Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1901-04-03

III WAS IN tnat panR OF munger mat
Jesus was accosted, and satan said:
Now, change these stones, which look
like bread, into an actual supply of
bread" Had the temptation come to
| you and me under those circumstances
we would have criedi Bread IL shall
bel" and been almost impatient at the
| time taken for maStication, but Christ
| with one hand beat back the hunger
4 and with the other hand beat back the
| monarch of darkness. o we tempted
| onesi Christ was tempted We are
| told that Napoleon ordered a coat-of-
mail made, but he was not quite GER
| tain that ii was impenetrable, so he
said to the manufacturer of the coat
of-mail: Put it on now yourself and
let US try it." And with shot after
shot fired from his own pistol the en-
peror found that it was just what it
| pretended to be, a good coat-of-mail.
| Then the man received a large reward.
| / bless God that the same coat-of-
mail that struck back the weapons of
ttemptation from the head of Christ
we may now all wear, for Jesus comes
and says: Il have been tempted. and l
know what il is to be tempted. Take
this robe that defended me and wear
it for yourselves. l shall see you
through all trials. and l shall see you
through all temptation"
But" says Satan still further to
Jesus. come, and / will show you
something worth looking at" And
after a half days journey they came to
Jerusalem and to the top of the tenn
pie. just as one might go up in the
RI Of A,,N,. 4
Belgium. so Satan brought Christ TO
the top of the temple. Some people at
a great height feel dizzy and a strange
disposition to jump. So Satan comes
to Christ in that very crisis. Stand
ing there at the top of the temple, they
looked off. \ magnificent reach of
country. Grain fields, vineyards, olive
groves, forests and streams, cattle in
the valley, focks on the hills and viii
| ages and cities and realms. Now"
| says Satan, 'I'll make bargain. Just
Jump off. l know it il great way
| from the top of the temple TO the val
ley, but If You are Divine you can fly.
Jump off. 1t won't hurt you. Angels
will catch you. Your Father will hold
you. Besides, I'll make you a large
present if you will. I'll give you Asia
Minor, I'll give you China, III give you
Ethiopia, I'll give you Italy, III give
you Spain, I'll give you Germany. I'll
give you Britain, III give you all the
world" What n temptation it must
have been!
The third installment paid for our
redemption was the agonizing prayer
in Gethsemane. AS / sat in that gar
den at the foot of an old gnarled and
twisted olive tree the historic scene
came upon me overwhelmingly. These
old olive trees are the lineal descend
ants of those under which Christ stood
and wept and knelt. Have the leaves
of whole botanical generations told
the the story of our Lords agony to
their successors? Next to Calvary the
solemnest place in Palestine is Geth-
semane. While sitting there it seemed
as If j could hear our Lords prayer.
laden with sobs and groans. Can this
be the Jesus who gathered fragrance
from the frankiEcense brought TO His
cradle and from the lilies that flung
| their sweetness into His sermons and
| from the box of alabaster that broke
at his feet? Is this Jesus the com
forter of Bethany. the resurrector at
Main, the oculist at Bethsaida? Is
| this the Christ whose frown is the
storm, whose smile is the sunlight, the
| spring morning His breath, the thun-
der His voice, the ocean n drop on the
tip of His finger, Heaven a sparkle on
the bosom of His love, the universe the
dust of His chariot wheel? Is this the
Christ who is able 10 heal heart
break or hush tempest or drown o
world or flood immensely with His
glory? Behold Him in prayer, the
globules of blood by sorrow pressed
through the skin of His forehead!
What an installment in part payment
of the greatest price that was ever
paid!
The fourth installment paid for our
redemption was the Saviour's sham
trial l call it sham trial--there has
never been anything so indecent or
unfair in any criminal court as was
witnessed at the trial of Christ. Why.
hey hustled him into the courtroom
at two o'clock in the morning. They
gave Him no time for counsel. They
gave him no opportunity for subpoe.
naing witnesses. The ruffians who
were wandering around through the
midnight. of course they saw the ar.
rest and went into the courtroom But
Jesus friends were sober men. were
respectable men. and az that hour, two
o'clock in the morning, OF course they
were at home asleep. Consequently
Christ entered the courtroom with the
ruffians.
Oh. look al Him! No one 60 speak n
word for Him. | lift the lantern un.
til can look into His face. and as my
heart beats in sympathy for this. the
best friend the world ever had. Him
self now utterly frleudlcss. an officer
Of the courtroom comes up and smites
Him in the mouth. and see the blood
tcaling from gum and lip oh. IL was
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