The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-03-19

the wilderness does not lie n thousand
miles Of, but right at your door, and you
cannot escape It. Count 1t no strange
thing when temptations befall you. 10 pc
finite is to be tempted.
But 5.".willernessY and temptation and md
devils are MI q part Of that universe
over which God has control. Why there
should be III devil cannot tell. But We
know that the Lord reigneth on earth ll'l
and In heaven, and that the devil is His
slave. chained with iron, and beyond md
his chain lie cannot go. These are il m 3.
teries, but mysteries only to us. God
holds the key which shall one day ex ~
plain them all
"Thelrwas Jesus tempted Of 81 y the e
dcyils, ana Wien tho temptelr "a. came e TO +
Him he said three things The tenn ter;
has only three things 70 say he has
three great clubs with which, lie e 13 ct'
ors to snite. Let us hear what he SO ;8
ar thou 10 the Son of God, command
that these stones. be made bread 'n THIS This
lis an appeal5to Immediate necessity. lEllte.
addresses himself to the appetite Of tho
moment, N the; supreme impulse Of the
passing lour.fesy! VIVA ever you want most
he. Is WING 10 supply-at what expense.
willfprcsentlySap M
How harmless was the temp lit
49, 81
was hardly a. temptation at all. What
could be theSha in making bread in a
moment oftintense hunger? The suggcs-
3tlon was marked BY apparently good sense.
III was as If he had said: After. fortyday
and nights of@fasting, you must be suffer
ing pangs which none can fully UNDER
stand; therefore, make bread for your
self and satisfy the lawful appetite
which now maddens YOU,
You knowFthat t, temptatlon! You know
Sthesvoioe which snftenst itself into a ten.
der, wheeding. and sa VI here can be
noSharm In ths.,t And there may be
mo harm in certain words In themselves
considered but great harm in accepting
sthe suggestion from the devil.
let us look at both sidss oftthis wedge.
AS the devil would have. turned stones
into Sbread, will he turn bread into stones
That is what he wants to do with every
one of us-turn our virtues into}Nvce,
our prayer into presumption, our
religion into profanity. No worth Of char-3
'acter deters him. He would take your. dear
little child and turn him into an imp OF
his own; he would take all the bread
of heaven and make stones Of it. 4
sE"1f thou be the Son. Of God. cast Thy.
self down. This lis the next trial, and
says, In fact: Presume upon God; test
His strength and power; prove His prom
Uses" This was anappeal to the Son
OF God to be presumptious, and to force
a meaning into tho words which did not
exist, iii 5
S DO you know the force and subtlety Of
such suggestons2 Do you know what 1t
is for men to get themselves almost pur-
posely into trouble that they may put. the
Divine Word to Its fullest stress Z. Do you
know what it as TO shut the eyes and
lower the head and run straight into a
granite rock aud then blame God fornot
jsoftening It? Let those answer these
pnngent inquiries who are best acquaint-
ed with their souls, history!
Now, see how!the devil still works this
temptation. He tempts Christ to risk Ills
life, and he now.tempts God on the pre-
tcnso or saving life The devil is contn-
Sually blaming God for the inequalities Of
human life lie is perpetually sending a
challenge to heaven saying if Thou art
almighty and good why permit rebellion,
and war and crime?
The third and last temptation was ttAlli
these things Will 4 give thee If thou wilt
fall down and worship me. It was the
temptation OF bribery; 1T was n short and
easy way to get%rlch, II was the most
subtle of all theftemptatons 10 worship.
is TO give; when. ! worship ] serve, We
only give when we love.
My young friend, the devil never gives
anything good that he promises. You fall
down and worship him, and then call on.
him for the klngdoms;s he willsnot give
them TO YOU i lallenge any ana every
man in the world to show mo 4 he ever
got any good at the hand Of the devil.
These three temptations arc now before
us. and also the character Of the devil ms
suggested BY them. He, has no other
temptation. He appeals to your dominant
appetite: lie asks you to make God your
servant; he offers on his own terms album
dance Of possessions.
He may vary the form, but the pro-
fgrammc is SUBSTANTIALLY what is written,
in this history Every man can prove 4 t.
for himself and know the9 nithsure 'and.
force Of each syllable, Thus the devil
delivers a threefold knock on the door of
the heart. What answer will you niake9
====----------=
Richmond is to be congratulated upon
thcsfnct that the J efferson Hotel Is to
r p. f,a. n, NlNx, IN,