shows that "Spiritualism" had manifested itself in his days also! "I answer, it is one thing for the devils" -demons" to play with one another, another thing for them to cast out one another. One devil"-demon -"may yield and give place to another, to gain a greater advantage for the whole society, but one never quarreleth with another! The first may be for the enlarging of Satan's kingdom. This must be to destroy it. When a poor wretched creature goeth to one who dealeth with the devil for help for one who is vexed with some effect of the devil, one devil "-demon-" here doth but yield and give place to another by compact, voluntarily, and for the devil's greater advantage; for it is more advantage to the devil (who seeks nothing so much as A DIVINE HOMAGE) TO GAIN THE FAITH OF ONE SOUL, than to exercise the power to afflict many bodies!1 In such cases as these, the devil, for the abatement of a little bodily pain, gains a power over the soul of him or her who cometh to implore his help, and exerciseth a faith in him. This is an establishing, promoting, and enlarging his Kingdom. But Christ FORCED THE DEVILS"-demons- OUT OF PERSONS; they did not yield voluntarily, for a greater advantage, but forcibly, for no advantage. He did not pray the devils to come. out, nor make use of any of the devil's sacraments, upon the use of which, by some original compact, he was obliged to come out upon a soul's surrender of itself by faith to him; but they came out unwillingly, UPON THE

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1 See pages 279-281.

AUTHORITATIVE WORDS OF CHRIST, without the use of any magical rites and ceremonies testifying the least homage done to him"!

But

A butcher was once driving a pig to the slaughterhouse; and, as is often the case under such circumstances, he could not get it to move on. Happening to have some beans in his pocket, he pulled a few out from time to time, and placed them on the road before the animal; and thus succeeded in his object. could any one but a fool ever have supposed, that he meant this in kindness to the pig? The Scriptures tell us, that "man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. This their way is their folly yet their posterity approve their sayings. Like sheep they are laid in Sheol; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning," i.e., in the resurrection; " and their beauty shall consume in Sheol from their dwelling." 1 it is said of "the simple one" " among the youths," who was seduced by the "harlot," that "he goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life." For "her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death." 2 Yea, "the dead are there; and her guests are IN THE DEPTHS of Sheol." 3

While

In the years 1863 and 1864, during which I was Undersheriff of the county of Lincoln, and had to be

1 Psa. xlix. 12-14. 2 Prov. vii. 7, 22, 23, 27.

3 Prov. ix. 18.

present at the Assizes; while attending one of the Judges in the Crown Court, on one occasion, my position was close to two murderers, man and wife, who were arraigned for poisoning the mother of one of them, (the wife, I believe,) with the object of getting possession of her property. It was a most wicked coldblooded murder: as the evidence shewed that they poisoned her by slow degrees; while at the same time, they outwardly shewed kindness to her, and professed to be doing all they could to alleviate her sufferings ! The Judge, who tried them, took, as it seemed to me, a most perverted view of the case; and to the intense surprise of every one present in Court, as well as the great disgust of the Chief Constable, he summed up elaborately in favour of the prisoners, and almost urged the Jury, if they convicted the prisoners, to bring in against them only the modified verdict of manslaughter. The Jury could not agree, and were locked up all night in consequence; and in the morning, to the surprise of everyone, they acted on the Judge's suggestion, and brought in a verdict against the prisoners of manslaughter only! The solicitor, who had the conduct of the case, told me some years afterwards, that most of the witnesses against the prisoners were then dead; and from the mode in which they pined away, he had a strong suspicion that they had been previously poisoned by the prisoners themselves!

Now can there be anything more diabolical than the murder of a parent by a child, who at the same time is blinding that parent by professing towards her the

most tender and devoted affection! Alas! there can. For as there are degrees of wickedness among men: so likewise are there among the demons themselves! For our Saviour has told us, that “when the unclean spirit is gone out of man," i.e., voluntarily, for his own purposes, “he walketh through dry places seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there and the last state of that man is worse than the first"a prediction, which our Lord applies primarily to the Jewish nation, as such, in the days of Antichrist "Even so shall it be unto this wicked generation"-which is now freer from crime than any other nation: but which, the prophetic Scriptures assure us, will in that day be as one possessed of seven devils!

And is it not infinitely more awful, when "lying,' "seducing" spirits, whose "consciences" are " seared with a hot iron," by such apparently kind attentions. and thoughtful provisions for the wants and comforts. of a family, as are described over and over again in the pages of "Spirit Workers in the Home Circle," 2 thus.

1 Mat. xii. 43-45.

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2 Hence, he speaks of them, in consequence, at pp. 61, 72 and 109, аз our spirit friends ;” at p. 105, "as righteous as beneficent;" at p. 150, as "the intelligence invariably used for good purposes; " &c., &c. and at p. 18, he actually speaks of this" unmistakable wave of psychic power," as streaming" "its benign and celestial radiance”

:

"3

seek to lure those who are deceived by them, into "the blackness of darkness for ever!"1 For the Word of God expressly states, that "sorcerers," papμакevσi, "and φαρμακεῦσι, idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.' And our Lord tells us that "the thief" here representing Satan himself, either mediately, or otherwise-" cometh not, BUT FOR to steal, and to kill, and to DESTROY." 4 And rightly is his "name in the Hebrew tongue, therefore," called "Abaddon"-destruction-" but in the Greek tongue" he "hath his name Apollyon "5-destroyer!

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Yes, we may be fully assured of this, that all the baskanizing and seductive influences, that Satan and his hosts can bring to bear upon the lusts and passions of men, are brought to bear upon them, for the one hellish purpose OF THEIR DESTRUCTION AND DEATH!

All the mighty instrumentality which Satan has at his command, 'the principalities and powers in the heavenlies,' 'the hosts of wicked spirits' under him, and the innumerable 'legions' of 'demons' over whom he reigns as 'the prince,'-all, all are straining their utmost energies”—especially in these days, when they know that their time is now but "short"-" for the same diabolical end-DESTRUCTION AND DEATH!"6

“through " his "life's chequered experiences as one of the gifts promised to the early disciples when the Comforter should appear!!"

1 Jude 13. 2 See page 10. 3 Rev. xxi. 8. 4 John x. 10. 5 Rev. ix. 11. 6 Extracted from the writer's "Personality and History of Satan," pp. 41, 42.