Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1914-07-23
SATAN UPON EARTH
Explanation Of the lncontroverh-
bic Fact That Evil Is Per-
mitted to Exist

IN all the controversies arising nom
religious beliefs, no one controverts
the fact that good and evil exist In
the world.
The parable OF the sower gives prac-
teal thoughts concerning this oondi-
ton. 1t represents the world as .
field with different soils, in which n
sower is planting good seed. sower
represents person. not mere in
fiuence. II Is not blind principle OF
good operating in the world. but q
good God.
He sows good seed In good soil and
the crop was to be wheat; "but when
the blade was sprung up, and brought
forth fruit then appeared the tares
also" Whyf How came this?
Because of an enemy, an adversary
also operating in the world. An enemy
suggests a person and not mere in
fiuence.
How came this enemy into the
world?
Revelation tells us that the old ser
pent, called the Devil and Satan. was
cast out OF heaven into the earth, and
his angels were cast out with him"
Know Well He 10 Here.
The record omits any explanation
OF the reason that he was cast into
the earth and not elsewhere, and we
are not called upon to supply the
omission.
We know be is here. II Is not we'll
to ignore his existence. for that will
enlarge his opportunities to do US
evil.
Our parable clearly teaches that
there is In this world the kingdom of
a personal God and the kingdom OF a
personal devil.
The good seed are the children or
the kingdom of God, and the tares are
the children OF the kingdom of Satan.
In the parable good seed is sown
on good soil. but 1t Is roversown"
with bad seed and they will all grow
together. In nature there Is no dis
elimination. The bad seed gets the
same help from the soils fertility and
the sun and the rain as the good seed
and social life.
Bibles are carried Ia the same mail
bag with the works of infidels and
scoffers. The knave is educated by
the side OF the honest man The
printing press is used to print what is
good and uplifting and what is bad
and debasing The demagogue and
the reformer appeal to the same pop
ular suffrage. In thousand ways the
same thing is used for both good and
evil purposes. The wheat and the
tares grow together.
In the church the hypocrite some
times sits In the same pew with the
saint. Evil thoughts, desires and am
billions are sometimes in the sane
tuary.
The wheat and the tares grow to-
gether.
What are we to do with the tares?
The servants of the husbandman
who had. planted good seed were
greatly disturbed at finding tares with
the wheat and asked the practical
question: witt thou that we go and
gather them upr'
Many In every age, both in and out
side the church, have been excited
over this question. Yet 1t was an
swered clearly, boldly and with no
trace of hesitancy or ambiguity.
Astonished the Hearers.
Let both grow together until the
harvest
Those who heard it we're greatly
surprised and astonished. The natur-
al impulse was to have the alien and
useless growth removed from the field.
The disciples of the master could
scarcely wait to get him away from
the multitude to ask what he meant
by the parable of the tares
Through all the church's history
there have been those insisting on a
perfectly holy church, saying 1t must
be purified or they Will quit it.
The church has not been perfectly
cleansed. Its harvest time has cot
come. And so throughout the world
there are many little bands of Come
outs" But they have their troubles.
too: immaculate purity does not come
easy In this world, and / think not at
all this side of Jordan
Getting rid of the inconsistent is not
always means Of grace to the zeal
GUS. Often in the worlds history the
attempted separation of the true from
the false has resulted in the wheat
being burned and the tares left stand
ing. Many outside the church say
that when the hypocrites are put out
they are ready to enter the church.
Unless they change from that condi-
ton they will never enter The tares
will grow with the wheat until the
harvest, which ia the end Of the
world.