The Canton times., 1902-10-03
SATAN'S HOOFPRINTS
They Run Hither and Thither
Through All the Earth.
nv.r Defled and Defeated, But CHRIST
vanauishes the Foe OF Humanity
sermon by the "HishwaS
and Byway" preacher.
,convright. 1902, by A. N. kellogg News
paper Col


.krs The Lord said unto Satan,
x,rhaSca contest thou? Then Satan answered
.ha Lord and said: From going to anu ll9
- tha aarth. and from walking up ahu
down in it.-Job. IL. c,,
A Remarkable lntervleW'--oous
Word opens up to us in the story %
Job most startling vision OF tne uii'
seen and spirit realm. Satan 10 -
yealed to us standing in the presenee
of God and talking with Him regaru-
ina events in the earth. During the
neriod antedating the creation OF man
Scripture intimates that one Oh .ne
anoels of Heaven, who was very nlSn
u the counsels of God and eXerclseo
great power in the spirit realni'
belled against the authority OF Un
+r;pne God and was cast out with those
who had ioined him in his insurrect1on'
Christ declares in Luke 1O:1S that nc
.beheld Satan as lightning fall from
Heaven" so that limited as our known
edge is regarding this tremendous
mystery of the spirit world we kho"
there was portion OF GODS universe
from which Satan was forever BAN
ished But he seemed still to have ac-
cess to place where he could meet
and talk with God, and our text repre-
sents such an occasion.
It NAV even be that Satan was
obliged to appear at the Will ana COM
mand of God, to regularly give an ac-
count of his activities in the earth to
which he had been banished, for while
his power was very great and ne was
in rebellion against God, it is but rea-
sonable to suppose that the Supreme
Ruler of the universe still exercised
certain restrictive powers over MN.
The moment Satan rebelled against
God his doom was sealed, but He VINO
is from everlasting to everlasting, Je-
hovah God. the great AM, works on
gigantic plan. and the destruction OF
Satan was to be wrought out by mar
velous system Of redemption in which
sin was to be forever punished and the
righteousness of God was to be glori-
ously triumphant.
Satan's Activity.-The context from
which our text is taken declares that
Satan appeared before the Lord, Who
said unto him: "Whence comest thou?"
To which Satan, seemingly in an off
hand and evasive way, replied: From
going to and fro in the earth, and from
walking up and down in it," intimat-
ing that he had things pretty much his
own way. He went to and fro in the
earth exercising dominion and power
and apparently meeting no opposition.
He walked whittier he would into the
homes and into business, into pleas
ures and human loves, into sorrows and
Affections and into death itself where
he foreclosed the mortgage on the soul
and held it to his eternal destruction.
In the period of the worlds history
during which Job lived Satan seems, as
we have said, to have had things in the
earth pretty much all his own way.
The print of the cloven hoof could be
traced hither and thither through the
whole earth What an indefatigable
traveller he was and how unceasing
and untiring in the oversight of his
dominionsi Back and forth, back and
forth; up and down, up and down, un-
trail, but filled in urbroken confusion
the fair face of the earth God had
created. And since the days of Job he
has not ceased his travels or his activ-
ity, but continues now, as then, in ''go-
ing to and fro in the earth and walk
ing up and down in it."
Wherever there is a human soul
there the footprints of the Devil lead,
and he uses his best endeavor to lure
that soul away from God. Peter holds
up a roaring lion as picture of the
way in which Satan goes about seeking
whom he may devour. Unrelenting in
the pursuit of his prey, displaying the
utmost cunning in tracking and seiz-
ing it, and fierce and cruel when once
the prey is within his powerful jaws,
what glimpse Scripture gives us of
the Devil. And it is a true and faith
full picture, too. But you must not for
get that he goes around in disguise and
dons sleeps clothing or appears as an
angel of light But under the sleeps
clothing and behind the angelic vision
of light there is still the lion nature
which is ready to tear to pieces and de-
stroy as soon as the yawning jaws
have safely closed upon the intended
victim.
By consummate patience and skill
Satan has wormed his way into the
lives of nations and individuals
throughout the ages and wrought
their destruction. There is no place
on this earth that is free from the
marks of the cloven hoof. The black
stains stretch from the snowcapped,