,is the ,devil a ,myth8 ,by ,c4 ,f4 ,,wimberly ,author of ,the ,vulture's ,claw1 ,new ,clothes for the ,old ,man1 ,the ,cry in the ,night1 ,the ,winepress1 ,the ,lost ,legacy1 ,etc41 ,etc4 ,,new ,,york ,,chicago ,,toronto ,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,company ,,london ,,and ,,edinburgh ,copyright1 #aiac1 by ,,fleming ,h4 ,,revell ,,company ,new ,york3 #aeh ,fifth ,avenue ,chicago3 #ag ,north ,wabash ,ave4 ,london3 #ba ,paternoster ,square ,edinburgh3 #ge ,princes ,street ,with the fondest recollections and appreciation of one1 in age and feebleness extreme1 who taught me the first lessons about the ,being of these studies2 one who contributed her all to the rearing of noble ideals1 ,,martha ,m4 ,,wimberly1 ,my ,mother1 this book is lovingly dedicated by the ,author ,preface ,it is the writer's firm conviction1 in these days when the most enthusiastic bookworm cannot even keep up with the titles of the book output1 that an earnest1 sensible reason should be given for adding another to the already endless list of books4 ,we have enough books to-day1 good1 bad1 indifferent1 with which1 if they were collected1 to build another ,cyclops pyramid4 ,the sage of the ,old ,testament declared in his day1 concerning the endless making of books2 such a statement1 compared with modern writing and publishing of books1 sounds amusing4 ,every possible subject1 vagary1 or ism1 for which a book could be written1 is overworked4 ,bible themes of all grades1 from orthodoxy to ultra higher criticism1 have flooded the land4 ,especially is the iconoclast in much evidence2 he is free lance1 and shows no quarters4 ,cardinal tenets of ,bible faith1 so long unquestioned1 are being smitten with a merciless hand4 ,disintegration is the most obvious fact among us2 nothing is too sacred for the crucible of what is termed scholarship4 ,but why this book8 ,let us take a little survey4 ,over against the modern idea1 that the race is endowed with all the inherent elements of goodness necessary to its regeneration1 there is a correspondent belief that evil is only an error4 ,when the race by social and mental evolution succeeds in eliminating all the superstitions and false dogmas1 the body politic will be self-curative1 like the physical body1 restoring itself by means of inspiration1 respiration1 exercise1 sleep1 food1 etc41 once the causes of disease are eliminated from the system4 ,for several decades we have been approaching the doctrine which denies all ,personalism--either good or bad4 ,when we repudiate the ,bible teaching1 that the source of all evil emanates from a great ,personality1 the ,bible teaching of the ,incarnation suffers in the same proportion4 ,the title of this book is a question1 and one by no means strained1 if considered from the view-point of modern thought4 ,we have undertaken an answer4 ,if by reason and revelation we can arrive at a satisfactory conclusion1 the gain thereby cannot be overestimated4 ,if the personality of ,satan can be successfully consigned to the religious junk pile1 our ,bible is at once thrown into a jumble of contradictions and inconsistencies4 ,the result will be even worse than our enemies claim for it now4 ,one of the late recognized writers on the ,old ,testament says3 ,the ,old ,testament is no longer considered valuable among scholars as a sacred oracle1 but it is valuable in that it is the history of a people4 ,if the ,devil is a ,myth1 our ,bible can be nothing better than historical chaos4 ,in the preparation of these pages1 we wish to acknowledge with deep gratitude the assistance of ,mr4 ,s4 ,d4 ,gordon1 author of ,quiet ,talks2 ,dr4 ,i4 ,m4 ,haldeman1 author and preacher2 ,dr4 ,gross ,alexander1 editor1 author1 and preacher2 ,dr4 ,w4 ,b4 ,godbey1 an author of great learning and extensive travel2 ,dr4 ,b4 ,carradine1 evangelist and author2 ,dr4 ,h4 ,c4 ,morrison1 college president1 editor1 author1 and evangelist2 ,prof4 ,l4 ,t4 ,townsend1 and ,hon4 ,philip ,mauro4 ,if the reading of this book shall bring to any struggling soul helpful information concerning our common ,enemy1 we shall be doubly repaid for the labour of its preparation4 ,we send it forth saturated with prayer4 ,c4 ,f4 ,w4 ,madisonville1 ,ky4 ,contents ,i4 ,,the ,,problem ,,of ,,evil #aa ,,ii4 ,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,evil #af ,,iii4 ,,lucifer #bj ,,iv4 ,,devil--,,satan--,,serpent--,,dragon #bd ,v4 ,,diabolus--,,demonia--,,abaddon-,,apoll yon #bh ,,vi4 ,,the ,,devil ,a ,,blockade #ca ,,vii4 ,,the ,,great ,,magician #cd ,,viii4 ,,the ,,roaring ,,lion #cg ,,ix4 ,,an ,,angel ,,of ,,light #da ,x4 ,,the ,,sower ,,of ,,tares #df ,,xi4 ,,the ,,arch ,,slanderer #ej ,,xii4 ,,the ,,double ,,accuser #ed ,,xiii4 ,,satan ,a ,,spy #eh ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,quack ,,doctor #fb ,,xv4 ,,the ,,devil ,a ,,theologian #ff ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,devil ,a ,,theologian 7,continued7 #ga ,,xvii4 ,,the ,,devil',s ,,righteousness #ge ,,xviii4 ,,the ,,world',s ,,tempter #hj ,,xix4 ,,the ,,confidence ,,man #hd ,,xx4 ,,the ,,trapper #hi ,,xxi4 ,,the ,,incomparable ,,archer #ic ,,xxii4 ,,the ,,father ,,of ,,liars #if ,,xxiii4 ,,the ,,kingship ,,of ,,satan #ajj ,,xxiv4 ,,the ,,devil',s ,,handmaiden #aje ,,xxv4 ,,the ,,astute ,,author #aaj ,,xxvi4 ,,the ,,hypnotist #aad ,,xxvii4 ,,devil ,,possession #aai ,,xxviii4 ,,devil ,,oppression #abd ,,xxix4 ,,devil ,,abduction #abi ,,xxx4 ,,the ,,rationale ,,of ,,suicide #acd ,,xxxi4 ,,devil ,,worship #ach ,,xxxii4 ,,victory ,,through ,,the ,,victor #adc ,,xxxiii4 ,,the ,,arrest ,,and ,,imprisonment #adh ,,xxxiv4 ,,the ,,final ,,consummation #aeb ,,xxxv4 ,,satanic ,,symbol ,,in ,,nature #aef ,i ,,the ,,problem ,,of ,,evil ,and ,god saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth1 and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually4--,genesis vi4 #e4 ,that we may appreciate this discussion1 removed as far as possible from theological terminology and theories1 and get a concrete view-point1 the following head-lines from a single issue of a metropolitan daily will suffice3 ,war ,clouds ,hanging ,low2 ,men ,higher ,up ,involved2 ,eighty-seven ,divorces ,on ,docket2 ,blood ,flows ,in the ,streets2 ,gaunt ,hunger ,among ,strikers2 ,arrested ,for ,forgery2 ,a ,white ,slave ,victim2 ,attempted ,train ,robbery2 ,kills ,wife and ,ends ,own ,life2 ,two ,men ,bite ,dust2 ,investigate ,bribery4 ,this fearful list may be duplicated almost every day in the year4 ,our land is deluged with crime1 without respect to person or place2 its blight touches all circles from the slum to the four hundred4 ,wealth and poverty1 culture and ignorance1 fame and obscurity1 suffer alike from this ,pandora ,box scourge4 ,the march of history--the pilgrimage of the race1 has enjoyed but little respite from tears and blood4 ,those who strive to maintain a standard of purity1 righteousness1 and honour1 are beset by strange1 powerful1 intangible influences1 from the cradle to the grave4 ,the child in swaddling clothes has a predisposition to willfullness1 deception1 and disobedience2 paroxysms of passion and anger are manifested with the slightest provocation4 ,notwithstanding the barriers thrown up by the home and society2 the incentives and assurances for noble1 industrious living1 the dykes are continually giving way1 so that police power and the frowning walls of penal institutions are insufficient to check the overflow4 ,the ,church of ,god1 with its open ,book1 ringing out messages of life and hope at every corner2 the object lessons on the wages of sin1 sweeping in full view before us1 like the reel-film of a motion picture--do not seem to lessen the harvest of moral shipwreck4 ,according to some recent police records and statistics1 only about one-half of the country's criminals are apprehended2 if this is true of those who violate the law1 a much smaller per cent4 of those who break the perfect moral law1 as related to domestic and religious life1 are ever exposed4 ,when these facts are considered1 the perspective for the reign of righteousness is lurid and hopeless4 ,the country has been amazed1 recently1 at the revelations of how municipal and national treasuries are being looted by extortion1 extravagance1 and misrule1 on the part of men holding positions as a sacred trust4 ,civilization fosters and maintains a traffic which has not one redeeming feature2 besides killing directly and indirectly more men daily than were blown up in the battle-ship ,maine4 ,let us view the problem of evil from another angle3 a writer on the subject of food supplies says the earth each year furnishes an abundant quantity of fruits1 meats1 cereals1 and vegetables to feed all her peoples2 yet gaunt famine is never entirely removed4 ,even in ,america a surprising per cent4 of our people are underfed and underclothed4 ,fifty thousand go to bed hungry every night in ,new ,york ,city1 declares a professor of economics4 ,the same ratio obtains in other large cities of our land4 ,scenes of pinching poverty occur within a few blocks of the most wanton luxury and extravagance4 ,one lady spends fifty thousand dollars--enough to satisfy all the hungry--on one evening's entertainment4 ,oranges rot on the ,pacific coast by car-loads1 when the children of the ,ghetto scarcely taste them4 ,nature fills her storehouses1 and tries to scatter with a prodigal hand1 but her resources are cornered and controlled by a criminal system which revolves around the almighty dollar--the root of all evil4 ,are we to conclude that man's free agency is responsible for this moral monstrosity8 ,or1 to be theologically particular1 shall we say1 free agency dominated by an innate disposition to evil3 human depravity1 original sin1 the carnal mind8 ,allowing the fullest latitude to the free moral agency of the race2 allowing the evil nature1 like the foul soil producing a continuous crop of vile weeds1 to produce an inexorable bent1 or predisposition to sin1 operating on man's free agency--have we a full and sufficient explanation of the presence and power of ,evil8 ,the carnal mind is enmity with ,god1 not subject to ,his laws2 but the carnal mind is in competition with a human nature1 wherein are found emotions and sentiments that are far from being all sinful3 sympathy1 tenderness1 benevolence1 paternal and filial love1 sex-love1 and honesty4 ,again1 we rarely find environment as an unmixed evil4 ,notwithstanding these hindrances the press almost daily has details and delineations of crimes so fearful and shocking that no trace of the human appears4 ,frequently we hear of a man1 who has committed some dreadful outrage1 personified as beast1 fiend1 inhuman1 etc4 ,a young man in his teens1 wishing to marry1 but being under age and without sufficient means1 decided that if he could dispose of his father1 mother1 brother1 and sister--the farm and property would all be his1 then1 unmolested1 could consummate his matrimonial plans4 ,whereupon1 armed with an axe1 at the midnight hour1 he executes his fiendish plot4 ,another man1 with a young and beautiful wife1 and the father of two bright children1 becomes infatuated with a young woman in a distant state2 he woos and wins her affections2 he returns home to arrange some business matters on the day preceding the wedding4 ,this business matter was to dispose of his wife and children1 which he did2 on the following night1 led to the marriage altar an innocent1 unsuspecting girl4 ,a young minister commits double murder1 and on the following day enters his pulpit and preaches from the text3 ,let the words of my mouth1 and the meditations of my heart1 be acceptable in ,thy sight1 ,o ,lord4 ,these cases are actual occurrences1 mentioned for emphasis only1 that the problem of evil may be studied from life4 ,these examples prove conclusively that the problem goes deeper than human depravity or free agency2 both are accessories--conditions1 binding cords1 as it were1 but the jarring stroke comes from a mightier hand4 ,the unregenerated heart has been called a playground1 and a coaling station for the headmaster of all villainies4 ,it was more than wounded pride and vanity that propagated the scheme of ,haman1 whereby a whole nation was to be destroyed at a single stroke4 ,vengeance and hate are terrible passions1 but only as they are fanned by the breath of an inhabitant of the ,inferno can they go to such extremes4 ,it was more than a desire to crush out heresy that could instigate a ,st4 ,bartholomew's ,day1 then sing the ,te ,deum after the bloody deed was accomplished4 ,we shall endeavour in the subsequent pages to throw a few rays of light1 in obscure corners1 on the problem of evil through its multiform phases and ramifications4 ,,ii ,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,evil ,and the great dragon was cast out1 that old serpent1 called the ,devil1 and ,satan1 which deceiveth the whole world3 he was cast out into the earth1 and his angels were cast out with him4--,revelation xii4 #i4 ,it requires but a casual survey of this problem to reach a conclusion that its hideousness cannot be explained by any other hypothesis than the power of an invisible ,personality4 ,when we scrutinize the footprints of the race1 it will be found that progress has been along a dark1 slimy trail2 the infidels and philosophers who are loud in their boastings of inherent goodness will have difficulty in reconciling this fact4 ,all who think are confronted with an ever-recurring question--yea1 exclamations3 why do such things happen8 ,what meaneth these barbarities1 ravages1 cruelties8 ,why so much domestic discord1 ending in ruin--so many suicides8 ,why do men and women hurl themselves over the precipice of vice and deadly indulgences--when even a novice might easily see the inevitable8 ,for a parallel we are reminded of an incident in war3 log-chains were used when the cannon-ball supply was exhausted2 lanes the width of the chain length were mowed through the ranks of the opposing army4 ,these chasms of death were closed up each time1 only to be cut down again by the next discharge4 ,the pathway of ruin is thronged--the broad road is easy2 however1 there is something stranger than this utter blindness3 the victims laugh and shout on this highway1 paved as it is by the macadam of crushed humanity4 ,now1 can there be found a rationale for this dreadful twist in human affairs--this seeming unfathomable conundrum8 ,we cannot believe that ,god would create a footstool in which sin1 suffering1 and misery were to abound2 no such provision could have been in the divine plan4 ,in the ,word of ,god alone we find the explanation of it all4 ,the ,word gives an unmistakable account of an insurrection in heaven3 ,michael and his angels fought against the dragon1 and the dragon fought and his angels1 and prevailed not4 ,this strange warfare was inaugurated by the great archangelic leader4 ,this war in heaven could have but one ending3 the complete overthrow of the disturber and his followers4 ,they were cast out1 and are1 beyond a doubt1 swarming around this sin-blinded planet--invisible1 yet personal and all but omnipresent4 ,when we remember that one-third of the angelic population of heaven cast their lot with this chieftain1 his strength and personality can be somewhat understood4 ,it is written3 ,the tail 7influence7 of the dragon drew the third part of the stars 7angels7 of heaven1 and cast them down to the earth4 ,in their relation to heaven1 the dragon and his angels met with irremediable ruin2 now1 defeated1 humiliated1 maddened1 doomed1 this fallen archangel and his innumerable myrmidons are filling the whole earth with every curse that can be conjured up by their superior1 supernatural intelligence4 ,there can be no room to doubt the truth of this hellish propaganda1 as he is called the god of this world4 ,it must be kept clearly in mind that the powers of darkness can1 in no sense1 mean an ethereal1 impersonal spirit of evil--or perverseness of weak human nature2 but rather a ,being who rules and commands legions upon legions of subjects--demons1 each of them endowed with all the powers and gifts possessed when they were ministering emissaries of ,god4 ,they are now the angels which kept not their first estate4 ,we have no way to estimate the size of this satanic army1 marshalled for the destruction of the race and the overthrow of ,christ's kingdom4 ,however1 we read in the tenth chapter of ,revelation that two hundred million were turned loose in the earth at one time4 ,ten thousand were in the country of the ,gadarenes when the ,master entered there2 no wonder the entire land was kept in terror1 even though their incarnation seemed to have been limited to one man living in a graveyard4 ,seven demons were cast out of one woman4 ,we should keep in mind the distinction between the devil and demons2 there is but one ,devil1 but the demons are swarming the length and breadth of the whole earth4 ,just as ,god directs ,his angels in ministeries of righteousness1 so this god of darkness directs his angels to do his nefarious will4 ,there are feats so daring and important that the ,devil1 it seems1 will not trust to his underlings4 ,he engineered in person the temptations of the ,master2 he entered the heart of ,judas1 and caused him to sell his ,lord1 then commit suicide4 ,the ,bible undoubtedly teaches that ,satan and his cohorts1 having access to our fallen natures 7which became so through his contribution of forbidden fruit--his great triumph in the ,garden71 are inciting this world to all the crimes known to our criminal dockets4 ,think of the train wreckers1 rapists1 incendiaries1 white slavers1 riots1 strikes1 grafters1 gamblers1 etc42 and as ,paul has catalogued them3 unrighteousness1 fornication1 wickedness1 maliciousness1 envy1 deceit1 malignity1 whisperers1 backbiters1 haters of ,god1 despiteful1 proud1 boasters1 inventors of evil things1 disobedient to parents1 covenant breakers1 without natural affection1 implacable1 unmerciful4 ,no one can consider this long1 gruesome list of iniquities without a feeling that they originated1 somehow1 in the realm of supernatural darkness4 ,the worst things that can be said of fallen humanity is its availability and susceptibility to the machinations of this past master of the ,pit1 whose only ambition is to rob the blood of its purchase possessions by wrecking the souls for whom ,christ died4 ,our sinful nature responds to his touch2 the wonderful gamut of the soul is capable of being swept its entire length by his skill4 ,a master player on ,god's greatest instrument--,his masterpiece4 ,all the fearful deeds committed seem to be acts of volition1 and they are2 but in the dark background lurks another superior will responsible for the initiative4 ,,iii ,,lucifer ,how art thou fallen from heaven1 ,o ,lucifer1 son of the morning6 ,how art thou cut down to the ground1 which did weaken the nations6--,isaiah xiv4 #ab4 ,and the third angel sounded1 and there fell a great star from heaven1 burning as it were a lamp4--,revelation viii4 #aj4 ,and the fifth angel sounded1 and ,i saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth2 and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit4--,revelation ix4 #a4 ,it is reasonable to believe that all intelligent beings are morally free2 and if free1 are on probation4 ,intelligence1 will-power1 free agency1 and probation are logically inseparable1 regardless of place or environment4 ,without question1 in the natural world this is true1 and therefore must be true in the spiritual world4 ,that men1 angels1 archangels1 and redeemed spirits never attain a state of character beyond the possibility of free choice is a most fearful responsibility4 ,but for the imperialism of intelligent will1 the fall of angels is unreasonable1 improbable1 impossible4 ,just how temptation can assail the inhabitants of heaven--the land1 we are told1 where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest--is beyond all human comprehension4 ,startling as this truth appears to be1 the ,bible teaches it in unmistakable language4 ,lucifer1 son of the morning1 an archangel1 a great being1 created in holiness1 standing near the ,throne of ,god4 ,his name means light bearer1 indicative of his glorious office4 ,we can scarcely imagine such honour1 such power1 such distinction4 ,just what the high-calling of light bearer was1 as it was performed under the highest commission in the universe1 the ,book fails to tell us2 but the office of ,lucifer was surely the peer of ,michael or ,gabriel1 if not above them in rank4 ,brilliancy and splendour radiated from his person4 ,may we dare1 not altogether by the imagination1 to venture into that remote1 prehistoric time when the ,second ,person of the ,trinity--the ,anointed ,one--the ,logos1 a being of perfection1 made in the image of the invisible ,god1 became a ,manifestation4 ,that ,one of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named2 sharing the glory and honour equally with the ,father1 on a throne in the heavenlies4 ,milton and others believe that the presence of this ,manifestation aroused in ,lucifer a consuming spirit of ambition and envy2 he at once aspired to the place and power which ,god reserved for ,his only begotten ,son4 ,we get still another side-light on the personality of ,lucifer1 when we consider his gigantic scheme4 ,aaron ,burr planned the overthrow of his country1 and dreamed of rulership2 such a vision were impossible in the mind of any but a master of assemblies--an empire builder4 ,lucifer saw himself a ruler above that of a ,creator1 as all things were made by ,him4 ,no wonder the inspired exclamation concerning him3 ,how art thou fallen1 ,o ,lucifer4 ,when the climax of his overthrow came1 he fell like lightning out of heaven4 ,the honourable cognomen is now lost forever2 the glory of holiness has given place to the dishonour of despair4 ,in the language of the poet1 he preferred to rule in hell rather than serve in heaven4 ,this light bearer of ,paradise is still a prince1 but in the dark regions of endless woe2 ruler of the darkness of this world4 ,this archangel who felt himself capable of heavenly authority finds an easier task here below4 ,speaking to the ,master1 hear his presumption and audacity1 all these things 7the kingdoms of the world1 and the glory of them7 will ,i give thee1 if thou wilt fall down and worship me4 ,what was the condition named8 ,the restoration of what he had lost3 that the ,son of ,god pay him homage and obeisance4 ,baffled in this crowning stroke1 he slunk away only to study the vantage more discreetly1 reinforce1 and reassert4 ,let us keep in mind that intelligence and personality are not affected by the status of character2 magnetic power and influence over others are not lost when the life is wholly given over to evil4 ,piety and holiness may be displaced by treachery and hate1 but the force of personality remains4 ,if any change takes place1 the individual becomes more subtle and more insidious in schemes to further selfish interests4 ,if a righteous man1 endowed with unusual powers1 fall into a life of sin1 he carries over into his wickedness all his former gifts and faculties--nothing is lost4 ,this proposition enables us to further appreciate the marvellous capabilities of the fallen ,lucifer4 ,besides the ,trinity1 there are none superior in the universe4 ,god allows ,his enemies1 both men and devils1 to continue a proprietary control of their talents1 whether they be one or ten4 ,there will be no devestments until the last shifting of the scene4 ,when we remember all the attributes1 previous advantages1 and present opportunities of the greatest of all apostates1 the conundrum of human actions1 individually and nationally1 begins slowly to unravel4 ,the fight is not alone with men in sin1 but with the prince of the powers of the air4 ,when ,lucifer rebelled and met the just rebuke of ,god's wrath1 all his glory1 power1 and brilliancy became demonized4 ,then1 through all the millenniums there has been not one hour of relaxation2 no armistice for the invisible warfare4 ,just as saints grow in faith1 vision1 and divine illumination1 devils sink lower and lower2 but at the same time develop in skill and efficiency by a continual application of their debased energies4 ,it is therefore reasonable to believe that our common ,enemy is far more formidable than the day he was cast into the earth4 ,our ability to encounter him successfully becomes a more hopeless struggle with the passing days4 ,if1 in the days of ,paul1 it were expedient to have on the whole armour of ,god to meet him1 nothing short of all the fullness of ,god is the paramount need to-day4 ,,iv ,,devil--,,satan--,,serpent--,,dragon ,and there was war in heaven3 ,michael and his angels fought against the dragon2 and the dragon fought and his angels1 and prevailed not2 neither was their place found any more in heaven4 ,and the great dragon was cast out1 that old serpent1 called the ,devil1 and ,satan1 which deceiveth the whole world3 he was cast out into the earth1 and his angels were cast out with him4--,revelation xii4 #g-i4 ,names were significant in ,bible times2 they are given to-day at random1 but then names were indicative of character4 ,when character changed1 the name changed3 ,jacob to ,israel2 ,saul to ,paul1 etc4 ,while the subject of these pages remained the holy1 shining light bearer of heaven1 he was ,lucifer1 but that name was lost to him forever4 ,so varied were his passions1 characteristics1 and powers that must be known by appropriate names1 and each1 as given1 designates some phase of his multiform personality4 ,devil4 ,not only did ,lucifer lose name and character2 he exchanged a brilliant1 glorious external appearance 7to eyes that penetrate the invisible7 for one ugly1 loathsome1 beastly4 ,if language can be interpreted literally1 the eye of inspiration and revelation sees him a ,devil--sair in the ,hebrew1 hairy one1 he goat1 etc4 ,the he goat1 in the ,bible1 stands for all that is low and base4 ,those who partake of the sair nature1 in the ,last ,day1 are called goats4 ,he divided the sheep from the goats4 ,god teaches us spiritual lessons in all nature1 especially by the animal kingdom1 and as the goat is a synonym for the lowest instincts of the animal2 we find a being created in the highest realm of spiritual life sinking to the lowest level of brute life4 ,if no further delineation were given--no other name than ,devil--the fall was from one extreme to the other4 ,this cognomen carried further has a second meaning3 spoiler1 one whose touch soils and besmirches1 rearranges2 bright spots are smeared with black soot2 flowers with sweet odour1 after his blight passes over them1 send out a stench2 hearts of purity are defiled and debauched2 faces of beauty become marred and ugly4 ,whenever and wherever it serves his purpose1 cosmos becomes chaos4 ,he is a spoiler4 ,satan4 ,in this familiar title we see him in the character rle which dominates all his actions4 ,as ,satan he is the hater4 ,of all the evil passions of the soul1 hate is the most terrible4 ,as manifested in human relationships1 the hater is a murderer4 ,somehow hate seems to be a resultant of wrath1 malice1 envy1 jealousy1 and revenge4 ,hatred in the bosom of the weak or cowardly affects only its possessor2 but hatred burning in the soul of one who is strong and courageous1 nothing belonging to the object of his hatred is secure3 life1 personal property1 or reputation4 ,we want carefully to note the full significance of hatred2 then place beside it the one who hates--yes1 as no other being in all the universe can hate4 ,he is the father of haters2 the tragedies of all kinds1 filling the world with terror1 because of murders1 bomb explosions1 incendiaries1 poisonings1 are but the scattered