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THE KING’S BUSINESS
tion where your temptation lies; or the person from whom you chiefly suffer may be removed from your neighborhood. The unholy fire of passion, which now you must struggle to keep out of your heart, may, through the mercy of God who setteth, men in families, be burnt away, and replaced by the virtuous home. The laughter and scorn which you may now be bearing for your Christian profession will, if you only have patience, be changed into respect and ven eration; for even the ungodly are forced at last to do honor to a consistent Chris tian life. In these and other ways, if you only have patience, you will outlive temptation; though I do not suppose we shall ever in this world be entirely out of its reach, or be beyond the need of these two admoni tions ; “Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation,” and, “Let him that think- eth he standeth take heed lest he fall.” V I. T h e g ro u p of th e ex trem e rig h t, o r th o se w ho a re h elping o th ers to overcom e tem p tatio n . You see,' on the right there is an upward progress, as on the left there was a down ward one. The first step is to be success fully resisting temptation; a higher one is to have outlived temptation; the highest of all is to be helping others to resist it; though I do not say that this must be the chronological order.. It is the order of honor. This group of the extreme right is the exact opposite of the group of the extreme left. Those in the latter group are tempt ing others to fall; those in this one are encouraging and aiding others to stand fast. No man ought to be satisfied till he is in this noble group. There are many ways in which we may assist others with their temptations. A big-hearted man will often be doing so without being aware of it. His very pres ence, his attractive manhood, his massive character act as an encouragement to younger men arid hold them up. I do not know anything so much to be coveted as
conscience. Nay, even this is not enough ; the only effective defense is that of one who was surely tempted in this very way, “How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” There are secret battles fought and won on this ground, never heard of on earth, but essentially more glorious than many victories which are trumpeted far and wide by the breath of fame. There is more of courage and manhood needed for them than for walking up to the cannon’s mouth. Many a soldier could do that who could not say “No” to two or three companions pressing-him to enter the canteen. Not long ago I was speaking to a soldier who told me that many a time in the barracks he was the only man to go down on his knees out of twenty or thirty; and he did it among showers of oaths and derision. Do you think walking up to the cannon’s mouth would have been difficult to that man? Such victories have no record on earth; but be sure of this, they are widely heard of in heaven, and there is One there who will not forget them. V . T h e g ro u p of th e rig h t, o r th o se w ho have outlived th e ir tem p tatio n s. On this point I do not mean to dwell; but I should like at least to mention it, as there is-contained in it a great encourage ment to some who may be enduring the very hottest fires of temptation. Perhaps your situation is so intolerable that you often say, I can not stand this much longer; if it lasts as it is, I must fall—“One day I shall fall into the hands of Saul.” No, you will not. I bid you take courage ; and as one encouragement I say, you will yet outlive your temptation. That which is a temptation' at one period of life may be n o . temptation at all at another. To a child there may be an irre sistible temptation in a sweetmeat which a man would take a good deal to touch; and some of the temptations which are now the most painful to you will in time be as completely outlived. God may lift you, by some turn of providence, out of the posi
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