The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-04-27
TIE FIGHT WITH EVIL.

Rev. O. B. rockingham preached yesterday
morning to large congregation ut Lyric Hall.
Before the sermon the reverend gentleman said he
would read passages from ancient scriptures"
and taking up book read selections from an old
author. Without announcing formal text he
began his discourse as loliows:-The subject this
morning is "The Conflict with Evil" The writer
of the Epistle to tie Ephesians says:-"We battle
not with flesh and blood. but with principaties
and powers with evil spirits that rule In the air."
The idea OF the writer is this-that the cham
bers OF the air are the abode OF evil spirits
whose aim IL to lure men to their rum
These spirits are organized In ranks and
denominations, which he calls principallties and
powers The people, according to the early Chris
tians and according TO later Christians, too. In
great measure, are to battle not against flesh and
blood, that is against persons against institutions
against wrongs-things as we call them; but
against impalpable spirits that are always beset-
ting the soul. 1t is in Q measure an inward con-
fict and therefore the principal teaching is to
keep the heart pure, the soul clean and the mind
free from debasing thoughts and desires. The
Christian reformation nom the beginning until
now specifically has been for men to purify them
selves from the world; that reformation begins
from within; that the kingdom Of heaven
must first be within . man before being
outside OF him, and that therefore, the great work
to do is to regenerate the SOUL and that has Deen
the nature OF the preaching from centuries past
until the present time. The phrase "tne battle OF
hle," as applied to conflict with outward evil,
against wrongs, is modern phrase, and involves
a modern idea They who speak now OF the battle
of lie speak Of 1t as grasping with existing evils
In society thar Ia, IL Is war with esh anu blood,
not against municipalities and powers" in the air,
but against principaties and powers on earth, and
against evil spirits domesticated here In the flesh
And they who speak Of the battle Of life in
this way have an entirely distinct idea or its
sIgnlhcatl0n. Their idea is that reformation
begins outside and works inward-that II
you will make the conditions right men
will right themselves; that II you will abolish evil,
wrong error and injustice, you Will at once a. In
the grooves OF law the men who are now WANDER
ing ana working evil amidst conditions they do
not understand. The specific Christian theory
and the modern theory therefore diner, In that
one confines the battle to the evil spirits that are
always tempting the individual SOUL and tnat the
other confines the battle to those outward institu-
tons which involve the soul in fatal thrald0m.
THE MODERN BATTLE
And yet it is evident that this modern battle
with evil Is carried on 10 some respects to greater
advantage under the old theory than under the
being either created or uncreated, having super
natural powers, rank and origin, presents to or.
binary minds an object for them to fight
against. II ia q great convenience, to say
the least. Belief In the devil originally
was very palpaDle conviction. Coming from the
far East, it originally formed two dominlons OF
light and darkness, which were presided over BY
chiefs kings. perfectly distinct from each other
one the origin Oflight, the other VI darkness one
OF truth, the other OF error one OF good the other
OF evil; one was all life, the otner was all DEATH
And there were the priests OF light and the priests
OF darkness. There was temple Of Hight and q
temple OF darkness. There were usages, customs,
laws and institutions, each divided and set apart
and indicated by unfaiing marks, so that the
wayfarng man, though fool, would never lai to
know whether he was living in the do
minion OF Ormuzd, the good spirit, Or in
the dominion OF Ahriman, the bad spirit.
This belief was imported into Christendom and
there took q more palpable form. because the
spirit OF evil was associated with certain forms Of
unbelief and Lerestes, which were distinctly
ma and N se c npa as OPERATIONS Of
moments doubt who ne was hitting when ne was
strlKlng being, IL not Of flesh and blood still as
hesitation when he went to battle against visible
Zoe. II not to the eye OF flesh. to he eye OF faith
e al 70 e rs See
devir has gone the belief in a devllish
principe. not incarnated, is substituted.
as much determination and freedom from
doubt as ever, although belief in personal Prince
the way IL Which 200 'o years aSe
fought the Catholic Church.; read the ex PLOTS OF
the English. Oh Frobisbee Hawkins and others.
These men fought the Catholic Church in full and
palpable faith that IT was the dreadful incarnation
OF the spirit OF hes injustice aud servitude. Con-
WINGED 1t was the scarlet woman AM red dragon,
WI var
found, without q moments misgiving, and cruelty,
treachery barbarity were all excused when the
That cannot be done now. NOBODY now can assatl
tue Catholic Church In tnat way. But witness the
upon their crusade against slavery; with what
whole heartedness they warrej upon it: how It
never occurred to them to explain, JUSTIFY, excuse
or make the slightest incidental allowance; N was
the germ OF all villanies, cruel aDomination; Ir
was the living devil OF to-day; consequently they
struck at 1t, hured curses upon 1t. You see the
enormous advantage people have whose creed ID
that EVIL Is thing, person, being, or even
pure principle shadowy element in the world.
that there Is no such thing Intrinsic evil; that
nothing is essentially and through and through bad
anat there Is soul o. goodness IN Things evil that
wearing mask. and consequently, even wnen
s.. thing looks exceeding ugly they for,
in some sense be committing suicide. We have
learned In these days to pay some respect to very
e. q
muck heap, Tor IT. IL nanure we Will not need
nOxlcus sewage, because when spread over fields
A. feriIzes the ground. Nothing Is 40 ev, that il
cannot be made INTO good. The consequence IL the
moment we Int hand to strike u blow at evil we
tear TO strike IN the wrong place and XIII the wrong
we lay our armor down Another feature OF the
old faith gives 1t advantage over the new IN the
do wright struggle against evil.
TOTAL DEPRAvITY.
The beliefin total depravlty IL very convenient
faItn to hold because IL blends tnat III a mass
~ IN Inn a a M avft
isnes away into thin air. The Christian VINO looks
upon the world rs place TO be rcRenerated, and
upon men as beings to be converted and made
over. enters upon his work with whole hearted
purpose. There IL but one thing TO be done. All
persons who give Iree course to their love, their
sense OF eqult,, Indignation EVIL, or love OF
truth-all these people may be At once ClasseQ as