ion that is being presented. Turn your
back upon it, and cry to God. Think only of Him, His goodness, His
loving protection. The diversion of the mind alone is a victory over
the tempter; and where it is turned from him, and set upon strong and
holy appeals and aspirations, it is not possible but that the enemy
will be driven utterly from our path.

IV. _A Holy Perversity_

Another effective method of resistance is to make a rule of doing, in a
definite and precise way, and instantly if possible, just the contrary
of what Satan is seeking to induce us to do. For instance, he
insinuates into our minds some bitter, resentful, and uncharitable
thought. We know the thought is evil, and we abhor it accordingly, nor
do we give any sort of consent to its presence; but still it is not
easy to crush. Perhaps it is a revival of some old bitterness in
regard to a real wrong done us long ago. We fight hard against it, and
thus save ourselves from sin; but how much shall we add to Satan's
discomfiture, how shall we indeed crown our victory, if, instead of
expending our energy in the merely negative {141} work of refusing
admittance to our hearts of an unloving thought, we proceed to do or
say some loving thing; or at any rate offer a resolution instantly to
God to watch for an opportunity, and, if need be, to go out of our way,
to perform some act of kindness before the day is over.

Or in case of temptation to pride, personal vanity or self-assertion,
to perform some little act of meekness; or when the temptation is to
some form of self-indulgence or selfishness, deliberately to do some
unselfish thing, preferring for our greater self-denial something that
naturally we should not care to do.

A simple illustration will show how discouraging such a course will be
to the tempter. Suppose whenever you had occasion to ask a certain
acquaintance to do something for you, instead of complying with your
request, he did just the contrary thing, and that with a precision and
regularity that gave evidence of a deliberate plan and policy. Suppose
again that this contrary thing was the very act that he knew was most
displeasing to you. How long would you persist in your applications to
him? Surely, not for long. So will it be with Satan. He is far too
intelligent a creature, and knows and serves his own interests all too
faithfully, to continue his efforts long under such conditions.

{142}

V. _Scorning the Tempter_