The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-07-07
SATAN.
Is there a Personal DeVll2-Atlanta
Preachers say eyes,"
atlanta Journal.

The sermon by LII. walker Lewis
last Sunday, attacking the Christian
Scientists and their "faith cures"
has brought up for discussion the
question of a personal devil.
DR.. W. j. Scott, in a card, says DR..
Lewis believes in the old time religion
a personal devil, etc.
DR.. Lewis, when asked about the
matter, said:
"Do I believe there is a personal
devil? Of course. I might as rea-
sonably deny the fact of personal men,
and personal angels.
Personality implies certain things.
If there are these attributes-life, will,
intellect and power-there is person.
These are not, and they cannot be, alb
stract qualities. They are the ele-
ments Of personal being. Whoever
thinks and feels and acts is a person.
CHOW as to the devil, we must de.
pend upon what the Bible says Of
him for accurate knowledge. From
Genesis to Revelation his existence,
nature and works are declared. He
appears in the first temptation deceiV-
ing the woman into sin with the prom
Use of equality unto God in knowledge,
and in the temptation Of Jesus where
his cunning and address were conspic:
uous. It is likely that he is the head
of the revolted angels, who kept not
their first estate and were banished
from heaven because Of sin. Nor are
these limitations Of his nature and
doings the fancy of dreamers. The
Son of God calls him the prince of this
world, and in His statement of the
end awaiting the finally unreclaimed.
He declares that they shall 60 away
into everlasting punishment prepared
for the devil and his angels.
II don't think the head of the
kingdom of darkness is such a person
as poets and dreamers imagine. He
has no tail, or hoofs or pitchfork. /
regard him as an a%rchangel in moral
ruin, will and spirit, estranged from
righteousness, fighting God as many
sinners do, though originally of the
same nature and possibilities the an
gels possessed, deceiving the woman
and damning the man. From the be-
ginning he has been the front and in
spiration Of every corruption Of the
church and every attack upon the
truth, and the author of every perse-
cution of the saints from Aeronic hor-
-s TO the massacre of St, BarthOlo-
Nv. Taking off his garments Of
Dlood, and stealing the livery of an
gels, his last exploit is to set up an
other church, denying in it's creed
everything taught by the saints by the
word of God and the postulates of
common sense for nineteen centuries.
"Of course I believe there is a per-
sonal devil, and in many such.'
DR.. W. W. Landrum, pastor of the
First Baptist Church, says:
"The personality Of Satan is clearly
taught in the Bible. Theology in
other centuries may have assigned the
devil too large a place and excessive
authority and power; superstition in
the middle ages and among some of
the ignorant of our own time may pre-
sent him as a laughable caricature;
poetry, professedly Christian, as is the
case Millions may dignity him as the
almost equal antagonist of the AL
mighty; rationalism may reduce him
to a so-called principle of evil and
agnosticism may sbrug it's shoulders
and declare its Indifference to all spir-
it's, human, angelic or diabolic-but
the fact remains unchanged and un-
changeable that the Bible distinctly
and repeatedly afirms the existence
and personality of Satan OF the devil.
Natural science can give no light when
we come to the boundary line which
divides mindfrom matter. Those who
believe in the Bible believe in spirit
ual existences. Among these some
are good and some are evil and chief
among the bad is Satan, a fallen spirit
or angel, powerful and always the enc
my of God and good men, but a being
inferior and subordinate to God.
"Satan is a subordinate but insur-
rectionary spirit, working by spiritual
means upon the heart of man for it's
guilt and ruin. Satan has no arbitra-
ry power over man but is welcomed
or repealed by the consent or resist
ance of the free agency Of man. AS
an author has well said: Satan can
not hurt Gods elect; his freedom Of
range on the earth and in the air is
that of a chained prisoner under SEN
tence.
"The habit of the thoughtless to
sheer at the personality Of the devil
finds small encouragement among logi-
cal minds without as we'll as within
the company of protested disciples of
Christ"
DR.. Barnett, pastor of the First
Presbyterian Church, says:
IT take the Bible as the inspired
word Of God and as true in every par
t%icular. It is the only trustworthy
source we have in regard to the spirit
ual world. Any truthful interpreter
ton of the Bible must show that it
believes in a personal devil, and | be-
lieve in what the Bible says"
Rev. W. A. McCarty, of the Ala
bama Conference, is visiting his son,
Rev. 7. r. McCarty. He expresses
himself as follows on this subject:
II know nothing of the devil except
what is revealed in Scripture. If,
therefore, a man denies the verify of
Scripture I cannot discuss with him.
The question then as preliminary
to such discussion would be as to
the inspiration and truth Of Scripture.
II assume, therefore, that the
Scriptures are true, and that their
teachings are trustworthy. The qucs-
ton then is as to what the Scriptures
teach.
"He, by whatever name mentioned
devil, Satan. etc.-is the head and
front of evil doing. Jesus the Christ
says to the Jews that would murder
him: 'Ye are of your father, the devil.
49,. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and abode not in the truth,
because there is no truth in him. -.
He is a liar and the father of it.
John 8, "A. Murder and lying could
not be p%rcdccated of any but a person
atty.
I'm accordance with this teaching
of christ is tho tenor Of ,Scrinture.