The Topeka state journal., 1906-05-12

What the Church Folks IRE Thinking
Ab0ut and Doing. Religious News
gUepAx genoo1 LEssoN AND 1oUNe rnorlz.s roFIe.
From EVeTVWhere.

relationship by denying the request.
yet acknowledged in words and what
+ Peter was later commended for de-
claring, these evil spirits freely grant
ed. Truly. the devils also believe and
tremble."
Must the Doctor Be Polite?
There was no doubt in the minds Of
/ either party in this wonderful conflict
as to who was master. The good IS su-
perior to the evil; although at times 1t
! does appear as If the evil Is more con
scious of that fact than the good. Je-
sus Iersely and confidently addressed
the spirit which tormented the unfOr-
unate, Come forth. thou unclean
spirit. out of the man. Jesus was
/ never polite to the devil, which is d
good example for his followers.
Any teacher who addresses himself
to the task of cleansing society today
/ is bound to shock those persons who
fear not to harbor hidden evil, but are
/ name plainly. The social putrefaction
of our day is mot to be cured by
/ sprinkling violet water upon 1t. Who
4 opens his mouth in Gods name must
speak frankly and bluntly about sin
The church, unlike her Master, is al
| together too considerate of the Evil
] One.
Winding Its Own Business.
This country of the Gadarenes was
a region of mixed people. Pure Jud-
/ alSn Ql0 not exist there, as IS lnQl-
! Gated by the presence of a great herd
of two thousand swine. No Jew could
either eat, touch or traffic in this ami
NAL. let 1t was not unknown for
commercially-mi Hebrews, cor
rupted by contact with Cenules, to en-
gage in supplying pork to Romen sold
/ iers and others who regarded the meat
as staple diet. Possibly some degen-
/ crate son of the law owned this par
/ ticular herd which will explain the
1af in
/ its destruction. At any rate if the
/ country could be freed of this legion Of
! demons, what matter the loss of a few
! hundred swine?
AT their own eager entreaty the de-
mons were permitted to enter the herd
of swine when driven from the man.
Although this was a more congenial
habitat for the spirits than human
breast, the beasts, suddenly driven to
fury by this evil accession, darted
! down the steep decline, which may still
/ be seen at the sea coast here, and be-
fore the beho1ders could fairly realize
what was happening, or arrest the
flight the whole herd were plunged in
/ to the deep waters. Granted their
/ prayer, the demons found that it
spelled destruction for them.
This spirit of the pit had cried,
1 What have 7 to do with thee, thou
/ Son of the Most High God" It speed
lily found that the good must have rela-
tions with the evil-acrOss unsh eathed
swords At first thought, the common
/ plea of all evfl-doers, Let us alone -
seems fair one; it really is not. By
its very nature, religion has business
with every evil under the sun. God
would not be God If he suffered Satan.
unmolested, to enjoy any sovereignty.
Preferred Profits to = Prophet.
This miracle of cleansing, and the
attendant spectacular destruction of
/ the swine, created a tremendous sen
/ sation in the nefghborhood. The
! swineherds, wild-eyed and incoherent,
ran to the city with their strange tale.
+ The entire community in oriental
/ fashion. straightway thronged out en-
] masse, to see what wonder was afoOt.
/ And they found enough to keep
/ tongues wagging for many year.
Here. in their presence, harmless
and tame clothed and in his right
mind, sat the demoniac from whom
most of them had at some time or an
other fed in terror. The spectacle
/ amazed them; it frightened them: thev
subjection required a greater power
than that which had so often alarmed
them in him.
After hearing the full story they
! learned that their property rights were
/ in danger; they knew not at what in
slant this Wonderworker would send
| all their herds pel nell into the sea.
What cared they for a mere man s sal
! vation; were not pigs better than a
/ person2 Nothing is so timid, nor quite
so blind to moral consideration. as
vested Interests If a CORPORATION
| today must choose, as these Gadarenes
+ thought they had to do, between profit
and the Prophet. they choose the
/ former; riches are more to be desired
than righteousness. says the hard
headed" business world. The entreaty