St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-07-11

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AX1VlN SlIItIlS TOO Few have the
Only he who re-
-. has the joy Of be-
holding the undig-
nified flight Of the
enemy OF mans soul. Christ declared
'nat the devil was the father of liars,
and as such he Is thesprogenitorsofs q
cowardly race. He is bold and fearless
when the objectof his attackhesitates
to strike the defensive blow and Yields
70 MS advance, but let determined re-
sistance be offered and soon the devil
Is confused and in full and ignominious
fetreat. The deeing evil A. the only
KIND OF devil God would have the soul
know. In the galleries OF Heaven g.
hung the masterpiece Of the ages show
ing the Son of God watching, the Ace
ing form OF the devil, while bright a.
gels come lowering down to minister 10
him after He has faithfully resist ed his
attacks. But in the Internal egions,
where the devil reigns supreme, the
artist imps are never permitted to
paint such scenes II is . stabooed snb-
Ject. The devil, ike great many peo--
pie, never likes to look at himself as he
really is. He has preserved the picture
OF the scene insthe garden with his VIC
tory over Adam and Eve, and all about
are hung paintings Of his subsequent
triumphsr-Noah drunk. Moses angry
and arrogant; David, the adulferer and
murderer; Elijah fleeing before the
wrath Of wicked .Jezebel, and the long
list Of other triuinphs 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 ignominiously.
m AN experiences so many of the vic
IL tories of the devil, andwitnesses 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. Its need
less to say that the fleeing devil is a
defeated devil. Look at that retreating
formi 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 fight 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 . despica BILE creature he
is. But note another thing. The flee
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 glimpse, Of one OF
Gods angels and determined to have
garments cut after the same pattern
he forgot all about the back breadths
and seams, and his tailors, while care
fully following his Instructions, were
able To make for him : 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 un-
masked devil. From the front view he
looks like anything butsthe devil he is,
but get him on 4 run to the rear andhe
is seen ii his true light. The chameleon
changes it, color to harmonize with the
object to which it Is clfnging, and the
devil has similar ability. When the
soul meets him face to face tits hard to,
penetrate the disguise and realize that
it is the devil and not some goodly and
desirable parsonage. But let resist
ance manfully assert itself 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 most desirable posses
sion is discovered to be the ugly, shag-
nv gray wolf which would eat out the
yitals. The Spartan lad who sheltered
nnder 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 place its bosom. It
gives no sign that its vitals are being
eaten into because the intoxication OF
its own ways and pleasures destroy
the sense of pain and Of danger. But
a. surely as the Spartan lad at last fell
dead at the feet of his companions, so
surely will the soul at last fall it it per-
mits the devil, under. the cloak OF
lambs covering, to drain its LIES
blood.
THE reason a good many people dis
pute the existence OF the devil is
because they have never seen him in
Aipht. He has so successfully identi-
Aed himself with conditions, and
things, and impulses, and desires, and
. nnetites. and ambitions that his per-
snnality is obscured. But the fact of
+he matter is that God and His Word
recognize and speak of him as real
-,arson from Genesis to Revelation,
and It is something more than an influ-
.rce or natural human tendency with
vhich the soul has to deal. Not only