Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-01-25
geadiug fur the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED By
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
(Original.] '

CONDUCTED By 90"
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
..s foriginal.]
TEMPTATION.
"Simon, Simon," said our Saviour, "Satan
hath desired to have you that he may sift you as
wheat"
Although addressed to Simon, the Lord
designed the words for all bis people. There
was nothing peculiar about Simon that made
the language applicable to him alone, of all
the human family. Because Satan is invisi.
bic, multitudes of our race, even of those who
have the Bible, conclude that he has no ex.
istence He is regarded as mere imaginary
being, the creation of morbid sensibilities
and feeble intellects. The works of the devil
are seen and felt by all men in every quarter
of our world. If we take the Bible for our
guide and give any heed to the utterances Of
our own experience, we can have no doubts
respecting the existence of a being whose
whole aim is to thwart the purposes Of God
and fill all creation with misery. The Bible
teaches us that the devil has personal exis.
tence. He is being, not notion. He is
not, as some assert, our evil hearts, our cor
rupt natures, or anything connected with or
derived from US, but being separate and dis.
tinct from every other creature. His distin-
gushing characteristics are ceaseless activity
and indomitable hatred toward God. Neither
by day nor by night, does he cease to, work
for the overthrow of the Almighty and the
utter ruin of the Messiah's Kingdom.
In the language which is quoted above, we
have statement of Satsn's work. He de-
sires to aift US as wheat. In the two words, ode
sired" and "sift," used by the Saviour, mul.
titude of profitable suggestions are made to
our minds. Incidentally, as it were, the
startling circumstances BY which We aresur-
rounded and the jeopardy in which we are
situated, are revealed to US. During all our
past existence, Satan desired to sift us. That
desire is still unsatis6ed, and he continues to
cherish his past desires. His malicious de-
sires are Unsuitable. He delights in the mis-
cry and ruin of his fellow creatures. He
studies nothing else. He has no desire except
to sift the works of God, especially those Of
the human family, who believe in Jesus
Christ.
The phrase "sift as wheat" is very sugges-
tive. In every possible way Satan is plan
ming to keep the soul of the Christian in the
midst of turmoil and confusion. In his body,
in his family, in his social relations, in his
property aud in his soul, the child of God is
set upon in various ways and at all times, by
the arch enemy of all good. He is tumbled
and tossed to and fro, from side to side, up
and down, like wheat in the sieve.
Strong as may be the language of the sa-
viour, it is not too strong. 1t is corroborated
by the personal experience of every child Of
God on earth. The sun does not shine upon
a single spot of this globe where there is no
tempting devil. The ubiquity of Satan is
clearly taught in the Scriptures. He is in
every place where there is being once Gre
ated in the image of his maker. Dreading
lest man may, in some way, be rescued from
the ruin in which he has involved him, he
never fails to 60 wherever any of Adams
race 60.
In ten thousand ways-yes, in ten thousand
thousand ways-Satan tempts, and men are,
by him, led into sin. Here is the fountain
from which all miseries flow. In this foun-
tain is produced the ingredient which poisons
all our happiness. Were it not for the devil
and our own wicked hearts, this world would
be free from groans and sighs
Evidently, Satan is shrewd in his work.
He promises those things that are pleasing to
the carnal nature. The forbidden fruit was
pleasing to the eye and it was pleasant to the
taste of Eve So it is yet. Satan never
tempts US to do things that are not, in some
respect, or on account of some circumstance,
congenial to our carnal natures He never
sets the snare in the sight of the bird. The
barbed hook is concealed by a luscious bait.
The wonder is not that there is so much
misery in the world, but that there is any
thing else except misery. Sin and misery
are linked together in the relation Of cause
and effect. Satan is constantly and skillfully
tempting all to sin against God. His success
is only exceeded by his Unsuitable desires.
He has made an attempt upon every individ-
ual of Adams long line of descendants and
in no single case has he totally failed. No
human can say, 81 have never followed Sa-
tan." His successes, it is true, in countless
multitude of cases, have been but temporary,
his triumphs have often been short lived ;
still all have yielded listening ear to Satan s
promises. The wonder then is that our cup is
only mingled with good and evil and not Who'll
ly evil. Such it would be, were it not for the
redeeming love of God. All the real good
that is in the lot of any of US, is blessing
purchased by the son of God with his own
blood.
WHAT O'CLOCK.
When was boy, my father one day call.
ed me to him, that he might teach me how to
know what o'clock it was He told me the
use of the minute finger, and hour hand, and
described the figures on the dial plate until
was pretty perfect in my part.