Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-08-13
WHY ARE WE TEMPTED
Life Is a Struggle, But tho Right Means
Bring Victory.

Life Is a Struggle, But tho Right Means
Bring Victory.
In all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin.-IIebrews, w., Is
1t may seem strange thing to say,
but there are very few joys in this
world which equal that which follows
victory over an evil habit. There is
something which approximates to the
supernatural in the consciousness that
you are at last master of yourself.
One of the oldest facts connected
with human nature is that it is so very
easy to fall down and SO very hard t.,
get up again-so easy to acquire an in
furious habit and so hard to break
away from it.
And yet it is not so very odd, after
all. There is a reason for all things.
and if you look long enough you will
find that it is good reason. 1t is not
true that the Lord has failed to make
the best possible world for the pur
pose He had in view, but it certainly is
true that many times we find fault with
Him when we ought to find fault with
ourselves.
Moreover, the fact that life is full of
obstacles, and that temptations lie in
ambush on both sides of the road is
one of the strongest arguments for i'm
mortality. If a man looks into the in
evitable entanglements of this life and
then remarks with care the effect pro-
duced ON the soul by it's constant effort
to overcome the obstacles and to rise
superior to the entanglements he must
surely convince himself that the soul
only begins it's long career in this pri-
mary school of existence, and that
somewhere there is university in
which he will enter on the higher edu-
cation for which his experience here
is preparing him.
A great light breaks on this subjec..
when you remember that Gods purpose
is to develop all the faculties and quail
ties which lie hidden IN your nature
Under the best of circumstances this
cannot be accomplished in our lower
world. If, therefore, you declare that
there is no future in which we shall
have greater opportunity it is like as
sorting that God planted an orchard of
apple trees, poured the sunshine and
rain upon them until they broke into
blossoms, and then, when the fruit was
turning from green to red, cut the trees
all down with the assertion that He
never intended the apples to ripen.
No man ever yet built a strong char
acter out of self-indulgence. If you
wish to get to the top of a hill You
must climb. The vessel that drifts in
ocean currents never reaches its des.
tination. But when the sails are prop.
erly trimmed and the right man is a.
the wheel the steady craft bounds over
the waves like thing of life, and even
the head winds contribute to it's prog
ress.
The evils in the world have won
derfully beneficent mission, in spite Of
the TACT that they cause so many spir-
itual disasters. God gives you nail
to drive, and if you do it so clumsilv
that you bruise your finger it is not the
fault of the nail nor OF the hammer,
-or yet of Him who gave you both ham
mer and nail. So life must be skillfully
handled or you will surely fall upon
great ills. People seem to think that to
be good carpenter or architect or ply
stefan one must put himself into long
and patient training and so learn the
secrets of success, but IN order to be-
come a Christian one need not be
thoughtful or observant. In truth. it is
harder to build n character than a
house, and if you acquire the knowledge
how to build the house from some mas
ter of the art you must learn how to
build a character by listening to IT,.
words of the Master of all masters.
Resistance when tempted, putting
aside an evil habit, carefully reckon
| ing the cost when wrong allures you,
keeping your self-respect, your person
al honor, and, above all, your destiny in
view. and refusing to yield just as you
| would refuse to put your hand into the
| 6ame-these constitute the gymnastica
of the soul. Gods law so works that
when you begin to win victories OVER
yourself life becomes brighter, the sky
seems clearer. the stars are more bril-
Giant and an indescribable something
steals into the heart which is beyond
| the price of rubies.
No man can say he is perfect. If h,
| .lares to do so it is because he is either
Ignorant or hypocrite. You can't find
astronomers and mathematicians in a
| primary school; neither can you find &
| oeYfect soul this side of Heaven. God
| does not ask that much of anyone. But
if you are making brave fight, if you
have set the wonderful enginery of viii
at work, if with your brain you under