View source for THE WORLD CONQUERED

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<p>&quot;Remember&nbsp;<em>the  words of the Lord Jesus</em>, how He said,&quot;<br><br>
  <em>&quot;I  have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you  will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!&quot;</em>&nbsp;—  John 16:33<br><br>
  And shall I be afraid of the world,  which is already conquered? The Almighty Victor, within view of His crown,  turns around to His faint and weary soldiers — and bids them take courage. They  are not fighting their way through untried enemies. The God-Man Mediator &quot;<em>knows</em>&nbsp;their  sorrows.&quot; &quot;He was tempted in every way, just as we are.&quot;  &quot;Both He who sanctifies (that is, Christ), and  those who are sanctified (His people), are all of one (nature).&quot; As the  great Predecessor, He heads the pilgrim band, saying, &quot;I will show you the  path of life.&quot; The way to Heaven is consecrated by His footprints! Every&nbsp;<em>thorn</em><em>&nbsp;</em>that wounds them — has wounded Him before. Every&nbsp;<em>cross</em><em>&nbsp;</em>they can bear — He has borne before. Every&nbsp;<em>tear</em><em>&nbsp;</em>they shed — He has shed before. There is one  respect, indeed, in which the identity fails — He was &quot;yet without  sin;&quot; but this recoil of His holy nature from moral evil gives Him a  deeper and more intense sensibility towards those who have still corruption  within, responding to temptation without.<br><br>
  Reader! are you ready to faint under  your troubles? under a seducing world? under a wandering, wayward heart? &quot;Consider<em> Him</em>&nbsp;who endured!&quot; Listen to your adorable  Redeemer, stooping from His Throne, and saying, &quot;<em>I</em>&nbsp;have  overcome the world.&quot; He came forth unscathed from its snares. With the  same heavenly weapon which He bids you to wield — three times did He repel the  Tempter, saying, &quot;It is written!&quot;<br><br>
  Is it some crushing trial — or  overwhelming grief? He is &quot;<em>acquainted</em>&nbsp;with  grief.&quot; He, the mighty Vine, knows the minutest fibbers of sorrow in the  branches; when the pruning knife touches&nbsp;<em>them</em>&nbsp;—  it touches&nbsp;<em>Him.</em>&nbsp;&quot;He  has gone,&quot; says a tried sufferer, &quot;through every class of suffering  in our wilderness school.&quot; He loves to bring His people into untried and  perplexing places — that they may seek out the&nbsp;<em>guiding  pillar</em>, and prize its radiance. He puts them  on the darkened waves, that they may follow the&nbsp;<em>guiding  light</em><em>&nbsp;</em>hung out astern from the only Ship of pure and  unsullied humanity that was ever armoured against the storm.<br><br>
  Be assured that there is&nbsp;<em>disguised  love</em>&nbsp;in all that He does. He who knows us infinitely  better than we know ourselves, often puts a&nbsp;<em>thorn</em><em>&nbsp;</em>in our nest to drive us to the wing — that we may  not be&nbsp;<em>grovelers</em><em>&nbsp;</em>forever.  &quot;It is,&quot; says Evans, &quot;upon the<em> smooth ice</em><em>&nbsp;</em>that we slip; the&nbsp;<em>rough  path</em><em>&nbsp;</em>is safest for the feet.&quot;<br><br>
  The tearless and undimmed eye — is not  to be coveted&nbsp;<em>here</em><em>&nbsp;</em>on  earth;<em>&nbsp;</em>that is reserved for Heaven! Who can tell what  muffled and disguised &quot;needs be&quot; there may lurk under these worldly  troubles? His true spiritual seeds are often planted deep in the soil; they  have to make their way through a load of sorrow before they reach the surface;  but their roots are thereby the firmer and deeper struck. Had it not been for  these lowly and needed &quot;depths,&quot; they might have rushed up as feeble  saplings, and succumbed to the first cold blast. He often leads His people  still, as He led them of old, to a &quot;high mountain, alone;&quot; but it is  to a&nbsp;<em>high</em>&nbsp;mountain  —&nbsp;<em>above the world;</em>&nbsp;and,  better still, He who Himself has overcome the world — leads them there, and  speaks comfort unto them!</p>

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