The Canton times., 1902-10-03
turies in which God was working out

/ 1T
His eternal purposes and preparing
j for the coming of the Christ oatah
seemed to have his own way. ne
led into sin every son Of the Adams
| race; he saw Gods chosen people
scattered and destroyed; he thought
he was winning in the great contesS
against the Almighty God OF the
universe, for he failed to see tne
thread of faith from the broken anu
sinful lives of those who believed IN
God running back to Heaven down
which was drawn the Deliverer IN
fulfillment of the promise that the
seed of the woman should bruise the
serpent's head. Satan's vision could
not penetrate the inner council
chambers of Heaven; he could not
know how the Lord was preparing
to nightly deliver the Devil-rldden
world.
| Our Deliverer.-Th song Of the an
gels that announced the birth OF
Saviour at Bethlehem brought JOY
full message to a sin-cursed earth,
but it struck terror to the heart OF
Satan. God had been teaching man
! through the centuries the long and
| painful lesson that he was a failure
and unable in his own strength to
win victory over Satan, OF by ms
own righteousness to attain Heaven.
And while He was revealing to man
his sinfulness and his need, Satan
was coming to believe in his helllsh
pride that he was always to be the
victor. But when God sent His Son
as the mighty Deliverer OF the hui
man race, then was enacted the gi-
gantic battle of the ages and Satan
met his first defeat and his power
was broken forever.
''Then was Christ led of the spirit
into the wilderness to be tempted OF
the Devil" He must of necessity
meet the arch enemy of God and de-
feat him in terrific battle. The pic
ture which Bunyan draws Of Chris
tian's meeting with Apollyon gives
in graphic and realistic way some
thing of what that contest between
| Christ and Satan in the wilderness
must have been, and the victory won
there made the triumph of Bunyan's
Christian possible. 1t is the only
way of victory. Satan fears no foe
but Christ, from whose presence he
fled in the wilderness after his re-
peated and complete temptations.
| 'sThere is none other name under
Heaven given among men, whereby
we must be saved" because the name
of Jesus is the only sound which can
| put Satan to rout and bring deliv-
erance to the sin-stained and tempted
heart.
If the man with the unclean spirit
had let Jesus do his housecleaning
and take up His dwelling place in the
heart after it had been swept and
garnished, the company of devils
would never have dared come back
again seeking to take up their abode
there. The world will have to turn
to Christ if it ever gets rid OF the
Devil and his angels. There isa no
cure for the ills of the sin-cursed,
weary cid world but the blood OF
Jesus Christ, which can wipe out all
marks of the cloven hoof and ban
ish it's owner to the bottomless pit.
Hedyed About With all of Satan's
sangfroid in the presence OF God he
was i'll at ease. There was fly in
his ointment. As he had journeyed
to and fro through the earth he met
that perfect and upright man Job,
who eschewed evil and would have
nothing to do with the Devil, and it
troubled him to see that he was not
able TO, exercise dominion over him.
Job was prosperous and happy ana
the Devil could not come at him be-
cause the protecting arm of God was
thrown around him. Satan charges
that Job is serving God because He
blessed and protected him. Hast
not thou made an hedge about
him?" he petulantly asks. Yes God
had, and thanks be to His blessed
name, He does so to this day to those
who love and serve Him. The Devil
can't get near us while we stay with
God. except as the Lord lets him in
order to try us, for "the trying of
your faith worketh patience, but let
patience have her perfect work, that
We may be perfect and entire, want
| ing nothing" ''Whom the Lord low
eth, He chasteneth," and He makes
Satan furnish the elbow grease.
Satan begged the privilege of test
ing Job. He thought he could make
him curse and turn from God. He
afflicted Job until all the dross in
his nature was burned out. At first