The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-01-06

lsl.l1.
(Asrangsd from Psloubst's Nosssl
GOLDEN TExT.-For In that He HIM
sslf hath suffered being tempted. He = ahls
TlME.-Prcbably about January. A. d.
a. directly after His baptism. lN
LESSON NOTB4
The lnitiatory Battle and Testing
As the first Adam. the head Of the rsse.
must be tempted and tested ~ the BE-
ginning Of his career. so must the SEQ
ond Adam, the head OF the redeemed
people Of God. be tempted and tested ~
the beginning OF his work.
/. Then" Immediately after His bap-
tism and full Of the Holy Ghost" "was
Jesus led up of (by) the Spirits" Under
some constraining influence that
showed Him what He ought to do. "Ts
be tempted Of the devil:" The slander-
er. the false accuser. one who seeks By
false and lying means to injure others,
disappearing God. distorting tho
truth.
Temptation Through the Appetite
2. TASTED forty days and forty
nights:" Both Mark and Luke say He
was tempted oil these forty days. prob
ably In the same general way as the
last three great assaults now to be do
scribed. he was probably thinking.
praying, planning. HE was afterward
O hungered:" When the reaction has
begun. hunger asserts its claims with .
force so terrible that (as has been
shown again and again in human ex.
perience) such moments are fraught
with the EXTREMIST peril TO the soul.
3. "The tempter came to Him:" Sa-
tan made his severest assault In the
time Of Jesus greatest weakness. He
still watches his time, and attacks us
when weary. sick, troubled, disheart-
cned. nervous and weak. III thou be
the Son Of Gods" II you really are Gods
Son. and hence are possessed OF mirac-
ulous powers, command that these
stones be made bread:" The wrong
was not In turning stones into bread.
but in doing It when He ought not TO. at
the instigation Of Satan, at the expense
Of higher things. 1t would have de-
stroyed His power and mission az a
Saviour Of men. He could not then be
tempted like AZ we are II He used His
supernatural power to save Himself
from hunger. for we haveno such power.
4. at 10 written" In Deut. 8:S. quoted
from the Greek translat ton. "Man shall
not live BY bread alone:" BY food for
the body.
The Temptation TO Gain Good Thinss
by False and Presumptuous Faith
vs. 81. s. 'Taketh Him up into The
holy city," Jerusalem literally. or In
spirit. "On (the) pinnacle Tor rather.
wing) Of the temple"
Q. "If thou be the Son Of God:" Thus
planting . doubt in His mind. ~Cast
Thyself down. Into the court Of the
temple among the crowds II was pre-
sented a. showing His faith In God. and
giving the assurance that He wes the
Son Of God. II God sent His angel 70
care for Him. Then. too, the people.
seeing Him coming down safely from
the height, would hail Him as prophet
and make Him king. - they tried TO do
after He fed the 5000. "For II 10 writ.
ten" (Psa. 01:1D: He quotes this pas
sage, and misapplies It. to show that
Jesus could do it safely, and succeed
in proving His Messiahship. Many a
temptation has come from misapplying
Scripture.
7. 1T Is written (Deut. 6:16) again"
On the other hand. as explaining tho
words you quote. "Thou shalt not
tempt the Lord thy Gods" That is,
distrust God or test His power pre-
sumptuously- ''t.t
Temptation to Gain Success, Even
Good Objects. by Wrong Doing.-s.
"The devil taketh Him up into an ex-
ceeding high mountain" Probably in
spirit, in vision, for there is no noun
tain SO high that all the Kingdoms Of
the earth can be seen by the bodily
eye. It was in some kind Of vision that
Satan showed him, in . moment OF
time. "nll the Kingdoms Of the world,
and the glory Of them:". Tho kingdom
Of power and law in Rome, with ita
splendid court and triumphant armies:
the Kingdoms Of literature, art and cul-
ture in Greece; the "barbarle gems OF
gold" Of the Orient; and possibly q
vision of the future with Its glorious
civilizations, with its redeemed peoples,
fulfilling all that the prophets foretold
or John on Patmos saw OF the new
heavens and the new earth.
0. "All these things will give thee:
In q measure Satan did have these
things. Christ later called him the
prince OF this world. III thou wilt faE
down and worship Me:" Satan does
not mean bald act OF worship. a bend.
ing In outward reverence to the grim
King of Darkness. Rather, Satar
asked such an act Of worship as mer
give when they worship money, by low
ing 1t better than God; when they wor
ship success, by placing 1t before duty
real. not formal. worship. Satan IL
too shrewd to insist on the form II h'
can gain the heart.
10. Get thee hence, Satan:" Itwa!
by this proposal that Satan revealed