rays reflected and deflected from this full orb of hate as he revolves in his sphere of darkness4 ,satan hates ,god1 hates the ,holy ,ghost1 but the full force of his hate1 of necessity1 is directed towards the ,son of ,god1 his rival for place and power4 ,the supreme work of the ,son was the ,atonement2 now1 the interest and anxiety of heaven has been transferred to this planet4 ,the supreme triumph of the ,second ,person of the ,trinity was accomplished on the ,cross where ,he paid the price of human redemption4 ,his energies are now directed to the breaking down of all that was accomplished on the ,cross4 ,every movement1 every motive1 every virtue1 coming directly or indirectly from the merits of the ,atonement1 become at once the object of satanic hatred4 ,therefore every inch of territory conquered by the gospel propaganda was and is a victory over his hateful protest4 ,serpent4 ,at the very suggestion of this title our nature recoils4 ,the nachash1 and zachal1 mean fearful--creeper1 therefore a fearful creeper4 ,the snake is the most repulsive and dangerous of all reptiles4 ,there is a strange antipathy about a snake2 his nature is so still1 so sneaking1 so oily2 the appearance of one produces an involuntary shudder4 ,who has not felt the disgust at seeing men and women--charmers--take a number of the sleek1 slimy monsters from a cage1 and wind them around arms1 neck1 and body8 ,the horror felt towards the snake is not an accident2 it was in the guise of a serpent the downfall of the race was accomplished4 ,men and women who are subtle1 smooth1 deceitful1 treacherous1 secretive are called snakes in the grass4 ,their plans and movements are under cover2 they strike or sting from an hidden covert4 ,the serpent is synonymous with the hiss1 the blazing eye1 the forked tongue1 the poison2 once it catches the eye of a bird the poor thing may wail and flutter1 but it is powerless to escape4 ,the bird is drawn into the jaws of death by a strange magnetism4 ,this enemy of ,god and race is a serpent1 slipping cautiously1 noiselessly through all the dark1 tangled mysteries about us4 ,no one can fathom or interpret his cunning movements2 we are stung1 poisoned1 charmed1 fastened in the slimy coils1 and yet do not know it4 ,we have most to fear from the enemy who operates in the dark4 ,this fallen archangel is never so dangerous as when acting in the personification of a serpent4 ,dragon4 ,in the ,hebrew it is tannoth1 howler--jackal2 making a noise like the howling jackal in the wilderness4 ,again we are appalled at this title4 ,the dragon is represented as a monstrous animal having the form of a serpent1 with crested head1 wings1 and tremendous claws2 ferocious and dangerous4 ,the ,scriptures have appropriated this fabulous monster--believed to have existed in days of mythology as the most dreaded creature on land or sea--to enforce and emphasize the danger of him who seeks our destruction4 ,he is called the great red dragon--or fiery dragon1 howling like a vicious jackal4 ,it was in this peculiar manifestation that he stood before the woman and sought to destroy the ,man ,child as soon as ,he was born2 then cast a flood after her as she fled from his presence4 ,the dragon incarnates himself1 and ,king ,herod at once seeks to destroy the infant ,jesus 7,matt4 ii42 ,rev4 xii4 #a-e74 ,v ,,diabolus--,,demonia--,,abaddon-,,apoll yon ,then shall he say also unto them on the left hand1 ,depart from me1 ye cursed1 into everlasting fire1 prepared for the devil and his angels4--,matthew xxv4 #da4 ,and they had a king over them1 which is the angel of the bottomless pit1 whose name in the ,hebrew tongue is ,abaddon1 but in the ,greek tongue hath his name ,apollyon4--,revelation ix4 #aa4 ,we now desire to analyze more minutely the ,greek names ,diabolus and ,demonia2 reference was made to this distinction in a former chapter4 ,in the ,authorized ,version the two names are often translated or rather used interchangeably2 devil for demon1 and vice versa4 ,we read of a legion of devils1 seven devils1 cast out devils1 possessed with devils1 etc4 ,technically--literally translated1 these statements are incorrect4 ,demonia should never read devil--but demon2 diabolus always means1 not a devil1 but the ,devil4 ,diabolus4 ,this name designates him more as to his ruling and authority than to the elements of his character4 ,we have noticed already the meaning of ,devil1 but from the original word we get more explicit meaning as to his rank of authority4 ,as ,lucifer we do not know his ruling rank1 but in his lost estate he ranks as ,commander-in-chief4 ,whatever we may say of him1 the prefix1 arch1 designating his angel rank1 can be logically attached3 archspoiler--arch-deceiver--archaccuser- -archslanderer1 etc4 ,however1 if accurately defined1 diabolus means ,calumniator--archcalumniator2 a propagator of calumny4 ,acting in the capacity of calumniator1 he seeks out and defames the innocent4 ,he sends out a million rumours daily which would be1 if tangible1 cases for libel in any court4 ,demonia4 ,a demon--a fallen angel--evil spirit1 an imp4 ,literally1 a shade--a dark spot1 moving as noiselessly and rapidly as a shadow4 ,the many references in the ,new ,testament to devil1 and devils1 should always be demons2 the great multitude1 so often found in one place1 come from the innumerable concourse which constitute the powers of darkness4 ,shadow spirits1 men and women who are controlled by these dark1 shadowy imps1 love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil4 ,the transformation1 as we learned1 which took place with ,lucifer was just as great and radical with his angel followers2 the difference was only that of degree of rank4 ,abaddon-,apollyon4 ,we have coupled the ,hebrew and ,greek names together1 as each means exactly the same4 ,we call the attention of the reader to the variety of names1 all of which are so nearly alike1 but convey a significant difference4 ,abaddon-,apollyon means destroyer4 ,he has been discussed as a spoiler1 but one who destroys carries the work farther than the spoiler4 ,as ,abaddon or ,apollyon he is the king of the abyss1 or ,bottomless ,pit1 and when he appears it is with purpose and equipment for destruction4 ,just as ,god sent the ,destroying ,angel throughout ,egypt1 bringing a curse upon ,pharaoh for his hardness of heart1 this mighty messenger of the ,abyss visits his destruction wherever and whenever he finds1 not the absence of the typical blood upon the door1 but when he finds it1 or any evidence of allegiance to the ,one whose sacrificial blood he seeks to destroy4 ,as ,abaddon-,apollyon he assumes the part of ,finisher of his task2 when we see him a destroyer1 we have a full-sized photograph--leaving out not a single line of countenance1 or a single character or attribute of his composite nature4 ,he may soil1 spoil1 deceive1 traduce1 accuse1 slander1 wound1 etc41 but the ultimate aim is destruction4 ,when sin is finished it bringeth forth death4 ,we see how the two great ,rivals stand over against each other in their respective spheres3 ,for this cause the ,son of ,god was manifested1 that ,he might destroy the works of the devil4 ,with the same degree of purpose1 the ,devil seeks to destroy the work of the ,son of ,god4 ,the ,devil seeks to destroy truth1 righteousness1 virtue1 religion1 hope1 faith1 visions of ,god1 power of the ,blood1 thoughts of eternity and heaven4 ,every beautiful1 holy thing on earth he would destroy1 leaving behind only black1 charred cinders where once were the flowers of ,eden4 ,just as he destroyed the earthly ,paradise in the long ago1 so he would blot from our hopes and aspirations the ,paradise of the soul4 ,his ambition and supreme joy would be to turn this world over to ,god blighted and wrecked by his finishing touches1 while hell echoed with triumphant shouts--an infernal jubilee4 ,abaddon-,apollyon3 archdestroyer4 ,,vi ,,the ,,devil ,a ,,blockade ,wherefore we would have come unto you1 even ,i ,paul1 once and again2 but ,satan hindered us4--#a ,thessalonians ii4 #ah4 ,but the prince of the kingdom of ,persia withstood me one and twenty days2 but1 lo1 ,michael1 one of the chief princes1 came to help me4--,daniel x4 #ac4 ,we find another striking interpretation couched in the title of devil4 ,the ,church in its organization is called militant1 because it is engaged in a moral and religious warfare4 ,the writings of ,paul bristle with military terms1 as two mighty armies are contending and contesting for dominion4 ,each army is fighting under a leader2 the surging campaign has changed its base of operation--the battle-field has been transferred from heaven to this planet4 ,the rivalry between ,christ and ,satan has1 many times1 changed modus operandi1 but the spirit of the contest and the end--all for which they contend--change not4 ,the title-word of this chapter is not a ,bible term2 we appropriate and accommodate it because of its military meaning4 ,strictly in keeping with the use of terms1 the blockade belongs to naval operations2 but any movement1 reconnoitre1 or countermarch1 which interferes1 hinders1 or hedges up the way of progress1 is a blockade4 ,a campaign ends in failure because of obstructions thrown up1 access to base of supplies cut off1 reinforcements thwarted in reaching the scene of activities1 etc41 convey the idea set forth in the key ,scriptures used giving emphasis to the chapter heading4 ,the ,apostle ,paul had all the advantages of equipment2 his intellectual attainments the very best2 he was a recognized leader of men1 a chosen vessel of the ,lord1 and full of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,no man besides the ,master was more able to withstand the opposition of the prince of darkness4 ,yet ,satan actually prevents him from going to ,thessalonica to comfort and strengthen the struggling church at that place--literally hedges up the way4 ,a careful examination of the tenth chapter of ,daniel gives us a conversation between the prophet and a voice1--a vision--having an appearance like the similitude of the sons of men2 evidently an angel of high rank1 whose mission was to encourage ,daniel1 but he also acknowledges that the prince of ,persia hindered him from coming twenty days4 ,this mighty angel1 it seems1 was helpless trying to reach ,daniel1 until ,michael came upon the scene4 ,it was ,michael who led the triumphant battle against him when he was overthrown in heaven4 ,he alone was able to meet the prince of ,persia1 the ,devil4 ,we can1 therefore1 understand how successfully ,satan can hinder--blockade the progress of righteousness wherever he chooses to concentrate his depraved energies4 ,volumes would be required to record the worthy enterprises in the ,church of ,god which went down in failure1 yet with no tangible explanation4 ,sudden reverses1 turning the whole current of affairs1 are daily happenings2 revival efforts to reach certain communities1 certain individuals1 find insurmountable hindrances4 ,it is the work of the blockade4 ,such occurrences are generally regarded as unfortunate coincidents rather than a resultant of some deep-laid plans--invisible and impersonal4 ,a baby cries at a critical moment1 a dog creates an uproar1 the fire-bell rings1 the engine becomes disabled2 landslides1 swollen streams1 sudden illness1 and many others similar1 which are never credited to the proper source or cause4 ,the ,bible concedes to ,satan the dignity of being the god of this world2 therefore he must of necessity control1 to some extent1 the physical phenomena1 directing them to an advantage4 ,we do not venture a dogmatic position as to what extent the hindrances in the physical world are due to his power2 but the ,bible most clearly teaches that he is an obstructionist4 ,there are hundreds of ways and places where moral and religious blockades obtain4 ,it would seem that in the blaze of the last century of civilization war would be impossible4 ,why could not our ,civil ,war have been averted8 ,in the retrospect1 we can see how easily it might have been settled without such horror and bloodshed4 ,the ,hague with its millions of endowment is grinding away on international troubles1 yet arbitration fails more often than it succeeds4 ,but war continues1 and all efforts in that direction generally meet a stone wall of opposition4 ,must we conclude that all these lapses1 coming in direct conflict with human weal and happiness1 are just happen-sos8 ,unthinkable6 ,satan hindered1 declares the great apostle4 ,the prince of ,persia withstood me twenty and one days1 says the angel4 ,,vii ,,the ,,great ,,magician ,put on the whole armour of ,god1 that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil4--,ephesians vi4 #aa4 ,for they are the spirits of devils working miracles1 which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world4--,revelation xvi4 #ad4 ,from the earliest records of history men have lived who seemed to possess strange1 occult powers4 ,magicians--performing miracles1 setting aside1 apparently1 well-known physical laws4 ,moses met the sorcerers and magicians of ,egypt in close competition4 ,there are men to-day1 on lecture platforms1 performing feats which are miracles2 there seems to be no visible explanation4 ,the hand is quicker than the eye1 it is said2 watches are pounded to pieces before your eyes1 the fragments crammed into a gun2 the gun is discharged1 and the watch will be hanging on a hook1 running as if nothing had happened4 ,we once saw a man sewed up in a tarpaulin1 placed in a huge trunk1 and the trunk strapped securely4 ,in less than five minutes the man came out from an enclosure where the trunk was placed2 not one buckle loosened1 and not one stitch in the tarpaulin broken4 ,cannonballs are taken from hats2 live ducks1 rabbits1 and a dozen tin vessels are drawn from one hat in rapid succession4 ,cards are made to jump out of the deck when called by name4 ,one magician laid his assistant on a table1 cut off his head with a large knife1 lifted the gory head by the hair and placed it on another table2 then carried on a conversation with the severed head in the presence of the astonished audience4 ,every one knows these wonderful feats are done by some kind of magic1 but for all we can see they are done2 the most astute observer cannot detect the secret4 ,the ,apostle exhorts the believers to put on the whole armour of ,god1 to be able to stand 7not to be swept away or captured7 against the wiles of the ,devil4 ,then the ,devil is a trickster--a sleight-of-hand performer--a magician4 ,one of his many methods to accomplish his purpose1 we find1 is delusion3 practicing sleights1 tricks1 and works of magic on the gullibility of his victims4 ,how many unsophisticated men and boys have been robbed in daylight on a street corner by some little game1 or trick1 by a sharper4 ,farms have been deeded away for nothing in return4 ,now1 if we were to catalogue all the tricks of all the conjurers of all ages1 we have in this evil chieftain a consummation1 an embodiment of them all2 he is not only a magician1 but the chief of them4 ,he incessantly seeks victims more astutely than the crook seeks the ignorant with a purpose of robbery4 ,observe the text says1 wiles of the devil2 not one1 but many2 while we are penetrating and avoiding one of his wiles1 behold1 we are in the meshes of another4 ,human intellect cannot fathom the feats of magic performed in friendly entertainment1 where every opportunity is given to examine--then how much more are we at the mercy of sances concocted1 not to entertain1 but to delude and capture4 ,the astrologers1 soothsayers1 and magicians2 the clairvoyants1 ancient and modern1 are insignificant compared with this great magician4 ,is he not superior and supernatural1 possessed with unearthly powers8 ,are there any combinations and hidden laws of which he is unacquainted8 ,besides1 no one is more familiar with the weaknesses and susceptibility of human nature than he4 ,so astute and cunning are his wiles--tricks of magic--,paul seems to feel that only the girdings and enduements of ,god1 giving spiritual illumination to the things invisible1 can withstand them4 ,the antithesis of the ,apostle's exhortation leaves no doubt in our mind as to his meaning3 if we strive and contend in our own wisdom1 deception and defeat are inevitable4 ,to be explicit1 does it not look as if multitudes are under a delusion--seeing things through distorted and false lenses--when words and actions1 by the best and truest people on earth1 are seen as blatant hypocrisy8 ,does it not look as if a sleight-of-hand expert were manipulating the ideals of this pleasure-mad generation2 hiding the true character and dangers which lurk in every indulgence and excess8 ,presto1 veto--change2 there you are1 safe1 satisfied1 happy4 ,spirits of devils1 declares the seer of ,patmos1 working miracles1 going to the kings1 and to the whole world4 ,the arena wherein he practices his deadly delusions is the whole world4 ,no places exempt2 no peoples immune4 ,the whole armour of ,god is the only sure protection4 ,,viii ,,the ,,roaring ,,lion ,be sober1 be vigilant2 because your adversary the devil1 as a roaring lion1 walketh about1 seeking whom he may devour4--#a ,peter v4 #h4 ,thus far we have studied ,diabolus under various titles and cognomens which deal almost exclusively with the secret side of his nature3 the propaganda of hidden arts4 ,the caption of this chapter will indicate quite a different proposition4 ,this title swings him into full view1 stripped of all deception and legerdemain4 ,the lion walks up and down the earth1 showing no quarters1 making no apologies for his presence4 ,when he roams in the forests1 he is king2 he allows no beast to interfere or question his rights1 and none dare to do it4 ,he kills1 tears to pieces1 and devours whatever he can catch2 his roar strikes terror to all the forest dwellers4 ,the lion1 therefore1 is noisy2 his approach is with loud demonstration4 ,there is something in noise that weakens and frightens2 the keen clap of thunder1 the shout of an approaching army1 the blast of ram's horns1 the loud proclaiming of the sword of the ,lord and ,gideon are historical examples of victories by noise4 ,the lion is also powerful2 no other beast has a chance in a match with him4 ,one stroke with his mighty paw is death4 ,he walks about conscious of his strength2 an ox or a buffalo are no more his equal than a mouse contending with a cat4 ,the lion is vicious2 his going forth has one definite object--seeking to devour4 ,the lion presupposes that all the earth belongs to him2 deer1 antelopes1 panthers1 buffaloes1 horses1 cattle1 etc41 have no rights or possessions of which he feels under the slightest obligation to respect4 ,the ,devil does not come out in person3 hoofs1 horns1 claws1 bushy mane--the make-up of a lion1 building up his kingdom by tearing down and destroying men and institutions opposed to him4 ,he does these things1 as a lion1 by incarnating himself in men1 evil combines1 corrupt politics1 vicious society1 the liquor traffic1 the ,white ,slave system1 etc4 ,as he appropriates and embodies these institutions by entering in and possessing the men who are leaders1 he no longer acts as a conjurer or snake1 but a ,lion4 ,the fullness of the earth1 and they that dwell therein1 belong to him1 to use1 desecrate1 prostitute1 kill1 devour1 or destroy1 just so he may best serve and satisfy his insatiable appetite4 ,cities are to be officered and governed1 not for the peaceful protection of their citizens1 but for plunder1 boodle1 and graft4 ,men who desire to be public servants in deed and in truth must fight a roaring lion4 ,the man who steps to the front with a desire to question and curtail the exploitations of the officials1 the traffic1 the gang1 places his life at once in imminent peril4 ,threats1 black hand letters1 pistols1 poison1 bombs1 and torches are the instruments boldly used to destroy the man or men who do not believe that these human lions should be allowed to filch and devour the privileges and possessions of others4 ,we find our adversary1 the devil1 as a roaring lion1 walking about1 seeking whom he may devour1 has three methods which he uses according to the exigencies of the case4 ,it is first a roar1 a bluff1 or bulldoze3 the threat of the boss1 whether he be a political boss1 an ecclesiastical boss1 or a liquor boss1 accomplishes wonders in coercion2 it frightens and cowers the weak-kneed and backboneless4 ,the crack of the slave-driver's whip brought the obstreperous negro into humble submission4 ,men in office1 in pulpits1 in editorial rooms1 have been awed into silence by the roar of men higher up4 ,then truth1 righteousness1 justice1 and conscience are crucified2 and behind the scene leering devils hold a jubilee of triumph4 ,however1 the bluff and bulldoze will not always succeed2 and when these loud1 but mild methods fail1 the boycott is ordered4 ,those who can stand undaunted in the presence of roaring threats will quail before the prospects of financial ruin4 ,employees are discharged1 patronage cut off1 positions given to others1 preachers asked to resign4 ,somehow evil is so compactly organized1 wires of connection are so completely in touch with every nook and corner1 that the boss sits quietly at the switchboard and issues orders4 ,the big stick and boycott have carried many elections2 municipal1 state1 and national2 they have made merchandise of sovereignty1 and bargain counters of conscience4 ,your clerk must take his name off that petition1 or we will withdraw our patronage2 ,his wife is an active worker in the ,w4 ,c4 ,t4 ,u4--you must discharge him1 were the identical words overheard in a private office4 ,business and public men dread the boycott4 ,behind the boycott is our adversary1 the ,devil4 ,but the bluff and boycott by no means mark the limit when the self-assumed rights and privileges of the lion are questioned4 ,few can rise above the threat and intimidation2 but the roaring activities of the boss will not always suffice4 ,the lion in corrupt politics1 in evil traffics1 in priestly bigotry and intolerance1 will not hesitate to stab1 shoot1 or burn to get rid of an offensive opposer4 ,it is not necessary to discuss facts so well known as these2 but we are investigating the sources2 we want to locate the bacilli rather than examine the pustule4 ,we wish to reiterate a previous statement2 the roaring lion is never heard if the still fight1 the oily snake methods serve to a better advantage4 ,the ,apostle's exhortation is timely3 ,be vigilant1 be sober--be on the alert constantly1 and be at your best1 as an adversary who knows no boundary lines in his work of subjugation and destruction has declared war to the end4 ,,ix ,,an ,,angel ,,of ,,light ,for such are false apostles1 deceitful workers1 transforming themselves into the apostles of ,christ4 ,and no marvel2 for ,satan himself is transformed into an angel of light4--#b ,corinthians xi4 #ac-ad4 ,the ,devil is a person1 with a great personality2 but like human beings1 he is not equally endowed in all the attributes of his nature4 ,however1 the ,book gives us no information as to his weaknesses4 ,he is all superlative strength2 but if at any point there is a special endowed faculty that would seem to overshadow the others1 it is surely manifested when ,satan is transformed into an angel of light4 ,the reason for this is obvious2 it is a return to his old office of light bearer4 ,when he can effectively serve his purpose by this startling transformation--darkness to light--he is at once in a realm where he is familiar with every inch of the territory4 ,a close observation of the signs of the times--the happenings in social and religious circles--will reveal the fact that light is not only his most familiar rle1 but his favourite rle4 ,the world is attracted by things that are bright1 beautiful1 cheerful2 anything that hides the sombre side of life1 throws a mystic veil over its realities1 and helps us to forget--whether it be books1 music1 lectures1 or the nonentities of society--outweigh all else in the casting of accounts and in forming comparative estimates4 ,if ,satan were allowed to pose for a full sized picture of himself1 just as he wishes to be seen by the children of this generation1 no portrait painter could produce a specimen of rarer beauty2 it would grace the walls of the most exclusive parlour1 and attract special attention in any great art gallery of the world4 ,there would be no sharp angles1 no coarse1 sensuous lines1 no out-of-date adornment--the traditional fiery-red would not appear1 but rather the most delicate tints and shades of colour4 ,the features would be the most graceful and artistic combination of curves and circles4 ,the hairy one1 the jackal1 the snake1 the lion1 the shadow1 the spoiler at once become as beautiful as a dream4 ,amazing transformation6 ,the devil of to-day is not only an apostle of sunshine1 but of beauty4 ,this world is full of beauty2 and why should we not forever keep the ugly and distorted in the background8 ,the development of the beautiful should be one of the fine arts4 ,think only of beauty2 speak only of beauty2 see only the beautiful2 then the sinful and unlovely will disappear4 ,an angel of light--how suggestive6 ,as an apostle of sunshine his mission is to flood the world with light1 and he does it2 but observe--it is his light2 it neither warms nor illuminates1 but for spectacular purposes it answers every demand4 ,it reveals new standards of duty2 proves the wrathful things in the ,word of ,god to be spurious1 and the old plan of salvation obsolete and unsuited to the present day needs4 ,such words as self-denial1 crucifixion1 dead to sin1 judgment day1 cross bearing1 etc41 so prominent in the ,new ,testament1 must not be given a literal interpretation4 ,such truths cast an unnecessary gloom over the souls of otherwise happy people4 ,the devil of to-day believes that ethical culture should be the slogan1 the watchword1 the shibboleth of every pulpit and rostrum4 ,religion without refinement is absurd2 the esthetic taste should be looked after more than belief in some abstract ,bible doctrine2 then the race would be free from the bondage of creed and fear4 ,true religion is nothing more than a just appreciation of art1 literature1 science1 philosophy1 and nature4 ,god is in all these things rather than some musty1 stereotyped statement of faith4 ,he further believes it is a waste of energy for women to be organizing into societies to study and help conditions among the slums or heathen lands1 and urging upon the hard worked people to pay a tenth of their income to support missionaries who are better fed and housed than themselves4 ,far better devote the time to social clubs1 book circles1 euchre and bridge parties1 and dressing properly4 ,we want to call attention again to a truth often overlooked3 the ,devil and demons are never satisfied in a disembodied state2 when they cannot enter the souls of men1 they seek something else4 ,they will enter a swine when there is nothing better available4 ,we believe the prince of the air can wield a powerful influence1 unincarnated1 in the air1 but he schemes and works best when he can possess and direct intelligent flesh and blood4 ,just now the machinery of the ,church and all the auxiliaries are devoting their energies to various branches of social service2 this is good1 ,christlike1 and necessary2 the point we raise1 germane to this subject1 is not the work1 but the abuse of the idea3 social service and humanitarianism are not religion4 ,they are the fruits of the ,good ,samaritan spirit in the world1 but they cannot take the place of personal relationship to ,god4 ,though ,i give my body to be burned1 and all my goods to feed the poor1 says ,paul1 