Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-03-13
LENTEN INSTRUCTIONS.
BISHOP KAHN DELIVERS ANOTHER INTEREST
ING DISCOURSE YESTERDAY.
The Theme Discussed Was Satan's Attempt to
Seducs the Saviour Into the Sin Of Spiritual
Presumpfon-gev. ]. A. Fullerton
Makes Few Remarks on the
Street Car Strike.

The unusually large congregation
present at the Vesper services, last
evening, in the Cathedral, attested the
increasing interest in the Bishops Len
ten Instructions. The theme discussed
yesterday afternoon was Satan's attempt
to seduce the Saviour into the sin OF
spiritual presumption. This, remarked
the Bishop, is temptation 10 which the
best Christians are frequently subjected.
These are apt to cherish false security
for the very reason that, during so long
a service of God, they have successfully
striven to be always loyal to conscience
and religion. They are in danger OF
adopting uneonsciously the false and
condemned doctrine of the so-called Re-
formers: "Once in grace, always In
grace"
Nothing short Of sudden and griev-
ious fall will sometimes arouse SUCH per-
sons from their faDcled security. Then
they wake up as from a dream, and ale
dazed at the slippery brink on which
they have been so heedlessly walking.
IL is only in the shame and modification
of defeat they realize how, in their de-
pendence on their owl presumed
strength, they were trusting to a broken
reed.
Here the Bishop illustrated his pre-
vious remarks by some of the examples
narrated in the holy Scripture, OF the
sins into which eminent servants OF God
had been surprised under the influence
of Satan's wicked suggestions. How
ever sanity man may be, he still car
ries within fallen nature with It's
proneness to evil; and hence the hottest
may fall. "Wherefore he that thinketh
himself TO stand, let him take heed lest
he fall" The heed demanded Of even
the most devout Christian implies, in
deed. confidence in God, but confidence
untainted by presumption-confidence
proven by unrelaxed watchfulness and
mistrust OF self, and the careful avoid
ance of every known or suspected dan
ger.
There is great wisdom in the axiom
of the old spiritual writers, "Oosta
principiis"- "Resist the beginnings"
for usually the tempter cOnceals at first
the full enormity of the sin suggested,
and only by degrees leads the deluded
soul farther away froR God. Only
when fallen the poor, deceived soul per-
ceives how many warnings had been nn-
needed; how many graces unused or de-
spised. The sin committed may be the
very one against which we fancied our
selves most secure.
Mysterious as are the designs OF God
in permitting his servants to be thus
ensnared by the Tempter, yet, contin-
ued the Bishop, we may reverently pen
citrate this mystery, at least to some ex-
tent. Surely one reason must be, TO
cure US of that proud presumption
which is the most dangerous of all our
spiritual disorders. "Lest being lifted
up with pride" we "fall into the judg-
ment Tor condemnation) OF the devil"
What humiiating regulation OF our
own weakness is one serious fall!
Again: how the bitter experience OF
our own weakness tones down our
naughty, censorious spirit Of denuncla-
ton Of other poor sinners! Christs
scathing reproach seems specially di.
rected against the pious Christian;
"Why seest thou the mote that is in
thy brothers eye, and seest not the
beam that is in thy own eye?'
The Bishop concluded oy putting all
his hearers on their guard against that
wicked spirit, who" as st. Peter tells
US, "goeth about as roaring lion,
seeking whom he may devour," and
giving a few practical rules as preserv-
atives against his evil suggestions. Next
Sunday afternoon the Bishop will preach
on the sin OF ambition.