The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-08-24

as we come to the knowledge OF our
new nature, through consciousness as
God is revealed to him in the temples
when he said "Wist ye not that must
be about my Fathers business?" and
then by revelation, as the spirit de-
scends upon him in force like q dove
and witnessing, "This is my beloved
Son in whom I am we'll pleased" and
fully disclosed in him SO fur as it could
be, in the TRANSPORTATION. And now It
is the human which is to be tempted,
and the human alone, and the ancient
scene is renewed. The struggle is real,
and apppling, though the thought be it
might have been successful, and the
second Adam have gone down like
the first, leaving the Divine TO forsake
a world in which Satan was conqueror.
Let us now study this awful conflict q
little in detail. ] have alluded to the
parallel between the first temptation
addressed to the first pair, and this TO
the second Adam, and note contrast:
the first is to pair in q garden; and
whatever it may mean it certainly in
cludes the idea OF abundant provision,
with celestial ompanionship and every
delight; the second is desert. and the
diabolically timed assault is upon q
lonely-"so lonely twas that even God
scarce seemed there to be"-a lonely
suffering famished man, and the tempta-
ton is addressed to the weakest part OF
the nature, tho physical, command
that these stones be made bread" Now,
il circumstances can fortify o human
being so that he cannot fall, the first
pair are so fortified ; but they fell on the
other hand, il circumstances can make
temptation irresistible, he is SO situated;
but he resists it, saying, ut is written
man shall not live by bread alone, but
by every word that proceedeth out of
the mouth OF God" Now, / do not be-
lieve that this temptation was purely
personal, but got its power because
there swept before Him the view Of all
the toll and suffering, toiling, moiling
millions OF earth, and q suggestion that
he not only relieve His own hunger,
but reverse the ancient law that by the
sweat of his face should man eat
broad, and make again the Garth give
forth spontaneously bread to the eater.
This resisted the enemy does not retire,
but changes his point Of attack to an
other department of his trichotomy
which we call man, and ASSAULTS the
realm OF the moral. The Devil taketh
him into an exceeding high mountain
and showeth him all the kingdoms of
the world and the glory OF them; and
saith unto Him all these will | give
thee II thou wilt fall down and worship
me. Now to this the objections are
raised: One, that there could be no
such mountain from which the world
could be viewed, and the other that the
devil was promising what he knew he
could not render; but the misapprehen-
sion is of the nature Of the otter; it is
not the natural world, on that God
has the makers claim and no atom
OF matter from the wind swept mole on
a summers sunbeam to the mightiest
planet that circles in the universe has
ever revolted. But the offer Is the
Kingdoms of the World. Its organized
governments us they existed and as
they were all representatively present
in Judea. In the realm OF philosophy,
Greece reigned, its arts, its learning, its
language and literature ruled the
worlds thought. To whom did this
kingdom yield itself? That Satan
reigned is evident to all familiar with
its art or literature until it is an argu-
ment against co-educatlon in colleges
that the purest pages Of its classical
poetry and philosophy cannot be read
by sexes in class together and maiden
modesty be respected. The next
kingdom was that OF force of which
the Roman was the representative, and
what Rome was we know partly from
the first chapter of Paul's letter, which
I venture to say, few men would read
in public. The third and last was the
Ecclesiastical realm resplendent by
Judaism, and to these Christ said, "Ye
are OF your father the devil"
Now that Satan could make thesethree
serve whom he would, and by this COM
promise show Christ the way to blood
less conquest OF the world, instead OF
the path OF humiliation, which led into
the agony OF Gethsemane and to that
cross at the top of the hill. But He an.
swered, st is written thou shalt wor-
ship the Lord thy God, and Him only
shalt thou serve" But my brethren,
the Temptation which failed with our
Lord, has often been renewed upon his
proiessed followers, and Satan rules in
many Of the policies and politics OF the
world; and il the church will compro-
mise for power by worshipping at the
shrine OF It's pomp and worldliness or
compromise with its wickenness by
silence il not connivnnce in those evils
that grieve God and dishonor man, it
can hold the favor OF Satan's kingdom,
and the Masters example of resistance
has not always been followed. The
third and last assault upon the religious
nature, that sky.like dome which rounds
into the very presence chamber
OF God into which q man goes when tho
crisis Of worship is upon him. Again,
the devil taketh him and setteth him
on pinnacle Of tho temple, and saith
cast thyself down from hence, for it is
written, "He shall give His angels
charge over them, lest at any time thou
dash thyself against stone" And in
this the devil lied as usual, even in
quoting scripture, for he left out the es.
sential passage, "In all thy ways"-and
which is the promise OF providential
protection to that man who is in the
appoited ways OF duty, and he walks in
safety, whether he tread the fiery fur.
mace or stands in the lions den. But
this temptation to the peryersion OF
the religious nature, which failed when
Christ said: at is written thou shalt
not tempt the Lord thy God" has been
often and successfully piled in the
world when false religions have drawn
after them myriads OF men, and tanati-
cislns have vexed the Church OF God.
In conclusion, l wish to call attention
- Il A.. IL Al.ta. nL..