A good old Christian man was asked if he had much trouble with his temptations; this is what he said: “Indeed I have trouble with them, and this is what I have to do every day; I have two falcons to tame” (a falcon is a bird of prey like an eagle, but much smaller); “two hares to keep from running away; two hawks to manage; a serpent to confine; a lion to chain; and a sick man to tend and wait upon.”
“Why, that can’t be,” said his friend, “no one could attend to all those things at once.”
“Yes, indeed,” said the old man, “it is just as I have said. The two falcons are my two eyes, which I must diligently guard lest they should look at something dangerous to my soul; the two hares are my feet, which I must hold back lest they should run into sinful ways; the two hawks are my two hands, which I must keep from ‘picking and stealing,’ and with which I must ‘labour truly to get mine own living’; the serpent is my tongue, which I must keep from ‘evil, lying, and slandering’; the lion is my heart, which I have to struggle with all the time, to keep from evil thoughts and feelings; and the sick man is my whole self, which always needs my watchfulness and care.—It would be good practice for every good Christian to consider himself in the same position as this dear old fellow, and try to master each temptation by lifting up his eyes to heaven and saying, “By Thy power, Lord.” God would give us the victory.—Extract from an American Paper.