The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1910-12-08
CHRIST'S BATTLE
In WILDERNESS
WAS PORTRAYED
Rev. J. S. Harmon Preached Mastery
Sermon on Temptation, personal
Devil" Ambition and Avarice.

Wednesday afternoon, Rev. ]. S.
mon of the conference, the church be-
ing crowded with the conference men,
bers and a few visitors. Seated on
the pulpit were two superannuated
ministers, their gray hair, grown gray
in the service, contrasting greatly
with the many, many young-some-
times boyish faces, in the conference.
Mr.. Harmon is a fine speaker, pleas
ing, clear and distinct in delivery, and
held his audiences entire attention
during his story of the devil tempting
Christ on the high mountain, with the
three temptations. Mr.. Harmon said:
"The worlds history is full of great
battles, many of which changed the
course of the world. The battle of
truth and righteousness against wrong
is a great battle fought out in the soul
and nothing but the grace of God in
the heart can carry us through that
time of temptation.
"That was real battle fought out
there in the wilderness by Christ,
with two paths before him to CHOOSE
from and the devil attempting to frus-
trate Gods purposes in the world.
Moses was the covenant giver, Elijah
the covenant restorer, Christ is the
covenant renewer."
A Personal Devil.
Here Mr.. Harmon told of the fasting
of these three and the results, then
, declared his belief in a personal devil
? "There is a personal devil, but he only
goes out against those greater than
himself-the lesser folk he leaves his
hierarchy to fight The deyil came tc
Jesus personally" the speaker be
lieved, but he does not come to peo
, pie generally, in his own shape, he
! takes various enticing forms-such al
+ beautiful girl, with a wine cup ant
. etc. Many man of high intellect ha!
gotten wrong beliefs because the devi
o spoke to him against God, yet tha
+ man wouldn't steal or do murder.
I Men standing in the high place!
/. and speaking against Cod" Mr. Har
, mon declared, "is really the devi
6 working in them. The devil operates
n from the heart into the mind, bu
O some hearts are citadels that he can
, not enter, so he comes in through thei
/. mind.
C Every temptation that can reacl
# the human heart" said Mr.. Harmon
+ lis wrapped in these three temptation
the devil offered Christ"
Ambition And Avarice.
i. An appeal was made to the brethrei
# to know the Word. Ambition AM
g avarice," the speaker pointed out, "ar
r under every great war that has bee
Q fought" He dwelt on the tempting O
n Christ by the devil to fall in with tn
@ world not to make great fundamenta
# changes in the world, to just fall in.
Il And Mr.. Harmon then showed the evl
. of Just falling in" In vivid wor
p pictures Mr. Harmon drew the seen
of the battle between right and wron
with the world as a BATTLEFIELD, elC
e quently portraying the force of tn
o tempter and bidding his hearers com
Is boldly to the throne of grace, wher
o power to resist would be given. Alto
T. gether it was mastery sermon,
4 At the close "Old Time Religion
h. was sung, the conference members g
ing forward to shake hands with tn
1 speaker. Rev. Fl. P. Lewis, ST., c
If Jackson, led in prayer and Rev. Ir
- Robertson pronounced the benedictioI