Temptation No. 1

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he is tried heshall receive the crown of life."

There is a difference between temptation and trials. Temptations come from Satan, but only as God gives him permission. Trials come from God, and differ from temptations in that they are intended to strengthen, confirm and promote holiness, while temptations are intended to wake, confuse and make shipwreck.

We are not responsible for being tempted, nor can we ever hope to be free from temptation in this life. Nevertheless, through grace the weakest saint can resist and overcome every diabolical scheme of hell.

Trials and temptations are not necessarily evidences of sin, but simply a fact connected with the probationary life. It is one of the "mysteries of iniquity," that ever since the fall of angels, the prohibition of anything arouses a curiosity to investigate and partake of that same thing. How do we know but had our foreparents overcome the temptation, that the time would have come when because of perfect resignation to their probationary prohibition, the all-wise God would have given them permission to partake of the "tree of life" and henceforth have lived forever.

There is a great similarity between the temptations of Eve and Jesus. The same successive steps that Satan used in deceiving her, he has worked with every one who has ever made shipwreck of faith. He accomplished so much in his first attempt with our foreparents, that he hoped to succeed in pursuing the same steps with Jesus, but thank God, he hopelessly failed. Notice: "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat."-Gen. 3:6.

Temptation takes advantage of selfishness, and appeals to the interest and gratification of the party tempted; at least, this is the way the devil tries to make it appear. He knows no person would be foolish enough to consider and yield to something he thought would tend to his disadvantage. And this is the weakness of fallen humanity. In their blindness they work against their own eternal interests. They vainly imagine they are justified in saying or doing a certain thing, until afterwards they wake up to the fact that they have brought leanness to their souls.

Temptation does not consist so much in the outward presentation of objects, as in the mind's receiving ideas intended to inflame desire. But so long as the power of choice perfectly triumphs in favor of righteousness there is no sin.

Temptations are first presented to the mind. This is the seed or germ. if the will gives it permission to remain, then it conceives, is born and becomes sin. The will is the executive power of the soul. In the regenerate it is already sanctified and wholly on the God side of everything. As long as the individual retains saving grace temptations may be presented to the mind for consideration, but the mind (intelligence) passes it over to the decision of the will, and the will is so fully consecrated to God that though devils howl from without and carnality clamors from within, the will declares itself on God's side, and immediately power is given not only to resist that from without, but suppress and demand silence within.

The more a soul resists temptations, the greater his power of resistance becomes. The more he yields and is overcome, the less will be his power to withstand a similar temptation in the future.

It would be well for everybody to heed and adopt Mr. Hobo's rule of life. It reads thus: "Think not to do evil!

"To foster the evil thought, craving passion or desire, for indulging in any evil habit when assailed by temptation would lessen the resistance for restraining that evil. But to keep up a resistance would strengthen the will and enable the faculty to overcome the evil. And the way to keep up a resistance is to subdue the evil thought, craving, passion or desire in its first initiation in the imagination-keep on with the resistance and change the subject of your thoughts for something better to think about.

This can be carried out (through grace) by increasing your efforts and strengthening your determination. Hence make no excuse for yourself to indulge in any evil habit; nor allow the force of habit to override this rule, but dislodge every form of mental masturbation and concupiscence from the imagination, free the mind from evil and supply the Intellect with purer and better thoughts.

"Never allow the force of the will to become relaxed, that would have a tendency to cause you to indulge in any evil habit, but always keep it predominant for the subjugation of evil."

There is a difference between evil thoughts and thoughts of evil. We cannot help thinking about some of the evil things that have transpired in the past, but we can keep from feasting and dwelling, upon them. "We cannot hinder Satan from putting thoughts of evil into our minds, but we are not obliged to hatch out the evil brood. Temptation is an egg, sin is the chick. Thoughts of evil are his eggs, but evil thoughts are the chicks we hatch out by keeping them warm." Destroy the eggs and there will be no chicks. Well, amen, then go to smashing eggs and keep it up all your life.

Temptation cannot be accounted for from any reasonable standpoint. Trials can. The devil cannot accomplish much with a soul as long as he is deliberate and self possessed. It is Satan's business to inflame desire, so that in view of some present gratification the soul becomes oblivious to the future and yields, rather than to be willing to wait and suffer if need be, in order to enjoy something more lasting and satisfactory.

Why not meet every temptation and evil suggestion with a few pointed questions like the following: Why should I yield to anything that will mar my peace or bring unrest of soul Why should I tear down in one minute what I have labored hard for months or years to build up Why should I indulge my mind in criticism or uncharitable suspicions, when I know it will leave its mark upon my conscience and soul Why should I allow my eyes to behold or my ears to hear, my mind to conceive or my hands to touch that which the devilcan use in the future to harass and torment me Yea why should I yield to a single thing, and console myself with the thought that no one will ever know it, and God will forgive me, when I know I can never forget it, and though forgiveness is sought and found, yet I will never be what I might have been had I not yielded. If every soul would seriously ask himself such questions occasionally, it would greatly strengthen him against every assault of the devil.