Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1913-03-06
HAS PRICE FOR Sin
DEVIL WOULD TEACH THE DOC.
TRiNE THAT LIFE CAN BE sus-
TANNED IN ONLY ONE WAY.

ton in the wilderness The con-
versation is between Christ and
Satan. One great In goodness, the
other great in evil device. Three
temptations are hurled in quick sue
cession and as quickly parted and
repulsed. Make bread from these
| stones, Cast myself down from the
| pinnacle of the temple; worship the
| devil. Mark the audacity of Satan
he would attack the Son of God, he
would storm the citadel of heaven. II
the devil would persistently attack
the ,wisest, Eoblest and best OF earth.
think not you will be free. We hear
him saying, Make bread out of these
stones
The devil would teach the doctrine
that life can be sustained in only one
way: His program Is to eat and live;
take plenty of bread and refuse to die.
Fill the cupboard and the cribs; let
the barns burst with the golden grain;
then boast thyseh OF tomorrow Say
to myself: Soul. thou hast much
goods laid up for many years: eat,
drink and be merry" That Is the
DEVILS program. 1t Is Ingersoll say
ing, One world at a time, one life at
time" The man who listens to that
argument is listening to matepalism.
With a quick fash came the words,
Man shall not live by bread alone"
It Is not necessary that we live at
all; hut, anyway, we are not confined
to one method of subsistence. Only
in the most narrow aud contracted
sense do we live simply because we
baked a loaf and ate it, but because
God Wills that we live.
is Barn Too Large?
But this is evidently blow at ma
terlalism. We hear much these later
days as to our accomplishments. So
many farms titled and lands opened
up; SO many millions of bushels of
wheat and corn; so many bales of
cotton; SO many miles of railroad
built, and Sc many ships set afioat on
the high seas This may be interest
ing from the point of statistics. But
is this all? Can we see no farther
than granary and crib? Is the barr
so large we cannot see the sky?
Tell me. rather, how many churches
have been built--for man shall not
live by bread alone Tell me how
many souls this year of our Lord have
decided to make heaven their home;
how many young men and women
have gone out from halls of learning
TO help make this tired, sin-sick world
a little more livable. l want to know
in how many places the standard of
the cross has been set up. What is
success, and what is true SUGGEST
Foreyermore 1t must remain true that
nation, like man, cannot live by
bread alone.
Men become so wrapped up in ma
terial things, the external, the visible
and the tangible, they seem to forget
there is soul to save and q soul to
the bread Of life Man needs fellow
ship. the Bible, the church, com
munion.
Who Shall Grow?
Who Is it shall mount up on wings
as eagles, shall run and not be weary.
shall walk and not faint? Who shall
grow in grace? Who is it will go
from strength to strength, from vic
tory to victory, till one day they ap-
pear before God? 1t is that one who
has heard the words, Man shall not
live by bread alone"
Do you remember the pathetic
story of Esau, who, for one morsel Of
meat sold his birthright? For you
know that afterward, when he would
have inherited the blessing, he was re-
Jected; for he found no place of re-
pentance, though he sought it care
fully with tears.
Is 1t possible to sell the spiritual
birthright? Yes. How much does
Satan ever offer for 1t? Never more
than morsel of meat. 1t was all he
gave the mother of the human race
In the garden. She saw, she desired,
she ate, she fell What did she get
In return? A morsel Of meat.
So it has been in every age. Satan
and the soul strike bargain. How
much for the spiritual birthright? A
mess Of pottage, morsel of meat
nothing more. Man shall not live by
bread alone.
May the food we eat, the life we
receive, the strength we gain, cause
those who come after us to say, as
they see the work we did, There
were giants In those days. Rev.
Walter L. Ferris, Congregational
church, Pekin, Ill.