so unperceived as to escape your Saviour’s notice. Our Prince and Protector has him always in His eye, and curbs him with a firm hand by the power of His Word. Thus the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. Powerful as our adversary may be, he can have no power whatever against those concerning whom he is commanded, “Touch not Mine anointed.” In this single injunction of our Saviour there is a wall of fire surrounding us, beyond which no fiery dart of the wicked can fly. Every actual assault upon us is by the express permission of our Lord Himself, and consequently intended to be overruled for the soul’s health and salvation. Hitherto shall it go, and no further. “Howbeit” in all this the wicked One “meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so”; but he is in fact “drawn out and made a show of openly”; and our King is “triumphing over him in it.” The enemy is but one of those principalities and powers, whether they be in Heaven, or earth, or under the earth, with whom the Lord doeth whatsoever He will. He employs him as He did Semacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus and others, for the benefit of the holy seed. He makes use of him as a staff in His hand, as a rod, as a driver, ‘as a chastener; and when He has done with him, He breaks the staff of Israel’s shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, and flings it from Him. He shuts up the dragon in the abyss. Rejoice, therefore, ye poor of His flock; for the powers of darkness, though as lions and wolves in their own nature, are subject to your Good Shepherd. Whenever Satan’s fiery darts are hurled about you, think that the Lord, by His Spirit is only conducting you into the wilderness, and setting you in the conflict: for He is Himself with you in the field and in the fold; that He superintends all; and that neither His eye nor His power can slumber for a moment.
As no temptations or trials can befall the children of God without the Divine permission, so they have all one and the same object. They are intended to show what is in man; to bring to light and make manifest what is in us as men, and as children of God. It frequently happens that the Lord Himself desires to prove us, for He taketh pleasure in His works (Psalm civ. 31). Thus He proved Abraham; but at the critical moment He called out of Heaven, saying, “Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me” (Gen. xxii. 12). He knew this before: but He would have that fear of God, which He had wrought in His servant’s heart, developed, like the seed of a plant, that the Lord might rejoice in His perfected work. So at the present day, many a beloved child of grace is conducted into severe trial and conflict, that he may learn to pray, supplicate, persevere, and walk by faith upon the waves, with his hand, as it were, in the hand of Jesus. It is true that we are often sore troubled at such a season, and unable to believe those who testify that the Lord is now delighting in us. For real Christians, and especially under their afflictions, can see nothing in themselves for the Lord to delight in. But the Lord nevertheless can see something of the kind; and He will see it, because such is His good pleasure.
Furthermore, He often suffers His dear children to be tempted and sorely tried in a variety of ways, that what is hidden in their hearts may be manifested, not so much to Himself, as rather to their Christian brethren and sisters. Thus He shows us an Abraham’s faith; a Job’s patience; a Moses’s love and meekness; an Elijah’s zeal; a Canaanitish woman’s humility and fervency; and a Paul’s exultation in sufferings; that we may learn to glory in that strength of His which is perfected in weakness. Do we in faint-heartedness imagine that such eminent saints may well get to Heaven, but that with respect to ourselves, every thing must certainly come to nought? Then He tells us of David, Simon Peter, and a cluster of others, from whom the winepress of God expressed not only wine, but also bitter waters of sorrow for sin; and thus He revives our spirit and imparts fresh courage, especially when He reminds us, that David and Peter still retain the glory once put upon them, when the latter was designated “a rock,” and the former “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts xiii. 22). It has often happened that persons who have shone with remarkable lustre of holiness, and enjoyed extraordinary respect from the world, have at length become disposed to resist, like the oak, in their own strength, the gusts of trial. But these gusts have left them stripped of their honours, disfigured and blasted; and thus have they become monuments of our fallen nature’s weakness and helplessness. All the lustre of their holiness, influence, and efficiency, has like a brook been lost in the sand, and has so entirely disappeared, that they who had heretofore been rivers of blessing wherever they found their way, can now hardly be recognized as the same persons. Now, such things the Lord has suffered to come to pass, that the idolatry with which we are too ready to extol human nature may be prevented; that grace may be preserved in its pure lustre, and all honour and glory redound to Him whose right alone it is to receive it. The more particular intent of our trials and temptations generally is, that we may the better learn what is in man, that is, in ourselves; that we may ever be kept lying low as in the dust, that is, in great humility. For we, as children of fallen Adam, have naturally such superficial notions of true piety, that we would fain think ourselves possessed of it at once, by a cheap and easy method; but Jesus would have us learn that “that which is born of the flesh is flesh”; that He has to deal with us as persons radically ungodly; and that every soul is of this character whom He undertakes to save. Therefore He suffers the arrows of the adversary again and again to wound us, that we may be the more wakefully conscious of sin dwelling in us, and that the hideousness and ill-savour of its hitherto unperceived brood of evils may offend as it were our very senses. Hence He permits the wicked One occasionally to set in motion the unholy dispositions or blasphemous inventiveness that lay slumbering in the inner chambers of the soul, that we may perceive how many abominations still remain to be purged out of the human temple of God, and may learn quite to give up and renounce our natural pride and self-esteem (Job xxxiii. 17). For the same purpose He permits the adversary sometimes to come upon us by surprise, and to sound a blast of alarm over our slumbering lusts. Then, how are we amazed to find old deformities still about us! Alas! we thought that by our pious exercises we had long ago dislodged and swept them away, and that the whole house was already garnished with holiness; but now we find it far otherwise. The beloved bride then learns that she is “black” as well as “comely”; “like the tents of Kedar” as well as “like the curtains of Solomon”; and that she has no inherent excellence of her own. Thus she learns more thoroughly to repent, and remember, and do her first works. The Bridegroom of the Church will have it so; neither will any thing short of it satisfy Him as the travail of His soul. Therefore, many a saint, beginning to indulge in self-complacency concerning his own supposed eminence in holiness, finds the loftiest step of this eminence break under him, and himself prostrated upon the earth, or even plunged in the mire. He is now more vile in his own eyes than he had ever before imagined. Pride is dropped, and every lamp of its vain glory is bedimmed. Like a bird of paradise that has lost its plumage, he is now in his own eyes naked and bare, and is impelled by conscious shame to hide himself as in a cleft of the rock, where he learns by experience what it is to rejoice with all the heart, that the true bridal dress is of the Lord’s own choosing and bestowing; that a cross once stood upon Golgotha, from which a righteousness has ascended to a throne; and that fallen men can add to it no supposed excellence of theirs, but must simply and solely ascribe “grace, grace
(To be continued.)