Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-06-18


ed sins of your life, go and:tell Jesus.
Power of Temptation.
You will never get rid Of your. sins in
any other way, and remember, that the
broad invitation which L extend to you
will not always be extended. King AL
fred, before modern timepieces were
invented, used to divide the day into
three parts, eight hours each, and then
had three wax candles. By the time
the first candle had burned to the sock
ct eight hours had gone and when the
second candle had burned to the, socket
another eight hours had gone, and
when all the three candles were gone
out then the day had passed. Oh, that
some Of us, instead Of calculating our
days and nights and years by any
earthly timepiece, might calculate them
by the numbers of opportunities and
mercies which are burning dowH and
burning out, never to be relighted, lest
at last we be amid the foolish virgins
who cried, "Our lamps have gone out!"
Again, | commend the behavior of
the disciples to all who are tempted.
have heard men in midlife say they
had never been led into temptation. If
you nave LOU lCll IL Is Uc-
cause you have not tried to do right.
A man hoppled and handcuffed, as long
as he lies quietly, does not test the
power of the CHAIN but when he rises
up and with determination resolves to
snap the handcuff or break the hOpple
then he finds the power of the iron.
And there are men who have been for
10 and 20 and so years bound hand and
foot by evil habits who have never felt
the power Of the chain because they
lhave never tried to break it. 1t is very
easy to go on down with the stream
and with the wind lying on your oars,
lut just turn around and try to go
against the wind and the tide, and you
viii find it is a different matter. AS
long as we go down the current Of our
evil habit we seem to get along quite
smoothly, but if after awhile we turn
around and head the other way, to-
ward Christ and pardon and heaven,
oh, then how we have to lay to the
oars! You will have your temptation.
You have one kind, you another, you
another, not one person escaping.
1t is all folly for you to say to some
one, 81 could not be tempted as you
that the fish should be caught with a
hook; the fish thinks it is so strange
that the lion should be caught with a
trap. You see some man with a cold,
phlegmatic temperament, and you say,
II suppose that man has not any temp
tatiOn." Yes; as much as you have.
In his phlegmatic nature he has a
temptation to Incidence and censOrious-
ness and over eating and drinking, a
temptation to ignore the great work Of
life, temptation to lay down an obsta-
Gle in the way of all good enterprises.
The temperament decides the styles of
tempta ton; but. sanguine or lymphat-
ic, you will have temptation. Satan
has a graphing hook just fitted for
your soul. a man never lives beyond
the reach Of temptation. You say
when a man gets to be 20 or so years
of age he is safe from all satanic as
sault. You are very much mistaken.
A man at S. years of age has as many
temptations as a man at %. They are
only different styles of temptation.
Ask the aged Christian whether he is
never assaulted Of the powers of dark
ness. If you think you have conquer
ed the power Of temptation, you are
very much mistaken.
The Lord VIII Sustain.
A man who wanted n throne pretend |
ed he was very weak and sickly and, |
il he was elected, he would soon be
gone. He crawled upon his crutches
to the throne. and, having attained it,
he was strong again. He said, ''It was
we'll for me, while l was looking for
the Scepter of another, that | should |
stoop; but, now that | have found it, |
why should l stOop any lOnger?" And |
he threw away his crutches and was
we'll again. How illustrative of the /!
power Of temptation! You think it is
q weak and crippled influence, but give !;
it a chance. and it will be a tyrant in |
your soul; it will grind you to atoms. |
No man has finally and forever over
come temptation until he has left the |
world. But what are you to do with |
these temptations-tell everybody about |
them? All, what a silly man you would
be! AS we'll might q commander in a |
fort send word to the enemy which |
gate of the castle is least barred as for |
you to go and tell what all your frail-
ties are and what your temptations |
are. The world will only caricature |
you, will only scott at you. What, then,
must man do? When the wave strikes !
him with terrific dash, shall he have
nothing to hold on to? In this contest |
with 1.-The world, the flesh and the dew
iT' shall man have no help, no cOun-
sci? Our text intfmates something diff
ferent. In those eyes that wept with
the Bethany sisters l see shining hope.
In that voice which spake until the |
grave broke and the widow of Main