The Newtown bee., 1901-08-02
resisted.
THAT HEROIsM IS ALWAYS NEEDED IN
 THE WORLD

THAT dEhOISM IS ALWAYS NEEDED IN
 THE WORLD
 and because that is so, this old Testa ment way of meeting sin and escaping it is also always needed and still must be spoken clear and strongly: Resist the Devil by running away from him; Flee from temptation. Where there is the evil way or the path of the un- godly man, "Avoid it, pass not by it; turn from it, and pass on."
 But we are grateful that this is not the only spiritual power against evil which God has given to the heart of men. This is not all there is by which "a man can overcome. Life is not all avoiding, and fleeing, and resisting, though these are wise and necessary rules to have up for remem- brance in many of the ways of life
 But there is the new Testament way, the way Christ met the tempter as we'll as the way the prophet met him; the way Orpheqs went by the Sirens as we'll as the way Ulysses got clear of them. It is the way of the finer harmony, the way of the nobler pleasure, the way of the richer gift and offering. The Sirens could not drag down Orpheus, nay rather he silenced them, and that because he had something better and Sweeter than all the music they had ever made or listened to-. Satan could not destroy the Master by his temptation, because Jesus had bread which Satan knew not of, food and strength of which he could not be deprived, and which was better than all that which the tempter would lay before Him. The greater at traction of better way; the larger, stronger drawing of higher call; the things, such is the New Testament way of facing and meeting temptation. Sin is the strongest thing in the world except righteousness, and the way the Savior met sin was to walk robed in that mightier garment of the pure heart and the right life. Fear of evil is a great safeguard, but interest in doing good is a still greater one. If there is only some thought, some work, some great abiding interest which sings to us and from us of heavenly things, of Gods Kingdom, of mans welfare or of the wonderful beautiful realm of truth, why then all the sirens in the world cannot attract us, nay rather they will likely be silent to hear our song as we pass by. Nehemiah on OoP oA UAC wall ol CCl uS(1lcU1 IS dD- preached by Sanballat and Tobial say ing to him, cease the work and come down, and let us meet and talk for a season, but Nehemiah replies; "I am now doing great work, and 1 cannot come down unto yOu." When a man is thinking great thought or doing a great work, or even a good one, he will not come down; the call of the tempter cannot reach him even tho he has not deafened his ears. Nothing makes the ears really so deaf as Sweeter music: he who hears angels won't go ashore.after sirens. One of the most prominent of American temperance lecturers tells this story out of his own life, striking witness to this overcoming of a higher call. He had himself once been a de- and was giving his life to show others the way out of evil habit which he had found or else to warn them from the way in which he had sadly entered. There came time, certain day after many years of active fruitful labor, when things looked blue; his audience on the night before had not been good, nor seemed especially appreciative He was physically tired, and mentally disturbed, and spiritually weak. He was going along the street of strange town, ne passed the open saloon, and thence came the sirens song. The old familiar terrible hankering came back again. It had been gone so long, he did not suppose that it was there. But there it was and it was on him like tiger on it prey. He stopped right in the middle of the sidewalk, and hesitated; it would be such a relief to go in, to have just one stimulating draught to set him up, and make him feel all right again. At that moment a man stepped up to him, one whom he had never met or seen, the man of course had no idea at all of the crisis which was before him; he stepped up and putting out his hand, said, "Why, goodm orning, I am glad to see you jul st to say how thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated your lecture; believe you are doing grand good work; l honor you for it," and so on for a few words; it only needed few; the crisis was past; there was no more temptatlon. It was great work, it all came back to him; it was great work he had undertaken, it was worth doing if only one heard him and was helped there by. He could not come down; he must go on. Is it any wonder that he felt then and always felt afterwards that God sent that stranger as an angel to put another song in his heart and crowd out the sirens when he had just begun to hear this Sinpinp provi