it profiteth me nothing without love--divine love4 ,the angel-of-light gospel places the emphasis on works without faith4 ,love the world1 enjoy its lusts and allurements1 disregard all ,puritanic ideals of life1 be a part of all worldliness--but be kind1 cheerful1 optimistic1 generous1 benevolent3 help humanity4 ,pay the fiddler1 then dance as you please4 ,do penance when your conscience lashes you2 but buy indulgences by works of supererogation4 ,on with the dance1 let joy be unconfined4 ,a concrete example will illustrate the proposition before us1 and also reveal the power of polished1 cultured emissary of sunshine and smiles4 ,the little city had a population of about fifteen hundred people2 there were four churches of nearly equal strength4 ,each congregation had a large flourishing organization of young people4 ,scarcely any worldliness obtained--dancing and card playing rarely ever4 ,the pious1 consecrated young people attracted no little attention4 ,finally there came to the place a young woman fresh from college and conservatory as teacher of music and delsarte4 ,she was an adept at all the niceties of modern society2 things took on new colour at once4 ,the work began with a literary club1 then cards1 then the dance4 ,she was beautiful and magnetic2 in six months the stupid meetin's of the ,league and ,christian ,endeavour were abandoned for things more exhilarating4 ,the religious foundation which had been crystallizing for years among the simple hearted boys and girls gave place to the gayeties imported from the classic circles of city and college life4 ,she moved among them an angel of light4 ,x ,,the ,,sower ,,of ,,tares ,the kingdom of heaven is like a man that sowed good seed in his field3 but while men slept1 his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away4--,matthew xiii4 #bd-be4 ,the field is the world2 the good seed are the children of the kingdom2 but the tares are the children of the wicked one2 the enemy that sowed them is the devil4--,matthew xiii4 #ch-ci4 ,the parable of the ,sower is one of common-sense appeal2 the sensible farmer sows only good seed4 ,the growing of tares among the wheat is not in the original plan4 ,good seed were sown1 but behold the tares6 ,whence came they8 ,while the servants slept an ,enemy came and sowed them4 ,the ,master gives us ,his own interpretation3 ,he is the sower--the good seed are the children of the kingdom1 men and women into whose hearts the ,truth has entered--the converted part of the ,church4 ,the sleeping of the servants is the unwatchfulness of the ,church3 coldness1 indifference1 backslidden4 ,the ,enemy seizes the opportunity--the carelessness of ,christ's servants--and sows bad seed4 ,the enemy is the ,devil--the ,wicked ,one2 the bad seed are the children of the ,devil4 ,growing side by side in this world-field are the children of ,god and the children of the ,devil4 ,the tare1 or cheat1 in appearance resembles the wheat2 it grows exactly the same height1 and viewed casually1 or at a distance1 cannot be detected from the genuine4 ,only the threshing and sifting bring out the difference4 ,these tares are the propaganda of the ,devil1 but a perfect imitation of the children of the kingdom4 ,they make a profession1 adhere to the same rules and regulations1 profess and maintain1 outwardly1 a standard of morality1 wear all the regalia--even particular about details4 ,we observe another striking resemblance3 strange as it may seem1 these tares--children of the ,devil--seek as their guide no books of heathen philosophy1 or twentieth century atheism2 they make great capital of the ,bible2 the ceremonies and ordinances are carried out to the letter4 ,on a day of dress parade and review they meekly grade ,a #a4 ,such an inconsistency is so glaring as to be almost unthinkable2 but the parable teaches it beyond a doubt4 ,the ,devil sows into the ,church his children3 a corrupt profession of ,jesus ,christ4 ,in a former chapter we studied the ,devil as a destroyer2 and it will be remembered that in a preceding parable he came as a vulture devouring the seed2 now he seeks to further weaken and hinder by adulteration4 ,while continuing the battering-ram process from without1 a reversed method is used2 he scales the ramparts and places his cohorts on the inside1 and1 wherever possible1 assumes leadership in a campaign of self-destruction4 ,we are amazed at such audacity1 but the ,master1 who is a rival in the field1 has illuminated the parable for us4 ,there is a note of optimism ringing out in the land to the effect that the day of triumph is at hand2 doors are opening1 walls are crumbling1 conservative nations are studying our religion1 municipalities are being renovated1 higher standards in public life are demanded1 the ,church is lifting the race out of superstition and prejudice--we are about to see a nation born in a day4 ,what does it mean8 ,it means that ,satan is being chained--defeated1 etc4 ,this sounds good and plausible2 but a closer inspection will reveal1 not a retreat1 not an armistice1 not a victory1 but a change of base4 ,twenty years ago a leading teacher said3 ,unless the signs of the times fail1 the true ,church of ,christ is about to enter upon the most serious struggle of her history4 ,she is no longer called merely to fight an open foe without1 but as ,dr4 ,green1 of ,princeton1 says1 'the battle rages around the citadel1' and she is forced to fight the traitors within4 ,the real enemy is to be found on the inside4 ,if such a condition were true then1 what is it to-day1 since the last two decades have been the most revolutionary in the history of the ,church on the line of skepticism and advanced thought8 ,the ,free ,thinkers' ,magazine recently had this to say3 ,tom ,paine's work is now carried on by the descendants of his persecutors2 all he said about the ,bible is being said in substance by orthodox divines1 and from chairs of theology4 ,another writer observes3 ,no need of ,bridlaughs and ,ingersols wasting time preaching against the early chapters of ,genesis1 sneering at the story of temptation1 cavilling at the record of long lives1 denying the confusion of tongues1 doubting if not denying the deluge1 when ,christian ministers1 on account of their official position1 are doing the same work more effectually4 ,freedom of thought in religion1 said an orthodox preacher at ,tom ,paine's one hundredth anniversary1 just what he stood for1 is what most of us have come to4 ,in his own day vilified as an atheist--to-day he is looked upon as a defender of just principles of faith4 ,there is a wide range of opinions found in the growing crop of tares3 some are literalists1 touching ,biblical interpretation1 getting the minutia of husks1 but rejecting the kernel--the envelope1 but missing the message2 others remain in the ,church1 preach a gospel shelter under her roof--eat her bread1 but deny the supernatural in toto4 ,few1 if any1 are honest enough to step out4 ,the ,devil prefers his cheat to grow in the same soil prepared for the wheat4 ,no place is so wholesome and convenient for the children of the ,devil as inside the ,church of ,god4 ,why is not the wrath of ,god poured out on the children of the ,devil who have assumed place and power in ,his ,church8 ,the same processes used for the removal of the tares would injure and uproot some of the wheat4 ,there is now no remedy2 at an unguarded moment the harm was done4 ,the ,enemy continues to enter every available door1 sowing1 sowing1 sowing--beside all waters4 ,not until the angelic reapers thrust in their sickles for the harvest will the children of the ,devil cease to occupy1 influence1 and control4 ,,xi ,,the ,,arch ,,slanderer ,for ,god doth know that in the day ye eat thereof1 then your eyes shall be opened1 and ye shall be as gods1 knowing good and evil4--,genesis iii4 #e4 ,but put forth thine hand now and touch all that he hath1 and he will curse thee to thy face4--,job i4 #aa4 ,it is the first scene of the human drama2 the staging is in an earthly ,paradise2 perfection is written on everything animate and inanimate4 ,with but one restriction man roams through ,edenic beauties1 a being good and very good1 happy and holy4 ,his communion with ,god is unbroken2 fountains of love are opened in his heart as he beholds the beautiful mate at his side4 ,our wildest imaginations cannot estimate the glories of that life-morning2 but behold the ,serpent4 ,he utters his first words in the scheme of ruin1 and it is a slander against ,god4 ,aha1 ,he knows if you eat you will be like ,he is--knowing all things1 be as gods2 ,he is not treating you fairly2 the case is misrepresented4 ,you will not die1 but you will be wise4 ,why does ,he keep back such privileges from you8 ,as a result of this slander1 the ,paradise is lost4 ,flowers1 fruits1 peace and plenty are exchanged for weeds1 briers1 toil1 sweat1 suffering1 death4 ,again we find his impudent presence on the day ,job is offering sacrifices4 ,reading between the lines1 we can imagine a conversation like this3 ,you here8 ,you are looking for some pretense to discount ,my people2 you say none are good--all hypocrites4 ,what do you think of ,my servant ,job8 ,what have you to say about him8 ,oh1 of course1 says the slanderer1 you have him hedged around--blessing him continually4 ,it pays ,job to be good2 just take away your special care of his material welfare and see--he will curse ,thee to ,thy face4 ,an artist once painted a picture of the human tongue in a way to represent his conception of how the tongue of slander should appear4 ,it was long1 coiled like a serpent1 tapering at the end into a barbed spear point2 from each of the papilla1 scarcely visible1 was a needle point1 from which oozed a green1 slimy poison4 ,the slandering tongue is a fire1 a world of iniquity--it defileth the whole body--it is set on fire of hell4 ,the slanderer is no respecter of persons2 he rakes and scrapes the uttermost parts of the earth for victims3 king and peasant1 rich and poor1 priest and prophet2 living or dead suffer alike when once this vile1 inhuman spirit touches them4 ,bacon said3 ,calumny crosses oceans1 scales mountains1 and traverses deserts with greater ease than the ,scythian ,abaris1 and1 like him1 rides on a poisoned arrow4 ,the winds of the ,arabian desert not only produce death1 but rapid decomposition of the body2 so doth slander destroy every virtue of human character4 ,the cloven-hoof slanderer1 like the filthy worm1 leaves behind a trail of offal and stench though his pathway wind through a bower of earth's sweetest flowers4 ,a writer has said3 ,so deep does the slanderer sink in the murky waters of degradation and infamy that1 could an angel apply an ,archimedian moral lever to him1 with heaven as a fulcrum1 he could not in a thousand years raise him to the grade of a convict felon4 ,whose edge is sharper than a sword2 whose tongue ,out-venoms all the worms of ,nile2 whose breath ,rides on the posting winds1 and doth belie ,all corners of the world2 kings1 queens1 and states1 ,maids1 matrons1 nay1 the secrets of the grave ,this viperous slander enter4 ,iago is said to be the greatest villain in fiction or history2 the revolting crimes of ,herod--slaughtering the innocent--does not compare with ,iago4 ,herod saw in the ,man ,child a possible rival1 and blinded by jealousy and ambition1 he becomes the most heartless murderer--of all times4 ,but what was the crime of ,iago8 ,slander6 ,with no object in view1 no advantage to gain1 and too much of a coward to make an open charge1 he slanders by insinuation the beautiful ,desdemona until the enraged ,othello strangles her to death4 ,how can we reconcile this base passion in human character1 as slander has no other avenue of expression8 ,it is unnatural1 inhuman1 and hellish4 ,the wolf and tiger devour to satisfy hunger2 the vulture eats and fattens on rotting carcases1 but the slanderer does neither4 ,with the blood cruelty of a savage beast1 the degraded appetite of the scavenger1 the destroyed victims of fiendish passion only intensify and burn1 but never satisfy the slanderer4 ,this spirit was never born among men2 its origin is the region of the damned1 where hunger gnaws1 thirst fires1 lust arouses1 revenge consumes--but satisfaction is unknown4 ,the hot breath of slander comes from a bourne where dead hopes spring up eternal4 ,the caption of the chapter denominates the ,devil as the arch slanderer2 we use it because there is no word of sufficient strength to convey the idea2 arch fails to convey the whole truth in this case4 ,archangel is an intelligible term1 as there are many of high order2 there is1 however1 but ,one slanderer4 ,just as he is the father of liars--propagating all lies--his relation to liars does not admit of comparison4 ,he slandered from the day of his fall2 he is the father of slanderers4 ,whether it be circulated in the submerged world1 the quiet circles of church life1 or among the ,four ,hundred of fashion--it is a deflected arrow from the one great quiver4 ,no being--holy men1 angels1 or the ,son of ,god--can escape the tongues dripping the venom of slander through the subtle incarnation of that fountainhead of every evil suggestion or insinuation4 ,whatever destroys happiness1 creates doubt and suspicion among the people1 ending in litigation1 divorces1 and murders1 fulfills the mission of slander4 ,the caldron from which exudes this vile stench--filling all the earth--is seething and boiling in the ,bottomless ,pit1 or wherever the throne of his majesty--the ,devil--is located4 ,the society of earth will never be free from the poison of evil-speaking until the ,archslanderer is arrested1 chained1 and located in the penitentiary prepared for him from the foundation of the world4 ,,xii ,,the ,,double ,,accuser ,hast not thou made an hedge about him1 and about his house1 and about all that he hath on every side8 thou hast blessed the work of his hands1 and his substance is increased in the land4--,job i4 #aj4 ,now is come salvation1 and strength1 and the kingdom of our ,god1 and the power of his ,christ3 for the accuser of our brethren is cast down1 which accused them before our ,god day and night4--,revelation xii4 #aj4 ,when we consider the ,diabolus character--his strength and opportunity1 whereby he visits his vengeance upon a weak1 susceptible race1 we can readily understand that his make-up would be far from complete without a continuous outflow of slander4 ,but his courage and audacity stand out in glaring relief when we find him an ,accuser4 ,it does not require large intelligence or bravery to be a slanderer--only baseness of character--but to be an accuser1 face to face with false charges1 especially in the presence of ,one who has power over all things1 reveals an impudent bravery that dazes the judgment4 ,when questioned of ,god about his presence among devout spirits--as they were assembled for worship--he answered in the manner of a guilty boy3 ,just going to and fro in the earth4 ,peter tells us that his mission of going to and fro is of seeking and devouring4 ,he is then reminded of ,job's character--how that this saint is perfect and just2 ,satan's blighting influence has not been able to touch and overthrow the aged ,job4 ,in his shrewd rejoinder ,satan accuses ,god of two sins3 partiality and falsehood4 ,translated into its literal meaning1 the language would be about as follows3 ,i deny that ,job is perfect2 but for the protection you have thrown around him he would be as other men4 ,his pretended piety is hypocrisy2 he serves you because you have blest him with abundance2 he has not fallen into sin because you have hedged him about4 ,if you treated ,job as you treat others1 his holiness would soon be about as genuine as mine4 ,satan accuses ,god of protecting ,his servant and blessing him in material things in a special and partial manner1 viz3 a respecter of persons4 ,but the fiercest accusation is hidden in his reply to ,god's question1 also put in the form of a question1 and finished by an emphatic declaration3 ,job is not the man ,god said he was2 but put forth ,thine hand and touch all that he hath1 and he will curse ,thee to ,thy face4 ,a being who can stand before the ,lord ,god1 of whom the hosts of heaven sing and shout--he1 himself1 once among the number--saying3 ,holy1 ,holy1 ,holy1 and accuse ,him of being guilty of partiality and falsehood--what may we expect from him8 ,the ,word says he accuses the saints day and night4 ,observe that he accuses the saints1 those who are striving in righteousness4 ,the man who lies1 cheats in business1 accumulates a fortune1 and lives all the vices without apology is not an object of malicious accusation4 ,the scandals in select circles cause only a ripple1 even though the offenses occupy much space of the associated press4 ,the principles of such affairs are often staged as heroes and heroines for the entertainment of a morbid public taste4 ,satan accuses the saints2 the presumption is shouted from the housetops3 ,there is none that doeth good1 no not one4 ,the saints--every good man and woman--must at some time face charges against their moral or religious character4 ,this hellish machination goes on day and night4 ,it is reasonable to conclude that much of the unrest1 depression1 and backslidings among the people of ,god may be traced to this cause2 innocent men and women have not only cast away their hope through rumoured accusations1 but have been driven to desperation and suicide4 ,the reader must keep in mind the suggestion made in a former chapter3 that while ,satan has the power by his presence of himself1 or his minions1 to create an atmosphere1 unfathomable1 impenetrable1 yet surcharged with horror and dread2 but his activities are seldom apart from human instrumentalities4 ,just as he is the arch slanderer1 through the word of mouth1 so is he the accuser1 both of ,god and saints1 through human personalities under his control4 ,a flood sweeps away1 or lightning destroys a man's possessions2 he looks up1 curses and accuses ,god of cruelty and injustice4 ,death enters the home2 the mourners charge ,god falsely4 ,his accusations are confined to no particular method2 the one most suited to the case is used1 whether self-condemnation or from another4 ,self-reproach1 through memory and meditation1 is a most powerful agency in carrying on this work4 ,once we begin to think on our ways--seeking to turn our steps unto the testimony of ,god--we face a life of sins and blunders mountain high and unsurmountable4 ,but when faith takes wings and lifts the agonizing soul out of the mire and clay1 an everlasting reminder of the past clings to us1 often robbing us of peace and joy4 ,how many ,christians have grown weary and given up because of memories blackened by consequences of past sins--sins which ,god said1 if we confess and forsake1 ,he would remember them against us no more forever4 ,if the truth1 which can never be revealed until the ,judgment ,day1 could be known6 ,our asylums are swarming with unfortunates who have lost mental balance because of remorse and condemnation1 resulting from an accusing memory4 ,wherever ,satan is unable to lure the saints into actual transgression their life and usefulness are often destroyed by tormenting spirits accusing them day and night ,the ,book holds out no deliverance from this scourge until the ,accuser is forever cast down by the wrath of ,god at the final shifting of the scene4 ,,xiii ,,satan ,a ,,spy ,and the ,lord said unto ,satan1 ,whence comest thou8 ,then ,satan answered the ,lord1 and said1 ,from going to and fro in the earth1 and from walking up and down in it4--,job i4 #g4 ,the spy is the most dangerous man in the army2 more is he to be feared than the genius of a ,napoleon or a ,lee4 ,the sphere in which he operates has no duplicate in military activities2 his bravery1 boldness1 and daring are unexcelled4 ,whether he be called from the ranks1 or from among the commissioned officers1 his counsel and suggestions get a hearing in the highest commandery of the army4 ,the movements of a spy are unknown even to his own corps1 much less to the enemy4 ,after receiving authority for such a perilous undertaking he is a free lance1 going and coming at will4 ,not only does he go beyond the enemy's line1 but mingles freely with them in the camp4 ,there is nothing in his appearance to indicate who or what he is4 ,to-day he is a civilian peddling fruits among the soldiers1 or innocently driving a yoke of steers along the street or country road2 to-morrow he is within the camp1 dressed in their gay uniform1 familiar with passwords and countersigns4 ,then he appears as a decrepit old woman1 seeking a son who run away to jine the solgers4 ,in a few hours he is quietly resting or joking with the boys of his own regiment4 ,when a spy is captured all military courtesies are set aside2 he is not even allowed the honour of a court-martial2 but without trial he is executed at once4 ,it is of special interest1 in view of the application to our subject1 to notice the particular business of a spy4 ,just as his movements are unknown1 so is his mission unknown4 ,he hurries to and fro1 gathering up such bits of information here and there as he deems important for the cause he represents4 ,if he belongs to the ,federal forces he appears clothed in the butternut gray2 then by tactics of bravery and nerve he enters the ,confederate gray lines4 ,the slightest blunder is certain death4 ,he takes a mental inventory of the whole situation1 but in such a way as to attract the attention of no one4 ,the strength of the fortifications1 the size and number of the batteries1 the commissary department1 and the chances and probabilities of reinforcements4 ,in a moment1 under the cover of night1 he fades out into the darkness and is gone4 ,the budget of information is placed at the earliest possible moment into the war councils of his own army4 ,satan plays the rle of a crafty spy2 he has access1 by some mysterious power1 to the heart life of men4 ,at no point of the game for immortal trophies is he so dangerous as when he can take advantage because of his secret knowledge of men's weaknesses and sins4 ,only a vicious degenerate can be tempted into all the crimes known to the docket of the ,bible2 few beings on this planet but are fortified at some point of character4 ,they may be weak in many ways--but early training or environment have helped them to become strong in some particulars4 ,the spy seeks to know when and where a blow may be struck in the enemy's lines1 at a place of least resistance4 ,the soul battles are exactly the same2 we have no special battles where we are strong2 things that might overcome another will mean nothing to us4 ,our battles are ever fought around the points of weak fortification2 the enemy rarely1 if ever1 has the pleasure of shouting over our downfall from the best that is in us4 ,the victories of athletic games--the pugilistic bouts in the sporting arena1 the mortal duel with rapiers1 the battle-fields where thousands fell--have been lost and won by the application of this principle4 ,the general with his field-glass sees a weakening in the enemy's line and orders a charge2 the duelist observes a shortening of breath or an awkward movement and seizes the opportunity4 ,it is the weak link in the chain of life that breaks2 sins of the lower nature--sensuality--might not appeal to some who fall an easy victim to pride1 ambition1 or covetousness2 others who are liberal1 honest to the cent1 unassuming1 are helpless when tempted in the realm of lower passions4 ,we are at an incalculable disadvantage when our enemy is familiar with our vulnerable points4 ,so long as the heart is unregenerated and unpurified by the cleansing power of the ,holy ,ghost1 ,satan has access to every nook and corner of our heart life4 ,he enters and discovers every vulnerable and invulnerable section of the soul's fortification4 ,the tempted and fallen are often unable to tell how it was done4 ,why did you go there8 or1 ,why did you do it8 ,oh1 so many1 many times do we hear the answer3 ,i do not know4 ,a friend once showed me a little iron safe in which he kept his valuable papers4 ,this safe had a very ingenious lock2 the combinations were such1 and the mechanism so wonderful1 that it was capable of three hundred thousand combinations4 ,why and how are sane men and women overcome8 ,they were met at a certain place1 under peculiar circumstances2 met by several--a word1 a smile1 an argument1 a pressure of the hand4 ,how was it done8 ,they do not know4 ,somehow the attack came in a way which rendered them helpless to resist4 ,one effort failed--a dozen failed2 but as often as it failed the ,expert changed the combination1 until the door yielded1 and an entrance into the citadel of ,mansoul was effected4 ,three hundred thousand combinations4 ,the spy has information from within2 and1 therefore1 the most dangerous man in the army4 ,satan1 by his supernatural powers directing his practice and experience for several millenniums1 is a crafty1 sagacious spy1 acquainted with all the weaknesses and emotions of the human heart4 ,who is equal to such an enemy8 ,contending alone1 no one on this sin-burdened footstool4 ,,xiv ,,the ,,quack ,,doctor ,having the form of godliness1 but denying the power thereof3 from such turn away4--#b ,timothy iii4 #e4 ,we do not agree with some late views of the nature of sin--that it is a physical and mental disorder3 the resultant of heredity1 food1 soil1 climate and social environment4 ,if the root of the difficulty springs from these primary causes1 the whole problem of evil could be wiped out in one generation by the application of sanitary laws and social betterment4 ,in the ,bible sin is known by several disease terms1 but always such diseases as were incurable by any treatment known in those days3 leprosy1 born blind1 deadly poison1 paralytic1 etc4 ,sin is a disease1 and the whole man1 body1 mind1 and spirit1 is more or less affected therefrom2 but it is1 in particular1 a soul malady1 going deeper than human remedies can reach1 whether social or medicinal4 ,to cure this soul disease the race has sought eagerly from the day ,cain and ,abel built their altars4 ,all the ramifications of civilization have had one all-absorbing desire3 a readjustment of something fundamentally wrong within4 ,this fight for an atonement with the ,creator has been a long1 heart-sore pilgrimage2 it has painted the blackest pages of history and committed the bloodiest crimes4 ,this human drama has been enacted in tragedy and tears4 ,why is it so8 ,because deeper than any other heart-throb is the consciousness of personal uncleanness1 and the bitter anguish it has caused4 ,the dead civilizations1 on their monuments and mausoleums1 have left behind1 carved indelibly1 one story--whether on the banks of the ,nile1 the ,areopagus of ,greece1 or the land of the ,montezumas--it is the story of feeling in the dark after ,god4 ,they had the disease and sought for a remedy4 ,from the days of the astrologers and soothsayers1 anxious souls have been victimized by every fad1 fake and fanaticism in their search for relief4 ,the venders of pulverized snake skins and lizard tongues1 in their day1 found as willing a patronage as the cultured proprietors of sanitariums to-day4 ,the long-haired man on a goods box can do a flourishing business1 if he has the gift of gab to convince the crowd his stuff will cure4 ,the quack doctor does not handle a variety of medicine2 he knows just enough of anatomy and materia medica to make his speech sound scholarly--but his remedy1 costing less than the price of one visit from a physician1 will cure all the ills of the human body4 ,like ,de ,soto1 we are seeking the fountain of perennial youth--the elixir of life4 ,just