Article April 5, 1900 Issue

Lenten Thoughts

BY MOLLIE COGSWELL DAVIS

The Lenten season just passing commemorates the temptation of our Lord, and in pondering it and studying his method of meeting temptation we may gain most helpful lessons.

We read in Luke's Gospel that he was forty days tempted of the devil, and that "In those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered." By what particular forms of evil he was assailed in the wilderness is unknown to us, but we do know that he fasted and fought until he conquered, and when, the long struggle ended, he returned to mingle with mankind, he was impregnable, unfaltering, victorious. As we recall those long days and nights passed alone by Jesus before the final conquest shall we be disheartened or dismayed that our intermittent efforts to overcome self are not at once crowned by success? If the Son of man struggled for forty days shall not we, his humble followers, work on with no thought of discouragement, battling with sin in every form, whether anger, impatience, selfishness, or pride, till we can say with our great way-shower, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me;" till error, coming, meets with no response? This is the Master's command to his followers, and our text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" teaches how we may obey it.

But no desultory, half-hearted warfare will ever bring a victory. We cannot wilfully serve evil to-day and hope to vanquish it to-morrow. We must meet the enemy face to face, mount guard over every thought, meeting every suggestion of error with the word of Truth, as did our Lord.

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