The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-08-31

The only prayer which the Blple ac-
credits Satan, was the theme of SER
mon by Rev. j. f. Mathews at the
Scranton Street Baptist church yester-
ay morning. The text was Let Us
Alone" taken from Mark LA. Mr..
Matthews said:
THE Scriptures nowhere better pre-
sent the great and abundant wealth OF
the resources of infinite power IN inc
help and salvation of man than in the
marvellous history of the acts and do
ings of the divine character that we
briefly call by the name of Jesus. lhe
new testament Is specially devoted TO
this revelation of the richness of divine
help as It is extended to man from the
Infinite Hand--and 1t gives us in detail
the minutias of the events that cluster
around the central facts-giving 1t
character, breadth and individuahty'
as incidents of Gods mercy ana Hod
succOr coming to man in moments vi
great eXigency and great neeu
coming with irresistible power 10 aiu
the very utmost. 400,
.rhe wondrous depths Of Gods Zea'
as mans helper Is sometimes Suo""
,though but rarely, when Jesus SaNJ.
even when the soul Is SO locke" w ~.
satanic possession as to lose us poM..
of self-assertion and seif-cons''ou."s g.,
Of the need of help, or to cry OUT lni
de,iyero nee from the evil that Is Slowly
hnt surely destroying 1t. 1t Is on s,cn
rare occasions that the splendor vi 'ne
mower of God and its absoluteness Is
startlinsly revealed. For Whei, i, ny
wills even the almost all-poweriui eNii
is compelled to abandon its prey anu
TO Weld its grisly hold upon its depran,,
ed victim and to fly from the avn,
presence of God, who for the presehL Vi
time, only suffers evil TO 40 itS WIZ
before that great and unutterap,e iiVui
when death. he'll and sin shall all ailke
he swallowed up in the fearful de-
struction of the second death, that
awaits them all as the sublime retri-
button OF the eternal equity
ONE REGULARITY,
.Jt is we'll to mark one pecullarlty
that stands facing us with great anu
singular import as we enter upon the
ANALYSIS of this theme: ana tnat Is;
The rarity of this manifestation OF
divine help, except where the VIII Is
exercised in faith. So. generally uoes
the devine help of Jesus rest upon ,i'
faith of the one whom He seeks 10 anu
that, he leaves places where that Iaith
i'm Him is not exercised apparently
tn succor. But when we begin to limit
that power as we read of Him then.
ne in this case, He absolutely shows
that He is Master of all circumstances.
And then we understand the pflnciple
upon which He works to help always
where faith does not exist as the law
of salvation, exercising HIS uiVlic
power i'm exceptional cases to snow his
own reserved right as sovereign. 10 u"
as he pleases. while on earth. ana 10
nrove that while He makes faith the
condition, yet it is HIS own proposi'iun
and that He could and can heal as lie
peaSes. A., .hroo
I'm that mighty mission of the three
veors of His active ministry lie met
,lnnst every condition of sin ana eVii
in nil its varied forms. physical anu
Sniritual and met it to reproVe. repuke
and tn crush it. Nowhere does lie
show the least liberation of sin:. no.
III. always and everywhere SHOWS
Himself in direct and utter antagohism
to sin and evil in all its forms,
1T is equally remarkable tnat lnt
snirit of evil whenever and wherever II
meets Jasus confesses to the same an
taronism, thus showing that Christ
and evil are at eternal variance. anu
that one or the other must In the ma
ture of such a contest prevail ana one
nerish Which one? 1t is the Whoie
mission of the Bible to show.
.This text is a singular one or, rath-
or. il reveals Il singular fact-that Is
rossible for person to be absolutely
possessed by spirit of evil and to he
so permeated with its presence that
the human soul itself becomes one win
the evil. and so identified with 1t as to
speak for it. and to defend It, and tn
long for the partnership to continue.
LUST AND PLEASURE.
oThis man. born with a soul, with q
shark of God burning within Him as
a conscience was yet infatuated with
His own devil and so loved His society
that he did not wish or desire any
change. So he means out and in the
h,I at n