The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-11

YHAvE read the letters and interviews
with ministers that have been pub
lished In the Journal on the subject OF
my last Sundays lecture. Some OF them
seem to be very sincere. some not quite
honest and some a little OF both.
The Rev Robert s. Macarthur takes the
ground that very many Christians do not
believe in a personal devil. but are still
Christians He says they hold that the
references in the New Testament TO the
devil are simply to personifcations of evil.
ard do not apply to any personal existence.
these statements seem to me utterly abb
surd. The references 10 devils in the New
Testament are certainly as good and sat
,sfac.ory as the references TO angels. Now.
are the angels referred to In the New Tes-
lament simply personifcations Of good. and
are there no such personal existencesf
II devils are onlE personiacations OF evil.
how is Il that these personifcations or
evil could bold arguments with Jesus
Christ? How could they talk backf How
could they publicly acknowledge the d.
yinity of Christ?
AS matter OF fact, the best evidence OF
(.hr,st's divinity In the New Testament are
the declarations OF devils. These devils
were supposed to be acquainted with SUI
rernatural things. and consequently knew
a god when they saw one. where the av-
erage Jew not having been citizen OF the
celestial world. WINS unable 10 recognize o
deity when he met him
We are also told In the New Testament
that Christ was tempted by the devti-that
Is by REORGANIZATION of evil.' and that
this REORGANIZATION" took Him to the pin
nacle OF the temple and tried TO induce Him
TO jump of.
Did This Devil Actually Ex.stR
Now where did this "personifcation of
ev,l'' come from7 Was II an actual exist
sncaY Or. Macarthur says that II may no;
have been Thea &c did not come from the
outside OF Christ II Il existed il came
from the outside Of Christ. 50 that, accord
tnr to Macarthur, Christ was the creator
OF His own devil
Then. OF course, Macarthur VIII tell us
whether II was a ''personification OF evif'
,sa, offered Christ all the kingdoms OF tho
wor,a. and whether Christ expelled seven
CONGRATULATIONS of evil' from Mary Mag
Aalene. and how did they come 70 count
these "person,acations or eviig the
davis after ALL are only ''perscEjfcaoons
Of evil" then. Of course, they cannot De
numbered They are all one There may
Re different manifestations. but. in fact.
there car be but ore, and yet Mary Mag
dalere had seven.
In my lecture on superstition I did say
that 10 DENY the existence OF evil spirits.
OF to deny the existence of the devil, IS 70
deny the truth OF the New Testament: ana
tha; TO deny the existence OF these lmps 81
darkness was 10 deny the words Of Jesus
Christ. did say that IL we give mp the
belief IN devils. we must give up the IN
splratinn OF the Old and New Testaments,
ana we must give M the divinity OF Christ.
Proof of Christ's Divinity.
f-pon that declaration I stand. because
II devils do not exist. then jesus Christ was
mistaken. or We have not IN the New Tes-
lament a true account % what he said
and 81 Whist he pretended TO do. II the
New Testament gives G true account Of
Ills words and pretended actions. then He
ga claim 20 east out devils That was
His principal business That was His
certificate % dlvin&ty. casting ogt devils,
which authenticated His mission ard
proved that lie was superior TO the hosts
o. darkness.
Now. take the devil ous o. thu New
Testament and you also take the
veracaty % ChYist With that verac4ty.
van take the Divinity. with thai Divinity
YOU take che Aooremeat. and when you
,sks the Atonemerzs. the great fabric
known as Christianity becomes saapa-
| less ruin.
| Now, lie, DR.. Macarthur answer this, ant