Newport weekly independent., 1902-10-03

which records the doings of day and follow through page after page the hoofprints of the prince of this world. Murders, robberies, drunken brawls, social scandals. divorces, political cor ruption, forgeries, defalca tions, em- bezzlements, domestic and neighbor- hood quarrels, law suits, strikes and lockouts, oppression, selfishness, dis tress and sickness and woes of every description. Oh! how the devil is rav- aging this earth to-day as he goes hither and thither. No soul has ever come into the world that has not met him and felt his power. You have met him. You are meeting him day after day. Look for the footprints and rec ognize his presence.
 Our Responsibility-We are not to blame for Satan's presence in the world; we are not to be held account able for his activity; we cannot even be condemned because he besets us on every hand and tries to lead us astray. Our responsibility begins only when we yield to the temptation. We are certain of meeting Satan. As he goes to and fro in the earth it would be strange indeed if we did not meet him or some of his emissaries. Until he is chained by the Lord during the mil lennial period, we cannot find a place on this earth where his hideous and unwelcome presence may not penetrate. We are not to blame because he whis- pers in our ears and seeks to entice us into forbidden paths and wicked in- dulgenceS, but we are to blame when we link our arm in his and let him walk with us while he explains to us how the wrong can be done and covered up, how the dishonest act can be commit ted and not found out. how the appe- tite and lusts can be indulged and the harvest of wrecked home and ruined life not be reaped.
 David Was not to be blamed because his palace had a delightful and cool promenade on it's roof; it was not his fault that thoughtless and silly wom- an posed before an undraped window looking out towards his palace walls, but he was responsible for allowing his eyes to be the channels through which sinful desires and purposes might enter his heart. He was not to be condemned because Satan was at his side that night, but it was his fault because he let him argue with him and lead him step by step into the awful sin.
 Peter was not to blame because Sa- tan wanted to sift him as wheat, but he was to blame for following his Lord so far off as to become coward and thus fall an easy victim to Satan through the chiding of a young maiden.
 Our Saviour, Jesus Christ, met Satan repeatedly during His earthly life. He was tempted in all points like as we are and yet without sin, because al the point of temptation refuge was found in Gods Word and "Get thee be, hind me, Satan," drove the demon from his presence. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you. Give not place to the Devil. You cannot shut him out o1 the world, but you can keep him from trespassing upon the domains of you heart and life.
 The Worlds Struggle.-The world is making an heroic struggle in battling | against Satan. It is bringing it's cul ture it's wisdom, its power and infiu ence, it's laws and it's penal and re | formatory institutions to bear upor the works of Satan, and it does no' cause the arch fiend one anxious mo ment or single troubled thought. Oul Lord in His parable of the man anc the unclean spirit gives us picture o. | the world in it's efforts to get rid of the Devil and his works. The man sue ceeded in driving out the unclean spir it which was distiguring and distortine his life. He sweeps. out all the filthi ness left behind by the demon and ther proceeds to garnish his heart with cul ture and refinement and wisdom o1 the world. And while he is beholdins with satisfaction what he has beer able by his own effort to accomplish behold the unclean spirit, weary witt his wanderings, returns, and, finding such greatly improved quarters, ht immediately calls in seven otheI spirits more wicked than himself, ant the last state of that man is worse thar the first. Now notice Jesus applica ton of that parable: "Even so shal it be also unto this wicked genera tion." The world is busy trying t' drive the Devil out and obliterate hi hoofprints, .and seems to succeed fo a time, but Satan is holding high car nival with the demons driven out ant biding his time, knowing of suret, that he can drive them all back agail into the places that have been swep