The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-06-29

i have hearC men In midllfe say they
had never been led into temptation.
If you have not felt temptation, il is
because you ave not tried to do right.
A man hoppled and h~andcuffed, as long
as he hes quietly, does not test the
power OF the chains, but when he rises
up and with determined resolves to
snap the handcuff or break the hop
8e, then he finds n power of the
IRON And there are men who have
been for 10 and 20 and 80 years bound
hand and foot by evil habits who have
never felt the power Of the chain be-
cause they have never tried TO break
IL. 1t is very easy 10 go on dow with
the stream and with the wind lying
on your oars, but pust turn around and
try 10 go against the wind and the tide
and you will find it is a different mat
ter. AS long as We go down the cur
rent OF our evil habit we seem 10 get
along quite smoothly, but If after
awhile We urn rou and hea the
other way, toward Christ and pardon
n heaven, on, then how We have TO
lay TO the oars! You will have your
temptation. You have one kind, you
another, o another, not one person
escaping.
1t is all folly for you to say TO some
one. Il could not be tempted as you
are" The lion thinks it is so strange
that the fish should be caught with a
hook. The fish thinks it is so STANCE
hat the lion should be caught with a
trap. You see some man with a cold.
phlegmatic temperament, and you say,
Il suppose hat man has not any temp
tation.' Yes as much as you have.
In his phlegmatic nature he has a
temptation TO Incidence Inc censori-
BUSINESS and overeating and drinking,
a temptation to ignore the great work
Of life. a temptation TO lay down an
III -Ao1
terprises. The temperament decides
the styles of temptation, but sanguine
or Emphatic, you will have tempta-
ton. 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 40 or 81
years of age he is safe from satanic
assault. o are very much mistaken.
4 man at 50 years of g 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 conquered
the power of temptation, you are very
much mistaken.
POWER OF TEMPTATION.
A man who wanted a throne pretend
ed he was very weak and sickly and
if he was elected he would soon be
gone He crawled upon his ~cruthches
to the throne and having attained II
ne was strong again. He said, 1t was
we'll for me while l was looking for the
scepter of another that l should stop,
but now that i have found 1t, why
should I stoop any longer?" and he
threw away his crutches and was We'll
again. How illustrative of n power
of temptation! You think it is a weak
and crippled influence, but give 1t a
chance and it will be a tyrant IN your
soul it will grind you to attoms. No
man has finally n forever overcome
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 a command
er 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
frailties are and what your tempta-
lions are. The world will only carica-
ture YOU, will only scott at you. n
then must a man do? When the wave
trike him with terrific dash, shall
he have nothing to hold on TO! In
this contest with the world, the flesh
and the devil" shall a man have no
help, no counsel? Our text intimates
something different. In those eyes
that wept with h Bethany sisters l
see shining hope. In hat voice which
spake until n grave broke and the
widow of Main had back her lost son
and the sea slept n sorrow Stupen-
dous woke up in the arms of rapture
in that voice l hear the
and the promise, ''Cast they burden
on the Lord. and he will sustain three
Why should you carry your burdens
any longer? Oh, o weary soul,
Christ has been in his conflict. He
says: My grace shall be sufficient
for you. You shall not be tempted
oh@,-z +hn- orn ohln RI h1nr'
Therefore with all your temptations,
go, as these disciples did, and tell
Jesus.
Again, l commend the behavior of
the disciples to all those who are abus-
ed and to the slandered and persecut-
ed. When Herod put John to death,
the disciples knew that their own
heads were not safe. And do you
know hat every John has a Herod?
There are persons in life who do not
wish you very we'll. Your misfortunes
are honeycombs to them. Through
their teeth they hiss at you. misinter-
pref your motives and would be glad
to see you upset.
SUFFERING PROSECUTION.
No man get through life without hav-
ing a pommeling. Some SANDER comes
after you, horned and husked and hoof-
ed, to gore and trample you. And what
are you to do? I tell you plainly that
all who serve Christ must suffer per-
secution. 1t is the worst sign in the
world for you to be able to say, i
have not an enemy in the world" a
woe is pronounced in the Bible against
the one of whom everybody speaks
we'll. If you are at peace with all the
world and everybody likes you and
approves your work, it is because you
are an idler in the Lords vineyard and
are not doing your duty. All those
who have served Christ, however emf
nent, all nave been maltreated at some
stage of their experience. You know
it was so in the time of George White
field, when he stood and invited men
into the kingdom of God. What did
the learned DR.. Johnson say of him?
He pronounced him a miserable
mountebank. How was it when Robert
Hall stood and spoke scarcely any un-
inspired man ever did speak of the
glories OF heaven? And as he stood
Sabbath after Sabbath preaching on
these themes his face kindled with
the glory. John Foster, a Christian
man, said of this man, Robert Hall
is only acting. and the smile on his
face is a reflection of his own vanity
John Wesley turned all England up