TEMPTATION AND TRIALS -- No. 1

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

     There is a difference between temptation and trials. Temptations come from Satan, as God gives 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 weaken, confuse, and 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 facts 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. How do we know but had our foreparents overcome the temptation, that the time might have come when, because of perfect resignation to their probationary state, the all-wise God would have given them permission to partake of the "tree of life" and henceforth live 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 since 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.

     Temptation takes advantage of selfishness, and appeals to the interest of the party tempted; at least this is the way the deceiver tries to make it appear. He knows full well no one would be foolish enough to 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 following a certain course, and afterward 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 triumphs in favor of righteousness there is no sin.

     Temptation is first presented to the mind. This is the seed or germ. If the will gives it permission to remain, it is born and becomes sin. The will is the executive power of the soul. In the regenerate the will is already on the God side of everything. As long as the individual retains saving grace a temptation may be presented to the mind for consideration, but it is referred to the decision of the will. 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 power is given not only to resist that from without, but suppress and demand silence within.

     The more a soul resists temptation, the greater his power of resistance becomes. The more he yields 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. 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 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, for 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 can not 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 can not 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 eggs, but evil thoughts are the chicks we hatch out by keeping them warm." Destroy the eggs and there will be no chicks. Go to smashing eggs and keep it up all your life.

     Temptation can not be accounted for from any reasonable standpoint. Trials can. The devil can not 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 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 devil can 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 know 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 itself such questions occasionally, it would greatly strengthen him against each assault of the devil.