The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-09-23
The "Must" OF Temptation.

give for not becoming Christians is the
fear that they will not be able to hold
out. The standard of Christian living
either seems to them to6 high and diff
ficult, or con fdence in their resolution
to measure up to it is too weak. They
say they do not want to make an
attempt only to fail; to Eegin only to
give up. So fearful are they that temp
tation will be too much for them, the
allurements of sin too strong, that
they think it better to live on in sin.
That it certainly consistent; but it is
not rational or manly. 1t is not ra-
tional to refuse to battle against tempta-
tons because you feel that you will suc-
cumb to some ofthem; it is not manly
to flee when duty says fight. Armies
have been cut to pieces when they
might have saved themselves by flight.
But honor was dearer than life, and
they accepted death. They could not
win they scorned to surrender; they
could and would die. They did not
have to give up, and they did not.
No man or woman has to yield to
lem ptation; no matter how seductive
or how strong or how sudden it may
be. A teacher who observed boy Sc
crelly breaking a rule of the school said
to him: 1T is great temptation, I
know, but you don't have to yield to
it.n There is no "must" attached to
the choice of sin. The "must" is on
the other side. The law of God,
which is the law of Right and the law
of Light says "Thou shalt not" "My
son, If sinners entice thee, consent
thou not. You must resist. There is
no "must" in surrender. That is
wholly unnecessary it is defiance of
authority and violation of law.
God understands perfectly our per.
verted nature. Christ was in all points
tempted as we are, yet without sin.
He knows how fiercely we are assailed,
and how many of us lose courage and
surrender. He does not command US
to resist without knowing what we can
resist. There is no such thing as be-
ing driven into sin." No man begins
to sin without consent of his will. He
goes voluntarily into sin. Let no man
say when he is tempted, am tempted
of God; for God cannot he tempted
with evil, and he himself tempteth no
man but each man is tempted when
he is drawn away by his own lust and
enticed. That is the way temptation
comes, through our own lust, and this
is the way it develops Then the lust
when it hath conceived beareth sin,
and sin when it is full grown bringeth
forth death.
This is the Scripture, and the Scrip
ture gives abundant assurance that no
man who puts his trust in God is aban-
doned. God is faithful, who will not
suffer you to be tempted above that ye
are able but will with the temptation
make also the way of escape, that ye
may also be able to endure it. The
Lord knoweth how to deliver the gOdly
out of temptation. For in that he
hath suffered being tempted,
he is able to succor them that are
tempted.
The Lord does not promise. it will
be noticed, to deliver the ungodly in
We are expressly told
that he will keep him under punish
ment. All sin has its penalties and
those who surrender to it must bear
those penalties. The way of the trans
gressor is hard IF it is hard to over
come temptation, it is harder to he
overcome by it. 1t is one or the other,
inevitable overcome, or be overcome.
The man who chooses to give full play
to his wicked desires aband0ns control
at the outset, and allows his bark to be
driven hither and thither with the GER
tainty Of shipwreck at the final out
come. He does not have to do so
there are sails and rudder and chart.
He can keep off the rocks and out of
the maelstroms, if he will. The secre t
is in the will. Get the will right and
keep it right, and God would send le-
gions of angels, if necessary, to nike
those who trust i'm him victOrs over
temptation
Those who weakly surrender gain
nothing whatever by their excuse. 1t
IS Just as much their duty to resist
as though they had
committed their way into God. They
IS all the difference in the world
between them and the godly. The un-
yoAIy become workers of iniqity while
he godly are workers of righteousness, |
beloved of God, and heirs of the
Kingdom. Just as much is required
;he workers of iniquity as those who
work righteousness; and they do not
escape any penalties pronounced on
account of their tlimsy excuses. All
must watch and pray lest they enter
nto temptation. That we must do.
There is no other must. There is no
scripture which says some must obey
md some must yield. Nobody has to
lield.-Independent.