Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-05-24

Yt
&y spirit mediums
lPASJ0R RUSSELL)l that they were the
---"'-------- mediums. not be-
tween dead and living humans, but
between humans and demons-the fall
en- angels. And yet the Pastor said
all this In such kindly, sympathetic
manner that surely none could take Of
fense. Evidently no offense was In
tended, but merely the presentation of
what the speaker assuredly believes to
be the teaching of the Bible.
He opened his address by noting the
fact that the common conception re-
Hpectlng Satan's appearance and where
abouts Is wholly false. built not upon
the Bible, but upon human tradition,
human Imagination. handed down
from a darker day. The Pastor be-
lleves in real, personal Satan, and
believes him to be Beelzebub, the
prince Of demons. In other words, he
believes the Bible to teach that Satan
is an angel Of higher rank than or.
dinary angels and possessed Of 81.
perlor powers Hence he outranks
those who are with him. and perforce
is their leader, or prince.
That Satan is not in some far-off
place with his fallen angels, torturing
millions OF the human family In fur.
nRces. the Pastor made very clear He
showed TINT nothing OF the kind is
taught In the Scriptures. On the con.
tmry, they teach that Satan and his
host since the Deluge, are under re-
stralnt. confined to Tartarus, our
earths atmosphere. They cannot wan
der around the universe, as before
Satan Is very literally, therefore, "the
prince Of the power Of the air." and
his associate demons are members Of
this aerial or spirit power, malevolent
as respects everything that is Of God
and righteousness. and especially the
foes. therefore. Of such Of humanity as
Tenounce the works Of the flesh and
the Devil, and seek to walk In the
footsteps OF Jesus.
The lie and Where Told.
The lie was told In Eden. The ser
pent WIS used as satans tool. Satan
himself was originally the only rebel.
His associates, the fallen angels, were
not with him In his rebellion until
some time afterward. The Pastor would
not say that the serpent could not
speak under a satanic impulse or OBJ
session or hypnosis, but he Inclined
20 believe that the serpent spoke by
ies actions. lie quoted the proverb
which declares that ACTIONS speak
louder than words.' He thought that
this was probably the way In which
the serpent spoke to Mother Eve
God had forbidden our first parents
10 eat OF a certain kind OF fruit In the
Garden, without telling them why, It
was simply a test Of their obedience,
their loyalty to Him He told them
that dlsobedlence. dlsloyulty, In this
matter would result in their death.
He said nothing about eternal torment
The wilful sinner, according TO the
Bible. II to die TO perish as natural
brute beast. Gods favors are for only
those who will abide In His Love.
"The wages Of sin is death; but the
gift of God Is everlasting life, through
Jesus Christ our Lord"
The serpent, by eating Of the forbid
den fruit without dying, but on the con
trary being the wisest of all the BEASTS
seemed to give the lle TO Gods word
Through the serpent Satan declared to
the woman, "Ye shall not surely die,
Through the serpent, Satan also told
Mother Eve that God evidently was
trying TO keep herself and her husband
IN Ignorance, blindness. darkness; and
that Il was time tor them 20 awake, to
assert their rights and to make the
best of themselves, by eating OF the
forbidden fruit Father Adam knew
better. but when he found that his dear
wife had eaten and thus had come un.
der the sentence, or curse Of death, he
wis ~ discouraged that he determined
90 die with his wife, loving her 80 much
that he would rather die with her than
live without her
Satan's object In telling this lie In
decelylng our first parents, was made
very clear by the Pastor From other
Scriptures he pointed out that Satan
for some time had been saying In his
heart that he would Hike 20 have and u
exercise stlll higher powers than those
which he possessed He would like to
be- 'as the Most High" lie would be
a sovereign, who might work out his
own plans lie had no thought of sup.
planting the Almighty, but had the
pride 10 suppose that he could manage
the universe better than God could,
and that n he bad a small section un.