Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-07-18

We should suppose, if there were mighty
organism in this world, intelligent, malig-
nant and hostile to Christians peace aud
safety, God, our Father, would not suffer us
to remain in ignorance of so vital a fact ;
and he has not. God has announced TO us
the existence of legions of lost spirits ;
Principalities, Powers and Rulers of the
darkness of this world" all of whom are
animated by intense hatred TO God and to
man. They cannot reach God directly by
any schemes of their evil plotting they cope
with Omnipotence and Omuiscieuce. But
the human children of the great Creator
are accessible to their visits and open to
their influence. And they lavish their NAL
evolent regards upon us; and seek to despoil
us of what they have lost--the heritage of
happy immortality.
We are warned of this fearful peril. Many
questions which we might ask concerning
these angels that kept not their first estate
questions of curious interest and of fascin
ating marvels, are answered. But of their
being, and numbers, and deadly plotting
against our souls, we have been clearly told
that we might be put upon our guard, and
kept prayerfu and vigiant against this
ceaseless danger. And not only has God
revealed the fact of this ever present danger
and shown us that we cannot escape the con-
hict, that we have here lifelong warfare to
wage, but he has provided and furnished us
a complete suit of armor, both offensive and
defensive, for all the exgencies of this strife.
Our adversaries are unseen. No matter
how alert and vigilant our senses may be,
they can give us no intimation of the pres
ence or approach of these invisible maraud-
ers. We hear, with our finest listening, no
rustling of wings; we catch no soft and
stealthy football. We are ambushed when
we know it not. We can be sure of no
privacy. In the solitude that seems TO us
absolute there may be intensely vital throngs
girding us about. What advantage this
gives our foemen We cannot tell when or
where they are about TO strike. They may
be nearest when we are least aware of peril
and least prepared to meet it. We must
nerer be of our guard.
Their method of warfare is by rifles, tredch-
cry and deceit. Blessed be God, they cannot
compel us to do wrong. They cannot lay
violent hands upon us and drag us into evil.
They have no power to hurt us spiritually.
unless they can beguile and mislead So
they seek to entrap us, to ensnare our feet,
to cloud our discernment, to make the worse
appear the better reason, to pervert our
conscience, to make evil appear good, and
good evil. 1t is not their way, ordinarily,
to bring upon us an open and direct assault,
testing our strength and constancy. Rather
they mine under our feet; they hide their
real meaning under artful sophistries, and
seek to steal into the citadel of the soul,
rather than carry its defenses by storm.
This gives peculiar character to our watch
ing and fighting, and leaves us never for a
moment or on the plainest path with sense
of security.
And how great is their art of deceiving.
What a large experience they have had in
the practice of leading astray. What varie-
ties Of mind and temper and disposition
they have studied and mastered. How to
excite passion, how to drug the fears, how
10 stimulate the desire, how TO overcome
every form of opposition, how to blind the
wisest and win the shyest, they know by a
training that has missed no lesson and lost
no opportunity. Unaided, we are no match
for the least and weakest of them.
Aud then, more perilous still, they have
allies Cithin as. They have territory and for
tresses in the domain of our being and char
acter. There are weaknesses, and preiudices,
and passions, and cravings, and propensities,
all tainted with evil already. They can ap-
peal TO PRIDE and it shall take sides with
them, and win them a malgn victory. They
can rally obstlnacy, or trust to fickleness
they eau offer bait to the mercenary dispo-
sition, or spread feast of sensuality. We
have traitors within against our peace and
safety. In this boding fellowship of these
spirits of evil with our fallen nature, we
front peril than which nothing is more
threatening to our souls health and life.