The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1865-03-01
pEMoNIACAL POSSESSION.

pEMONIACAL POSSESSION.
The traveller in Palestine meets with
Thousand objects. to remind him that he Is
ia the csuntry in which the sacred writers
lived and wrote. The natural sceneryi the
nsuutains, rivers and lakes, the various
productions OF the soil, the customs OF the
people, their modes Of salutaton, and even
their costume, the garments in which they
sre clad, appear to be the same or such as
are often mentioned in the writings Of the
Eyangelists and Apostles. In all the w.
rieas references to these things the intel
ligent traveller aces that the gospel nara
tive ID a history oil real lif.. And II is re-,
markable that he meets with persons,
thought to be possessed OF demons. like
those described by the sacred historians.
DR.. Thomson. who spent twenty. Ave
years as missionary in that land, remarks
that in Sidon there are cases Of epileptc
Cts, which in external Manifestations, close
" resemble that mentioned IN Mark v. Is,
Mathew XVII. Is, and Luke X. SO. These
fits Che says) have seized yeang man
in my own hoase. repeatedly; and 10! the
spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth
cut, and foa,neth At the mouth and snasheth
with his teeth, aud is cast down wherever
hs may be seized, aud pineth away until
you wsuld think he was actually dead.
Matthew Gala him q " ianatic," and Mark
calls the spirit Of which be is possessed, q
~dunb spirit" Aud there are cases 10
which the disease accompanies, and in
others IL sbviously occasions dumbness. l
will set say that such unfortunate creatures
are tsrmentsd by al evil spirit. but | am
sure that no caslling skePtic can prove
that they are not"
aThe instance mentioned BY Mark v. 3
10, and Luke VIII. $3.50. was most re-
Markable, bat there are some like il az the
present dag, farioas aid dangerous mani
acs. who wander about the mountains and
sleep in tombs and caves. In their worst
PzrsIysms they are quite unmanagesble
and prodigisusly strong. And this, | sup
pose, Is absut what the evanselists mesn
by their breaking the chains and letters
with which they had been bound. IL also
appears that they went naked; for when
they we're healed, they were fsuad clothed
and in thsir right mind. And il 10 one Of
the East common traits 10 this madness
that the victims refuse 10 wear clothes.
have often seen them absolutely naked in
Bsyrnt and Sidoa. There are also cases
IN which they run wildly about the com
try and frighten ths whole neighbOrhsoa
These poor wrstches are held in the great
est reverence by the Assiems. Who through
ssme monstrous perversIon OF ideas. believe
thsa to be INSPIRED and peculiarly holy
Ii would certainly be rash to decIoe that
this calamity was the work of evil spirits
.sad yet the manifestations are 30 inhumsp
and satanic, and The real causes 80 myste.
nous, that am not much disposed to dis.
puts the point with the natives oil the ceun
try. who ascriss the mischief 10 uPernat
pral agency"
The facts stated in this extract canno
Justify the mere sssamptisn OF skePtlc
who. to get rid OF mystery 10 the gospels
impeach the yeracity of the ssangelrsts ant
suppose that there was no real agency 0
seWsns ever those said 10 be " POSSESSES
Of evil spirits" and that the sacred writer
concerned 10 popular superstition in shsi
narratives.
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