THE FAMILY ALTAR

September 9.

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world."

1 Pet. 5:8-9.

St. Peter knows from his own sad experience what shame and

pain a Christian incurs when he gives way to the Tempter. He

remembers what his blessed Lord said to him in that tearful night

when he fell a victim to Satan's wiles: "But I have prayed for

thee that thy faith fail not; and when thou art converted,

strengthen thy brethren." (Luke 22, 32.) In loving solicitude he

now warns his brethren, and writes : "Be sober" — surfeit not your

hearts with the cares or riches or pleasures of this world. "Be

vigilant" — never give way to false security. Know that you will

be tempted unawares, cunningly, and that in every temptation the

implacable and wily adversary of your souls, the devil, seeks to

get you back into his fell power and utterly destroy you, even as

a hungry lion seeks to devour his hapless prey. Therefore be always

on the alert, watch and pray that ye fall not into temptation. —

But Peter also knows that it is not our own soberness and vigilance

that saves us from the power of the devil. He himself would have

perished in the temptation that befell him if his almighty and

gracious Lord had not rescued him out of the merciless claws of

the hellish lion. So he points his brethren to the Lion of the tribe

of Judah, to our Savior, who has battled with the Prince of this

world, with Satan, and gained the victory over him for us. There-

fore he writes: "Eesist him, the devil, steadfast in the faith."

He does not say : "In steadfast faith" ; for then we could never be

saved, if we had to rely on the strength of our faith. He says:

"In the faith," namely, the faith that our Lord Jesus has long

since conquered the devil and can and will save us from this dread

enemy. Looking up to Jesus, trusting in His saving power, resist-

ing every temptation with His Word of divine power, we are sure

to gain the victory. And we have a great army with us in this

victorious fight against Satan and all his hellish host. We are

not assailed alone, not tempted more than other Christians. They

endure the same afflictions at the hand of Satan as we do. They

are fighting and praying for us and with us.