The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-01
1.-THE FOOD OF MAN.,

"A iS WEltlch, HdH SHdil not llNe by bread alone. Matt. iv. 4.
 Christ. at the very opening of His work. met and contended with the evil spirit in the wilderness. In the words of the text. the Saviour silenced satan and his temptation. Such an answer has peculiar force and meas Ing when 1t comes from the lips of Christ. He tells Satan that obedience to God is better than bread, and that If either Is to be given up. there Is no doubt as to which 1t shall be- The word, the will of God. He had known forever. and that will He must obey forever
 Now that He had been made man, with His human flesh. He had assumed human necessities, which He had never experienced before. That hunger which in so many ways has ruled men took hold of this new human life of Jesus. It was real temptation. He was genuinely an hungered. This compul- sion of the lower nature has met the higher nature under which He, has wholly lived.
 wili He yield? His whole work and our whole hope depend upon His de- cision. There was. there must have been, real chance of His yielding. But, as we look at Him. we know He ing God far outweighs this new temp tation of the senses. It grows clear before His vision that the higher life IS more precious than anything else SdH poSslDly De. lie says. T choose. Let Me be hungry, but let Me not dis obey God" and the victory is won.
 We here see how thoroughly He identified Himself with humanity. He meets His temptation as man. He gives His answer as man. It Is not the speech of one clothed in superior strength before whom ordinary man = hood must give way. It is not, T, as God, can do without your human food. " hut man shall not live by bread alone" Simply as men. each one of us
 the poorest and the sreatest-needs this life of obedience, and any sacri- flee of the flesh is cheap which will win it for us.
 Humanity was tested there. Can 1t in this supreme specimen. be satisfied with bread? If we can. then all these visions and cravings. these discon. tents. these demands of men for spirit ual things, for truth. for duty for God. are mere dreams. If 1t cannot, then some should be satisfied with only food for the body.
 Notice. His reply is a quotation: '1t alone" He says. in fact: Moses found out In the desert what ] have found here in My wilderness. He wrote 1t down, and have found 1t true" The ways known that man was soul as well as body. and that not only bread for the body, but truth and duty ani Gods Word are needed for the soul.
 This was the certainty to which Je- sus came in the wilderness. both from His own consciousness and expe- rience. And this life and experience of Christ Is repeated in us to-day, Just at the outset of our work (and to try us) Gods spirit takes us to some solitude, some experience; 1t may be enacted far off in the woods, or In the centre of some crowded street, but 1t makes us realize for the first time that our deepest life is alone. is ours. and only ours; that we cannot live in our father or mother; we must face 1t for ourselves. That is our wilder ness" our first realization of our in- dividuality.
 Tn that wilderness" every young man meets the same devil that the young Jesus met. And the temptation is the same; the assurance given in some form. that bread Is all that man needs; everything else is a delusion and that a life of physical comfort Is the only solid basis for a mans soul. Perhaps 1t is business which he knows is wrong, but sees must be ment of those he should care for, that he may himself get rich. Perhaps 1t is the hiding of his sincere convic- tion in order to keep his place in some connivance with some wicked mans sin to keep his favor. Perhaps it Is withholding charity till 1t grows cas- fer. Perhaps it Is refusal to ac- kHO"Ieuke 0lIlSl as Adst0E Out O1 lue fear of men.
 These gre real struggles. And every young nf&n must meet the devil with these questions where Christ met him And the answer that every young man makes. and the victory which he wins eff he does win) must be like that of Christ. That double witness of conscience and experience must be and Is, what every man appeals tc when. taking his stand before the tempter. he says: NO! Man cannot live by bread alone. I will live fol truth and duty"
 If Christ had yielded, can we picture Him as He descends the mountain? His famished body has received new vigor but what a weight is on His soul How He loathes the bread He has l eaten' How magnificent the chance He has cast away! What terrible defeat! So many of our lives come crawling down the mountain wei fed and comfortable yet despisine themselves and envying the poor hun | gry men who are manfully doing God: work and living the life which Goo intended they should lead.
 But look at Christ! After He hat conquered, coming down with the vic tory won, Ills life and work and suf- l fering still lie before him, but witt | the resolution and principle of His lifC establlshedl There is your young mar who has chosen aright-who hal l grasped the eternal truth: Man shal Esx I I .1l.,