as the disease of the body and a passion to live open wide the door to charlatans1 fakirs1 and healers claiming powers direct from ,gabriel to ,beelzebub1 so the disease of the soul1 and a hunger for eternal life--deep calling unto deep--has opened the door of the heart to the religious doctor with his cure-all prescriptions4 ,out from unknown depths comes the yearning for readjustment and reconciliation with ,god4 ,no being1 beside the ,godhead1 is more familiar with the secret hopes and impulses of the soul--than ,satan4 ,the long-haired quack on the street1 bawling his junk1 is not half so anxious to defraud the crowd as ,satan is to prescribe remedies that will not cure4 ,his chief aspiration is to flood the land with bogus treatments which not only fail to cure1 but they preempt the disease-infected spots so as to prevent the introduction of the genuine remedy4 ,the quack doctor is1 no doubt1 pleased when an imaginary cure has been wrought by his wares2 but ,satan is filled with wrath if some of his formulas strike deeper than he anticipated1 and a soul emerges from darkness unto light4 ,this1 however1 does not often occur2 he is too cunning to advertise to a hungry1 sin-sick world that which will bring permanent relief4 ,the beating of tom-toms by an upper ,congo medicine man to drive away evil spirits has about the same efficacy as much that may be found in the esthetic circles of the world's religiosity4 ,a form of godliness1 be it ever so beautiful and orderly1 which does not seek and obtain the inner power is just another way of beating tom-toms4 ,we look with compassion upon the poor benighted heathen woman who trots around the temple of her god one hundred times on a moonlight night2 but how much improvement over her plan of salvation do we find in the blaze of twentieth century ,christian enlightenment1 if our religion consists of just doing something1 rather than having faith in a power that saves through the impartation of the ,holy ,ghost8 ,at no time in the history of the ,church have we done so many things as we are doing now--all good2 but observe3 the ,church and the world go hand in hand4 ,it is a rare exception when an essential difference can be seen in the life and business methods of the professor and non-professor4 ,they will have a form of godliness1 says ,paul1 but deny the power4 ,it was not a dream or hallucination which took the rich and poor1 in the long ago1 out from the world and caused them to give up even their lives cheerfully2 it was an application of the power4 ,they had tested the fountain opened in the house of ,david for sin and uncleanness4 ,oh1 that fountain deep and wide1 ,flowing from the wounded side1 ,that was pierced for our redemption1 long ago2 ,in thy ever cleansing wave1 there is found all power to save2 ,it's the power that healed the nations long ago4 ,in the multitude of pretenses1 makeshifts3 forms1 ceremonies1 chantings1 genuflections1 ordinances1 will worship1 self-righteousness1 wondrous works1--form of godliness--who is responsible8 ,it is the great ,quack ,doctor that is deceiving the world2 those who will not be dragged into sin and ruin he surfeits their lives with a form of godliness1 but deny the power plan of salvation4 ,,xv ,,the ,,devil ,a ,,theologian ,now the ,spirit speaketh expressly1 that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith1 giving heed to seducing spirits1 and doctrines of devils4--#a ,timothy iv4 #a4 ,theology is defined as the science which treats of ,god1 ,his existence1 character1 government1 and doctrines1 or the science of religion--a system of truth derived from the ,scriptures4 ,the caption of this article--,the ,devil a ,theologian--jars our spiritual nerve centres4 ,there are three things necessary to produce a theologian3 experience1 information1 ability4 ,from every possible view-point the ,devil is preminently qualified to formulate a system of doctrinal statements having all the earmarks of genuineness and credentials of authenticity4 ,in our discussion of the ,devil's theology we shall not1 at the present1 touch upon the theories and vile imaginations of demon-possessed men1 but the finer phases of truth1 beautifully presented by his apostles with a show of orthodox reasonableness4 ,by the term ,devil's theology--doctrines--we do not mean his beliefs--get the distinction--but what he wants us to believe4 ,he is every whit orthodox2 he believes the ,old ,book2 he does not indorse the new theology1 or the so-called higher learning1 only as it may be turned to his advantage4 ,the ,word of ,god is a mighty reality to him2 he has met its blazing truths1 and has been burned by its power4 ,he has millions of skeptics and doubters blindly following his delusions1 but he is a believer in the old school2 he believes and trembles4 ,we call attention to the term doctrines--therefore religious beliefs3 reasonable1 plausible1 satisfying beliefs4 ,what are they8 ,first3 ,ritualism is ,religion2 when we have gone through a certain proscribed programme--whether it be a chant1 reading prayers1 or burning a dim light--there you are4 ,how do we know we are religious8 ,we have gone the rounds1 said the required number of ,ave ,maries1 counted the rosary1 etc41 etc41 therefore the work is done4 ,it sounds harsh to place these beautiful ceremonies1 which have doubtless comforted so many hearts1 in the enemy's catalogue2 but the ,pharisees were rigid ritualists1 yet ,christ denounced them as miserable hypocrites--whited sepulchres4 ,anything he can get us to adopt1 having a semblance of reality1 yet does not save--does not deal directly with the sin question1 he shouts over our delusion4 ,he appropriates ,ritualism for ,religion and it becomes his doctrine4 ,a second doctrine3 ,good ,resolution for ,regeneration4 ,there has never been as much strenuous evangelism1 of a certain quality1 as we are having to-day4 ,great cities unite in stupendous revival effort2 no expense is spared2 the leading masters of assemblies are called as workers4 ,the zeal and motives of it all are commendable2 but the bane of such evangelism is this3 the work stops at the resolution period4 ,men are brought under conviction1 and the ,devil at once proposes his compromise4 ,not until the big meeting closes do the convicted multitudes discover the deception4 ,herein is the explanation of the lethargy1 depression1 and utter indifference which so often obtain after a sweeping revival4 ,faith is then shaken1 and sometimes permanently1 in the truth of a conscious1 know-so salvation4 ,if the ,prodigal ,son had stopped after passing a good resolution with himself he would have died at the swine pen without the knowledge of the father's love1 the kiss1 the robe1 the ring1 and the fatted calf4 ,a sinner must not only quit his meanness but straighten out his meanness4 ,regeneration is not by the will of the flesh1 the will of man1 not of blood2 but it is to be born of ,god--born from above--a new creature4 ,doctrines floating under the banner of evangelism which do not get believers into the kingdom must be listed with the enemy4 ,a third doctrine3 ,sentiment is ,salvation4 ,we are a sentimental people2 esthetic and humanitarian developments of recent years have done much to soften our barbarian instincts4 ,if sentiment were salvation1 this land would be redeemed4 ,many think we are rapidly becoming a saved nation2 those who enjoy such reflections should stand at the entrance of any theatre on ,sunday1 or a pleasure garden1 or a ball park2 then hurry around to the entrance of the finest1 best equipped church in the city for comparison4 ,sentiment is educated emotion4 ,rome used to shout over the bloody scenes in the amphitheatre2 now we can weep over the unfortunate girl who goes down in spectacular glory behind the footlights4 ,sentiment makes us rejoice with those who do rejoice1 and weep with those who weep2 it moves us to deeds of charity4 ,satan then has no difficulty in persuading us that we are religious--spiritually redeemed2 if we weep over our loved ones1 our emotions are very religious4 ,the most grief we ever witnessed at a funeral was in the home of a saloon-keeper2 the dead wife and mother1 a depraved opium and morphine eater2 the home was utterly irreligious1 but the grief was hysterical1 explosive4 ,the sacrifices of ,god are a broken and a contrite heart--over sins committed1 producing a godly sorrow1 and not a sentiment4 ,again1 the ,devil takes great delight in telling the unsaved and unchurched masses that religion is all selfishness2 the poor are made to feel that the ,church is the rich man's institution4 ,notwithstanding the efforts of ,god's people to reach and help the lost they are represented as mean and selfish1 pretending a pious fraud1 with no bread for the hungry and no helping hand for the needy4 ,we build stately temples of worship to gratify our pride and vanity with money earned by the sweat and toil of the poor man2 money that ought to be given to the poor4 ,judas protested against breaking the alabaster box4 ,the church is a place for dress parade2 the humble and meanly clad are not wanted4 ,all such is malicious slander against ,god1 ,his ,church and ,his people2 but as stereotyped as this may sound1 it is being used effectually everywhere4 ,if a church preaches salvation from sin1 it is the poor man's best friend2 but reference to the church and the preacher is often hissed in gatherings of toiling men4 ,unless there shall come to this land the establishment of the righteousness of ,christ1 as taught in ,his ,gospel1 we shall see another reign of terror2 the fires of restlessness1 hate1 and discontent are smouldering in every shop1 factory1 and mine4 ,the ,golden ,age will never come until it is brought in by the ,golden ,rule of ,christ4 ,the ,devil is busy keeping these facts from becoming known4 ,the doctrine stated3 we are in it to serve a selfish end2 take away our hope of advantages1 and our faith becomes religious junk4 ,,xvi ,,the ,,devil ,a ,,theologian 7,continued7 ,one of the ,devil's tactics is to make much ado about nothing4 ,it is astonishing how sane people can be deluded over childish non-essentials4 ,think of the doctrine of ,abstinence2 at certain seasons be holy with a vengeance4 ,it is a mortal sin to let down during certain days and moons2 no meats1 no riotous gormandizing1 no wine1 no dancing1 no theatre going1 when the season is holy4 ,but are we not so commanded concerning the ,sabbath day8 ,the ,sabbath day must be kept holy1 but if our moral standard and relationship fall below during the week what we are supposed to make them on ,sabbath1 our piety is a farce4 ,an incident will illustrate4 ,it was a steamboat excursion2 drinking and dancing were freely indulged in by the hilarious passengers4 ,a parson was among them2 he danced not1 neither did he look upon the wine that was red4 ,he looked sad--it was ,lent4 ,one week later we beheld this same parson in full evening dress gracefully waltzing with one of the lambs of his flock4 ,amazing spectacle6 ,robes of holiness to-day1 with fastings and prayers2 to-morrow1 broadcloth1 perfume1 patent leathers1 and arms encircling a maiden in the dizzy whirl of the dance4 ,paul saw such times coming and warned against them4 ,there are many more1 but we shall mention only one more3 the gigantic system of saints' worship4 ,what does this mean8 ,anything that diverts and absorbs the attention away from things fundamental is surely of evil origin4 ,his fall began when he conceived hatred and jealousy of ,jesus2 now if he can get people to pay a part or all of their homage to ,mary1 or any one of the many saints1 just so the ,son of ,god is robbed of ,his glory and neglected1 his devilish malice is somewhat gratified4 ,there is a long list of dead worthies who are reverenced and supplicated unto daily2 but high over all is the ,virgin ,mother of ,god4 ,after the birth of the ,saviour ,mary was the wife of ,joseph1 and bore children as a natural mother--she was not a virgin4 ,thou shalt have no other gods before me2 ,thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images--thou shalt not bow down to them4 ,doctrines of ,devils4 ,spiritual minded students of the ,bible and human conduct are forced to the conclusion that the ,devil is not only a wise theologian1 but he is a great preacher2 and1 as we have learned1 he has a mighty gospel which he preaches with effectiveness and power4 ,he has clearly defined doctrines which he promulgates at such times and places as will best meet the desired end4 ,but with cunning craftiness he preaches his dogmas and tenets everywhere3 housetops1 society parlours1 centres of business1 legislatures1 court rooms1 barrooms1 and bawdy houses1 as well as in pulpits4 ,this sounds like a strange mixture3 the sacred desk associated with such an array of evil--ad absurdum4 ,if the pulpit is immune1 why ,paul's exhortation8 ,doctrines presuppose a preacher1 and also an effort to gain an audience whenever and wherever possible4 ,yes1 the ,devil preaches1 and if doors are barred he forces an entrance3 home and foreign missions1 slums1 emigrants1 aristocrats and sports4 ,he has access to scores of avenues where the ,gospel of ,christ never enters2 but under the cover of human interests he takes the field with our ,lord ,jesus and ,his ministers1 offering a more beautiful1 excellent1 easier and successful way4 ,as ,god's method of saving the world is by the foolishness of preaching1 what better agency of opposition could be launched than preaching8 ,nothing4 ,far stronger is the expulsive than the opposing power4 ,the most dangerous poison in the world is the kind that hides its death in a cup of sweetness2 a child eats a sugar-coated pill and never recovers4 ,hell is peopled by the multitudes who have drunk at the ,devil's fountain of soothing1 satisfying poison4 ,he keeps his deluded patrons from the fountain of cleansing by an easier way to delectable fountains1 the waters of which paralyze with the chill of death4 ,we note another very remarkable fact concerning the ,devil's doctrines and his style of preaching4 ,christ's ministers often fail because of a lack of adaptability2 he overshot his crowd is the comment often heard4 ,the genius of this subject does not make this mistake2 he is a past-master at adaptability2 to those who have a feeble1 fluttering conscience for spiritual things he has the sincere milk of the word that soothes and sustains2 but for his robust followers1 whom he has bound in chains stronger than those which bound ,prometheus1 he gives the meat of diabolism1 prepared and seasoned by a skill of six thousand years' practice4 ,place your ear at the keyhole where his children are conducting a revival meeting--high carnival of sin--and hear the ideas of ,god1 salvation1 preachers1 the ,church1 and the hereafter4 ,this is the strong gospel referred to2 the gospel that fires the masses with hate and prejudice against the only means of human redemption4 ,yes1 he preaches1 preaches1 preaches1 and from every nook and corner2 ten messengers to one preaching the ,christ2 his preachers support themselves1 and touch the highways and byways2 his lines are gone out into all the earth1 circumscribing sea and land4 ,the ,devil gets an intelligent hearing4 ,he has a long catalogue of doctrines1 but he does not believe a single one of them4 ,we should be wise enough to eliminate them from our creed also4 ,,xvii ,,the ,,devil',s ,,righteousness ,woe unto them6 for they have gone in the way of ,cain4--,jude #aa4 ,for they being ignorant of ,god's righteousness1 and going about to establish their own righteousness1 have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of ,god4--,romans x4 #c4 ,we are becoming1 according to the canons of this world1 a righteous nation2 the standard of civic and commercial righteousness is elevated as never before4 ,sleuth-hounds are scenting every indication of misrule and running to earth evil-doers1 high and low4 ,our cities are keeping tab rigidly on sewerage1 cesspools1 and outhouses2 a persistent war is being waged on flies1 mosquitoes1 and germs of all kinds4 ,private citizens are everywhere organizing to coperate with officials for public welfare4 ,corporation and municipal rings must answer at the bar of an outraged public conscience4 ,righteousness is in the air2 it resounds from the pulpit1 platform and press4 ,chautauqua specialists who have discovered some deflection in the political and social woof and warp declare1 amid salutes of fluttering handkerchiefs1 the righteousness of twentieth century standards4 ,preaching on the cardinal doctrines of the ,bible has been displaced by rhetorical messages on altruism3 light1 ethics1 mercy1 cleanness1 goodness4 ,the fatherhood of ,god and the brotherhood of man1 with a flavour of intellectualism1 is the gospel that is now being emphasized with much gusto1 and never fails to solicit the indorsement of all denominations4 ,be good and do good is the multum in parvo of present day righteousness4 ,who but a chronic faultfinder could object to this upward move1 so obvious now in all directions8 ,the world is getting kinder1 more sympathetic1 more charitable2 creed lines are dissolving like snow under an ,april sun2 sectarian prejudice is dying under the withering frown of new ideals4 ,does this not indicate a gradual leavening of the whole lump8 ,the spirit of ,christ1 they tell us1 is being adopted everywhere4 ,he is mounting the throne of universal empire1 and the time surely is not far distant when the social1 political1 commercial and domestic life will be regenerated by ,his influence4 ,yes--it would appear so to be2 much that is done bears a ,christian label2 it comes in the name of ,christ2 but1 says a writer1 it is the ,christ of ,bethlehem and not the ,christ of the ,cross4 ,it is the human ,christ and not the sacrificial--the exponent of a blood ,atonement4 ,the righteousness that has the full swing of modern religionists makes much of ,christ's example1 ,his beautiful character and self-abandonment--,he went about doing good4 ,much attention is given to studying ,his leadership1 ,his pedagogy1 ,his art of public address1 ,his humanity4 ,his example and not ,his sacrifice saves the world2 step by step the human ,christ has displaced the ,christ of ,calvary2 ,his atonement was misguided zeal4 ,this propaganda1 on the surface1 is reasonable and popular2 but close scrutiny will reveal a poison as dangerous as it is subtle4 ,it leaves out the ,blood2 it is a glorification of ,man4 ,count the number of the beast1 for it is the number of man4 ,this issue is an old one2 it became an entering wedge in the religious life when the first services were held after the ,fall4 ,cain and ,abel made altars2 ,cain piled his high with beautiful1 luscious fruits of the field4 ,no festal board ever looked more tempting1 loaded with sweet smelling fruit1 having variegated colours1 than the altar which ,cain presented to ,god4 ,they were the results of his own sweat and toil2 he offered them as the first fruits4 ,but ,god rejected the offering2 somehow the very beauty and attractiveness of it all insulted ,him4 ,abel's altar was smeared with blood2 on top lay a limp1 bleeding lamb4 ,nothing attractive about this picture2 our esthetic nature recoils at the gore and cruelty of such an offering4 ,yet ,god graciously accepted this bloody1 unsightly offering2 and no doubt rained fire upon it--anyhow1 ,abel was justified4 ,why did ,god reject the one and accept the other8 ,cain and ,abel alike had been taught from their infancy that without the shedding of blood there shall be no remission of sin4 ,by transgression man stood as an alien before ,god2 he had forfeited divine favour4 ,notwithstanding1 ,cain boldly brought before ,god a bloodless sacrifice1 and presumes to force ,him to accept it4 ,through all the millenniums before ,christ every approach to ,god must contain in the sacrifices and offerings an element which reminded ,god of the coming ,atonement4 ,he declared3 ,for the life of the flesh is the blood1 and ,i have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your soul4 ,for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul 7,lev4 xvii4 #aa74 ,coming directly to the point3 all this new notion of things1 touching ,man's religion1 fast becoming prevalent is the way of ,cain1 with a twentieth century touch and terminology4 ,what is the essence of this new righteousness8 what does it do8 ,observe1 it sets aside ,god's estimate of man1 and ignores the plan of redemption ,he established at the beginning in types and shadows1 then consummated in the atoning death of ,his ,son on the ,cross4 ,the righteousness of to-day has much in it to commend2 but it utterly disregards the only feature upon which ,god places emphasis4 ,the ,blood and the ,cross1 as of old1 is an offense2 they have found a more excellent way1 but it is the way of ,cain4 ,it is offering self-righteousness rather than seeking the righteousness of ,god4 ,the bloody offering of ,abel suggested suffering1 punishment1 death1 judgment--but it honoured ,god4 ,modern righteousness scoffs at the ,abel offerings by hanging a wreath of flowers on the ,cross1 bearing a perfumed tag1 ,with sympathy4 ,it is ,cain setting up business in town once more4 ,a sacrificial propitiation for sin is unnecessary when we have inherent goodness4 ,the modern righteousness contends that each man has self-redemptive qualities2 all he needs is a chance4 ,salvation is not internal1 but external4 ,the ,cainites are filling the earth2 they are preaching the popular sermons1 writing the magazine articles1 the poetry1 the fiction2 they occupy the chief synagogue seats of seminaries2 they are conspicuous at all chatauquas and baccalaureate occasions4 ,it is a well-known psychological fact that evil cannot exist apart from ,personality--whether it be bad laws1 bad books1 bad town1 or a bad house4 ,whence comes all this audacious1 undermining insult to the whole sweep of ,god's plan for saving the world8 ,whence comes all this preaching about righteousness which places the crown on man1 and robs the ,cross of its glory8 ,the righteousness being sounded in double diapason and angelus keys is the righteousness of the ,devil4 ,bear in mind it is ,righteousness1 and a high type of it1 he demands2 he wants the offering of ,cain to cover up all the needs of the soul--cheat the blood of its merit--insult ,god1 and lead the race through a bowery of flowers1 fruits1 and music on to its ruin4 ,anything to cheat the depositum of the ,gospel--that which gives a title to heaven--the precious ,blood4 ,the righteousness that leaves out the ,blood is the way of ,cain--the righteousness of the ,devil4 ,,xviii ,,the ,,world',s ,,tempter ,again1 the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain1 and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world1 and the glory of them2 and sayeth unto him1 ,all these things will ,i give thee1 if thou wilt fall down and worship me4--,matthew iv4 #h-i4 ,temptation is a seduction3 meaning to allure or entice one to evil4 ,it is submitting a proposition which carries with it inducements of pleasure or gain4 ,the mind that accedes readily and willingly to an act is not tempted4 ,a temptation is a clash of wills1 one being superior to the other if the contest results in a yielding4 ,the word embodies the idea of an elastic--stretched to the snapping point4 ,if there is no response1 no struggle against desire--it is not a temptation4 ,the ,master was very man as well as very ,god2 yet strange as it may seem--,he was really tempted1 and just as we are4 ,our purpose in this discussion is not to analyze the different phases of our ,lord's temptation--the tests to which ,he was subjected1--but we wish to emphasize one thing3 ,he was tempted4 ,the appeals came from ,his old time enemy2 ,his rival for supremacy4 ,he was not taken unawares2 the facts were clearly before ,him1 just who and what it all meant--yet ,he was tempted4 ,the diabolical assault did not cease until ,his threefold nature was stretched to the snapping point4 ,it came from an inferior being1 and for sake of illustration1 had the scheme succeeded1 the ,sun of righteousness would have gone down forever4 ,not only would the great plan of human redemption have proved abortive1 but ,satan would have snatched the sceptre from the hand of the ,anointed ,one and shouted his victory in the face of ,god4 ,we are amazed to think of the only ,begotten being near the yielding point in the presence of the fallen ,lucifer1 but the ,book says ,he was tempted4 ,some may contend that ,he could not have yielded2 all the while ,he was conscious of divine security4 ,this conclusion forces another untenable proposition3 ,if ,he could not have yielded1 ,his humanity was not real1 but veiled in ,his divinity2 the temptation was only a shadow4 ,we insist that as a man ,jesus was tempted2 ,he could have called to ,his aid supernatural intervention1 but ,he did not4 ,the issue was met as every man must meet it2 it was manhood that conquered4 ,had ,he yielded1 both manhood and divinity would have become subservient to the enemy4 ,fall down and worship me was the proposition4 ,now we wish to make a few deductions from our ,lord's temptation4 ,whatever includes the greater includes the lesser--a fortiori4 ,natural man reached his highest expression in ,jesus of ,nazareth2 ,he was ,god's exponent of human perfection4 ,there were no weaknesses1 no lack of pose or symmetry2 ,his penetration and judgment of others were absolutely accurate4 ,from the beginning ,he had known the ,evil ,one who faced ,him4 ,now1 with all those perfect endowments1 the record says ,he was tempted4 ,the ingenuity of ,satan was sufficient to bring out all the resources of the ,son of ,god4 ,here was the greatest1 wisest1 purest and strongest man that ever walked upon the earth--susceptible1 influenced1 strained to the snapping point1 when attacked by the ,tempter4 ,what will be the inevitable fate of you and me1 dear reader1 whenever he selects us as his victims8 ,the unmistakable teachings of the ,word are that every temptation to which man is or ever has been subjected came fresh from the seething caldron of the pit4 ,the student of human conduct has observed universal adaptability of all temptation4 ,a great sagacious intelligence seems to be managing personally1 through his cohorts1 this campaign of promising propositions4 ,there are some who can be incited to commit horrible crimes1 such as murder1 incendiary1 born perhaps with vicious tendencies1 but this class is comparatively small2 others are susceptible to deeds of milder character4 ,it would matter little to an army approaching a fortification where or how the attack should be made if the walls at every point were weak and crumbling4 ,no time is spent in reconnoitre and playing for position2 but if the battlements be strong1 a faulty place must be located if there be one4 ,satan rarely ever blunders in laying his temptations2 he is a most skillful strategist4 ,as the world's tempter he reveals an ingenuity that is truly astounding2 it should cause the bravest heart to shudder once the eyes are opened to the source4 ,knowledge of his approaches1 marches1 countermarches1 advancings1 and retreats--all with a specific object--ought to be a great breakwater4 ,a writer gives us a striking word picture of ,satan's methods3 ,as the enemy who lays siege to a city finds out the weakest portion of the wall1 or the best spot to batter it1 or the lowest and safest place to scale it1 or where the intervening obstacle may be easiest overcome1 or where an advantage may be taken1 or where an entrance may be effected1 or when is the best time1 or what is the best means to secure the desired end1 so the arch-deceiver and destroyer