The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-09-10
9bort germons
For
5unnap Dalf=Dour
Theme:
VICTORY OVER
TEMPTATION,
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Bv Rev. William C.. Stinson, D. d.

Dy NeV. wv llllaul -. oLluSOH, -. Ds
T. r. r
Text: There hath no temptation
taken you but such as is common to
man; but God, who Is faithful, will
not suffer you to be tempted above
that ye are able; but will with the
temptation also make a way to es.
cape, that ye may be able to bear It.
-. Corinthians, X, 13.
+ r r.
Every man realizes that when he
would do good, evil is present with
him. Sanctity is ever pursued by
haunting forms of sin that lurk in
ambush, choose their moment for
surprise and spring upon their victim
when he least suspects their presence.
Sometimes we divide persons into the
tempted and the untempted. There
are persons whose life flows along
as smoothly and quietly as brook in
sheltered meadow. They seem not
to be disturbed by any temptations
within or without. Or they live on
such high attitudes Of spiritual Sc
renity as to escape the moral miasmas
of the valley. Let us not be deceived
by such a classification.
Weak, shallow natures are the only
ones exempt from temptation. They
are below temptation, not above it.
Strong natures never escape tempta-
tion, and usually the stronger the
no CT
the temptation. Temptation itself is
not sin. Temptation is infection, sin
is disease. Whether one catches or
resists the disease depends upon his
moral constitution Malaria seizes
the man in whose body the disease
finds susceptible condition. Temp
tation is an inducement to depart
from the path of rectitude, and may
spring from without or from a mans
own nature. AS an outward solicita-
tion it comes to one man, and he
says "Yes" 1t comes to another man,
and he says mo" The outward
temptation arouses the personality
within man. The outward appeal to
do wrong measures the temptable ele-
ment within.
The reason why one man overcomes
temptation and another does not is
not so much because of difference in
circumstances, but because of the diff
| ference in personality. You may place
| two men in the same environment.
One man succumbs to it's temptation
because he has in his moral constitu-
tion the element of defeat; the other
overcomes because he has within him
| the pledge of victory.
This is not undertaking circum-
stances. Many mans security from
temptation lies in cutting himself
loose from the outward associations
of wrong. Let him make a solemn
compact with himself that he will re-
main away from the place of tempta-
tion. The devil enters the soul of
many a man through his mouth, his
eyes, his ears. The man thus intiu-
enced should make holy covenant
with his sehses of taste, sight and
hearing.
But mans security lies not so
much in seclusion. He must go out
into the world. The greatest safe
guard against temptation is self-cul-
ture. A healthy body is the best re-
sistant against disease. Rules of life
are good, but frequently powerless.
Better is it to Rave strong soul, iron
in the blood. Let man build up mis-
moral constitution by thinking noble
thoughts, derived from the habitual
| practice of reading good books, per-
forming noble deeds, association with
pure women and honorable men. Let
man walk in the spirit and he will
not fulfil the lusts OF the flesh. Good
literature, pure friendship and honor
able toll are among the methods which
God provides to enable a man to
overcome. OF all books the Bible is
the best, for it passes as iron into
the blood and gives vigor to the will.
OF all friendships the sense of the
companionship of the Man of Nazareth
is the most invigorating. The power
and purity of His life may be claimed
and used in every hour of temptation.
Devote yourself to God and you will
find God fights the battles of a will
resigned.