The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-01-08
ThD International Su1lly School sssSn
I%anuar, ., lses. M.nhew Il, l.lL.
1Esrs ~rEMnrEp.

Tho temptation OF Jesus has been at-
s,red most difficult OF all events 90 III
%,erprct. The difficulty Is reduced to 9
minimum II one keeps in mind that le-
ans had d true human roui This wa
m, citadel The devil cough, to storm
In his human nature, Jesus must needs
make the transl, from tho Innocence
which may be called instructive to that
which is the outcome OF choice. This
transit was not made entirely In this
ordeal OF the temptation, though this
i may have been Its crucial epoch. /.
The traditional scene OF this dread en-.
| rountcr.-'tha F~orty-day Mountnin"--lS
| sInrula.ly IN harmonp. 1t 10 still "a
nathlcss desert, dusk with horrid
SHADES Thither Jesus had gone, Inn
I rcllcd by the consciousness of his Mes
sl1nIc mission. which may have fully
dawned p o him In his baptism. He
sought to adjust himself 90 his calling
10 test his resources. aud determine a
ninu OF procedure. -. =. IL Is perhaps
/. Indifferent whether one believes this 4
/ literal approach OF q personal devil, or
\ n fEurative description OF q moral
struggle entirely subjective. Tie FIRST
temptation was 10 use the miracle
working power (of which he had Just
oire 10 co%nsclousness) purely for per-
tonal ends, and untrustfully of his
FATHERS care. The second temptation
was to create an emergency which
would test his Fathers care. The thitd
solicitation was to the double service
Cod and mammon. II has been well
said: after all. what the devil docs
IN the desert Is to sum up In expressive
symbols the. whole programme OF the
false Mcss!anic dreams OF the Jews,
who only disguised under holy words a
4 csrna! and earthly ambition" -.
Where the first Adam SO ignominlously
failed in the transit from natural inno-
ccncc TO the holiness of choice, the
second Adam trlumphed %gloriously. He
did this, too, as man, not as God. II
was the victory OF our humanity, as
Jesus perfectly identified himself with
US: Just such a victory as each of US
may win. The weapons he used. also,
are the very ones We are to handle:
Faith. prayer. Scripture. As Jesus. In
his human nature. was made perfect
By his successful resistance of tempta-
lion. 80 .shall we be. There Is both e1-
emplary and ~insp!ratlonal force In the
temptation OF Jesus. He was tempted
as we are. He was tempted In his hu-
man nature. He resisted and conquer
cd as n man. We mag, we must tread
the same way.
q MOSAIC FROM COMMENTARIES.
Was led up: Purely voluntary on his
part. J.. F. B. BY an inward impulse.
II Benge!. -. To be tempted: InlS
3. temptation Is a sample OF our lords
whole state OF humiliation and an cpl
tome OF all the temptations. not only
moral, but especially spiritual. Bengel.
His human soul had power 20 fall. Ols-
;Iausen.'T o be tempted during the for
~ days, so that the threefold tempta-
ton Is but the acme. Graul.
Command s~tones-bread: Temptation
by bodily appetite. Beneath this temp
tation all gluttons. drunkards, and de-
bauchees have fallen. Whedon. ~.
Not ~bread-but word-God: II Israel
spent forty years. dlvinely provided for,
as nan I will await divine supply. j..
F. B. Cast myself down: The
second temptation rises to the gratifi-
cation OF admiration. All those carried
away by love OF pomp. qualification OF
mental taste. pleasures of imagination.
gayeties OF fashion. enthusiasm FOR
fame, induced TO pervert for these OBJ
fects powers given for rishtful use. fall
by this temptation. Whedon. . Not
tempt the Lord: To create danger. ell
ther to put the promised security skep-
ideally TO the proof. or wantonly 10 de-
snand a display Of 1t. J. T. B. .
All these 1 give thee: The third tempt
alton appealed 10 the ambition. By
this, great men have fallen in myriads.
They have believed the devil TO be the
true dispenser OF this worlds cndow-
nents. Whcdoa.