The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-11-12

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the lorces volcanic, atmospheric, epidemic,
geologic, oceanic and cyclonic. "And the
Lord said unto Satan: Whence contest
thouP Then Satan answered the Lord and
said: From going to and fro in the earth
and from walking up and down in it.
Satan began his attack on this world
long before Adam and Eve were created.
| While / believe the Bible record that the
world was fitted up for mans residence in
one week, | believe also the geological
record that the world was previously for
hundreds Of thousands Of years going
through great changes. The lumber for
the house that was to be built in q week
| for our first parents may have been hauled
to the spot for 1000 900 years before. This
| Prince OF the Power of the Air has been
trying for all that 100000 years to de-
molish and use up this world. The record
is on the rocks. He tried TO drown il with
universal waters. lie tried to burn it
up with universal fires. Then he tried to
freeze it into ruin and covered ii with
| universal glacier. And for ages he kept
| this world before our first parents occupied
1t in paroNysms and commissions, and the
remains OF those struggles have seen, and
| you have seen in museums, or II with geo.
logists hammer You have gone down into
the stone libraries of the mountains. Yea,
after the famous Bible week the world had
been fitted into Paradise ior the home of
our sinless ancestors.
Satan comes into the Garden OF Eden,
not through the gate OF foliage and upright
in posture. but crawls in under the bushes
a snake, and having despoiled our first pa
rentsgoes TO work TO ruin Paradise, and does
the work SO thoroughly that one who re-
Gently visited the site of the ancient garden
between the Rivers Tgris and Euphrates
says the place is a desert, not flower, and
the ground 80 poor that nothing but some
date trees grow there, and the miserable
villagers from near by are not so well coy-
cred up with their rags us Adam and Eve
were covered up with their innocence. SO,
you sec, the father OF lies for once told the
truth when the Lord said unto him:
| Whence comest thou2 And Satan answered
the Lord and said: From going TO and
fro in the earth, and from walking up and
down in II"
In my text we have Satan on his travels,
and | am going TO tell you some OF the
routes he is apt to take. On his way down
| from the palace where he reported himself
in answer 10 the question: Whence comest
| thou2 the first range of mischief he may
| bc expected TO take is the air. IL was not
a witticism or a slip Of the pen when Paul
in his letter 10 the Ephesians called Satan
| the prince Of the Power OF the Air"
think II means that Satan works through
conditions OF the atmosphere. The west
wind Is full Of angels, the east wind is full
OF devils. Satan spreads abroad his black
wings and hurricanes and euroclydons and
| Caribbean whirlwinds and equinoclials are
Matched out. lie takes the miasinas that
float up from swamps and matches them
! into typhoid fever. lie takes the cold
blasts and matches them into pncum onas
and rhcumatisms and consumptions. Not
only has he power in the upper air where
| highest clouds float, but power over the
lower air which we breathe, and rs we
| breathe nineteen times minute and take
in $50 cubic feet OF air in every twenty
| four hours, and much OF this air affects
the arlerial circulation, you see what OPP
| portunitics the Prince Of the Air has OF
| contamnating and dcspoiling and de-
moraliEing man. Through atmospheric
influence ho clouds the disposition and
rasps the nerves and covers the best OF
people with religious dependency, as in
the case OF Edward Payson and William
| Cowpcr aud that beloved apostle OF evan.
gelism, James W. Alexander. His z eat
| delight is TO have the air Of churches viii
a,cd. and in that way dulls the preacher
and Supplies the people aud see to II that
| the atmosphere Of not moro than one out
| OF hundred churches Is it 10 breathe,
aud whole congregations Sabbath 10y Sab.
bath are asphyxiatcd. Yes, lac is worthy
Of the title 81. Paul gave him, "Princc Of
the Power OF the All"
Another route he Is apt 10 take is
through domestic life. There is no greater
sport for him than conjugal quarrels. IL
does not make any difference how long the
marriage ring has been on the finger Of
the right hand, he will try 10 pull oil the
signcL lie says 10 the husband: "What
a plain wife you have compared 10 what
she once vast Don't you see that the
color has gone out Of her cheek and there
are several wrinkles about her temples and
a sprinkling Of frost on her locks2 Be-
sides that, you have advanced In intolli-
gcnce while she has stood still or gone
back. How hard IL is that you
| should be chained 10 such dullncss
and imbccilityw Then he turns and says
10 the wife: "That man neglected you,
| his cigar, and his club and anything and
a diyorce2 Marriage IL only u civil con-
tract, anyhow, and not a divine alliance.
Let me have that ring. II means nothing
and yon might rs well give II 10 me. +"
| The ring IA handed over 10 Satan, and he
tosscs il up and down Ikea plaything over
the mouth OF perdition, and says II
will hand Il back, only let me have Il a
little while" And lac keeps tossing that
ring with all IL sacred memories. higher
out, tossing and catching, tossing aud
catching IL until one day you clutch for IL,
crying "Givc me back my rngW but
10, IL has dropped into the yawning gulf,
aud you suddenly find who has been pitch
ing and catching the ring, and you cry
out Whence comcst thOuY' aud he
answers From going 10 and fro In the
domestic life Of the city, and from walking
up and down IN II; that is ALL" There are
thousands OF marriage relations strained
almost 10 the breaking, aud commend %
all men and women who are restless IN the
present marriage state that they resume
the Old-limo couriship, aud take as much
pains 10 make themselves agreeable as
they did five, or ten, or twenty ycan ago,
before the wedding march announced ~
the flushed and iluticring crowd that the
bride and groom were coming. According
10 the statistics Of Prof Dikos, In one year
IN moral Now .llampshire there were 2il
divorces, In temperance Maine, as
divorces, In good old Massachusetts,, CO..
divorces, aud In the New England OF
steady habits" 2,ii3 In one county oI
Illinois, $50 divorce suits we're begun in
ono year, and In many places Il seems ~
II a new arrangement had boon made ol
the commandments, aud instead Of ten
there were only nine, the seventh COM
mandmont having been left out. When