The Point Pleasant register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, W. Va.) 1909-1939, 1910-04-06
Is There a
Personal Devil?
By REV. JAMES n. CRAY
Dssa e Aoedy Bile Iastisa.s.
cAieas'

upon the theme. 'Is There a Per
Eonal Deyil?' but assume that the in
rerrogatiye form was used as mat
ter Of convenience and not as a sug.
sestion Of doubt. I DO not assume that
Christian men learned In the Bible.
and who accept It not as the word
OF men but as It Is IN truth. the word
OF Cod have any doubt about the
personality Of the devil.
The dictionary tells US that person.
atty is synonymous with seIi-con-
sciousness. or the power to identity
ones self That which can contrive
or design must be person, Dr.. PaIey
tells us. for such capacities imply con
scIousness Of thought. But that the
devil possesses these capacities just
rs man does. or indeed Just as God
himself does. IS very evident from The
inspired record.
That record in this case IN progres.
sive. At first the devil IS present cd
only as serpent. although the whole
narrative OF Genesis H.. but especially
the spiritual nature Of the temptation
-'Ye shall be as God'-suggests more
than mere animal agency at work.
So clearly indeed is this suggested
that We are quite prepared for the
Identification of the serpent with the
devil and Satan which We find in
Revelation XII. 9.
But when we come to the new Tes-
lament the veil is lifted. and his real
ard awful character is portrayed in
vivid colors
1t is to the old Testament. however.
that we are indebted for the word
Satan, which. as you know. means
IN 'adversary'-but one possessing
hate. great hostility and a purpose
to injure Gesenius IS authority for
the statement that when this word
g preceded by the article is assumes
the nature of n proper name.
Reaching the new Testament. We
Ind the personality of Satan sug.
gested in several ways. as. for ex.
ample:
L BY the titles given him. He is
called the accuser of the brethren.
the angel OF the bottomless pit,
Apollyon. or he that extermirates: :
the father of Hes the man murderer
the prince OF the devils the spirit
shat now worketh in the children Of
dIsobedience.' the God of this world.
the unclean spirit the wicked one
and the evil one'
3 BY the characteristics ascrIbed to
him. He is called presumptuous.
proud. powerful, malignant. deceitful.
cruel. always active in doing and pro-
noting evil and yet cowardly. he Is
compared to fowler setting snares
for unwary souls, sower scattering
tares by night. a wolf ravaging the
flock and lion restlessly wandering
about for prey
It Is astonishing in the light OF such
testimony that Christians Of intelli.
gence should be found doubling, much
less denying. the personality of the
devil. If personality means the essen.
tial characteristic of a person as dis.
tinguIshed from a thing. is not Satan
rather more than thing?
But If It be astonishing that men
should deny his personality in the
face of testimony like this. what shall
We say of their folly who. accepting
It in q sense. treat the subject of the
devil in the spirit of levity and crack
Jokes at his expense and make merry
with his proclivities-as even minis.
ters have been known to do. How
such conduct testifes at once to the
ignorance OF the natural heart and
he power which the archdeceiver has
obtained over 1t!
Let US continue the proof of HIS per.
sonality ny considering the elements
of his power. DR.. ormiston. in his
valuable work on the subject. classI-
fes 1t in four kinds.
There is first the physical element
lie is an angel. although fallen one.
and 1t is said of such they excel in
strength Take the history OF Job as
m illustration Of this. In his case
great fire fell and burned up his sheep
and oxen. Then wind from the vii.
( de-ness smote the four corners OF his
house. killing the young men who
were within. and then at last Job him.
self IS smItten with sore boils from
he sole OF his foot to the crown of
his head.
There is. secondly. Satan's Intellec.
tual power. He has mind and will
to think. contrive and devise. His
knowledge. too. is very great, for the
reason. among others that he is very
old-'old but not infirm.'
He was in existence before Adam.
and has had the advantage of this
long period Of observation to add to
mis- original stock OF information.
With unremitting attention he has
studied the evidences OF time. and
doubtless there is not an individual
on earth. and never has been. with
whose power and peculiarities he is
not familiar.
He Is ever going to and fro and