Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-11-30


the tide of sin and iniquity, il is easy
togo that way, but when you turn around
and head toward God and Heaven, then
1t is struggle, an awful struggle.
Can it be that you have never tested the
power of temptation? You have one kind
OF temptation; you, another; you, another.
There Is not person in the house but has
been tempted, whether you realize il or
not. l never like to Gear man say: SO,
couldn't be tempted the way that man is"
lie could not be tempted the way you are.
A lion cannot understand why a fish
should be caught with hook, and the
nsh cannot understand why the lion
should be caught with trap. You may
be free from certain kinds of temptation,
bnt there are other kinds after you.
You see some men with a phlegmatic
temperament. 'Why," you say, that
man hasn't any temptations at all" You
mistake him. He has temptations to in
dolence, to consciousness. TO sink down
into mere latitude and longitude of FAITH
ness, to lie down on the road of life, to
stop great enterprises. He has just as
many temptations in one direction as you,
being OF nervous and excitable tempera-
ment, have temptations in another direc-
ton.
You will see some aged man arise in n
| prayer meeting, and at 80 wears OF age he
you say: "rhat man has lived without
temptation" Ask him. He has as many
temptations at so years Of age as he had
at 20. They are only different styles of
temptation. Ask that aged man whether he
has lived beyond the reach of the powers
of darkness in this world and he Will say
1t has been conflict all the way through.
SiXtus was a cardinal, and he wanted
| the Pontineal chair, and history says he
| nTnfDndDn fni- a mr. ri
said: NOW, if you elect me to that chair
| shall occupy 1t, and / shall not live long
anyhow, and then you will put some one
else ir the chair" He was elected to
that position. He moved to 1t on crutches.
Getting to the chair he threw aside the
crutches. He said: "While was hunt
ing for the keys of st. Peter, it was APP
propriate, stopped; but having found
The keys OF St. Peter, there is no reason
why | should stOOp any longer" SO his
crutches were gone and he was well. Oh,
how suggestive of temptatIOnl 1t seems
at one time to be wan and weak and Grip
pied, but give it a throne and IL becomes
a tvrant to grind your soul into ruin.
Well, now you say: "All persons being
tempted, what are we TO do when we are
assailed of temptation? When the wave
dashes against us is there nothing to hold
on to? Is a man to go into this war with
buC WOiAus JlG lltHu anu but utNlts WIFI no
help" l will tell you, my friends, the
wisest thing for you to do in the day Of
mptatiOn is. like these disciples Of my
| text, to go and tell Jesus. In the eyes
that wept with the Bethany sisters | see
shining hope. In that voice that broke
the silence of the tomb until the widow OF
Main got back her son and stupendOus
sorrow made up in the arms OF rapture
aye, in that vOice-I hear the command
| nd no go "a al hu m hn
Lord, and he. will sustain thee" He
knows all about temptation. Tempted in
all points like as we are. Go and tell
Jesus.
Again, / commend this behavior Of the
disciples in my text TO all those who are
slandered and abused and prosecuted.
When these disciples saw that HerOd had
taken the head Of John the Baptist they
knew their own heads were not safe.
Every John has his HerOd. There are
people that do nOtthink 0vermuch OF you.
Your misfOrtunes would he honey comb
10 them. They bliss at you through their
teeth and misinterpret your actions, and
would be glad TO see you upset. They
would be the most submissive mourners
at your funeral.
Every one comes, during the course OF
life, to be pummelled. Some SANDER comes
at you, horned and tusked and hOOfed, to
trample and to gore you, and you think
you are peculiar in that respect. No,
''All who live godly in Christ Jesus must
suffer persecution" III you are able this
morning TO say: 81 haven't an enemy in
all the world" it is proof positive you
have not done your duty; for when a man
does his duty he challenges all earth and
hell, and that challenge will bring against
him opposition and scOrn and persecution.
1t Is so in all circles Of life.
One would have thought that II any
man ought to have been free from perse-
cution, it was George Whitfield, bringing
great masses OF the people into the king
dom OF God, wearing himself out for
Christ's sake; and yet the learned Doctor
johnson called him a mOuntebank. Rob
ert Hall preached about the glOries Of
heaven as no uninspired man ever
preached about them, and IL was SAID
when he preached about heaven, his face
shone Ike an angels, and yet good, Chris
tian John Foster writes OF Robert Hall,
saying: "Robert Hall is a mere actor,
and when he talks about heaven, the
smile on his face Is the reflection OF his
own vanity" John Wesley stirred all
England with reform, and yet he was car
featured by all the small wits OF his day.
| He was pictOrialZed, history saws, on the
board fences OF London, and everywhere
he was the target for the punsters; yet
John Wesley stands to-day before all
Christendom, his name migbtier than any
other name, except "the name that is
above every other name,v the name OF
Christ. And can you expect TO escape
hardship and assault and abuse and SLAM
derY You will not.
But what are you TO DO when you are
lied about and assaultedY Are you going
10 hunt up the slanderi While you are
explaining one falsehood there will DO
fifty people who have just that moment
heard OF that particular falseh0Od. While
you are not 20 omit every opportunity OF
setting yourself right, want 10 tell you
Of one wac had the hardest things said
about him, whose sObriety was disputed,
whose mission was scOhed. whose COM
partnership was denounced. who was pur-
sued az a babe, spat on As a man, and
h0wled at after be was dead. Go to Him
with all the wounds OF YOUR soul.
Do not 20 around trying 20 crush this
! ialsehOOd and % crush that SANDER; you
| will only come out OF the contest lrritated
and exasperated; but take the counsel Of
the text. DO IA these disciples OF the text
did-gO and tell Jesus. Go into his pres
ence and say: "LOrd, / sec thy wounds,
tho wounds OF thy head, the wounds Of
thy feet, the wounds OF thy hand, the
wounds OF thy side, and by thine own
wounds / ask thee TO pity mine" Try no
longer 10 carry that burden. Oh, abused
soul, 20 and tell Jesusi
Again 4 commend the behavior OF these
disciples To the bereayed. AZ / stand
here Sabbath by Sabbath, and | look OF