Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-02-27
IN THE CHURCHES.
The First Sunday in Lent-some Sermons
Abbreviated.

Lenten season, and in some of the churches
the services were especially directed to fcot
for thought in Lent. In st. Paul's Church
Episcopal Rev. Carroll NJ. Davis preached
from Matthew iv., l, on the subject, Temp
tation." He ssi1 thatimmediately after Hi:
I baptism was Jesus led up of the spirit into
The wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
It was the beginning of His rninistry-the
preparation for His work. Before He began
TO preach lie wished to bring Himself into
full harmony with His people-iuto fall
sympathy with their trials and temptations,
that He night realize and understand the
needs and failings of mankind. aud be the
batter able to minister to their wants. All
craft and s1btlety were used, quoting the
very word Of God, TO cover up the sin OF tbs
request but TO no avail. The temptation OF
Christ in the wilderness had not for It's OBJ.
jet the proof Of His divinity rather it was
that he might leave us a worthy example of
temptations overcome. It wss Is a man
that He was tempted, and it was
as 2 man tbst He ovsrcane, and
the weapon which BE used was the
Sword of the spirit. which is the word of
God" Each time His reply began. 8 Il is
written" On the fret Sunday IN Lent he
said, there was perhaps no more fitting
theme than that of temptation. We may
almost say it is the one word which sums up
the history Of the souls lie on earth. There
is implanted in every mortal a sinful nature.
That it is easier to 10 wrong than zig ut. is the
experience IF all. Then there are our pas
sions and apostles. the various and a!iuring
folliss aud evils enticing us away from cur
path of duty. To ali these temptations are we
liable Yet our peculiar natures or our sur
roundings make US especially weak In some
one way. We may be endowed with almost
ungovsrnable tempers and passions; we may
by force OF circumstances be thrown into
wicked surroundings We may be sttiicted
with pride and self-rig hteousness. And
wherever we are weakest, there will we be Of
tenest assailed. This season of Lent ID a
season Of trial; {. special time Of proving
which we love best. ourselves OF our Maker,
cur souls or our bodies, obedience to the
Church or to our own inclinations. We
should seek at this tims also to fad cut our
own special weaknesses, and strive to hnd
some way of overcoming them.
l. is not the more gross and fl grant sins
that are likely to tempt US the most. The
opinion Of society and the Nervousness Of
open sin are generally enough to make US re-
frain from these. But it is the lesser and
Gus. For, b5i1g allowed by the world, we
tly to find an excuse for ourselves, the con.
science becomes deadensd, and we become
hardened in our sin. Our life in the flesh is
hut a probation. Placed here amid all the
temptations and alluremeDts to which flesh is
heir, and with nature prone to sin, surely
it Is no easy task to keep always the right
road. Shall we rely on ourselves to resist
wholly? We can but fail. Then what is
cur hope? Truly our hope is even in
Christ" BY the sacrifice upon the cross of
Calvary, OF Him who was tempted like as we
are, vet without Gin, thsre was offered q
means of escape from the powers of Satan.
But cur Redssmer has not promised to do
all, for He has commanded us to watch and
pray, lest we enter into temptation" With
ferysnt and humble spirit should we take
this admonitiop to our hearts. Watch for
the tempter is ever watchful. Guard the
soul IS the most precious treasure. Strive TO
overcome the known faults. Know well that
il we discover fault in ourselves, and DO not
use every endeaver with watching and with
prayer to overcome, and cease not until, with
Christis help. we do overcome, we are not
| improving. We are only deadening cur con-
science and smoothing the path for the next
assault or the tempter. Onr every thought
and action is step forward or backward |;
there is no standing still. And if we endure
to the end we shall have our rsEard-peace
of mind and loving hope in this world, and
| in the world to come the promises of our dear
Rsdeemer.
The service for the first Sunday in Lent
was engaged in by large congregation at st.
Rose (Catholic) Church at 1880 yesterday
morning. The sermon was by Rev. Father
| Walsh, who took for his subject, The
Temptation of Christ by Satan" He said
| Al - l. 70
tisn that the Son of God should be led aside
by the devil TO be tempted, yet study OF the
subject revealed how wise part of His work
it was. Christ came to destroy the works of
the devil, Just as he died to destroy the work
of death-He chose to be tempted that His
power over temptation might be made mani
fest Thus he chose to destroy the telnpter.
Satan is able TO, and does, deceive us-to fool
US and so all who commit sin must come to
confess their foolishness, sooner or later. 1t
was because Of his superior intelligence that
Satan was able to deceive the SONS of men
and lead them to folly. But Christ humbled
the pride Of Satan the divine intellect was
greater than his and before it his could not
endure. Christ's intellect was not in the or
der Of creation, but was divine. But he was
also man, with human intellect also, and
! human courage. With these attributes he
| advanced to the conflict with Satan. The
latter, after a success that had lasted four
| thousand Year,, approached under the per
mission to tempt the Son OF God. lie had
the notion that if he could make captive the
Lord, he would achieve his highest triumph.
Christ was wonderful in the eyes of
Satan; mystery, the very mount of
holiness. That mystery he desired to
fsthom, and SO he went to tempt Him to
yield to his power. So it was that He con-
veyed in His very words the doubt and the
temptation that was to solve the nystery-if
thou be the Son of God, change these stones
to bread So ran the temptation If thou be
the Son Of God, 5st thYself from the pima
Gle, and He will bear thee up. As if God
W uld use His divine power to prove to Satan
that Christ was His only begotten son. But
in these tempt tions Satan, being discounted,
in his despar tried yet again, and point
| ing cut all the kingdoms of the world, Of
| fered them to our Lord if He would fall
down and adore him. Then the Lord showed
| His power, and crushed the evil one with the
command, begone Satan, the Lord God shalt
| thou adore. Thus did Christ triumph over
Satan. In like manner Satan tries to deceive
US aud lead US captive. But the temptation
of Christ destroyed the power of temptation
| for us, il we will it, Temptation is the test
of fidelity, as, Jobs temptation for instance.
was to try his faithfulness. The saints of
! tIOQ IN III 9EeS uaNC bcS1 ISlupGtu dS llihlo
of fidelity. Our Lord was not tempted for
| that, but that He might be to US guide
aud an example. The temptation of the
devil that He should command the
stones to be bread, is typical of the
lust of the flesh that would glorify itself the
temptation to worship Satan, typical of the
! lust of the eyes whereby we would win power
among men the temptation TO cast Himself
| from the pinnacle was typical of the pride Of
| life, that we may be seen of men, etc. The
lust Of the flesh allures US; the lust of the
eyes dazzles us the pride of life appeals to
our selfshness and vanity. Jesus was tempted
and was sad. When temptation comes to US,
we can be saved from it but by Christ alone
The Lord was tempted for purpose of joy,
symbolizsd, in the words of the gospel, by the
triumph of joy that followed it; for when
Satan left Him the angels came aud minis.
tered unto Him. Triumph over temptation
is one of the highest FERNS of Joy. So tempta-
ton has been the trial and the salvation Of the
many, and has proved to be their greatest joy.
Temptation gives us the opportunity to crush
the evil one, and to obtain in our triumph
over evil the crown of joy that is to us con-
ISOLATION and strength.
During Lent, in st. Roses Church. mass
will be celebrated daily at s A, NJ and at 7:30
P. VI there will be devotional services on
Wednesdays and Fridays.
In the German Lutheran Church yesterday,
the pastor, Rev. DIR. Tsubner, took his text
from Luke xiii. 43. The subject was "The
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