Vain Glory.

MR. ALCOTT. That is the second temptation, perhaps, which comes from the love The other tempta

of praise, of having others like us. tions mentioned were rather of the body, like the first temptation of Jesus. Do you think of any temptations coming from the mind?

FREDERIC.

The mind tempts to show off.

MR. ALCOTT. How many have been tempted to do that in this school room, while conversing? (Josiah and six others held up hands.)

When were you tempted to do so, Josiah?
JOSIAH. When I first came here, not lately.

MR. ALCOTT. Who always say things for the truth's sake, and not for display?

(All the rest rose.)

MR. ALCOTT. What else tempts from within the mind?

EMMA. Wrong opinions.

ELLEN. Bad feelings tempt to murder.

EDWARD J. One person succeeds in making another

do wrong.

MR. ALCOTT. Is suffering a temptation to complain? (They held up hands.)

CHARLES. Slaveholders are sometimes tempted by the power they have over their slaves.

ANOTHER. Money is a temptation.

Self Subordination.

MR. ALCOTT. What subdues all these temptations?

GEORGE K. Conscience.

MR. ALCOTT. Was there ever any one in whom conscience determined that body, mind, and soul should do no wrong?

EMMA. Yes; Jesus subdued all temptations.

MR. ALCOTT. He overcame the world.

EMMA. The world means temptations.

CHARLES. The world means outward things.

Mr. ALCOTT. The world means all that tempts the spirit from its own law. Do you think pure spirit can be tempted?

THE OLDER ONES. Jesus was tempted.

AUGUSTINE. We have not decided yet, whether it is Satan, or ourselves that tempts.

MR. ALCOTT. The desire, the ease of yielding, is Satan.

Emblem of
Appetites and
Passions.

What may the wilderness be the emblem of?

CHARLES.

Solitude.

MR. ALCOTT. And the wild beasts that were there? CHARLES. Passions and appetites.

MR. ALCOTT. It is very common to represent passions by animals; we say a person has a tiger heart; John called the Jewish rulers vipers.

EMMA. We say, "harmless as a dove" "docile

as a lamb. "

MR. ALCOTT. Some people think that the animal creation is designed to teach us what is the tendency of the various passions. In all nations there are fables, in which the passions are played off against each other, by means of animal emblems. Jesus went into solitude, perhaps, to meditate upon the passions, and think how each one tempted the spirit.

RECORDER. And by what principle each should be regulated.

Spiritual
Support.

MR. ALCOTT. What does his "fasting and afterwards being an hungered" mean? CHARLES. His mind was excited at first, so that he did not want food.

MR. ALCOTT. His mind was so peaceful, so sustained by God, that he did not need it. I never want to eat,

when I am the most quietly happy. When one feels patient, he can wait for what he wants, without doing extraordinary things. Would it not have seemed impatience in Jesus to have turned the stones into bread? Would it not have seemed like distrusting God?

CHARLES. When any thing seems wanting to us outwardly, we should doubt ourselves, not God.

AUGUSTINE. I have a desire for money.

MR. ALCOTT. Was he tempted to exchange his heavenly kingdom for an earthly one?

CHARLES. To govern men's bodies, not their spirits. MR. ALCOTT. The Genius of Jesus fitted him to be the greatest of monarchs and the richest of men.

FREDERIC. But he would not have had such real power, that would last, and increase always.

CHARLES. But if he had been a monarch he might have done a great deal of good.

MR. ALCOTT. Ah! that has been a temptation to many to get power -more power than they could use well. It is better not to go into temptation for the sake of doing good. Suppose Mr. Webster should say I will humor people so that they shall make me President, and I will make up for doing wrong now, by governing well and doing good afterwards would that be wise and right?

Spiritual
Integrity.

EMMA. No; because he might lose the de-
sire to do right, if he did wrong now.
MR. ALCOTT. But suppose he says, No;

I will use all my genius in illustrating what is true, and take my chance about being President-how is that? ALL. That would be right.

MR. ALCOTT. Suppose a man does good things to he popular - does he serve the Lord ?

CHARLES. We serve the Lord when we do good for conscience' sake.

Aspiration for the Perfect.

MR. ALCOTT. What did he mean by "Get thee behind me "?

EMMA.

riches, or for honors.

It means we must not serve for

MR. ALCOTT. But we must act according to our Idea of the Perfect, and say, get thee behind me, Appetite; get thee behind me, Passion; get thee behind me, Ambition. Perhaps this " high mountain " represented Am

bition.

EMMA. My Sunday School Teacher told me that there was a tradition among the Jews, that the Messiah would come from the clouds of heaven; and that the temptation of throwing himself from the pinnacle of the temple came out of that. If he had done it, he would have flattered their prejudices, and been received with honors as their Messiah.

MR. ALCOTT. Did Jesus ever do a miracle for display, or preach, to show his eloquence?

ALL. No.

MR. ALCOTT. And so Jesus was tempted in all his nature. But we must close the conversation on this passage, for the present; although we have not gone into the depths of it. There are inexhaustible meanings in it; for it represents that struggle for self-mastery, which the soul is ever making, when faithful to the Divine Law of Perfection, which conscience is proclaiming in every faculty and function of our being.

Jesus subordinated the Body, Nature, and Life to this law. He overcame, and put all corporeal things under foot. And so should we strive to do. All Duty lies in striving after the Perfect.

15*