The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-05-24
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

Pastor Russell. The discourse, on
"The Overthrow of Satan's Empire"
was IN the nature of a religious lec-
ture. 1t was marked throughout by
deepest reverence for the Bible, many
Of the passages of which shone out
with new meaning under the search
light of his message. He asserted. aud
seemed to prove, the personality of Sa-
tan. But according TO his showing 1t
is great mistake TO suppose the Arch
enemy of mankind to be afar off stok-
ing furnaces and torturing the dead.
Instead, he Is the cunning Deceiver
who for centuries has been hoodwink-
ing humanity, including the Church
putting darkness for light and light for
darkness. God did not create him a
devil. He became such by self-perver.
sion through ambition. Originally his
name was Lucifer-Morning Star. He
beheld our first parents in Eden. noted
own likeness and coveted an empire
with them as his subjects.
For six thousand years God has per-
mitted Satan to exercise a measure OF
deceptive power over the race and TO
display to both angels and men the ter.
rible results of sin, as exemplified in
what the Apostle terms the "reign Of
sin and DEATH" and the mental. moral
and physical degradation resulting.
Satan has not been alone. Not only
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age, but additionally he is the 'Prlnce
of devils"-demons. The speaker show
ed from the Scriptures Genesis vi;
Jude g. how these subordinate de-
mons had once been holy angels, too
and when and where they sinned, and
how.
"The Apostle Peter gives the key to
the real solution of the matter when,
in reciting the events connected with
the food, he tells us of the fall of the
angels at that time. who in the days
of Noah kept not their first estate
Il Peter i'll, 10, 20). Those angels who
were permitted to have measure Of
control of the fallen race, with a view
to helping them as much as they
might be able. and who, for the pur
pose of rendering such assistance to
mankind. were permitted to appear in
human form, became euamored of the
human female, and preferred the hui
man form to their own state as spirit
beings. They thus left their original
estate, as Jude also explains dude
O.. These angels are the ones de-
nominated the sons of God none of
the human family being given that
name after the fall. The angels who
fell from their noble work and cop1i-
ton, and became groveling aud SEN
sual. manifested clearly in their own
course the downward tendency of all
transgressions of the divine law.
THE Apostles Peter and Jude clear
ly mark out the punishment visited
upon those sons of God who thus be-
trayed their trust and fell into sin,
leaving their own habitation,' their
own nature, and atiiliating with the
human nature. Their punishment has
been their deprivation OF all such lib
critics, and their separation from God
and from the holy angels: and this re-
straint is called, by the Apostle.
chains of darkness while the re
strained ones themselves, instead of
being recognized as sons of Cod or
angels of light, were thenceforth
known as angels of darkness de
mons wicked spirits incidentally
we remark that these are the spirits
In prison mentioned by Peter Il Peter
Ill, 10l, and that although restricted as
respects their powers of fellowship
with the holy angels, and with man
kind, being no longer privileged 10 ap.
pear as men. they still seek human
fellowship, endeavoring to gain posses.
sion of human beings who yield up
their Wills, and who are then said to
be possessed of devils or 'obsessed' II
Is but preliminary step toward thus
getting possession OF the individual
that these wicked spirits appeal to hu,
manity to become their mediums tspir.
1t mediumsl, through whom they to
some extent communicate And they
l''ioOhoNN hVhu DGGuuot
they know well that humanity would
shun them and fear them If their real
identity were discovered
"Satan and his subordlnates have
maintained system of human decep
ton" the speaker declared. and II
must be confessed that he gave Bib
lical proofs for his every claim. Hc
asserted that the communications be-
lleved by Spirltuallsts-Dr. Funk, Prof
Hyslop, Editor Stead and others-to be
communication from the dead. are
really deceptive communications from
these fallen angels. So far from claim
Ing that these professors and medl
ums practice deception, his claim Is
that they themselves are deceived and
are unlntentlonally leading others on
ward into a terrible SplrituallstiC
maestrom, which. he declares, we are
nearing. according to the Bible. He
warned against hypnotism. mind cures
etc, practiced by well-meaning but de
ceived physicians, ministers and 9th
ers. He declared that all these tended
10 break down the human will. the
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