of souls goes about1 watchful1 intent upon ruin1 scanning all the powers of the mind1 inspecting all the avenues to the heart and assailing every unguarded spot4 ,sometimes he attacks our understanding by injecting erroneous doctrine2 sometimes our affections by excessive devotion to things we love2 sometimes our wills by strengthening them in wrong directions2 sometimes our imaginations by vain1 foolish1 trifling thoughts2 and sometimes our feelings by too high or too low excitation4 ,some one has called ,satan and his subordinates not omnipresent1 but shifting imps4 ,they swarm the air1 invisible1 because they are spirit1 watching for opportunities to edge their way into the hearts of mankind4 ,they are shifting position1 always to a point of least resistance4 ,like a current of electricity1 always flowing from a point of higher potential pressure to one of lower1 if points are connected by a conductor4 ,the metallic substances from which the current starts and towards which it flows are called electrodes1 and are always of different potentiality4 ,the current passes from the one of higher to the lower4 ,man in his own strength is the lower1 and unprotected by the ,spirit of ,god cannot resist the evil currents flowing from ,satan continually4 ,,xix ,,the ,,confidence ,,man ,in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not1 lest the light of the glorious gospel of ,christ1 who is the image of ,god1 should shine unto them4--#b ,corinthians iv4 #d4 ,history is one long1 tragic recital of human sorrow and suffering2 but there is far more unwritten history than has ever been recorded on the printed page4 ,along the march of civilization all that has come down to us are the lives and doings of great men2 we know little of the heart agonies of the race--such as cannot be recorded--language is inadequate4 ,most of history is a record of man's inhumanity to man1 but historians deal with these dark pages only on the higher levels4 ,the greatest suffering1 the bitterest cries of anguish1 the deepest wails of despair are in the lowlands of human life3 down where its pathos can never be known4 ,the darkest tragedies of war are lost by the gallant heroism of some officer2 the blood and carnage are overshadowed and forgotten by the heralds of victory4 ,the real pathos of war remains unnoticed by the chroniclers and correspondents2 it is found in the heart suffering of the dying in the trenches2 the black pall that settles over the homes made desolate by the news from the front4 ,the saddest stories of life will never be told2 they are the voiceless agonies and smothered sobs from victims of human treachery and deceit4 ,millions are shambling on their weary way1 waiting for the end1 whose hearts are dead and buried in graves of misplaced confidence4 ,more domestic lights have been extinguished1 more love dreams turned from a sweet phantasy to an horrid nightmare1 more bodies fished from the river1 more shocking tragedies have resulted directly from this cause--misplaced and wrecked confidence--than from all other causes of human wretchedness4 ,an illustration from actual life will serve to bring the caption of this chapter--the ,confidence ,man--out in bold relief4 ,an honest old farmer1 whose horizon had not extended beyond the obscure ,indiana neighbourhood1 sold his little home and started for ,kansas1 hoping to enlarge his possessions and give his sons and daughters a larger sphere of opportunity4 ,that they might see the wonders of a great city1 arrangements were secured for a three days' stop-over at ,st4 ,louis4 ,the ,confidence ,man saw them pass through the iron gate into the lobby4 ,he first noted the train on which they had come to the city4 ,with great enthusiasm he greeted the old gentleman1 introduced himself1 extending a business card of his firm4 ,with cunning palaver1 and the guilelessness of the farmer--item after item of information as to name and where they came from were obtained4 ,the man who said he thought he recognized the old gentleman soon became satisfied of it--having an uncle living in the same county--and ,i have often heard him speak of you1 etc41 etc4 ,it required only a short time to not only gain the confidence of the whole family1 but also to get all the facts concerning their business affairs3 how much the little farm brought1 and how much they had left to begin life in the west1 and actual cash on hand4 ,there was not a hitch in the scheme2 the new friend 787 loaded them with kindnesses and courtesies1 paid all the bills at lunch and theatre--took the young people into the mysteries of the great wonderland--all so new and strange4 ,it was the last afternoon2 father and ,mr4 ,confidence ,man were returning from a tour of sightseeing4 ,they met a man walking in great haste2 looking up he saw the two men1 and suddenly laid violent hands on the farmer's friend1 demanding the payment of a note three days overdue4 ,they quarrelled2 all manner of apologies were made1 that he was entertaining an old friend1 etc41 all of which caused the ,shylock to grow more enraged and unreasonable2 they almost came to blows4 ,finally the old man's benefactor asked to see him for a moment alone4 ,then meekly humble1 and with many regrets1 asked for a loan of enough to pay the note4 ,we will go right down to my office1 and ,i will reimburse you with big interest for the kindness4 ,the honest old man was only too glad for an opportunity of returning1 by such a little act1 the kindness that had been shown him4 ,the note was almost one thousand dollars2 when the bills were counted out1 less than ten dollars remained in his purse--the savings of a lifetime4 ,proceeding on their way until they reached the first saloon1 ,it is my treat1 uncle1 said the man4 ,after the drinks were served1 he asked to be excused for a moment1 and stepped into a back room from the bar--he was seen no more4 ,after a long time1 the barkeeper informed the old man that his friend was one of the worst crooks in ,st4 ,louis4 ,with less than ten dollars he staggered out of the saloon1 wandered over the city dazed and half insane4 ,on the following day he was found down on the wharf crying like a child4 ,what had happened8 ,he had been in the hands of a ,confidence ,man4 ,there are being formed in all walks of life--high and low--associations and alliances1 spurred on and incited by extravagant promises--the hook baited according to the fish--which culminates in certain disaster4 ,the pathway of life is strewn with victims of ,confidence friends--instead of friends4 ,as in all these subtle and dangerous diversions we believe every trap and scheme are under the direct control and supervision of ,satan--playing the rle of ,confidence ,man4 ,many with a natural impulse for pleasure knock1 and at once arms are wide open to receive them2 lust beckons1 and the ,broad ,way becomes choked with her votaries2 covetousness shouts her promises1 and the love of money soon burns out every high and holy aspiration4 ,fame holds the chaplet in full view1 and men are ready to exchange heaven in order to have it pressed upon their brow4 ,but alas1 in the end--in the end--it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder4 ,when the curtain falls1 too late to recover1 we shall be found on eternity's shore1 shipwrecked1 robbed1 ruined--victims of the great seducer4 ,no one but an incarnate devil could stoop to the low plane of ,confidence ,man in business and social life2 but think of what it means3 by flattering promises1 smiles1 and kindness force an entrance into the heart life1 and when once in possession1 desecrate1 prostitute1 and destroy4 ,we insist that it takes a devil-possessed man to operate in this particular field1 and the world is full of such4 ,we therefore conclude he is the god of this planet1 blinding the eyes of his unnumbered victims4 ,,xx ,,the ,,trapper ,and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil1 who are taken captive by him at his will4--#b ,timothy ii4 #bf4 ,surely he will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler4--,psalm xci4 #c4 ,to be a trapper requires something more than setting traps and baiting them4 ,the old trapper returns from a season spent among mountains1 rivers1 and forests--ladened with valuable furs of every kind3 beaver1 bear1 otter1 fox1 mink1 wildcat1 coon1 opossum1 etc4 ,remember the animal kingdom is infinite in variety2 no two alike4 ,a trap that will catch a beaver will not answer as a bear trap2 a coon and a mink are as far removed from each other as a polished ,american and a native of ,madagascar4 ,a coon will not go within a rod of a chain1 but have little if any keenness of scent for protection4 ,a rat will not go near an object if the smell of human hands is on it4 ,volumes of natural history would be inadequate to give the details of differentiation of the animal kingdom4 ,the old trapper in his log cabin has never read a page of zology1 but is far more familiar with the ways of the furry folk than the scientists who write our books on natural history4 ,the trapper is a graduate from the school of ,association2 he has studied the traits and pranks of the forest inhabitants by observation at close range4 ,he knows just where the mink can be caught1 and just how the trap must be baited and concealed2 he has the same information about all the rest1 and can apply it4 ,once when a child1 we were enraptured until late bedtime by the stories of an old trapper3 telling about the different varmints4 ,without drawing on his imagination1 he could have added many chapters to the tales of ,uncle ,remus4 ,the facts about our furry friends are far more interesting than fiction2 the trapper knows about these facts4 ,the ,psalmist calls ,satan a fowler2 one who sets traps for old and young as the fowler sets traps for fowls4 ,how is it done8 ,leaves and weeds are carefully cleared away1 and the trap is skillfully set by a trigger1 so that the slightest touch will spring it4 ,the ground is also cleared for several rods leading off in front of the trap2 suitable food is scattered under the trap and all along the clean strip of ground4 ,the birds excitedly follow the line of food--walking under the trap where it is scattered in abundance4 ,in the scuffle1 the trigger is soon touched2 behold the trap falls1 and they are caught2 oh1 how they beat their heads against the prison bars until they are covered with blood1 but all is over4 ,they are caught in the snare of the fowler4 ,every animal and fowl will flee from the approach of danger2 the trap must be hid1 or in some way made to appear as something harmless2 nature has endowed them to seek always self-preservation4 ,with nothing but instinct to guide1 they are easily caught by the skill and cunning of man1 but never caught in the open2 some1 however1 are more easily caught than others1 but they must be trapped4 ,the ,bible teaches that the ,devil is a trapper2 his snares are set everywhere--they are man traps2 no spider ever spun a web more accurately for the moth than ,satan's traps to catch men4 ,it requires certain bait and certain traps for each particular animal and bird1 but the snares for men are legion4 ,man has a threefold nature3 body1 mind1 and spirit2 each of these have many avenues of approach4 ,as the trapper gains his knowledge of the furry tribe by association1 so the ,trapper of men1 by the application of supernatural powers1 in close contact and intimate association through the past millenniums1 has become intimately acquainted with man4 ,there are no facts touching his habitat1 food1 passions1 ambitions1 weaknesses1 yearnings1 etc4--whether in the realm of body1 mind or spirit--but the cunning trapper of the pit is more minutely acquainted than man is acquainted with himself4 ,if guileless and unsuspecting men and women were the only victims1 the situation would not be so serious2 not that one soul is of more value than another1 but the facts are3 no one seems to be capable of discovering his hidden snares4 ,the greatest and wisest--,alexanders1 ,anthonys1 ,napoleons1 kings1 sages and philosophers--have been captured by him at his will4 ,what a shudder would go over the race if it could penetrate the veil of mystery and see the traps towards which we are moving2 moving on to certain capture1 but for ,providential oversight and guidance4 ,domestic traps1 political traps1 social traps1 business traps1 religious traps2 the location and bait are suited to individual likes and dislikes4 ,my soul be on thy guard2 ten thousand foes arise4 ,our country is just beginning to awake to a system of trapping now being carried on in every city and town1 so gigantic and heinous that we are dazed and frightened at its boldness4 ,the great ,white ,slave ,traffic is carried on by traps1 pure and simple2 as carefully planned and skillfully executed as the methods of an old trapper who remains in the primeval forest to supply the fur market4 ,the feelers and tentacles of this human devil-fish are running out in the highways and hedges3 the factories1 mills1 department stores4 ,but the traffic is not confined to the poor1 uneducated girls at the ribbon counter or waist factory2 girls of culture and experience are caught1 but the bait used is very different4 ,when once caught1 not one in ten thousand ever escapes4 ,a being less than a fallen archangel could never have instituted the ,white ,slave ,traffic4 ,a man or woman not incarnated by the ,devil or some of his minions could never promulgate a system so vile1 so inhuman1 so hellish1 as the traffic of innocent flesh and blood1 to be offered and burned on the altars of lust for gain4 ,compared with the ,white ,slave ,traffic1 as it is prosecuted by the panderers and procurers1 negro slavery1 at its worst1 the extermination of which the bloodiest war ever fought on this planet was waged1 is like the vilest ribaldry ever sung in a den of vice to a ,te ,deum4 ,lest we forget--,satan is an expert trapper--the king of trappers4 ,,xxi ,,the ,,incomparable ,,archer ,wherefore take unto you the whole armour of ,god4444 ,stand therefore1 having your loins girt about with truth1 and having on the breastplate of righteousness4444 ,above all1 taking the shield of faith1 wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked4--,ephesians vi4 #ac1 #ad1 #af4 ,when traps1 tricks1 seductions1 and quackery1 temptations1 etc41 fail1 ,satan adds victims to his long list by destroying them at long range4 ,while in a mountain peak vision of inspiration ,paul sees the enemy as a wrestler1 a trickster1 a schemer1 and even a more dangerous rle than either3 a skilled marksman4 ,by keeping close to ,god1 and keeping ourselves unspotted from the world1 we may stay his blighting touch from personal contact2 but there seems to be no absolute safety until we are shielded by the whole armour of ,god4 ,there are evil days1 days of visitation and distress1 over which no one has control2 at such times we may not be conscious of any satanic presence2 yet confusion1 doubt1 fear and anxiety have complete control over mind and heart4 ,these days1 and their depressing effect1 can only be warded off by the protection of the whole armour2 for emphasis1 ,paul mentions it twice in the same paragraph4 ,an armour is a coat of mail covering the body1 made so as to be impenetrable to the missile of death4 ,the ,apostle does not stop with a partial equipment2 the head and feet also must be properly covered4 ,especially does he emphasize the shield--that great polished1 concave steel disk1 strapped to the left arm1 so that a thrust from sword1 arrow1 or spear can be easily deflected4 ,as it is carried on the arm it can be raised or lowered so as to protect the whole body4 ,this arrow-protecting shield must be wrought in faith1 that mysterious relation which unites the soul with ,god4 ,the antithesis of ,paul's language implies that when ,satan makes certain efforts to wound the soul1 the shield of faith alone can save4 ,the fight is not ended when we come out victor in a hand to hand conflict1 but must next prepare to meet a shower of fiery darts4 ,a dart is an arrow shot from a bow2 a fiery dart is a flaming torch attached to the arrow4 ,in all ages1 until the days of powder and firearms1 soldiers were equipped with bow and arrows4 ,arrowheads were made of steel1 and as keen as needles4 ,the battle-axe and broadsword were used when the lines met1 but showers of arrows would fall upon the enemy with as much fatality as a round of grape and canister4 ,often the arrows would be freshly dipped in a deadly poison1 and in that case the slightest wound would result in certain death4 ,when a fort or city was being besieged1 the arrows would carry a ball of tow1 having been saturated in oil2 hundreds of these flaming darts would fall on the inside of the fortification and start a general conflagration4 ,this method was practiced by the ,american ,indians when they could not reach a fort1 blockhouse1 or stockade because of the white man's gun2 these flaming torches1 falling in great number1 were more to be dreaded than the tomahawk and scalping knife of the savages4 ,satan shoots fiery darts--arrows--at us2 he may come1 as he did to the ,master1 and find nothing in us2 our hearts may be clean4 ,but from a source entirely unexpected--here comes a flaming arrow--burning its way into the heart1 igniting with hatred and misunderstanding friends and enemies in a manner never dreamed of before4 ,how often the blow comes from the one place least expected1 and for that reason all the more deadly4 ,we are guarded in some directions1 but over the walls of our stockade the ,devil sends his fiery darts1 and we are swept away in a satanic conflagration4 ,it requires the whole armour--and the shield of faith to quench the flaming arrows from his quiver4 ,he is the world's incomparable archer2 when all other methods fail1 he shoots us with poisoned1 fiery darts4 ,the mother of ,achilles baptized him in the river ,styx1 making him invulnerable to the weapons of the enemy2 she held him by the heel during the baptismal ceremony2 the heel only remained untouched by the protecting waters of the fabulous ,styx4 ,one of the gods became acquainted with this fact1 and shot him to death in the heel1 the one vulnerable spot4 ,again1 we repeat1 we are not safe without the whole armour of ,god1 and the shield of faith4 ,bear in mind1 also1 the ,incomparable ,archer takes a more deliberate aim if it is a shining mark1 and exults most when he can lay low in the dust1 wounded and disabled1 one dowered with unusual capacity for noble service4 ,,xxii ,,the ,,father ,,of ,,liars ,ye are of your father the devil1 and the lusts of your father ye will do4 ,he was a murderer from the beginning1 and abode not in the truth1 because there is no truth in him4 ,when he speaketh a lie1 he speaketh of his own3 for he is a liar1 and the father of it4--,john viii4 #dd4 ,sin has many tools1 but a lie is a handle which fits them all4--,o4 ,w4 ,holmes4 ,satan opened his propaganda with a slanderous lie2 this lie was believed by the innocent parents of the race4 ,simple and modest as this lie seemed to be1 it opened a crevice in the moral government of ,god4 ,confidence1 fellowship1 and filial relations were destroyed by the breach4 ,the nature and character of a lie may best be understood1 and we can get the estimate ,god places on it1 by carefully studying the damages it wrought4 ,eden was lost1 ,god's favour lost1 peace and plenty lost1 innocence lost2 humiliation1 fear1 banishment1 toil1 sweat1 suffering and death took the place of ,eden's pristine glories4 ,nothing so reveals the depths to which ,lucifer had fallen--and his great intelligence1 losing none of its acumen1 exercised in a way fitting to his depravity of character1 as the launching of a lie4 ,he has done nothing since--which more clearly exemplifies the ,being our ,bible teaches that he is4 ,an egg was laid and a lie was hatched2 this lie has gone out spreading at a geometrical progression until the infinitude of ,god's footstool has felt the discordant jar4 ,a lie1 and the ,father of it2 think of this tremendous statement4 ,the thought will overwhelm our intelligence4 ,suppose all the peoples that have lived on the earth were lined up3 to simplify matters--consider the billion and a half supposed to be living on the earth to-day2 just a small part of the number belongs to civilized1 christianized nations4 ,what is the situation8 ,under all the light of education and moral standards1 justice1 full and untrammelled1 can scarcely be had1 because of false swearing4 ,an eminent authority says nine-tenths of the race has a price2 this means that only one-tenth will rigidly adhere to the whole truth4 ,how few will swear to their own hurt and change not4 ,let us study this gigantic proposition from another view-point3 every unregenerated heart is full of deceit4 ,in every unregenerated heart there is a germ of all the sins of the ,decalogue2 lying is one of the shall nots4 ,a close student of men will agree with the ,apostle ,paul1 when he said3 ,i have no confidence in the flesh4 ,carnality will not swear against its own interests2 the status of civilization1 whether in religion or morals1 does not seem to control this matter4 ,when we consider the falsehood and false swearing which obtain among the best people1 socially1 financially1 and so often religiously1 then think of the millions living without moral standards1 we can begin to appreciate the amount of lying carried on in this world4 ,as lying is one of the outputs of carnality1 and human selfishness is the tap root of carnality1 and selfishness dominates the entire race1 with rare exceptions here and there1 we can understand how easily and naturally prevarication and lying become efficient tools to further personal interests4 ,we once attended a celebrated criminal case in court2 scores of witnesses were summoned on both sides2 a bar of attorneys fought desperately every inch of ground4 ,the prosecution covered the case beyond any question to the perfect satisfaction of the jury4 ,and the witnesses were1 in the main1 both respectable and intelligent4 ,but behold1 when the defense produced their side of the case1 the witnesses equally honest looking and intelligent1 every point of evidence made by the prosecution was absolutely refuted4 ,a new story was told2 a new case from the one just stated4 ,think of it--on both sides there were eye-witnesses2 then every witness on one side or the other perjured themselves--and perhaps all of them on both sides4 ,so completely has the father of liars woven the spirit of falsehood into the moral fibre of men that a sense of its fearful character is almost obliterated4 ,men make fortunes1 secure positions1 are elected to office1 destroy rivals1 win unsuspecting love1 seduce innocence1 and subdue kingdoms1 by being an obedient offspring of their father1 inheriting his disposition and ability to breathe out falsehood4 ,liars are children of the ,devil4 ,think of the almost infinite resources for evil3 father of liars does not fully justify the situation4 ,while it is true he originated the first lie1 and the lying spirit has ever widened through the stream of racial propagation2 but the clearer interpretation signifies that he is the father of lies4 ,see1 he whispers1 the advantages to be gained--don't be white livered--tell it2 get the hush money--make the promise--swear you did not see it--tell her how devotedly you love her1 etc4 ,who has not met these insidious pulls on the conscience8 ,yes1 but he is only acting now as a tempter4 ,quite true2 but when the will gives away1 the oath1 the promise1 the false statement is made under a furious lashing of the conscience4 ,the lie belongs to him2 he originated--suggested--formulated it2 then literally drew it out with quite as much pain as is felt during the extraction of a tooth by a dentist4 ,it has been said3 ,the ,devil will leave his own brat on your door-step1 then accuse you of being its father4 ,this is an inelegant1 though a striking statement of a great truth4 ,when he is unable to bring forth--deliver1 etc4--his own conception1 he at once charges us of being guilty of the thing conceived3 the lie1 vile imagination1 or whatever it may be1 quoting ,scripture to prove it3 ,as a man thinketh in his heart1 so is he4 ,now1 he declares1 you are guilty anyhow2 why not enjoy the benefits8 ,father of lies2 millions of them spawned every day and hour3 big lies1 little lies1 business lies1 social lies1 political lies1 and not a few--religious lies1 black lies1 white lies1 church lies4 ,,xxiii ,,kingship ,,of ,,satan ,wherein in time past ye walked according to the prince of the power of the air1 the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience4--,ephesians ii4 #b4 ,for we wrestle not against flesh and blood1 but against principalities1 against powers1 against the rulers of the darkness of this world1 against spiritual wickedness in high places4--,ephesians vi4 #ab4 ,in a former chapter we discussed the origin of ,satan1 he being an archangel--,lucifer--a great shining leader of the heavenly hosts2 now in his fallen estate he is no less a leader4 ,a writer has said3 ,he seems to have been the rightful prince of this earth1 but he has become the traitor-prince through being untrue to the trust2 and the usurper-prince through seeking to retain control of the earth as his own dominion1 through deceiving man1 to whom the earth's dominion was given1 into obeying him1 and in utter defiance of ,god4 ,the angels which kept not their first estate1 but went down with his insurrection1 are his subjects4 ,he is superior in all villainies1 but the ,scriptures call him a ,king ruling his cohorts1 and is the angel of the bottomless pit4 ,as angel he retains his old title1 but as king1 his relations stand out significantly4 ,as chief ,devil--archdemon--the title would imply rather ,primus inter pares2 as commander-in-chief1 a general of the highest rank4 ,he is all these things3 he gives special oversight to field operations1 conducts personally great campaigns1 retreats here1 advances there1 charges yonder--but his real aim is to get this world back under his own control2 he would put himself in ,god's place--drive ,him out1 dethrone ,him1 kill ,him off1 that he might take it all to himself1 and rule supremely4 ,however1 he is king1 and as such he is raised above the rank of leadership and commander4 ,we are already familiar with his rank1 but the purpose of this chapter is to show1 specifically1 that as a king his kingship has a much wider range than the bottomless pit4 ,it is threefold4 ,first1 as angel of the bottomless pit1 he is king of the underworld1 the land of shadows1 gloom1 utter darkness2 the land of eternal despair4 ,we must depend upon the ,infernos1 evolved from a burning imagination1 in order to get any conception of that region4 ,fearful as the scenes are1 a close reading of the ,scriptures will reveal a condition of things so terrible that the things seen by ,dante and ,virgil are not overdrawn4 ,over this land of woe and suffering ,satan is the unlimited monarch4 ,second1 he is king of the upper world4 ,this statement sounds very strange2 it would appear that ,god is entirely ruled out of ,his creation4 ,but observe the language3 prince of the power of the air4 ,just what this means in its fullness no one should dare to be dogmatic1 but certainly the language cannot be meaningless words4 ,we can but conclude that ,satan1 in some measure1 controls the forces of the physical world3 storms1 cyclones1 cloud bursts1 tidal waves1 lightning bolts1 earthquakes1 etc4 ,certainly1 as a destroyer1 he uses the agencies of destruction2 his business is to fill the world with doubt1 fear1 distress and suffering4 ,a man has a little child killed by lightning1 and he curses ,god4 ,does this not look as if a diabolical schemer was manipulating the affair some way8 ,we must admit his power is permitted1 and that proposition forces another to the front4 ,why does ,god allow or permit his ravages8 ,we have no answer2 the ravages go on4 ,we might ask with just as much reason3 ,why doesn't ,god kill the ,devil8 ,he certainly is able to do it1 or at least stop his progress4 ,but ,he does not2 ,satan is evidently running at large1 filling the world with broken hearts and all the accompanying evils which1 otherwise1 would not occur4 ,that we may be able to strengthen our opinion as to the prerogatives of this prince of the power of the air1 let us remember the circumstances of ,job's calamities4 ,this case is undoubtedly authentic1 and the record says that ,satan actually controlled the powers of the air4 ,the servant of ,job thought ,god rained fire on the sheep and burned them1 but the whole affair had been turned over to the tormentor4 ,the visitations sent on the faithful man of ,uz were not from the hand of ,god2 they were manipulated by his satanic lordship--the ,devil4 ,then a great wind came--possibly a tornado or cyclone--and blew the house down wherein ,job's children were enjoying themselves4 ,concerning ,satan's relation--controlling and directing the forces of nature--we shall not conture a dogmatic position4 ,the definite statements and incidents from the inspired record are significant indeed4 ,strange things occur3 a great vessel loaded with ,sunday revellers goes down with scarcely a moment's warning2 a tidal wave destroys thousands2 an earthquake leaves a city in ruins with fearful loss of life4 ,does the loving1 compassionate ,father send these calamities8 ,would it not be a terrible indictment8 ,but the ,bible gives incidents where ,he did send death-dealing visitations upon the people4 ,certainly4 ,many believe that ,god uses ,satan1 in his vicious administration1 to visit ,his wrath upon places and people4 ,however1 ,god has given him the title of prince of the power of the air--the wickedness in high places4 ,the third realm of his kingship is terrestrial2 in this he is given a stronger title than prince or king2 ,the god of this world4 ,besides1 he is the prince of darkness1 and the prince of this world4 ,so real are his presence and power manifested here that ,paul declares the contest is like a wrestling boute4 ,this figure1 examined closely1 will open up a great continent of truth concerning our enemy1 of whom we must meet in hand to hand conflict4 ,see the wrestlers writhe and strain2 agony is depicted on their faces2 the muscles contract into hard knots1 perspiration bursting from every pore4 ,all the strength of every nerve and muscle1 wrought up to their full capacity1 is exerted4 ,we wrestle1 he declares1 and not with flesh and blood2 but against principalities and against powers1 rulers of the darkness of this world4 ,the great religious reformers since ,paul's day have left a similar testimony concerning this terrestrial enemy2 his personality has never been questioned by men who were positive powers in the realm of spiritual warfare4 ,after ,martin ,luther had produced a nation-wide reformation1 having been delivered from the bondage of a ,benedictine monk by a revelation to his own soul that the just shall live by faith1 he declared3 ,satan semper mehi dixit falsum dogma4 ,shall we deny the oft told story that ,luther threw his inkstand at them 7demons7 when they actually appeared unto him in person8 ,is it unreasonable8 ,they were alarmed at his triumphs1 and wanted to terrify him4 ,the kingship of ,satan in the under world and upper world are ,bible statements2 his kingship in the world about us is a ,bible fact confirmed by human testimony4 ,,xxiv ,,the ,,devil',s ,,handmaiden ,be not drunk on wine wherein is excess1 but be ye filled with the ,spirit4--,ephesians v4 #ah4 ,no drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of ,god4--#a ,corinthians vi4 #aj4 ,the fallen ,lucifer knew from the beginning that his work must necessarily be in competition with the ,son of ,god2 therefore he has invested his genius to originate a duplicate for all that ,christ has done for us4 ,knowing that the letter killeth1 but the spirit maketh alive1 he seeks to furnish all the appearances1 and as far as possible duplicate experiences3 ,reformation without repentance2 conviction without conversion2 conversion without regeneration2 membership without adoption2 baptism with water without the baptism of the ,holy ,ghost2 physical and emotional pleasure without the joy of salvation4 ,the prophet ,isaiah exhorts the people to say3 ,praise the ,lord1 and1 with joy draw water out of the wells of salvation1 and1 ,cry out and shout1 thou inhabitant of ,zion1 etc4 ,the ,psalmist1 also1 gives out a continuous stream of joyous praise4 ,in all ages people have at sundry times and places shouted out the joy of the ,lord4 ,this emotional expression is by no means the only test of experimental salvation1 as nothing honours ,god so much as simple1 unemotional faith2 but there are times of refreshing from the presence of the ,lord4 ,this contrast of emotional experience we wish to examine4 ,we must keep in mind the bitter rivalry between the ,prince of light1 and the ,prince of darkness4 ,the heart of a contest of this character is the expulsive power of the one over against the other4 ,satan studies assiduously every experience1 every angle of advancement of ,christ's kingdom1 and proceeds to furnish a duplicate4 ,he knows that the followers of ,jesus often rejoice with a fullness of joy--unspeakable1 as it were2 to meet this1 he soon discovered that the exhilaration of drunkenness produced a splendid expulsive power4 ,he proposes and promises his followers all the joys furnished by his rival2 however pleasant they are always shams1 and at last it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder4 ,a beverage that would produce drunkenness has been a curse from the earliest history4 ,we call attention to two events1 each one of which was so great that it left a blight sufficient to turn the course of human history into darker and bloodier channels4 ,the first followed closely upon the remarkable deliverance from the ,flood4 ,the ,ark had settled2 life began its routine1 fresh from the awful calamity4 ,noah built an altar and worshipped ,god2 but before the perfume of the holy incense evaporated1 that faithful servant of the ,most ,high became beastly drunk1 and his son ,ham looked upon his nakedness and shame4 ,the children of ,ham must carry the curse until the end4 ,the other followed closely upon a deliverance from fire4 ,lot was a citizen of ,sodom1 but he had not defiled himself2 the iniquity of the place came up before ,god1 and ,he destroyed it2 not1 however1 until ,his angel led this righteous man to a place of safety4 ,through the entreaties of his designing daughters1 as they were resting in the mountains1 ,lot became intoxicated unto idiocy4 ,we must draw a veil over the shameful scene that occurred during his debauch2 but the tribes of ,moab and ,ammon1 war-like savages of the desert unto this day1 was the terrible resultant4 ,they are the incorrigible followers of the ,crescent rather than the ,cross4 ,wherever drunkenness has touched humanity it has blighted and withered like a ,sirocco from ,sahara4 ,no one but a fallen archangel could have invented such a beverage4 ,yet the character of liquors used by the race in its infancy for carnival pleasures1 compared with the output of the modern distillery and brewery1 are as moonshine to the blistering heat of the summer sun4 ,satan profits by experience2 he has not been idle during the centuries4 ,solomon warned against looking upon the wine when it was red1 and turneth itself in the cup--fermentation4 ,if fermented grape juice should1 at that time1 bring forth such an inspired warning1 what language would be necessary to depict the character of the low grade1 adulterated fire-water sold in the saloons and dives of ,america and ,europe8 ,the true spirit and character of liquor cannot be understood if viewed as a stimulating beverage1 satisfying and inflaming human passions4 ,its ,author soon discovered that such an unmixed evil must answer at the bar of an outraged individual and public conscience4 ,he saw that if liquor succeeded in all he had planned1 it must send its roots deeper down than taste and appetite4 ,hence this handmaiden of the ,devil has now become one of the most gigantic trusts on earth1 blooming out into commercial1 political1 and industrial proportions4 ,the whole business lives and moves and has its being on misery and bloodshed on one side of the counter2 loot and plunder1 coupled with an insane lust for gold1 on the other side of the counter4 ,it has not one redeeming feature2 but so carefully has it sheltered itself by a devil-fish organization that it stands like a ,gibraltar4 ,it has become so great that the actual investments in the business aggregate billions2 an army larger than the combined forces1 ,north and ,south1 at any one time during the ,civil ,war are being supported2 over one hundred millions go annually into the national exchequer4 ,china has been called a sleeping giant2 woe to the nations once she is awakened4 ,in the liquor traffic we have a giant that never sleeps4 ,twenty-four hours each day--like ,giant ,despair--he enslaves and imprisons the multitudes4 ,so tremendous has this organization grown that its work does not stop with social demoralization1 but with little difficulty can dictate governmental policies1 throttle legislation1 and bribe juries4 ,again1 we cannot judge or estimate the liquor traffic until we follow it down through its labyrinth of social1 financial1 and moral declension4 ,not until we see it face to face1 glaring and defiant1 in the haunts where finished products are on exhibition4 ,the ,scarlet ,annex1 temples of lust1 and the ,white ,slaver's headquarters are united in the place where labour troubles are hatched1 mob violence gathers fuel1 and feud hatred is crystallized into bloodshed4 ,where gamblers1 thugs1 yeggmen1 murderers1 anarchists1 jail-birds1 and burglars hold high carnival4 ,we must see the bloated faces1 the bleeding ,magdalenas1 human beasts1 and wife beaters1 as they wallow in filth and obscenity1 before the perspective is correct4 ,the inauguration of liquor as a duplicate for ,god's greatest manifestation of ,himself--the infilling of the ,holy ,spirit--was a master stroke4 ,in a wild1 reckless debauch it supplements man's every need and hunger4 ,in the crazed brain there is a vision of wealth1 power1 revenge1 joy4 ,the drunkard is clay in the liquor-demon's hand2 if a coward1 liquor makes him bold2 if sympathetic1 liquor deadens his heart2 if honest1 liquor makes him a thief2 if a loving father or son1 liquor makes him a brute4 ,behold the ,handmaiden of the ,devil--,king ,alcohol3 the most efficient ally of the angel of the bottomless pit4 ,,xxv ,,the ,,astute ,,author ,till ,i come give heed to reading4--#a ,timothy iv4 #ac4 ,of the making of books there is no end4--,ecclesiastes xii4 #ab4 ,when we remember the crude methods of book making in the days of ,solomon1 compared with the facilities of modern publishing houses1 his statement has in it a touch of humour4 ,to-day manuscripts are turned over to printers and binders1 and in two weeks an edition of from five to fifty thousand copies are ready for the market4 ,there are three million volumes in our libraries2 and1 a writer has said1 enough new books come from the press annually to build a pyramid as large as ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 ,london4 ,mr4 ,carnegie is planting his libraries in every town and city in ,america4 ,evening and morning papers are laid at our doors with flaming head-lines of all that has happened the world over in the last twenty-four hours4 ,detailed descriptions of murders1 scandals1 elopements1 court scenes1 betrayals1 etc4 ,magazines1 representing every phase of life and industry1 are multiplying continually4 ,the literature of a nation is potentially its food for character building1 morally and spiritually4 ,now what are we reading8 ,editors are calling for stuff with human interest4 ,the manuscript with preaching gets a return slip instead of a check2 writers are governing themselves by this canon4 ,the most popular writers of fiction a decade ago1 who wrote books with high moral and spiritual tone1 have step by step eliminated religion1 and now deal with ,socialistic questions and ,new ,thought problems4 ,the most popular novels are teaching false standards of life1 and some of the best sellers are base libels on religion and the ,church4 ,this is the situation1 and a close observation of the output of the high-class1 reputable publishers will confirm it4 ,why is this the status of our book makers8 ,book writing and publishing1 like all other branches of human endeavour1 have become commercialized2 writers and publishers are pandering to a vitiated taste for revenue only4 ,it is not literature editors are seeking1 but stories that will sell4 ,a librarian of one of our large cities told the writer that seventy-five per cent4 of the books called for and read were positively harmful to the highest ideals4 ,if such is true on this plane of literature1 what can be said of the publishing houses which produce nothing but books utterly vile and immoral8 ,it is said there are two thousand publishing concerns in ,new ,york ,city issuing just such literature1 circulated secretly in many instances4 ,an army of writers are employed to furnish so many thrillers monthly4 ,these stories deal with the lowest1 vilest passions of humanity4 ,what is true of ,new ,york is also true of ,chicago and other cities4 ,enough stories have been written of the ,james ,boys1 ,wild ,bill1 ,buffalo ,bill1 and other border heroes 7871 could they have lived to take the least part in so many situations1 to have required a century to pass through them all4 ,as much blood as was shed actually at ,shiloh has been shed by the writers of border outlawry during the past twenty-five years4 ,the indirect influence of the books of the ,james ,boys have caused more bloodshed than those ,missouri bandits spilt by their unerring marksmanship4 ,a penniless orphan boy was adopted by his well-to-do uncle1 who gave him all the comforts and opportunities of an actual son4 ,early in his teens he became a novel fiend--the lowest and vilest type2 reading several each week4 ,when scarcely fifteen years old1 he armed himself with his uncle's pistol1 took from the barn the finest horse1 and left in the early morning4 ,the gentleman1 suspecting the truth concerning the missing horse and boy1 called a neighbour1 and the two gave chase to the young ingrate4 ,they came upon him late in the day1 and as the uncle seized the bridle rein1 the nephew shot him through the heart1 and wounded the neighbour before he could be pulled from the horse and overpowered4 ,a beautiful girl was found dead in ,central ,park1 ,new ,york4 ,her face1 form1 and the fabric of her clothing showed plainly that she belonged to a home of wealth and culture4 ,in one hand was an empty vial labelled deadly poison2 in the other hand1 gripped in the paroxysms of her last struggle1 was a paperback novel4 ,the explanation was simple3 the heroine had a downfall1 and rather than face her shame1 committed suicide4 ,if you will observe the throng of factory girls1 overworked1 underpaid1 heart-hungry from which the ,white ,slaver reaps a rich harvest1 they will be reading the class of book mentioned4 ,they enter into the sacred relation of married life with false1 distorted ideals1 the end of which is often ruin3 infidelity to marriage vows1 abandonment1 and divorce court4 ,there is another department of literature1 written with but one purpose in view3 the overthrow of orthodox faith4 ,a thousand questions are raised which the common people cannot answer4 ,why is it the unchurched masses are continually drifting farther and farther from the ,church and what it stands for8 ,labour unions have almost repudiated religion2 class hatred was never more pronounced than to-day1 notwithstanding the loud proclamation of human brotherhood4 ,say what you will as to causes1 this condition is not an accident2 we must go far up the turbid stream to find the source of these defiling waters4 ,when we find the source1 it will be found that behind all these insidious influences stands the inspiring ,author4 ,why is there such an incessant effort to divert the minds of the best people from personal relationship of ,jesus through faith in ,his blood8 ,where is the author1 the editor--even religious editors--who stand four-square for the ,bible of our fathers and mothers8 ,we are glad to say there are a few exceptions2 but the drift of writers and editors is away from fundamentals4 ,satan boldly and thievishly appropriates every available avenue to the soul2 wherever his cold1 clammy hand touches1 it leaves a chill of death4 ,beyond a question more writers than we ever dreamed are only amanuenses of the ,astute ,author4 ,,xxvi ,,the ,,hypnotist ,even him1 whose coming is after the working of ,satan with all power and signs and lying wonders4--#b ,thessalonians ii4 #i4 ,and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast4--,revelation xiii4 #ad4 ,awake thou that sleepest1 and arise from the dead4--,ephesians v4 #ad4 ,just where the natural and the supernatural exists is a most difficult psychological problem4 ,many marvellous doings and strange apparitions1 from the beginning1 were attributed to the supernatural4 ,these same wonders are now known to be the application of physical and psychological laws4 ,the enchanters1 soothsayers1 diviners1 magicians1 and fortune tellers have awed the simple-minded and superstitious in all ages4 ,a clear understanding of ,hypnotism1 ,mesmerism1 ,telepathy1 ,odylic ,force1 ,psychological ,phenomena1 ,clairvoyance1 ,black ,art1 and ,spiritism1 will throw light on many of these supposed supernatural mysteries4 ,under whatever name demonstrations may be known1 they are all various phases of certain well-established laws touching our physical1 mental1 and psychical being4 ,one of the most common1 and best understood1 of these mystery workings is ,hypnotism which1 defined1 is an artificial trance1 or an artificially induced state1 in which the mind becomes passive4 ,the subject1 however1 acts readily upon suggestion or direction2 and upon regaining normal consciousness1 retains little or no recollection of the actions or ideas dominant during this condition4 ,hypnotism is purely mental and physical2 but this strange power which one can exercise over another strikingly illustrates the influence which ,satan exercises over millions of blinded subjects4 ,we shall avoid any attempt to discuss the science and philosophy of ,hypnotism2 this phase of the subject is not germane to our discussion4 ,all these subtle laws of mind1 acting in relation to the body1 only now being understood by scholars1 are undoubtedly familiar to our common ,enemy4 ,we believe that centuries before man knew anything about psychic laws1 as understood to-day1 strange1 unaccountable influences were operating on the wills and consciences of men4 ,hypnotism is a form of sleep2 but during the time the subject can receive and obey instructions4 ,they are absolutely under the control of the hypnotist4 ,paul caught an extraordinary vision of sin when he exclaimed to the ,ephesians3 ,awake thou that sleepest1 and arise from the dead4 ,here is a fearful figure of sin3 that it is sleep--semi-consciousness-- unconsciousness2 yet they think1 act1 move about1 enjoy1 love1 hate1 etc41 etc41 and they are as one asleep4 ,observe this state is1 if allowed to remain in articulo mortis1 ,hypnotism1 conducted by the ,master of ,black ,art2 and they obey his will1 over against observation1 warning1 wisdom1 experience of others1 even of themselves4 ,voices may call loud and long1 but do not awaken the soul under the satanic spell4 ,there are many freaks of hypnotic influence which illustrate vividly the power of sin--and back of the sin1 the sin ,personality4 ,we have seen subjects placed under hypnotic sleep1 and they would remain in this condition for twenty-four hours4 ,the demonstration was made in a large department store1 facing a stone-paved street1 which roared day and night with cars and heavy traffic4 ,hundreds of people swarmed about the sleeping man1 laughing and talking loudly4 ,not until the hypnotist came and touched the subject did he arouse from the heavy slumber4 ,a still more remarkable demonstration is reported to have been accomplished in an ,eastern city4 ,we give as authority the ,associated ,press4 ,after the subject was placed under the hypnotic trance1 he was dressed like one being prepared for burial1 then put in a coffin1 hauled to the cemetery in a hearse4 ,the corpse was then lowered in a grave of the proper depth1 the grave filled to the ground level4 ,the air tube from the coffin to the top was large enough to enable a light to be reflected on the face of the sleeper4 ,buried alive1 said the report4 ,he was left in the grave several hours4 ,if superior mind force can accomplish such marvellous feats on human will1 what may we expect from supernatural mind force with a burning ambition to subdue8 ,the columns of our dailies are filled with reports of the doings of men and women that cannot be explained on any other hypothesis4 ,think of the insane1 unreasonable1 illogical risk in all manner of sin--for what8 ,a momentary taste of some forbidden fruit4 ,we hear that self-preservation is the first law of our being2 but how often this law is utterly ignored for sensuous gratification4 ,those who do these things are unable to understand their insane conduct until it is all over4 ,oh1 ,i can see it all now1 is the despairing cry so often heard4 ,of course1 the hypnotic spell is removed4 ,how easy it is to sit and philosophize on the actions of people4 ,why would any sane person do such a thing8 ,a sane person would not2 the why of all these human twists is very simple when we are willing to admit the literal teaching of ,god's book concerning our indefatigable ,enemy4 ,the apostate angel and his followers by pride and blasphemy against ,god and malice against men became liars and murderers by tempting men to do sins 7,jude #f1 ,r4 ,v474 ,why did the ,prodigal ,son do such an insane1 sinful act8 ,why8 ,well1 he came to himself1 but not until the harm was wrought4 ,why have ten thousand prodigals since that day been guilty of the same insane conduct8 ,the answer is obvious4 ,why did ,judas sell his ,lord8--,he who had been so highly honoured3 chosen1 ordained1 sent out8 ,satan entered into ,judas2 there you have the whole truth4 ,by and by1 ,judas came to himself2 then remorse and despair not only caused him to return the money1 but destroy himself4 ,in a subsequent chapter we shall discuss more particularly the suicide problem2 but we are satisfied ,judas was a victim of two satanic schemes3 the hypnotic spell deadened his reason and judgment to do the deed2 then1 after the ,crucifixion1 despair gripped him like a vice4 ,who would say that ,judas was excluded from the ,saviour's dying prayer3 ,father forgive them8 ,peter denied ,christ1 then lied and blasphemed about it4 ,he was restored2 but ,satan's power over ,judas was not broken4 ,his end was ,satan's finished work4 ,what he did to ,judas he purposes to do with every subject--utter destruction4 ,we once saw a snake charm a bird2 the serpent's head was lifted several inches--eyes blazing1 and red tongue flashing4 ,the bird fluttered1 gave a piteous wail1 but was helplessly walking into the jaws of death4 ,now the question arises3 what about the freedom of the will8 ,do we ever cease to be free agents8 ,certainly we do not2 the hypnotic subject exercises free choice2 that is never destroyed1 but he acts under a compelling vis uturga--power behind4 ,,xxvii ,,devil ,,possession ,as they went out1 behold1 they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil4 ,and when the devil was cast out1 the dumb spake4--,matthew ix4 #cb-cc4 ,o generation of vipers1 how can ye1 being evil1 speak good things8--,matthew xii4 #cd4 ,one characteristic1 which has been prominent in the varied manifestations of ,satan studied so far1 is adaptability4 ,methods that were available in the days of our ,lord cannot be used successfully now4 ,by some secret unknown to us the ,devil enters into the souls of men4 ,this is a mystery2 so is1 also1 the filling of the ,holy ,spirit a mystery4 ,the ,devil possessed ,king ,saul1 ,judas1 ,ananias and ,sapphira1 and many are the instances recorded in the ministry of the ,saviour4 ,devil possession1 it seemed1 was very common2 ,christ was continually casting them out1 and ,he also gave ,his ,apostles power likewise to cast them out4 ,we do not believe the ,enemy has abandoned his old profession3 an evil spirit despises a disembodied state2 if people are fortified and shielded against his entrance--then the swine4 ,as cold air whistles and roars about every crack and cranny1 entering in from all directions1 so evil spirits--,devil and demons--press their entrance into the soul4 ,if it is true they cannot enter except by permission1--they pry and pound until resistance is impossible1 unless divine reinforcement comes to the rescue4 ,there are maniacs1 violent1 desperate1 incurable1 to-day as truly demon possessed as was the man who lived among the tombs4 ,this1 however1 is not his modern modus operandi2 desperate maniacs could then terrorize a whole community4 ,our great asylums have solved this problem2 even the immediate family is relieved of the burden and fear4 ,those who do not accept the theory of demon possession should explain a case at present in one of our institutions4 ,it is a boy1 at the time it attracted attention1 only twelve years of age1 thin1 emaciated1 and by no means abnormal in any particular4 ,this child would remain quiet for days2 during this time he possessed no strength beyond one of his age4 ,at unexpected moments he would be seized with violent contortions1 frothing at the mouth1 and snapping like a mad dog2 and a continuous flow of the most obscene language and blasphemy while the spell lasted4 ,this is not the strangest part3 he had the strength of a giant2 it required four or five men to overpower him4 ,one man was helpless in his hands2 he would literally hurl them to the floor4 ,compare this story with the one in the fifth chapter of ,mark3 ,and when ,he was come out of the ship1 immediately there met ,him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit1 who had his dwelling among the tombs2 and no man could bind him1 no not with chains1 because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains1 and the chains had been plucked asunder by him1 and the fetters broken in pieces3 neither could any man tame him4 ,in countries where the gospel light has not yet shown full-orbed1 demon possession with manifestations similar to those of ,bible times are known to be common4 ,f4 ,b4 ,meyer relates numerous cases in ,russia2 many by prayer were cast out in the name of ,jesus ,christ4 ,i confess1 he says1 these incidents have greatly impressed me4 ,i wonder how far it would be right to deal with certain forms of drunkenness and impurity as cases of demon-possession4 ,it may be there is more of this demon work among us than we know1 and especially in cases of mania4 ,dr4 ,howard ,taylor1 of the ,china ,island ,mission1 it is said1 was accustomed to diagnose the symptoms of demon-possession in the same way as of any other disease4 ,dr4 ,nevins1 of the ,presbyterian ,mission ,board1 tells of hundreds of cases1 