The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1903-04-11

found In God. and the door of escape
will open for you and let you into tho
presence of Him Who can feed you on
Heavenly mamma and thrill your senses
with the joy and sweet peace which
pass understanding.
Is 1T temptation through the lust
of the eye? Are the things Of tho
world, its beauties, its attractions, SO
pressing and crowding upon you for
attention that you are forgetting all
else? Do not shut your eyes and try
10 keep out the vision. Admit the
beauties of all you behold, but brave
ly declare that God has better things
than even these for you, and the door
Of escape will open before you and
the glories of the eternal riches in
Christ Jesus will stream through into
your soul.
Isit temptation which comes through
the many forms of the pride Of life?
Ambition, power, influence? Again
face the temptation honestly. Tho
Devil being such liar himsel would
like nothing better than to get you
TO lying about the temptation which
Is pressing SO sorely upon you. He
would like to make you believe il was
no temptation at all, only silly de-
fusion. Or he would like to get you
to lodging the main point Mt issue
and to have you slip around to the
rear and look for the door of escape
there. And he would have you sure IL
you did, just as he got poor Peter while
the words of his boast that he would
not deny Jesus were still warm upon
his lips. But face the issue squarely
and honestly. Admit that ambition
for world influence, power, wealth.
is Turing you on, II the temptation
comes to you from that direction.
and then say, you must not crowd God
out. He must worship God alone, and
behold the door of escape swings open
and the soul realizes how little the
world had to offer after all. and how
worthy Of worship and praise God is
Yes, the door of escape from every
temptation is found straight ahead
as the soul faces the temptation. The
spring which will make it swing wide
is the magic touch of Jesus Christ, for
He who has been tempted in all
points like as we knows how to sue
cor them which are tempted
comes to all. II
1 serves the purpose Of testing. A
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much strain it will bear. II proves
its capacity for service by the amount
of strain it sustains without breaking.
The Christian is tested to prove his
capacity for service in the Lords
work. II he stands the pressure OF
the temptation he proves himself
capable of larger service. II he fails
it proves unfitness. Temptation
serves to strengthen his faith, if the
temptation is overcome, for the try
ing of his faith worketh patience, and
when patience hath had her perfect
work he is entire and wanteth moth
ing to make his character a full-round.
ed and symmetrical one.
BLESSED is the man that endureth
temptation: for when he is tried, he
shall receive the crown of life, which
the Lord has promised to them that
love Him." The tested steel is valued
according to it's strength. The test
ed Christian is declared blessed in the
estimation of God according to the
degree of his endurance, and when the
testing of this life is finished he bows
before his King to receive the crown
of life.
Temptation is not sin, else would
not James admonish the brethren to
"count it all joy when ye fall into
divers temptations" and Christ woulo
not have been subjected to the will.
derness experience. Sin leaves its dis
figuring mark only at the point where
temptation has given place to the COM
mission of the deed.
SIN"
The testing did not put the weak
spot in the bar of steel and cause IL
to break. The testing only served
to. reveal the flaw and prevent that
bar of steel being put into the engine
and thus averting certain Disaster
and possible loss of life. The testing
of the Christian does not put the
weakness into his life which causes
him to yield and stain his life with sin.
The testing revealed to him the weak
ness in his character and prevented
possible greater disaster at later
time, through that weakness, IL II
had not been discovered.
God does not tempt, but He permits
temptation. The warning of Scripture
on this point is: "Let no man say
when he is tempted, am tempted Of
God; for God cannot be tempted with
evil, neither tempteth He any man."
God did not tempt Job, but He per-
mitted Satan to test Him. Satan Is
made to furnish the fire which tries
out Gods gold. He, is made to sweat
In the service of the Almighty, for
every blow he strikes against the
who overcomes hardens his
and steadies his nerve to
strike back the telling blow. The hiss
ing serpent on the ground that is
favored opportunity to
strike its poison fangs into human
Aesh becomes the cha ST. ninO rod NJ