ensnared by hurtful lusts is to hold a very low estimate of the enormity of

sin or of the attitude of the Saviour towards it.  In the temptations that

assail the believer in his journey through the wilderness that intervenes

between initial conversion and the attainment of `perfection', he will always

receive sympathetic help, for it was temptation of this character that the

Saviour shared and endured.

We now have the Gospels, the Acts, and the Revelation to examine, and

then every occurrence of `temptation' will have been surveyed.  In the light

of all that we have learned on the subject it will then be our responsibility

to entertain sound conceptions of this most important subject; important,

because it affects both the doctrine of the Saviour's unfallen and sinless

humanity, and the nature of the temptations that come from God.

While we read at the end of the threefold temptation in the wilderness

that `the devil leaveth Him' (Matt. 4:11), we gather from His words in Luke

22:28 that His whole life on earth could be considered as one long

`temptation', `ye are they which have continued with Me in My temptations'.

There can be no doubt as to the character of these, for `reward' is

immediately connected with this `continuance': `and I appoint unto you a

kingdom, as My Father hath appointed unto Me' (Luke 22:29).  There are,

scattered throughout the Gospels, a number of passages which speak of men

approaching the Lord and `tempting' Him, as did the Pharisees and the

Sadducees, who, `tempting, desired Him that He would show them a sign from

heaven' (Matt. 16:1).  With this passage can be read Matthew 19:3; 22:18,35,

and the parallels in the other Gospels.

There remain the references to temptation that relate to the Agony in

the garden:

`Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed

is willing, but the flesh is weak' (Matt. 26:41).

`Weakness' there may be, and temptation is strong, but that presents a

different aspect from `temptation' by and to evil.

Three more occurrences complete the references in the New Testament

`thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast

found them liars' (Rev. 2:2).  `Temptation' cannot be substituted here.  `The

devil shall cast some of you into prison that ye may be tried' (Rev. 2:10).

The sequel, `faithful unto death', and the `crown of life', provides

sufficient evidence to establish the meaning of this reference.  Revelation

3:10 we have already considered when dealing with the hour of temptation

which is coming upon the world `to try' the earth dwellers.

The word peira, which lies at the root of the words translated `tempt',

`temptation', `try' and `prove', means a point, or an edge, or, as we would

call it, a `probe'.  It is a well -known phenomenon in language for `b' and

`v' to be interchangeable, consequently we are not surprised to learn that

the verb `to prove' comes from probare, `to test as to its goodness', which

in turn comes from the word probus, `good'.  So we find such words as

`probable?', `probate', `probation', `probity', all coming from the same

root, and having the basic meaning of `testing for goodness'.

The word `probe' means either an instrument, or the act of searching,

exploring and trying.  In the great majority of the passages where `tempt'