The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1917-02-08

toner there was
some atmosphere or influence that
might contamlnate him, and he is pray.
Ing that he might be delivered from
that contamination. The revisers OF
the Bible have rendered splendid serv.
Ice In correcting the translation at that
point, and In the petition we read, de
liver us from the evil one" Certainly
no scholarly Interpretation Of that
passage in the original language would
make 1t meal less than deliver us
from the evll"-the definite article In.
dicatlng that personality is In mind,
and the translation Is therefore, as
we find II In the revised version, fully
justified.
If we would give any honor to the
Scriptures that give us the Lords
Prayer, we must give honor to the
Scriptures also that teach most clearly
concerning the existence, the character,
the work and the destiny Of the devil.
In the scripture devils, or demons, are
spoken Of very frequently. We find
also that there Is u prince of the de-
mons, who is called the devil, or Sa.
tan, or, as In the Greek Of the New
Testament, dlabolos, the latter word
occurring 33 times. The use of the
term devil, or Satan, is very frequent,
MS II there was no question of the real.
ity and the personality referred to, as,
for instance, in the first chapter Of
job, In the Gospels, In the Acts Of the
Apostles and In the Epistles.
While the field of operation of the
devil |. largely in the heavenly or up
per regions, It is also on this earth, as
Is proved by Job 1T and l Peter SIS,
the latter passage reading, "the devil.
rs q roaring lion, walketh about, seek.
ing whom he may deyour." 1t is ap-
prOpriate, therefore. that men pray,
deliver us from the evil one"
Granting that there is such n being
on the earth, is he In q dormant or
active state? The words just used,
.lnferring that he is walking about
seeking whom he may devour, would
prove that he is very alert. He is busy
every moment, and does not hesitate
to enter the most sacred places to do
his diab0llcal work. If q man Is not
stirred up to the commission of some
God or man-offendlng sin, the devil is
just rs busy when he keeps him from
being interested in some positively
righteous action. The present slum-
Der of Gods people In all lands and
churches, is just as much the work Of
the devil al his activities in countries
ravaged by war. The devil takes
myriad forms In his operation, now
binding the eyes Of men lest the light
Of the glory Of the gospel Of Christ,
who Is the image of God, should shine
unto them; or, when he sees the truth
drop into some needy heart, he at once
takes It up, us the bird takes up the
seed fallen on the beaten pathway or,
when he knows n man is receiving the
truth, he Immediately ZONES to that
man and sows the seeds of error In
his heart, so that he cannot bear the
proper fruit or possibly, he finds one
of Gods children, most active md efli-
Client, and he gets In his way as he
did with Paul and his companions on
more than one occasion.
While In many cases the mysteries
Of the providences Of God cannot be
understood, 1t is quite evident that the
devil has the power Of death as the
writer to the Hebrews said, and also
has power Of expressing others, from
which oppression Jesus Christ while
on earth delivered many. II Is very
difficult Oftentimes to know whether II
Is God or Satan that is directly active
In certain experiences, but we have
the assurance that God never tempts
sin, for he tempts no man.
Few Of those who are In the Bible
called the children Of the devil appear
to recognize their father. They con-
do his bidding and afterwards
reap the reward Of his deception and
Those who have become the
children Of God by faith In Jesus
are aware of the personality of
The devil, and r given certain spe-
cifc instructions rs to how to deal
with him. They are told to be vigilant
md that they arc TO resist him; when
ne Expresses them sometimes very
lard In order to crush them, they are
not to yield to him; and as he
sometimes appears before them In a
lighting attitude, they are told to fight
lin. In all this contention with the
levil, they are told that IL they re-
list him that he viii fly from them,
md all Christians on the face of the
can testify to the latter fact.
Probably 1t may be well to consider
he devil as concerned In the affairs
# men generally. All the evil In the
vorld-war, cruelty, oppression, dis
honesty, unkindness, graft, suspicion.
ealousy. etc.-dlrectly come from the
who is n powerful, personal be-
ng hating God and man. His chief
pite is vented against Jesus Christ.
t Is most delightful to know that a
is coming when the devil win be
'ound, when Jesus will reign on the
arth. After that day he will be ut
erly cast out. and this world, now
ursed with the result of mans sin.
be a place of delight, not only
Nth men but with beasts of the field
nd with al the creation as we know