The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-07

DIR. HensOa's Address.
DIR. Hensons address was i'm part as fol-
lows: "One Of the shrewdest devices of The
devil is to pursuade the world that there
isn't any, and in this regard in recent years
his success has been extraordinary. Milton
pictures him squat like toad at the
ear of Mother Eve and whispering softly
internal suggestions. and one may imagine
him in like attitude by the side of the comic
artists who have made the whole world
laugh at their grotesque portraits of him.
for he knows right well that in matters of
religion what Is made ridiculous very short
ly becomes contemplate and is then dis
missed as incredible. And well-meaning but
ignorant evangelists have been influential
in the same direction by the very extrava-
gance of their language in denouncing the
devil as If he were the author of all the evil
in the Universe and as truly omnipresent
as the Lord of Hosts; and so We should
have two gods in the universe-one supernal
and the other infernal-a doctrine so re-
pugnant alike TO reason and to revelation
that men in revolt against ii are tempted
10 swing away to the other extreme and
universe.
Another thing has powerfully tended to
the exercising OF the devil from this mum
dane sphere, and that is the victorious
march of the scientific method. Men haze
been penetrating into the very penetralia
of nature and uncovering secrets that have
been hidden from the foundation of the
world. Many things that were accounted
supernatural have been found to be only the
outcome of natural causes, and the philos-
ophers, related and inflated and Intoxicated
tempted to believe that if they We're only
given time enough they would pluck the
heart out of every mystery in the universe.
The Scriptures alona can lift the veil
and in the light of the scriptures the devil
looms colossal. In the book of Job, perhaps
the Oldest in the Bible, he comes con-
spicuously to the front. In the book of
Genesis, the first book in the Bible, we hear
satanic subtlety, and all along through the
pages of the Old Testament the
Shiny trail of the old serpent and hear his
hiss.
And If 1t be said, as it is said by the
higher (modern) critics, that the Old Tesla
ment represented dispensation of types and
shadows and of myths and allegories, we
reply that the New Testament throws upon
the devil still more lurid light and more
vividly reveals the reality of his PERSONAL
ity. John represents him as "a sinner from
the beginning Paul speaks of him as the
god OF this world who blinds the minds
OF men to the light of the gospel, and who
does it most successfully by Disgusting
himself as an angel of light He warns his
brethren not to give place to him for an
Instant and urges them to put on the whole
armor of God that they might be able to
stand up against him. And Peter repre-
seeking whom he may devour.'
The fact of the matter simply is that
the personality of God is not more clearly
taught In the Bible than is the reality of the
personality of Satan and if we reject the
| one we may well reject the other.
.s NO sound exegesis can Danish him from
tory can ignore his presence in the world.
We may be sure Of this, that he has lost
whetted it's edge the rather against the
hard experience of the centuries. Some
| things he has learned undoubtedly One is
that persecution is not adapted to accom-
plish Chrfstianity's extinction, for the blood
OF the martyrs has ever been the seed of
| the church He has discovered that sugar.
coated pellets charged with poison do dead
| lier work than lions claws and that to
counterfeit Christianity is a better way TO
| open and fight it. and that such Internal
| delusions as spiritualism, and theosophy,
and Christian science will more success
| fully accomplish his purpose than blatant
infidelity and blasphemous atheism. But
some things he practiced in the beginning
| never been able to improve upon.
did say that the worst of all the DEVILS
devices for debauchery is the saloon? Per-
| geration, for ! am not sure but that after
| all venal and licentious press has even
| a wider reach of malignant power. L say
not that every press is venal or licentious
far from Ii, for I gladly and gratefully
| recognize the fact that in the press liberty,
philanthropy and piety have ever found
/ their mightiest helpers. All honor TO the
| editors and publishers whose high ideals of
| the mission of the press have made them
the most potent of our public benefactors.
| But the fact remains that in a lamentable
measure the press has been subsidized by
| the devil, is run for the revenue only is
panderer to the basest elements of human
nature and is daily deluging us with sew
| age that threatens to breed a moral pesti-
/ lence.
1--WE must have larger conceptions of
Christian life and must crowd out the baser
| by the inflow of the better. We must make
| a business of religion and religion of bus
| mess. We must write, Holiness to the
| Lord not only on the bells In the steeples,
| but the bells on the horses, and above all,
| also, we must pour into all the DEVILS dens
| broadsides of sunbeams."