is the first consideration that should nerve and enhearten us; but
there is a second and most important one to which God would direct our
attention, namely, the natural limitations of the adversary himself.

The popular notion of Satan is an extraordinarily erroneous one, and
the reaction from it has driven many to a complete denial of his
existence. Many make a god of him, endow him with attributes of deity,
regarding him as both omnipresent and omniscient. But we are ever to
remember that Satan is a creature, finite and limited.

(1) He is in no sense omnipresent. "No angel nor devil has any gift of
ubiquity. If any created spirit be in one place, he is not in another.
If he is busy protecting, or endangering, the soul of {24} one, he is
not with another."[11] Satan has no more power than we have to be in
more than one place at the same time, although, through the faithful
agency of his many evil angels, fellow-devils with himself, he is able
to deal with every soul. We speak in popular language of Satan
tempting us, but it is probable that most of our temptations, though
inspired by him, are not brought to us by him directly and in his own
proper person, but through spiritual or other agencies under his
control.

(2) Again, Satan is not omniscient. This attribute, like that of
omnipresence, belongs to God alone. Doubtless, in common with other
purely spiritual beings, and in spite of his fall, he has, in virtue of
his nature, vaster knowledge of things than we can now grasp, but his
knowledge is necessarily limited and finite, and any attainment, or
increase of it, must be through finite processes.

(3) Another truth that brings us the greatest comfort and courage is
that which is revealed in Holy Scripture, namely, that he has no power
of reading our minds and hearts. It must ever be a consolation to us
to know that in times of temptation neither he nor the fallen spirits
he employs can know what effect their evil suggestions are producing in
our hearts, except in so {25} far as we give outward evidence of
it.[12] Could he at times see how troubled and afraid we are, how near
to yielding, he would redouble his assault with such fury as might
sweep us wholly away; but God in His merciful kindness withholds this
knowledge from him.

This should teach us the necessity of a calm and untroubled front in
times of temptation; giving no outward sign of perturbation that might
encourage him; remembering how Sa