The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1917-10-13

toner there was
some atmosphere or influence that
might c~ontaminate 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 as from the evil one." Certainly
no scholarly Interpretation of that
passage in the original language would
make it mean less than deliver us
from the evil'-the definite article in
dicating that personality is in mind,
and the translation is therefore, as
we find it 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 a prince of the de-
mons, who is called the devil, or Sa-
tan, or, as in the Greek of the New
Testament, diabolos, the latter word
occurring 33 times. The use of the
term devil, or Satan, is very frequent,
as if 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 is largely in the heavenly or up
per regions, 1t is also on this earth, as
is proved by Job Ii and l Peter 5 :S,
the latter passage reading, "the devil,
as a roaring lion, walketh about, seek
ing whom he may devour." 1t is APP
propriate, therefore, that men pray,
"deliver us from the evil one."
Granting that there is such a being
active state? The words just used,
inferring that he is walking about
seeking whom he may d%evour, 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 diabolical work. If a man is not
stirred up to the commission of some
God or man-offending sin, the devil is
just as 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 as his activities in countries
1avaged 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, as the bird takes up the
SEED fallen on the beaten pathway or,
when he knows a man is receiving the
truth, he Immediately comes to that
man and sows the seeds of error in
his heart, so that he cannot zeal the
proper fruit or possibly, he finds one
of Gods children, most active and eff
Gent, and he gets in his way as he
did with Paul and his companions on
more thar one occasion.
Few of those who are in the Bible
called the children of the devil appear
TO recognize their father. They con-
atantly do his bidding and afterwards
reap the reward of his deception and
malice. Those who have become the
children of God by faith in Jesus
Christ, are ware of the personality of
the devil, and are given certain spe-
cifc Instructions as tO how tO deal
with him. They are told to be vigilant
and that they are to resist him when
lie Expresses them sometimes very
hard in order to crush them, they are
told, not to yield to him and as he
sometimes appears before them in a
fighting attitude, they are told to fight
him.
Probably it may be well to consider
the devil as concerned in the affairs
of men generally. All the evil in the
world-war, cruelty, oppression, dis
honesty, unkindness, graft, suspicion,
jealousy, etc.-directly come from the
devil, who is a powerful, personal be-
ing hating God and man. His chief
spite is vented against Jesus Christ.
1t is most delightful to know that a
day is coming when the devil will be
bound. when Jesus will reign on the
earth. After that day he will be ut
rerly cast out, and this world, now
nried With the result of mans sin,
VIII be Il place of delight, not only
,ith ncn but with beasts of the field
sd with all the creation as we know