Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-01-09

The record of the forty days In the
wilderness. tempted of the devil, which
Mark gives in the first two verses OF
today's lession. is more fully recorded
in Matt. 4:1-11; Luke Alb. The
remarks of Stier in his words of the
Lord Jesus" seem TO me so helpful that
i feel led TO quote them. He says in
vol. l. page "a" AS the Sons first words
Of all concerning the Father Ouke
2 :49). embraced the whole inner life of
his own most essential personality,
and the second, concerning his right
eousness (Matt. 3:15), embraced the
entire work of his active and passive
obedience for us, so now the fuihll-
ment Of all righteousness, in its three
great branches is maintained and as
serted against the tempter 10 IN
righteousness. His obedience approves
itself in the reconciliation of all en-
joyment. of all honor, of all else in
this world; and thus be leads human
nature back to God again, through the
selfsaiae way by which il had fallen
from him. Matthew says that he fast
ed forty days and forty nights; Luke
SAYS that he did eat nothing; both say
that afterward he was hungry, or hum
gered, and then the devil came sus-
costing that he should turn stones into
bread. The devil is ever tempting us
to seek the nourishment of life indie
pendent of God, and never more so
than now (19l7-19lS), when the ques-
ton of how to obtain food is world
wide one, and God is left out, and the
Fourth Commandment set aside. and
the words of our Lord seem forgotten
that MAN doth not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceedeth
out of the mouth of the Lord doth man
live" He virtually said, Il commit
the sustentation of my life entirely
into the hands of God" Thus let us
all say. We cannot claim the protect
ing care of God if we presumptuously
place our lives in danger, and as to
accepting earthly power or favor from
the devil, the thing Is wholly impos-
sibIe 10 a true child of God. though it
is often done by those who profess TO
be his children. Mark mentions that
our Lord was with the wild beasts,
but as he had delivered David and
Daniel from them, they could have no
power over him. Both Matthew and
Mark tell US that angels ministered
unto him. So did they in all his life,
Mt his birth, in Gethsemane, at his
resurrection, and they are ever minis
tering TO believers (Heb. 1:1D. Les
son verses IA, Is, tell US that he
preached the gospel of the Kingdom
of God, saying. the Kingdom of God
is at hand. In the account of his
where we see the other
two fOrty-day fasters with him, we
see fulfillment of his saying, There
be some ofo them that stand here,
which shall not taste of death till
they have seen the Kingdom of God
come with power" The context in
Matthew, Mark and Luke makes 1t
very plain that the events of the trans
figuration were a fulfillment of these
words, for the glorified Christ, the
risen Moses, the translated Elijah, and
the three disciples representing Israel
in the flesh set before US the kingdom
in miniature John the Baptist, the
twelve and the seventy, as well as our
Lord himself, all preached the king
6ar nf han hnf
because his enemies laid violent hands
upon it and him, and would have none
of 1t nor him, and so he told them later
In his ministry that 1t would not come
till he would return from the far
country duke 1911, 12). As 1t is
written in Acts 8 81, THE Heaven
must receive him until the times of
restoration of all things which God
hath spoken by the mouth of all his
holy prophets since the world began"
The kingdom being rejected, and
therefore postponed till his return,
he is calling to himself all who are
willing to receive him, that they may
become fishers of men, and that he
through them may preach repentance
and remission of sins in all the world
and so the "whosoevers" be gathered
out of all nations who will from the
Bride, the Lambs wife, for whom he
waits ere he will return to set up his
kingdom Of righteousness and peace
on earth.
These men, Simon and Andrew and
James and John, whom he calls to fol-
low him, had evidently received remis-
sion of sins through the preaching OF
John the Baptist (verse A.. for we can
not be followers of Jesus. or his dis.
ciples, till we have received remission
of our sins through him. To this end
we are not called upon to give up OF
forsake anything. The free gift OF
God is eternal life, even Christ him
self, who is the Bread of life, and the
Water of Life, and the only way tc
obtain him is TO receive him. without
any merit or works on our part what
ever (John 1872; 3:16; 4:10; 1927
10 %; Rom 8 "a; 6:23; Rev. 22:17)
Then being redeemed he asks us tc
follov him. become his disciples, and