a religious atmosphere, and taken to a religious place.  He would trust the Father implicitly.  Here is an opportunity to let men see that beautiful spirit of trust.  Here is a chance for a master-stroke.  A single simple act will preach to the crowds.  “You’ll come down in the midst of an open-mouthed, admiring crowd.”  The devil loves the spectacular, the theatrical.  He is always working for striking, stagy effects.

How many a man has yielded to the religious temptation!  He is taken up in the air, and seems to float among ethereal clouds.  It is better for us to live in the strength of Somebody else’s victory, and keep good hard earth close to the soles of our feet, or we may come into contact with it suddenly with feet and head changing places.

The devil “taketh” Jesus.  How could he?  He could do it only by Jesus’ consent.  Jesus yields to his taking.  He has a strong purpose in it.  He was going for the sake of His brothers.  The tempter cannot take anybody anywhere except with his full consent.  He tries to, and often befools men into thinking he can.  It’s a lie.  He cannot.  Every man is an absolute sovereign in his will, both as regards God and Satan.  God will not do anything with us without our ready consent.  And be it keenly remembered that the tempter cannot.  Here Jesus gave consent for His brothers’ sake.

The tempter acts his part like an old hand.  The proper thing here is some scripture, repeated earnestly in unctuous tones.  Was it from this tempter that all of us religious folks and everybody else have gotten into the inveterate habit of quoting verse and sentence entirely out of connection?  Any devil’s lie can be proven from the Scriptures on that plan.  If it was he who set the pace, certainly it has been followed at a lively rate.  It was a cunning quotation, cunningly edited.

The angels are ministering spirits.  On their hands they do bear us up.  It is all true, blessedly true.  But it is only true for the man who is living in the first verse of that ninety-first psalm, “in the secret place of the most High.”  The tempter threads his way with cautious skill among those unpleasant allusions to the serpent, and the dragon, and getting them under our feet, and then twisting and trampling with our hard heels.  He knew his ground well, and avoids such rough, rude sort of talk.  It was a cunning temptation, cunningly staged and worded and backed.  He was doing his best.  One wonders if he really thought Jesus could be tripped up that way.  So many others have been, and are, even after Jesus has shown us the way.  A dust cloth would help some of us—­for our Bibles—­and a little more exercise at the knee-joint, and a bit of the hard common sense God has given every one of us.