Chapter VIII.—The Seventh or Final Clause.

For the completeness of so brief a prayer He added—in order that we should supplicate not touching the remitting merely, but touching the entire averting, of acts of guilt—“Lead us not into temptation:” that is, suffer us not to be led into it, by him (of course) who tempts; but far be the thought that the Lord should seem to tempt,57    See James i. 13. as if He either were ignorant of the faith of any, or else were eager to overthrow it. Infirmity58    Implied in the one hypothesis—ignorance. and malice59    Implied in the other—wishing to overthrow faith. are characteristics of the devil. For God had commanded even Abraham to make a sacrifice of his son, for the sake not of tempting, but proving, his faith; in order through him to make an example for that precept of His, whereby He was, by and by, to enjoin that he should hold no pledges of affection dearer than God.60    i.e. no children even. The reference is apparently to Matt. x. 37 and Luke xiv. 26, with which may be compared Deut. xiii. 6–10 and xxxiii. 9. If Oehler’s reading, which I have followed, be correct, the precept, which is not verbally given till ages after Abraham, is made to have a retrospective force on him. He Himself, when tempted by the devil, demonstrated who it is that presides over and is the originator of temptation.61    See Matt. iv. 10; Luke iv. 8. This passage He confirms by subsequent ones, saying, “Pray that ye be not tempted;”62    Luke xxii. 40; Matt. xxvi. 41; Mark xiv. 31. yet they were tempted, (as they showed) by deserting their Lord, because they had given way rather to sleep than prayer.63    Routh refers us to De Bapt. c. 20, where Tertullian refers to the same event. [Note also his reference to De Fuga, cap. ii.] The final clause, therefore, is consonant, and interprets the sense of “Lead us not into temptation;” for this sense is, “But convey us away from the Evil One.”

CAPUT VIII.

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Adjecit ad plenitudinem tam expeditae orationis, ut non de remittendis tantum, sed etiam de avertendis in totum delictis supplicaremus, NE NOS INDUCAS IN TENTATIONEM, id est ne nos patiaris induci, ab eo utique 1164A qui tentat. Caeterum absit ut Dominus tentare videatur, quasi aut ignoret fidem cujusque, aut dejicere gestiens . Diaboli est et infirmitas et malitia. Nam et Abrahamum non tentandae fidei gratia, sacrificare de filio jusserat, sed probandae, ut per eum faceret exemplum praecepto suo, quo mox praecepturus erat, neque pignora Deo cariora habenda . Ipse a diabolo tentatus, praesidem et artificem tentationis demonstravit. Hunc locum posterioribus confirmat: Orate, dicens, ne tentemini (Luc., XXII, 46). Adeo tentati sunt Dominum deserendo, qui somno potius indulserant quam orationi. Eo respondet clausula interpretans quid sit: Ne nos deducas in tentationem. Hoc est enim: SED DEVEHE NOS A MALO.