The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-04
THE PERSONALITY OF SATAN
Lecture by Hon. George R. Vending
at the Acton Camp Ground.
The AgnOstic in Religion and POlitics-Hon.
William |. Marshall, Of Massachusetts,, De-
SCribes the Yellowstone National Park.

AS TO weather, yesterday az Acton Park AS
sembly was delightful; as to intellectual enter
tainment it was a complete success. In addition
to the lecture in the afternoon by Hon. George
r. Vending, of Illinois. and that in the even
ing by William l. Marshall, of Massachusetts,
the Apollo club of Shelbyville, an excellent mu-
steal organization, under the leadership of Mr..
Fred. Otte, enliveneG the entertainment by vo-
cal music, while the Lebanon Juvenile band
furnished instrumental harmony. The latter
organization will remain to-day and a part of TO-
morrow.
Mr.. Weddings subject was The Personality
of Satan" The lecturer began by asserting that
he did not expect to prove the existence of a
personal devil. HI approached the subject with
no other desire than to learn whether human
existence confirmed or opposed the teachings of
Christianity in regard to Satan. What does any
man know about Satan? Many of you have
already said a man cannot know anything of the
supernatural. | am growing weary of the doc
trine of know-nothlngism. l want to protest
against the gospel of doubt Next to death
itself the greatest leveler is universal doubt.
Unto all men and women who have no positive
convictions, and want none, there is an intel
lectual graveyard. l am in favor of believing
something. Bind your faith to some method and
stay until you find q better one. In religion I
believe in believing something. In one sense it
is a bad sign that in the last quarter of a century
no new sect has started up among
Christians and attracted the attention of
the religious world. In politics L
believe in believing something. Ihave no respect
for an American who is neither a Democrat nor
a Republican. unless he starts a party of his
own. The man who does not lean to some one
party in preference to another is a man without
political convictions, and the man who does not
have political convictions in o government ruled
by the ballot is a man without patriotism. and
his cOuntrymen should never trust him. AgnOS-
ticism is defined as a condition of mind that
neither affirms nor denies. but prOfessesi IGNORANCE.
| define agnosticism as intellectual paralysis. It's
tendencies are all toward decay | had rather
be wrong than agnostic. The motto of agnosti-
cism in its most cultured circles in Europe and
America to-day is Il give 1t up" Its courage,
It's endurance, it's earrestness, all find expression
in the words II give it up"
The lecturer then proceeded to a historical
review of the Satanic idea, and traced it's exist
ence among the Chinese, the Greeks. the
Romans. in the scandinavian and Morse
mythology, and among the Aztecs of Mexico.
and asserted that in some form or other it had
passed up from the earliest age to all succeeding
ages, and from one race to all races Following
the historical line, he traced the Satanic idea
into its development in the seventeenth century
hhOO SNhAhE S1ooS "A1h CNASL
skeptics and rationalists, and asserted that the
downfall of witchcraft was the result of the
growth of intelligence. He said that when
witchcraft was reaching its very height. Bacon,
Shakespeare. Milton, Newton, Locke and a hun
dred kindred intellects were making the age the
most brilliant Of modern literature. The de-
struction of witchcraft, he held, came
from throwing off the bondage Of ee-
clesiasticism and theological speculation, and
a return to the simple law of the Nazarcne.
Love thy nelchbor as myself" In a word, it
was the growth of the intellect which destroyed
witchcraft. When a belief in witchcraft pre-
vailed there was not one church IN Europe and
America Tor every 3 coo people. To day there
is one for every coo. RatiOualism did not
destroy wltcncraft
Passing from the historical view to the con-
sideration of the Satanic idea in literature, the
lecturer said that Shakespeare, Burns, Goethe,
and other great geniuses looked into the depths
Of human nature and agreed with the Nazarene
in regarding moral evil as the product of y power
outside Of ourselves, quoting largely from Shaks-
peare's plays and other dramas and poems in
elaboration Of this idea. Passing then to a
definition Of sin, the lecturer defined it as simply
another name for selfshness. Hence, every
command of the decalogue Is made at an offense
that has its root in seltishness. Notwithstanding
that selfshness and sin are synonymous terms,
there lies in human nature the divine power OF
self-control; but outside of this power lies a dis
turbing force, which we perceive when we con
slider that by nature all men are reverent and
Z hAofNL "A AIAh WI AhAlA M PNlA
masters, and become the slaves of an outside
principle or force.
The lecturer argued that the deepseated con-
tempt found everywhere in a human heart for
the Satanic power cannot have its origin within
any other source than in the instructive and
intultive recognition of it as a power outside of
ourselves. Shall | tell you why | am DESTROYS
of having you form an opinion about the devil!
1t is because when you begin to think seriously
about it you will recoil from the too general
thought that human nature is the mother of the
devil. You will then have a higher opinion Of
your brothers. You will have stronger faith
than ever before in the ultimate destruction of
every form of moral evil. 1t may seem to you
to contradict all | have said, and yet it is true
that as Christianity advances an active belief in
u personal devil recedes. and will recede. WhyE
Because the devil himself recedes. Am | told
that the belief in the personal power of Satan is
fading out of the public mind, L reply that the
personal power of Satan is fading away.
The currents of human life and
sympathy are widening everywhere 1t
is not the state of human intellect that furnishes
conditions for the devils activity. 1t is the state
of the human heart. Intellectual advancement
can never destroy the devil. Logic alone can
not advance the cause of the Nazarine. 1t is a
grievous mistake to suppose that logic can sat
isfy the skeptlc. Logic may answer his argu-
ment. but can not convince him. Logic may
close his lips, but can not satisfy his heart. Are
there any helpless ones in your city, without
food, and you Christian people have bread to
snare! Then an angel from heaven might
proclaim your religion true, and men
would not believe it. Have you built a costly
temple of worship and placed vessels of gold and
silver upon its altar and the richest and rarest
products of the loom within its pews and upon
its floor! If you have done all this, and yet on
some wintry night a pale. pinched and ragged
child. fatherless and mothersss, stands within
the shelter of your temple walls and shudders
there with cold and hunger, crying for help, and
finding that you have provided none, who will
listen to an answer from your pulpit to the
~infdelity Of to dayi.
Mr.: Vending preached the doctrine of
humanity, which was the broad creed OF the
Nazarene, and showed that Satan came from
without, not from within. and that he could be
successfully resisted. The lecture was an
admirable one.
Mr.. Marshalrs subject was the yellowstone
National Park" For nearly ten pears he was
q resident Of Montana au1 tho lnctura am bn1ipd