Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-05-12

Holy Writ; and the best way to assur.
the Devil that your resistance is sincere
and not a mere temporizing show Of
resistance to make yielding seem ex.
cusable, is to cease standing on the de-.
f%ensive, and to take up some work for
Christ which the traitor in you would
fain persuade you to let alone.
This is the true office of tact in fght-
ing temptation-to change the base on
which the conflict is being waged; and
metaphorically speaking, to take tho
Devil by the nose. The ascetic saints
who fled to the desert to escape thu
temptations of the world, and who At.
tempted to quell the promptings of the.
flesh by scourgings and HASTINGS, had q
mind to show tact; but they lacked the
tact to show. They were content Ia.
fight the battle out on Satan's lines.
and there was their error. With as
good a spirit and with better Judgment
does he struggle who turns away from
the Tempter, and devotes himself to
untiring activity in another direction.
perhaps laboring for the Master among
those who are tempted, and who know
not how to resist. Over such a soul
Satan finds himself unable to gain any
fatal advantage; his most artful %fascina-
tions have no powerto corrupt an mag
ination which is already filled with the
Word and the work of God, or which is
determinedly occupied in behalf of new
and absorbing activities.
And so it comes that the highest tact
in fighting temptation is Something
which the world would not call tact at
all. The tact is not displayed in keep
ing the attention fixed upon the proba-
BILE point of attack, nor in erecting man.
made systems of Notifications about it.;
but it often consists in leaving the weak
part in our defenscs and seeking battle
in the open plain. Foolish as such |
proceeding may seem to the tyro in |
spiritual warfare, it has the truest phil |
osophy on its side. For in battle the
advantage is likely to lie with the at |
lacking party; there is a force of move
ment, an enthusiasm of courage, in an
advance, which can more than make IN !
for the lack of protecting cover.
Are you melancholy and despairine;"
are you tempted to believe that life is a
hopeless tragedy? you will not find re-
lief from the temptation to despair bv
brooding over it, nor will you get rid Of
it by seeking amusement and forgetful-
ness in the places where men 20 for
these. The laugh of the clown is hol-
low; you see the dark lines beneath the
eyes that feign gladness. But seek to,
tighten the despair Of others; carry the
message of hope and trust to the
neglected poor, in the slums of the city,
in the streets and lanes, in the wards of
the hospitals; and in the bearing of that
message, you will yourself find trust
and gladness. Overcome your dread Of
the worlds evil by assaulting Satan in
his strongholds of sin and w~retchedness,
and you will find that the night is not
so s~tarless as you had thought: He that
goes. out into Satan's night to rescue the
wandering will also see Gods stars.
And this is the principle which liea
at the bottom of all tact in fighting
temptation. We are never sure to ID
true to ourselves; and if the enemy cal
get us to make self-our work, ou1
temptations, our sorrows-the main OBJ
ject of our thought, his work is NOR
than half accomplished. Our only safe
ty is in getting outside of oursclSesl
Whatever your peculiar temptation is
you will not overcome it by clinging ia
it; but rather by turning away from it
Forget it, in the work of helping 9th
ers, and it ceases to be a temptation.
Get out of yourself! you will never
find strength or peace there. Cease ID
bewail the weakness of the flesh or thd
apparent smallness of the measure
grace which has been given you. You
have strength and grace enough if only
you use them; and Christ has more I
give in your time of greater need You
temptations come because self occupie
too large a place in your Thoughts
Would you know how to fight thes
temptations with tact?
MANY wounded round thee moan;
Lavish on their wounds thy balsam. and TIL
balm shall heal thine own"