2. Christ was present in the city to sanctify it.
3. It was a shadow of the Heavenly Jerusalem.
If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down. Note—
This temptation followed the other as though deduced from it. Satan implied, “You have done well in showing your reliance on God; perfect your reliance, prove how complete it is.” Observe also that—
1. Christ’s temptation is not only to spiritual pride, but also to vain-glory, in that the prospect was before Him of being seen by men, supported by angelic hands, and thus of establishing His position as a prophet, at the outstart of His ministry.
2. Satan not only makes use of our natural wants, but even of our virtues, as means of temptation; urging us to carry them to excess. But virtue consists in moderation, in neither doing too much nor too little. Thus liberality lies between avarice and prodigality, and compunction is the mean betwixt assurance and despair.
3. Satan has no power to cast us down without the consent of our own free wills. He may urge to fall, but he cannot compel man to fall.
4. Satan endeavours to cast down to earth, whilst Christ is ever striving to draw man from earth, to lead man to seek those things which are above. (Col. iii. 2.)
5. We are guilty of casting ourselves down from the pinnacle upon which we are placed, whenever—