Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1908-05-28
THE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. JOHN c. AGER.
Theme: Casting Out Evil Spirits.

Theme: Casting Out Evil Spirits.
Brooklyn, N. Yin the Church of
the New Jerusalem (Swedenborgian)
the pastor, the Rev. John Curtis Ager,
preached Sunday morning on "Cast-
ing Out Evil Spirits" sermon sug-
gested by the Emmanuel Movement.
The text was from Matthew 1877:
And He called unto Him His twelve
disciples and gave them authority
over unclean spirits to cast them out"
Mr.. Ager said:
! The Lords twelve disciples were
exceptional disciples only in the sense
| that they were types of representa-
tives of discipleship. That is, the
outward duties and powers and privi-
jteges which the Lord conferred upon
these twelve men were divine types or
symbols of the spiritual duties and
powers and privileges, that are con-
TERED upon all true disciples of the
1Lord. So this power or authority
over unclean spirits to cast them out
ievery true disciple of the Lord pos
sesses in the measure of his disciple
lship, that is, in the measure in which
he has come into the true order Of
his life.
| This great truth lies at the founda-
ltion of certain lines of thought that
are attracting much attention at the
present time. These concern them
selves mainly with mans deliverance
from physical evils, or diseases, with
lpn7y an obscure recognition of the
TACT that physical evils are mainly
1.-The effects or results Of spiritual evils.
But the next step, that the spiritual
lewis that beset us are caused by our
affliation with evil spirits, as these
Iwords plainly imply, is regarded as
IN absurd superstition.
For modern Christian Thought
lgives the least possible space and con-
federation to the supernatural. 1t has
never found any place in it's thinking
for an actual spiritual world, which is
1.-THE endless abode Of all who have
passed out of this world through the
; gate of death. 1t has even less re-
) spect for the idea that those who have
passed out of this world, wheverey
they may be, have any vital ccnnec-
tion with our experiences here
This attitude OF mind is most plain
ly out of harmony with the apparent
teaching OF the Gospels, which every.
where take for granted the existence
of spiritual beings, good and evil
who hold most intimate relations tC
> men on the earth. So this aspect OF
: the Gospel teaching is something that
, needs to be explained away. and the
= attempts to do this are numerous .an6
various.
To the new church, on the uthel
S hand. this is a vital truth, both as {
: fundamental philosophical priBcipl'
S and as a practical doctrine.
al A century and a half ago Sweden
, Iborg set forth with great fullness =;
truth that recent philosophy has beer
. making a good deal of, the truth o
: the solidarity of the human race
: 4 Protestant theology rested on pure in
ld1vidualism. But the truth that fu
lmanity as a whole is a one, vita
: land organic entity, has now come t,
) be clearly seen and its significanc
recognized. Most thinkers, however
tconfine this truth to the present popu
/ 1ation of this earth, while Sweden
S borg makes it include all humanity
i the population of all worlds, includ
: ing the spiritual world He teaches
4 Furthermore, that this universal or
ganism is in tho human form that is
. is a human organism. as all it's part
= and constituents are. In this organ
j ism each Individual soul has its plac
J and function, like the cells and fibre
n of the human body. each one vitall
n related to every other But while
|. is true that no individual soul o
spirit could exist If cut off from ever
other soul or spirit, yet every huma
soul is separate Individual, wit
complete capability of determinin
the character of it's own life for 1tsel
. Another doctrine to which Sweder
y borg gives unique Importance is tn
) doctrine of influx.
0 Every individual soul in its tru
1 order is finite image of the infinite
O and is therefore made up of number
less functions and powers and part:
!, from highest to lowest. Into thi
- complex organism the divine life flow
J. in an unceasing stream. Moder
:, psychology teaches that our cor
l, sciousness covers only a part of thl
= mental organism, the part that lie
e next to our bodily sensations, an
= therefore the lowest Or outermos
- part. And as consciousness is an es
sentfal element of all choices and d.
= Examinations, and it is by choices an
determinations that character is d
termined, so it is only this lower {
which spiritual disorder or evil ca
s. enter
n All these regions of the huma
If soul, from highest to lowest, al
merely organic vessels or receptiv
" ties, and are living only by virtue (
e the unceasing inflow of life into ther
Into the highest or inmost region I
the soul the divine life flows direct
y from the Lord. This region lii
> above or within all human and a.
gelic consciousness. and forms Il