witnessed by himself1 where by faith in the ,son of ,god the demons were cast out1 and the victims were clothed and in their right mind4 ,cotton ,mather says of ,salem witchcraft3 ,those persons said to be bewitched would swoon1 froth at the mouth1 their bodies would cramp into irregular shapes2 meanwhile they would utter accusations against good people who1 they said1 had bewitched them4 ,this excited sympathy of the court4 ,as soon as the court rendered judgment1 those bewitched victims would be relieved of their physical cramps and mental torture4 ,salem witchcraft was real cases of demon-possession1 but the court blundered in that the demons were located in the wrong persons4 ,sir ,walter ,scott says that similar manifestations of ,satan as were witnessed at the time of the ,salem witchcraft occurred simultaneously in every country on earth4 ,he writes again3 ,anna ,cole1 living at ,hartford1 was taken with strange fits which caused her to express strange things unknown to herself1 her tongue being guided by a demon4 ,she confessed to the minister that she had been familiar with a devil4 ,pages could be filled with modern examples which coincide so exactly with ,new ,testament records that we have no doubt the causes are the same4 ,professor ,webster1 late of ,wheaton ,college1 said in a lecture before the students3 ,i once knew a man possessed of a demon4 ,he became so vicious that he had to be confined in a cell in jail4 ,when he heard any one swear or blaspheme1 he would go into convulsions of laughter4 ,when any one used the name of ,god or ,christ1 he would curse everything good1 and foam at the mouth4 ,he possessed superhuman strength1 like the man living among the tombs4 ,the soul is ,god's masterpiece1 created to be the habitat of the ,paraclete1 but may1 as truly1 become the habitat of a demon4 ,we believe that ,diabolus has so organized his forces that his minions represent various sins2 they are specialists--skilled labourers3 drink demons1 lust demons1 lying demons1 anger demons1 theft demons1 pride1 blasphemy1 etc4 ,demon possession to-day expresses itself in sins we try to control by means of courts1 education1 etc4 ,homes become a miniature hell because of drink1 pride1 lust1 or lying demons4 ,our penitentiaries are crowded with men who were controlled by a demon1 forced them into drink1 anger1 or theft1 until the deed was committed4 ,we may feel thankful that there are so few ,scriptural cases of demon possession about us--the old time possession4 ,the wise ,enemy has shifted1 but at the same time has greatly enlarged his field of operation4 ,there are no witch victims to-day3 the courts would not punish the witches1 but the bewitched would be safely cared for in an asylum4 ,but observe1 there are ten thousand other insidious ways in which he possesses men and women1 enlarging his kingdom daily2 his victims multiply1 but not among the tombs4 ,the name of ,jesus continues to be the only remedy4 ,,xxviii ,,devil ,,oppression ,so went ,satan forth from the presence of the ,lord1 and smote ,job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to his crown4--,job ii4 #g4 ,who went about doing good1 and healing all that were oppressed of the devil4--,acts x4 #ch4 ,a necessary concomitant of demon possession is its influence upon the individual's moral faculties2 an entirely new type of moral tastes are developed3 tempers1 sympathies1 and1 especially1 doctrines which are diametrically opposed to genuine spiritual religion and revelation4 ,demon possession bitterly and persistently rejects1 whether by a nominal professor or unbeliever1 the doctrines of repentance1 new birth1 etc41 through a blood atonement4 ,in demon possession the fight is on the inside2 in demon oppression the fight is on the outside4 ,in the one1 ,satan controls the man3 body1 mind and soul2 in the other1 he depresses1 afflicts the man3 body1 mind1 and soul4 ,in the one1 the victim is the incarnation of evil2 in the other the victim is generally the purest and holiest of men and women4 ,the ,devil or demons may be ejected by the power of the ,holy ,ghost1 but the hellish enterprise is never given up2 all the engineering of the pit is utilized to keep ransomed souls out of the kingdom4 ,once a choice is made1 all hell is aroused unto wrath and riot to torment1 nag1 and finally drag the discouraged pilgrim back into sin and apostasy4 ,this is often accomplished successfully through an afflicted body4 ,who knows but that the drama enacted in the land of ,uz has been repeated many1 many times since ,job sat on his ash pile8 ,but1 says the objector1 sickness and disease come as a result of exposure1 natural laws violated1 inoculation by infection and contagion4 ,true1 but remember he is the prince of the power of the air4 ,what he did once he can do again1 and more efficiently4 ,think of the strenuous war being waged on germs1 microbes1 and bacilli2 we have diseases more violent than ever before4 ,yet when the race of life was less complicated and simple1 none of the modern precautions were thought of2 flies swarmed about everything placed on the table1 and their mission thought to be one of beneficence4 ,there are many actual and implied statements in the ,bible which teach that disease and sickness are often the result of demon oppression2 a large part of our ,lord's ministry was relieving those who were oppressed of the ,devil and demons4 ,then his work is just as effective in the realm of the mind2 the mental faculties1 filled with confusion and doubt1 are incapable of exercising their normal functions4 ,multitudes are able1 because of their intelligence1 to guard the approaches through the physical organism1 or to the extent of subjection at least2 but are as completely oppressed in mind as others are in body4 ,we do not claim that any are entirely immune from his attacks2 but he is wise and sagacious enough to select such victims for specific oppression as will best satisfy and gratify his diabolical pleasure in seeing the followers of his rival suffer4 ,he oppresses only such as he is unable to possess4 ,many have been so troubled mentally that ,christian living becomes a life and death struggle4 ,here we find another example of wrestling not with flesh and blood4 ,but some of ,satan's greatest victories and rejoicings come from soul oppression4 ,we believe this to be the real secret of our ,lord's agony in the garden2 it was the ,devil's last opportunity to thwart the great plan of salvation4 ,oh1 to cheat ,calvary2 put our ,lamb slain from the foundation of the world in such physical1 mental1 and soul burdened agony ,he would refuse at the last moment to do all the will of ,his ,father4 ,how near he came to accomplishing the diabolical scheme we learn from the story as given by inspiration4 ,we remember ,his piteous remark as they left the ,paschal room3 ,my soul is exceedingly sorrowful1 even unto death2 then ,he cries out in anguish3 ,if it is possible1 let this cup pass from ,me4 ,never was ,he nearer the great ,father heart1 and never was ,he more a man than at this time2 and as a man1 perhaps during the terrible crisis1 ,he did not analyze ,his sufferings and emotions4 ,all the powers of hell were combined to crush ,him at the hour for which ,he came into the world4 ,every student of soul tragedy can appreciate1 in a limited degree1 the experiences of ,gethsemane4 ,paul had this exact experience in mind when he wrote of the evil days in which we had to wrestle4 ,what are evil days8 ,days when the heavens are brass1 and the fountains of prayer are dried up2 a cold1 sinking sensation clutches the heart4 ,the mind is in a jumble1 plans are thwarted1 the mail brings a message of some deception or betrayal1 the hand slips1 fires go out1 trains missed1 pressing duties remain undone2 nervous anxiety and evil forebodings chill the soul4 ,the mind and heart are filled with dread2 cold perspiration swells into beads upon the brow4 ,evil days6 ,oh1 how we stumble and blunder2 we cannot even think of advancement4 ,paul says we can only stand still1 and having done all1 stand4 ,many who are not familiar with the nature of such days will cast away their faith1 believing that their feelings are the index to the state of grace in the heart4 ,but1 thank ,god1 a crushing defeat came to this traitor-prince in that the full programme leading up to the world's great ,atonement was carried out to the letter4 ,it was not the physical fear of death which caused the blood-sweating agony of our ,lord2 if so1 thousands have met the martyr's end far more triumphantly than did ,he4 ,some believe it was the weight of the world's sin breaking ,his heart4 ,both the physical dread of death and sin burden may have entered into the garden tragedy2 but it was1 we repeat with emphasis1 the myrmidons of hell taking the advantage of ,his humanity at the crisis of ,his life3 ,it was ,devil ,oppression4 ,devil oppression does not always come in a diseased body1 a confused mind1 or in days of soul depression4 ,but sometimes they are new1 instantaneous1 fierce1 overwhelming1 and always from different angles and approaches4 ,a vile suggestion1 a remembered sin1 long ago under the blood1 a strong inclination to commit revolting deeds4 ,an eminent1 and deeply-pious divine of the ,south tells in his autobiography that while alone in his study1 in meditation and prayer1 he was strangely assaulted by the ,devil4 ,for more than an hour the inclination to blaspheme was almost beyond his control2 it seemed that vile oaths would well up in his mouth and almost leap from his tongue4 ,so terrible was the attack that deliverance came only after a long struggle on his face crying out audibly to ,god4 ,then the dark cloud of bat-winged vampires1 almost visible1 left as mysteriously as they came4 ,it was ,devil ,oppression4 ,,xxix ,,devil ,,abduction ,now the ,spirit speaketh expressly1 that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith1 giving heed to seducing spirits4--#a ,timothy iv4 #a4 ,and no marvel2 for ,satan himself is transformed into an angel of light4--#b ,corinthians xi4 #ad4 ,we used the above ,scriptures in a former chapter1 but with special reference to doctrines2 the part we wish to emphasize now1 giving heed to seducing spirits3 that is to say1 be led away or abducted by the ,devil or demon4 ,there are four classes of people who may be subjected to the seductive influence of evil spirits4 ,we should keep in mind that the prince of this world and his emissaries were once angels1 and of course1 when necessary1 can bring their angelic attributes into seductive usefulness4 ,one of the problems facing the ,church and all religious workers is to keep the converts or communicants in line2 steady them in the presence of deflecting influences4 ,the ,church is suffering from the inroads of every conceivable brand3 isms1 cults1 fads1 worldliness1 etc41 which always mean1 not only usefulness paralyzed1 but the loss of ,church and ,bible ideals4 ,how many among us who once ran well1 but are now tilted1 side-tracked1 derailed1 and ditched4 ,we are encompassed about with ten thousand plausible1 seductive tenets1 arguments and theories1 which if yielded to will result in utter religious ruin4 ,there are four classes of possible victims1 all sincere and conscientious1 none of which are basely wicked4 ,first3 the unregenerate who are blindly seeking the light1 but following the inner voice and promptings1 rather than the ,word of ,god4 ,these become easy victims to the charms 787 of ,christian ,science1 ,theosophy1 ,spiritualism1 ,mormonism1 etc4 ,once inducted1 there follows a mental refreshing1 and a carnal peace1 which bring the soul rest and assurance they eagerly sought4 ,these cults are lauded and believed as modern revelations1 but they are only new clothes stretched over the dried mental mummies which lived and moved in the early centuries and dead civilizations4 ,various shades and deductions from old ,hindoo philosophy1 ,egyptian magic1 ,gnosticism1 ,stoicism1 stheticism1 ,asceticism are paraded so as to catch the cultured1 twentieth century devotee4 ,in whatever form it may come1 the beauty worshippers of stheticism1 the mental anesthetics of ,christian ,science1 or the debasing sensuality of ,mormonism1 it is led away by the ,devil or a demon4 ,a writer on modern ,spirits says3 ,extraordinary spiritism of to-day is but the continuation of the worship of the old idol ,tammuz1 as worshipped by the corrupt ,israelites and ,canaanites1 and the ,adonis1 as worshipped by the ,greeks4 ,the indecent practices of these mediums made it necessary to seek darkness to cover their vileness4 ,ezekiel1 in the eighth chapter1 speaks of it2 the ,delphic ,oracle practiced the same iniquity3 the personification of lust4 ,the second class of possible victims is the regenerated believer or nominal professor of religion4 ,it is the belief of the writer that no greater havoc is being wrought anywhere in the realm of religious aspiration than is being done to-day among professing church-members1 sane1 perchance--who once knew the secrets of saving faith4 ,to this class there seems to be two horns in the dilemma of abduction4 ,as an eminent author says3 ,if we give the preponderant attention to the providences which appertain to the body1 there is danger of becoming deistical and materialistic in our views4 ,if we study the word alone1 without due appreciation of the ,spirit and providence1 there is danger of drifting away into dead formality1 drying up1 becoming creedistic1 theoretical1 and unspiritual4 ,what can check the materialistic trend of the times8 ,what can save the ,church from reflex influences of modern materialism8 ,somehow1 we have reached the place where things must appeal to the senses3 we must taste1 handle1 smell1 see1 etc42 things in the ,church1 as well as out1 have jostled down to a metallic basis3 something for so much4 ,in the same degree1 deny it as we will1 our religion ceases to be a religion of faith4 ,then1 on the other hand1 the history of ,christendom from the beginning1 without an exception1 proves the second horn to the dilemma3 as we lose the spiritual afflatus1 we become ceremonial4 ,upon this reef of rocks our ,church is crashing to-day4 ,we see only the material2 we have a mania for statistics1 figures4 ,our ,sunday-schools seek organization1 grades1 banners1 honour rolls1 numbers4 ,great schools are pushed with enthusiasm by unconverted officers and teachers4 ,about ninety per cent4 swarm out and away from the ,church and rarely if ever remain for the preaching of the ,word4 ,in fearful1 glaring reality we can see in all this ceremonialism and dress parade ,demoniacal ,abduction4 ,the third class is much smaller2 they are the select few who live in the inner circle of things4 ,having been brought from darkness unto light they seek to walk in all the light1 and to live continually in the good1 acceptable1 and perfect will of ,god4 ,this class are the sworn1 uncompromising enemies of ,satan's kingdom2 but often their zeal is without knowledge4 ,perchance1 many are weak and unlearned4 ,satan will leave the multitude of mystery workers and formalists to make havoc among these saintly ones4 ,all that he accomplishes here cuts like a two-edged sword3 the individual ruin1 and the deadening1 paralyzing influence to the cause of truth4 ,by what method does he gain access8 ,abduction is only possible here where preponderant emphasis is placed on the leadership of the ,spirit without careful1 diligent adhesion to the ,word4 ,the ,word is the ,spirit's weapon2 without it he is handicapped4 ,what is the result8 ,fanaticism1 dreams1 visions1 wild-fire1 extreme positions on dress1 food1 domestic relations1 etc41 until they are led away by a demon beyond recall4 ,shipwrecked1 affinities1 free love1 infidelity1 are inevitable4 ,wherever societies1 communities1 or churches become inoculated with the virus of any of these phases of fanaticism--untold harm surely follows4 ,the ,devil is responsible for the religious craze1 and will then exaggerate by lies and misrepresentation before the unbelievers4 ,the fourth class are1 of all1 the most to be pitied1 and no work of the angel of the pit is so hellish as his operation and strategy upon an awakened soul4 ,those who are in religious work are grieved continually at seeing the process chilled and defeated at a point which would soon result in deliverance from the bondage of evil4 ,satan actually assumes the person of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,strange and amazing as this sounds1 it is nevertheless true4 ,as soon as the soul is awakened he assumes a general godfather sort of relation to the penitent one4 ,advice and suggestions flood his mind3 his pride1 clothes1 reputation1 business1 and all are used as arguments4 ,you should be a ,christian--join the church--it is your duty2 but when you make a start1 be sure you have a genuine experience4 ,you are conscientious--anything but a hypocrite with you4 ,now this is not an opportune time1 etc41 etc41 on and on1 until the penitent refuses to arise and go to his ,father's house4 ,procrastination2 ,satan literally drags him away from the mercy seat4 ,how can he do this8 ,where is the ,holy ,ghost all this time8 ,why does ,he not protect ,his identity8 ,so long as a man is in sin he has a nature that is not subject to the law of ,god1 and cannot be3 carnal mind1 old man4 ,on this territory ,satan has right of way2 under the guise of one seeking to help them in their confusion and sorrow1 he manipulates until prevenient grace is grieved away4 ,the poor deluded soul has been led away by a demon4 ,it is ,devil ,abduction4 ,,xxx ,,the ,,rationale ,,of ,,suicide ,and he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple1 and went and hanged himself4--,matthew xxvii4 #e4 ,he drew out his sword1 and would have killed himself1 supposing that the prisoners had been fled4--,acts xvi4 #bg4 ,the ,devil was a murderer from the beginning of human history2 his first bloodshed was fratricide--growing out of religious jealousy4 ,he is the father of murder and murderers4 ,this crime1 provoked or unprovoked1 is monstrous2 the passions that incite it were born in the pit4 ,then what may be said of self-murder3 suicide8 ,it is the most fearful1 unnatural1 abnormal of all forms of demise4 ,every impulse of reason and judgment revolts at the thought4 ,the ,master ,himself drew back from death2 the ,book says death is an enemy4 ,various and satisfactory explanations always follow the news of suicide1 financial reverses1 ill health1 public exposure1 domestic troubles1 melancholia1 etc41 etc4 ,these explanations will not stand under the light of close scrutiny2 reverses and misfortunes are generally contributing causes1 but not sufficient to answer fully the horrors of suicide4 ,we hesitate to discuss this gruesome subject1 but the character study of these pages would not be complete without it4 ,we speak not with any degree of dogmatism or claim of superior insight to hidden truth1 but in the fear of ,god we are persuaded that not a single case of suicide1 since the race took up its painful march1 came about from natural causes4 ,satan1 the embodiment of monstrosities1 is responsible4 ,suicide is numbered among our vexing problems2 reckoned on the basis of population1 suicide has increased one hundred and fifty per cent4 in two decades4 ,scientists are tremendously interested2 thoughtful people are alarmed4 ,psychological and sociological authorities tell us that poverty1 disappointed affection1 and dissipation are the chief causes4 ,the problem can never be solved by social and scientific speculation4 ,we must cross over the borderland into the supernatural before all the angles of the problem are met and satisfied4 ,there is some strange history connected with suicide4 ,greek philosophers wrote about it2 whether among heathen or civilized peoples1 it was considered a disgrace4 ,the ,greeks buried them at night--on the public highways1 and without religious ceremonies2 and their goods were confiscated for the ,crown4 ,we wish to emphasize a former statement3 suicide is unnatural2 it sets aside her first law4 ,the law of self-preservation holds good in every walk of life2 when we cease to love life1 the deepest principle of our being is out of balance4 ,the body is holy1 and when it is destroyed1 the highest felo de se is committed2 not only so1 it is assuming the prerogative which belongs alone to ,god4 ,it is appointed unto man once to die4 ,life is a sacred gift4 ,there are two kinds of suicide3 the responsible and irresponsible4 ,the first often appears to have been deliberately planned1 the act of a sane1 rational mind4 ,however1 the best alienists say some phase of insanity always accompanies this rash act4 ,the second are mentally deranged1 for which there are many causes4 ,two classes1 also1 as to character are found among the unfortunates3 the religious and irreligious4 ,what then may we conclude from the most mysterious tragedy on earth8 ,satan always scores a victory when a neighbourhood is shocked by the news of a suicide2 the victory is direct and indirect4 ,if the victim is prepared or unprepared1 sane or insane1 the crime can somehow never be forgiven4 ,a strange demoralizing influence is always felt2 a feeling of horror and depression4 ,if the victim is pious1 and many1 many are the most devout in the church1 do they forfeit their salvation by the felo de se8 ,not necessarily4 ,now we wish to say here1 with every word underscored3 no sane1 devout person will destroy themselves4 ,where1 then1 is the motive and victory of ,satan8 ,much1 every way4 ,the whole church or community will be religiously paralyzed4 ,it is generally believed that no self-murderer can be saved4 ,but behold a sainted mother in ,israel found hanging in the barn3 we have in mind just such an incident1 and remember also the gloom1 the depression1 the silent whispers1 the downcast look on the faces of all who knew her4 ,satan may know that he has nothing directly to gain1 but1 indirectly1 doubt and discouragement prevail4 ,anything to get the world to doubt ,god4 ,a very devout man1 writing of a personal experience1 says3 ,there seemed to be some designing spirit near me for days that constantly whispered in my ear1 and sometimes it seemed almost audible1 ,go kill thyself2 you have disgraced your ,redeemer and you are not fit to live4 ,scores of such testimonies are on record4 ,think of the logical traps used by the ,designer to incite the deed3 if poverty1 ,my family will be cared for better than ,i can4 ,if a suffering body1 ,this will cure me of my pain4 ,if fear of exposure1 ,that will end it--charity will forgive me then4 ,if hopeless over some sin1 ,better die than face the disgrace4 ,it will solve all the problems1 says the ,tempter4 ,it is often remarked concerning some one3 ,how cowardly2 but it is not cowardice2 it is inability to answer the ,devil's logic to commit suicide4 ,again1 gruesome as it is1 and here is more strange evidence in favour of the satanic explanation3 ,it is fearfully contagious4 ,professor ,bailey1 of ,yale1 said that the report of a suicide by any special method will be followed by others in the same manner4 ,morbid1 despondent people hear of it and follow the example4 ,that which should be revolting in the extreme possesses a strange charm4 ,ingersol toured the country at one time advocating suicide as the best way out of life's difficulties4 ,many took his advice and a fearful epidemic followed4 ,one young man in a rural community of ,illinois committed suicide2 three others1 all associates1 followed in a few weeks4 ,no special motive could be given for either4 ,we are forced to place the blame where it belongs1 and sympathize with the victims4 ,,xxxi ,,devil ,,worship ,then he forsook ,god which made him1 and lightly esteemed the ,rock of his salvation4 ,they provoked him to jealousy with strange gods1 with abominations provoked they him to anger4 ,they sacrificed unto devils1 not to ,god2 to gods whom they knew not4--,deuteronomy xxxii4 #ae-ag4 ,but ,i say the things which the ,gentiles sacrificed1 they sacrificed to devils1 and not to ,god3 and ,i would not that ye should have fellowship with devils4 ,ye cannot drink the cup of the ,lord1 and the cup of devils3 ye cannot be partakers of the ,lord's table1 and the table of devils4--#a ,corinthians x4 #bj-ba4 ,satan's consuming passion is thirst for power4 ,he is the prince of darkness1 but also the god of this world1 and this long period of satanic rule is called night4 ,god's glorious ,sabbath of rest was superseded by the black intervention of toil and suffering4 ,satan's scheming fight has been for the rulership of this world4 ,he succeeded in winning the entire antediluvian world1 which to save the coming generations necessitated the ,flood4 ,he began adroitly with the only remaining family2 swept the postdiluvian peoples into midnight heathenism4 ,to-day1 nearly one billion descendants of ,noah worship not ,god--but demonian--demons1 just what the ,greeks and ,romans worshipped in ,apostolic times4 ,no less than two hundred and fifty million are devil worshippers by name4 ,satan began his fight of opposition by assuming the form or incarnating himself in the body of a snake4 ,therefore it is not an accident1 growing out of mythological tradition1 that serpent worship has been the chief religion of many peoples4 ,the ,egyptians worshipped ,set1 which personified all evil--enemy of all good--they called ,typhon1 a monstrous serpent-like animal4 ,to this god human sacrifices were offered on great religious holidays4 ,it is no accident that the millions who know not the true ,god nevertheless1 some way1 learned to worship the ,devil1 and generally in the form of a serpent4 ,the ,egyptians had a serpent-god in ,typhon2 the ,canaanites worshipped a snake in the days of ,abraham2 the ,babylonians worshipped ,python1 which is a specie of the most deadly reptile on earth1 and another name for ,typhon4 ,on the monuments and tablets of many dead civilizations the engravings of serpents show their particular customs of devil worship4 ,the ,american ,indians were snake worshippers2 in ,ohio an altar more than a half mile in length remains in good preservation4 ,this altar is one of the wonders1 being a perfect outline of a gigantic snake4 ,we readily see that tribal association and tradition have had nothing to do with the customs of our own aborigines2 the same being who inspired the peoples of the ,old ,orient1 millenniums ago1 to worship the snake-devil inspired our red men in his primeval forest4 ,david speaks of demon worship3 ,yea they sacrificed their sons and daughters unto ,shadim4 ,jereboam built places to worship evil spirits2 the ordained priests to serve the altars of ,satyrs1 and children were offered4 ,the ,molech of the ,canaanites was also devil worship2 when the ,israelites forgot ,god1 they caused their children to pass through the fire unto ,molech1 an evil god4 ,the damsel whom ,paul delivered possessed the spirit of ,python--the snake4 ,the priestesses of the ,delphic oracles prophesied by the spirit of ,python2 this was the dominant religion throughout ,greece4 ,the ,aztec war god of the ,montezumas1 where two hundred and fifty thousand human skulls were found in the temple1 was a bloody system of devil worship4 ,the ,yezidis of ,persia1 descendants of the early ,python worshippers1 worship the ,devil to-day1 and are known as such4 ,we are not confined to heathenism1 ancient or modern1 to find the same religion of divinations4 ,the best authorities of ,spiritualism believe that the supernatural1 occult demonstrations1 as produced in their sances1 are from demon agencies4 ,the whole system of mythology grew out of what is to-day the work of mediums4 ,the ,old ,testament is filled with statements concerning familiar spirits2 they heard voices1 received messages1 saw physical disturbances--just as may be witnessed at any spiritual sance4 ,the most reliable of mediums do not deny that evil spirits 7damned demons7 come to them at times4 ,one fact is noteworthy3 when men and women become spiritists1 they discard all the essentials of the ,christian faith4 ,they are modern types of demon possession4 ,it is no unusual thing during a sance to hear a regular clash of voices3 blasphemy1 oaths1 vulgar1 obscene language1 terrible threats1 etc4 ,what connection do we find between ,devil worship and modern ,spiritualism8 ,first1 the moral condition among the spiritists is exactly as it was among the ancient priests and priestesses in the temples of ,devil worship2 they literally worshipped the ,devil in their corrupt1 degrading practices4 ,now1 among the votaries of ,spiritualism1 every iniquity1 crime1 and indecency known among men and women are daily carried on4 ,such is the testimony of one of their travelling lecturers4 ,one of their noted mediums when under control delivered this message3 ,curse the marriage institution2 cursed be the relation of husband and wife2 cursed be all who sustain the legal marriage4 ,from what source could we expect such a vile deliverance8 ,second1 their mediums actually pray to ,satan4 ,one of their advocates at the opening of a debate with a ,christian minister at ,san ,jose1 ,cal41 prayed in the following language3 ,o ,devil1 ,prince of ,demons in the ,christian's ,hell2 oh1 thou ,monarch of the bottomless pit2 thou ,king of ,scorpions1 ,i beseech thee to hear my prayer4 ,thou seest the terrible straits in which ,i am placed1 matched in debate with a big gun of ,christianity4 ,remember1 ,o ,prince of ,brimstone1 that when thou stretchest forth thine arm the ,christian ,god cannot stand before thee for a moment4 ,bless thy servant in his labours for thee2 fill his mouth with wisdom2 enable him to defend thee from the false charges of thy sulphurous ,majesty1 so that this audience may know and realize that thou art a prayer hearing and a prayer answering devil 7abbreviated74 ,similar prayers are frequently published in the ,banner of ,light1 the organ of this cult2 prayers formulated in the same language as prayers offered to the ,god of heaven4 ,it cannot be doubted that ,pagan religion and modern ,spiritualism are ,devil worship1 shifting under various forms and ceremonies in different ages and places4 ,rev4 ,b4 ,clough1 missionary in ,ceylon1 says3 ,i now state1 and ,i wish it to be heard in every corner of the ,christian world1 that the devil is regularly1 systematically1 and ceremoniously worshipped by a large majority of the inhabitants of the ,island of ,ceylon4 ,we repeat3 his consuming passion is to be worshipped4 ,,xxxii ,,victory ,,through ,,the ,,victor ,this is the victory that overcometh the world1 even our faith4 ,who is he that overcometh the world1 but he that believeth that ,jesus ,christ is the ,son of ,god8--#a ,john v4 #d-e4 ,ye are of ,god1 little children1 and have overcome them3 because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world4--#a ,john iv4 #d4 ,one of the grave dangers of to-day is that ,satan is no longer regarded as a ,personality4 ,even among those whose faith is founded on the word of ,god1 the idea of an orthodox devil smacks of superstition and an exploded hoax from the ,dark ,ages4 ,let us hear the love side of the gospel2 away with this devil and hell business--it's too dreadful1 they declare4 ,his real existence and personality are ridiculed in many pulpits and lecture platforms4 ,when these ideas become common among the people who think1 a wide open field remains for him to work unmolested4 ,we can also go to the other extreme3 that is1 to think him a greater being than the ,son of ,god4 ,those who have followed us through these chapter studies will1 we fear1 come to some such conclusion4 ,who can be equal for such a mighty ,prince8 ,now this biography was undertaken that we might have a full1 life-sized photo of our ,enemy4 ,in this we cannot exaggerate the true status of the case2 any less conception of ,satan than we have portrayed will put us at a serious disadvantage in the life struggle4 ,he is a real foe1 and we must meet him in the open1 under cover1 and invisibly4 ,let it be written in black-faced caps1 and heavily underscored3 ,satan is all we can find out about him--plus1 with emphasis on the plus4 ,we want to keep in mind clearly the ,enemy1 the battle-ground1 and the battle2 we can never match swords with him2 to ignore him--big1 cunning1 supernatural1 eternally at it--will be the most dangerous folly4 ,but--there is victory1 complete1 overwhelming victory for every one who fights2 but bear in mind it must be a fighter4 ,there is one ,name which never fails to reverberate from the ,throne of ,god to the cavernous pits of darkness2 this ,name shakes loose the grip1 untangles the web of all the allied powers of the ,prince of ,night4 ,satan is mighty1 ,jesus is almighty2 he met his ,waterloo4 ,jesus was never defeated4 ,his first defeat was when he was an archangel2 he was overthrown and cast out of heaven4 ,jesus said3 ,i was present when ,satan fell like lightning from heaven4 ,he was also defeated in the wilderness2 again in the ,garden1 and at ,calvary4 ,in fact1 on every battle-field where he met the ,lord ,christ the defeat was stunning1 humiliating4 ,now we are in mortal combat with him1 and we must not forget--he has been many times defeated4 ,a writer says3 ,we have the advantage of fighting a defeated foe4 ,standing alone1 we are doomed to utter defeat1 capture1 ruin2 but if our fight is coupled with the ,name of ,jesus1 our triumph is as certain as our defeat will be without ,him4 ,so long as we muster in as munitions of war our intellect1 self-sufficiency1 egotism1 etc41 the cohorts will laugh at our delusion4 ,there is but ,one who can out-general his maneuvres1 silence his thunderings1 checkmate his diabolical acumen1 know his oily1 snaky approaches1 penetrate his angelic beneficence1 understand his insidious schemes3 that ,one knew him from the beginning1 and--outranked him in heaven and conquered him on earth4 ,this question arises3 ,if ,satan has been conquered1 and ,jesus is yet contending with him for world-wide supremacy--why the almost universal triumph of evil8 ,why is true righteousness at such a discount8 ,why are the fighters failing and falling all around us8 ,if these questions cannot be answered with a degree of sound reasoning1 the whole problem of life1 ,bible1 ,god1 ,atonement1 ,gospel are in a hopeless tangle4 ,a ,chinese puzzle does not compare with a riddle of everything worth while1 visible and invisible4 ,satan undoubtedly controls the machinery of this world4 ,then wherein is the victory that overcometh the world8 ,let us keep in mind the power1 resources1 opportunities1 organization1 and management of ,satan2 also the blindness and bondage of sin1 and--the ,free ,agency of ,man4 ,so long as man remains carnally-minded and free1 the ,enemy has undisputed right of way2 while the heart is carnal1 impure1 unsanctified1 the controlling motive power of man's life is not subject to the law of ,god1 neither indeed can be4 ,he has in his own bosom a traitor1 an alien to the government of ,god4 ,to be carnally minded is death1 says ,paul4 ,the old leaven must be purged out2 we must put off the old man 7carnal mind7 and his deeds1 and put on the new man1 etc4 ,this putting off is absolutely necessary4 ,jesus cannot only defeat ,satan1 but ,he can destroy the works of the devil--one of which is the alien principle of our nature4 ,for this purpose the ,son of ,god was manifested1 that ,he might destroy the works of the ,devil4 ,the life1 death1 and resurrection of ,jesus--the ,god-,man--is an everlasting ,atonement and a propitiation for sin4 ,sin is the ,rubicon of our battle2 once we solve1 in all its fullness1 the problem of sin1 we rob ,satan of his fulcrum power4 ,he came to ,jesus and found nothing3 no availability1 no sin1 no yielding1 no fellowship4 ,he was tempted1 but without sin4 ,our victory must be twofold3 first1 through the merits of the ,everlasting ,blood ,covenant we may be saved from sin unto salvation--reconciliation1 forgiveness4 ,then by the fuller benefits of the ,atonement we may enter into the holiest by the ,blood4 ,only the pure in heart can stand the approaches of ,satan by way of our natural appetites4 ,the triumphs of modern surgery are only possible by means of sterilized instruments4 ,please observe--with all the meaning that can be couched in language3 the sinful1 unregenerated heart is not only in danger of being overcome1 but is already in blind bondage to ,satan4 ,the power of sin1 both actual and original1 must be broken by the pardoning grace of ,god through faith in the ,atoning ,blood2 and the heart cleansed and empowered by the ,baptism of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the second inevitable concomitant of victory is copartnership with ,jesus1 the ,captain of our salvation--looking unto ,jesus the author and finisher of our faith4 ,diabolus and his minions cannot stand before this ,name4 ,his final overthrow was when ,jesus cried out on the ,cross3 ,it is finished4 ,now at the sight of ,jesus1 the ,cross1 or the ,blood1 the phalanx of darkness slinks away4 ,let us lay hold of eternal life by an unfaltering faith in the ,blood that cleanseth1 and ,the ,name high over all3 in earth1 in heaven1 in hell4 ,and they overcame him through the blood of the ,lamb1 and the word of their testimony4 ,amen and ,amen4 ,,xxxiii ,,the ,,arrest ,,and ,,imprisonment ,for the devil is come down unto you1 having great wrath1 because he knoweth that he hath but a short time4--,revelation xii4 #ab4 ,and ,i saw an angel come down from heaven1 having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand4 ,and he laid hold on the dragon1 that old serpent1 which is the ,devil1 and ,satan1 and bound him a thousand years1 and cast him into the bottomless pit1 and shut him up1 and set a seal upon him4--,revelation xx4 #a-c4 ,the fact of a possible victory through the ,name of our great ,conqueror does not alone satisfy all the items of the indictment4 ,if such were the only background to the picture1 great as it is1 the human drama is not only a fierce tragedy1 but a miserable farce4 ,thank ,god1 personal victory is not all2 there is a rift in the dark satanic cloud which has hung over the world for so many millenniums4 ,satan is in great wrath1 and his power and influence grow steadily stronger2 more and more his iron grip fastens about the throat of the world4 ,the ,apostasy of which ,christ and ,his ,apostles wrote is becoming a reality4 ,satan will score one more gigantic victory2 then is our blessed hope of ,his glorious appearing1 when ,he shall come and catch away ,his ,bride--the ,church1 both dead and alive2 that part of ,his following who are united to ,him and are earnestly yearning for ,his coming4 ,this event is called by devout scholars ,the ,rapture4 ,just where1 how1 when1 or how long1 we have only a vague prophetic conjecture4 ,where1 ,lord8 they ask4 ,and ,he said unto them1 ,wheresoever the body is1 thither will the eagles be gathered together4 ,when the ,rapture shall have taken place1 ,satan will have undisputed dominion2 then shall the ,man of ,sin appear1 setting himself up as ,god--to be worshipped4 ,his reign will be the ,great ,tribulation2 all the influences of righteousness will1 for the time1 be removed--the earth will reek in corruption and bloodshed4 ,it is implied that1 so terrible will be this time1 divine intervention must necessarily shorten the ,tribulation1 else no flesh will be left on the earth4 ,the ,great ,tribulation will be the climax of the ,devil's rule on earth4 ,it seems that he will incarnate himself in a ,man1 giving him supernatural knowledge and power4 ,however1 something spectacular and sensational will soon occur4 ,when the leader of a gang of thugs or desperadoes is arrested1 his followers are filled with fear and consternation2 then think of the excitement4 ,an ,angel officer will break in on the scene--yes1 that is exactly what the ,book tells us3 the ,high ,sheriff of ,heaven will suddenly step down from headquarters1 and will lay hold--arrest the ,old ,dragon--,satan--,devil--,serpent 7observe all his names are mentioned74 ,whatever his titles and distinctions of the past have been1 they will not save him in that hour4 ,the ,apocalyptic ,vision is unmistakable4 ,some can see in this wonderful language only an allegory3 the good influences are to gradually bind the influences of evil1 and to expect such an event as the literal arrest of the ,devil is a wild1 irrational1 unscientific1 unreasonable dream4 ,our ,lord said1 speaking of the time of the end1 that the same social conditions as prevailed in the days of ,noah were to be repeated3 wicked ones waxing worse and worse2 scarcely any living in the fear of ,god4 ,to expect to see a gradual regeneration of society1 politics1 commerce1 and the ,church--until evil will be overruled1 chained as it were--seems to be a gigantic travesty on language and the teaching of the ,bible4 ,we prefer to stand by the ,book rather than human interpretation--fixed up to justify the methods and results of modern religious propaganda4 ,an angel appears--evidently an archangel3 one belonging to the rank of which the fallen ,prince formerly belonged4 ,this ,sheriff of the skies is equipped for his undertaking2 ,officers carry handcuffs with which to bind prisoners--the angel has a great chain in his hand2 he lays hold--arrests the old skulking1 hateful1 murderous ,devil4 ,this angel-officer has also a key1 and it is the key which locks the door of the bottomless pit4 ,this door has been wide open2 ,satan and his emissaries could go and come at pleasure4 ,just as an officer arrests a desperado and leads him off to prison--so will the archangel arrest the ,devil and lock him up in the pit of darkness and despair4 ,what will be done with his millions of cohorts8 ,we can judge only by inference4 ,we want to stay close to the inspired record2 of one thing1 however1 we are confident3 the footstool of ,god will be absolutely cleared of ,devil and demons2 that they shall deceive the nations no more4 ,the prophetic picture of the divine court proceedings is very specific3 we have the exact length of the prison sentence--one thousand years4 ,when we remember the crimes1 unnumbered crimes1 the sentence seems to be an example of court leniency4 ,but this is only a binding over1 as it were1 to the real trial and judgment yet to come4 ,this will be temporary imprisonment2 but oh1 it will be such a glad1 happy day4 ,the vision of ,isaiah1 thirty-fifth chapter1 will be literally fulfilled4 ,the sceptre so long in the hand of a traitor--usurper--will pass into the hand of the ,prince of ,peace4 ,yes1 we will strengthen our weak hands and confirm our feeble knees--,satan at last locked up4 ,we shall witness with joy unspeakable and full of glory--the ,restoration of ,all ,things4 ,and the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the ,lord1 as the waters cover the sea4 ,thank ,god forever4 ,,xxxiv ,,the ,,final ,,consummation ,and the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone1 where the beast and the false prophet are1 and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever4--,revelation xx4 #aj4 ,after the long term of imprisonment shall have ended1 we are told that ,satan shall be loosed out of his prison for a season4 ,this is difficult to explain2 but we do not presume to question the administration of ,god's government3 ,will not the ,judge of all the earth do right8 ,satan1 like many other confirmed1 apostate criminals1 immediately on being released1 plunges more deeply into crime than before4 ,the long term of imprisonment and punishment hardens and1 if possible1 more nearly consumes him with wrath4 ,at once he launches another world-wide campaign of deception1 gathering1 rallying1 mustering1 and drilling his forces3 those who by an exercise of free choice1 notwithstanding the glorious millennium reign1 actually fall away and enlist under the black pirate flag once more4 ,he encompasses the whole face of the earth2 like a deposed crown prince1 he leads an aggressive warfare to regain the honours and influence which he so long enjoyed on the earth4 ,now if the binding of ,satan is only a figure of the leavening power of righteousness overpowering the evil--what is the thing which shall be unchained and loosened8 ,such a contention is as unanswerable as it is untenable4 ,we will repeat once more1 with each word underscored3 ,good or ,evil cannot exist except in a ,personality4 ,the same school of theologians who deny the personality of ,satan1 many of them1 see nothing in the ,person of ,christ except a ,christ spirit1 inherent good1 etc42 all of which is unadulterated infidelity4 ,just another method of blasting at the ,rock of ,ages4 ,satan shall be locked in a prison for one thousand years--then he shall be loosed1 and every moment of his freedom will be occupied in preparation for the last ,armageddon4 ,he does not foresee future events1 and it is possible he does not understand this to be his final struggle2 otherwise he would be unable to inspire such a following4 ,as we read this brief but vivid picture of the ,gog and ,magog engagement1 the marshalling and shifting for position of ,napoleon and ,wellington1 preparatory to their decisive battle1 in comparison to this gathering1 will be like a cadet sham engagement4 ,it seems that the lines of fortification will reach out over the entire earth1 mobilizing around the ,holy ,city4 ,the saints1 also1 are gathered into encampment2 whether for preparation to meet the forces of ,satan1 or for protection1 the prophecy does not state2 but all the powers of light and darkness are brought face to face4 ,the battle never reaches a real encounter2 the impudence and rebellion of the deposed prince and ex-convict arouses the wrath of ,god as never before4 ,the cup of ,his indignation is full to the overflowing1 and ,he brings the fearful conflict to a spectacular ending4 ,the destruction of ,sodom and ,gomorrah was a microscopic event compared with the rain of fire that shall fall in consuming vengeance upon the ,devil and his followers1 both men and demons4 ,the saints shall be delivered in that awful hour1 and this is the last shifting of the scene2 the bell will ring1 as it were1 and the curtain will fall1 closing out the long tragic history of the old world4 ,we are not dogmatic as to the chronological order of these mighty events1 but as closely as we can gather them from the ,word1 the next move of these wonders in heaven and in earth will be the ushering in of the ,last ,judgment4 ,the ,deis ,ira breaks in upon the universe2 the ,great ,white ,throne will swing into view4 ,during the vision of millennial vision1 its reign--,john saw thrones2 ,christ and ,his ,church ruling jointly the kingdoms of earth2 ,he then is the ,chief ,shepherd1 the ,king of kings and ,lord of lords--holding the sceptre of universal empire4 ,but now when the ,deis ,ira dawns1 there will be just ,one ,throne1 and ,god ,himself will sit upon it4 ,if the reader wishes a detailed description of this ,last ,day1 it can be found in the sixth chapter of ,revelation1 where the whole programme is thrown into a composite picture3 ,the ,opening of the ,seven ,seals4 ,each seal is a separate prophecy or act of events from ,alpha to ,omega of things4 ,language breaks all bounds of rhetoric1 poetry1 and definition3 ,and ,i beheld when he had opened the sixth seal1 and lo1 there was a great earthquake1 and the sun became as black as the sackcloth of hair1 and the moon became as blood1 and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth1 even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs1 when she is shaken of a mighty wind4 ,and the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together2 and every mountain and island were moved out of their places4 ,note the effect this marvellous demonstration will have upon the followers of the traitor-prince3 ,and the kings of the earth1 and the great men1 and the rich men1 and the chief captains1 and the mighty men1 and every bondman1 and every free man1 hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains2 and said to the rocks and the mountains1 fall on us1 and hide us from the face of ,him that sitteth on the throne1 and from the wrath of the ,lamb3 for the great day of ,his wrath has come2 and who shall be able to stand4 ,all the souls that have lived on the earth1 good and bad1 saints and sinners1 ,devil and demons1 will stand before the ,throne and be judged4 ,the words1 thoughts1 and deeds of men and devils shall be made known4 ,the final doom of the ,devil and his angels will be shown up in detail before an assembled universe3 the ,godhead1 angels1 archangels1 cherubim and seraphim1 and all that have lived upon this planet4 ,hence1 the last and final scene of the ,epilogue3 ,and the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone 444 and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever4 ,amen and ,amen4 ,,xxxv ,,satanic ,,symbol ,,in ,,nature ,for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen1 being understood by the things that are made4--,romans i4 #bj4 ,the evolution of ,christian scholarship1 during the recent decades1 has wrought wonders in bringing about absolute harmony of science and religion4 ,under the microscope1 and through the telescope1 men whose hearts are trained as well as their brains1 the great book of ,nature is found to be a commentator and expositor of the ,book of ,revelation4 ,they have not only studied and theorized about the science of religion2 but by laws of induction and deduction have discovered a ,religion of ,science1 and when properly understood and applied is not out of harmony with the most orthodox faith4 ,just as chemistry1 geology1 zology1 botany1 astronomy1 etc41 whether seen in the protozoa or the highest type of man2 the animalculi 7creatures which propagate their specie by millions in a day7 or the elephant2 the electrons or ,polarius 7our ,north ,star which is one hundred times brighter1 larger1 and hotter than the sun7--all demonstrate laws1 systems1 design1 purpose1 and beneficence from the hand of a wise ,father-,creator3 so also are there other things in the physical world discovered by the student of nature which suggest an opposite being4 ,we remember that even the ground was cursed when sin entered with its defiling touch2 where flowers and fruits did once abound has come forth a crop of vile weeds1 thorns1 and poisonous vines4 ,these occupy and will conquer in any soil on the earth--the ,poe or ,mississippi valleys1 without the diligent1 unceasing1 systematic toil of man4 ,there must be a continuous fight against these omnipresent enemies--in garden1 in vineyard1 on farm4 ,clean out every weed1 allow none to produce seed of its kind2 then leave the land for one year untouched1 and it will be a ragged wilderness4 ,fruits1 grains1 and vegetables left to fight with these enemies of the soil1 and1 without a single exception anywhere1 they are soon choked out and will die4 ,unaided by the skill of the gardener1 the end is inevitable4 ,but1 observe again1 fighting the soil demons and conquering them is only half the battle4 ,there is not a tree1 plant1 shrub1 vegetable1 fruit1 nor flower1 in any latitude or zone1 but that must contend with pests1 parasites1 and insects of all kinds4 ,the herbivorous enemies are not limited to insects and creeping things1 but actual diseases4 ,several of the choicest fruits have cancer2 various blights have destroyed whole crops of cereals4 ,trees and vegetables have diseases that must be diagnosed and doctored as carefully as the family physician treats pneumonia or typhoid fevers4 ,but this is not all3 whole orchards are killed by the caterpillar2 the boll-weevil has been known to devastate great sections in the wheat belt4 ,the grub kills the corn as soon as it sprouts2 the potato bug1 the tobacco worm1 the army worm1 the ,gypsy moth1 celery worm1 ,california scale1 etc41 on and on1 until we find that every fruit1 grain or vegetable is beset by some vermin destroyer which1 if not removed or poisoned1 will sting to death1 or gnaw at the vitals until they wither and die4 ,the horticultural kingdom must contend with imps of death until garnered safely in the harvest4 ,when we examine the animal kingdom we find the same conditions obtain2 every animal from the bug to the buzzard1 from the ant to the elephant1 from mice to monkeys1 have a bitter struggle for existence4 ,a distinguished ,german professor has this to say1 addressing the ,fishery ,association of ,berlin3 ,war is the watchword of the whole of organic nature2 there is a constant war of all organisms against outward unfavourable circumstances1 and there is a constant war among the different individuals4 ,the seed grain which falls into the ground1 the worm crawling on the earth1 the butterfly hovering over the flower1 the eagle soaring high among the clouds--all have their enemies2 outward enemies threatening their existence1 and enemies eating their life and strength4 ,following these remarks he gave a long list of fish parasites sufficient to destroy the whole finny kingdom4 ,another eminent naturalist1 speaking of the perils of insect life1 said3 ,with such savage murderers prowling among the shadows1 life among our singing meadows is anything but a round of pleasure4 ,the warfare is broadcast4 ,not even the fluttering butterfly is safe1 but is pounced upon in mid-air1 its wings torn off in mockery1 and is then lugged off to some dark hole in the ground4 ,and the bee returning to its hive is waylaid on the wing1 and its body is torn open for the sake of the morsel of a honey-bag within4 ,still another scientist tells us3 ,the microscope shows that these murderous imps appear to have been made to inflict the most excruciating torture upon their victims4 ,he makes special mention of the sand hornet3 ,he is the greatest villain that flies1 and is built for a professional murderer4 ,he carries two keen scimitars1 besides a deadly poisoned poniard1 and is armed throughout with a coat of mail4 ,he lives a life of tyranny and feeds on blood4 ,every drop of water is swarming with hideous creatures which1 if sufficiently magnified1 would be frightful beyond description2 the air we breathe is surcharged with death3 infecting organisms which1 if the system in the slightest degree becomes unable to eliminate them1 bring on dreadful diseases4 ,we must fight for our physical life daily4 ,but for the immunity provisions of ,providence1 our bodies may be a charnal house1 at any moment1 of billions of bacilli hastening our end4 ,these are stern facts which face every student of biology or natural history4 ,as a professor has well said1 ,he1 therefore1 who objects to the teaching of the sacred ,scriptures concerning ,satan and demons1 and appeals to the ,csar of the natural world1 can get no help1 for that ,csar echoes back with thunder tones that there are myriads of living1 malignant and destructive organisms in every realm of nature1 so far as is known1 or so far as one can reason from analogy1 that1 like ,satan and demons1 trouble and torment the innocent as well as the guilty2 that in some instances these malignant organisms appear to inflict suffering for the sheer delight of doing it4 ,what is the conclusion of the whole matter3 ,the existence of ,diabolus and demonia is a fact of ,revelation verified by both science and philosophy4 ,printed in the ,united ,states of ,america