The Irish standard., 1898-01-15

spiritual form; they are still clever, in
telligent, subtle, and more than
match for the wisest and cleverest OF
men. 1t is against them that we have to
contend all the days of our life. Not to
believe in the existence Of real and per-
sonal devils is not to believe in the
scriptures-for the bible everywhere
bears testimony to them.
Now, as good angels have dealings
with men, SO may bad angels This is
abundantly evident from scripture, his
tory, from the lives of the saints and
from authentic accounts received from
idolatrous countries, where the power
of the devil is much less hampered and
controlled than in Christian lands. The
histories of China, Japan, Africa and
especially India abound with instances.
We find the clearest indications of deal
ings with the devil also in the inspired
pages of the bible There is abundant
evidence to show that these very prac-
+tces. SO strongly condemned by Cod.
speaking through Moses, as in the words
OF the text, are common enough in Eng
land. 1t is, of course, true that great
deal of what comes under our notice may
be ascribed to natural forces or 10 de-
captions; but it is equally true that a
great deal cannot be SO explained. On the
border land of science there are many
facts which, on the one hand, reveal
the agency of intellectual beings distinct
from man, and on the other hand are
too trivial and vulgar and Insignificant
to be attributed to the direct interven-
tion OF God and His holy angels. There
are certain laws of reason and principle
of science which every man feels it his
duty to accept. One of these laws IL
that every cause must be proportional to
the effect produced. Applying the law
to the matter in hand, when a certain
effect clearly shows knowledge and de-
sign, the cause producing that effect
must be intelligent. You are present at
some seance where table-rapping is 60
ing on. You ask questions, and the
table replies by three raps for eyes,
and two for mo" 1t follows that either
the whole thing is IL Ielusion and
snare, a piece of trickery and humbug,
and then, if it is professed to be any
thing else, no one should encourage it;
or else the answers are sensible, true
and according to fact; in which case we
o0f of nj ,,,to 10 ~,
ject such as table, which has neither
sense nor intelligence, but we must
put it down to spirits, to disembodied
and invisible intelligences-in a word,
to the agency of satan.
1t may be asked: Can even the devil
himself tell the contingent future? No;
not with absolute certainty, as God can.
But the devil can make an exceedingly
shrewd guess. AS an experienced and
practised physician can offer an almost
certain opinion as to whether a man
will or will not recover from disease,
or, as an astute sailor will tell by the
general appearance of the sky whether
storm or a calm is coming, so the
devil, by his far greater experience and
immeasurably greater knowledge, can
make guesses at truth, concerning even
future and contingent events which are
oftimes accurate. 1t is our clear duty
however, to have nothing to do with the
spirits of evil. We have no business 10
consult them Or to invoke their aid. The
wish to know, especially to know the
future, is natural. The idea of making
such discoveries possesses for many
charm and a fascination that is almost
irresistible, and the devil is only too
ready to dangle this bait before us and
to cnsnare us under any pretext what
soever. But God has forbidden His
children to have any dealings whatso-
ever with these malicious spirits, who
bear us no friendship, but who are eve!
seeking by every means in their power
to gain an influence over us, to drag us
into sin and to plunge us finally into
hell. Let us be on our guard and free
ourselves from the destinations and Sc
auctions of the devil in whatever
form, for "who plays with the devil
can have no part with Christi