The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1913-04-17
HE PEOPLES FORUM.
Ham" Resumes the Subject of De.
mOnology and Gives Spiritism
Some Body Blows.

week, viz: Demonology.
1t makes but little difference what
men may think or teach on the subject,
the thing we are concerned in is, what
does the Bible teach. This is final. The
connection of the Scriptures with this
subject is clear. Demon possession is
taught IN the Old and New Testaments.
The Bible recognizes the material world
and the spiritual connected with it, and
spiritual beings good and bad who have
access to and influence for good or i'll
over the inhabitants of the world. If
the teaching of the Bible on the subject
is unreliable the authority of Scriptures
is shaken to its foundation and wide
door opens to doubt and unbelief. This
is supposed to be a weak point of the
Bible and infidelity has made an attack
just here. 1t says demon possession is
a superstitious delusion of an unsatis-
fled age, but the testimony of Scripture
affirms it, and that which is derived
"
There are numerous occurrences of the
present age and in ordinary life of facts
similar to or identical with those to
which the Bible bears witness. 1t is
claimed that Jesus and His disciples,
living in primitive and unsclentifc
age, merely represented the thought
and advancement of that age, and ac-
cepted and believed in the doctrine,
though in fact, through ignorance and
superstition they were entirely mista-
ken. Notice the blasphemous assump-
ton of these wiseacres, who claim ii
was the ignorance of the Son of God,
our Saviour. that led Him to accept the
doctrine
Such theory is at variance with
the claim Christ made to knowledge OF
the unseen world from which he came,
as well as the views of the church in all
ages concerning the origin and anthem
ITCHY of the Scriptures.
A second theory, adopted by many
orthodox Christians. is a compromise
between theology and scientific ortho-
doXy. They say the Saviour was free
from the ignorance and superstition of
the age in which He lived, but in accord
with the ideas Of the time and the ordi-
nary use of language, spoke of demon
possession as his contemporaries did.
He didn' come to teach science but
spiritual truths, and did so in the Ian
guage of the people. Speaking as they
did of phenomena and in language ia
miliar to them.
When persons were brought to Him
as possessed He recognized only differ
ent forms of disease, but as people
spoke of them as possessed of demons
so He spoke of them. They spoke OF
curing disease as casting out demons,
hence He spoke the same way, and when
He gave power to His disciples to heal
these miraculously He spoke as popular
language would and so called it power
to cast out devils. This is derogatory
to the Saviour's character for it repre-
sents Him as deceiving but not instruct
ing His disciples; as encouraging super
stition rather than intoxicating truth.
Apply this to other teachings Of Jesus
and we see the force of it.
We find our Lord represented demons
as connected with and as agents of Sa-
tan, and casting out of demons as open
war upon war upon his dominions.
When the seventy returned they said,
Lord, even demons are subject to us
in Thy NAME Christ replied II be-
held Satan as lightning fall from heav-
en-. Luke 10:17-18.
Can we think for a moment that Christ
sanctioned the belief that demon pos
session was to be referred to satanic
agency when in fact He knew there was
no such thing as demon possession?
If this theory be true then Christ is
presented in light inconsistent with
his character as divine teacher.
Then He not only speaks of disease as
demon possession, but He addresses
them as demons, holds formal converse
ton with them and permitted them to
enter into the swine. This theory obliges
US to regard Christ as voluntarily intro
ducing this subject when not suggested
by His deciples. as IN Matt. 12:43, when
the unclean spirit is gone out of man,
he walketh through dry places, etc.
Suppose it was Jewish superstition,
then He adopted course which would
mislead his disciples and confirm them
in gross misapprehenslon when He
could have corrected the mistake by
saying it was disease. By this our Sa.
viour was using a superstition to sub
stantiate his claim of divine authority.
When He sent out disciples to preach,
the power to cast out demons was given
as divine attestation of His mission.
Matt. l0:1.
What was regarded by them and
others as one of the chief reasons for
accepting their testimony was the fact
that even the demons were subject unto
them through Christ's name; but ac-
cording to the theory under considera-
ton this was delusion.
Again it is said demon possession was
reality in apostolic times, and probably
there are some now, but we have little
practical interest in the matter now,
as divine knowledge or inspiration is
necessary to determine what are real
cases and what they are not.
This is simply inconsistent with the
facts of Scripture. Nearly every case
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