Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1903-04-08
The faithful God Who prevent, N. !

the faithful God Who prevents the
soul from being tested beyond its
strength TO bear. and Who sets n door
of escape at the side of every tempta-
uon, which even the hand of Satan
cannot close. \ faithful God, Faith
less man, God and His Son Jesus
Christ alone have n right to be called
faithful. The saint falls heir 10 the
title as he lives the life of victory in
Christ Jesus. a faithful God has
done two things for the sinner: He
has put n restraining hand upon
Satan so that he has been unable
throughout the centuries. since The
tragedy i'm the garden when he
gained the victory over man, to ut
terly destroy him, and He has made
n way of escape in Christ Jesus so
that the soul can pass from death in
sin TO life in Christ Jesus. \ faithful
God has done two things for the
saint: He has placed bounds to Sal
tan's power over him. and has fitted
every temptation with convenient
door OF escape. Satan with fiendish
ingenuity deviscs manifold tempta-
ttons which he places along the path
way of life To ensnare unwary feet.
but God with skillful and omnipotent
hand fits into every one OF the
temptations the door of escape.
IN THE heroic days of old when
might was right and every man
was law unto himself. houses and
castles were fitted with secret stair
ways and secret chambers and clos
cts into which the persons whose
lives were threatened might with
draw and escape the enemy. The
doors of entrance to these hidden
recesses were SO skillfully and in
geniously placed that the eve could
not detect their presence without the
closest aud most careful scrutiny,
and then the door would not open un-
til the hidden spring was pressed
This may serve to illustrate the truth
IN regard to temptation which is
presented to us in our text Tempta-
ton may he likened unto Il beautiful
palace which Satan with ready hand
rears and into which he may entice
the souls OF the saints. Satan learned
with tinsel and make them look like
real gold; he found out away back in
Eden that man would take his bitter
doses of sin If the pellets were sugar
coated. And so he embellishes his
temptations with an outside appear
ance of beauty and wholesomenes
lie depends altogether upon outside
appearances. The palace of tempta-
ION Is place that appears goodly
10 the eye and gives every outward
token OF being full of comfort and
pleasure and amending satisfaction.
1t is into this place that Satan draws
the soul, and if he can prevent that
soul from looking for the door Of
escape and touching the spring which
will open it. he win trip that soul
mp every time.
Every temptation known o man has
according 10 the plain declaration OF
our text. its door of escape, so let
ms consider that point settled and de-
vote our effort to learning where to
look for the hidden door and how 10
touch the spring which controls its
opening. God has so contrived that
ON the side of hardest pressure. That
is, the direction from which the
temptation presses on the soul the
strongest will be found TO be the
exact point at which God has skill
fully hung His little door. Take for
illustration of this point the tempta-
tions of Jesus in the wilderness.
which cover the whole possible
range Of human temptation from the
lust of the flesh, through the lust Of
the eye, to that of the pride of life.
7 ESUS tasted forty days and forty
j nights and was aftcrward an
hungered. Satan suggested that in
asmuch as He was furnishing for food
that lie test His power as the Son
Of God by making the stones at His
feet bread and eating thereof And
il was right AT that point that Jesus
found the door Of escape, for He re-
piled: at is written. Man shall not
live by bread alone but 10y every word
which proceedeth out Of the mouth
Of Cod" Again the Devil iakcth Him
up into the holy city and setteth Him
on pinnacle of the temple and sug-
gcstcd a miraculous way Of His pre-
scnting Himself 10 The Jews as their
Messiah Surely If lie east Himself
into their midst from the dizzy
height where He stood they would be-
licve on Him and receive Him And
IL was AT this point that the way OF
escape was discovered. for lie said:
1T is written again. thou shalt not
tempt the Lord thy Cod for pre-
sumption is never faith. again the
Devil takcth Him up into an exceed
ing high mountain and showeth Him
all the kingdoms Of the world and
tho pdory Of them. and saith unto
Him. All ~ these viii ] give thee II
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