The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-02-26

life than that which is fed BY the
! tasting of bread. and that is fed by
/ the not tasting IT.; when He who
/ gave tho body its food takes it away.
IN order to feed the soul and sends
hunger. because only by hunger can
come truth, what shall be said bu,
this: Man shall not live by bread
| alone. SO l shall not wonder even
when He takes the bread away. nor
| dare nor wish to Interfere?
| st. Matthew tells us. then. Of the
! second temptation in these words:
| Then the devil taketh Him up into
the Holy City. and stitch Him on a
pinnacle Of the temple, and saith unto
Him, II Thou be the Son Of God cast
myself down: for 1t is written. lie
| shall Sive His angels charge concern
lnG Ihec: and in their hands they shall
! pear Thee up lest at any Tine Thou
dash Thy foot against stone" Jesus
! answered. ct is written again. Tho,,
shalt not tempt the Lord thy God,
| mere was a more trying temptation
to more sensitive part Of Ills being
than the first, for He knew He was
the Son Of God. and Just before lie
came into the wilderness, at His bap-
tisn, His Father had claimed Him
from the opened sky. saying: This is
My beloved SON, And now here was
the tcmptcr saying: Prove Your Son
ship; force Your Father to own You
by flinging Yourself into danger, from
which He must save You" And what
does Jesus say? How calm and Ger
tain His answer, NO: II must no;
tempt the Lord My God am Ills
SON know 1t even when l seem
most deserted. 1t is not Mine 10 die
tate how He shall show Ills Father
hood. 1t is not Mine to create diff
culties. just that His fatherly care may
conquer them. Let Me wait, and in
His own good time and way He will
show Himself TO Nc more clearly than
If His hard caught Nc half way be-
tween the pinnacle and the pavement"
This template had differed greatly
from the first It wa. harder than the
first to resist, for, strange as 1t mas.
seem. as a man grows more spiritual
he encounters new dangers he knew
not when he was more curnal To
hunger for bread is terrible and may
arire man TO great wickedncss; but
10 munger for God who seems to
refuse Himself is Infinitely more ter
rible. and may drive 10 wickcdness
far more intense the soul that cannot
trust and wait till God Shall claim the
child. whom He has not forgotten for
an instant. in His own way,
Then comes the third temptation-.-
Again tho devil taketh Him up into
an exceeding high mountain. and
showeth Him all the kingdoms Of the
world. and the glory OF them; anu
saith unto Him. All these things will
] give Thee II Thou wilt fall down
and worship me- Sow we can All
see the temptation in this-for Jesus
wanted these kingdoms intensely (not
with the covetousness OF avaricious
men, but had He not come 10 win
them even with the price Of His own
bloodo lie wanted that world to pour
His blessings and saving grace upon
it. and here He was told by tile devil,
DO one wrong thing and all Your
great longing for these possessions
will be at mn end for they will be
Yours Those OF az who have loved
our friends and longed intensely to
keep them. and had time come when
by some one wrong act or one conces-
sion to our standards could feel the
oh,
ours, can understand tho sort Of temp
tation that this time came 10 Jesus.
In the vcrS Intensity of tie tcmpta-
ton He turned against il as He cried
out, Get thee hence. SATAN These
three temptations illustrate The idea
| already mentioned, that as a man be-
comes higher SO he becomes capa Bile
of higher temptations. The first temp
tation appealed 10 Christs bodily ap-
petite, which we know He had in His
perfect humanity that came when He
was made man. The second temptation
appealed 10 lis need right then of
His Father. and the third 10 Ills love
of His brethren.
Life cannot be lived here without
tclnpta tons any more than the lungs
can breathe without oxygen in The
air II We arc true Christians we shall
meet our temptations even as Christ
did, in the strength Of the God who
is the Father, Of whom all men are
children. Every temptation hat at
tacks us attacked Him and was con-
uucrca Whenever our struggle be-
comes fierccs, and most trying, let us
pray that strength to resist may come
as recall the wonderful and blessed
| day when Jesus was led up Of the
Spirit into The wilderness to be
| tempted of the devil"
Sdeath In he very heart Of the