The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-02-03

We report his address on Satan, the
rebel angel.
Doubtless many Of the audience were
surprised when told that Satan is not
in some far-off place stocking fires and
rOrturing human or other victims, but
that he is present amongst men. an in
visible angel Of evil, ably supported in
his work as an adversary Of God by
he is a master-"Prince Of demons"
either because OF his superiority OF ma
ture. or because OF belonging to high
err rank or grade than the ordinary an
gel 1t was surprise TO many to
learn that Satan. so far from being ill
favored, is beautiful, according to the
Scriptures, and that he is supervising
the work directly and through the
fallen angels. his servants. to mislead
and 10 deceive humanity-putting light
for darkness and darkness for light,
error for truth. etc
Pastor Itussell's text was taken from
Romans xvi. 20. The God Of peace
shall bruise Satan under your feet
shortly" He said
The time was not long ago when in
telligent people made light Of every
thing in the Scriptures respecting in
visible spirit beings. good and bad
the messengers OF God and the mes
sengers Of Satan. This. however. can
no longer be done Under the In
creasing light Of the New Dispense
tion man himself today can do things
which but Il short time ago wonld have
been considered impossible. Can we
not speak with our friends over hun
dreds Of miles with a telephone and
recognize each others voices? Yet
there is no pipe. no tube to convey the
sounds and nothing, seemingly, car
rieS il over the wire. We speak into
a hole in the wall and our friends hun
dreds Of miles away hear audibly.
Still more marvellous is wireless teleg-
raphy and wireless telephony. IL man
can accomplish these things what can
not the Almighty accomplish? Who
can deny the possibility Of invisible
presence of spirit beings and yet admit
the possibility of wireless telegraphy?
We are safe, dear friends. in guiding
our judgments directly by the Word
of God and reasoning inside and not
outside of its boundaries.
The Bible. and it alone. explains GER
tain phenomena and all Of the Bible
explanations, although written, some
Of them centuries apart. are in most
perfect accord. Thus in Genesis the
Bible tells US respecting Satan's de-
Election. and the book Of Revelation,
written more than three thousand
years later. tells us of his binding for
Il thousand years, of Messiah's reign
and Satan's ultimate destruction. lsa-
iah and Ezekiel tell us Of his at one
time being in full harmony with God.
and that then he was the covering
cherub." glorious. grand. beautiful,
and that his name was Lucifer. which
signifies the Morning Star.
All OF the angelic heavenly hosts
are termed stars. bright ones: but Lu-
offer. being of higher order, was
styled the Morning Star. the Brightest
Star. 1t was at that time. while in
Divine favor. that Satan permitted the
Judgment in his mind of disloyal
thought respecting his Creator He
thought Of how, indirectly, by being
in higher responsibility, he could work
some wonders and do some things bet
ter than the Almighty. He craved the
of what he could do. But the Scrip
lures declared that first of all he said
this merely in his heart and uttered it
not. He said in his heart. | will as
cend into heaven; | Will exalt my
throne above the stars Of God (still
farther above his angelic associates).
i will he as the Most High"-a ruler.
The Opportune Time Came.
Never had there been sin in heaven
Satan was the first of all its inhabi-
tants to cherish. TO entertain Il rebel
lious thought and to bring il to con-
summation. He held the thought in
allegiance until the opportunity afford
ed. and Cod himself afforded the OPP
portunity, with full knowledge Of the
consequences. and with the desire that
this test Of the entire heavenly host.
and of human race as well, should
be effected because God seeketh not
the worship of constraint. but seek
eth such for worshipers as worship
him in spirit and in TRUTH voluntar-
lily. ioyfully.
1t was when Satan beheld our first
parents. in the image and likeness Of
God. yet not spirit but flesh. earthly.
that he perceived the opportunity Of
gaining the coveted power for an en-
pire separate from that Of Jehovah
In the first pair the Adversary beheld
new thing. creature Of GodIike
ounlitipc and DoSSaSsed Of tho uowor