Norwich bulletin., 1920-03-29
PALM SUNDAY SERMON
 ON TEMpTATtoM OF JESUS

nlS Pdlm ounuay .seIulOu at the InOrn- ing service at Park Congregational \ church in which he spoke upon the
 temptation of Jesus by the devil. If | K the devil had held brief for proving s the worthlessness of human nature E and it's unworthiness of redemption, E he would have approached Jesus in His temptable side. IE
 Dr. Howe spoke in part as follows: [
 The question of Christ's temptable-
 ness has been extensively debated. If He be divine, how could temptation find avenues of approach? But if He be human. why should not avenues of assault be found?
 What are temptations to holy be-
 ing found in human flesh? He may II be assaulted on every side as man is
 assaulted, but can He be coerved by H all those assailants which so success II fully cast men down? In a word, did
 ress so successfully with us make , their appeal to Jesus Christi He was temptable, but did the devils reper- | | toire of temptations appeal to Him? | | Were the tempter,s assaults in the |
 wilderness to Him temptations at all? ! 1 This some of us deny. The tempter | l successfully assails us but did the | devil know how to tempt the Son of [ fGod? The tempter knows the vul- |
 nerability of our shields, but he did |
 not know how to tempt God. What !! 1 I ask was there appealing in the sug- i l gestion of loaf of bread to Him |
 whose are all the fields and the for 1
 ests and the cattle on a thousand 1 hills? What was the appeal to Jesus | Christ of the suggested temptation of self exploitation by ffinging Himself from the pinnacle of the temple? l That was temptation to the risky ad-
 venturer, advertising for human ap- plause rot to him.. What was there in the offer of the devils tinsei king doms of the world for. an act of hom- l age to this sooty fend of the night /?
 The tempter can buy the homage of
 men like ourselves with a sop of hu-
 man greatness, but it was no tempta-
 tion to the Son of God, to whom the
 hosts of heaven bring their homage.
 We read this story as if the tempter's
 temptations were inspired and infaii-
 ible in their wisdom. whereas they ) only revealed the impotence of the devils tactics and the fiimsy nature . of his kingdom. Yes, the tempter r knows the weakness of human wills, r but he did not know how to tempt a God. An apple may tempt man., 5 a cheap guilty rapture or handful l of gold can buy mans integrity, 5 but not that of a mighty spirit, re- l cent from the ivory palaces on His :. mission to dig all sin out offa blight I ed world. Yes, the tempter could be- 5 guile Eve with the forbidden fruit and : David with debauch or an Ahab . with vineyard or a Judas with a y few pieces of silver. He can tempt e some men to ruin with a toy and per = vert a community with a monied g bribe,, but he did not know how to Q tempt the Son of God. And yet was f He not teE1ptable and sorely so along
 one fatal line? Had the devil held a
 brief for proving the worthlessness of
 human nature and it's unworthiness of
 redemption ne would have approach . ed Him on His temptabie side.
 $ This was the persistent trial to d Gods patience. It was the life long . temptation to Jesus Himself It is $. this agelong obduracy of human na- Ii ture that must try the divine patience h and His enduring love to the breakins ' point. It is not the temptation to V do wrong thing or an unjust thing < but to end the tragedy. When the $ race took it's first deep plunge in de- . pravity in the days of Noah 1t repeat ed God that He had made man and : made him free and he swept the race 9 away and started a new line. He v could have thrown up the tremendous 7 and risky experiment of freedom and .- been justified in doing so, but He ral- tt lied to the perpetuity of the trial.
 I, Tn the wilderness again His pa- ,l tience was tried to the breaking point e with the hopeless obduracy of tho .- people. They relapsed after all tho e, miracles to Egyptian idolatry. They r vented to return to Egypt and the e divine patience staggered. Let me
 alone and I will destroy this people l. and make of thee a great nation l. Then in the age of the prophet H. = gave them up to exile and dreary h captivity and with a chosen remnan l. started the nation afresh and we won V der He did not fling down the dreary ly experiment of trying to make some " thing of man. And when He entered D. human history and confronted the un nj belief of the world and the antagon $. ism of men who resented redemption ts the temptation must have been insist ul ent to fling down the hopeless experi m ment. Oh, the vail of that airnos le broken heart, will the Son of maj 1- when He cometh find faith upon tn ze earth? @
 ay And here He is on Palm Sunday
 approaching the city to give Himsel if to bitter death, surrounded by ac of claiming multitudes who would CT, sI Cruelty Him! Cruelty Himf" befor ii the week was out. He paused on tn rs brow of Olivet and flung a glance t at the city that in pure malice and hat
 . red would pursue Him with mookin .+ and violence to a cross; would rL have been strange had He, 1ookin is into the face of the awful spectael w of racial apostacy and over the head al of the near generatN,ns and marke of the persistent resentment to His re m demptive love have said. I have fail nj ed, the case is hopeless, Jerusalem he lost. Is such city, such a race an ,ss such world worth the tremendou ce sacrifice? Is it any wonder that H tIv love staggered when He confronte n, this stubborn fact and that His heai l broke and He wept those soaldin
 tears" O, Jerusalem, Jerusaler
 thou that slayest the prophets SCI
 unto you. How often would 1 ha, " gathered thee as hen gathers h, ,ly chickens under her wings but , 'eh would not. Your house is left uni o. you desolate." Passion week. add, he to the temptation to believe man WI ld- unworthy of redemption. Mocked sey the High Priests's palace, insulted i've Roman court, scourged like a COT he mon slave, sentenced like a comm, h.. murderer, was it not trial of u
 speakable severity to an intense in- sensitive soul? Yet for this eau or came I into the world, unto this ia ,p- was born that should bear witne ner to the truth. We can see the nov nd ment of His great spirit. And y di- though the city is hopeless there a Ab- 12o soon to be gathered in an upp
 .