The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1901-04-05

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 cried: BREAD it shall
bel" and been almost impatient at the
time taken for mastication, but Christ
with one hand beat back the hunger
and with the other hand beat back the
monarch of darkness. o ye tempted
onesl Christ was tempted. We are
told that Napoleon ordered n coat-of-
mail made, but he was not quite GER
tain that it was impenetrable, so he
said TO the manufactures 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 em-
peror found that it was just what it
pretended to be, a good coat-of-mail.
Then the man received n large reward.
bless God that the same coat-of-
mail that struck back the weapons of
temptation from the head of Christ
we may now all wear, for Jesus comes
and says: 81 have been tempted, and
know what it is to be tempted. Take
this robe that defended me and wear
it for yourselves. ! shall see you
through all trials, and | shall see you
through all temptation"
Out" says Satan still further to
Jesus, "come, and l will show you
something worth looking at" And
after half days journey they came to
Jerusalem and to the top of the tenn
pie. just as one might go up in the
tower of Antwerp and look off upon
Belgium, so Satan brought Christ to
! the top of the temple. Some people at
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. A magnificent reach of
country. Grain fields. vineyards, olive
\ groves, forests and streams, cattle in
| the valley, flocks on the hills and viii
! ages and cities and realms. Now
| says Satan, "I'll make bargain. just
| jump off. l know it is a 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 large
present If you will. I'll give you Asia
Minor. I'll give you China, I'll give you
Ethiopia, I'll give you Italy, I'll give
you Spain, I'll give you Germany, I'll
give you Britain, I'll give you all the
world" What temptation it must
have been!
The third installment paid for our
redemption was the agonizing prayer
in Gethsemane. AS l sat in that gar
den at the foot of an old gnarled and
twisted olive tree the historic scene
came upon me overwhc lmingly. 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 il seemed
as if l could hear our Lords prayer,
laden with sobs and groans. Can this
he the Jesus who gathered fragrance
from the frankiBcense 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 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 TO heal a 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 il sham trial-there has
never been anything so indecent OF
unfair in any criminal court as was
witnessed at the trial of Christ Why
they 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 at that hour, two
o'clock in the morning, of course they
were at home asleep. Consequently
Christ entered the courtroom with the
rufiians.
Oh look at Himl No one to speak @
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 friendless, an officer
of the courtroom comes up and smites
Him in the mouth, and | see the blood
stealing from gum and lip. Oh, it wa,
a farce of trial, lasting only perhaps
an hour, and then the Judge rises fol