Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 199, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 August 1915 — Satan’s Present-Day Tactics [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Satan’s PresentDay Tactics

By REV. J.H. RALSTON

TEXT—Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. II Timothy SA

The words of this text have been very properly osed ever since Paul

first wrote them in application to formality in the individual Christian life, as something possible to realize but out of connection with spiritual power. The individual may possess all there is in Christian profession, he may practice everything enjoined as to individual religious life apart from his public profession, he may bo

of genial disposition, eminently proper In his conduct, and to the world seem to be deeply spiritual, but at the same time be utterly devoid of power. Satan’s Modern Tactics. But there is an application of the words other than to the Individual man. Satan, the malicious adversary of man since his creation, is working today as vigorously as ever and he makes use of the best methods within his power. In the earlier days of ignorance and superstition he worked through terror. He threatened men who would not follow him with death, oftentimes in Its most painful and revolting form, and as long as this method worked, for Satan is a pragmatist Of the finest type, he employed It This method prevailed through many centuries with varying success. At the close of the middle ages Satan used this method through the corrupt Christian church because into that church Ignorance and superstition had crept and were dominant, so that autos-da-fe, wheels of torture and other horrible physical torments were used to make men yield the truth in Christ Jesus. The method of force was not always physical torture. Satan h#,s entered the intellectual field and has tried, by force of human wisdom, to compel men to give up the truth, so we had the days of deists, skeptics and infidels of various kinds. These, however, are rarely before us now and anyone that would pose as an open infidel and an oppoßer of the essentials of Christianity,-would have a small following.. The Form of Godliness. Satan has changed his method, but has the same malice and is determined to ruin the souls of men and women. He does this through emissaries on the earth who have taken dn them the form of godliness. Never in the history of the world have there been so many men and societies professing to be the teachers of the truths of the Bible as today, and yet many of these are simply the emissaries of Satan. Paul tells in 2 Cor. 11: 13-15: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to .their works.” » These men, and sometimes women, pose as teachers of the Word and take to themselves great virtue because they denounce other professed teachers of the Word as insincere, and thus secure a very large following in maiiy cases. Many of these seem to be very sincere themselves and attract many from churches where possibly the pastors are not true to the Word of God and are merely preachers of ethics, or possibly are casting doubts on the authority and integrity of the Holy Scriptures. Suggested Remedies. What is the remedy for this evil? We must first test the Bystems whether they possess the power of God or not. This, in its last analysis, means a holy life and an equally holy spirit, and here the acid test must be welcomed. Of the modern Satanic delusions there is hardly one but brehks down at this point. In all cases tho founders of these delusions are not right with God, and are soon known not to be right with man. From the days of the apostles to the present time there has been a. faith once for all delivered to the saints that has not changed. If a person has been reared in the Baptist, Episcopalian, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, or, indeed, in any one of several other communions, he has certain great truths on which these bodies agree. He may be unfor tunate enough not to have a faithful pastor, but he has the teachings oi his church, often in printed form, which is substantially true to the gospel. Let him hold to these *. hatevex may be the issue. Of course, the best answer to these delusions is a comprehensive knowledge of the Bible, but many Chris tlans who do not have this ; kno w I edge, and consequently cannot use to are deluded by the* 3 teachers. ; v- " . • " ... .V:- ' \ Yry-- ' .. " ' '•' •