The Tupelo journal., 1903-06-19

"~@ treating r m.
ASN Only he who re-
AAA sists his attacks
Ga has the joy of be-
- holding the undig-
nified fight of the
enc my of mans soul. Christ declared
that the devil was the father of liars,
and as such he is the progenitor of a
cowardly race. He is bold and fearless
when the object of his attack h~esitates
to strike the defensive blow and yields
to his advance. but let determined re-
sistance be offered and 500 the devil
is confused and in full and ignominious
retreat. The fleeing devil is the only
kind of a devil God would have the soul
know. In the galleries of Heaven is
hung the masterpiece of the ages Show
ing the Son of God Watching the flee
ing form of the devil, while bright an
gels come lowering down to minister to
Him after He has faithfully resisted his
attacks. But in the Internal regions,
where the devil reigns supreme, the
artist imps are never permitted to
paint such scenes. 1t is a tabooed sub
ject. The devil, like a great many peo-
pie, eve likes to look at himself as he
really is. He has preserved the picture
of the scene in the garden with his vic
tory over Adam and Eve, and all about
are hung paintings of his subsequent
triumphs-Noah drunk, Moses angry
and arrogant; David, the adulterer and
murderer; Elijah fleeing before the
wrath of wicked Jezebel, and the long
list of other triumphs which he has
gained over the human race; but no
where can be found the wilderness
scene with Jesus resisting and utterly
routing the devil. The censorship has
been rigid, and the devil has kept his
forces busy expunging from the rec
ords the incidents wherein he has fig
ured ANONYMOUSLY.
M AN experiences so many of the vic
tories of the devil, andiwitnesses so
few retreats, that he comes almost to
hold the view that the devil is irresisti-
BILE. But it is Gods Word that the flight
of the devil is as certain as the resist
ance is determined. Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you" The fleeing
devil is an encouraging and refreshing
picture to get before the soul. Let us
look long and earnestly at it, so that
its truth and meaning may be indelibly
impressed upon the heart. 1t is need
less to say that the fleeing devil is a
defeated devil. Look at that retreating
form! Cowardice gives swiftness to
those flying feet. The cringing out
lines of the figure betoken baseness
and despicable stealth. The blackness
which the devil always heads for when
in flight opens to receive him and is
suggestive of foulness and destruction
and death. The devil never retreats
until he is defeated, but when he is
routed what a despicable creature he
is. But note another thing. The fee
ing devil is an unmasked devil. His
sleeps clothing never covers his hinder
parts. His disguise which makes him
appear as an angel of light is not am
pie enough to reach all about him.
When he caught a glimpse of n e Of
Gods angels and determined to have
garments cut after the same pattern
he forgot all about the back breadths
and seams, and his t~ailors, while care
fully following his instructions, were
able to make for him a garment which
was deceptive in appearance from the
front view, but which never has and
never can be made to meet and cover
behind. So the fleeing devil is an I'M
masked devil. From the front view he
looks like anything but the devil he is,
but get him on a run to the real and he
is seer in his true light. The chameleon
changes it's color to harmonic with the
object to which it is clinging, and the
devil has a similar ability. When the
soul meets him face to face it is hard to
penetrate the disguise and realize that
it is the devil and not some goodly and
desirable parsonage. But let resist
ance manfully assertitself and demand
to see the hinder parts, and the gentle
sheep that has come bleating to be
taken into the bosom and fondled and
cherished as a most desirable posses
sion is discovered to be the ugly, shay
gy gray wolf which would eat out the
vitals. The Spartan lad who sheltered
under his cloak the wolf and gave no
sign of pain as the beast ate to his very
heart, in order that he might prove his
courage and fortitude, furnishes a
striking illustration of what the world
is doing as it gives the devil in his va
ried DISCUSSES a place in its bosom. 1t
gives no sign that it's vitals are being
eaten into because the intoxication of
its w ways and pleasures destroy
the sense of pain and of danger. But
as surely as the Spartan lad at last fell
dead at the feet of his companions, so
surely will the soul at last fall if it per-
mits the devil, under the cloak of
lambs covering, to. drain its life's
blood.
THE reason a good many people dis
pute the existence of the devil is
because they have never seen him in
fight. He has so successfully identi-
fed himself with conditions, and
things, and impulses, and desires, and
appetites, and ambitions that his per-
sonality is obscured. But the fact of
the matter is that God and His Word
recornize and speak of him as a real